AT HOME AROUND THE WORLD

Catching Up

2011-03-19T15:00:00.008-04:00

Here I am back visiting my sister, Nico and Zoee just two weeks after returning home from my last visit. I had the good fortune to be able to return with my Mom who had planned to visit this week.

I realized that I need to post about the few days I had in Paris during my last visit before I forget everything.

Nico's parents, sister and nephew were coming to visit while I was here so I thought it might be good to go exploring for a few days to give them time to visit and make the house a little less crowded. I originally had it in mind to go to Annecy, France, a town I have been told I would enjoy but one that somehow I never make it to when I'm here visiting. Hotels were pretty booked so I scratched that idea. I thought about heading home a few days early as I was missing Steve and home. Steve suggested that since I would have to pay a change fee for my flight I should think about visiting his cousins in Paris for a few days. I was at first a little reluctant; I didn't want to impose especially last minute. I emailed Steve's cousin Marie-Catherine to float the idea by her and her enthusiasm made me excited to go for a visit.

I took Easy Jet to Paris which was maybe $120 or $140 Euros which was considerably less than the cost of the train. The last few years I have been surprised by how expensive the train is and how much less it is to fly intra-Europe.

I arrived on Thursday around noon. Marie-Catherine kindly offered to pick me up from Orly instead of me taking the train. It was wonderful to see her when I got off the plane. We quickly grabbed my bag and made our way through a little traffic on the peripherique and got to her and Jean's new digs in the 10th. Marie-Catherine and Jean have been in their new place for about 5 or 6 months. They had renovation work done before they moved in that included a fab new kitchen and re-working some of the rooms. It is an amazing flat and totally them. I got to meet Mickael's girlfriend, Flora and the three of us, Marie-Catherine, Flora and I went to a neighborhood brasserie for lunch.

After lunch, Marie Catherine headed to the office for a while and I spent about an hour exploring their new neighborhood. When me met up back at the flat I got to say hi to Yoann who seems quite happy being back in Paris proper. I love Yoann. He is a a funny, smart teenager who is not afflicted with the teen syndrome that some kids go through. For dinner Marie-Catherine made a dish of pasta with creme fraiche, comte and sausages and it was the best meal I had that this trip. I love her cooking.

Friday Marie-Catherine, Yoann and I made our way to the 9th in search of A l’Etoile d’Or, the most wonderful confection shop I've ever been to. I learned about it via David Lebovitz's blog "Living the Sweet Life in Paris".

Here's a link to his posting-

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/07/the-sweetest-wo/

The shop is everything he says and more. The proprietress selects what she sees as the "best of" various chocolates, candies and other sweets from around France. I was quite literally a kid in a candy store and it was most excellent.

I purchased several bars, or tablets of chocolate from the Lyonnais chocolate maker, Bernachon. The Bernachon family are not just chocolatiers but chocolate makers who make their chocolates directly from the bean not from someone else's couverture. The bars are wonderful and perhaps I will jot down my thoughts on them another time but what really thrilled me were the "chocolates" and truffles from Bernachon that one chooses by the piece from a precious and elegant glass display case in the center of the store. These chocolates were, well... extraordinary. The confections were perfect (I chose mostly nut pastes, nougats and whole nuts) and the chocolate itself was the "snappiest", most velvety richest chocolate I've had.

You can read more about Bernachon chocolates at their website-

http://www.bernachon.com/accueil_en.html

The fairy tale experience at A l’Etoile d’Or was followed up by a quick lunch at a cafe across the street from the Moulin Rouge.

Dinner Friday night was with Steve's uncle, Jacques, and his friend, Fracoise, at a Corsican restaurant in Jacques neighborhood. We were joined by Jean and Marie- Catherine's oldest son Guillaume and his girlfriend Pricillia. I always enjoy getting to see Jacques and Francoise. Francoise and I have a fondness for one another despite our language barrier. She speaks no English and I have a hard time understanding her heavily Breton accented French but none the less we are sympatico. The last few times I've seen Francoise she has asked Steve and I to visit her home in Brittany and I hope that we are someday able to do that.

Saturday I joined Marie-Catherine and Jean for a quick shopping trip to Bercy Village where the olive oil shop that Marie-Catherine is fond of is located.

http://www.bercyvillage.com/Amenagement.html

From there we headed to the Marche D'Aligre where there is a spice shop I wanted to visit in search of fresh vadouvin. Alas, the shop didn't have what I was looking for but I always enjoy a stroll through this market and its environs. We lunched at La Gazzetta, a place we stumbled upon which turned into a happy accident with a lovely three course fixed lunch that was quite good and quite reasonable.

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing a little more wandering around Marie- Catherine's neighborhood.

Saturday night we went for dinner to the home of a good friend of Marie-Catherine's. An enjoyable evening and an enjoyable meal was shared by all.

Sunday Yoann, Jean, Marie- Catherine, Guillame and Priscilla drove to a town in Lorraine to have Sunday dinner with Priscilla's parents. This was quite a meal. We were at the table for four hours and I said "uncle" several times. I was encouraged when after the meal someone suggested a walk around town! The three hour drive back to Paris caught some of us napping to be sure.

Monday I was on my own. I started out walking around the Marias in the neighborhood where the apartment Steve and I like to stay is located. I'm like a homing pigeon. I feel like this neighborhood is my home base in Paris. I enjoy visiting the familiar places and also discovering new things. As much time as I have spent in this area I still find many new things every trip.

I had a falafel lunch at Mi Va Mi which is across the street from the famous L’As du Falafel and is my choice over LDF. I also really like Chez Marriane which is just up the street from LDF.

After lunch I walked the area around Les Halles then over to the Musee de L'Orangerie for the Monday afternoon English guided tour.

http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/

After the museum visit I walked back to where I started in the Marais and then took the Metro home to MC's. Why did I walk back instead of taking the Metro from a spot closer to the museum? I was on the hunt for some chocolates that a friend asked me to pick up and there was one particular shop at about halfway there and two others pretty close to where I had started the day plus, it's Paris and who doesn't love walking around Paris? I struck out on all three as it was Monday and they were all closed but it was a wonderful time walking around.

Monday night for dinner we met Sophie and Stephane at a neighborhood place they, Marie- Catherine and Jean like. It was a great meal but more importantly great to see Sophie and Stephane. We had a lively political discussion and it was a great way to cap off my short time in Paris.

Tuesday morning I flew back to Switzerland and had one more night with Jenny, Nico and Zoee and enjoyed a quick visit with Nico's family. We all took a stroll in Montreux along the lake in the afternoon and Jenny made her amazing pot pie for me for dinner that night.

Wednesday morning I was on the train before the sun came up. A kind desk agent in Geneva took care of my seating assignment for the flight back to the states so I had a whole row of three to myself which meant I slept most of the way and had a good flight.

I was happy to have so much time with my sister and Zoee but I will say that three weeks is a long time to be away without one's partner. I was happy to get home to my husband and my own house.

Phew, I'm glad I got that all written down. I was already having a hard time remembering everything.

Past Few Days

2011-02-22T04:41:00.004-05:00

This has been a low key trip i.e. not a lot of adventuring or site seeing. Most of my time has been spent hanging out with Jenny and Zoee.

Within the week and a half that I've been here Zoee has sprouted like a little weed. I swear she has gained 2 pounds and grown a little longer in a matter of days. One afternoon while Jenny went for a swim I walked her around the gardens surrounding the pool. It was lovely to stroll her around. She slept most of the walk but every time I looked at her my heart about burst.

Sorry that I am not posting any pictures of Zoee but Jenny isn't keen on that. Zoee and Nico heard word from the county that they will accept Nefertiti as a middle name so, Zoee Nefertiti it will be.

I went to the museum in Martigny Friday to see the current exhibit which is a diverse collection from an anonymous patron of the museum's private collection. Zoee enjoyed strolling through the outdoor sculpture garden which made my heart happy.

Saturday, Jenny, Zoee and I took a drive to the Valais town of Haute Nendaz for her to check out a vacation rental for Nico's annual get together with friends. We shared a fondue de tomates for lunch at a place in the center of Nendaz. The house was beautiful with lots of rooms for everyone, great common areas and a pool with 360 degree views of the mountains. I threatened to come back for the get together.

Sunday we went to Nicole and Cyril's place for dinner. I got to meet Nicole's two sisters who were visiting, one from Glasgow and one from London. They were both joys to meet. Michelle who lives in Glasgow (where Nicole's family is from) is a fast talker. Now, I usually have no trouble understanding any variety of accents but between her Scottish brogue and fast talking I was left feeling like she was speaking Greek much of the time. It really made me laugh. Nicole and Cryil are expecting and Nicole is darling with her little baby belly.

Yesterday (Monday) I visited the Chateau de Chillon along the shore of Lac Leman.

http://www.chillon.ch/

After the chateau I drove up from Jenny and Nico's to Glion and Caux. These two places caught my attention-

http://www.valmontgenolier.ch/

http://www.rose-croix-d-or.org/

Pretty interesting, no?

Today I am going to take the Golden Pass train for a scenic ride up to the mountains.

http://www.goldenpass.ch

Switzerland February 2011

2011-02-14T13:45:00.007-05:00

It is hard for me to believe that my niece Zoee was four months old before I got to meet her. When she was born I resisted the urge to get on a plane for Switzerland to see her but Steve and I had just returned from Italy and I had seen my sister prior to meeting Steve in Italy. It just didn't make sense to fly back right away. Then it was prepping for Thanksgiving pie season and I thought that Jenny, Nico and baby Zoee would be in Cleveland for Christmas so it made sense to wait for them to come. Well, getting Zoee's passport proved not an easy thing (she still doesn't have it) so the Christmas trip was cancelled. All that along with the other life stuff and it was the end of January and I still hadn't held my niece.

I arrived Thursday and Zoee is the most precious thing ever. Of course I've felt that was about each of my nieces and nephews but extra special is the time you first meet them.

Zoee is a tiny little thing. She weighed just 6 lbs 7 ounces when she was born and she is probably only 10 or 11 pounds now. Her little fingers and toes and button mouth all melt my heart.

She is a pretty quiet baby, not a lot of laughing and cooing but when she does laugh, oh is it something.

She has just started teething and spends almost all of the time I hold her with my finger in her mouth rubbing her gums against it. It is a riot to see her take my hand and try to guide it to her mouth. In just the few days I've been here she is already putting her own fingers in her mouth more.

Zoee likes to be held and is not much for laying in her baby seat or on the floor on her blanket.

She loves her Mommy and Daddy. If she starts fussing when I'm holding her she immediately is consoled when she goes to Jenny.

I love holding her in my lap while Nico sits next to us playing guitar. Zoee can't take her eyes off her Daddy when he is making music for her and Jenny sings to her all the time.

Jenny and Nico were going to use Black (my sister's and my maiden name) as her middle name but when they registered her name the county contacted them to say that Black was not an acceptable name. It is strange that though Zoee is not a Swiss citizen Jenny and Nico are subject to the Swiss' rules regarding names. Nico took to calling Zoee "Ti Ti" and both he and Jenny like the name Nefertiti, the beautiful woman has come, so they have a request in to make that her middle name and are waiting to see if Nefertiti will be allowed.

I got in Thursday and took the train from Geneva. It's funny to me that I used to stress a little bit about taking the train instead of Jenny coming to the airport but now it is second nature and I don't mind it at all in fact I enjoy the train trip.

I didn't sleep well on the plane and so wanted to take a nap but I resisted. Jenny had a baby massage class in Vevey Thursday afternoon so I went with her and walked around town while she had her class then we did a little grocery shopping and ran a few errands and came home.

For dinner Thursday Jenny made pizza. She used a pre-made crust and made her own sauce with lots of onions and a little oregano, the way we had it growing up. The pizza was delicious!

Friday I spent the day leisurely cleaning the kitchen cupboards and drawers and hanging out with Jenny and Zoee. Nico worked from home that day so we got to have some time with him too. He played a lot of guitar for Zoee.

Jenny and Nico were expecting college friends of Nico's and their three month old baby for the weekend so Friday evening I cleaned the downstairs bathroom and Saturday Jenny spent the morning cleaning while I went to the Vevey market, grocery store and farm for provisions for the weekend. We had seen vongole at the grocery on Thursday and Jenny decided she would make pasta vongole for dinner Saturday night. Shortly after I got home from the market Nico's friends arrived from Lyon. While Jenny and Nico visited with them I chopped the onion, garlic and parsley for the pasta and toasted walnuts and cleaned a pomegranate for the salad. We all had a great meal and a nice evening visiting. After dinner the guys went to Vevey for a friend's birthday party.

Sunday I baked a blueberry pie while Jenny got a pot of soup going for couscous. Nico, Jenny, Zoe and their guests, Clarise, Ben and Leelou, went to Montreux to walk at the lake and I stayed behind and made radish and harissa salad and cooked peppers to have with the couscous. Steve's family calls the cooked peppers and garlic "cooked salad" or "marmula". I am unable to find an internet reference for "marmula" so perhaps I am spelling it incorrectly.

Once everyone returned from the lake we had a wonderful couscous lunch. Jenny has become a great cook. While her couscous was different from what I'm used to from Steve's Mom and aunt it was delicious. Steve's family uses a couscous blend that has cayenne, paprika, coriander and cumin while Jenny used cinnamon, cumin corriander and a little caraway. Steve's family's version is more savory while Jenny's was slightly sweet like what I've had in couscous places in Paris. I prefer the more savory but will say that of all the slightly sweet versions I've had my sister's was far and away the best.

The blueberry pie for dessert was a big hit. Nico always makes a big deal of it when I make pie which of course makes me feel like a hundred dollars. Clarise and Ben enjoyed the blueberry pie as well as I was glad that I had made a little tart with the left-over crust for them to take home. As we were finishing the pie Jenny and Nico got a call from another friend who happened to be in town from Australia and he stopped by for pie. Zoee got her first taste of blueberry pie and she was loving it. I dipped my finger in the juice from the pie and let her suck that from my finger and she kept wanting more. It was very cute and had us all laughing.

Clarise, Ben and Leelou left around five and Jenny, Nico, Zoee and I spent the rest of the day hanging around.

I talked to Steve about maybe flying home early because Nico's parents, sister and her son are coming at the end of the month and it would really be tight for all of us to be here. I had thought about going to spend a few days in Annecy but for I didn't feel like exploring a new city without Steve. It's not that I'm not adventurous just that I am thinking this is a long time to be away with out Steve and I am missing him. Steve thought I should go to Paris to see his cousins and spend time enjoying my favorite city. I was hesitant about the idea because I really just wanted to go home early but I sent a message to his cousin to see what she thought of the idea and her excitement about it made me excited so I spent the rest of the evening looking at train and plane options and this morning I booked a flight to Paris. I will go for a few days and will return to my sister's the day before my flight back to the states.

