Focus & Reward

I didn’t really intend to take a summer blog break, but a little over a month ago I decided to make some changes in my life, and pare back for a short time.   In fairness, I really should have told you and a few others that I was going to unplug for a few days, but what began as three days of total focus became ten, and over the course of those ten days in mid-July I became very intent on changing some patterns that have crept into my life over the last five years or so.   Some say it takes several months of rigorous effort to change behaviour, like quitting smoking or eliminating caffeine or alcohol.  But I managed to do it in ten days.  Basically, I put everyone and everything in my life on restriction: my family & friends, all but one farmers market, the house and garden, and even you, my awesome blog readers.  I have a fence or two to mend as a result, but for now you must forgive me, because I finally realized that I can best help myself and everyone else if I finish the Paris book and if I have my personal self in top shape.  It was time.  So I told my parents I would be spending just one hour each day with them, but otherwise, kindly don’t bother me.  There have been no family dinners, no fancy desserts, no food requests fulfilled.  My phone and texting were turned off most of the day, as I focused on my goals.

I spent five days warming up to a change in diet by substituting fresh juice from a new juice bar in downtown Laguna called Nekter.  It was sort of a toe in the water.  I had a regular dinner with wine each night, and then, suddenly, I jumped!  I got a set of the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis CDs and a pair of three pound hand weights.  I started Tracy’s program, and haven’t looked back for the last 30 days.  Her diet is good old fashioned calorie restriction, with a small amount of protein and a few fresh veggies, as well as a green juice drink for breakfast every other week (the menu changes weekly and the workouts change every ten days).  It means I cut out caffeine, sugar, salt, wheat, dairy and alcohol from my diet, cold turkey.    Tracy has her own 30 minute dance cardio program, but I have slowly increased my own walking, to the point that now I power walk three hours each day in addition to Tracy’s 30 minute muscular structure work, which is segments of abs, legs and arms.  Just to be sure I stick to the program, I chose a walking partner who will listen while I talk and walk, always keep up to the pace I want, and who is available to go for a power-walk 24/7 on short notice; my sweet Biscuit dog~

Tracy Anderson gets heaped with praise as well as criticism on the internet, but let me tell you, the 30 minute workouts are tough but super effective.  Regardless of what anyone says, the bottom line is that she knows how to reshape a body, and she knows how to make you lose weight and not plateau.  Never a fan of weigh-ins, I go by how my clothes fit and how I look and feel, and I feel fantastic and have lost inches, many of them, in just 30 days.  I am on the 90 day program and I follow her diet to a T, which is actually really easy to do, once you get started.  You can see her diet in a pdf HERE. 

I spent the first ten days pretty obsessed with the diet and following it carefully, and wondering what to do in the evenings when I would normally enjoy a leisurely dinner and a drink with my parents; our social hour to unwind after the day.  This is really when the walking came into the picture, because rather than eat, I walk, and then in the evening I can do the floor exercises and go to bed tired.  I put a few dollars a day away in a jar too, to show myself that I was also saving money on food and wine.  Once each week I have allowed myself time to go to our upscale mall South Coast Plaza, to window shop the nice clothes and shop for perfume.  While I have a closet full of clothes I want to wear and don’t need many more, I have wanted one of two good perfumes, so I decided on fragrance as my reward for good behaviour.  And if you haven’t been out perfume shopping in a while, I highly recommend it as as a free way to spend an hour.  I’ve been to Hermes, Chanel and Dior to name a few.  It seems that everyone loves to give out samples, and most of the time they want to give them to you in a fancy Chanel or Dior bag or in a small orange Hermes box.  I’ve set those goodies aside for the time being, and sampled the store bottles.

The sales assistants at Dior in South Coast Plaza could not be nicer.  Really.  I must say that I rarely visit Dior in Paris, because I’ve usually just raided Monoprix down the street on the Champs-Élysées, but I never miss a walk past the windows.  It’s a legendary flagship boutique in an amazing corner building on Avenue Montaigne.  Walking by, you might not realize this building is as big as it is~

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The entrance is always immaculate, and it gives you just a clue as to what you can find inside in dozens and dozens of shades: Grey.

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There are beautiful grey carpets, and ornate mouldings, and racks and racks of beautiful clothing and accessories.  This store is consistently ranked one of the top ten in Paris, which means, one of the best in the world.

