French Basketeer

Entre Amis

2012-02-09T20:38:00.001-08:00

You’ll find a feature that I wrote and photographed in the March issue of Romantic Homes Magazine, which will be on news stands nationwide in the next few weeks. The cover is really pretty, isn’t it?

The title is “Entre Amis” and describes briefly my visits with my wonderful friend Rachel at her home in Bouilland, Burgunday, France. There is a full page lead photo, then this montage of photos; who can beat a gathering of your very best girl friends, at top left, Lorie, Laura (you all know from her blog Décor to Adore), and Rachel. Rachel is my model hostess, relaxed, gracious, always fun, and always ready with great food and wine to facilitate connections and friendships~

It was nice to see the layout of the story, all on one page. While the photos are an aid, the Editor seemed to really love the story and the layout reflected that. Hopefully you can read it here and hopefully it will give you just a little glimpse of Rachel’s home and her singular style~

The fourth page of the layout shows a few perfect peonies at the entry, which we take for granted in France; the amazing kitchen, a glimpse of the garden and the stone walls~

Here are the same photos in their larger format; this one especially makes me so happy, some of my besties all together on Rachel’s stone terrace. We arrived and Rachel instantly brought out a few cushions for the terrace while we chatted away; so French, so effortless….

The lead photo; Rachel has created a beautiful terrace, full of charme and climbing roses...we used the herbs here just outside the kitchen door at far right for a tisane later in the evening~

I love to watch the progress of the terrace and the fields…..and the Charolais cows in the background which belong to the neighbor. More on the Charolais later~

Perfect peonies greet you at Rachel’s stone entry~

And the staircase entry, still a little holiday in May, but no matter, charming all the same; all times of the year the mailbox is in the same place…such are the charms of living in France, non?~

The kitchen photo featured….I love love love…..

and the Dutch door from the kitchen to the terrace….it’s all perfectly French….you are amazing, Rachel….

and last but not least, the little window she found in Spain and had her masons cut a hole in the stone wall to make room for it….charming….French….so perfect for Rachel…..

Rachel conducts high end bike tours around Europe and beyond. She does not advertise, as her tours are full by word of mouth referrals. You can contact Rachel at rachelfoulkes@cs.com

Hope you have enjoyed the photos of Rachel’s home, you will see more of her home later, I promise!

Join Me in Burgundy

2012-02-02T11:50:00.001-08:00

If you follow my blog and you have noticed I have been a little absent lately, you are right! I had a glorious week in Beaune over the holidays, and R and I were both melancholy that I was not able to stay longer. I returned to find myself confronted with some serious decisions, including a business “partner” who wanted me to shut down my blog and basket business. Over the last month, I have spent an enormous amount of time in reflection, in prayer, in discussion with family & trusted friends, and making careful plans.

You know me as the French Basketeer, but what most of you do not know is that I have also had a “day job” as a financial executive, which has required long days and many nights at work. Add in my family, the house, creative pursuits, two dogs and a few blogs and a basket business and you will understand why I sleep four hours a night; my friends can only laugh when I explain my schedule and to do lists. My background is in finance and real estate. Can I do it? Yes. Do I want to do it? That was the question. I have a great passion for France, for all things French, for convivial time with friends and family in a lovely setting. Beyond just a passion, it is something that I know intimately and that I love to share with people in my life. Increasingly I have found myself pulled towards my passion and feeling like my “work” was leaving me empty.

And so, with planning, with great partners, with the tremendous support of friends & family not to mention a little anxiety, I am taking a leap and leaving my “job” to devote myself full time to French Basketeer, several other new projects which I will explain later, and spending more of my time in Beaune and in France.

It is incredible for me to write this last sentence, for it has been five plus years since R and I acquired the house in Beaune, and just shy of twenty years since I moved to Paris, studied at the Louvre, and began my love affair with France and dreamed of having a home there. How can I tell you how my heart sings to think of being in France more than just a few weeks a year?

One of the ways I can tell you how excited I am is to offer that you come with me! In 2012 I will be offering tours of Burgundy. You will stay with me in our 17th Century home in the center of Beaune for approximately 8 days~

Each trip will be customized to the likes and wants of the group, highlighted for me of course by the various markets, including the Saturday market which is just steps from our door~

We will also visit the famous market at Louhans~

The tour will include transportation by van from Paris, with a stop for a tasting at my favorite domaine in Champagne. In and around Beaune, we can go to various wine tastings to orient you to this complex wine region, and in Chassagne-Montrachet you will get to take your tasting glass home with you~

You will be a guest in our home, and each day will be treated to various home-made classic French dishes, made from the freshest local produce, breads, dairy and meats. I will be offering informal cooking classes (not to mention French lessons) along the way, so that you can better understand how to make these meals yourself when you return home~

All meals will be included in the price; what is not included is airfare, wine and meals out. There are just two places I will plan to take you to eat, one is La Ruchotte on Saturday after the market. I posted on the farm HERE.

The tours will generally be for six, double occupancy. This is a great trip for you and five of your best friends, or three couples; there is also room at Hotel Le Cep nearby and for one more on the full size day bed in the Grand Salon, which I promise you is cozy, so we could accommodate a few more if needed~

There are dozens of options of things to do and each trip will be customized; we can go to Lyon for the Sunday flea market and shopping; there is also lots of antique shopping in and around Beaune from the very high to the very low. We will visit the region’s seasonal brocantes and flea markets and antique fairs, as many as we can! Remember too that Avignon is one hour away on the TGV so we could also make a quick day trip to the South. Or visit Dijon 20 minutes away for some shopping and specialty items. There are chateaux to visit, historical sites to see; plenty to do in a week.

More than anything, Beaune is a place to relax and recharge. Though for many people France means Paris, I invite you to come to Beaune with me and enjoy the food, wine, shopping and calm. And after that great food and wine, we can take a hike through the vineyards or stroll to the nearby Parc or rent a bike. A yoga instructor is planning her own trip, which will be a yoga retreat with daily hike, so everyone has their own take on this beautiful area of France, here in winter, last month~

The details: The price of the trip is $3,000 per person; there is a blogger discount so please inquire. As I mentioned, this includes your stay in our home, a personal tour guide fluent in French and intimately familiar with the area (moi), meals at home with instruction and recipes for classic French cuisine, and transportation from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Beaune as well as transport around the area. I can assist with all shopping, shipping, translation and the like, of course. You will be responsible for your flight to France, wine, incidentals, and meals out if you so choose; at the end of the trip you can continue on elsewhere in France if you like, or we will put you on the TGV which will take you directly to the Charles de Gaulle station at the Paris Airport.

The first trip will be in mid-April, and it is starting to book up; if you are interested for April please let me know ASAP. The next trip will be sometime this summer, depending on when the group wants to go, and anther trip in the fall. Custom dates and custom trips can be arranged.

I am working with my blogger friends to have something fun, perhaps a giveaway of a spot on one of these tours, so stay tuned! And of course if you are planning your own trip to France and need any help or advice, I am always glad to share my thoughts with you.

I am so very excited for these tours and for the year ahead. Not just content to keep my fingers crossed, I am busy making plans and moving forward to make this a successful and less stressful year! The basket site will be completely revamped and the blog will see some new changes. More trip details coming soon.

Please email me with any comments, andrea at FrenchBasketeer.com

Tartines

2012-01-30T21:31:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite tastes of Paris is Poilâne Bakery. It is not far from l’Alliance, where I took French classes each day all day until I had exhausted every class you could take, and I remember my initial trepidation at ordering a simple loaf of bread in the bustling shop. It is also steps from one of my favorite décor shops, Mis en Demeure. Among the lovelies of Poilâne at lunchtime you can get a toasted open face sandwich called a “Tartine,” with various toppings, and often with a luscious French cheese. Their large classic loaf is a whole wheat sourdough, with just the right amount of tang and simple, natural ingredients. It’s what the French call “Bread, the old way,” before yeast. The patriarche of the company was later killed in a helicopter crash with his wife, and the tradition is carried on by their daughter, Apollonia. I could go on for an hour about Poilâne but will stop there. Don’t visit Paris without a stop and the purchase of bread to take home or perhaps a sachet of punitions….

There is a Belgian bakery not far from me here in Laguna which has a bakery and also “tartines” on the menu. But imagine my horror that they do not toast the bread for the tartines, even if the loaves are made on site. I have tried repeatedly to get a proper toasted tartine, but all they can respond is “our bread is special.” Hmm...

If you live in Orange County, Bristol Farms in Corona del Mar flies in quarters of Poilâne loaves each Thursday; they will slice it for you and I then pop it in the freezer. I think other Bristol Farms stores also import, but you will have to check. I am going to take a bread-making class this spring at the bakery, and understand that I am not being trop snob about the bread, I am on the quest for a good authentic bread. Suggestions, recipes?? All are welcome!!

Profiting from the warm weather this last weekend, I took a $6 loaf of Poilâne and made my own tartines; toast the bread, add the toppings, and pop them in the oven at the last minute; this is a great French lunch idea you can prepare ahead~

I served them on a silver tray covered in a worn French cloth; most then divided in two~

Here Gruyere over fresh Dijon mustard and Gruyere over Cremini mushrooms~

The favorite was home made “pistou” of garlic, arugula, pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt roughly ground in a mortar and topped with gruyere, plain or with boiled chicken breast~

The bomb, for me, toasted bread, butternut squash puree, wild arugula, fresh ricotta, topped with fresh pine nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper and the like….served hot below, cold on top….. YUM…

I served this on the small terrace in front of the citrus trees; it was an intimate affair for four~

Napkins of French linen and tied with French gilt gimp and a simple camellia from the garden~

Less is more; a simple camellia and crystal seemed enough~

the decanters held Perrier, California chardonnay, and for appertif, Pineau de Charentes; I had two little bottles of crème de Rose and crème de Violette to add to the wine, which some did~

Everyone got a cookie for the side of their plate….recette this week….

Roasted golden beets, grape tomatoes and green beans on the side~

Dessert was shaded, but coconut cake, linzer heart cookies and goat cheese cheesecake tarts with fresh berries….

more this week, including printable recipes….

Se Reposer

2012-01-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are over, and yet they linger, like the welcome scent of the wood burning in the fireplaces of my neighbors’ cottages this evening.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend of repose….thinking of my East Coast Friends and their extreme weather….

{yes, I know, another dog fascinated by a fire…Honey will watch for hours….}

Pour Maman & How to Make a Seafood Platter

2012-01-09T23:00:00.001-08:00

I have not yet finished my posts on France, but let me tell you that upon rentree in the States, my Mother made it clear that she wanted a p a r t y. Her birthday was New Year’s Eve, and R and I dutifully called her from Beaune on Skype with best wishes, but what she really wanted was a seafood feast when I got home. Of course….I spoil my Mom if you know me, and so tonight we had a few of her favorite foods with many of our extended family.

I prepared the entire meal in less than two hours’ time; and that involved a few stores but mostly a visit to our Chinese market, 99 Ranch Market. Here in Southern California, they have the best prices for fresh Maine lobster ($6.99/lb I have to ask Yvonne Petite Gallery how this compares), shrimp, and also live Dungeness crabs; unfortunately the steamer (free service) was en panne so I brought it all home. Thank goodness I had brought two fait-touts home from France and pressed them into service with my NYC thrift-store one; as well as a pair of skimmers also from Guy~

Is it just me, or do I feel like a chef when I cook with 19thC French copper? The lobster and crabs were prepared here quickly.

The trio of pots are going off to Peter at East Coast Tinning this week for a redo on the lining; the largest one here, far right, is 19thC and with wolfs’ teeth joinery; it is $700 NEW at Williams Sonoma, but I prefer this old one sourced from Guy in Brittany and Normandie and full of character and about $130 to retin; more on retinning old coppers later;

The ooohs and ahhs and oohs by my family, on the copper…will you soon be addicted to these pieces, as I am?

In summer these skimmers scoop tomatoes from the pot; here, the shrimp, ready to go into an ice bath~

And now to assemble a plateau; I know in NYC and Paris they use ice and the like, this is is simpler. Start with a large tray. This one I bought for my parents for their 50th; it is enorme, yes, so good for this~

I cut up the boiled lobster tail in one dish, and use prepared Dungeness Crab in another dish, set aside~

Halve several lemons and set on the platter~

Prop up several seafoods, the mostly in-edible portion of the lobster as well as the crabs on the lemons (sent home w my bro in law each year, Merry Christmas!)

I like volume…prop the lobster up a little…..

Add in the claws or cut them up with the tail; add in the cups of meat behind~

This was the quickest platter I have ever made but it was still so good~ toss boiled shrimp on top as well as a bunch of boiled whelks~

my table was a mess and we had blue willow plates and pistol handled knives set out; it was fine….

to cut the seafood, pommes frites, matchstick style; who can resist?

Baked brie and homemade graavlax for starters, I will show you later…..

Everyone was happy, it was a whipped up meal. We had dessert the next day which I will show you later.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Ma Cuisine

2012-01-08T11:54:00.001-08:00

Bienvenue a ma petite cuisine a Beaune; la porte est toujours ouverte aux mes amis et invitees, une visite a notre maison est aussi un cours de cuisine informel~

Welcome to my small kitchen in Beaune; the door is always open to my friends and guests; a visit to our home is definitely also an informal cooking class~

C’est ici je je suis la plus contente de ma vie, en preparant les plats avec la meilleurs saveurs de la France, trouve toute l’annee a la marche de Samedi de Beaune (une tarte avec groseilles de la France et fraises de Maroc, avec crème fraiche d’Isigny, Normandie)~

It is here that I am the happiest in my life, making dishes with the best flavors of France, which are found year-round at the Saturday market in Beaune (red currant (France) and strawberry (Morocco) tarte with crème d’Isigny from Normandy)~

Pour que R ne va pas “mourrir de faim” j’ai fait une enorme blanquette de veau avant de partir~

So that R will not die of hunger, I made a large veal stew at his request before leaving Beaune~

Mes collections de cuisine sont utiles et beaux; ici plateaux anciens en carton bouilli pour porter du the, un gouter, ou verres du vin a l’etage; le bougeoirs sont en cas d’une coupe de l’electricite~

My collections in the kitchen are useful as well as pretty; here old paper mache trays are stacked, for carrying tea pots, snacks, or glasses of wine upstairs; the candlesticks are there in case the electricity gets cut~

Quelques bouilloires (une de 4 litres et une de 3 litres) sont pretes a servir et utilises quotidiennement~

A few kettles (one holds a gallon, the other 3 litres), ready for service and used daily~

Les deux fait touts sont aussi la, pour faire….tout quoi!