Today Jenny, Zoe and I puttered around in the morning and then we went for a walk to Brent. When we got back Nico was home from work and he, Jenny and the baby went to the pool for a swim. They are back and I am waiting for Jenny to put Zoee to bed then I will make pasta vongole round two with the clams we had left from Saturday.

We haven't planned out the rest of the week but ruled out the trip to Dijon we were thinking of. It doesn't make sense to go to Dijon for a few days when I am going to Paris. I know for sure that I will spend an afternoon at the museum in Martigny (http://www.gianadda.ch/). The current exhibit is of over a hundred works from a private collection. The collector, who wishes to remain anonymous, has long been a supporter of this museum and from what I've been told by my sister this collection is momentous. I am greatly looking forward to seeing it and have in my mind that it will be as monumental to me as the L'ecole de Paris exhibit was in Paris ten years ago.

Day 2 and # Orlando

2011-01-29T16:00:00.004-05:00

This has been a very low key trip which is great because as much as Steve works it's nice to have time just to hang out and be with each other. Steve works from home so you might think we are with each other all the time but that's not how it works. Even on the evenings when we have time to go out he is often answering business calls and emails. It is hard for us to get a break of uninterrupted time.

Yesterday we spent the morning listening to the sales pitch for the Hilton property property where we are staying. The reason we took this trip was we had a great offer from Hilton to come stay at this new vacation club property for next to nothing in return for listen to the sales schpeel and considering buying into the property. Not a bad exchange for a few days in the sun.

We headed back to Anh Hong for lunch yesterday. We shared a green papaya and Vietnamese beef jerky salad and a bowl of pho. Anh Hong is more along the lines of Vietnamese home cooking as opposed to restaurantized food. They don't use MSG in their pho which meant I was able to enjoy a bowl of it without a reaction. If you don't react to MSG it's hard to explain just how frustrating it is to have MSG reactions. I stopped eating pho a few months ago after having a reaction to Superior Pho's broth. I just learned that Bac does not use MSG in their broth and I am looking forward to trying it when we get home. Anyway, one of the highlights of our lunch was the house-made chili sauce. This chili sauce is phenomenal, like maybe my favorite ever. The heat level was fairly tame but the flavor and balance of the sauce were spot on. I liked it so much that I ran next store to the Vietnamese market and bought an inexpensive sauce in a glass jar and the folks at Anh Hong emptied the jar, washed it out and filled it with the chili sauce for me to take home.

After lunch we bummed around a little. We hit the Brazilian bakery we like for cheese puff balls and this wonderful, not too sweet chocolate cake to keep for breakfast this morning. When we got back to the hotel I spent an hour on the treadmill and Steve spent time in the hot tub.

Dinner last night was at the Ravenous Pig. Our friend told us about the RP two years ago and we loved it so much we had dinner there two nights in a row and both still talk about how much we enjoyed it. To tell the truth, yesterday we were so into being lazy we considered not going to the RP. Fortunately, that thought only lasted a few minutes. We had a most wonderful meal of oysters (Onset) served with tiny cubes of a porter gelee and an au point mignonette and stone crab with a perfect mustard, lemon mayonnaise or as the menu said "appropriate sauces". We shared a salad of frisse and other young greens tossed with house smoked lardons, a caesar dressing and topped with a poached egg, a common enough salad but done perfectly at RP. We also shared a house-made pretzel with a Taleggio & Porter fondue and for dinner shared a pasture raised veal chop which was accompanied by a side of slivered trumpet mushrooms with slightly larger than brunoise bits of potato and what was almost like a beurre blanc. As wonderful as the veal chop was the trumpet mushroom accompaniment was the star of the show for me. For dessert we had an incredible butterscotch creme brulee and a glass of Tokai which our server recommended that was not on the current list of offerings. We were surprised and tickled our sever remembered us from our previous visits even though they were two years ago. He took great care of us and it is always nice to see such longevity in the restaurant biz.

This morning we lolled around in bed until noon. That is not something we do at home and it was nice. We had our snacks from the Brazilian bakery for breakfast and I enjoyed my tea with no rush to be anywhere or get anything done. After noon we came down to the pool and here we are, enjoying the sun and the few more degrees of warmth over yesterday.

Tonight we are headed to the Vineyard Grill for dinner. The Vineyard Grill is a steakhouse at the Ritz Carlton. I had dinner there on my own a handful of years ago when Steve was dining with conference folks and we were staying at the JW Marriott/Ritz Carlton property. The following year my uncle happened to be in Orlando for a golf outing the same time we were here and we enjoyed a meal at the Vineyard Grill with him and Steve and I dined there together another year. It is rare for me to enjoy a steakhouse and since Craftsteak closed there isn't a steakhouse I know of that I would go out of my way for other than the Vineyard Grill. Unfortunately, the beef is commercial corn finished beef but Steve likes that from time to time. They also have wonderful raw bar, fish and seafood options and the salads and sides are outstanding. That's why I like this place as much as I do, for the sides. I prefer to throw my own steak on the grill and while I may make a great salad to go with it I don't spend time making things like smoked cream corn or creamed spinach to go with the steak.

Our dinner at Grapevine was wonderful. It was a great date night.

Our last morning was spent lolling around then we packed our bags and hung out at the pool until it was time to leave.

All in all a wonderful time away with my husband.

Orlando

2011-01-27T23:27:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to live up to my promise to myself to make at least the most basic record of my travels. I'm way behind. I have Italy from last fall to write about and a recent NY trip let alone Mexico from last winter.

I started this blog as a way to help me remember experiences from my travels and I feel like it is especially important now because my memory is not what it used to be. Just today Steve and I were discussing a place and I was 100% positive this place was in Miami while Steve thought there was a chance it was in Orlando. On top of that as we were driving around this evening in Orlando there were things Steve mentioned that I had trouble remembering.

So, even if the entries are brief I'm going to try to be better about making them.

This morning at 9 AM we left an icy cold Cleveland and arrived in sunny Orlando two hours later. Warm Orlando? Not really. It was about 65 degrees this afternoon so not very warm but Steve and I were both happy to see the sun!

From the airport we headed to the Vietnamese part of town for lunch at Lac Viet. This is a place I read about on Chowhound but had not before been to. I was concerned when we drove up and saw a big sign on the sign of the building that read "Voted Best Vietnamese in Orlando" or something to that effect. We thought it was OK but not special. In fact, I would say that of all but one of the dishes we had we prefer the preparations of the same dishes at other Vietnamese restaurants in Detroit. We had one new dish that we have seen but hadn't had before and that was Banh Xeo which is a crispy rice crepe folded like an omelette and filled with bean sprouts, shrimp and pork. I was glad to have tried it but have a feeling it may be better prepared elsewhere.

Before we left Lac Viet we asked our server if there were any places around that served fresh pressed can juice. He directed us to Ahn Hong. On the way there Steve said he thought this was the place I was so thrilled about on a past trip because of their wonderful cane juice with kumquat zest. I was 100% certain that the plce he was talking about was in Miami. Well, when we got to Anh Hong I realized that he was right. My concern about my faltering memory was soothed by a big icy glass of fresh pressed cane juice with kumquat. I love this stuff and even have fleeting moments of thinking about opening a sugar cane bar in Cleveland or anywhere for that matter!

After that we headed to our hotel to check in. We dropped our bags of in the room and headed down to the pool. I was not in to going to the pool in 65 degree weather but Steve really, really wanted to so I joined him. It was chilly! After a little time in the hot tub we returned to our room for a nap.

Dinner this evening was at the Nile Ethiopian restaurant. We've been to this place once before on a previous visit and while neither of us thought it was the best Ethiopian we've ever had we both enjoyed it. Tonight the thought of lentils and veggies instead of a big meal was appealing so the Nile it was.

We had a nice first day here in Orlando.

Past Few Days

2010-09-17T14:20:00.007-04:00

This has been a pretty laid back trip which is good with me. Jenny is already on maternity leave so we've been able to do what we do so well, just hang out.

Wednesday I went for my long walk. I have several walk/hike paths that I like to do when I'm here: one is hiking the gorge, one is about a three mile walk and the long walk is about 4 miles. Jenny lives in the mountains so each of the walks/hikes involves some serious climbing but most of all the long walk is killer steep uphill. I wish I knew what the actual inclines are but suffice it to say they make me work, hard. The long walk is so steep uphill that the first quarter of the walk takes me to the top and the remaining three quarters is down hill, maybe one third and two thirds but, something like that. I was a little frustrated with myself for how slow I had to take it going up the hills but as I climbed I began to remember that this path is so steep that I always have to take it pretty slow. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore I reached the top and started the descent. I love to jog downhill. Laugh if you will but my jogging pace is most people's walking pace and jogging downhill uses muscles that jogging on a flat surface doesn't use. I found my pace right away today and it felt great. I jogged about 1.5 miles which I was very pleased with given that I haven't jogged in 4 months. It also felt great to find my pace so quickly.

Thursday I got going early and went to Manor in the morning then the latterie in Blonay then spent the afternoon cooking.

I had a brisket from the farm which I cut in half.

One half went into the fridge with a steak sauce marinade. The marinade (really more of a steak sauce as there is no acid) recipe came from my friend Dave. He used it a few weeks ago on a hangar or flank steak which he then grilled. It was amazing. So anyway, I emailed him for the recipe but I had almost none of the ingredients so I did a lot of improvising. I used about a half cup of ketchup, a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, sliced ginger (in place of horseradish) a few splashes of soy sauce, a tablespoon of course mustard (in place of Dijon style) a tablespoon of honey, paprika (in place of ancho chili powder), salt and pepper. I am going to try grilling the brisket mid-rare over charcoal tomorrow. I have read mixed things about how brisket eats at a rare temp and I am curious to see how it works out.

The other half of the brisket got rubbed with paprika, salt and pepper then went into a pottery roasting pan with an chopped mix of fresh mushrooms (a mix from the store with a bit of everything: chanterelle, shitake, morel and cremini), a can of chopped tomatoes, about 2/3's the can worth of water, three cloves of garlic and a sliced small hot red pepper. This all got covered with foil and went into a 300 degree oven for about four hours then out of the oven to cool and into the fridge over night.

Once the brisket was taken care of I made two batches of crust and quiche filling. One batch of crust is for a double crust apple pie that I will make this weekend and the other batch will make two quiche, one for while I'm here and one that went into the freezer along with filling so Jenny can have an easy meal when the baby arrives. For the quiche filling I used the same mushroom mix as I did for the brisket but for the quiche I quickly sauteed them on a high heat, set them aside then slowly caramelized an onion. The mushrooms, onions and some cubed fresh vacherin were added to eggs along with a bit of milk, salt and pepper. I've never cooked fresh vacherin so we'll see how that works. I've actually never had fresh vacherin until this trip. Though vacherines are some of my favorite cheeses I didn't know they were eaten in their fresh state. The texture is somewhat like tofu and the taste is very mild, almost like cream cheese but without the slight tartness.

Once I cleaned up the kitchen Jenny and I headed to Vevey to meet a group of her friends for a pizza dinner. There were about 12 or 14 of us (all ex-pats from various countries) and we had a great evening.

Today Jenny had a morning appointment with her midwife and while she was there I had a quick visit to the brocante that I like. After I picked her up from the midwife's we made a stop to get some art supplies for Nico then went to the Hermitage museum in Lausanne to see an Edward Hopper exhibit. I thought it would be neat to see his work in a European exibition and it was though I wasn't thrilled with the way the show was hung. The Hermitage has gallery rooms on four floors. Some of the notable pieces that I think strongly exemplify Hopper's esthetic of portaying that something about America in the 30's and 40's in that sparse, pared down way, were hung in the basement while the first floor had a room and a half of his works from Paris which are somewhat impressionistic and not strong (IMO) relative to all his other works. I thought it was interesting that these paintings hung on the main floor.

After the museum we headed back to Vevey and had massages: Jenny a back massage (while laying on her side) and me a foot and leg massage. I love foot massages and wish we had a place in Cleveland that understood the reflexology and foot massage. The foot massage was wonderful and one of the most relaxing massages I've had. I really went to another place and floated around in peacfulness for about an hour. Jenny treated me as a thank you for the party I had for her when she was home in the spring. That was a nice treat and a nice thank you! I am still hoping to get to Geneva before I leave for a repeat of the foot massage I had last year. It was different from today's massage in that it was more intense work on the foot muscles and pressure points. After being on my feet all summer for often 12-14 hours a day I have wayyyyyy been looking forward to having this particular foot massage again.

We came home and had the roasted brisket for dinner. I was pleased with how it turned out and Jenny and Nico were too. I love cooking for them as they are always very appreciative of my cooking.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching videos on the computer.

Day One and Two

2010-09-14T14:15:00.004-04:00

I landed in Geneva around 9 AM Sunday and took the train to Montreux. Jenny met me at the station in Montreux and I cried and cried when I saw her pregnant belly. It's hard to describe how it feels to see my sister pregnant. I never really imagined either of us having kids and now that she is on the way to that it's kind of strange to see her pregnant. I am so excited for her and she looks incredibly beautiful.

She was adorable getting in and out of the car.

I got to feel the baby move. I thought I wouldn't be able to stop touching her belly but really what it is is that I can't stop staring at her.

Yesterday we hung out around the house for a while. I fought taking a nap. I didn't sleep on the plane as I usually do so I was way having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

We ran out and got a nightie for her for when she delivers and then went to a little Thai place for dinner. When we got home we watched an episode of Weeds on my computer and I went to bed before we could start the next one.

Today I got up at 9 and went to the market in Vevey to get lake perch for a fish fry. They had no lake perch and there were far fewer vendors there today than there are on Saturday so I headed home without any goodies.

I cleaned out the fridge and defrosted the freezer as I usually do when I come visit. After that I went to the farms to get meat for the week and veggies and milk. I adore the milk we get from one of the farms here. The milk comes from Simmental cows, a variety commonly used for dairy in Switzerland. I would say the milk is similar in taste to the Holstein milk but while I don't love Holstein milk I love Simmental milk. The raw Simmental milk from this farm seems a bit sweeter than the raw Holstein milk I've had from a few different farms around the Cleveland area. That difference may in large part be from what they cows are fed (these are all pasture) but I think it is also just a difference between the cows.

For dinner I made simple pork chops that I browned in a pan then finished in the oven and sauteed red cabbage with onions and sauteed pumpkin.

Jenny and I watched two more episodes of Weeds after dinner and are now eagerly awaiting the next available downloads for the upcoming episodes.

Dust Off The Blog

2010-09-11T22:03:00.003-04:00

Wow, it has been over a year since I last posted.

Steve and I have enjoyed some travelling together and had other fun adventures in the past year but I neglected to record them in my travel journal.

I've never been good about keeping a journal... how many times as a young girl or young woman did I try keeping a diary...that always lasted about 2 or 3 days.

Well, here I go again.