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The combination of Grey and Pink was a personal favorite of Christian Dior.  You will still find pink and grey used in the store.

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And so I was intrigued a few months ago when Dior launched a new fragrance in Europe, called Gris Montaigne.  Unlike J’Adore and the other more mainstream Dior fragrances, Gris Montaigne is part of the Collection Privée de Dior.  With names and fragrances based upon key locations and Dior concepts, the line is made of high quality ingredients and point of sale is limited to Dior boutiques and online.  After sampling several fragrances in the Dior boutique over the course of several weeks, I set my heart upon Gris Montaigne, which is the newest in the line and is now available in the U.S.  In the store you will see the jumbo bottles; I got the small one, which is 125 ml or 4.2 ounces.  It comes in a great cylindrical container.

The perfume is packaged in a cylindrical bottle, with a cap that is magnetized so that when you put the cap on, the CD on top aligns to the front.  Chanel does the same thing with their line of exclusifs; there is a great deal of thought put into the packaging~

So what would you think a bottle of Grey perfume would smell like?  This one is subtly rose….a soft pink rose, with sandalwood and a little patchouli and a touch of moss.  It’s intended as a chypre, yet it’s not like any other chypre I have smelled.  It’s not overpowering, it’s subtle, it lingers about two inches above my skin for about 5 hours, and it’s what I would consider a contemplative fragrance; perfect for the days I now spend editing and want to be comforted by and wrapped in my fragrance, but not distracted by it.  It suits the Dior Grey & Pink perfectly; I love this fragrance and am wearing it daily, not to mention liberally.

I spent a few minutes on Pinterest looking for something Dior that would represent this fragrance.  Nothing harsh, this is a soft and enveloping fragrance; subtle, and high quality.  I’ll wear it with jeans, but it would be perfect to wear with this gown, which looks to me just like the fragrance smells~

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The other fragrance I really like chez Dior is Grand Bal.  It’s a floral, opening with a big burst of Grasse Jasmine and Orange Blossom and then moves into middle notes of ylang-ylang and sandalwood.  You can smell all kinds of jasmine out there, but when you smell the best French jasmine from the perfume capital of Grasse, you know it immediately.  While Gris Montaigne whispers to me softly, Grand Bal has a bigger presence over the first two hours, though I find the fragrance to be comforting and cheerful at the same time.  The bottles come in eau de toilette concentration, and this again is the “small” bottle, 5 3/4” tall, which looks really excellent on my vanity table.  Oh, and I want to mention, two bottles were out of my budget, but I found this one on Ebay, used but only a few times, for a tiny fraction of the price in the store.  Ebay is a great place to buy fragrance at a deep discount, but you need to be patient.  

The concept behind Grand Bal is that of a full ball gown, its layers of fragrance unfolding like a big ball gown.  Who did this better than Dior?~

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And this dress…..soft and pretty, feminine….just like these fragrances.  No one creates perfume like the French, and in these exclusive lines, which you will find at Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Serge Lutens and others, you will find some true works of art, like a couture gown…

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Before I found my way to Dior, I was in the Chanel store half a dozen times trying their line of Les Exclusifs.  You can see the range of 14 fragrances HERE, each created around some aspect of the life and work of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.  It’s interesting when people talk of a “fragrance wardrobe” because fragrance really is like clothes in many ways.  Sometimes you want to love a fragrance and you try it on and it just feels like you are wearing someone else’s clothes.  And when you find a great fragrance that you love, it’s like your favorite clothing, and you think, “I could wear this all the time.”  And so it is for me with Chanel fragrance, except No. 5, which smells poor on me but amazing on my Mother.  I could wear almost all of the Chanel Exclusifs line on a regular basis.  But alas, I had to pick just one, so I chose Bois des Iles.

It’s really hard to describe some of these fragrances other than listing a few of the notes; Bois des Iles means woods of the islands, literally, meant to conjure up  thoughts of far away places and exotic fragrances.  It smells of dark woods yet also soft florals such as rose, iris, jasmine and about ten other mysterious notes…but try it on and you will agree you have never smelled anything like it before.  I’d really like to wear it with this jacket and some Chanel bling~

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But as that jacket is not in my closet, I’m going to wear it with my boot leg jeans and a faux-Chanel jacket this fall.  With the stick-on camellia from the Chanel bag pinned on next to the treasured rhinestone brooch my Grandmother gave me.