The two stock pots are also there, for making….well…just about everything!

En hiver, une barquette des fruits exotique pour un gouter; raisin Muscadet, clementines, meme un ananas d’Ile Meurice~

In winter, there is a boat of exotic fruits for snacks, Muscat grapes, clementines and even a pineapple from the Island of Mauritius~

A cote, mes outils de cuisine, ranger dans un fait tout marque “Hotel de Paris” en creux; un tres bonne affaire a 30 Euros!~

Nearby, my kitchen utensils are arranged in a small stock pot stamped “Hotel de Paris,” a super deal at $40!

Un petit panier en style de banneton de Champagne a ete achete chez Jean-Luc; remplir des noix du marche et notres promenades dans la foret~

A small basket in the style of a Champagne harvest basket was bought at Jean-Luc’s on this trip; it is full of nuts from the market and walnuts gathered on our walks in the forest~

Et dans un petit coin, mes cuivres~

In the other corner, my coppers wait for use~

Bien sur, j’ai beaucoup des paniers pour faires les cours et faire du recyclage, et toujours un panier sur la chaise paillee remplie des pommes de terres, eschallottes, choux, onions et carottes, achete la premier jour pour faire beaucoup des repas~

Of course, I have lots of baskets, for me and for guests, to go shopping and drop off to recycling, and always a basket on the rush seat chair full of potatotes, shallots, a cabbage, onions and carottes, bought the first market day to make a variety of meals~

I hope you enjoyed my little French kitchen tour; I am busy now so will add accents later….bon week-end a tous~

Réveillon (New Year’s Eve)

2012-01-01T11:47:00.001-08:00

Le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre est arrivé vite. Malgré mes idées de passer la fête avec une maison pleine des amis et invitées, c’etait R et moi toute en tranquilité, et c’etait ce que j’avais besoin après beaucoup des repas familial et les activités de ma vie. J’ai decidé de faire une canette a l’orange pour notre repas, acheté le jour même, au marché de Beaune d’un èleveur de volaille de Bresse. J’ai commencé à le preparer, avec un apértif de Champagne avec quelques gouttes de crème de framboise de Dijon que R a preparé pour moi la cuisiniere~

New Year arrived quickly. Despite my ideas of passing the holiday with a house full of friends and guests, it was R and I alone, in tranquility, and it was what I needed, after so many family meals and the activities of my life. I decided to make a duck a l’orange for our meal, bought the same day at the Beaune market, from a poultry farm in Bresse. I started to prepare it, with an apertif of Champagne with a few drops of raspberry syrup from Dijon that R prepared for me, the cook~

J’ai dressé la table pour une fête, une espèce de photo-op, oui, pas pour diner à deux~

I set the table for a party, a kind of a photo op, not for dinner for two~

Même l’escalier etait joliement dressé pour les fêtes pendant la semaine, avec les branches des arbres ramassées dans le fôret autour de Beaune, et illuminé pour la soiree; peut_être trop, R m’a dit~

Even the staircase was dressed prettily for the holidays during the week, with branches of trees gathered in the forest around Beaune and lit for the night, perhaps too much, R told me~

En revanche, les bougies etaient une tres bonne idée, parce_que l’electricité a fait un coupe-circuit pendant que j’ai fait un plat de pommes de terres sautéesfaçon “chateau” et la canette etait presque fini.

On the other hand, the candles were a good idea, because the electricity had a short circuit while I made some potatoes in chateau style, and the duck was almost done~

Cheri…. est_ce tu peux remettre le circuit???? R to the Rescue~

Honey, can you please reset the circuit? R to the rescue!

L’electricité n’est pas une bonne raison d’être en colère….nous avons passé quinze minutes au salon illuminé par les bougies avant de manger~

No reason to be upset by the electricity; we spent fifteen minutes in the salon lit by candles before we ate~

J’ai dressé la table toute simplement avec du mousse ramassé du fôret et quelques bougies~

I set the table simply, with moss gathered from the forest and a few candles~

Petit detail sur les chaises~

little detail on the chairs~

Je vous souhaite un trés bonne année 2012~ beaucoup plus à vous montrer bientôt….

; Mention special pour Guy et Jacqueline a Vannes~ j’etais ravie de parler avec vous hier soir~

I wish you a very good year in 2012 and still have much to show you.

Special mention to Guy and Jacqueline in Vannes, I was so delighted to talk with you last night~

Bonne Année ~ Bonne Fête!

2011-12-30T16:25:00.001-08:00

Ici à Beaune, nous avons commencé la Fête. Avec chaque rencontre, des amis, des marchands, même Monsieur le Boulanger, on souhaite bonne anneé et bonne fête a tous….

Je vais au marché le matin, très tôt pour prendre des photos, puis dresser la table, preparer un caneton avec sauce orange pour diner. Coup de fil a Jacqueline et Guy pour échanger les nouvelles…

Bonne année a tous!

A Neuf Heure

2011-12-29T11:27:00.001-08:00

Please click on Google Translate at right for translation to your language~

À cause de la décalage horaire, je n’arrivais pas à dormir plus que quelques heures hier soir. A quatre heure du matin alors, j’ai fait de la menage, poli mes cuivres, fait du lavage et rangé la maison. Juste avant neuf heure, je me suis promenée; personne sur le troittoir sauf les Bonnes Soeurs sur leur chemin à la Collegiale pour la messe.

Ici a Beaune, il fait froid, il fait calme, et il semble que le temps ne bouge pas a cette heure de la matin. Toute arretée, comme le cheval blanc qui saute les cheminees…

Debrancheé de ma vie, je commence a respirer, de me declencher. Ce matin R et moi allons chercher des colis à La Poste et aussi un sapin de Noel, si possible. Mes yeux sont deja pleins des petits joies de la France.

Et oui, je suis bien arrivée; vous allez trouver mon blog en Français pendant ce voyage; j’ai deja pleine choses a vous montrer.

A Happy Shiny Christmas

2011-12-26T16:56:00.001-08:00

We surely enjoyed our Christmas meal and our evening together. Lots of shiny bright personalities, lots of laughter, enjoyment at the thought of being all together once again~

The table was set simply yet with much finery; no excess; it all counted~

My goal is to find these French curtain rings for all of those who want them….looking….please be patient….

For appertif, we had Kir Royal, California Sparkling with Crème de Cassis; watch for more on this later this week~

for appetizer, baked brie which you will also see this week~delicious molten lava of brie which was all eaten~

My local family was all there, and we all brought our dogs; here is Isabella the Italian Greyhound doing her best Max of the Grinch fame impersonation~

I cooked a 17+ pound turkey with all the trimmings~

Afterward, there were presents under the tree and time to relax, have chocolates and pears belle Helene for dessert, again more later this week~

It was a great Christmas but stay tuned this week for explanations, recipes, and explanations…..

A Proper English Dinner

2011-12-25T21:46:00.001-08:00

After the Thanksgiving meal, I usually prefer to go “light” for Christmas, with seafood. This year, my nieces & nephews requested “comfort food” of either beef or turkey, as they all missed the Thanksgiving meal. As soon as they were all in town, I hosted a prime rib dinner, which I billed as a “proper” English meal before our Christmas dinner; Yorkshire Pudding, anyone?~

The setting was our Guest House, with high beamed ceilings, English pub chairs and an English oak oval table~

The firebox is perfectly round, and the mantel is made of stone and ships’ timbers, including the keel; I borrowed the flowers from our Christmas table in the dining room for this evening; it was already cozy before the food arrived~

While the beef cooked, we prepared the Yorkshire pudding. Do not be intimidated by this fine accompaniment to roast beef; I use a classic recipe that’s hard to mess up: crack four eggs into a measuring cup and look at the volume; add an equal volume of milk and then an equal volume of flour (sifting gets rid of the lumps). Whisk all in a bowl, then let stand for at least 20 minutes~

In a muffin tin, add a spoonfull of beef fat and drippings to the bottom of each cup~

Pour the batter into each cup on top of the drippings; using a cup as shown is the neatest way to do this! Fill 2/3 full~

Bake hot at 425 degrees, and do not ever open the oven to peek! You will be rewarded with this, which you should serve ASAP prior to deflation~

Add in one British dog~

and a little tartan (these are actually old draperies I cut up with pinking shears; though they are 40 years old, despite the moth holes I love the Buchanan tartan linen, which Mum brought back from Canada a long time ago)~

the little knights came from London and NYC by me a long time ago and were lovely on the table next to the Buchanan~

When the food hit the table, the crowd got right to passing it around, and picking a few weights out of the napkins~

Multiple batches of Yorkshire Pudding helped sop up all the gravy; the plates were then inspected by the Norfolk Terrier Association of Dishwashers~

meanwhile the fireplace crackled and the conversation was just as lively~

Dessert was apple crumble, recipe to follow later~

with home made cinnamon ice cream~

My flight leaves in 11 hours for Paris, and I am packing while posting….wishing you all a lovely Christmas!

Joyeux Noel

2011-12-24T15:25:00.001-08:00

On the heels of a big family dinner here on Thursday and two hours of sleep last night, I’m dragging just a little. But nothing that can’t be fixed by a good cup of coffee, and later a Kir Royal, and now a dose of Christmas sparkle~

I look forward to the arrival of my family this evening, and have been thoroughly enjoying many holiday wishes I have received from so many friends near and far. My wish is that there would be room for all of us at one table!

Tomorrow I will clean up, and pack for France. Today, an 18 pound turkey is in the oven and I just want to enjoy the moment; I wish everyone a lovely Christmas eve, in your own little corner of the world~

A Happy Christmas to all~

Christmas Wraps

2011-12-21T22:24:00.001-08:00

I got a little ahead of myself this year. I had not even started to consider what to do for Christmas gift wrap when I began to think of how to decorate for New Year’s eve in France. I have long been a fan of the best quality double face satin you can buy, which is called “Swiss Satin” as it is made in Switzerland. I used to buy this at Bon Marche in Paris, but you can find all shades of the rainbow at Michael Levine’s in downtown Los Angeles ($50 minimum for shipping), surely at MJ’s in NYC and other stores. The best brand is Morex; if you buy it by the yard at retail, it’s $1.50 for this 1 1/2 inch ribbon; if you buy a spool of 27 yards it is less than $1 per yard. I bought a spool of red which is already gone, as well as a spool of this color, which is called Lilac; I love it so much and especially how well it goes with creamy 19thC French linens. Many thanks to Sande Chase of A Gift Wrapped Life for the mention on this; surely everyone knows Sande but if not, you will find wonderful gift inspiration through her…

There are other colors which compliment, don’t you love this fuchsia satin on the Point a la Ligne tapers from Paris~

I tucked in a trio of bouquet garni…surely the scent of thyme will welcome the recipient, Sande, in this case~

the entire set was enveloped in fuchsia tulle….in lieu of paper, for reuse, for re-gift, for whatever….my sniff test is, would I love to receive this gift, you bet I would!

I am getting ready for our English dinner tomorrow eve; apple crisp in the oven, table being set…the Holidays are upon us, hooray!

Really Rad

2011-12-20T09:01:00.001-08:00

My Grandmother Helen was from Cincinnati, and had a touch of Southern accent. She pronounced the word “Red” more like “Rad,” and so it’s a private joke in my family when I look at the fresh carnation wreath I made for the front door and say, “that’s really Rad”~

In large or small doses, can’t have enough Red for Christmas~

The Toyon berries from the recent hike went into a pair of wreaths on the gates~

I’m now getting ready for Thursday’s English-style meal in front of the fire~

Hope you have a really Rad week with lots of Red~

Christmas Cramming

2011-12-18T21:36:00.001-08:00

I feel like I am in finals week of the School of Christmas. There is too much goodness, too much to do, to see, to share, to gift. To absorb. Too much to bake, too much to decorate. And definitely too many images to share on this blog. Later this week there will be a prime rib and traditional English dinner for the family at my house; Christmas Eve, a fantastic turkey and all the trimmings also here. Today I picked up said prime rib and turkey from Ashley of DaLe Ranch at our Rancho Santa Fe market. In the Chic & Christmas file, I give you my friend Anne Marie; her boots, Italian handbag and French linens bought from me today; the mistletoe was free in these bundles from one of our farmers~

I had intended to sew these monogrammed burlap pieces into lavender-filled pillows, but guess what, I didn’t make it. I also wanted to enter a “Holiday Decorating Contest” last night by midnight and had dozens of pics of the table, but ended up falling asleep on the sofa watching The Wizard of Oz and woke up at 1am. Oops. Maybe next year….

Dang it, the monogrammer obviously can not read my handwriting as this is misspelled (there is no “a” it is joyeux)… free to anyone who wants this who does not care about orthographe…email me….

This was shown in the Romantic Homes shoot; the pieces of burlap are really large and can be made into pillows but most people bought them today for runners.

And speaking of goodness, a shout-out to dear Barbara, here with her new tote from me, which I dug out of my Prius but is perfectly sized for her tiny frame. Holding my poochey-bellied Honey Dog. Barbara, I want to be as cool and as energetic as you~

I will try to poste every day this week as I have so many images and ideas to show you. Enjoy the images, enjoy the run-up to Christmas, however fast it comes upon us!

Christmas Gift

2011-12-18T08:43:00.001-08:00

I went for a hike this morning, early, armed with a pair of shears, a large basket and my pair of trusty dogs. The goal was to gather as many wild toyon or California Holly berry bunches as possible, which you will see soon. Along the way, in the midst of a thorny bramble bush now denuded of foliage, I found a perfectly intact bird’s nest. Unfortunately, the egg had been pilfered, in the middle of the large and carefully created nest, and subsequently abandoned by Mommy Bird. Shears in hand, I snipped the nest free and reversed the egg~

A precious egg…in the soft center of the nest…

…there among the careful construction of thorny bramble branches~

In addition to all the holly berries, greens and other goodies from the garden, this nest is a magnificent Christmas Gift, from Nature, to Me. Thank you, Mother Nature! The nest now has a prime corner location in my dining room~

The nest has become a sort of a metaphor for me this season, with its harsh exterior protecting the delicate interior.

As I played around with various ornaments in lieu of the egg, I thought of several friends and family, going through a tough time for various reasons this holiday season.

Can we find that sweet spot, in the center of all the bramble of trouble?

How I wish that I could give the gift of good health, could erase grief, eliminate pain, rewind the clock, and clear troubled minds.

I will instead be offering consolation, friendship, kind words, small acts and good food….

I am hoping that everyone can find joy in this season, in the midst of the chaos!