I want to be more diligent about recording my/our travels and adventures for myself. Having the blog to look back on gives me a way to relive and enjoy our past travels that relying on my memory does not allow for.

Today marked the first leg of my vacation travels.

I spent the morning making 100 jars of elderberry and elderberry/verbena jam and syrup then I finished packing for a week in Switzerland to visit my sister and 12 days in Italy and a weekend in Cincinnati for my cousin's wedding.

I left Cleveland shortly after 2 PM to drive to Cincinnati. The idea is to fly in and out of Cinci so Steve and I won't have to get in the car and drive down here the day after we return from Europe. The added bonus is that I get to spend this evening and tomorrow morning with my Uncle Jack. I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin Craig, his wife, Gretchen and their son Ben tomorrow. Unfortunately, Hanna won't be here too as she is with her mom for the weekend.

Uncle Jack made a lovely dinner and we sat and visited like we haven't done in way too long. I know the wedding weekend will be hectic so I am appreciative of this time for the two of us.

After the frenetic pace of making pies all summer this respite is already much appreciated.

Senator Edward Kennedy 1932 - 2009

2009-08-26T10:28:00.004-04:00

Family's Statement

“Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”

Thank you for your service Senator Kennedy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60AChuvfzUo

What A Weekend

2009-07-26T22:53:00.001-04:00

This was an amazing weekend filled with many great local food treats, great music and most importantly time with my husband, friends and family.

Friday night was dinner at my house to celebrate the birthday of my very good friend. We started with bacon wrapped cherries and savory puff pastry treats that the birthday girl brought for hors d' oeuvres. For dinner we had delicious grass fed ribeye steaks from Millgate, local corn, cucumber yogurt salad with local cukes and green onions and Great Scott's cupcakes for dessert.

Saturday morning it was a joy to see a bustling crowd at the Coit Rd. Market. The Shaker market was quieter than usual but I was pleased to see a new family there selling local, pasture raised, heritage pork and beef. I also got the chance to chat with a friend who just came back from a trip to Italy where he and his sister visited family in the town from which their parents came. This was his first trip to Italy so listening to his enthusiasm for the trip and what they experienced was a real treat.

After the markets I had a wonderful surprise. Several dear friends arranged a surprise lunch at Gerracci's to celebrate my 40th birthday that had happened while Steve and I were in Europe this spring. It was quite a surprise! It took me a minute to realize that it wasn't a funny coincidence that my friend and I ran into other friends at Geracci's but that they were actually there as a surprise for me. I keep laughing at the delay in my figuring that out (it was the balloons that finally gave it away)! We had a completely wonderful time visiting and lunching and guess what we had for dessert? Great Scott cupcakes for my birthday! Ha! I highly recommend celebrating ones birthday after the fact, as it was great fun. I felt very lucky and very special. The past week was a difficult one and this surprise was just what my heart needed.

Between the cupcakes Friday night, the half a cupcake I had for breakfast Saturday and the cupcakes at lunch, that was 3 meals in a row with Great Scott's cupcakes!

After lunch I went home and packed a picnic lunch to have that evening at Blossom. I made three kinds of sandwiches with imported meats, cheeses and trimmings from Gallucci’s on a rustic Italian bread from the new Blackbird Baking Company. Steve and I and another good friend had the sandwiches, lupini beans and castelvetrano olives along with a nice bottle of red before hearing the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom. Steve is very fond of Rhapsody In Blue so the outing to Blossom to hear the orchestra’s program that included that piece was my surprise for him. The whole program was wonderful, great American pieces, performed at Blossom on a July evening, that is the epitome of summer. Oh, and don’t tell anyone but I had half a GS cupcake when Steve and I got home that night. 4 meals in a row!

Today was the Rocking BBQ at Beachland Ballroom followed by a visit to my Dad’s to sit in the park that is his yard and visit with him and my Step-mom then a late evening visit to Honey Hut for a kid’s scoop of honey pecan ice cream with salted pecans and hot fudge that served as dinner.

Life is good.

Canandaigua/Rochester, NY

2009-06-02T07:37:00.002-04:00

So, Steve and I have been saying how much we would like to see another show during the current David Byrne tour. We saw him in the fall when he was here in Cleveland and we both LOVED the show. I checked the tour schedule yesterday to see if there was a show this month that we could maybe drive to and I saw that he is playing tonight outside of Rochester with Ani DiFranco! We were himming and hawing as to whether or not we would go and while we were trying to decide I checked Craig's List for tickets and found 2 FRINT ROW seats. That made up our mind!

We are off to see the show!

We will stop to visit my Grandma and Uncle in Conneaut on the way back.

Yippee!

Heading Home Soon

2009-05-29T10:51:00.002-04:00

I started packing today. After being here at my sister's for so long we have really moved in! I have to go through the kitchen and try to remember but I brought to leave here and what I brought to use while we were here but planned to take home.

Even though I did not do a great deal of shopping while we were here I did pretty much re-fill the "kitchen" bag that came with me. The oats, chocolate chips, other goodies and kitchen-wares that I brought to Switzerland have been replaced with salts, spices, caramels, vinegars and other goodies for my own kitchen and to share with my Mom and friends.

I am sad about leaving my sister's house. I love my sister and Nico and it has been great spending as much time with them as we have. Of course, I could have used more time with my sister but, that is always the case. I love Switzerland and I love their house. I hope that Steve does end up with a postition in Europe that we will be able to live close to Jenny and Nico.

We have had wonderful travelling experiences since we've been here. I still have posts to write about my trip to Gruyere with our friends, my trip to my favorite sculpture garden at the museum in Martigny and about our travels to Prague and Germany. Those posts will come once we get home and have a few days to settle in. I don't expect that I will post again before we leave here.

It will be good to get home and at the same time I am sad to leave.

Greece

2009-05-27T12:24:00.002-04:00

I've been struggling with my thoughts about Athens and whether or not to post them. I really don't want to disparage a whole city and generally I prefer to follow the creed if you can't say anything nice...however, this is a blog to record my experiences and thoughts about travelling so it doesn't seem right not to post my honest feelings about our time in Athens.

I know that I am incredibly fortunate to have lived in all the places where I've lived, traveled to all the places to which I've traveled and for the opportunities of all the traveling that is surely yet to come.

I also know that I am fortunate to have been raised in a way that makes me curious about the world and gives me appreciation for all the people that I meet and all the places I go.

Both those things being said, it is impossible for me not to quantify places I've been in terms of favorites and lesser favorites. I say lesser favorites because there is no place I've lived in or traveled to for which I'm not happy to have experienced whether or not it was one of my favorite places.

So, um, yeah, you've already guessed where I'm going with this haven't you?

Athens is not a city I have fallen in love with.

Athens is dirty, hot and very loud and it is all of those things day and night. It is also overpopulated like many big cities. Most of Athens seems haphazard as if there are no zoning laws or guidelines for how or where to build or how property should be maintained. The city is a jumble of business mixed with light industry and housing all next store to one another with seemingly no rhyme or reason. There is much blight throughout Athens and this city is plagued with riff-raff who are intent on covering every surface in graffiti, even the historical sites and natural wonders. It is heart breaking.

There are beggars everywhere in Athens and the city is home to a large Romini gypsy population. The Romini children walk from table to table in the tourist areas and up and down the streets throughout the city begging for money or offering things like packs of kleenex for sale. It is very interesting to watch the Romini children. They will approach a person to beg from them with the most sad and distraught look on their faces and then a moment later several of the kids will meet up with each other around a corner and you can see them laughing and playing together. I am fascinated by the Romini gypsies (there is also a large Romini population in France) but that is a whole other subject.

Here is a Ramini boy who I came across several times during our stay. He nestled himself into my heart the first time I saw him and he seemed to know it. He gave me a mischevious smile with a sparkle in his eye and a wink each time I saw him.

Athens is also home to large illegal African and Sri lankin populations many of whom sell junk goods on the street from cheap plastic toys to fake designer handbags. These peddlers are everywhere and mixed with the hawkers who stand outside most restaurants and shops trying to get you to enter their establishment they make for a raucous and unpleasant environment.

There is a constant police presence all about the city but there is no way that the illegal hawking of pirated goods could continue the way it does both with the itinerant street vendors and in the fixed stores and market places if the government had any care about what was going on.

Yes we have the same hawkers in New York and Chicago and other large American cities and yes I have seen it in Paris and surely will see it in Prague but I have never seen it in another city to anywhere near the extent of what I saw in Athens.

My Dad and Step-mom recently spent time in several large cities in India. When they came home my Dad spoke of how overwhelming the constant "chaos" was and that by the end of the trip he just wanted everything to stop for 5 minutes so he could catch his breath. That's how I felt in Athens which is making me wonder if I will be O.K. going to India but, that is yet another post.

Also, one of my brothers visited my sister in Athens and then spent a few days in Paris shortly before Steve and I left for this trip. He told me that he couldn't understand how I am so in love with Paris. He thought Paris was a filthy, loud city and he didn't think the Parisiennes were particularly friendly. He LOVED Athens. The whole time I was in Athens I kept laughing at how different my brother and I are in how we perceive the two cities.

There is a nice café right across the road from my sister’s flat. I went there every morning for our coffees. The woman who works the espresso machine at the café and I got to be friendly and on our last day she asked me how I liked Athens. I told her that I liked it. She asked “Do you like it a little or do you like it a lot?” I smiled as I lied and said, “Oh, I like it a lot”. To which she said, “I hate it!” Oh, my goodness did I get a laugh from that. I asked her why she disliked her home city and her reasons were exactly the same as mine. The constant noise and how dirty the city is and the illegal population of vendors that one just cannot get away from and how packed everyone is living in the city bother her. She told me that she would like to leave the city and live on one of the islands. Amen, sister friend, amen.

The most important thing about Athens is how incredibly kind, sincere, generous, gracious and thoughtful the people are. We experienced that everywhere we went in Athens and outside of the city as well. The French have a saying that “Paris is not France and France is not Paris”. I think the same thing can be said about Athens and one can go even further to say that the people are not Athens and Athens is not the people for the people are so much more than Athens, history and all.

Of course it was amazing to be in the cradle of civilization as we know it. To be in the place where the rights and value of the individual were first recognized and brought to bear on a new way of governing and seeing the world and our place in it, well, that was awe inspiring.

I see the irony in my appreciation that it was ancient Greek culture that brought to the world a way of life where the individual matters but at the same time being dismayed by the chaos of Athens and wanting the city government to clean up the town and do something about the illegal vendors and riff-raff that plagues the city. But, remember, the ancient Greeks also recognized the need for order so that the whims of each and every individual would not create chaos and make life unbearable for all. Balance, that's what they were attempting to create through the development of democracy and I don't see balance in Athens.

I would like to go back to Greece to see the islands and more of the country outside of Athens and I would love to return to our idyllic little spot we found on the beach of Iria. I will also forever hold in my heart a love and fondness for the Greek people, their immense kindheartedness and goodwill is something rare to experience.

Beer

2009-05-25T06:04:00.007-04:00

Steve and I drove through a corner of Austria, Saturday on our way to Prague. We stopped for dinner in the town of Bregenz.

We each had schnitzle: Steve the pork, me the veal but the highlight of the meal for me was discovering this beer- http://www.augustiner-braeu.de/augustiners/html/en/Sortiment.html

I'm not much of a beer drinker. I may drink beer 4 or 5 times a year and when I do it is usually a Pilsner Urquell that I prefer. This German Pils-style beer is my new favorite! It is lighter than Pilsner Urquell, crisp and very dry with a flinty flavor.

I.love.this.beer.

This Pils would be perfect on a hot summer day when a light and crisp beer is in order. I would love to try this beer with fried perch and coleslaw.

We broke the drive to Prague into two parts. After dinner in Bregenz we drove for another hour and a half or so then pulled over for the night. Sunday morning we woke and drove to Plzen (Pilsen) for a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery.

Though Pilsner Urquell has been fermented in large stainless steel tanks since the early 1990's they still ferment some batches in oak barrels like they used to so that they can compare the taste and other elements of the beers for consistency's sake.

We got to finish the tour with a taste of beer from the oak barrels. Steve and I both thought it had a slightly different flavor. It was a touch richer, rounder in the mouth and more caramely tasting.

This website has a fact filled page on Pilsner Urquell's history and the brewery-

http://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue5.3/urquell.html

It was a good tour and funny to have taken it the day after Pilsner Urquell was replacedd as my favorite beer!

More Gorge Hiking and Prague

2009-05-23T04:38:00.005-04:00

Steve and I got back to Switzerland Wednesday after our week in Greece. I am still formulating my thoughts on Greece and will post them soon.

We were supposed to leave Friday to drive to Prague for 5 days. We were both feeling worn out from Greece and decided that we would like to leave Saturday instead of Friday so we could have another day to chill here at my sister's. In addition to that we discovered that our rental car agency did not allow us to take our car to the Czech Republic (common restriction of rental car agencies). This meant that we would have to return our car and rent from another agency that allows their cars in the CZ and there was not a car available with one of those agencies until Saturday.

When I emailed the hotel/apartment company and told them that we would like to check-in a day late they said that they were still going to charge us for the first night because we were changing the reservation under 7 days advance notice. Um, yeah, I JUST BOOKED THE PLACE 5 days ago! So, Steve and I decided that we were just going to stay in Switzerland for the rest of the trip and skip Prague. He really wants to show me Prague but given the car situation and the inflexibility of the rental people we were just as keen on hanging here and not packing up and leaving again.

Okay, no problem I said to the rental company, just cancel the whole reservation.

Side bar- When I was a hotel manager I would never have penalized a guest who was staying for more than three nights for shortening their stay. It's just bad business.

So, a few hours later the rental agency emailed me to say that they had been able to rent the flat for Friday night and if we still wanted to come they wouldn't charge us for that night after all. Um, yeah, whatever, now they realize that loosing one night of a 5 night reservation isn't as bad as loosing the whole thing?

This was enough for Steve to decide that since we could now have the extra day without a penalty he would like to still go to Prague. We are off for the Czech Republic this afternoon!

As much as I liked the idea of a week together here at my sister's I'm glad we're going. Not only has Steve always wanted to show me Prague but we declined to spend more time in Greece on account of our plans for Prague. Nico got to Greece the day before we left and he and Jenny really wanted us to stay longer in Greece. They were taking a long weekend on one of the islands where they had rented a house an Nico's parents were coming and they wanted us to go to. I am already sad that we didn't go to the islands with them and I suppose I would have been really bummed if we ended up not taking the trip that prevented us from having more time with Jenny and Nico. I think they would have been a little bummed too.

Yesterday, Steve went into the office in Lausanne to tie up some loose ends from his work on the project. I set out for a hike in the gorge. Instead of taking our usual path which involves walking down hill a ways on a paved road that leads to an entry area of the gorge (a little path that you have to know is there), I decided to walk uphill to the next small town on the road from here. That took me to the spot where we usually exit the gorge and I start my hike from there. This meant that I would be hiking higher than our normal trip and would get to see new parts of the gorge.