I’m not giving anyone a firm date for Reve Paris just yet, but it will not be long since I’m planning the next trip, to Paris, Morocco and Beaune.  The weather will be cooler, I will be thinner, and I’m going to wear the cropped black turtleneck I have that is similar to this with a heavy application of Bois des Iles as we stroll Paris.  I might have to add a pair of long leather gloves and will skip the leather skirt.

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I’m back to editing, in a cloud of something lovely from Dior or Chanel.  The layout is in progress, and now I am hunting for a good print on demand publisher and working through things like bindings and margins.  Thank you for your patience and huge thanks to so many of you who sent emails or comments asking where the heck I have been…..I will not be posting regularly yet, but there is a lot in store for fall travels, and you will be in effect coming along with me.  Enjoy the rest of your week~

Dad’s Granola

My Dad’s birthday is this week, and each year I ask him what he would like for his special day.  It’s usually something favorite to eat, sometimes a coconut cake, sometimes a huge pot of cherry preserves reserved for his consumption, and I always take him to the nail salon for a mani-pedi sometime this week.  Today out of the blue he told me he wants coconut granola for his birthday, and so late this afternoon I got busy making up a batch.  We are not going to have a big birthday party, at his request, so I’m thinking of making up a special breakfast tray for him.

I’ll use the new yellow linen napkin I love, and a Chinoisserie tray.  This looks like the start to a nice breakfast; I think I’ll add add a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice to this~

This is a nice little personal tray; no sharing, with a little pot à lait for one~

This little one holds just enough for a bowl of granola;

and though Dad may not appreciate the detail on the pot, I do; and now that the price of silver has dropped again, I think it’s time to look for a few more of these~

So back to the granola, this is the recipe that he especially loves; I don’t put any dried fruit in it because he prefers fresh: blueberries and strawberries are the current favorites in our house~

I make a batch every two weeks, or more often, if Mom starts to snack on it.  If you have never made your own granola, you should give it a try.  I love being able to adjust the flavors and ingredients, and I love to know exactly what I am eating.  Well, I don’t actually eat much granola, but I make a lot of it….so I’ll say it’s nice to know what your family is eating….

I buy the main ingredients in bulk: organic rolled oats, raw wheat germ, sliced raw almonds and whole flax seed.  The coconut is sweetened and shredded.  I know a lot of people don’t like coconut, so you can omit that; my family loves it, so it goes in every batch.

You can decide if you want to sweeten your granola or not; I use raw agave, and it’s just about time to buy some more from Akram at Thyme of Essence, who sells them in fancy bottles; this is the best agave I have ever tasted, and I love the color in the St. Germain bottle on my counter~

Some oil is used in each batch.  This time I am using about two tablespoons of vegetable oil, but mostly blood orange olive oil (from the Corona del Mar farmers market); orange is a great compliment to the coconut.  I also use wildflower honey from Jonas Farms, my favorite honey of late.

The recipe is really very simple:

three cups of rolled oats (buy organic if you can)

one cup each of almonds, coconut, wheat germ and flax seed. 

Stir to blend. 

Combine 1/4 cup of oil of your choice, and 1/4 cup honey or agave; I stir these over light heat, then add the oil and honey mix to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  You should mix the oil in as evenly as you can; during the baking mine clumps up a little more.

Spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet, with a silpat or foil beneath.  Going in the oven it will look like this~

Bake at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until brown; using a spoon, mix the granola around every 20 minutes so that it cooks evenly; if the granola starts to brown before 90 minutes, remove it from the oven.  I find that the cooking times vary depending on ingredients and oil & honey.  I like it lightly toasted, like this:

Let cool, and store in an airtight container. 

This batch turned out great, and as for my Mom (who loves granola with Greek yogurt for breakfast) and the dogs (who beg for granola) it will be hands off this batch…reserved for Dad.  He gave me one clarification though this evening; the granola is not to eat on the day of his birthday, can he have Eggs Benedict, please, on that morning?  Sure, Daddy, anything you want for your birthday breakfast… 

Huile de Provence & Tarragon Vinegar

In summer, I am constantly using olive oil and vinegars, often in salads or with fish, and frequently over fresh cheeses like the goat and ricotta I showed you recently.  I mentioned a quick drizzle of olive oil on top of several plates….. I can highly recommend using an olive oil which has been infused by you, as a conversation starter as well as an excellent taste at your table.  For a base, I use a lot of Akram’s cold pressed Arbequina oil, but I also use the premium Trader Joe’s olive oil, the one that has the pour spout with it.  I have tried their other brand, and it doesn’t have the flavor I want, but this one is great, especially for $8~

Infused with fresh or dried herbs, olive oil in summer takes on a different taste.  As for herbs, you will find dried blends of herbes de Provence all over France, and in the U.S.  It’s a rather generic name now, for any blend of herbs that are typical of Provence: usually a blend of thyme, savory, oregano, rosemary and other herbs.  In France you will find various blends; in Paris I found a blend with fennel and lavender (for fish) and another “classic” blend.