Bouquet Garni

2011-12-15T08:51:00.001-08:00

Here we are, ten days out from Christmas Day, and I admit, I’m starting to wear down! Kerry and I will make 30 gift baskets in the next few days, yesterday I got the last of my packages mailed, and besides the Tree and a few flowers, my house looks like a disastrous mess of stuff in baskets. This Sunday I will pick up an 18 pound fresh hen turkey and a seven bone prime rib from DaLe Ranch, and we will enjoy several large family meals. Next week. Let me first get through this one!

I have not wrapped my gifts yet, but I’m relying heavily on Williams Sonoma, lilac double-face satin and a little silver and green. The green will come in the form of bouquet garni which will be on all my gifts. Laura asked me to bring her some back from France at the end of this month, but even a French grocery store version is nothing compared to fresh. Toss into a sauce or soup, tuck inside your Sunday chicken. I am forever using bouquet garni.

At Chino Ranch last weekend, I picked up the last bunch of bay leaf. It’s interesting to walk around the ranch because you can see two of the largest bay bushes you have ever seen, with beautiful dark green glossy leaves. I have my own small bay (aka laurel) tree in the garden, but it sees enough use, so for Christmas I bought some. Nothing is priced at Chino, and I was wondering I would be paying $20 for a bunch of bay….the words came out of his mouth very slowly….”two…..dollars for the bunch.” Sold!

The thyme came from my garden~

Wrap a small bunch of thyme in the bay leaf~

I use linen twine to tie my bundles; cotton twine also works well; some people use raffia for looks, but I prefer the cotton or linen twine to throw in a stock or sauce. I will probably add some other decorative ribbon on top of this~

Bay leaf aids in digestion; the thyme is a source of many vitamins in addition to warding off congestion, cough and flu-like symptoms. Can never have enough thyme. Not to mention the wonderful flavor~

Here are my finished bundles which went off yesterday. Wishing everyone a good end of the week, there’s just one more to go!

I will be in Beaune for New Year’s Eve and I am just starting to get excited…we will be hosting a small party, and I am looking forward to some restful days after the craziness of the holiday season!

Holiday Posies

2011-12-12T22:15:00.001-08:00

I love to do big arrangements in our house, but a few smalls tucked here and there are surely wonderful... This year I am using humble carnations, but grouped into a pin-cushion form; here is the finished product on my coffee table~

Do you remember a short time ago, I told you about the scented candles from Market Candle? When the candles have burned down, don’t throw away the glass; freeze them to pull the remaining wax out, and clean with Goo-Gone or other produit. They make great flower vases. I wrap them in bark; here is how~

We have a tree common here locally which sheds a very soft bark; I will have to figure out the name; but it peels softly in sheets; you could also do this with any fabric, leaves, bark, or pine needles….the options are endless….just look to your garden! You could also do this with a pillar candle, as a natural alternative to the “faux bark” ones like they now sell at Pottery Barn. Start with a glass votive and a sheet of bark~

Using a glue gun, run a straight line of glue vertically along the glass and press the bark on to it; roll the glass so that the bark covers the surface and then glue the other end of the bark; overlap the bark slightly so that the entire surface of the glass is covered~

You will end up with a log, like this~

Use scissors to trim the excess, top and bottom~

Fill with water; tie the stems with wire, rubber band or twist-tie~

Set the flowers into the vase~

Try the same idea with baby’s breath; it’s very simple yet refreshing for holiday~

Same idea for construction; I like the “pincushion” look so tie the stems together~

Tuck these little beauties in on your coffee table (mine is as yet a jumble of sparkly things, including the rings for the Karena Giveaway!), food table, powder room; I would love to line a walk or stairs with these pretty bundles; the addition of the bow says “Christmas” to me~

I am in the midst of Christmas décor; more to show you soon~

Five Golden Rings Giveaway

2011-12-08T09:16:00.001-08:00

Please visit my dear friend Karena

of Art by Karena Blog

for a holiday giveaway I am sponsoring

as part of her Twelve Days of Christmas~

Five Golden Rings, plus a spare…..

Well, yes, they are actually vintage French curtain rings,

but I use them for napkins~

The lucky winner also receives

a beautiful pair of vintage French linen dishtowels

from our Metis line~

I have a few other matching rings…

…a little dented but still great patina;

I will include those for the winner,

so you will end up with a set of eight or more.

I am opening this to international.

So I hope

someone,

somewhere in the world,

might use these

for their Christmas table??

Stop by Karena’s to enter…

Bonne Chance a Tous!!!

Scrappy Good

2011-12-06T23:13:00.001-08:00

This is a post I have wanted to do for some time. What do you do with your excess pastry, the scraps? Reroll? Toss? I don’t like to rework any dough very much, but I hate to see it go to waste.

The most treasured items in my kitchen, above anything French, are the pieces that belonged to my paternal Grandmother, Helen; she was an excellent baker and I use her Cincinnati sifters and here her sugar shaker to dust my pastry scraps just as she showed me how to make them~

The concept is the same for fresh or remnant pastry; I used a pastry wheel here for puff pastry; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon; use a silpat sheet if you can for easy cleanup~

The puff pastry bakes at 400 degrees like this: YUM!

If your family is spoilt you will serve it to them with a fine drizzle of chocolate, as so~

Shortbread, puff, brisee, whatever kind of dough, it all makes good for scraps; bake with sugar and spice and dust with powdered sugar~

Try your fancy Savory Store sugars on these, you will be soooo happy~

holiday recipes to continue…..hope you will try this with your bakery scraps~

Gougères

2011-12-05T22:40:00.001-08:00

What is not to love about an appetizer that is warm, cheese-dusted, a little buttery and also French~

In Burgundy, at events such as Armistice Day, we have a parade followed by speeches and the like at the Town Hall. I do not know who makes the gougeres and sets out the wine, but the traditional combination is always there~

the wine is set out with precision, and color coordination~

Gougeres are often served in Burgundy at nice wine tastings or events; you can make them too, for holiday they are really tasty and cut the alcohol if you are serving. I guarantee your guests will love them, and they are not too filling. Yes, you could eat the whole tray!!

Grate 1 cup Gruyere cheese~

crack four eggs and lightly beat them~

Prepare 1 cup sifted flour~

In a saucepan, melt 8 tablespoons butter and add 1 cup of water and two generous pinches of sea salt; bring just to a boil~

The only salt I use is from France and I buy it at our grocery for about $2. Spoilt, yes, but please use good salt~

Remove from heat and add the 1 cup flour all at once to the butter and water and stir with vigor; I also add a tiny pinch of nutmeg; continue to mix off heat~

it will firm up like this~

turn off the heat and put the pan back on the burner and work the dough a little more, to dry it out~

Transfer the ball of dough to a mixer or bowl; here I use my enormous French copper bowl I got from Guy, but a mixmaster also works well~

Add the beaten eggs and half the cheese~

Mix well; it will be like a thick mayonnaise~

Pipe into rounds; bite size as here is best!

top with the rest of the cheese, you can tap down the tops a little though they will bake down on their own; this is a variation of the classic crème puff recipe, but made with cheese and not filled~

Bake at 400, until browned. Delish~

Serve hot from the oven if possible; or wrap in a towel to keep warm; these are light and airy and sure to please~

More holiday recettes to follow…..

Best Bougies Parfumées

2011-11-28T23:28:00.001-08:00

France celebrates the scented candle or bougie parfumee. Doesn’t it create a magnificent atmosphere? The French and their candles deserves several posts, but let’s get to the bottom line: who does not love the scent of a perfumed candle, as hostess or as a gift idea? I gift them each year with a bottle of wine in a basket at Christmas for my sister’s corporate gifts.

My favorite candles come from Mis en Demeure in Paris, though I also love Diptyque. But who can get to France and pay $60 for a Diptyque candle? My favorite candle in the US, which also happens to sell at select LA farmers markets, is Robert Ford of Market Candle; order HERE.

The candles are soy, long-burning, and high fragrance content. Great alone, in the glass container, but for holiday I gift with a bow~

You saw them on my Thanksgiving table; the simple glass containers are wonderful; I have used them for years~

My favorites are Citrus Leaf and Casablanca Lilly burned at the same time, though I have to say I have tried many of them and they are all very true for fragrance; they come in a simple carton box that you can wrap, ribbon or dress up~

They are also $10. Ten dollars! For me in SoCal that means $12 delivered. You have seen these in previous magazine shoots with me covered in leaves and bows, or salt & sugar for winter; they are so simple as they are but easy to dress up.

Hope you will enjoy for yourself or for gifts~ love Robert’s candles, they rival the best French candles in my opinion; tell him I sent you please though I have no commission arrangement with him….

Ready or Not!

2011-11-26T19:17:00.001-08:00

One month until Christmas. Can it be? This year, I am on it. No, I am actually ahead!

The Thanksgiving weekend was a wonderful warmup; thank you L for bringing the wine for dinner, and this sweet velveteen heart which I shall keep and put on the tree this year~

I made a trip to Los Angeles today, and decided to surprise Mom on the way home by bringing home the tree. I get my Noble Fir from Home Depot~

I have told you before how much I love my Prius; it fits a tall tree with ease~

My Tree Guys are students at Orange Coast College in Architecture and Computer Science; I said, “you are going to be on the blog, look proud!” God Bless the U.S. of A. and the work ethic of our college kids~

Arriving home, I found that Mom had bought some cedar garland and a few pointsettia; we were both in the Christmas spirit! I was happy too that Adan my gardener was still at the house, and helped me get this enormous tree in the house; tonight I got the lights done, and added the Nuremberg Angel to the top; this alone makes me very happy to see~

I am going to spend Christmas in Laguna and then a week in Beaune. New Year’s in Beaune is something we have never done but we will do this year; I can’t wait to do the house up for Reveillon~ the décor, the food, the guests…the decor….will be fantastic. And so, perhaps, because I am missing that week between Christmas and New Year, I will savor each day in the month of December while I am in Laguna…..

Thanks Giving

2011-11-25T16:02:00.001-08:00

A small gathering for Thanksgiving dinner this year was a welcome change for me. In the past I have hosted dinner for 25, with two turkeys and hoardes of children and the chaos of extra tables and seating, but I didn’t feel the pressure this year as we would be just eight for dinner. My focus was instead on securing the best Turkey, which I reserved from my favorite poultry farm, DaLe Ranch. However due to a mix-up, my fresh, organic, free-range bird ended up at the wrong farmers market last Sunday and was sold before we figured out what had happened. Unhappy, yes, but it was not worth getting angry, and Ashleigh has promised to make it up to me for Christmas dinner. I found a fresh organic bird as a substitute, baked pies on Wednesday night and started on the table on Thursday morning after the turkey was in the oven. I have been fixated on images from the beautiful 19th Century kitchen at La Mirande in Avignon, see images HERE, so I decided to create a centerpiece worthy of a still life, or at least a scene from a French kitchen~

I started with a piece of the washed burlap from the magazine shoot, with a small wad of newspaper below for volume. I added a few olive branches I pulled from the trees at the grocery store, where I found the only item purchased for the table, a Savoy Cabbage, which despite not having its full outer leaves looks like a French Kitchen to me; otherwise I began assembling elements from the kitchen and from my market baskets set outside the kitchen door, including an acorn squash, and several large pomegranates that are soon going to make infused vodka gifts~

…as well as cabbage leaves from my potager, mini-pomegrantes from a neighbor, a few more free apples from the crate of Smit’s apples I got a few weeks ago for free and a yellow pumpkin I bought a few weeks ago at the Saturday market~

And then more layers, a few heads of kale from the garden which added volume, butternut squash that were in reserve for the meal’s appetizers, lots of white votive candles and a small handful of walnuts from the bowl on the sideboard~

Not too bad, I thought, by 3pm the table was set~

the alcove dressed in green and white was lovely, and now just needs a few pointsettia and another amaryllis to make the transition to Christmas~

To ensure the setting was not too casual, I used Matteo linen napkins in white, beautiful French brass curtain rings for the napkins, and French Sterling and Vermeil flatware; I can source napkin rings for you starting at $3 each for simple ones you have seen recently in my posts; these acanthus leaf ones were also very reasonable despite the beautiful detail~

Those of you who follow my blog know my family is consistently late for dinners. Tonight was no exception as I said, “do not show up at 7, we are eating at 5 o’clock.” Most of them showed up at 6pm saying “you said we would eat at 7.” I can’t win. Next time, should I start eating without them, or do I need to send formal invites? When they did arrive, we started with Nancy Silverton’s Butternut Squash Crostini, easy and phenomenally good. While this was very filling (each person needed only one or two), the flavor was seasonal and this was a Wow item in the menu. Tutorial this week~

Cocktail hour was condensed into 15 minutes as they also mowed through a baked Camembert, which was excellent with the vin chaud or mulled wine I had on the stove in the kitchen; cheese tutorial also to follow as this is great for Christmas~

As we prepared to sit down, the room positively glowed~

If I did this again I would layer in even more “stuff” including some grapes, but for eight of us, this was fine; crystal, candles, shiny, fresh…..it’s one thing to have a nice table, but even better to stay nothing on it will go to waste and I spent an additional $2 to make it happen~

My brother-in-law M is our master carver, fine job again this year!

As we finally prepared to sit down, I ran around confirming seating, brought our traditional crescent rolls from the oven and smiled to myself….love to come to sit at my own table….

A short while later everyone was ready to move on to dessert, which consisted of individual mincemeat tarts~

Scratch pumpkin tarts; I ran out of paper doilies, and so used green paper leaves on the mincemeat, and here used rose petals from the garden for the pumpkin tarts; it worked; I served each tart on two rose petals….I will try this again for a romantic dinner or Valentine’s….with something else as the pastry.

Remember the strawberries I showed you from Chino Farm last weekend? I ended up buying the long-stemmed “French ones” as they are smaller and very flavorful, though they are more pink than red. I dipped them in a melted bar of Valrhona from Trader Joes; Excellent~~

Following dessert, the table was a blend of shades of red, candlelight, and glass~

The Paulee post card was tucked in to the tablescape; though no one commented on it, it was my tie to France for my Thanksgiving~

A fine meal, a fine evening. My nieces who are away all phoned to ask me how to make this or that and to tell me they want cooking lessons for Christmas. I plan to be in France just after Christmas, but we will have another turkey or a second Thanksgiving before year end.