It was an AMAZING hike. I only passed two other people on my whole 2 hours in the forest. I saw several waterfalls and discovered a few areas where I could have managed my way down the bank to sit at the river. I was tempted to do so but not knowing how far I had to go to get out of the forest I thought I better conserve my time. But boy, on a hot day I would have been down in that river!

I usually hike the gorge without my usual work-out music as I enjoy hearing the rush of the river water and all the other forest sounds but yesterday I grabbed the Ipod, hit shuffle and was treated to a fab mix of Gabriel, Dire Straits, Ani DiFranco, David Byrne and more. I couldn't have picked a better mix if I'd tried. The tempos of each song that came on set my pace perfectly. The high tempo songs kept me going and the slower ones came just when I needed them. I kept laughing to myself at how cool the random selection of tunes was for this hike, it was one of those serendipitous things.

I knew that I wanted to hike up to the town of Les Avants. Jenny and Nico's house is about 1,900 ft. elevation and Les Avants is about 4,000. I knew the general direction I needed to go but not the exact way so I was winging it. About an hour into my hike things started looking familiar and at first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me but then I realized that I was hiking the area where my sister took Steve and me for our first gorge hike some 5 years ago! On that trip Jenny drove us up to Les Avants and we hiked down into the gorge to one of the water falls then hiked back up and out. Even coming at the area from a different direction I recognized it, five years later! That is so cool to me.

Once I got above the waterfall and had hiked about another half hour I started wondering how much longer until I found my way out. I think I missed the way my sister took us into the forest on that first hike as I was climbing way longer than what I remember we had hiked to get to the falls back then. I was about an hour and a half into an almost completely uphill hike and by this point I was pretty worn out. After another 15 minutes of going uphill I was very tired and was starting to wonder if I should turn around and try to figure out another way out as I had no idea how much longer I would have to keep hiking up to get out. I hated the idea of turning around and not finding out where the end would be. I was standing at a break in the rise trying to decide what I should do and at that moment, as I was standing there, one of my favorite Dire Straits songs "Brothers in Arms" came on. The first words in the song?

"These mist covered mountains,
are a home now for me".

For.real.

I told you the shuffle was serendipitous. So... up I went.

I finally hit a road about 15 minutes later, after about 2 hours of hiking. But now, I had another problem. I had no idea which way I should go on the road. I decided to go left which would continue to take me uphill hopefully to Les Avants. After about 10 minutes I didn't seem to be getting anywhere close to a town and not a single car had driven by so I decided that maybe I had hiked up higher than Les Avants and if I turned around and hiked down the road hopefully I would hit the town. About fifteen minutes after that (I had passed the point where I'd exited the forest) I saw a young guy on a moped. I flagged him down and asked him which way to Chernex (where my sister lives) he told me to keep heading the way I was going and that I would hit Glion and that I should take the train from there. Ha, ha, ha. I told him I was walking down not taking the train and that I wanted to hit Les Avants not Glion. He told me that Les Avants was behind me. Grrrrrr, the direction I had started in. So...I turned around again...walking, walking, walking....why didn't I ask that fellow for a ride to Les Avants? I had no idea how long it would take for me to get there. It took about 20 minutes but it seemed like forever.

From Les Avants it was all downhill! It took about 45 minutes to get home from there.

My whole trip was a little over three hours. From what I can tell I hiked about 6 or 7 miles and I went from 1,900 feet elevation to 4,000. Not bad for this girl.

It was an amazing hike. I am going to take Steve on the same route when we get back from Prague. Oh yeah, Prague, I need to go pack.

Centre Pompidou

2009-05-22T07:46:00.000-04:00

When Steve and I went to Paris with our friends who had come to visit we spent an afternoon at the Centre Pompidou, or "Bo Bo" as Parisians call it after the area of Beaubourg where the museum is located. The museum is currently showing two exciting exhibitions: one, a retrospective of Kandinsky works and the other an exhibit of Calder works including a complete collection of his circus that he worked on in Paris from 1926 to 1931.

The Kandinsky exhibit was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a large body of Kandinsky's work in chronological order. We were given a look into how Kandinsky's life influenced his work as the exhibit was broken into sections according to the period of his life and where he was living at the time and notations were made as to what was going on both in the world politically and in his life personally.

The Calder exhibit consisted of sketches, paintings, wire sculptures and portraits, wire figurative mobiles and his well known wire mobiles with colored shapes as well as the. most. magnificent. circus.

Calder is perhaps best known for his colorful mobiles and it is funny, these are my least favorite of his works. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the balance movement of his colored shape mobiles but I have an affinity for his wire sculptures particularly the hanging sculpture pieces.

Of those, the Josephine Baker series makes my heart skip a beat. If I remember correctly there were four Josephine Baker sculptures hanging in the Centre Pompidou exhibit. The wonder of Calder's wire pieces, especially the hanging ones, is not just the pieces themselves but the shadows that they cast. If you click on the "Josephine Baker" link you will see what I mean. I took some of my own photos but I am heartbroken that I can't find them.

The gentle movement of both the hanging sculptures and the shadows they cast fills me with wonder, literally takes my breath away. I could stare at the hanging pieces for hours.

It amazes me the way that Calder was able to capture the essence of people in his wire portraits.

Jimmy Durante

Calvin Coolidge

Fernand Leger

Thank you to The Calder Foundation for making those and other pictures of Calder's works available to share on their website.

This exhibit also has a large display of Calder's "Circus" as well as a continually running video of Calder performing the Circus.

If you have 20 minutes to spare watch the following two videos of Calder with his Circus-

Part 1

Part 2

Or, you can watch this 5 minute piece-

5 Minute Circus

Calder's Circus and wire sculptures have a way of making me forget time and place. They make me feel like a child for the wonder that they fill me with. If I lived in Paris I would visit this exhibit at least several times a week while it is there.

Athens Market

2009-05-21T12:53:00.020-04:00

Athens has a large market along the lines of Cleveland’s West Side Market but probably 4 or 5 times the size. The market vendors sell all types of meat, fish and seafood and across the street from the main market are stalls of produce vendors. All of the produce sold at the market is of the commercial variety as is the meat though the raising and processing of meat in Greece is much better than the commercial process in the U.S.

The meat aisles of the market were enough to make me lose my appetite for meat for most of our stay in Athens. I do not mind the smell of meat or the site of carcasses and pieces parts but I cannot handle the smell of meat rotting in the heat. The cases that house the meat were refrigerated but a lot of good that does when the doors to the cases are wide open all day. Also, most of the pieces parts we saw were hanging outside of the refrigerated cases. I had to run out of one of the meat halls about a quarter of the way through because the stench overwhelmed me.

Baby Lamb

Open meat case and a hot light bulb giving more heat to the meat, yum yum!

Entrails, lungs and livers with a hot light bulb and no meat case!

Meat, it's what's not for dinner?

And...how's about some pigs' feet hanging 2 inches (not exaggerating) off the filthy floor?

This is the butcher block after it has been cleaned for the day.

No. joke.

I know I'm being harsh but this is what I found. Now you see why I had no appetite for meat? I'm not usually as squeamish as I was and probably wouldn't have felt my senses so offended at the lack of cleanliness were it not for the lack of adequate refrigeration and the putrescent smell.

You can guess what these are can't you?

These gorgeous yellow birds would have made an amazing pot of stock but it was too warm to think about simmering a pot of stock. These chickens (pullets?) were imported from Italy.

The fish aisles of the market were far easier to stomach than the meat sections. Despite the heat (it was only mid-80's) the fish was all well iced and while there was a mild smell of fish as you would expect it was not a rotting smell.

This shark looked amazing and had I had access to a grill I would have taken some.

Swordfish

The one meal I made at home while we were in Athens and I still couldn't take the thought of meat even a few days after our market visit so we had a plate of sliced tomatoes, avocados and Greek cucumbers along with this cold pasta dish. I gently warmed some very fine Greek olive oil and added some chopped garlic and just let the garlic slowly warm in the oil then I threw in a few handfuls of pistachios that I had shelled and chopped and some cauliflower that I had blanched then iced. I tossed that all around then added some quinoa, parsley and garlic spaghetti that my sister had found at the bio (organic) store.

Weekend On The Coast

2009-05-18T06:11:00.016-04:00

Saturday Steve, Jenny and I set out for Nafplio, in the Peloponnese region of Greece on the Argolic Gulf. Nafplio is a sea town that was the capitol of Greece from 1829 to 1834 after the Greek War of Independence. Now days, the old town of Nafplio is weekend getaway destination for the Greeks especially for people of Athens who are only 2 hours away by car or bus.

On the way to Nafplio we stopped in the town of Kineta for lunch. Jenny came upon this little village when she was looking for places to rent for her six months working in Athens.

Our server took us to the kitchen where we were to select the fish we wanted for lunch from the fresh catch being stored on ice in this fridge drawer. We choose two barbounia or Greek red mullet (what the French call rouget) and two of another fish that was silver but much the same in shape and size as the barbounia.

Here they are 15 minutes later, grilled and ready to enjoy. We should have only ordered one of each and we still would have had more than enough for the three of us. We were served a bowl of olive oil for drizzling over the fish but we three needed nothing more than a squeeze of the huge, juicy, local lemons to dress our fish.

We also shared a plate of fried calamari. The calamari here is like none I've ever had before in that it actually has a light flavor of the sea. I do not mean to say that it is fishy but it has more taste to it than calamari I've had before in the states or in Europe regardless of whether it has been fresh or frozen.

A plate of fried courgette or zucchini. We also shared a small plate of tzitziki and of course, a Greek salad.

Back on the road to Nafplio and we drove by miles and miles of small orange groves. The drive from the highway to Nafplio was 30 or 40 minutes and the road was lined with orange trees on either side the whole way to town. We were overwhelmed by the sweet aroma of orange blossoms. The perfume of the blossoms was almost intoxicating. Can you imagine a 30 minute drive with the smell of blossoms the whole way? It was heavenly.

Nafplio was a welcome break from the frenetic pace, endless noise and heat of Athens. It was nice that though Nafplio is a destination for both Greeks and travelers from elsewhere in Europe, it was not a horribly crowded tourist town. Touristy? Yes, but not to the point where the town is over populated with holiday visitors and there is plenty of regional flavor to be found over the commercialism. The old town of Nafplio is full of local residents and artisan shops so there is still a distinct local feel to the place.

Jenny and Steve trekked up to the ancient fort over the town. Here are some of the views from the fort and pictures of the hikers.

Looking up to the fort and beyond.

Looking down on Nafplio from the fort.

My beautiful sister and BFF.

My handsome husband and other best friend.

While researching Greece I came across this great travel guide by Matt Barrett-

http://www.greecetravel.com/nafplio/tour.htm

Also, check out his pictures of the area especially the one of the orange blossoms-

http://www.greecetravel.com/nafplio/photo-album/index.htm

On Sunday we left Nafplio and drove a little further down the coast to Iria to lay at the beach on the gulf. The beaches of Iria are very private and secluded, enough so that I could take in the sun au naturale as I prefer over wearing a bathing suit. The temperature was low 80's and the warm sun with the cool breeze from the sea and the privacy of our little piece of beach were absolute nirvana. The ruins are amazing to see the culture is so rich, the people are incredibly warm and gracious but yes, my bliss is lying naked on a beach in the warm sun with a cool breeze gracing every nook and cranny.

I am trying to talk Steve into staying another day in Greece so we can go back to our little eden in Iria for another afternoon of sun and sea.

A Few Quick Things

2009-05-16T04:38:00.004-04:00

We are headed out to a little town on the coast where we will get to swim in the sea and eat local fish and we are planning to spend the night there. I will not take my computer and probably won't post until Monday but I wanted to post a few pics of our time so far.

The honey on this yogurt with apricots is the best honey I've ever had and that is saying a lot because I get beautiful, wonderful tasting honey from Ohio Honey. We were told that it was acacia honey.

Greek salad with salty feta, delicious ripe Mediterranean tomatoes and red onions. Steve nor I can usually tolerate raw onions. They are too sharp and hot for both of us and they stay with Steve for a day so we usually avoid them. All of the red onion that we've had here has been very mild, not hot, and delicious! We've been eating raw onion like candy!

There is nothing like Greek yogurt and the tzitziki here is full of fresh garlic and is rich and creamy and... oh, my gosh...so good.

That's it for now. I've got to get packed.

Greece

2009-05-15T12:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning, Steve and I got on a plane in Geneva heading for Athens, Greece and then... we sat on the tarmac. Why, you ask? Ah, yes, the answer would be because the Greek air traffic controllers were on strike so we were not allowed to take off from Switzerland until the pilot knew we would be able to land in Athens. Fortunately, the striking air traffic controllers seem to have a system of striking for a defined period of time to emphasis the point they're trying to make and then they get back to work. We were able to take off about 45 minutes after our scheduled departure. Welcome to Greece.

Steve and I decided to rough it and take the bus into town from the airport instead of a cab. My sister told us it was very doable and that the walk from the bus station to her flat was reasonable. That was an experience! We were packed into the bus like sardines and it was standing room only for at least half of the riders and every inch of floor space not stood on was piled with luggage. I was looking forward to the bus ride because I thought it would be a good chance to see different parts of the city as we headed in from the airport but the bus was so packed that we really weren't able to see much. The ride in was over an hour but the walk to Jenny's flat was only about 10 minutes. Considering that the bus fare was 7 Euros for both of us as opposed to the 40 or 45 Euros the cab would have cost, I would say it was worthwhile.

More later...

My Prince

2009-05-13T08:32:00.000-04:00

Versailles

2009-05-11T11:04:00.008-04:00

Friday Steve and I left The Cazaudehore and Saint Germain en Laye for the last time (at least for this trip) and we stopped to see Versailles before heading to his cousin's for a long weekend.

The grandeur of Versailles is breathtaking. Given the disparity between the ostentatious wealth of the aristocracy and the poverty of the populace one realizes that revolt was inevitable.

The Hall of Mirrors, pictures do not do it justice.

Versailles could be called the castle of marble. The marble throughout is exquisite as are all of the crystal chandeliers.

Of all of the artwork on display in the castle, the piece I most enjoyed was David's
"Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 December 1804." The original is on display in The Louvre and the painting in Versailles is a second painting done by David at the request of Napoleon.

The ethereal beauty and grace of Josephine as captured by David literallybrought tears to my eyes. The splendor, the pageantry, the artistry and artisanship of Napoleon's coronation, the likes of which we would never see today, are astonishing. It is fortunate that it was all captured in David's paintings since little, if any, of the vestments remain today.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T18:01:00.002-04:00

I am a lucky girl, I have my Mom, Gran-Dani, Grandma Black and Nelly. Each of these woman has given me a part of who I am. I miss my Grandma Holley who is just as much a part of me though she is departed.