But if you live in a warm climate where you can grow your own herbs, you can make your own fresh herbes de Provence blends.  Next time you grill a fish or meats, try a little herb on the grill; I often throw generous branches of fresh rosemary into the barbeque or put the fresh branches under fish on the grill.  Today though, I want to show you how to put this great summer flavor into olive oil, and a certain vinegar.  Let’s start with the olive oil: a Provencal style olive oil that you can use to finish fish or grilled vegetables, and also as an amazing dipping sauce for breads.  Here is my mis en scene~

I bought fresh winter Savory for $1 at the Corona del Mar farmers market; summer savory has a lighter flavor, but buy what you can and use slightly less winter Savory if you find it.  Rub the leaves between you fingers and you will smell the fragrance of this often overlooked herb. 

Savory is said to be medicinal, and perhaps heal respiratory ailments.  I’m sure it can’t hurt you.  It smells wonderful.  In France this is called Sarriette.

I also set out fresh thyme, rosemary and three sprigs of lavender from the garden, as well as a lemon from our tree.  A few fresh chilis and pink peppercorns rounded out this batch.  You can vary the mix of herbs, and you can also use dried herbs, but for gifting infused oil, the fresh herbs are best.  Wash the herbs and let them dry. 

The fresh peppercorns from the Savory Spice Store give the finished oil a little bite and a dash of color in the bottle~

And I add a little bit of lemon zest, for the antiseptic properties of the lemon as well as the lemon tang I love~

I used the Provencal wine bottle from Trader Joe’s I showed you a few weeks ago; make sure the bottle is clean (sterilize it in boiling water) stuff the herbs into the bottle, and top off with the olive oil.

Depending on how you layer your herbs, the bottle will look something like this; pretty~

You could omit the chilis, and use black peppercorns; use what you have and what you love~

Let this mix sit for about two weeks, up to a month or more, in a dark place away from direct sunshine.  You can filter this and put in a new bottle with fresh herbs if you want to gift the finished oils.

But what is olive oil without a good vinegar?  Each summer for 20 years I have made this bottle of tarragon vinegar; I love it.  If you don’t grow tarragon, which I find rather tender and I have never had luck growing, use a package of organic tarragon from the market for about $3.  Wash it and be  sure it is completely dry.  As for the vinegar, I am free-styling it today, with a mix of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, Akram’s Champagne Vinegar, and household vinegar.  Most recipes will tell you to not use household white vinegar, but I use it if I have a base of other good vinegars; otherwise use White Wine Vinegar.  But to fill a bottle with white wine vinegar can be expensive, so I like a blend of what I have on hand.

You can bruise the leaves a little, and some recipes call for heating the vinegar.  I find the leaves get bruised enough just putting them in the bottle, and I pour the cold vinegar on top~

Today I added just a few pink peppercorns for contrast, and a zest of lemon.  Again, for the antiseptic qualities as well as the color~

Cork the bottle and set aside.

One day later, I smell the amazing aroma of tarragon.  This will go into sauce Bearnaise as well as summer salads~

If you gift this, look for old pour spouts like these, with a cork~

I promise you that gifting a pair of these bottles is  a sure hit with any summer hostess~

Mine would go in the French caddy~

tie a sprig or three of lavender on to these, or maybe a sunflower; you are in the summer mood straightaway.  This would also look nice at a picnic or set on a lunch table, with the pour spouts so diners could pour their own oil & vinegar~

You can strain the oil or the vinegar, and add more fresh.  I love this~~~

Buy two-bottle carriers whenever you can~

Set these up if you can in the next few weeks to enjoy the peak of summer flavor.  Once the oil and vinegar are infused, you can strain the fresh herbs and use these until they run out.

 

Enjoy, and let me know how you like these~