T+3

After running around Paris like a crazy lady, chasing after the Eiffel Tower for three days, including

a Sunday, I will be off to Provence for four days.  I will take the métro

not a bike

to the Gare du Lyon

where I will board the TGV, bound for Nîmes, with its crocodiles and palm trees.

An interesting mascot, n'est-ce pas?

There is a story behind it.  I can't quite remember it, though.  Julius Caesar's Nile campaigns?  It's the city's contemporary coat-of-arms anyway.  After lunch in Nîmes, I will head over to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon to meet up with Mme P.  She will be my host for three days.  Plans include two days at school with her classes (I am taking over penpal letters and little gifts from my students for hers), a day to goof off (I proudly taught the Frenchies that English expression last spring!), and cooking with Mme P in her kitchen-- oui, chef!

I will be as happy as these cows and sheep! 

And oui, I will taste their cheese.  Gladly.
Maybe on this bread called vigneron?

Maybe this fromage de Provence?

Perhaps a visit to the market for some dried lavender?

I know there is some sort of surprise planned... and I will bet it involves a lovely dinner.  Oooooh, I can't wait!

Bon appétit, la Belle France!

T+4

The Ex-Ex left a couple of hours ago to take Son #2 back to Knoxville, Tennessee.  I have dried my tears (although he and I are texting as I write this) and now I am listening to the hum of the washing machine, warming up my lunch of leftover pasta and grilled sausage, and thinking about what I am going to pack in my suitcase.  I decided to go back to my photos from last January's trip for inspiration.  I won't look like a chic Parisian Frenchie no matter which fringues I pack, though.

C'est la vie.  They are born chic.  Chic-ness oozes out of their pores. And even though I loved this little fringue in the Opéra Garnier gift shop, I didn't buy it, so I won't be wearing it while I wander around the Quartier latin.

Cute, n'est-ce pas?
I promise to watch out for the green guy and cross at the appropriate crosswalks.  To avoid dying.

I will stay off the grass.

And watch where I step at all times, just in case les petits chiens leave little gifts on the sidewalk.

I promise to stroll along the Seine, taking my time to see the sights, even if they are just the Padlocks of Love.

I will eat at least one sandwich au fromage beurré.

I will drink all of my café au lait at breakfast so I am ready to go each morning.

I will leisurely sip my afternoon apéritif at a small little café while writing postcards and watching Frenchies hurry past.

Arles Lucy, who will accompany me on the student trip in March, recently gave me a wonderful little Paris book, written and illustrated by Jill Butler.

Jill lived in Paris for a while.  I picked up a couple of great tips from this book.  I now know that one of the largest Monoprix stores is located at 50, rue de Rennes in the 6th arrondissement.  I love Monoprix.

And since the January sales, les soldes, will be in full swing (mandated by the government in January and July), I might find a nice new fringue at half price.   Although I basically hate to shop for clothes.  Perhaps I will have to sacrifice a bit.
I have definitely decided to visit the Panthéon.  My new blog friend, Jennifer, at Le Blog, highly recommends it.  (Her blog is absolutely gorgeous!)  I have walked past this stately building dedicated to Sainte Geneviève many, many times, but I have never ventured in.  (It is a burial place for famous Frenchies.  Marie Curie is the only woman so far.  I plan to visit Victor Hugo to thank him for creating my hero, Jean Valjean, of Les Misérables.)

Maybe I will only have a drink at La Closerie des lilas (after finding out it is rather pricey).  That works, too.  I guess one pays a price to walk (or drink) in the steps of Hemingway.
I have also found a new outdoor market I want to visit, thanks to Jill.  Le Marché d'Aligre in the 12th.

I think that I probably have enough to completely fill three days.  ACIS has arranged a guided tour of the Orangerie museum and I will definitely do that so that I can sigh in front of Monet's waterlilies.

Afterwards, I will stroll through the Tuileries gardens and watch les petits play with their boats.

Okay, back to lunch and the suitcase.
Did I mention that after three days in Paris, I will board the TGV and head south to visit my Frenchie friends in Provence?  Oui, four days there to meet the students who will host mine in March and hang out with Mme P.  Oui, chef!

More about that tomorrow!  C'est promis!

Grilled Sausage and Pasta

There is no recipe for this other than...

Fresh sausage from a local farmer, if possible; grilled outside or inside on the stove top (I have a cast iron grill that I place over two burners on my gas stove- I would love to have one of the Cuisinart Griddlers- my father-in-law has one and uses it all the time); cut into bite-sized pieces

Your favorite pasta (penne, bowties, etc) cooked al dente

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the sausages and pasta, sprinkle liberally with Parmesan; add pepper to taste. Serve immediately.


Bon appétit, Paris et Provence en janvier! À très bientôt!