I miss being home today but carry each of these women with me in my heart daily no matter where I am for it is because of them that I am the woman I am.

Happy Mother's Day!

Diane

Heart's Delight In Paris

2009-05-08T04:29:00.020-04:00

I am a big fan of dim sum and while I didn't set out to go to Paris and dine on Asian cuisine, a craving for just that prompted me to ask on Egullet if there were notable options for dim sum and other Chinese restaurants in Paris. This thread gave me more than a few options of places to try.

Since I wasn't sure that Steve would be as interested as I in spending a meal in Paris on dim sum I headed to town for lunch on my own yesterday while he was at the office.

I decided on New Nioulaville on Rue de l'Orillon in the 11th.

When I arrived shortly before 2 PM, there were only two tables in the restaurant and I found it a little shabbier than I was expecting. None the less, despite the hesitations I felt, I had driven 45 minutes to get there so I was committed to staying.

My first two choices from the steam cart were Boulettes de Crevettes and Rouleaux Porc Hache et Crevette al Sauce Huitres.

The Boulettes de Crevettes or Shrimp Balls were light and tasty. The shrimp had no off or chemical taste and the fresh spring peas were a delightful touch. I liked the ground shrimp ball and was glad I opted for them over a covered dumpling.

My second selection was Rouleaux Porc Hache et Crevette al Sauce Huitres or chopped pork and shrimp roll with oyster sauce. These tasty and skillfully seasoned rolls were wrapped in the most perfect tofu skin I've had in a while. Notice how nice and dark the tofu skin is? I love the flavor that comes through when the skin is cooked to that brown color vs. the paler skin that sometimes covers rolls. These rolls were exceptional.

Next was an order of Travers de Porc a la Sauce Haricote Noir or ribs with black bean sauce. No, this wasn't a half-potion rather I forgot to snap a shot until I had taken my fill of the dish. These were without a doubt the best spare-rib tips I've ever had. The tips seemed to have been velveted before cooking; they had a thin, slightly gummy (in a good way) coating that allowed the black bean sauce to cling to the meat. They were cooked to the point where the fat became creamy and the gristle soft, incredible. The black bean sauce was perfect- salty and savory and the beans were fermented to just the right tang. While I was able to limit myself to one piece of each of the first two dishes, I had a hard time stopping myself with this basket of goodness.

The Carres de Navet Blanc or turnip cakes were decent although not my favorite version of the fritters. I admit, it would be next to impossible for any turnip cake to live up to those from Wonton Gourmet and BBQ, my fave Chinese place in Cleveland but even putting those aside, these were decent but not exceptional. The positive was the nice crisp exterior while the negatives were the lack of creaminess on the inside and the fact that I personally did not care for their sour sausage.

Even though I had restrained myself from sampling more than one of each dish thus far (except for the ribs) I was fairly full. I still however wanted to try some of the fried offerings to complete my experience with dim sum at New Nioulaville. I asked my server for suggestions of the best fried items on the menu and he responded that their best items were the steamed one but chose two fried offerings for me none the less.

This first fried item is taro filled with sweet and savory ground meat. The exterior was delightfully crisp and the under layer was very soft and creamy and the filling was well seasoned. This selection did not thrill me personally but that is a matter of my own taste and no testament to how well it was executed.

My last plate were these fried shrimp dumplings. The filling was the same ground shrimp as my first shrimp ball but tucked into a wonton type of wrapper then fried and served with sweet mayo. Again, not my favorite but perfectly acceptable. The positives were that the filling was so good and that the mayo was not overly sweet as it often is in other places.

My lunch at New Nioulaville was a very enjoyable experience. I am happy that adventure won out over hesitation.

The area of the 11th that is home to New Nioulaville has an interesting mix of cultures with a significant North African/Tunisian community as well as orthodox Jews and a large Muslim/Islamic presence. I am eager to spend a little more time exploring the area.

Update 2

2009-05-07T17:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took the train from Montreux to Geneva, rented a car and drove to Paris to catch up with Steve.

It was an amazing drive; the sun was shining, I hooked up with another car doing the same speed as me and we tag teamed for 4/5ths of the way, I listened to Ani, Yes, Bowie and lots of David Byrne and there were fields of glowing yellow for as far as the eye could see.

Have you ever driven through Iowa? Driving along the highway all you see is corn field after corn field and it is completely flat. Driving through the country side of France there are rolling hills, gentle sloping mountains and instead of corn fields there are endless fields of rapeseed. This is the time of year when the rapeseed plants are in bloom so the fields are golden yellow and in the bright sun they glow. They are also fragrant so my drive was filled with the soft yet heady perfume of the flowering plants. The aroma of rape is reminiscent of lilac; very beautiful. I wanted to stop and take photos to post but there was no way I was going to give up my road partner. Hopefully when Steve and I head back to Switzerland we will make a few photo stops.

Steve was having dinner and drinks with the work fellows last night so on my way in I stopped in The Marais and had a falafel sandwich at L'As du Felafel on Rue des Rosiers. Not the best I've had in the area but the eggplant in the sandwich was outstanding. They have no website for me to direct you to and can you believe it, I forgot to take a picture!

Today was Steve's last day on the project so from here on out we will get to spend more time together and travelling.

We will stay in Paris with Steve's cousins until early next week. We are very much looking forward to that as we are very fond of them and have a great time together.

After Paris, we go back to Switzerland for a few days to re-pack and then we fly to Greece to visit my sister in Athens for a week. After that its back to La Suisse for 2 days and then it's off to Prague. We are driving to Prague and will pick a place along the way to explore and spend a night in. Steve fell in love with Prague when he worked there in the mid-90's. He has always wanted to take me there so we figured why not this trip?

I will post along the way when I can. I still have a post to do about the Paris trip with our friends and some of our time together in Switzerland. While Steve was at the office today I drove into Paris and had great dim sum so look for a post on that too as soon as I have a chance to put my photos together with my thoughts.

Update

2009-05-07T16:58:00.004-04:00

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers for my nephew, grandmother, Brad and Crystal over the past few days.

Brandon was released from the hospital yesterday which is very good news. Brandon's doctor had never seen a case of lesions/ulcers as pervasive as what the poor guy had so we are all grateful that he responded as well as he did to the antibiotics and steroids and that he will not have to have surgery.

Grandma is doing much better and will likely go home tomorrow.

Brad and Crystal are greatly relieved that Brandon is home and mending well.

Trivia, Tidbits, Ramps and The Gorge

2009-05-05T16:09:00.001-04:00

I've been asked some questions about Jenny and Nico's house and the area. Here's what I've found.

Jenny and Nico's home was built in 1929 and is named Chrysanthemum.

The picture on the top of my blog is the view from their house.

The vine growing up the trellis along the terrace is wisteria.

Chernex is at an altitude of 1,800 feet.

We hike to about 2,800 feet.

This is one of the places we hike. Check out all the bear's garlic. I wasn't exaggerating when I said the gorge is covered in it.

Do you notice in the last picture how the fallen timber that is nestled in the small waterfall looks like a woman's figure?

We pass this house and wisteria bush on our way home from the gorge. They are both beautiful.

How do they get the sheep up the mountains as the weather warms?

The folks who own the property next store to Jenny and Nico's keep about 8-10 sheep. This one seems to find the grass greener on the other side. Whenever I walk by she has her head through the fence and is munching on the grass that she has to stretch for as opposed to what's in her own pasture.

I Stole It!

2009-05-05T09:23:00.021-04:00

I was catching up on Michael Walsh's blog A View From The Kitchen when I came across a list of questions that he got from Cory at Trial's Of A Young Cook. I was fascinated by the list of questions and decided to co-opt it, add to it and post it here on my blog. I can very rarely narrow anything down to a single favorite (as those of you who know me know and those of you who don't know me will see) but fortunately we can have all the favorites we want in my world!

I would love it if you, my readers, would copy and paste the questions and replace my answers with your own and post them as comments or email them to me if you prefer. Feel free to change any questions or add some as I did. I love these sorts of internet question and answer lists (are they called memes?) as they give us a chance to learn things about each other that otherwise even the closest of family and friends might not know. I find that fun and often touching.

Here goes-

Favorite Domestic Beer: Holy Moses- Great Lakes Brewery

Favorite Import Beer: Pilsner Urquell

Favorite Red Wine American: Etude Pinot Noir. Cain 5. Forman Cabernet.

Favorite Red Wine Import: French- Chateauneuf du Pape. Pretty much any Burgundy

Favorite White Wine: I rarely drink American whites but I do like Robert Hall Viognier

Favorite White Wine Import: Fondant- Swiss. Poligny Montrachet- French. Gruner Veltliner- Austrian. CHAMPAGNE!

Favorite Liquor: I don’t drink much liquor so I’m going with CHAMPAGNE!

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Beverage: Water

Favorite Candy: I can do without candy but I love salted caramels and dark chocolate.

Favorite Movie Theater Snack: Popcorn- real butter please.

Favorite Carnival Food: Those crisp pinwheel waffles and fresh potato chips

Favorite Chip: Cape Cod- Robust Russet

Favorite Vegetable: Fresh Artichokes. Silver Queen Corn. Japanese Yam. Heirloom Tomatoes.
Escarole. Frisse Lettuce. Lima Beans. Frozen Mixed Veggies

Favorite Fruit: Lychees. Mangosteens. Nefles

Favorite Protein: French and Swiss Beef. Beef from Millgate Farms- no website but you can buy from them at the North Union Shaker Market. Pastrami- Mr. Brisket, Cleveland, Ohio

Favorite Fish: Halibut. Lake Erie Perch

Favorite Shellfish: MD Blue Crabs. Oysters (especially Kumomotos). Alaskan King Crab Legs (without preservatives only). Bulots (sea snails). Sea Urchin

Favorite Cheese: Vacherin Mont D’Or. Epoisse (only in France, what we get in the US is too old) St. Point. Comte

Favorite Nut: Walnut

Favorite Dessert: Iles Flotant. Pie. My Mom’s Sungold Cake. My Step-mom’s nutroll

Favorite Cookbook: The Victory Garden

Favorite Knife: 10” Mac

Favorite Cooking Style: Hard to say except to say farm to table and Thai cooking.

Favorite Food Show: Bourdaine’s No Reservations. Two Fat Ladies. Julia Child

Favorite Mexican Restaurant: Momocho- Cleveland and Frontera Grill- Chicago (I couldn't possibly pick one between the two)

Favorite Asian Restaurant: Little Pepper- Flushing Queens, NYC (God help us with the cockroaches), Matsugen- Midtown Manhattan, NYC. Lotus of Siam- Las Vegas, Nevada

Favorite Bar: Velvet Tango Room, Cleveland, Ohio (there is no other bar in my book)

Favorite Fast Food: Subway- Veggie Sandwich

Favorite Cheap Eats: Wonton Gourmet- Cleveland, Ohio. Hot Doug’s- Chicago. Street Food (especially when traveling and at markets).

Favorite Fancy Shcmancy Restaurant: Alinea- Chicago

Favorite Local Restaurant: Even though I haven’t been yet I think I can already say Greenhouse Tavern.

Favorite Not So Local Restaurant: Lotus of Siam- Las Vegas, Nevada. Sanford’s- Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Restaurants You Miss: Tapawingo- Ellsworth, Michigan. El Jacal- Cleveland, Ohio. Battuto- Cleveland, Ohio. Kathmandu Chullo- Royal Oak, Michigan

Sweet or Savory: Savory

Pie or Cake (and type): Pie- rhubarb

Foods You Strongly Dislike: Anything with goat’s milk. Snails.

Best Food Memories:

My Mom’s Thanksgiving dinners.

My Mom’s (and Grandma’s) sungold cake and chile rellanos.

Eating food from all ethnicities when growing up.

Thanksgiving dinners at Grandma Black’s- always with lima beans.

Sunday suppers at Grandma Holley’s- always with homemade sauce, pasta, veal or chicken, stuffed artichokes and Italian salad.

My Grandma Holley’s homemade pizza and fried dough with salt.

Perch and pierogees at Grandma Black’s.

Cooking for my brother Brad when he came to visit me in Annapolis.

Cooking for my sister Jenny and her husband Nico.

Trips to D.C. in the fall with my husband for Maryland blue crabs.

My Dad’s ribs, sauce and bacon wrapped hotdogs on the grill.

My Step-dad Ralph’s pla rad prik, goulash, chicken paprikash
and pasta puttanesca.

Oysters with family on Christmas Eve.

Fasting on Good Friday.

My Step-mom Danielle’s nut roll.

My Mother-in-law Nelly’s ratatouille and eggplant parmesan.

My husband’s Aunt’s cous-cous and North African potato salad.

My first tastes of lychees and mangosteens.

My good friend Karen’s pot of sauce.

Picking vegetables at the CSA farm with my Mom.

My Grandma Holley’s soupy broccoli and junk-food chop-suey.

The first time I had Thai food with my husband.

My second date with my husband when we grilled steaks on the little Weber grill he had to put together.

Eating two whole bags of lima beans as a child with my cousin Craig.

Bellota ham and champagne in Paris with my husband.

Easter dinners at our house.

Mastering the art of making a pie crust.

Dinner at Alinea.

Making cannoli shells with my Mom.

Circus Peanuts at Grandma Black's.

Special one-on-one visits to Malley's with Grandma Holley for sundaes.

Getting hamburgers from Burger King with Grandma Holley but only when she had a coupon and having to add out own cheese at home as well as having Coke and fries from home.

Hot summer nights with late night snacks of ice cold cantaloupe and ice water with Grandpa Holley and his southern green beans with bacon and potatoes.

What Would Your Last Meal Be:

If this can be fantasy, I would like my last meal to be with family, even those departed, and friends, the food would not matter.

If fantasy does not happen I would like oysters, caviar with fresh made blinis and crème fraiche, Belotta ham, Champagne and a BLT with Black Krim tomato and Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon and homemade mayo on Zingerman’s bread shared with my husband, parents and siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and Grandmother.

Send Some Love

2009-05-04T16:32:00.002-04:00

My Grandmother, Helen, is 90 years old and in the hospital with an upper respiratory infection and a likely bladder infection as well. My Grandmother is a strong, beautiful, funny and witty woman of deep faith. I know it would mean so much to her if you would keep her in your prayers.

My Nephew, Brandon, is also in the hospital. Brandon is 15 years old and has had bouts of severe, arthritic like joint pain, and intestinal/bowl problems for several years. His doctor was never able to diagnose the problems. He was admitted to the hospital last week and diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis/chrones disease. He is a very sick guy right now and he could use your prayers too.

And, if it's not asking too much please keep my Brother, Brad, and his wife Crystal in your prayers. They both have so much on their plate with four kids and one in the hospital. Pray and send good thoughts their way for peace and security through this very difficult time.