Wishing you all a lovely holiday weekend~

La Paulée

2011-11-22T21:42:00.001-08:00

There is no Thanksgiving Day in France. But that does not prohibit the French from enjoying a good meal, appreciating the family bond, and feeling a strong tie to the land, as we do in America this week. In Burgundy, the end of the harvest is a significant event, and indeed a cause for celebration, as so many families and so many livelihoods depend on it.

The timing of the harvest, or vendange, varies according to the condition of the grapes, part science, part art. I am trying to think of anyone who harvests mechanically in Burgundy, and none come to mind among the vintners I know. The process is slightly improved from the old days, when the men carried the enormous banneton baskets, unique in shape to Burgundy, across their shoulders, full of grapes. The women here no doubt also helped with the harvest, as this was and still is a family affair~

This is a stylized photo, no doubt, but you can see the men atop the cart pouring wine from the small tonneau or barrel; each worker was given a ration of wine for the day, I think about 1.5 litres, in a personal barrel of this size. The boy on the horse carries a processional-type bouquet atop the pole, and the seeming leader of the group, the gentleman front and center, sports the cap, heavy moustache & beard typical in pre-WWI photos, as well as his own tonneau in hand, with pride at the completion of the harvest~

To this day, in Burgundy this time of year and this week in particular, friends gather to celebrate the harvest, and the wine auction held in Beaune (that’s another post). At the higher end, friends gather for a special meal and each person brings several bottles of their very very best wine to share with friends. At the simpler end, as in days past, folks celebrate with food on the table, and barreled new wine to sell in the next year or more.

I am using this postally-used 1905 postcard as a feature for my Thanksgiving table. I am thankful for the simple things: Thank you for another Thanksgiving with my parents; thank you for so many wonderful people in my life; my furry-faced Honey & Biscuit dogs who are a source of constant love; thank you for letting me share my gifts to help people; a few of you in particular know who you are, and it gives me great joy to be able to do and help and advise where I can. May it come back to me in copper pots….haha that is a personal joke for my dear friend Guy!!

Sandra from Thistle Cove Farms is on my mind this week; she lost her husband Dave almost two weeks ago, suddenly, and I see her pressing on through her grief, as Sandra would do. If you can stop by with a kind word it would be wonderful; you can find her HERE.

Amities or best friendly wishes to all this week, and as she knows, Sandra is in my thoughts and prayers this week~~

Blackberry Rosemary Syrup

2011-11-21T20:11:00.001-08:00

If you have anyone in your life who loves breakfast foods such as pancakes or waffles, this is a great gift idea. I love to gift a bottle of homemade syrup because it means that every time my friends have a nice breakfast and use the syrup, they think of me! Try this with any kind of berries, though my favorites are blackberry and blueberry. My family loves extra fruit, which means fresh blueberry pancakes with blackberry syrup~

Make this recipe in summer when local berries are plentiful and inexpensive; today though, I found blackberries two for $1, so I am making two more batches tonight~

Make a simple syrup of two cups sugar and 1 1/2 cup of water. You can substitute any kind of bottled maple syrup if you want the easy way and a touch of maple flavor. Boil the sugar and water on high heat, then toss in a handful of rosemary~

Turn the heat down to medium and stir the rosemary for about five minutes to infuse the syrup~

Add the berries to the rosemary and syrup and bring back just to a boil, stirring; then remove from heat. I use as many berries as I can get in the pan; about 4 or 5 cups. Extra berries make the syrup better and more fruity. Let the berries poach in the syrup for about half an hour off heat, on a corner of the stove; stirring occasionally and pressing the berries slightly; the berries will lose their color and juice as the syrup picks up the fruit flavor and color; I also add just a dash of vanilla extract if using the simple syrup~

Strain the solids and bottle the syrup. I use a simple fine sieve over a bowl, and I often give this job to my Mother, to keep her out of trouble while I am cooking. Stir, stir, stir I tell her. Mash the berries slightly and push the remaining juice out of the berries. She has gotten really good at straining syrup for me. You will end up with something like this~

Kerry came over for breakfast last weekend, and I served her this syrup on pancakes, which she pronounced delicious and perfect for winter with the slight infusion of rosemary. I hope you will try it for gifts this Christmas and holiday season. Embellish the tops of your bottles with ribbons and greens or fabric, the same way we did for our Holiday Libations of wine and vodka.

My friend Laura has given me a great tip, to get the glass jars at Ikea. I am off tomorrow for the $1 bottles. ..thank you, Laura!

Nancy Silverton at Chino Farm

2011-11-20T19:48:00.001-08:00

Among the Foodie Crowd, Nancy Silverton is well-known as the founder of LaBrea Bakery, which I will say revolutionized gourmet breads in Southern California. She is a particular champion of Sourdough Bread, which the French call “bread, the old way,” versus the more modern yeast.

Nancy is also the owner of two adjacent and wildly-popular restaurants in Los Angeles, Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, which are co-owned by restaurateurs Mario Battali and Joe Bastianich. She has produced a wonderful book, The Mozza Cookbook, based on the restaurant’s dishes.

Today, Raquel and I went to Nancy’s cookbook signing in San Diego; I hope you are not hungry as your read this post~

The book was $35, and it is a beautiful collection of recipes that I look forward to trying, and sharing with you~

Nancy, at left, signed with co-author Matt Molina; she was very modest, “I did the first half, he did the second half!”

Moving past the signing table, I was greeted by the bread, grilling for crostini~

there was also some chunky & crusty bread which was salted, a little garlic-y, perfectly dripping in olive oil~

I should mention that this was a foodie’s convention; everyone who is a San Diego Foodie was there, it seemed, in addition to a few others; adored La Petite here, decked out in Rancho Santa Fe style~

We had a demonstration of burrata, which is fresh Mozzarella cheese with a filling of cream and more shredded Mozzarella. as I told Raquel, the Americans are worried about weight and non-fat and the like and this is what the Italians eat…and they are not fat….this was fantastic~

The burrata was accompanied by the bread as previously shown, plus three sauces, a tapenade of olives, pesto, and another bean-based sauce~

We had two brothers handling the mozzarella; and it was an amazing show; here the steam is from the hot water~

Raquel chatted away in Italian with the Brothers; it was a good connection that we will revisit for the market~

Meanwhile, we were served this~

I’m sorry, I meant this, butternut squash crostini topped with smoked apple bacon~

as well as a glass of Prosecco~

And pine nut “pignoli” cookies with Rosemary, which were delish and are meant to be in the book~

The venue was Chino Farm, Rancho Santa Fe. Even the Ford got decked out for the event~

Chino is a farm stand, avec Cult Following.

Tom Chino is the Patriarch; the family is Japanese and has been here since the ‘40’s.

They sell direct from their farm stand and wholesale only to Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. When you see the produce you know why;

The herbs are abundant, until they sell out; here Bay~

here Savory~

And here sage, sooo great fresh in Thanksgiving stuffing~

Fresh flowers are great all year long in salads~

also today, fresh cherry tomatoes~

the tiniest brussell sprouts ever; by the time I came back these were gone~

various berries~

including two varieties of strawberries; “French or Californian?”, he said. You will see mon choix this week but you can already guess the answer~

it’s all amazing!~

A few original remnants of the ‘40s from owner Tom Chino. Very charming~

This is a working farm so there are now greenhouse tomatoes~

and my dog Honey and I enjoyed exploring the farm~

We are going to another book signing here in two weeks; I will be buying a stack of this next book for Christmas gifts; can’t wait to go to that event.

Have a lovely week; tonight I will resume holiday gift posts.

Holiday Gift Libations

2011-11-18T21:31:00.001-08:00

There are endless possibilities for Christmas Gifts from the farmers market or from any organic source. Layer in the herb tubes and you can elevate a simple gift to something special. This is what I think most people strive for in a gift: they want to thank someone with something special, but in absence of being able to make something, want to buy something. You can do it, make something!! As I look at the herbs on the kitchen table, I can think of so many ways to combine them with into other gift ideas, but today I am going to stick with holiday drink gifts.

For a simple thank you, how about a fancy bottle of organic apple cider with a tube of mulling spices~

Apple cider, $2, bottle from Sur La Table $4 (buy when there is a sale), mulling spices in tube $1.50. You can also use a canning jar of any size, or recycle any jar you get from the grocery store such as for salsa or tomato sauce; as long as you sterilize it completely; the dishwasher can do this for you. Top any commercial jars with a bit of fabric or burlap as we showed for the tomato sauce and you have an inexpensive yet thoughtful gift. Use whatever ribbon or string is on hand; I always come back to Swiss Double Satin from Levine’s in downtown Los Angeles ($50 minimum for shipping!); I tied the herb tube on with a double knot them made my bow~

Rather than gifting a hostess a bottle of red wine, mull the wine first then recork and gift. In France we call this Vin Chaud and I will dedicate a post to this next week; in brief, pour one bottle of wine in a saucepan, add 3/4 cup sugar, mulling spices and the zest of one orange or lemon to the mix. Simmer briefly, then refill the bottle and cork. I made this sweet little bottle bag from the Rose Bowl Vichy scraps and will be gifting these this year, on Etsy shortly if I can make enough!

Let’s move on to the more serious stuff….infused vodkas are a wonderful gift. Last year these were snapped up by friends who rarely drink, but it was their “special” item. They were telling me months later about how they slowly topped off the bottle after drinking some, sipping it as if it were a precious nectar; indeed, these infused vodkas won’t taste like vodka, they take the flavor of the fruit with the vodka as a medium. HERE is a post on infused vodka gifts, in jars and bottles. For Christmas last year I did a wonderful infused vodka bar for my spoilt family; anyone looking for a spectacular display for Holiday dinners, try this, set them up in the best decanters you can find or else any clear bottles will do; see post HERE. If at all possible, use organic or “spray-free” fruits and citrus. This year, I have set up a few raspberry bottles; add raspberries to a sterilized bottle or jar and top off with vodka, I do not drink vodka but I recommend Tito’s brand vodka because it does not make my Mom “crazy” so she swears it is the best. The vodka will pull the color and flavor from the berries eventually; gift it at about one week so that the berries still look red. If you are lucky enough to have tons of fresh berries in summer, infuse them in summer, strain and rebottle with a few fresh berries or even cranberries when gifting~

and…the bomb….pomegranate. This is only one week old, needs another week, but at this stage it smells wonderful and it’s fine for gifting. It is leaving shortly with Kerry for Dallas~

Don’t make a mess preparing this gift; in a bowl of water, submerge each pomegranate, split it slightly they pull into halves, break out the seeds underwater; the berries will sink and the white membranes will float; this is not only delicious, it’s a labor of love! Try to clean off all white membrane pieces before bottling~

Add ribbons and bows and tags and a little greenery to the bottles and you are good to gift!!

Spicy Christmas Gifts

2011-11-16T21:57:00.001-08:00

I have long been a fan of the bulk spices found at French open air markets. One can buy by the gram so that everything is fresh, and the spices are used up quickly. The traditional French packaging has always been a small plastic baggie labeled with a black sharpie (e.g. “Canelle”), but that has been improved upon in recent years with spices packaged and sold in corked glass test tubes by Fabrice at our market in Beaune. Over the last few years I have included the spice tubes on my list of “things to bring back,” and blogged about it, but that quickly ramped up to bringing 500 test tubes of herbs pre-sold at cost back with me, and it became, frankly, rather difficult to transport safely.

Imagine my delight to discover a new store in our area that stocks a fantastic array of fresh, exotic and interesting herbs, spices and other blends. At our cooking class at Sur la Table Sunday, I presented an array of suggestions, essentially Kerry’s and my picks after shopping the spice store together, which students at the class packaged and brought home with them~

I bought the test tubes on Amazon from Lake Charles Manufacturing, see link HERE. These are six inch 16 x 150mm corked test tubes; $3.99 for ten tubes I think it was 60 cents each delivered. I like the small size for gifts as they are “just enough” and for certain herbs you don’t need a whole lot. These tubes also ended up being the same size as the ones I buy in France and they conveniently fit two fresh vanilla beans perfectly~

The store is called Savory and you can find locations around the US, or order online HERE. My local store is located in Newport Beach. Call them (949) 717-7776; they ship anywhere and you can buy by the ounce, shipped in nicely labeled zip lock bags. Diane is the owner, and her husband and daughter frequently manage the store. Mention Andrea from French Basketeer sent you, please!

Of all the goodness in the store, this is the bomb, Black Onyx Cocoa Powder. I bought two ounces for $4.05, and it was enough to doctor two recipes of chocolate mousse and layer in several tubes and I still have plenty left over.

The black onyx is double-processed, so drier and less fatty than regular dutch-process cocoa~

The mousse presented at Sunday’s class (at left) was the easy recipe I posted yesterday with the addition of two heaping spoons of the Onyx Cocoa; this Cocoa was fascinating to some of the attendees who cook a lot and love exotic ingredients. Can you imagine making a chocolate soufle or chocolate ice cream for holiday, or tarte in summer, with this cocoa?? Just a little extra to the recipe and you get a very nice dark color and rich taste~

Other loves, their Mulling Spices; we used this at class for vin chaud and mulled apple cider; but fill a nice bottle with organic apple cider and tie on a bow and tube of mulling spices and you have a lovely gift~

What I call the “secret ingredient”, Nutmeg, I use it sparingly but use it a lot, Julia Child uses it a lot, and the Savory ground nutmeg is the BEST~

Savory has several kinds of cinnamon, love; freshly ground Pumpkin Pie spice, for pies and breads~

I use the array of vanilla sugars, here Vanilla Bean~

Another with peppermint, on top of a home-made latte or coffee?

There are other sugars which are spiced with cinnamon or lavender; I use on oatmeal and apple tarts and can think of tons of other ways to use this….and you can surely doctor up your own sugar with vanilla or cinnamon or others spices; all I know is that it’s a great, useable gift that is rather unique~

And let’s move on to pepper; I only use a peppermill, hope I am not alone! Here, Savory’s black & white~

Organic Tellicherry Black, strong, but great; I would use for steak au poivre~

Their Four Corners blend is what’s in my mill for everyday~

But a tube of pink peppercorns is great for Christmas gifting; add it to whatever else is in your pepper mill~

I love to gift these tubes with mixes; for example here is Dutch Cocoa with Black Onyx Cocoa which I would use for a single shot of awesome hot cocoa~

And my fav, herbes de Provence (which I brought from Beaune) with culinary lavender. Throw a tube of this in with some olives and olive oil and let marinade; I use these herbs for grilled meats, sauces, chickens, fish, tomato sauces and with olives. For the herb tubes, I layer in herbes de Provence with an interlude of culinary lavender buds; who would not love this, even for display?? What is it? Any combination of rosemary, marjoram, oregano, basil, savory, tarragon or sage; it is all fair game depending on where the mix is made.

