Doomsday Destination in France

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/19/bugarach-french-village-survive-mayan-apocalypse

I am a little aggravated that no one bothered to tell me until recently that the village that will survive the end of the world tomorrow, December 21, is in France.  And it was a 14 year old jeune homme bordelais who was visiting my school who shared the news with me.  With a very typically French shrug of his young shoulders and a little exhale of air.  So, Google to the rescue once again.  The village, Bugarach, inhabited by about 200 regular Frenchies, presided over for 36 years by farmer-mayor Jean-Pierre Delord, has quite a cult following at the moment.  Now, I do not read Mayan calendars or Mayan diaries (or however someone happened to stumbled on the fact that the Mayans predicted the end of the world as we know it- evidently the 183rd such prediction).  I don't even know what language all that is written in.  Not English or French, I'm betting.  I pretty much only worry about how to get from point A to point B on a daily basis.  And I just am not going to spend too much time worrying about predictions.  But if the world ends, a tiny village in Languedoc-Roussillon wouldn't be a bad place to be.  They have some great wine in that region.  And I bet they know their way around a stove, too.  I have not been there.  I was close, though, close enough to read about Cathars, the persecuted medieval heretical sect who inhabited the region.  But I don't really even understand that.  There's also The Da Vinci Code and the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and lived in this area.  Good old Nostradamus supposedly visited a near-by town, Alet-les-Bains.  So, the region is not new to out-there ideas and predictions.

Wikipedia doesn't have much on the little village.  The Guardian website seems to have the most information.  Other than some cult stuff that I am afraid to even click on for fear that they will then have my personal information and try to recruit me.  I could be recruited to a small village in the Pyrenees that has lovely little pics and delicious wines, but I am not a big believer in UFOs or ghosts or end-of-world predictions.  Let's face it, I am just way too normal for that stuff.  And, evidently, M. le Maire Delord isn't falling for it either.  The town signs have been stolen several times.  The number of hikers up the mountain have more than doubled.  One resident, Valérie Austin, says she feels like a monkey at the zoo... wondering when someone is going to offer her a banana.  There have been reports that the price of real estate here has skyrocketed, but they are unfounded.  Another villager was quoted as saying "Why would you buy a house if the world was about to end?"  I am with him.  Journalists have booked all the rooms in local inns and B&Bs.  The military police have been called in to try to keep people off the mountain.  No one wants a cult mass suicide or anything stupid to happen.  One Parisian was quoted as saying (probably with a shrug and a little puff of air) "Why come to the only place on earth that will be spared the apocalypse if you want to commit suicide?  Wouldn't that be like trying to drown yourself while wearing a lifejacket?"  C'est logique, n'est-ce pas?
Steven Spielberg was supposedly influenced by the shape of Bugarach's pic and used it as his inspiration for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

 Photograph: AFP

But since Steven and I are not even epals, I can't ask him if that's true or not.  I did watch the movie, though, back in the day. Google to the rescue once again here... The movie came out in 1977 (more back in the day than I thought) and François Truffaut was in it, along with Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr.  So, there was a Frenchie in the movie...  Maybe I will see if I can round up a copy and watch that tomorrow night while sipping a little wine from Languedoc-Roussillon.  Perhaps some Pyrenees fromage and baguette.  Charcuterie peut-être.  Then, if the world does end, I will go happy.

(The newest ornament to grace my tree... my friends know me well.  Merci, BK!)

If you are curious what the little village of Bugarach looks like, check out the YouTube video.



Bon appétit and Happy December 21 to all!

You can't have too many...

How would you finish that statement?
Here's my list.  At least the ones I can think of at this moment.
You can't have too many ...

• really good friends.
• stamps in your passport.
• good books to read.
• favorite songs.
• people in your life who make you laugh out loud.
• cookie recipes.
• pretty scarves.
• shades of pink lipstick.
• people who love you.
• pens that write really well.
• little black dresses.
• ways to cook chicken breasts.
• lavender sachets.
• photos of people and places you love.
• funny jokes in your repertoire.
• wonderful childhood memories.
• homemade mac and cheese recipes.
• people you look up to.
• French words in your head.
• movies that you watch over and over.
• Eiffel Towers.

As for the last one, I added two more to my collection today.  Both gifts.  (I must have been really good this year!)  The beautiful ornament pictured above from one of my sweet girlies and my own personal 6 feet tall sparkling one.

It came from Lowe's (and that's the last name of the friend who gave it to me-- I just got that!) and I assembled it my very own self.  No tools required.  (Although I was sorely tempted to bend one of the pieces with pliers until it fit properly...)