Thanks,

Diane

Perch Dinner

2009-05-02T15:24:00.005-04:00

Today is my sister, Jenny's, last evening home. She's headed back to Greece tomorrow until June. Jenny, Steve and I went to the Vevay market this morning to check out the happenings and find something to catch our fancy for dinner. Jenny decided that she would like perch from the Lake.

The lake that we are on is commonly called Lake Geneva in The States but in Europe it is called Lac Leman. The lake is full of perch that are very similar to the lake perch we get out of Lake Erie. The perch here are smaller by at least half and while they have the same mild and buttery taste they are not quite as sweet as Lake Erie perch. I have had lake perch from all the Great Lakes and some inland Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota lakes and while it has all been great perch, I am convinced that there is no other perch as sweet as Lake Erie perch.

Jenny also loves coleslaw so I made a big bowl of that and I used some left-over baked potatoes to make a delicious potato casserole with butter, leeks, onions and creme fraiche. Of course, I made an apple pie for my sister too.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my Grandmother makes the best perch ever and it is her method I use when I make perch: dust in flour, egg wash, cracker or bread crumbs and let rest before frying in as little oil as possible in a hot skillet.

If you notice the perch is breaded two different ways. I started with bread crumb that I made today with a mix of stale breads that I have been accumulating in the freezer. The mix was plain baguette with several different varieties of farm-wheat breads. I can never get bread crumbs done in the food processor as fine as I would like and today was no exception. After breading several batches of perch with my bread crumbs, I decided that the crumbs were to big and that the breading would be too much so I switched to just egg bath and flour. Guess what? The bread crumb breaded perch were heavenly. Even though the crumbs were not as fine as I was going for, they didn't make the breading as heavy as I thought they would.

I only cooked a third of what I purchases at the market today. I told the person how many people and she suggested the quantity. Maybe she misunderstood 4 people for an army? No worries though. Nico Steve and I are already looking forward to another perch dinner tomorrow. I only wish Jenny would still be here to share it with us.

I will SO miss my sister as I always do but I am SO glad that we have had this week together. I am incredibly lucky to be so close to my family. No one knows and loves you the way family does and that is especially true of my sister and I. Well, all of us siblings actually, but the girls have an extra special bond just as the boys do.

Bear's Garlic

2009-04-30T01:54:00.006-04:00

It was only 2 or 3 years ago that I learned about the pungent spring treat, ramps.

As I was working in my sister's yard last week I noticed that the raised bed in front of her front door was abundantly full of what I had always thought was lily of the valley. When I pulled one of the plants that had escaped the bed and was growing between two stones on the walkway I got a distinct onion/garlic smell and that got me thinking these plants may be ramps. I pulled one from the bed, taking care to get the whole plant down to the roots, and brought it inside to compare it to pictures of ramps on the internet.

One of the characteristics of ramps is that they have a purplish stem and the stem of what I had was white. Even though the smell was oniony I decided not to eat them until I was sure of what it was as I had read that lily of the valley and another plant of the same family were poisonous.

My sister got home from Greece the next day and told me that what they have growing is bear's garlic, a cousin of ramps. I harvested a few more plants and made breakfast for us-

This past Sunday, Jenny, Nico, Roland, Jocelyn, Steve and I went for a hike in the gorge in the forest that is not far from the house. We hiked along trails that were surrounded by dense beds of bear's garlic. It was everywhere. You can find patches of ramps throughout the Metroparks in Cleveland but this forest was covered with massive beds of the plant. When we go back to hike again this weekend I will take pictures.

Rainy Day

2009-04-29T16:17:00.010-04:00

I was home without a car today and it was cold, grey and rainy so what else would I do but cook? I made a double batch of my favorite granola from my Mom's recipe and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies from my own recipe.

This is the granola I grew up with so I'm sure that is at least partly why I'm partial to it but it is also because it is a good mix of flavors and it's not too sweet.

Here is Mom's recipe.

Mom’s Granola

5 Cups Oats
1 Cup Each of the Following:
- Sunflower Seeds
- Sesame Seeds
- Coconut
- Wheat Germ
- Soy Flour
- Almonds
- Oil
- Honey

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Toss them around to evenly distribute.

Pour the oil then the honey into a large measuring cup. By pouring the oil in first the honey will not stick to the cup. Try to mix them together as best you can with a whisk.

Drizzle the oil and honey mixture a little at a time over the dry ingredients giving a healthy toss with each drizzle. Do not pour too much at a time or the granola with clump. Some clumps are inevitable. Once I finish pouring the oil and honey over the dry ingredients I rub the granola between my hands to work out most of the clumps.

Distribute the granola evenly on a jellyroll pan. Don’t pile it up very high or it won’t cook properly; you will need to bake a batch at a time.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for a total of 25-30 minutes or until nicely golden brown. It is important to stir the granola around on the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking. I like to use a wooden spatula to turn the granola as the side of it is good for chopping up clumps when I’m turning the granola. Keep an eye on the granola for the last few minutes as once it browns it burns quickly.

After you have baked all the granola, toss in a cup of raisins or other dried fruit. Do not bake the granola with the raisins or they will take on a bitter note.

A few notes-

I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Oats. They are the best tasting and cooking oats I've ever had.

I also use Bob's Red Mill wheat germ and soy powder.

I buy nuts and seeds from Trader Joe's. The price usually can't be beat and I can't get fresher nuts anywhere in Cleveland and I like that Trader Joe's lists the country of origin on all of their nuts and dried fruits.

For the powdered milk I use Organic Valley. Theirs is my preferred brand of organic milk to begin with based on taste and the way they operate as a company and I also like the taste of their milk powder. I've had other brands that had not so great tastes to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Steve travels for business he is partial to Hilton hotels because we get great advantages from their rewards program. One of the Hilton brands, Doubletree, gives warm cookies at check-in. I am a fan of their cookies and I tried to duplicate them at home. My recipe is a blend of the good old recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House Chips bag and the recipe I found on line for the Doubletree Hotel cookies with a few of my own tweeks.

Diane’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup Softened Butter
¾ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
¾ Cup White Sugar

Lightly blend the butter and sugar. Do not over-blend. You don’t want to beat it, do it with a wooden spoon or your hands.

2 Eggs
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Add the liquids to the butter and sugar and lightly blend.

½ Cup Oats, chopped in the food processor
2 ¼ Cup Flour
1 ½ tsp. Baking Soda
¼- ½ tsp Cinnamon, depending on your taste
1 tsp. Salt

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter, sugar, liquid mixture.

Then add:

1 ½ Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 Bag Chocolate Chips

Bake 13-16 minutes in a 350-degree oven or until your desired brownness.

What's New

2009-04-27T04:10:00.002-04:00

I have one more post to write about our time in Paris with our friends but I have not had a chance to sit down and put it together.

Last week, I cooked, cleaned and worked in the yard with Nico.

Nico's parents, Roland and Jocelyn came for a visit last Friday and are staying until this afternoon. We had a wonderful weekend visiting with them.

Saturday, Jocelyn and I went to the market in Vevey. She bought rabbit and I bought a large rib roast. That night Steve cooked the rib roast on the grill and we also had baked potatoes and I made blue cheese dressing which we had with endive. Jocelyn made a delicious rhubarb tart with rhubarb from Jenny and Nico's garden.

Sunday, Jocelyn made rabbit with mustard sauce and green beans and salad and I made an apple pie.

I did lots of laundry and ironing over the weekend so that Steve would have clean clothes and pressed shirts for his trip back to France this week.

This morning I am copying recipes from my recipe book to put into a book that I am making for Jenny. The recipes are all family recipes. Lots of cake and cookie recipes from my Grandma Black such as oatmeal cake, gingerbread cake, kolachkies, Russian Tea Balls. Savory recipes from Nelly such as onion & turmeric chicken, bean stew and quiche. Some Italian recipes from my Grandma Holley like cannoli shells and filling, sauce and pasta. Some of my own recipes like BBQ sauce, chocolate chip cookies, pie fillings and crust and Indian dishes.

I will post more this week but I wanted to say hello, especially to my Grandma Black and Uncle Red. I love you.

Diane

Meet Harold

2009-04-22T07:35:00.004-04:00

Did you know that there are tons of geckos and lizards in the Alps? No? Me either until my first visit after Jenny and Nico moved here.

There is a gecko that has taken up residence in a little hole in the wall where it meets the patio, right next to the door to the terrace.

He was none to happy this morning when I went out to sweep the terrace and wash the windows. I disturbed his sun bathing. He scurried back into his home and would poke his head out to scope out the situation every few moments. After about twenty or so looks he must have decided that I was of no harm to him as he made his way back out and laid in the sun while I went about my cleaning. We went through the same dance when I decided to get a picture of him. He scurried away when I got too close with the camera but after a few in and outs he chilled and had another lay-down in the sun. I figured that since we have established such a relationship I should give him a name. I have decided to call him Harold.

I miss...

2009-04-22T06:32:00.006-04:00

Mom & Ralph, Dad & Dani, Stan & Nelly, Mark & Jacqueline, Brett & Teresa, Brad & Crystal, Grandma, Uncle Red, Justin, Hunter, Stephanie, Brandon, Taylor, Gabbie, Izzie, Jake, Uncle Don & Julie, Aunt Donna & Myron, Karen & Jim, Tom, Debra & Scott, Mark, Era & Pat, Tom, Caitlyn & David, Pattie, Mike & Sue, Nicole & John, Nancy & Bob, Rosemary & Charlie & Chuck, Lucy, Mike & Marika, Stuart & Harold, Cecelia, Nancy, Janet, Pat, The Super Club Gang, Uncle Jack, Craig & Gretchen, Jeff, Belle, Brian & Jen, Carm, Justine, Skye, Dave & Beth (especially since they are awaiting their new arrival), Deb & Jen & Casey, Carol & Jen & Julie & Leah, Jay, Lucy & Anne, Anu, Sandy, all our other friends and family, getting to see Ingrid, the lake, the Shaker market (especially seeing the farmers, bakers and honey-makers and the time spent with Karen on Saturdays), Coit Market, poker with Mike and his crew, reading to and visiting with Harold, my Viking range, my orchids, our artwork, Fire, thrift stores, NPR, Girl's Night, my washer and dryer (European ones just aren't the same), getting to see the new Greenhouse Tavern, Lolita, Huntington Park, my bike.

All of that is not to say that I am home-sick or would want to trade this time in Europe for being home but it is funny how I miss folks that I don't see regularly all the more because we are away.

Of course I miss my parents but I really miss my nieces and nephews. Shortly before Steve and I left on this trip, I had an experience with my nieces and nephews that will stay with me forever. My niece, Taylor, had a volleyball tournament on the far east side of Cleveland. Instead of my brother Brett, Teresa and the kids staying at our house (they live in Columbus)they decided to stay at a hotel that was half-way between where we live and where the tournament was. This way they didn't have as much driving back and forth to do and the kids could have the fun of the hotel pool and all. One of the nights Taylor's younger siblings: Gabbie, Izzie and Jake were going to spend the night with me and Steve at our house. I went to the hotel to pick them up. My brother Brad was there with Justin, Hunter, Stephanie and Brandon. The whole fam-damily was hanging out in the atrium of the hotel visiting and having fun. It was happy hour and the place was full of folks having a good time. When I walked in Gabbie, Izzie, Jake, Justin and Hunter all raced towards me with huge smiles and endless hugs and kisses (Taylor and Stephanie were off doing there own "older" girl things, I like to think they would have been just as happy to see me :)). They were literally jumping into my arms as fast as I could pick them up one at a time. I just about melted. After we hugged and giggled and kissed and I was able to take a seat, the woman who I sat next to said "Those kids certainly love you". I said "they sure do and it makes me one lucky Auntie". That's for sure!

Easter In Paris

2009-04-22T04:36:00.016-04:00

I can't believe I'm saying this but, on the one hand, it was nice to have a break from hosting Easter this year. One the other hand, I greatly missed hosting Easter this year. I missed the family and friends sharing the celebration meal. I missed the pierogies from Polish Village Cafe in Detroit, I missed Stan's sausage and horseradish but most of all I missed the house full of family, nieces and nephews running around and cooking with my Mom.

We had a lovely Easter nonetheless.

I waited a little long to start looking for a restaurant in Paris for an Easter meal. By the time I started looking all of the places I thought might be good choices were booked. It couldn't have worked out better however as we had a perfect brunch at Drouant, not far from the Opera Garnier. This was the best meal in Paris on this trip for me.

From the gorgeous art deco entry to the elegant, spacious and well appointed dining room, Drouant was as much a feast for the eyes and spirit as it proved to be for the tummy. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the dining room but here are pics of our brunch.

The bread service was fabulous. I don't know if they make their breads in house or order in but it was the bestbread I had this trip.

The pastries were also very fine.

The meal consisted of four small plates: a poached egg with thin slices of jambon Iberico, carrot soup, fruit salad and herbed fromage blanc with smoked salmon. There were accompanying breads, pastries and fresh squeezed juices, coffees and teas.

The fruit salad was a mix of fruits with toasted hazelnuts and pistachios and a seed that was similar to flax seed though I think it was something else.

The carrot soup was scented with cumin and garnished with a crouton and chopped chives.

The smoked salmon was good but the star of this little plate was the creamy, slightly salty, herbed fromage blanc. I couldn't stop slathering it on the chewy and crusty country wheat bread that was part of our bread service.

Everything about our brunch was a treat but the best part for me was this egg. I have never had an egg cooked like this before. The white was cooked all the was through, but softer than the white of a hard boiled egg, and the yolk was warm and runny with no solid spots. This egg was heaven and then some. There was no need to salt the egg as the jambon iberico provided just the right amount of salt with each bite. We deduced that this egg must have been cooked sous vide. I have never had a protein or vegetable cooked sous vide that I cared for but if this is how one can cook and egg with the method then I am all for it.

A little dark chocolate and brandied orange slices to end the meal.

I found an English speaking Catholic church and Steve and I went to the Easter Sunday evening mass. We've been to French and Latin masses in Paris but it was nice to attend an English mass.

When we arrived the choir was practicing. The whole choir was Filipino and as it turned out, though there was a diverse group gathered for mass most of the congregants were Filipino. I was curious to know if this is a Filipino church or if perhaps the Sunday evening service attracts Catholic Filipinos living in Paris but I never asked. The choir was accompanied by two and sometimes three guitars instead of a piano or organ so it was like a folk choir. The choir was very cool and it was a nice mass and it was very good to take communion.

Paris, Our Visit With Friends Friday & Saturday

2009-04-21T07:40:00.009-04:00

Our first dinner together in Paris was at L' Ambassade D' Auvergene. I found the restaurant on "Paris Notes", Top Twenty Paris Restaurants. This is not a list of all the finest dining in Paris but rather a guide for some noteworthy spots that are fairly budget friendly as well as a few of the finer dining places. I figured with the company L'Ambassade D'Auvergene was keeping on the list (several places I think well of) that it would be a place to try good regional/country cuisine while we were in Paris. I was not in love with my choice. The restaurant felt touristy and the food was pedestrian. I loved the idea of dishes from the Auvergene region and did some reading about the area before we went to the restaurant so I would know what to expect but the dishes did not rise to the level I was expecting. I found the plates flat, not well seasoned or robust and overall didn't enjoy the dining experience there which is why I won't post any pictures from that meal.