There are many other wonderful items at Savory that I hope you will explore, or maybe you have a great spice store in your area? I think the cost per tube including the tube is about $1.50 and so reasonable for a gift….

Gifting Chocolate Mousse

2011-11-15T22:35:00.001-08:00

Marlene’s Fabulous French Face said it all on Sunday~ chocolate mousse is delish!

Kerry and I prepared two kinds of mousse in advance as my “final,” in case we had time; there was not time, but my students were still able to sample both recipes and have a lengthy discussion with me about chocolate, where to buy (72% Valrhona from France is $2.99 I think at Trader Joes) and how to make it. The recipe at left is the “quick version, doctored a little as I will explain later this week; the base recipe is from a fantastic cookbook devoted to chocolate which came with my Sunday paper one weekend in Beaune; at right is the Julia Child classic recipe, using orange zest not orange liqueur; the texture was amazing though the recipe is more involved; email or comment and I will send it to you~

Here is the quick recipe, which we will add to printable recipes this week:

Mousse au Chocolat Noir aka Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

180 grams chocolate (try Valrhona from Traders Joes +70%; I use two bars)

4 eggs

50 grams butter (half a stick) cut into pieces

15cl fresh cream (3/4 cup)

2 tsp vanilla extract + 1 tablespoon sugar or 1 heaping tablespoon vanilla sugar

To Make:

Break the chocolate in pieces by tapping against the counter while in the foil and paper wrappers; I do not chop the chocolate as it ends up on your cutting board and knife and it’s best in the mousse! Melt it in a double boiler (any pan over simmering water) over low heat.

Add the butter pieces. Let the butter melt and stir it into the chocolate so that it is smooth.

Remove the double boiler from heat (take the top pan off the simmering water) and add the cream and vanilla extract. Add other flavors such as orange zest if desired. Set aside.

Break the eggs into two bowls, separating the whites and the yolks. Beat the yolks until they are “white,” about five minutes, and add the cooled chocolate mixture to the yolks and stir to combine.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and then add the sugar and vanilla, and continue to beat until smooth.

Add half the chocolate mixture into the egg whites, and mix well but carefully using a whisk or spatula. Add the rest of the chocolate mixture, turning carefully so as to maintain the volume of the egg whites.

Pour into a serving dish and chill at least two hours.

This is where the fun comes in; wouldn’t you love to serve a chocolate mousse for four or six in a large sugar bowl~

Or in any number of other decorative bowls? For good friends, I don’t mind giving them a mousse in a fancy bowl as long as the bowl gets returned; though you can find good vintage bowls like this brown transferware below for $10 at the Rose Bowl Flea, so this might end up as a gift to someone, filled with mousse~

Even a fancy wine glass is great, for individual or shared servings if you had a dinner for couples….add cream and berries on top or a spiced or cinnamon cookie; use a variety of your vintage tea cups or proper French pots~

For two, I would use a nice whiteware sauceboat and fill it with a quarter recipe; just enough for two, with the spoons set out as such, I know a lot of men who would love this~

And for a Valentines dinner, definitely use the magic combination of chocolate and raspberry~

R and I like to go to a restaurant in Savigny for lunch; and there they have an enormous 19thC porcelaine blanche tureen filled with perhaps a quadruple recipe of chocolate mousse. They serve it a table with a large spoon and you have never felt so special having your dessert served to you. I love the smaller Lions Head bowls found at Sur La Table; these are now 20% off but I got them recently at 40% off so at $7 for the bowl, plus cost of the mousse; they will figure into my Christmas gifts, filled with chocolate mousse and a printed recipe. Add a generous satin bow~

Tie low around the bottom and swoosh up the top~

Tie on a nice spoon of any kind into the ribbon for a super treat; wouldn’t you also love to receive this for a Christmas or Hostess Gift?

As always, email with any questions re supplies and the recipes….

Roman Tomato Sauce

2011-11-14T21:54:00.001-08:00

The main event of our cooking class at Sur La Table on Sunday was tomato sauce. Who wouldn’t love the gift of a large jar of tomato sauce, especially if it is made with organic, local tomatoes, from a true Italian recipe and by the hands of a friend and attractively packaged?

There are dozens of ways to prepare tomato sauce, of course. A friend from Bologna taught me to slow-cook whole, peeled, caned tomatoes. My Mom adds sugar to canned paste. The sauce we made is the one I call Roman Tomato Sauce because I learned it at a cooking class in Rome. I love it because it is very fresh, a classic Italian tomato sauce with a nice texture from the addition of carrots, onion and celery. It is a tasty and true sauce, which can be doctored further with salt, pepper or herbs to taste, but I love it just the way it is, on pasta or pizza. I had questions about garlic; you can infuse the olive oil in the recipe with garlic, but I have another recipe also from Rome with garlic so this one I like nature.

The base of the sauce is what the Italians call Soffritto. This is similar to the French Mirepoix, which is a mix of various aromatics, principally carrot, celery and onion, but may include other ingredients such as garlic and herbs. Mirepoix is often used to flavor the base for stews, stocks and other hearty dishes, though the aromatics are usually strained from the food or sauce prior to final presentation, whereas in this sauce the veggies remain.

The basic recipe calls for 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 medium onion and about five pounds of tomatoes. I usually double the veggies to make a more unctuous sauce; you can’t go wrong, whatever you do, and can adjust proportions according to taste.

Sunday, we bought 30+ pounds of tomatoes at the Ranch Santa Fe Farmers Market; some I had bought the week before so that they would fully ripen, many we bought that morning, and they all came from local grower and tomato specialist Valdivia Farms. We used some yellow heirloom tomatoes, but mostly vine-ripened red beefsteak tomatoes. For a good tomato sauce, you want acidity, to give it flavor and tang; many heirloom varieties will be more sweet than acidic, and your sauce will taste like mush. When making sauce from tomatoes from the garden, I also add in a lot of cherry tomatoes. So look for good tomatoes!

We plunged the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, until their skins burst, and then they were scooped out of the pot with 19thC French copper skimmers and set in bowls to cool, then the skins slipped off and the core tops were removed. I regret that I have no pics of this process, because it was fun!

We then turned to the Soffritto, roughly dicing three large onions, two small bunches of carrots from Sage Mountain Farm, and celery from Suncoast Farms. If you buy anything organic, make it celery; commercially grown celery tests for (on average) some 20 different pesticides.

We ran this through the Sur La Table “Breville Sous Chef,” a truly remarkable machine I call a Fait Tout, which turned our veggies into this in two batches; this is before cooking~

In three separate batches, the Soffritto was fried with a generous (~1/3cup) of olive oil at a moderate temperature; you can add a little white wine too, which makes it even better~

We put B in charge of this stage, as he was our resident Italian, a role which he clearly relished, and the Soffritto was cooked for about 20 minutes, again, not too hot, turning and stirring carefully to cook evenly~

While the Soffritto cooked, P was busy running all of the peeled tomatoes through the Breville; here are all the tomatoes in the copper bowls surrounding the Breville; to this we added three cans of whole peeled Italian tomatoes; Italian tomatoes have the highest lycopene count of any tomato in the world, so they are a nice addition to the sauce for nutrition, texture and authenticity~

Combine the Soffritto with the pureed tomatoes in a pot (we had three enormous pots!) and cook for about ten minutes. We could not resist and made a pot of pasta on the spot, for a little snack; I can’t remember what this shape was called, but it is stocked by Sur La Table and it was excellent with our Roman Tomato Sauce; nothing like tasting what you have just made and will offer for gifts for holiday~

Prepare each jar by sterilizing it, then add a bay leaf and sprig of basil in the bottom. The bay aids in digestion, which is why it is added to sauces and stocks. Ladle the jars full of the hot sauce and seal; I refrigerate rather than can them in water, but please follow safe food handling guidelines for gifts.

I lost track of how many jars of sauce were prepared; we ran out of the jars we brought and used ones we bought, the extra sauce filled half a dozen zip lock bags for consumption at home. This XL Le Parfait French jar is I think a litre; it is my favorite this year, a real statement gift! $9.99 at my local Ace Hardware store.

Great job, my team of Chefs!

Farm to Table at Sur La Table

2011-11-13T20:16:00.001-08:00

Some wise person once said “to teach is to learn twice.” Not only does one have the opportunity to explain certain techniques, recipes and concepts, a teacher is challenged as the students ask the inevitable questions of “why this” and “why not that.”

It was my distinct pleasure to conduct our class today, which started with a tour of the Rancho Santa Fe Farmers Market and ended with three hours in the kitchen at Sur La Table in nearby Carlsbad.

I know what I might do to embellish tomato sauce jars; it’s so interesting to convey concepts and provide materials and see what others can do; my style of teaching not rigid; I prefer to make a simple set of suggestions and set out a range of the materials. This was so pretty, my guidance, but interpreted by Marlene & Francoise~

Kerry was the vanguard, arriving with what seemed to be half my kitchen & our supplies packed up into eight large French market baskets. My utensils, including Dehillerin wooden spoons, whisks and shears were in their own container; I covet the Breville food processor-“fait-tout” we used today it made mince of about 40 pounds of tomatoes ~

We discussed Nicolas d’Appert and his early 19thC jarring techniques, a full 60 years before pasteurization; please see my post HERE regarding the French methods of food conservation; I had a few old l’Ideale jars set out but we used new ones from Sur La Table and French le Parfait jars, my absolute favorite with the plastic gasket, which I get at the Laguna Beach Ace hardware store. In any case, there was just a ton of stuff set out~

Our class participants were some new friends and some old friends; they were all adorable…S, we loved you and your beret~

Everyone was given a vintage, very worn, very soft French dish towel from my personal stash for their shoulder, to use for cleaning or drying your hands; this is how I cook, and mes eleves were all instant adopters, here one of my dearest friends, Francoise; we lived in Paris at the same time and I was honored that she and her husband B came to the class; so cute all three of you with the towel over your shoulder, prepping pecans for rum cakes~

Everyone was eager to cook today; the formidable team of P&P got to whisking the rum cakes together~

We made rum cakes, recipe to follow this week; and rather than use an electric mixer, we used antique French copper bowls, known a a Cul de Poule. While today we think of these just for egg whites, the old ones weigh 5-10 pounds of solid copper and I use them to mix everything. Raquel, our market manager, you crack me up, look at you here whisking up that rum cake~

Kerry was capably in charge of the rum cake station; I just showed her the recipe yesterday, but she was right on it today, taking care of set up while I was touring the market, and showing everyone how to make the cakes, with her signature panache~

Meanwhile, I was showing off a few other ideas, including a centerpiece or gift, which A finished off nicely with fruits I had brought~

more photos this week, but it was fun~

I will post recipes and more pics this week, but the main event was Roman Tomato Sauce, which M LOVED~

I ran through the garden this morning gathering a variety of flowers and aromatic plants including myrtle, rosemary, bay, parsley and thyme. We used cuttings of a tattered French Vichy check duvet cover I found at the Rose Bowl recently to make the jar toppers; finished with velvet rope~

A fresh camelia on a jar makes it special; who would not want to receive this as a gift? If possible, plant your garden for things you can use for gifts, and search your garden or a friendly neighbor’s garden before going out to buy anything fake~

I rely heavily on the Toyon or California Holly. It is not as prickly as true holly, but the red berries do not bruise and last for a week cut; and they are readily found in our area especially by Crystal Cove~

I let everyone “go to it” with the décor, and complimented them one and all; there is no “wrong way” or “right way” to do this, it is your personal expression and a genuine gift from the heart, to receive a gift such as these jars of tomato sauce, made by hand and with love, embellished with care, would surely be a fantastic sign of thanks and appreciation~

After the tomato sauce and rum cakes, we moved on to the evaluation of two kinds of chocolate mousse~

There was one “quick” recipe to which I added “black onyx” cocoa, and we also sampled the Julia Child MTAoFC recipe; no one could decide;

M pronounced Julia’s to be divine; she is French and adorable and with impeccable taste, so I listen to her opinions~

The rum cakes then came out of the oven and there was a joint effort glaze then powder & package them; this is the fuchsia tulle I’m lovin’ for this year, with dove grey double satin ribbon~

I also showed red tulle and more California Holly, with Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noel satin ribbon; it is from Levine’s downtown LA and they have a $50 minimum order in order to ship though I will be going there soon for holiday materials and so can buy some for anyone who is interested; or check Joann’s or your local fabric store~

The table began to fill with all the completed goodies~

We also had green tulle; not as good with the food for the color but cute with the vintage Shiny Brites, and kudos to the team for coming up with this décor, which I would not have thought of, so fun and original~

Someone else decided on green tulle with camellia, which works very well here~

As well as a simple swoosh of grey satin and rosemary~

More holiday décor ideas to follow; this was such a fun day, we will do it again on December 11th for a Holiday/New Years menu.

Special shout out to D from Texas, we missed you and your husband today, and I will email you tomorrow!

Apple Votives

2011-11-09T00:19:00.001-08:00

I have no idea where I found the idea for apple votives, surely too long ago to remember, perhaps it was in France during the era of Parisian florist Christian Tortu, because to me the concept is not new and I have been making these for ages but not recently. In any case, I did not invent it; but I have gotten a handful of requests for more information, so here goes~

You can scour your farmers market and grocery for apples, tomatoes, pumpkins, citrus, cauliflower, broccoli and indeed anything fresh, to hold votive and taper candles; anything natural that can act as a weighted base is perfect; I will show you more examples soon. I used just two apple votives last weekend on each of eighteen lunch table for the San Diego Organic Farmers lunch, and everyone was gaga for them. Paul Smit had generously given me two crates of apples and another of grapes, and when I was done with the centerpieces, what was I to do with all the extra apples? Though it was lunch, votives added a nice touch~

Start with one apple of any size and one inexpensive votive candle; these small apples are crisp and cute and the small apples have a good ratio of candle to apple~

Using a knife, cut a hole in the top of the apple that is approximately the same diameter as the candle; the knife is at an angle, better to cut smaller and increase than have the space too large; but try it once an you will understand~

You should end up with two pieces like this, reserve this little cap~

Using your knife, cut out the interior space to accommodate the candle base; it doesn’t have to be pretty, just has to fit the candle~

Cut the bottom off of the original cap you cut out; this provides a flat bottom for the candle wick, very important!! Otherwise your wick might drop out of the bottom of the candle~

Replace the little triangle cutting into the apple, again, flat side up, to keep the candle wick from falling into the bottom of the apple~

Set the votive candle with wick minus the aluminum cup into the apple and light…and enjoy….do not ever leave any candle unattended and I use leaves or other under these votives to catch any dripping wax~

Don’t limit yourself to apples. What about lining your walk or party table with mini pumpkin votives? Use the same technique to take this~

to this, each one will take you a minute to prepare~ use whatever to stuff the pumpkin to support the candle; I used some apple scraps~

both are cute side by side, and most effective at night. I love the glow of the pumpkin~

and in the few minutes it took to get these pics up, this is what the votives look like, as the candle burns down; they look even better~

Perhaps this will give you a few ideas for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or even next year for Halloween?? Enjoy~

AND Be sure to enter the Giveaway of French Basketeer & Metis Linens goods hosted by the lovely & talented Yvonne of STONE GABLE.