Son #2 is home so I am baking up more macaroni and cheese than usual.  Here's my latest version from Pioneer Woman.

Macaroni and Cheese
from Ree Drummond

4 c. dried macaroni, cooked and drained
1 whole egg
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c. whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard, more if desired
1 pound sharp Cheddar (not pre-grated), plus more for baking
Salt
Seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Optional spices:  cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a small bowl, beat the egg.  In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour.  Whisk together over medium-low heat, whisking constantly.  Don't let it burn.  Pour in the milk; add the mustard and whisk until smooth.  Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg.  Whisk together until smooth.  Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly.  Stir until smooth.  Add in the cheese and stir to melt.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and the pepper.  Add any additional spices if desired.  Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed.  DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.  Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20-25 minutes.

Bon appétit to all of my favorite people and things!

Un peu de tout

It's been a busy week.  Exams and review sheets to prepare, extra help sessions and tutorials.  I have survived thanks to coffee and an occasional treat such as this half chocolate cupcake with peppermint icing.  Senora brought it to me.  I suspect it was from Hummingbird Bakery, but I do not know that for sure.
On Friday, we said au revoir to a French jeune homme who has been visiting our school for the past five weeks.  It has been a real pleasure to have him around.  I discovered that he gave French names to all the boys in the class.  Too funny.

Truth be told, he generated more excitement in class than I ever could.  C'est normal, je suppose.
I am now corresponding with his English teacher in Bordeaux.  A new Frenchie friend, peut-être.
I've been reading some F. Scott Fitzgerald, knitting Christmas gifts, listening to Michael Buble croon Christmas tunes, making lists and checking them twice (but doing very little actual shopping), and daydreaming about my upcoming January trip to France.
We put up our Christmas tree.  It was all ready for when Son #2 came home from college after his last final exam.

A TROSA tree again this year.  These guys are the best.  They put it in the stand for us and tied it up on the top of the car.  All with a smile.  They get their trees from Sparta, NC.   This snowman greets everyone who comes to the tree lot.

Here's my favorite ornament.

I love Santas.  This one seems a bit shy, though.

Here's another of my favorites.

I only tried out one new recipe this week.  And it's a keeper.  I have a hard time finding something easy, yet good, for breakfast.  Due to my messed up thyroid, I have to take Synthroid every morning and I am not supposed to eat for an hour.  By the time that hour has passed, I am usually quickly getting ready to dash out the door, hop into my car, and head to school.  So, breakfast isn't really on my mind at that point.  But I can stash a three or four of these in my bag and eat them on the way to school or when I get there and am getting the room (and myself) ready for the day.  I even shared one with an advisee boy and he actually liked it.  That's something.

Cleveland Clinic Oatmeal Cookies
makes 36

3 bananas, ripe
1/2 c. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 c. pecans, toasted and chopped
1/4 c. prunes, pitted, no sugar added, chopped
1 c. raisins
2 c. oatmeal, plain, old-fashioned

In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas.  Add canola oil, vanilla, pecans, walnuts, prunes, and raisins.  Mix well.  Add oatmeal and mix well.  Using a 1-ounce scoop, measure and drop on to parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Slightly push down with fingers to lightly flatten.  Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes.  remove from oven.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Bon appétit to all!

Easy-Bake Oven

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/should-boys-be-added-to-the-easy-bake-oven-commercials-take-theblaze-poll/

I desperately wanted one of these for Christmas when I was a little girl in Spruce Pine.  My cousin had one.  But my parents just couldn't afford it.  I survived.  I used the real oven.  I was not scarred for life.  I have no idea what they cost back in the '60's.  Wait!  I can google that, can't I?
Thanks to Hasbro's website, I found some facts.

• It was introduced in 1963 and cost $15.95.  (I was 5 years old, just for the record.)  That might not sound like much now, but to my parents that would have been a lot of money.
• There have been many updated models of it since then, reflecting popular kitchen colors.
• It was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2006.  (I had to google that, too... It is located in Rochester, NY.)