On Saturday we set out to make two of the requisite stops for a first visit to Paris. We first walked down to the Seine and crossed to Ile de la Cite to see Notre Dame. On our way there we poked our heads into several antique shops and art galleries in the St. Paul's Village District, an area of shops and galleries that runs from the back of St. Paul's church down to the Seine.

It being April and the height of tourist season in Paris, the line to go inside the church was long. Our guests decided that seeing the beautiful cathedral from the outside was good enough for a first visit.

Here we are the four musketeers-

From Notre Dame we went to see my favorite Paris icon, the Eiffel Tower. I am madly in love with the Eiffel Tower. Every time I see the towering construction it takes my breath away and every time I see it lit at night it brings me to tears.

This beautiful, frame-worthy, night time photo of the Eiffel Tower is, of course, one of Edsel's shots.

The blurry shot below of Steve and me was not taken with Edsel's uber-amazing camera.

Also from Edsel, Steve & Beth and Edsel & Beth on the third viewing platform of the Eiffel tower. I bailed at the second level.

Paris, The Marais

2009-04-21T05:35:00.011-04:00

We arrived in Paris Friday afternoon and got ourselves settled into the apartment then walked around the Marais for a while.

The Marais is unique in that it is home to many sub-cultures all of whom co-exist peacefully in this quarter. There is a large gay population in The Marais, a large punk/goth population, a large artist and musician population and a large population of Jews from the secular to orthodox and everything in between. The area is also a lively spot at night for the late twenties crowd.

The district is one of the older sections of Paris outside of Ile de la Cite. It has gone through several waves of being in and out of fashion over the centuries. The Marais was established as a home for the wealthy and aristocracy of Paris in the 16th and early 17th century as is demonstrated by the grandeur of of the homes and other buildings from those years. The area gradually fell out of fashion and thus into disarray as Versailles went from hunting lodge to Royal Residence in the late 1600's and the elite of The Marias went out to settle themselves around The Chateau Versailles. The opulence of The Marais faded as mansions and small estates were broken up into small apartments and one room flats with shared cooking and washing facilities for whole buildings or even neighborhoods. The area saw some revitalization over the years but really this new wave of popularity started in the 60's when the French government set about to restore some of the significant buildings of The Marais.

Here we are leaving our apartment building (picture taken by Edsel). I include this picture because of the door behind us. Our apartment building was long ago a single family residence. The blue door was the door the horses and carriages would enter to access the courtyard in the center of the building. Paris is full of these courtyards that you don't see from the street, places that were once the carriage park are now beautiful courtyards and gardens shared by those who live in the apartments and condos of the building .

The history and culture of Jews in France and Paris is long and fascinating. There are many pockets of Jews throughout the city of Paris but The Marais is know as the center of Jewish life in Paris. The street Rue de Rosier and the immediate surrounding areas are full of both kosher and non-kosher Jewish eateries, bakeries and other shops. There are many schuls, kloyz and besmedresh in The Marais. There are mikvehs or ritual bath houses where orthodox women go to wash after their menstrual cycle. There are many opportunities to learn of Jewish history in the area from Jewish-centric museums and bookstores as well as from reading the many wall plaques scattered throughout the area that speak of the loss of Jews from the Marais who were sent to concentration camps under Hitler's puppet Vichy government.

The Marias is a lively, vibrant district of Paris both for the diversity of its residents and visitors as well as the culture the area offers. I feel very at home in The Marais and am glad it has become my neighborhood of Paris. I can walk to Ile de la Cite, Centre Pompidou, The Picasso Museum, The European Photograhy Museum, The Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, The Latin Quarter, St. Eustache, St. Paul, Place Republique, Opera Garnier Centre Pompidou, Rue de Rosier and on and on. I enjoy being in an area where I am not bound by the metro but can walk to so much of what I like to do.

One of the bakeries in the Jewish section of The Marais on Rue de Rosier. Obviously this is not a kosher bakery as they were open Friday evening-

I started this post as "Paris, The Rest Of Our Visit With Friends" but got lost in talking about the Marais! I will have to start again with my summary of our Paris visit with our friends.

Say Hi, Maybe Introduce Yourself!

2009-04-18T06:12:00.003-04:00

I started this blog as way for me to have a record of the travels my husband and I share, a diary if you will. I knew that I would also share it with friends as a way to keep in touch while Steve and I travel. I had no idea that folks from around the world would find my blog and read it regularly. When I started the blog I subscribed to Stat Counter, a free service that allows you to have some basic information about who is visiting your blog. I don't know who all my visitors are personally but I can see where they're from. I can not express how much it tickles me to see readers from Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Poland, Canada, Spain, Norway, The UK, Romania, Austria, India, Germany, Chile, France and New Zealand as well as from all over the United States.

I am thrilled to have so many readers and fascinated to find out how you found my blog.

If you are so inclined, please register as a follower or leave a comment (you can do so anonymously, you don't even have to register) to let me know who you are, how you found the blog and why you read it.

If you prefer not to add a comment, that's O.K. too. I'm just happy to know you're there and I give you my warmest welcome.

Diane

Paris Digs

2009-04-18T04:35:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love finding great places to stay when Steve and I travel. When I found out that two of our friends from Cleveland were coming for a visit to Switzerland and that we would take a trip together to Paris I started looking for that *perfect*, modestly priced hotel. All the hotels that fit the bill in the area where we like to stay were either booked or a little out of our price range. I decided to look for apartments, doh, why didn't I do that to begin with?

I found a most wonderful flat for us to rent in the Marais about 4 blocks from the flat where Steve and I usually stay (too small for the four of us). It was a perfect place to stay, nice sized, two bathrooms, very sunny, fab kitchen and on a quiet street. All that and a bit of history too. We were told that the building was once home to Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan who the character, D'Artagnan, of the Three Musketeers was based on.

As much as Steve and I like to try new things we are also creatures of habit. Once we find the *perfect* this or that we stick with it as is the case with our favorite creperie that is just around the corner from the flat we usually rent.

We like this creperie because it is not just a street stand but a little restaurant that serves nicer savory and sweet crepes than you are likely to get on the street. They have a small seating area inside on the first floor, a small sunny room with a few tables on the second floor and several tables on the sidewalk. They serve very good espresso. I don't know what it it but Steve and I get more stale espresso in Paris than anywhere else so in addition to all the other things we like about this place that they have rich, non-stale, espresso makes it our go-to neighborhood spot.

It was so cool to get to share our little section of Paris with friends and also to take them to see the sites. I don't know of many things or experiences that aren't better shared!

Special Treat

2009-04-17T12:35:00.005-04:00

Before I left Cleveland a good friend gave me a box of confections from Lilly Chocolates.

There are sacrifices I make for lent that I keep to myself but most of my friends know that I give up sweets every year. Sweets means candy, chocolate, ice cream, basically any kind of dessert. It is hard to keep a lid on that one since we eat with friends so often and it becomes obvious when I'm the only one at a table not eating dessert. My Lenten fasts and sacrifices are meaningful to me and I keep to my fasts and don't sneak in things here or there.

This is the first year that I have ever broken my fast from sweets other than a time or two where I had a bite of a sweet, momentarily forgetting it was Lent. Fortunately, I have caught myself right away when that has happened.

So, here we are on this trip and I had no intention of stopping my Lenten fast from sweets but on our first morning here, tired from the plane ride and 7 AM arrival, I slipped. Steve and I stopped at a patisserie on our way in from the airport. I ordered a cafe cream and a slice of plum tart. I was half way through the tart when I realized what I had done. In my sleepy haze I decided that for this one year I would abstain from abstaining, at least from sweets.

I did however decide that I needed to maintain some of my fast from sweets and I chose not to have any candy or chocolate until Easter.

Thus, this sweet little box sat unopened on the kitchen counter from the time we first arrived in Switzerland until last night.

Since Steve and I were in Paris with our two friends for Easter, the box sat here waiting for my return. When I returned I decided that I would wait for our friends to leave before I opened "the box". The box had now taken on a magical quality to me. I opened it last night and shared three of the lovely chocolates with Steve. We will likely share the other three tonight.

Thank you Jean. Your gift brought me much pleasure, not just last night when I shared some of the chocolates with Steve but every morning when I walked into the kitchen and saw the box on the counter.

Guests

2009-04-17T12:02:00.008-04:00

Last Thursday two of our friends from Cleveland came to visit. I picked them up in the morning at the airport in Geneva.

We stopped on the way back to the house at a sweet little bakery that is in the general vicinity of the farms. We choose several sandwiches to share for lunch.

In the afternoon we walked along the waterfront in Montreux. I learned that there is a market on the waterfront every Thursday with produce and antique/flea market sorts of goods.

Thursday night I made a fondue, steamed artichokes and salad for dinner. It was the best fondue I've had if I do say so myself. When ever I've had fondue out I've always felt it lacking in flavor. This was my first time making my own fondue and I bought the pre-grated mix from the lovely fromagerie one town over where I buy my cheeses. I asked for the strongest of the fondue mixes and added four cloves of garlic and a healthy amount of the Swiss white wine Fondant.

Here is the garlic steeping in the wine.

And here is the cheese being melted a handful at a time.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the finished fondue but oh my gosh was it good! We had it with baguette and also a slightly softer-crusted bread with sesame and poppy seeds. The artichoke hearts were wonderful dipped in the fondue.

Thanks to Edsel for the pics from the day. Most of my posts from the week of the visit will be with Edsel's great pics.

More From Last Weekend, In Paris

2009-04-11T03:44:00.013-04:00

Here are a few more pics from our weekend in Paris with Steve's cousins.

Marie-Catherine's husband Jean-

Jean is a huge blues and classic rock fan. He treated me to a mini concert in the living room.

Jean took us to walk in the Latin Quarter, Mt. St-Geneviève area, and The Luxemburg gardens.

This area of Paris was settled the the Romans when they over took Paris in 52 BC. About 60 years ago a forum/amphitheater was uncovered during excavation for a new building. The building plans were halted and the forum was made into a park.

Steve and Jean in the forum park-

Steve's other cousin Stephan and his wife Sophie and Jean's good friend, William, came over to join us for dinner. We had a huge rib roast cooked on the grill, merguez sausages and a potato/reblochon gratin. I love French beef. It is deep and rich flavor and is farm raised.

I didn't get pictures of Marie-Catherine, Sophie, Stephan or any of the kids which means that Steve and I will have to stop back for a few days to visit before we head back to the states!

Quickie Post

2009-04-09T14:54:00.003-04:00

I am a few days behind in posts but I want to touch base because I will be away for a few days and may not have a chance to post.

Today is my 40th birthday and it has been a wonderful day. I woke up at o-dark:30 to drive to the airport in Geneva to pick up two good friends who came for a visit. When I walked out of the house and looked over the lake there was a huge, orange full moon in the sky over the lake and the reflection of the moon left an intense trail of color and light on the water. It took my breath away. It was like my very own, most special 40th birthday present.

I headed off for the airport in Geneva and was so excited to pick up our friends. We spent a nice day together walking around Montreux and had a relaxed few hours at home in the late afternoon.

I made a fondue for dinner tonight with a salad of escarole and dandelion greens and I made veal piccata. It was a very good dinner if I do say so myself. The dandelion greens and escarole were tender and mild. This was the first time I made fondue and it was better than any I've had out, even in La Suisse! The veal was tender and had a lovely flavor and my piccata was sauce was good. Oh yes, we also shared two steamed artichokes between the four of us.

I am very happy that our friends are here. I wish that I could have spent the day with all my friends and family but that was not possible. I thought of everyone who is important to me today with fond thoughts. I look forward to lots of hugs and kisses and a great party when we get home.

Oh, and by the way, my mother-in-law, Nelly, says that 40 is the new 30. Don't forget it!

The four of us are of to Paris in the morning. I will post as I have the chance but it may nit be until we return to Switzerland.

Uncle Red, here is a picture for you-

And Grandma, here is a picture for you-

Paris With Family

2009-04-08T02:04:00.003-04:00

When Steve finished working Friday we drove into Paris to visit with his cousins for the weekend.

Friday night we had a bistro meal "en terrasse" at L'Arrosoir in the Faubourg-Saint-Antoine area. I love that Parisians eat outside when ever possible, even throughout the winter with the use of over head heaters and heavy plastic tent-like walls that enclose the patios.

The restaurant is in the Arts Viaduct-

http://www.viaducdesarts.fr/index.php?lang=en&page=5&nom=historique

We walked along to see a few of the shops but we did not go above to see the gardens as it was pretty late. A return visit to the viaduct is on my list for other trips to Paris.

http://www.paris-walking-tours.com/promenadeplantee.html

We got to see the swarms of rollerbladers who get to blade with abandon throughout Paris one Friday night a month when the city closes down streets and intersections for them as they pass through. It was a very cool sight. There were many hundreds of bladers that passed right at the corner where we were having dinner.

More on the weekend later...

Saint Leu la Foret

2009-04-05T05:33:00.009-04:00

In 1981 I went with about 20 students from my fifth grade French class to France on a student exchange program.

We stayed with families in the town of St. Leu la Foret, about 30 minutes north of Paris.

I have always meant to go back to see the town when I've been on trips to France and this time I finally did. The town was for the most part as I remembered it although it seems to have lost some of its population and is not quite as dynamic as it was when my class was there. There were lots of empty shops on the main street and of those that are still there, many have seen better days. None the less it was good to go back and see the town.

Here is the school our class attended when we were in St. Leu la Foret-

And a picture of the schoolyard-

I tried to find the house of the family I stayed with. I narrowed it down to 2 places. One of them had the following note on the front door and it really made me chuckle. The family I stayed with was not the friendliest and the tone of this note makes me think that of the two houses I saw this was probably the home of the family I lived with.

The notice says-

"Ladies and Gentleman, would you like to find dog droppings ON YOUR DOOR STEP? HELL NO YOU WOULDN'T. So, please do not leave your droppings here!"

The tenor of the note along with the hillarious picture of a pooping dog with a line through it made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes. I can just see the not so friendly people I lived with putting up this notice.

Sculpture

2009-04-04T08:28:00.007-04:00

This past week I spent time wandering the towns of St. Germain en Laye and Poissy. Here are two of the sculptures in Poissy that caught my fancy.

How incredible is it when you can walk through town and art is such a part of everyday life?

This mother and child is in a small square along the main street of Poissy.

This little fisher-boy is part of a fountain in the square in front of the main market in Poissy.