Steamin’ Organic!

2011-11-05T20:27:00.001-07:00

Several months ago, my friend & Sunday market manager Raquel asked me if I would style a lunch for 150 San Diego area Certified Organic Farmers. What was I to say~ Sure!

The event was held today, sponsored by CCOF, the leading trade organization which certifies organic farmers in the State of California. See the CCOF link HERE. We had a long list of speakers, covering relevant issues. There are so many hurdles to being an organic farmer…..it is incredible…

I was given a modest budget, which bought inexpensive baskets and $4 worth of kale; to this I added grapes and apples donated by Paul Smit of Smit Orchards~

I have spent the last week at the laundromat, washing 40 yards of burlap for the table runners for 18 tables; UGH; but they looked perfect on the tables today, very class, with a smattering of leaves from the garden~

The centerpieces were quickly sold for $10 each and so were a “for profit” item; in addition to the Smit Orchards fruit, they contained hydroponic lettuces from San Diego’s fantastic organic B Street Growers, and were finished with burlap bows & moss~

I thought everyone had seen the “votive in the apple” trick, but apparently not. Everyone commented on the pair on each table; Kerry pronounced me spacially gifted as I can carve an opening in an apple x 40 with precision and speed. These were so cute on the tables! Try this if you can for fall; maybe I should do a tutorial….

Our venue was the Gas & Steam Engine Museum, see link HERE. On about 50 acres in Vista, California, this was an amazing find for me, a mechanical paradise~

There are dozens of vintage tractors on the acreage~

Under the covered warehouses, you will find fantastic collections of rare farm equipment, including 19thC steam tractors~

As well as a few exotics, including a 1954 Sno-Cat~

Each building held a different collection of vehicles, all grouped by age or fuel type~

The highlight for me was the blacksmith shop~

They have a series of blacksmith classes!

For dudes only; they said “we’ve never had a girl in pearls come here!”

Can you think of a better way for the guys to spend Saturday mornings?

Despite the testosterone, Raquel and I said we are signing up; doesn’t this look like FUN?~

This is sooo fascinating to me~ sign me up!

Three months is $40; here they are turning the crank, which stokes the fire through an air vent below; today’s project is a fireplace poker with a heart-shaped handle (beginners’ class)~

Here they are making a mallet head~

I can think of a few manly-men who would love this place~

Smoky, dusky, there are fans to pull the air out the vents, but it is completely atmospheric~

Outside, the view is very picturesque; I’m going to suggest to Dave that they hold photography classes here~

I got so many good photos today; too many to fit in one blog post~

The lunch was a great success and a collaboration among many people; my thanks to all involved in the event and to all the California Certified Organic Farmers who attended…..

Special thanks to John The Medicine Man…you made my day~~

Night Shift

2011-10-27T21:51:00.001-07:00

Though I rise early each morning and get right to the day’s work, on a schedule, it is often the late evening hours that give me more productive, less-scripted time to relax, unwind, and to have a few uninterrupted hours. Here in Laguna, I leave my window open, to feel the cool night air and to smell either the salt of the ocean or the charming waft of my neighbors’ wood-burning fireplaces, and to hear the sound of the crashing waves a distance away.

Surrounded by various candles and inspired here by the first Camellia offered by my garden this season, I can get some good work done. These are the M E R R Y votives from the Romantic Homes shoot; the more they burn down the more you can see the burlap and stencil, fyi~

I keep so many little reminders of friends and joy and love on the large pine baker’s table which is my work table. We need more affirmation of love, don’t you think? A recent gift from a best friend will be a treasure for my Christmas~

Tonight’s project is to cut up a vintage Vichy check French duvet cover and sew gift & wine bags and the like for the Sur La Table class I will be offering next month; I threw today’s necklace on top of the check, both from last month’s Rose Bowl visit~

There is lots of “stuff” on my pine table, including all the curtain rings and candles and a few copper skimmers from Guy that are like art on the table~

A few mini Christmas ornaments from my recent Rose Bowl trip will be supplemented by stuff from my personal collection for the Sur La Table class; we will use these to embellish the gifts we will make~

The humble yet oh so useful peppercorn is also getting ready for its prime time at the class~

A tussle of vintage French lace and other stuff is around the work table, here with the locket I wear daily~

It is so hard to find “time,” to be creative and to relax and breathe. Wondering if I am alone in enjoying the night hours? Stay tuned for more on our Farm to Table class at Sur La Table San Diego, and Christmas and other great stuff!!!

A Fall Brunch

2011-10-22T21:51:00.001-07:00

Ma soeur cadette is in town this weekend with her family, from Minneapolis. And our family says….let’s have a party!!! Well, schedules were difficult to coordinate in the end, so we settled on Saturday Brunch hosted by yours truly. Given my own busy schedule lately, it was more low-key than usual, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be nice.

I set the table with a fistful of fall-colored leaves gathered on this morning’s walk with the dogs, evocative, and saving me the small expense of flowers from Hector at this morning’s farmers market~

In the center of both main tables, I used a single hurricane shade and a burlap-wrapped pillar candle from the Romantic Homes shoot. I set out one chair here for effect, but waited for my sisters & hubbies and kids to come and make themselves useful by hauling out all of the other iron chairs~

On the tables, my usual white and gold Limoges; can’t go wrong; I have little variety among my dishes; they are mostly white with gold, French; all purchased on Ebay over the years; these Greek Key plates came from a Palm Springs estate and they are still my favorite, purchased for a song; you can’t even find this kind of stuff in France; buy it here, and wash it carefully~

A pair of washed burlap runners and cotton sheeting from Metis were the base, to which I added French sterling and vermeil flatware, but any kind of flatware- be it silver or stainless steel, plated or of natural materials will be set off by the burlap. As my family are sloppers, especially for breakfast, I saved the linen and used vintage French dish towels also from our Metis line; rolled the long ways, folded over at the top and spilling over the edge of the table; this had a very casual look and functioned as a real lap-napkin for kids & adults alike~

To finish, I used vintage French curtain rings. I snap these up when I find them for like, $1 each; we are private-ordering these through Metis~

Each one is unique, and I love the gold tones of the brass; it plays off the gold rim butter dish seen in the rear-plan~

…as well as the gold rim of the plates; the napkin rings are as found and are all slightly dinged and not polished, so they are bright but not “fancy”…this is a great summary shot of the setting today; very casual, slightly rumply, good taste and very French~

The texture of each of the towels is different; I have stopped ironing these for dishtowels or napkins; they all come straight from a short tumble and then line dry and are wonderfully tactile~

Especially offset with the rustic burlap; in a pinch, and for a little variety, any dishtowels can be great substitutes for napkins~

And now for the food….I didn’t start cooking until 8pm last night, so everything was pretty easy to make. I decided to go for lots of mini-muffins and heavy on the blueberry, which was a hit with the kids; my nephews Michael & Steven gave me thumbs up on the food~

Looking for a few new recipes, I found a great resources in the website Annie’s Eats. Thank you, Annie, you helped me pull off this brunch! I used her pumpkin muffin recipe in minis, but used tangy local goat cheese from Soledad Farms instead of cream cheese.

I wasn’t so sure my pumpkin muffins looked so good, but they were delicious, and all were eaten; I used the rest of the batter to make four loaves, which my sisters took home; Jacquie is on her way home to Minneapolis right now, and feeding this to the kids for a snack~

We also had Annie’s Eats blueberry muffins, though I am having a hard time finding the link now; it has swirl-in blueberry compote; very very good!~

I modified Annie’s baked granola a few ways, using peaches and blueberries and extra oats; here is her master recipe…this was hugely popular today~

And we had Annie’s Waffles of Insane Greatness, and I must say there were insanely good~

We topped our waffles with cheaters Syrup, off the shelf maple enhanced with Blackberry; that is, boil maple syrup with fruit and let sit for 10 minutes, then strain~

The winner was the blueberry syrup, topped with more fresh blueberries~

And lots of love to spread around; it’s so fun to all be together~

After brunch, Lauren and I made butter cookies; first batch on show to Grampy~

next batch better, showcasing initials…..and very yummy!!

Enjoy your weekend, and be sure to stop by the Giveaway hosted by my friend Rachel of French Farmhouse 425!! You can win the pillows from the Romantic Homes layout that is now on the newsstand! Wishing everyone a great weekend~

HOT HOT HOT French-Style Rolling Carts for $19.99

2011-10-18T21:15:00.001-07:00

If you have always wanted a French Basketeer Rolling Cart, race on over to Joann Fabrics for a steal of a deal regularly $39.99 and now on sale for $19.99~

These are made in China I presume, and while the construction is rather leger compared to the real deal French ones I sell, they are perfect for some light market shopping, home storage or even garden tools. Leave it outside and the cart will go grey. We use (an authentic) one for BBQ supplies. I’m thinking of them for some Christmas gifts. Can you imagine, getting one for Christmas….but why not for $19.99??? I would stuff them with farmers market produce and flowers. Fill the bottom with paper wads and top with burlap; add fresh stuff on top; that would also make a great Holiday silent auction donation….

The handle is very slim but the look is great. Especially if you want them for display only, e.g. towels around the pool or dried hydrangeas and the like, this is the ticket. What would you fill yours with? What would you choose for a fabric liner? I would lose this green one (personal preference).

$19.99? I can’t believe that price, it’s crazy!!! How can China produce and ship these for that price? That is another question, I suppose. But I saw them in the store recently, and they are a great deal.

You can find them in stores, or HERE. Use coupon code MCE293 for FREE Shipping on orders over $40, which means you need to buy three of them, or else some other goods.

Be sure to check out the Farm to Table Cooking Class I will host soon at Sur La Table. Seats are still available!

Farm to Table at Sur La Table

2011-10-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

One of the great things that came out of the Romantic Homes “Give Freely” layout is that my work got the attention of someone at Sur La Table, and I have been asked to “guest chef” for a farm to table cooking series. Am I thrilled, you bet I am!

At the Sunday market recently, I got to talking with Raquel our market manager about the prospect of such a class in conjunction with a market tour. I had brought a few sample foods for the Sur La Table contact, an “interview” of sorts, and before we knew it, there was a group of shoppers around the manager’s table sampling my goat cheese cheesecake and arugula pesto and Roman tomato sauce. And asking us demurely, “so we couldn’t help but overhear…and…when exactly is this class going to be held…?” We had six sign ups based on that tomato sauce and cheesecake! Hey, maybe we are on to something?

As we develop a format for Sur La Table to market as their own series, Raquel and I decided to start with an informal “private” cooking class and market tour. It seems that many of our market shoppers are set on making their own gifts this Christmas, as opposed to “buying something.” Our attendees will get a tour conducted by the market manager and me, which will be great as I come from a cooking perspective and she has the knowledge of all the farmers from the manager’s perspective. Attendees will fill up their baskets and we will then head off to Sur La Table a short distance away for a seasonal and local cooking class~

Raquel and I have said so many times, people need a little help to turn a basket of this….

Into a classic French dish such as Blanquette de Veau, This is easier than you imagine, and the best organic ingredients make it easy~

The class will be hands on, in groups of four, and focus on the food as well as the presentation a table and display of gifts. I came up with several dozen easy yet classic dishes without consulting a cookbook. The first class will center on Holiday Gift Giving; you will learn all kinds of gifts that are based on Farmers Market ingredients, in most cases you can find the same ones at Trader Joe’s or your local grocer. I will include many tips and ideas for sources for great stuff and showcase some of my French silver, copper and porcelain presentation pieces, as well as lots of stuff that you will find at Sur La Table. Here, a scratch lemon-lavender pound cake for summer; so easy, delish, and not expensive; we will get to this in a few months~

And yes, we will make the great Roman Tomato Sauce together. I will show the recipes and ideas on my blog, but of course, there is nothing like being there; and if you come to the class you will get some great freebies from me, which are now in the works. Even if you can’t be there, you will find some great ideas here on the blog; inexpensive ideas using what you have on hand or what is easily found.

The class will be held at the Carlsbad (San Diego) Sur La Table on Sunday November 13th. Market tour starts at 9am and the class will start at 10am. The cost will be around $100 for three hours, which includes numerous freebies and food from the class. We will also have a December class, which will focus on Holiday Entertaining.

Please email me andrea@frenchbasketeer.com if you are interested in taking the class; and for my followers near and far, I will be posting lots of great information for you to learn what happened in class~

So excited, this will be sooo much fun!

Give Freely

2011-10-11T22:59:00.001-07:00

I am honored to be featured once again in Romantic Homes Magazine, with an eight page layout in the November 2011 issue. This magazine is chock-full of beautiful homes and attainable looks & decorating ideas….it is wonderful to be in such good company~

This feature was developed and photographed many months ago, after the Editor asked me for something “doable” for Holiday gifts; as is my habit, I promised to also throw in lots of fresh and lots of true French. Gone are the days when most of us feel like we can afford to (or even want to) go out and spend freely on Christmas and Holiday gifts. Even among the chic crowd of Rancho Santa Fe & Newport, market shoppers have been asking me for ideas for gifts they can make themselves this year. I settled on a theme revolving around my beloved French linens and farmers market fare. The Editors are very plugged in and titled the layout Give Freely. Not to imply spend freely to do so. All photography is by the very talented Jacqueline deMontravel, Editor of Romantic Homes and other wonderful publications as well as author of many lovely books including one coming out at Christmas this year see HERE. I love the lead photo, which is a textural stack from my linen closet on top of my favorite chippy gilt side chair; top to bottom: vintage 19thC grain sack from Cluny with repair in white stitching; washed Joann’s burlap, vintage French linen, vintage French hemp, vintage French linen & hemp, unwashed dark Big Y burlap, unwashed Joann’s burlap, vintage French cotton and linen towel~

One of the first ideas I had for this spread was to reproduce the vintage Grain Sack look, which of course we see all over in good and less-good reproductions. But who wants to spend $35-89 on a pillow cover for a holiday gift? Can’t we get this ourselves?? YES. The key is to find a good quality burlap (hemp) which is dark enough and thick enough to replicate the grain sack look. I scoured and sampled and washed away, until I found what I wanted at a local fabric store called Big Y Yardage. See http://www.bigyyardage.com/. My links are not working so here they are direct. Big Y ships anywhere, and the burlap is $2.10 per yard. You can get a LOT out of a yard.