Paris sky

A beautiful blue Paris sky through the pyramid at the Louvre and

a night time view with a few sparkles thrown in for good measure.
Trop beau, n'est-ce pas?
Paris, je t'attends avec impatience!
I feel as if, after 34 years of friendship (I had to do the math... 2012 - 1978), I can tutoyer Paris.  I can use the familiar form with her.  We are quite well-acquainted, after all.  Yesterday I handed out penpal letters to my students and one of the 8th grade girls asked about an expression that her penpal used over and over... in English.  She wrote something to the effect of "I am impatient to get a letter from you."  "I am impatient to come to the US."  "I am impatient to host you."  My student didn't quite know how how to take that.  Here, we say "I can't wait to meet you."  "I can't wait to come to France."  But in French the expression is "I am waiting with impatience to..."   Learning a language is really a lot of fun.  Now, if only I can continue to convince middle schoolers of that.

Bon appétit, Paris sky!

Le petit déjeuner

My breakfast today--

My petit déjeuner next week when I am in Paris--

Need I say more?

Bon appétit, le petit déjeuner!

9 days and counting...

Oui, it is only 9 more days until I am in Paris again.  But who's counting, right?  Moi!  That's who.  I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve.  I catch myself just daydreaming about it.  What should I visit?  Where should I eat?  I will have one night to plan my own dinner and I just think and think about it.
The map pictured is hanging on the wall of my classroom.  My 7th graders did Paris presentations.  Each of them were given a landmark, museum, or monument to research.  We then put together a Voice Thread, making it into a commercial for Paris.  It was a fun project.  They had to bring in a picture of their place, I laminated them, and then they placed them on the map.  I will leave it up until after the spring break trip in March so that my 8th graders have a visual of the way the city is laid out.  Will it sink in?  Will it make sense to them?  Who knows?  Will we have fun?  Absolument!  Okay, back to listening to the soundtrack for Midnight in Paris (Cole Porter is singing at the moment) and plotting my stay in the City of Light...
Les cuisses de grenouille?  Frog legs?  Peut-être.
La soupe à l'oignon?  Oui!
La Closerie des lilas?  It was one of Hemingway's hangouts.  It's near my hotel in the 14th.
A visit to Le Panthéon for the first time to see where Victor Hugo and Marie Curie are buried?
Maybe a stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin?  I've never been there either. 
An outdoor food market I've never been to?

Bon appétit, Paris daydreaming! 

New Year Dates

Date Entry #1: New Year's Eve date
The Ex-Ex and I both have iPhones now.  Me? I got one the very day that Verizon came out with the 4s.  It's global which means it will work in France.  No more rental phones and all that hassle.  I saved my upgrade and pennies and snagged one.  The Ex-Ex?  His old flip phone finally gave up the ghost and died.  So, much to the surprise of our two Sons (and moi), he ordered an iPhone, too.  His is a school phone, though, so he is pretty picky about what he uses it for.  I persuaded him to use it to take a photo of me on New Year's Eve at Bull McCabe's in downtown Durham.  I didn't take my own with me.  Here is his first (and only) photo.  Yes, that's his finger in the way.  Oh well.  The blurry aspect works well for me actually.  We had a drink at Bull's as the DJ was getting set up and then pizza and Fullsteam beer at Satisfaction and called it an evening.  We left the dancing for the younger crowd.
Papa Bell always served greens and black-eyed peas for New Year's Day so I do the same.

Most years I am the only one in my house feasting on this simple meal, but the Ex-Ex ate some rice and beans with me.  The greens symbolize money-- folded up green bills.  The black-eyed peas are coins.  (I doubled my chances of economic prosperity in 2012 since I ate two servings!)  I decided to add brown rice just because I like it and it goes well with the peas.  I should've made cornbread, but didn't.  No one complained.  Son #2 feasted on scrambled eggs and toast.
I love fruitcake.  Even the kind with all the bright green and red candied fruits in it.  Mama Mildred had some that one of my cousins had made.  It was delicious.  She is supposed to be tracking down the recipe for me.  Papa Bell, my paternal grandfather, and one of the loves of my life, gave fruitcake to his employees at his hosiery mill every year.

We four grandkids also got one, too, of course.  Maybe the fact that it is associated with him is the reason I love it so much.
Date Entry #2:  Baking with dates
Anyway, I found a fabulous fruitcake recipe on David Lebovitz' website this week.  If you are unfamiliar with David and you are obsessed with Paris and baking, you need to check him out.  I was scared of him for a long time.  Famous people who get rave reviews scare me.  I always figure that whatever they are doing is way over my head.  (I am this way about books and movies sometimes, too, because I figure they cannot be as great as everyone says they are.  Well, they usually are.)  I read his blog faithfully now and bake some of his recipes.  He was a pastry chef at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse and he now lives in Paris.  (Yes, that makes a me a little green with jealousy. I am the first to admit it.)  I have David's The Sweet Life in Paris:  Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City.
David says this about the fruitcake:  "You don't have to feel bad when you polish off the whole pan in one afternoon."  That kind of quote makes me really like him.  This is a healthy version.  No butter.  Brown sugar.  The recipe calls for apricot halves, but you can substitute any dried fruit you happen to like or have on hand.  Just stick to the quantities in the recipe.  I used dried cranberries (Craisins) and a few leftover dried blueberries that were in the cupboard.  I mixed it all up with my hands.  The feel of the warm, just toasted walnuts was an added bonus.