Fromagerie de Saint Germain en Laye

2009-04-04T07:23:00.019-04:00

I owe my love of and fascination with good cheese to Steve's cousin Marie-Catherine and her husband Jean. When we were visiting a few years ago they served us a plate of cheeses that included Vacherin Mont D'Or which I immediately fell in love with. I was raised with French and Italian cheese in the house but I never had an interest in it other than the basic blues, brie and Camembert or Parmesan and Romano. In fact, I was turned of by any of the stronger cheeses and especially the really runny ones. Boy, did my world change when we had cheese with Steve's cousins. I really fell in love with good cheese that day and I have enjoyed the world of cheese ever since.

I came across this cheese shop on my walks through the town of St. Germain en Laye. I saw two cheese shops but this is the one that captured my attention for its rustic charm and vast selection.

I have rarely met a cow or sheep milk cheese I don't like however I have an extreme dislike for all goat's milk cheese. The taste of goat's milk itself and cheeses made from it have a particular pungency that I find horribly offensive. I still find goat's milk cheeses beautiful to look at. Here are some beauties-

I adore mild and delicate cheeses but in general the stronger and or runnier the better for me. Here is one I had not heard of before. The shop owner suggested I try it. It was nicely ripe, strong with a deep, rich slightly salty taste. I enjoyed it immensely.

After looking on the internet for information on le fromage St. Point I learned that it is from the Jura region. That gave me a giggle because it is funny how many of my favorite cheeses happen to come from this mountainous region that Steve and I drive through on our way from France to Switzerland.

Here are some links I came across-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/france/article4396481.ece

And-

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/products/cheese-eggs-milk-products/mont-d-or/

Thoughts

2009-04-03T06:38:00.003-04:00

As I watched President Barack Obama stand with his hand over his heart this morning in Strasbourg, France while the French military band played The Star Spangled Banner for his arrival, I thought how cool it is to be here while our new President makes his first visit to Europe.

President Obama's arrival in Strasbourg today reminds me that I was in France for both the first election of Francois Mitterrand in 1981 and Nicolas Sarkozy's election last year.

On the 10th of May 1981 when Mitterrand was announced to have won the French Presidential Election I was a 5th grade student on an exchange program to France. The family I lived with resided in a suburb of Paris. I recall the excitement in our small town over the outcome of the election and seeing the frenzy in Paris on the T.V. news and in newspaper photos.

Sarkozy's election was quite a different feeling in Paris from what I recall of Mitterrand's election. There were protests in the streets and anti-Sarkozy/Popular Party graffiti throughout the city. People were weeping over the loss of the Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royale. I recall hearing on the news that were it not for such a large population of elderly in France who overwhelmingly voted Sarkozy, then it would have been a huge Royal win.

My point is not to make statements one way or the other on American or French politics just to note how neat it is to me that I was in France for all three of the above mentioned events.

God Bless America & Vive La France!

Score

2009-04-03T05:06:00.004-04:00

I love a deal.

Really, does anyone not love a deal?

My sister turned me on to this deodorant a few years ago and I am hooked on it. It has a pleasant, light fragrance and it works like nothing else.

The problem with this product is that it's not cheap. In Switzerland one bottle is about $15.00/US Dollars. Crazy, huh?

In France this deodorant is less expensive and I have learned that around this time of year the company that makes it offers many of their products for a special price when you buy two. This special price makes the deodorant about 8 US dollars a bottle when bought in France with the special offer. O.K. I know, 8 smacks for deodorant is crazy but I love this stuff! This deodorant is so good that you don't have to use it every day. That makes up for the price, no?

I was hoping to find the deal when while we were here and I scoured the pharmacies until I found one that had the deodorant at the special price then I bought all they had.

Steve said you all would think I was nutty to post about deodorant but since you all know I'm nutty anyway, I wanted to share my excitement over my good deal! Score!!!

Fish Market, St. Germain en Laye

2009-04-02T17:40:00.004-04:00

A little research for my menu translations...

Brasserie Du Theatre, St. Germain en Laye

2009-04-02T17:20:00.005-04:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that on our first night in St. Germain en Laye, Steve and I had a late and enjoyable dinner at Brasserie Du Theatre.

What I didn't mention was that when I had some questions about the menu the server, whose English was about as limited as my French, had a hard time explaining some of the nuances to me and when I sort of filled in asking "do you mean like this", he joked and said that I should translate the menu for them. So, guess what? I did.

All together I probably spent a day between translating and formulating a lay-out that was comparable to the one used for the French menu. I had a great time doing it and it re-enforced my language skills and taught me new words. The main part of the menu, the meat, fish and foul was no problem but the tricky part was the raw bar part of the menu. The brasserie serves 6 plus types of oysters and 4 or 5 types of clams and several shrimps and more; it tested my abilities.

I felt like I needed to go back to the brasserie and order the "Fruits of the Sea" platter so that I could identify each of the different types of shellfish, especially try to tell the difference between the clams.

Here is a picture of the incredible plate of fruits of the sea that we enjoyed.

The plate contained about 5 different Atlantic oysters (about 8 or 10 for each Steve and me), 4 large, cooked and chilled langoustines, a large crab, about a dozen and a half of sea snails, same for grey shrimp, 6 amazing huge,pink shrimp that had the most amazing mustard I've ever had in a shrimp, mussels on the half shell and three different clams on the half shell. It was heaven!

That night I took copies of the menu that I had translated to ask a few questions as to preparations. Needless to say, the folks at the restaurant were tickled to see that I had taken them up on their suggestion to translate the menu. So, there's a little claim to fame. If you are ever in St. Germain en Laye and you dine at The Brasserie du Theatre and you request an English version of the menu, that menu was translated by yours truly.

Hotel Cazaudehore La Forestiere, St. Germain en Laye

2009-03-31T06:08:00.013-04:00

When Steve and I travel I can spend days before our trips scouring travel books and the internet for the perfect places to stay. I have high expectations; I look for fine and elegant or off the beaten track and quaint at a modest price. I have found many incredible places for us to stay on our travels and always for an exceptional price.

This time Steve found the gem.

Last week when Steve came to France to work at the Epone office he found the sweetest hotel. He was eager to come back this week to share it with me.

This hotel, Cazaudehore La Forestiere is part of the always beautiful and elegant Relais & Chateaux collection of fine hotels.

It was a pleasure to stay here the last few nights. Our accommodations were lovely and the staff of the hotel offered impeccable service at every turn. Unfortunately, though we are staying in the area until Saturday or Sunday, we must change hotels today as the hotel is booked tonight (not the rest of the week just tonight). The Hotel & Revenue Manager in me wants to explain the revenue loss in displacing several (there are other company folks who could have stayed here)week long stays for one night guests but it is not my place. We enjoyed our time here and I'm sure we will have opportunities to return.

http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-book/hotel-restaurant/cazaudehore/

An interesting side note-

Steve's Uncle Jacques is a retired General of the French Army. At one time he was the Station Commander of an installation that is directly across the street from this inn. How funny is that?

En France

2009-03-30T07:53:00.009-04:00

Yesterday Steve and I drove from Switzerland to France. Steve is working in the city of Epone and we are staying in the beautiful town of St. Germain en Laye. We are 30 minutes outside of Paris. We took a slightly different route from our usual Montreux- Paris path since the GPS indicated the new path would be a little faster. We didn't make any stops along the way as we got off to a late start and wanted to get to our hotel at a reasonable hour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Germain-en-Laye

http://www.saintgermainenlaye.fr/

After we checked in at our hotel we ventured in to town for a late dinner.

Steve started with the pate de maison.

I started with the terrine de volaille (chicken), also house-made.

I am just starting to take photos when we dine and I am not used to it yet thus I forgot to take any pictures on our meals but below is a picture of the Chateau de St. Germain en Laye which was our view out the window of the restaurant.

Bleating Sheep

2009-03-28T07:20:00.006-04:00

Steve was working in Epone (a suburb of Paris) this week, and I stayed here to get settled and give him a chance to settle in to his gig there. It was pretty quiet around here. It was cold, damp and grey two days in a row so I just laid low. I did venture to the Ikea outside of Geneva for a few household items but that has been the extent of my excitement (other than just being here which is daily excitement).

These photos are especially for Era who asked for them :) O.K. probably not exactly what you had in mind but what I happened to have in my camera.

That bamboo in the front left corner of the photo is the far side of my sister and Nico's property. The road you see is the same road we take up from town and it goes all the way up the mountain. I don't know who owns the yard/property next store to my sister's but they have about 12 or so sheep that they keep on the property. Their morning bleating is my alarm clock.

This house is the next closest house to my sister's as you look out the same direction as the yard with the sheep. The view beyond the house is what you see as you look up the mountain.

Steve will be working in Epone again next week and I am going with him this trip so I can spend some time in Paris. Hopefully we will have a chance to see his cousins this week. That mostly depends on Steve's work schedule. I will have time to visit with them during the day but Steve wants to see them too! This trip we will drive so that I will have a car if I need one. We are leaving Sunday. Steve will work Monday-Friday and we will take a leisurely drive back over the weekend so we can stop in some of the towns we like along the way.

One more pic of the view from my Sis' . This is looking from her balcony out towrds Geneva.

What I Packed

2009-03-25T08:52:00.008-04:00

When I travel instead of taking one full suitcase I divide my things into two bags so I will have plenty of room to bring home goodies for myself and to share with family and friends.

This trip I decided to take advantage of the extra space in my bags going over to fill them with everyday things that I would use while here in Switzerland since things are so expensive here.

On the counter you can see bags of oats and other ingredients for granola. I eat granola most days for breakfast. I brought enough to make two batches: one for while I'm here and one to make to leave for my sister and her husband Nico.

The two bags of Nestle's chips are to leave with my Sis and the Hellman's is well, sometimes you just want Hellman's! I don't care for the mayo sold in France and Switzerland. It often has mustard in it and even when it doesn't I'm not a fan. I know I could make my own but I also wanted to have a jar of the good stuff from home.

I brought this awesome vintage set of stainless flatware for my sister and her husband that I found thrifting in Detroit. It is a huge set and was a great score.

In addition to the above I also brought a 250 Ft. roll of Reynold's aluminium foil, a box each of gallon and quart Hefty freezer bags, a package each of the largest, large, medium and small Ziploc plastic food storage containers, a few bamboo flat edge spatulas from the Asian import store, a few good knives and a knife sharpener and some stainless tongs, oh and most importantly a pastry cutter and pastry scraper.

You didn't think I would stop making pie crusts while I was away did you? My sister has a patch or rhubarb in the yard and I'm going to check on it today. Hubba, hubba I hope to be making my first rhubarb pie while I'm here.

For those of you that don't know, I finally mastered the art of the pie crust a few months ago. I have been practicing and refining my crust ever since. You could say I'm going through a pie and quiche obsession and rhubarb is my FAVORITE pie so I am very much looking forward to making my first one with fresh rhubarb and all!

Eats

2009-03-23T14:12:00.006-04:00

There are two farms about 20 minutes from my sister's house.

One farm grows vegetables and raises dairy cows. I get almost all of my produce from this farm as well as raw milk. They hoop farm and keep produce in cold storage (think large root cellar) so they have lettuces and other produce throughout the winter. They also supplement their offerings with items from other farms. They sell local eggs and baked goods.

The second farm raises cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and turkeys and they sell rabbit from a nearby farm. The chicken may be from the same farm as the rabbit but I haven't figured that out. This farm not only raises all these meat animals but they process and butcher it themselves. They also make their own fresh and dried sausages.

Each of these farms has a small room where one goes to shop from their offerings. Payment is on the honor system. I will post more about the farms when I have a chance to take some pictures of each of them. I planned on doing so today but it was a little overcast and smoggy so I thought I would wait for a clearer day.

Last night we had sausage and sour-kraut (choucroute garnie) from the meat farm with sauteed spaetzle and I made a salad of frisse and green apple from the veggie farm. The smaller sausages are white veal sausages made with milk. The larger sausages are made with turkey but in the same way as the veal sausages.

This is one of my favorite cheeses, it very well may be my favorite. This is a winter cheese available late September through March. I am SO pleased that we are here during the season as I have not had a proper Mont D'Or for two years. We were able to find two wheels of this cheese when we were here last August but as nice as it was to have some, it was a little old even for my tastes. I love both the French and the Swiss Vacherines but I give a slight edge to the French Mont D'Or. I don't know if the difference has to do with the French that I've had being made from raw milk vs. the Swiss being made with slightly warmed/pasteurized milk but I guess that would have something to do with it. Either way, French or Swiss, Vacherine Mont D'Or is heaven. If you like soft, runny cheese this is that at its best.

There were some wheels with a darker rind and some with a lighter rind, this one was just right.

This is the cheese after it sat out for about 4 hours. It will get a little softer and runnier by the time Steve gets home from the office but I couldn't resist trying a bit. Some times people will lightly warm the cheese in the oven and even slit the rind and push in a clove of garlic and drizzle a dry white wine of the region over the top before it goes into the oven. I am not warming it in the oven today but it is heavenly like that. Think fondue from heaven.

This is a saucisson de campagne from the farm/butcher, Georges Martin Et Fils. I wish I had given it a squeeze before I cut into it. It is not as cured as I would like it to be. The one I had this summer had cured longer and was harder. I liked that texture better but this is still wonderful. It is smoked and we've been having it on a mixed wheat peasant bread with coarse mustard.

Tonight we are having Mont D'Or,
left over choucroute garnie and a duplicate of last night's salad.

Sis' Kitchen

2009-03-22T15:31:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics of my sister's kitchen. It is a decent size by European standards.

This large window is AWESOME. It looks out to their side yard which is where they keep a small garden. The black space on the counter is an electric cook top. It always takes getting used to the electric cook top when I'm here. The only thing I really miss from my kitchen when I'm here is my gas stove.

This is the teeny-weeny refrigerator.

And a look at the inside.

First Post! Hi from La Suisse!

2009-03-22T13:03:00.003-04:00

I have often thought about keeping a diary or journal but have never done it.

When I married my husband, Steve, I bought a journal to keep track of our travels. We travelled and I never journaled. In fact, I have two or three beautiful journals in my keepsake drawer, each purchased with the best of intentions and each one... empty.

At the same time I've never had an interest in blogging. I enjoy reading other's blogs, mostly food related although some family/daily life sorts of blogs.

My husband and I are currently living at my sister's home in Chernex, Switzerland while Steve works on a project that will run until the beginning of May (hopefully longer!). We do a good deal of travelling together but living abroad for 7 weeks makes this our biggest adventure yet. It is wonderful that we are staying at my sister's since I feel at home in her house and I am familiar enough with the town and surrounding area to be able to get by on my own when Steve is at work or away.

I got it in my mind to start a blog to serve as my journal for this trip and also as a way to share the adventure with family and friends. I hope you enjoy my new endeavor and I hope you keep in touch while we're away.

Much love,

Diane