I will do a second post this week on washed burlap, with more images for you, but this is by far the best thing I found. I use Joann’s Stores burlap for the farmers markets, but I like this stuff BETTER, and when washed looks like the old stuff.

I spent a lot of time wrestling with images to put on the burlap…on the computer, into reverse image….there are many images available on etsy but I think you have to throw them into reverse image, and I was not able to do that with some basic images that I created in word, so I figured this was not “doable.” I love the cross-stitch look and tried that too. Not doable for me. But I did discover Freezer Paper, and that worked just fine, as was very doable, so I went with that. Love the chair slipcover in the shoot, which I drew free-hand with a Sharpie, directly onto the Freezer Paper, then cut out with an Xacto knife~

The little votives are cute too…made with unwashed Joann’s burlap; you can spell out happy birthday, congratulations or whatever, all the way down your table, for pennies….

But hey, even easier is to drop off some yardage to your local monogrammer and have some stuff sewn up. The door hanger was actually a “mistake” pillow. They put the holly leaf in the wrong spot, but I added some ribbon and made it into a door hanger rather than a pillow.

The pillows were whipped up by me in a minute, so easy. I filled them with French lavender; another pillow was monogrammed with a dear blogger friend’s name and is now in her salon. Note I used more white thread and paint in this spread; lighter than the black stencils you see. The white is fresh and a nice change from the heavy black grain sack. In reproductions, I find the French favor the white stencil, plus you never see a French monogram in black, it’s always white~

I made up a series of gifts that you can prepare in summer when fruits are at their peak and at the best prices. Home-made syrups or jarred cherries or summer preserves are most welcome in winter….apricot and cherry and truly seasonal fruits are my preference for gifts, especially when, like the cherries, they are infused with winter spices like cinnamon and clove. A nice topper such as red ribbon and more washed burlap from your pillow scraps makes it a special gift~

Year after year, I make more of these vodkas for gifts. If you follow my blog, you see them at Christmas in crystal decanters. Want to thank someone? Give them a small bottle of raspberry-infused vodka. Or use pomegranate or lemon or orange. Do this in summer when you have more berries than you know what to do with. Top with fresh greens or other fun stuff~

For a twist on the “bottle of red” hostess gift, make a simple gift bag of washed burlap and infuse the red wine with mulling spices and citrus. The red wine I buy for this is from our friends in Burgundy, the Drouhin Family. Find their wines at all price levels at BevMo and other stores. Fantastic!

I showed a few simple candles, wrapped in burlap and tartan, and others rolled in coarse salt and glitter after a brush of Mod-Podge. The vintage basket will be on my door this fall so you will see it again soon. Use what you have, surely you can find some great baskets or fabrics….?

Other ideas were presented, not all made it. I was happy to have my glitter bird on the table of contents page. More on this shortly~

One thing leads to another, as they say, and I have yet MORE exciting news to share with you.

Thank you to Jacqueline deMontravel, Editor of Romantic Homes, I am thrilled to be a part of this issue and to share my ideas with their readers.

OF NOTE: as we continue the theme of giving freely, many of the items from the shoot are now in the hands of two blogger friends who will soon give them away, including lavender-filled Merry Christmas and Noel pillows, which anyone would love! I will post those giveaways here soon….

Week-end Entre Amis

2011-10-10T20:41:00.001-07:00

Receiving guests for the weekend is one of my greatest joys. The beds are turned out in vintage French linens, interesting reading materials on the night tables; there is merriment and wonderful food; great conversation, lots of fun. And yes, a little work. Together, we tore out all the spent tomato plants and installed a winter potager, and distributed a year’s worth of compost around the garden in dozens of wheelbarrow loads; things I could do alone, but with a group of people it’s much more fun….

And after a little gardening, we hit a number of great places this weekend, Saturday morning found us stopping at two farmers markets, as well as Roger’s Gardens for garden displays including the fantastic little trains~

It was hard to know which way to turn; it was the second day of the Christmas display, but the outside garden was full of fall inspiration~

I love the hot colors for fall~

as well as a neutral green & white arrangement~

After that, we had a leisurely lunch, then went for a little shopping down the street, at Nicholson’s; see their website HERE and also on 1sts Dibs~

I am considering these chairs; can’t stop thinking of them for Beaune~

We have known Fred Nicholson & his store manager Joan for years; it’s one of those shops you hate to go in to, because you are certain to fall in love with something, like this painted commode~

Always a nice selection of mirrors~

Fred usually has several nice rustic breakfast/dining tables~

Pick your way through several rooms, of English, Continental and Asian antiques~

After our little shopping trip, we went for a long stroll along the beach at Crystal Cove~

and then we retired after an early dinner, as Sunday morning found us at the Rose Bowl Flea Market~

I bought this necklace for $6; it will go on a black long sleeved T for winter, or a Brittany Stripe shirt for spring~

The Rose Bowl is amazing; everything is there; I regretted a few butter molds I passed up; but could not help notice the grain sack knock-offs like this, $45~

and this pillow, $10, not even a good job, IMHO~

Still, there is lots of interesting merchandise, and lots of sweetness~

I bought very little; the brown transferware plate & bowl were $10 each, and go nicely with another vendor’s pillows~

OMG grainsack stuff is everywhere~

Loved these vintage stripe bolsters, but did not buy; I got something else here thought that you will see shortly~

Lots of deer sheds too; should appear soon in our fall decor~

That was a lot of photos; I hope you enjoyed seeing a little of what we saw this weekend. It was a joy to have my guests this weekend, hooray for great house guests!

Seasonal

2011-10-03T08:00:00.001-07:00

The change of each season creeps up on us rather silently in California. I miss the glorious leaves and cooler weather of New York; here we have slightly cooler nights and dusk before 7pm as the days shorten, and the tourists are largely gone so the town is back to normal. This is our cue that fall is upon us!

At the market, we are seeing the last of some distinctly summer items like Italian and Lemon Basil, while Acorn Squash in lovely tones is now available. Both sat side by side in my basket at yesterday’s market~

I stayed at home until 4pm today, a super-fantastic treat; Kerry was in San Diego for me, while I made 6 large jars of arugula & basil pesto, which appeared shortly thereafter on our lunch plates~

Followed by a trip to the tomato patch, where we harvested the last of the fruit and made 6 very large jars of Roman tomato sauce. I don’t think I have posted this recipe yet, but it’s one I learned at a cooking class in Rome and it has never disappointed, so I’d better demo it for you soon! Over the next few weeks, I will continue to buy vine-ripened tomatoes from Chris at the Sunday market and blanche and sauce them, so there will still be time. I had a lot of sweet orange cherry tomatoes as well as lots of Lemon Boy yellow tomatoes in the garden this year, so this sauce was very sweet and slightly yellow, but sooo good~

After lunch, I cranked out four scratch pumpkin bread loaves and four apple tartes; or should I call it a galette? Lately I have been buying Julian (San Diego) pies at the Saturday market, but they are $15 each. Using some very crisp local apples, I decided it’s time to get back to making my own desserts and pies. Sometimes I make this open face with a single layer of apples, but this time I rolled up the pastry. You see this sometimes as a “rustic apple pie” or other names; it’s puff pastry and apples, and it will take you about 10 minutes to make~

Start with a sheet of Pepperidge Farms puff pastry; they come frozen in a package of two at the grocery store if you haven’t used them before. I made my own puff pastry once, but that was enough! This is much easier! Let the dough defrost so that you can unfold it without breaking, but if it gets too soft it is harder to work with. If you have not adopted Silpat sheets, stay tuned for a giveaway of one soon! So start here, with your puff pastry…you can roll it a little, but I usually don’t bother~

For one tarte I use about 8 small apples, or 6 large apples. Quarter, peel and core the apples, then slice them (thick or thin, to your preference), then flatten with your knife to separate the slices a little~

Using your knife, scoop under each set of slices and set them on the pastry~

Roll up the pastry edges; I roll “in” though there are several ways to do this~

Then add a second layer of the apples, for a little more volume; dust with a fistful of sugar and then a sprinkle of cinnamon~

Puff pastry needs to be baked “hot” so that it cooks. Bake at 425 degrees until well browned. My family will quarter this tarte and so one does not go far, but it’s a nice “small” yet homemade dessert that is not too heavy. We will have it tonight with homemade cinnamon ice cream~

As for all the rest of the stuff, one of my sisters came by and left with two apple tartes, two loaves of pumpkin bread, two jars of Bolognese sauce, a jar of pesto and a few other goodies. She then brought some to another of our sisters who was coming home after a weekend away. Needless to say, everyone was happy with their dinner.

Wishing everyone a bonne semaine~

The Grain Sack Craze

2011-09-26T20:27:00.001-07:00

The Vintage French Grain Sack look continues to have legs; great long legs. Target is the latest store to jump on this trend, which has been so popular for the last few years~

Target’s Vintage Charm Stool; $49.99 and out of stock online; you can find it at some stores~

Simple, but cute, isn’t it? I guarantee, made in China. I saw it recently in one of the décor magazines, prominently featured on a leading page; proof to me of the hunger for high-low design~

In the same line, Vintage Charm Lamp Shade $19.99; this is really cute! Link HERE~

Other stores have apparently done well with this look for several years, as they continue to show the merchandise~ Grain sack pillows ranging from 50-80 years old; $89.00 at Pottery Barn; link HERE.

Also at Pottery Barn, a more reasonable Circle Frame Pillow Cover at $35; the pillow is for the frame only, PB will monogram it for an extra fee; hand wash; link HERE.

Ballard seems to come up with endless new ways to use the grain sack look; here in their Moulin Burlap Cube “stenciled on one side to resemble a vintage French grain sack;” $269; link HERE.

And even their Monogrammed Linen Tissue Cover, $55 for set of three with free monogram; link HERE.

Restoration Hardware always has a selection; online, their Vintage French burlap pillow covers are $28-54; made of “natural jute” (read: Burlap); the website says artisans spend 24 hours creating each one. Spot clean only~

And others printed on Belgian linen; now on sale HERE for $28-32~

Where am I going with this post? Well, in the next week my latest magazine feature will be out; and I can tell you it has something to do with this look, only better. I began planning for this feature many, many months ago, long before any of these products were on the market. Love the look, not the price. Thinking of some really great gifts to give for Christmas, but something a little more personal…..hmmm….

Do you like this look? Do you already have any Vintage Grain Sack pieces?

Stay tuned; the issue should be out shortly; I can’t wait to show you!

Images courtesy Target, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Ballard Designs.

Snap the Whip

2011-09-25T20:21:00.001-07:00

Can it be? My calendar says it is the end of September. Already? Really? I feel like I am at the tail end of a string playing the children’s game Crack the Whip; immortalized for me in Winslow Homer’s wonderful 1872 painting Snap the Whip; LOVE Winslow Homer’s works~

If you have ever played this game on ice skates you know how fun and fast it can be! Summer ended with a fluid flurry of activity, and now our late summer is giving way to fall. It’s been one incredibly quick ride from June until now, and I feel the pace will be fast until after Christmas and New Year. A magazine shoot will soon be published; a best friend visiting in two weeks’ time; my sister and kids will visit just before Halloween; I am planning my line sheet for 2012, as well as some major gardening projects for fall. Of course I have also started to make some easy fall recipes, including pumpkin soup for two, with the pumpkin as the tureen~

And Acorn squash soup, using the same old French recipe with bread and garlic and cream; wait ‘til I show you this recipe, you will use it for fall I promise~

I was able to squeeze in a few rare hours in the garden today, mulching, feeding, and digging up the citrus. I did manage to also box up a lot of canned goods for a local food bank, which I will drop off this week. And I left two baskets on the gates of two neighbor friends; they are dear and will be thrilled; we talk of dogs and gardens and never business, but they finally discovered the baskets. Pulling me back to summer, in the garden I have an amazing amount of roses in bloom, here Double Delight~

The light was poor as it was evening, so these are not great shots, but the fragrance of the large bouquet is lovely in the kitchen this eve, a nice reminder of summer. And yet today I also noticed that the camellias have suddenly started to bud, and so for holiday we will have yet more lovely flowers; loving my Bagatelle rose at the moment, which has gone crazy with old world heavy-fragrance blooms, as well as the yellow and orange Sheila’s Perfume; one of my most prolific bloomers~

Enjoy your late summer in to fall; much more to come very soon~

Virtual Malawi

2011-09-21T23:06:00.001-07:00

Have you ever visited, or do you want to visit, the continent of Africa? I know that’s a rather broad statement, like “do you want to go to Asia, or Europe?”

Last evening I went to a board meeting for my high school, a Catholic girls school. We had a brief presentation by one of a group of educators who has visited the African country of Malawi over the summer break. Seeing the video and hearing the commentary tugged at my heart strings while I celebrated their joy. Of note, they have joy and hope, with few material luxuries; why is it that so many people in the US have so much yet no joy? I guess we can thank Madonna for being an advocate and adopting her son from Malawi, but otherwise, does it make the news? Extreme Poverty. Tobacco is their cash crop, and how good is that today? And how can they move into coffee of other crops?

I am torn, as there is now so much poverty in the United States. Should we help our own first? There is so much poverty and need around the globe….where does one start? Where can you make a difference? Where do you want to make a difference is perhaps the operative question.

But first, I thought of Madagascar, home of my basket suppliers and the 13th poorest country in the world…slightly better off than Malawi at the 8th poorest. How can people live on $1 a day?

It’s been on my list for several years now to visit Madagascar, and Reunion Island and perhaps Malawi. And perhaps South Africa. Oh that would be a month, I suppose….

No labels attached to this, just watch the video and tell me what you think…..

Coastal Cleanup

2011-09-17T18:59:00.001-07:00

There are some great eco-focused groups in Laguna. I try to support a variety of organizations, with time and donations, and today I took a few hours to help with the State-wide Coastal Cleanup effort. In Laguna it was led by our local water quality expert and fellow Francophile, Roger Butow, second from right, in front of our landmark Hotel Laguna; Roger is our advocate for “fishable and swimmable water” through his coalition Clean Water Now!~

Coastal Cleanup Day is sponsored by the California Coastal Commission, and each year they mobilize teams of volunteers throughout the State to clean up beaches and inland waterways.