The latest version is the Ultimate Oven which costs $54.99, according to Hasbro's website.  To some parents, these days and times, that is still a small fortune.

http://www.hasbro.com/easy-bake/en_US/

In today's Durham Herald-Sun, I read an article that piqued my interest.  A four-year-old boy asked for an Easy-Bake Oven and a dinosaur for Christmas.  His 8th grade-age sister started a petition asking Hasbro to design the oven with little boys in mind.  Seems it comes in pink and purple with only little girls on the box.  A great many of the great chefs in the world are men and I personally know a lot of males who love to bake (not in my house, though).  Last year alone, my advisory group was treated to homemade Key Lime Pie, Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake, and French Chocolate Cake by three boys.  Needless to say, the design of the oven has not kept boys out of the kitchen.  But I like this young lady's spirit.  She gathered more than 30,000 signatures in just over a week and even drew the attention of celebrity chef Bobby Flay.  Hasbro responded, telling her that boys have indeed been featured on the boxes over the years.  I didn't find any in my google image search, but that doesn't mean there aren't any out there, of course.

http://www.advocate.com/society/youth/2012/12/04/easy-bake-oven-not-only-girls-says-13-year-old-petitioner

My morning baking, in my kitchen-sized Maytag gas oven, was muffins for the Ex-Ex's breakfast.  I used my go-to muffin recipe from Better Homes and Garden's New Cookbook Special Edition, but improvised with what is in the refrigerator... apples and some eggnog that College Son bought while he was home at Thanksgiving.  Only half of them are left, so I'd say he likes them.

Apple-Eggnog Muffins
makes 12

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 beaten egg
3/4 c. milk (I used eggnog)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored and chopped  (I used gala)


Grease 12 muffins cups or line with baking cups.
In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Make a well in the center; set aside.
In another bowl combine egg, milk and oil.
Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened.  Batter will be lumpy.  Do not over mix.
Stir in apples (or whatever you want to use-- I've used blueberries, cherries, peaches, dried fruit, etc.)
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each one two-thirds full.
Bake in preheated 400˚F oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes (if anyone can actually wait that long).
Remove from muffin cups.

Bon appétit-- Keep on baking- boys and girls!

Gingerbread Cookie Me

My advisory girlies got together this week to make cookies.  Gingerbread cookies.  They brought in two trays of them.  One tray held a cookie decorated to look like each of us.  So, here I am, wearing a pretty red scarf.

Here is one of the girlies, looking cute even as a cookie.

There was also a tray of "normal" gingerbread men.

He looks so happy.  Ready to be nibbled on.  I mean, isn't that what all cookies want?  To be eaten?  Isn't that their life's goal?  It certainly isn't to sit around and get all hard and moldy.  So, I helped this one out.  I made his day, so to speak.

And he still looks happy, even with no legs and a smushed eye.  (Of course, that could be due to the fact that he is leaning against a piece of peanut butter cheesecake made by Ms. Sunshine and delivered to me with a cup of peppermint mocha Starbucks.  More on that in the next post.)

I asked for the recipe and it was delivered to my inbox.  I plan to attempt them this weekend.

Old-Time Gingerbread Cookies
recipe from Erika Buell

5 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. shortening (butter-flavored Crisco-- if anyone has a true substitute for this, I am all ears, please send it on)
1 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
2 eggs

1.  Stir together dry ingredients; set aside.
2.  Melt shortening in a saucepan.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar and molasses.  Stir in eggs.
3.  Add wet ingredients to dry.  Mix thoroughly.
4.  Divide dough in half, wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least an hour.
5.   Roll dough onto lightly floured surface-- to  1/4 in. thick.  Cut with cookie cutters.
6.  Place cutouts on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.
7.  Bake in 375˚F oven for 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden.

Icing:
Sifted powdered sugar plus enough milk to make it spreadable.  Dye optional.
Pipe through sandwich bag with small opening cut at one corner.

Bon appétit to all cookie makers and eaters!

Caught in the act

Well, as you can plainly see, I was caught on camera last year trying to duck into a Paris taxi to head to the Gare de Lyon to catch the TGV.  I am such a stickler for fashion and trying to fit my hat and my suitcases in the back was almost more than I could handle.  And the darned paparazzi is just relentless, n'est-ce pas?  I was just minding my own business.  I wanted to yell "C'est pas tes oignons!" but I didn't want to miss my train to Avignon.  And I just didn't need a shouting match with the obnoxious photographes.  But the photo just surfaced and I felt I needed to explain it to my faithful readers.  So, just in case you see it splashed across the Enquirer or whatever magazine is in the checkout line at your local supermarché, now you know the real story.   Thank goodness, grâce à Dieu, you can't see Johnny Depp's the driver's face...

It certainly makes a good story and is believable if you've ever seen me and my suitcases in France.  But this wonderful photo was actually taken by Robert Doisneau, a photographer whose work I love.  It is called Montparnasse, août 1959.

