Departure Day

No, the suitcase isn't quite ready to boucler, but it will be soon.  Have to add all the lotions and potions I use on a daily basis to make myself presentable.  The sister-in-law arrived safely yesterday afternoon and is still asleep, as is the Ex-Ex.  He is taking us to the airport in a few hours.  Two of the BFF-ers have already arrived in Paris and have the keys to our apartment in hand.  (I got a text-- modern technology continues to amaze me.)  Just the cats and I are up and about.  But Rusty seems to have taken over the Ex-Ex's spot on the sofa.  There may be a duel in my living room while I am gone...

Oui, Rusty is the male cat.  Callie, the female, is like me.  She rarely touches the remote.
Rusty is generally quite shy.  But he came out of hiding place last night after dinner and let sister-in-law and Marie-Jeanne, our French dinner guest, pet him.  I guess he can sniff out cat lovers-- even from under the bed or wherever it is he ducks for cover.
I discovered that Carol from Paris Breakfasts will be in Paris, too.  One of these days I will get to meet up with her.  This time I will not be living vicariously through her.  I will be having my own adventures.  Maybe we will run into each other at Pierre Hermé's shop while drooling over the macarons.  But it will be fun, as always, to read about her adventures, too.  She sounds like my kind of traveler.  Maybe one of these days she will join my BFF trip to Provence...  hint hint, Carol!
Last night's dinner was very simple fare.  It has been just too darned hot here to do much real cooking.  I bought some really good Provence-style black olives from Harris Teeter and added the crackers that Marie-Jeanne brought to me.  Then I put together a Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken.  Some really good Brie, served at just the right temperature, that I got at A Southern Season (my advisees gave me a gift certificate at the end of the year! ) and a fresh baguette from Whole Foods. Since blueberries are in abundance right now, I pulled out one of  my cookbooks and found a recipe for a blueberry cake.  So our dessert was maison, homemade.

Fresh Blueberry Cake
from Even More Special by the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties
6-8 servings

1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 c. milk

Topping:
2 c. fresh blueberries
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.  Grease a 9-inch square pan.
2. Cream 1/4 c. butter and sugar.  Add egg, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk.  Mix until smooth.
3. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Mix ingredients for topping and pour over batter in pan.
5. Bake for 35 minutes.  Cool in pan or serve warm. 

Bon appétit et bon voyage!