I was an 8am earlybird as I had to drop off for the market in Corona del Mar by 9. The beach was quiet at that time, under grey skies. Sunny or grey, we love this, and we love this to be kept clean, please~

And then, along the Boardwalk, I ran into the ray of sunshine we know as Mai (far right), who is my neighbor and a local ball of energy…we love you Mai! She had her team ready with buckets, and she held the leashes of Honey & Biscuit too while I snapped this pic~

Those of us who are fortunate to live by the beach know how the impact of plastic and other trash on the marine environment. But really, it is all around us, on land, miles from the coast. On the way back from Corona del Mar market, I saw lots of trash along Coast Highway at Crystal Cove north of Laguna. Why don’t I notice this every day? While I was part of the Laguna effort, I went back with a big bag and an extension picker and collected about 20 pounds of trash~

I picked up bottles, cups, pizza boxes; bags, packing materials, candy wrappers, gum wrappers. A cell phone battery, a Ramada Inn plastic room key. A small Heineken keg, flattened. Many items were related to our “fast food,” including cups and lids and straws; lots and lots of straws. I will think before I accept another straw! I picked up hundreds of other small pieces of plastic and styrofoam (peanuts, broken up coolers and other bits), Google maps, and several pages of someone’s bank statement(!)~

Hundreds of cigarette butts. There used to be an ashtray in every car, but not any more. The ashes and the butts go out the window. My hand was tired of working the picker at the end of two hours~

The interesting thing was that most of the plastics I found were already heavily phyto-degraded. That is, the sunlight had made them brittle, and unless I picked them up carefully, they broke apart into 20 other pieces. The smaller the piece, in the ocean, the harder to reclaim, easier it is ingested by some creature. PLEASE be mindful of your waste. Maybe this stuff blows out the back of pickups. Much of it gets discarded inland and washes to the beaches in the storm drain runoff. In any case, it makes an impact. Last year, on Coastal Cleanup Day, 82,000 volunteers State-wide collected over 1.2 million pounds of trash. I am waiting to see how much was collected today, we had a small mountain at Main Beach by late morning. The dreaded soft drink lid, the king of phyto-degradation~

Today in Laguna we had four stations, and there were over 100 volunteers signed in at Main Beach. There are others who collect but do not sign in. I left about 200 of my cotton net bags to give to the volunteers at our station, and Roger said they went fast; next year I will get it together to donate in advance to all of the Laguna stations. I love these beaches, the beaches I grew up with, and am so grateful to everyone around the State for your efforts today!! Special thanks to Roger & his team for their organization~

These UGS Elements bags are made of bamboo; also given away today, though it seems the net bags went first.

Here is to a cleaner coast!

Pick Me Ups

2011-09-17T12:27:00.001-07:00

With a little help from my friends, the reminders of that day ten years ago were quickly forgotten. On Monday I received a little bit of sunshine from Laura, who sent me two of her pom poms, which I think will soon be found in her Etsy shop HERE. You can find all sorts of adorable things there in the meantime. I immediately put them on an XL Moroccan tote that I’ve been using lately, and have gotten lots of compliments~

Tuesday I received a wonderful little package from Karena, with all sorts of goodies, including this Mission Fig candle, which I burn nightly and is very soothing, not to mention the scent is fantastic~

But it works both ways; on Tuesday I got an email from a blogger friend who had just received my little pick me up gift of a few Metis Linens; and was she ever jazzed to get those, and did that also make me so happy!

Of course nothing picks me up like some more vintage French silver; so I found a dozen late XIXC vermeil knives by Odiot. Love these and will use them often, I’m thinking their feminine touches will be perfect for dinner with the girls. Why are my dear friends so far away, I would love to have them over for dinner tonight after I clean these up a little~

And serve them coffee with a trio of new spoons; dated 1774, 1776 and 1765, pre-dating the French Revolution~

I am fascinated with dated French silver. This spoon was made 100 years before the end of the Civil War, and 200 years before I was born! Not to mention, the monogram is fantastic~

Thank you all for your kind wishes and 9/11 memories! How lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life now~

I Was There

2011-09-10T14:45:00.001-07:00

As I write this post, the television is on in the next room, and a special report is playing about September 11, 2001. I don’t need to see it again, it’s bad enough to hear it again. I saw it with my own eyes, and watching such an event on tv is nothing like seeing it in person. That day and the days after are burned into my mind, and I can see and feel it like it was yesterday, let alone ten years ago.

I lived in Jersey City, NJ, working for a firm which had offices on Broad Street, just a few doors from the New York Stock Exchange; up the street from Goldman Sachs and right around the corner from the World Trade Center. I had lived in Manhattan for a dozen years, and our little community in Jersey City, right on the Hudson,with a marina and nautical feel, was an ideal break from the City and afforded me and my beloved dog Napoleon some space and peace. Until that day.

On September 10, 2001, I went to my office on Broad Street, taking the PATH train a block from my apartment two stops to the sub-basement of the WTC. I stepped off the PATH at 9:01 am and made my way up through the Concourse to the street level, and to the tree-lined plaza opposite, where there was a Brooks Brothers and other stores, food vendors with carts, and where the business people gathered for lunch, chess or to enjoy the sunshine on nice days. Then I got one of those cosmic messages that one can not ignore, a very strong feeling, and it was clear and fully formed: This is the last time I will see this place. Taking in the casual atmosphere of the plaza, I had an initial thought that I was going to die that day. Seriously. I went to the office, carefully picked through my day, and on the way home stopped at the Strawberry store in the Concourse of the WTC and bought the jaunty red mohair hat I had admired in the window for several weeks. If this was the last time. Why not. I still have that hat.

I decide to work from home the next day, and took Napoleon for our usual morning walk along the boardwalk and the long pier in front of our building just before 9am. Something changed my mind, too many dogs or something. Good thing, or I would have seen it happen. We did not walk the length of the pier, but went home, and shortly after, heard the most tremendous, thundering sound (the second impact; the first one was while we were in the elevator). Napoleon went nuts with the intensity of the reverberating sound. Clearly, something had happened. There was an apartment building being built down the street; had it collapsed? Napoleon and I went outside, to see that the many dozens of construction workers had abandoned their work and were walking in the street en masse towards their cars; the construction project was intact. Then I looked up and saw this~

My scans of the ten year old photos did not work out for this post, so maybe for the 20th. These are my digital photographs of the original photographs, so sorry for the quality, but you will get the idea. We had this cute faux lighthouse along the River, here juxtaposed with a burning tower. Life interrupted.

There were hundreds of us gathering along the Hudson, watching. Some with radios, shouting updates, “a plane has hit the Pentagon!” “two bombs have gone off at the Supreme Court!” “A plane is missing in Pennsylvania and may be heading for the White House!” We had no idea what had happened or what was going on. There was chaos; phone lines were overloaded and so I could not reach my family by phone or cell to tell them I was not in lower Manhattan as usual, and around noon I managed to get someone in our HR department in D.C. to call my parents. Helicopters were landing along the River (below); most of us stood in silence, watching.

The North tower; oh the smoke~

I could see, with my naked eye, the flames, people trapped in their offices, hanging out the windows, waving makeshift flags, jumping and falling. Bodies tumbling and turning in a free-fall on the way down, sometimes in pairs, holding on to each other; these are the most horrific images in my mind; it is a long way down and they seemed to take forever to travel the height of the Towers. Horrific. At first we wondered if they couldn’t get to the roof, but the heat would have been intense, and the smoke was so thick~

The smoke, oh my goodness. You have never smelled anything like it….a combination of burnt flesh and burnt plastic for several weeks. We were advised to close our windows to keep the smoke out, while the Ferry boats came back to NJ filled to capacity. Neighbors in our building never came home that day. It was crazy. Life shut down. We stood around watching and then suddenly, the South Tower fell. Could not believe it! Never! We never thought the Tower would fall! Impossible!

We expected that the fire would burn up and out, and hoped that those in the Towers were able to make it down the multiple elevators and stairs in the building. I thought about the times I went to Windows on The World on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower for dinner or business events. You can’t imagine the view from the 107th floor. I can’t imagine having to walk down from that floor.

But the North Tower was still standing….until it too fell. Another incredulous moment. To this day, I still don’t believe it is possible. Have you seen the online film Loose Change? Yes, it was exactly like that, it was like a controlled demolition.

Could the Towers have fallen that fast on their own? I am skeptical. But the fact that it happened, and that it happened so fast was not be be believed for those of us who lived there, and looked at the Towers many times a day for years and years. They were a symbol of New York City, a symbol of commerce and success and permanence. In the fiercest storms, they stood, solidly at the southern tip of Manhattan. Making your way to the top with the series of elevator banks, being on an upper floor and feeling the building sway a little in strong wind was an experience. And suddenly, they were gone~

And in their place, there was even more smoke, coming across the River.

I think I stayed home for three or four days, mostly on the computer. Lower Manhattan was closed so we could not go to work. I could hear the F-16s making loops in the sky. Our neighborhood was advised not to go out and to stay away from the smoke. When I was finally able to cross the River, I couldn’t believe the sight. Here is the Winter Garden, and you see the steel girders sticking out of the side of the building on the left, like toothpicks. I took this pic from the Ferry; I crossed the River by Ferry for months looking at these steel girders before they were finally removed.

Within a few days, I was able to go right up to the site of the Towers; which had been reduced to a smoldering pile of very compact rubble a few stories high. I don’t know why I didn’t have a camera that day; a few days later I think the site was blocked off because I tried to get back and was not allowed. But I still see it all clearly in my mind. I see that last wall that was standing, with the signature curves of the World Trade Center. You would have thought the debris would have gone all over, but in fact it was all very neatly piled up, again, looking like a demolition more than a collapse. I walked the streets of lower Manhattan on the way to my office, and everything was still coated in layers of fine white dust. It was like a nuclear winter; stores I had been in a few days earlier had big picture windows with everything inside covered in dust. Meanwhile, the rubble continued to smolder; this is from the little Ferry that went across down by Paulus Hook~

The Missing Person flyers were posted everywhere. And I mean everywhere; with photos and stories and pleas to find loved ones. More sadness every time you saw one. It was hard to take it all in; we walked around a little bit in a daze, in amazement of how things had changed in the course of a morning. There were memorials all along the River on the New Jersey side~

This event, this disruption, this uncertainty, left us all feeling very down. I have dealt with post-traumatic stress, like a depression, from these events. I remember standing on Broad Street in front of the building about 10 days later, talking in hushed tones with my colleagues. Suddenly someone yelled at us, and a charred computer keyboard came from the sky (or the top of another building) and landed with tremendous force two feet from me. There were constant reminders that our lives had changed.

The smoke was eventually gone, but oh my how the skyline had changed.

At night was when you really looked for the Towers. In their place, we had the two blue beams. They were very pretty, but again they were reminders, and it just made us feel sad to look at them~

Here from the Ferry, crossing the River at night.

I was offered a transfer to California a few years later, which I jumped on as I was ready to move on and ready to get away from the constant memories and reminders of 9/11.

Sorry, I’m stopping there. There is more that could be said, but even ten years out, seeing these images again is enough; well, maybe it’s too much, for me.

I hope you will each pass the ten year anniversary of 9/11 in your own personal way.

Post Script: If you don’t already follow, please be sure to visit Pamela at The House of Edward blog. Did she write THIS POST today just for me, I would swear she did. As the French say, au fil des ans…over the string of years, how many happy memories do I have? Tons. How many sad? Few or at least fewer. I make a point to fill my life with joy, with people I treasure, with positive energy, and there are oh so many wonderful memories. Why should I let this single event of 9/11/01 impact me so? The magnitude, yes. There is a reason I left NYC, and there is a reason I have not looked at these photos above in five years. I choose to focus on the positive and the good. Except that on that day, the bad was not avoidable. Thank you, Pamela, for correcting my focus, and bringing me back to the joy and goodness that life has to offer~let’s make some more happy memories, and move on, shall we?

What We Ate: Labor Day

2011-09-05T21:43:00.001-07:00

It was an unseasonably grey Labor Day here in Laguna, with a surprise shower in the morning as I threaded my way across town to deliver my sun dried tomatoes in their jars; the sea was cool and an uninviting shade of jade-green with yellow flag surf, but the overcast weather was perfect for me and the dogs to take an early stroll along the boardwalk, and then to cook & prep for the evening meal. I shopped for our meal today over the last two days, leaving my menu choices to chance, discovery and whim. The day may have been grey, but the food was anything but…..it shone of the heat & the delights of summer…here tomato and mango chutney~

I hit three farmers markets for this food, Corona del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe and Hillcrest (San Diego). The rich yet oh so delicious appetizer, dates from Hillcrest stuffed with a tiny piece of Trader Joe’s bleu cheese and wrapped in DaLe bacon; don’t cook them too hard or you will melt the bleu; devoured~

I made this meal at my sister’s house, which means she sets the table and my cooking show goes on the road; I unloaded several baskets and got to work~

As my family was ~ as usual ~ an hour and a half late, including the hosts, I got busy with a few pics in the late afternoon sun; I made my Mom’s traditional cheesecake at 6am, even Mom said it was better than her own!

And lemon tarte, with the last of the citrus from our trees; what is summer without lemony desserts?

I somehow forgot the berries yesterday, so we made do with blackberry-raspberry compote and cherries in red wine from the winter stash; the white specs are some reflection on the lens..??..the fruits were all pristine~

The new white corn arrived from Kawano Farms San Diego, and the husks left in French style~

I loved the the tiniest potatoes from our newest vendor at Rancho Santa Fe, whose name I forget; these were picked Friday and they were fantastic, creamy, super-tasty mashed country-style with peels on and with a little butter and salt~

Purple shallots from Sage married with Escondido mushrooms on top of DaLa grass-fed rib-eye steaks~

Two pieces of swordfish from Corona del Mar market were topped with a mango and tomato chutney from Sage and Hillcrest~

The fruits went on top of the lemon tart and cheesecake, and both were devoured in entirety. It was a long weekend and it will be a busy week; I hate to say that got in the way of my enjoyment of the meal, but this time I was the one to want to eat and run!

The only item I did not buy at the markets was the bleu cheese. I felt a sense of accomplishment at having a truly local meal, and knowing where each and every ingredient came from. I am mentally moving on to fall, and looking for ways to profit from the late summer while preparing for fall.

Recipes will be on line later this week and I will post them in printable form so stay tuned!