I have had a busy work week.  Ouf!  Papers to grade, lessons to plan, grades to average, comments to write, an on-line class to finish up.  You get the picture.   But I also found time to go to the Nasher Museum at Duke University to see the amazing exhibit of art owned by the Cone Sisters of Baltimore.  The family had strong ties to North Carolina and I was very anxious to see Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters.  I actually stood in front of these two paintings--

I have been a Matisse fan since my first trip to Nice and visit to his museum there.  I've planned an optional outing for my 8th graders after they finish exams in a couple of weeks.  My 6th graders went to see it today.  I am very curious to see what they have to say about it tomorrow in class.  Nude vs naked.  I still remember the speech that Mme Buchanan gave us in high school.  I love The Pink Nude.  I am also very fond of The Blue Nude.

The longing for lavender and Provence also set in.  Quelle surprise...  I dug out the little remedy and recipe book I bought at the Abbaye de Sénanque this summer while there with the BFFs.

I found just what I needed.  A recipe that asked me chop dried lavender florets.  And bake them into little cakes.  And make my whole house smell delicious.  

The Ex-Ex ate three of them before they had time to even cool on the rack.  A success.  I think that next time I am going to add some orange zest to the recipe, just for fun.

Madeleines à la lavande
makes 12

7 1/2 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. dried lavender florets, chopped

Clarify the butter--  Melt it in a small saucepan.  Do not stir.  When melted, skim the foam off the top.  Mix (without beating) the eggs, sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.  Slowly pour in the warm clarified butter (leaving the white stuff on the bottom of the pan) and olive oil.  Stir in lavender.  Do not overmix.  Spoon into buttered madeleine tin.  Do not fill the molds full.  They need room to rise a bit.  Bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated 350˚ oven.  Remove from oven and remove cakes from mold while still warm.

I filled mine a little too full and they were harder to get out of the pan and they didn't all keep their shape.

I am now on the hunt for the perfect fruitcake recipe.  I am the only one in my family who likes it, but I want to make it anyway.  Oh, I usually eat the store bought kind.  But I really want to make my own this year.  I will ask my friend Google for help.

Bon appétit to all kinds of cakes, cake bakers, and cake eaters!  And to Robert Doisneau for his wonderful photos!

Blog Stat Olympics

Ok, so here I sit doing my weekly homework (although my students always seem shocked that I, too, have homework).  I got bored so I decided to check the stats on the blog.  I am sometimes a little obsessed with them, I admit.  Here are the results for the week of November 18-25, 2012:

Gold medal:  United States with 322 readers

http://www.revivethespirit.com/us-flag-code

Silver medal:  France with 68 readers

http://empiresandallies.wikia.com/wiki/French_Flag

Bronze medal:  Germany with 52 readers

http://www.photo-dictionary.com/phrase/1421/german-flag.html#b

The United Kingdom, Canada, Chili, Russia, Kuwait, Spain, and Australia are all in double digits.

The most read blog entry is always Ratatouille and La Bastille from July 14, 2010.  This week, it had 109 readers.

To celebrate, I think I will take a little break and make some hot chocolate.  It's chilly outside and I must have a bit of fortification before continuing with the homework, n'est-ce pas?

My quick-fix recipe:
Heat milk to simmering.  Drop in some of my 52% Nestlé Dessert stash of chocolate usually reserved to make mousse au chocolat, pots de crème or chocolate pudding.  Stir until the chocolate melts.  Use whatever you have in the cupboard or in your own secret stash.  Add marshmallows or whipped cream, if you wish.  Gulp Sip while still hot. 

If you are in the mood for something fancier or have someone to impress or if you've just finished watching the movie Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, try this recipe, from Joanne Harris, the author of Chocolat.  If you haven't seen this movie, rent it, but be sure to have the ingredients for this hot chocolate on hand because you are really going to want some when it's over.

Vianne's Spiced Hot Chocolate
from My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde
Serves 2  (you and Johnny Depp, peut-être...)

1 2/3 c. milk
1/2 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 hot red chile, halved and seeded
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet (70%) chocolate
Brown sugar to taste (optional)
Whipped cream, chocolate curls, cognac, or Amaretto, to serve

Place the milk in a saucepan, add the vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and chile and gently bring it to a shivering simmer for 1 minute.  Grate the chocolate and whisk it in until it melts.  If you must, then add brown sugar, but try to do without it.  Take off the heat and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the vanilla, cinnamon, and chile.  Return to the heat and bring gently back to a simmer.  Serve in mugs topped with whipped cream, chocolate curls, or a dash of cognac or Amaretto.

Bon appétit à tous!  Keep reading!