That was much easier and more efficient.  I doubled the recipe and baked it in 4 small loaf pans.

It was very good with my morning coffee today.

Fruitcake Bars
David Lebovitz (adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich)

about 16 bars

6 Tbsp. (50 g) flour
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (80 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 c. walnuts, almonds or pecans (200 g), toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. (170 g) dates, pitted and quartered
1 c. (170 g) dried apricot halves, snipped in half
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1.  Line an 8-inch (20 cm) pan across bottom and up sides with 2 sheets of aluminum foil, making a big criss-cross with sides overhanging.  (I just sprayed my small loaf pans with non-stick spray.)
2.  Preheat oven to 325˚F (160˚C) and position rack in center of oven.
3.  In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the brown sugar, nuts, dates, and apricots.  Use your fingers to mix the fruit, separating any pieces that are stuck together.
3.  Beat egg and vanilla in small bowl, then mix it with the fruit and nut mixture until everything is coated with batter.  Spread in pan and press gently to even out.
4.  Bake 35-40 minutes (my small loaf pans took 30 minutes) until top is golden brown and has pulled away just slightly from sides of pan.  Cool in pan, then lift out.  (I loosened mine just a bit by running a dull knife around the edges and then the loaves popped right out.)
5.  To cut the cooled bars, use a heavy sharp knife, such as a bread knife, for neat, clean slices.

Bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.  Individual cakes can be wrapped in plastic.

Bon appétit, 2012!

Guardian angels

Do you believe in them?  Before this morning I kinda sorta thought I did.  Now I am sure I do because this morning I got a message from mine.
The Ex-Ex let me keep the Christmas tree up until today.  After my morning walk with the BFF, we packed up all the little ornaments and took down the tree.  Pine needles were every where, of course, so I got out the vacuum cleaner and got to work.  I found myself vacuuming more than just the remnants of the tree and even cleaning out a magazine rack we have in the kitchen.  In the middle of old Durham Academy Records, Our States, Nebraska Lifes, and assorted maps, I found the Christmas card pictured above.  It is dated December 19, 2000.  It was sent to me by my high school French teacher, Mme Christiane Roze Buchanan. 

1976 Harris High School yearbook

 I had no idea that card was in there.  However, I do know that I would not be where I am today if she hadn't been in my life.  My brother recently asked me if Spanish had been offered in our high school instead of French do I think I would have been a Spanish teacher.  I honestly do not think so.  The French language just stirred something in my soul and I fell madly in love with it.  Mme Buchanan took me under her wing and I am quite sure that she had a hand in not only getting me into Appalachian State University but in helping me get enough scholarship help to pay for it.  She wanted me to take her place at Harris High School because she would be ready to retire then.  I could not see myself moving back to my hometown so I opted to head to the big city of Durham and Durham Academy instead.  I do not regret that decision.
Mme Buchanan and I kept in touch over the years.  I did not go to her retirement party.  I regret that.  I was proud to tell her how well my students did every year on the National French Exam.  I told her about my student trips.  I will always regret that I did not go back to really talk to her and find out more about her life in France during WWII.  She came to the mountains of North Carolina as a war bride and became our French teacher.  Every time I visit Notre Dame cathedral in Paris I light a candle for her.  It has always seemed the right thing to do.  To offer up a prayer of thanks for her and ask God to take good care of her. 

In 2000, she was suffering from a third round of cancer.  Her 98 year old mom, Mam, as she called her, was recovering from colon surgery.  She used to bring Mam to French class so that we could talk to her.  The poor, patient lady.  Mme B (behind her back we called her Frenchie...  I use that as a term of endearment with my Frenchie friends) told me she was happy to get our Christmas card and newsletter with good news.
In November 2008, the Ex-Ex came to Paris for his first visit while I was on sabbatical.  We visited Notre Dame, of course, and I lit my usual candle.  The next day, my sister Moo called me.  I knew the news couldn't be good for her to call me in France.  Mme Buchanan had passed away.  On the very day that we were in Notre Dame Cathedral.
Yes, I believe in guardian angels.  I hope that I have not disappointed mine and that she will continue to look after me.

Bon appétit, Mme Buchanan and all guardian angels!