Afternoon walk

Christmas recap

Well things went really well for our first time hosting Christmas. Everyone arrived at the end of the afternoon for an apéritif (my MIL brought lots of bottles of bubbly for the occasion!) I served Deviled eggs which went over well, along with some bought puff pastry nibblies.
For dinner I made a Chapon which MG and I thought was a castrated turkey - turns out it was a castrated chicken but given the size of it (3,5kg!) I kept calling it a turkey anyway... So that turned out yummy and we had it with mashed potatoes & gravy, polenta, green beans & bacon, stuffing and carrots!
Afterwards sticking with local tradition we had a trou normand to help us digest before attacking the cheese and then dessert. I made a hazelnut/blackberry cake that my FIL adores and a pumpkin pie which everyone loved. I snuck upstairs for a 6 way google hangout with my dad, sister, uncles and grandparents which was SO fun!
By then we were stuffed and exhausted so we opened our stockings (it was my little surprise this year - I made personalized stockings for the family! I think it's a tradition that should take hold here!!) and I think they all liked them along with the goodies inside! Then we watched a movie.
But we voted 3 to 2 to open the rest of the presents the following day (Christmas morning).
After a relaxed breakfast of challah and lots of coffee we finally got into it ;-) and there were fantastic gifts all around!
We kept it simple the rest of the day, leftovers for lunch and Carcassonne all afternoon.
I called my mom after they had left and did another FaceTime chat with my sister in Oz. I love technology!!

So all in all a great Christmas weekend. We're seeing some friends tomorrow & invited for NYE so between now and then it's time to relax a bit because I got offered a 3 month contract starting January 3rd :-)

Merry Christmas!!

The Grinch

Just kidding, Mystery Guest isn't stealing Christmas! But I do have a question for you faithful readers..

As a kid growing up in the US of A we always had real Christmas trees that we picked out each year and brought home. Dad would fish out the Christmas stand from wherever it was being stored and we'd have to screw it into place before putting the tree skirt around it and decorating it. Now a key part in my memory was to make sure there was always water in the stand so the tree wouldn't dry out. I finally found such a stand in France and this year when we were picking out our live tree (at a nursery, not the grocery store) I asked how long ago it had been cut to make sure we weren't getting an old dry one. She said well it doesn't matter, once it's cut it's no longer a living plant but wood. So I explained that we'd always put water for our trees. She said it was a myth and that there was absolutely no point in watering a cut tree.

Thoughts???

I'm torn, she seemed very knowledgable and qualified but I just remembering the tree "drinking" a lot more water than could have naturally evaporated...


What I do love is that they put it in the net after you pick it out - SO much easier to transport!!

Fall

 Fall is officially in the air. We've had several sunny days but not the hot sun that we randomly had the beginning of October but a crisp autumn sun - we've even had frost the last 2 mornings!

All this makes me want to pick up my knitting needles - so I finally finished a project that I started back in April, my first attempt at a linen stitch and it turned out beautiful if I do say so myself!

 We've also started eating all the fall squashes, here are a few that are just dying to be turned into soup or pureed... (the one in the back is from MY garden!!! little mini jack 'o lantern!)

 Last night we went out with some friends to dinner at an amazing restaurant in Bricquebec. The old castle has been turned into a hotel and the restaurant is downstairs. I think they've really beefed up their menu and everything was just perfect! I had an appetizer of sautéed shrimp with a spicy mango dipping sauce, main course was duck breast with an orange sauce, a mushroom cap stuffed with carrot puree and a stuffed baked apple. YUM. Then there was of course the local cheese plate (some of which LouLou is going to be tasting soon!) and then dessert... oh my god dessert... It was the most fantastic chocolate cake. The crust was a sort of marzipan base and then there were layers and layers of different chocolate mousses topped with a silky chocolate ganache. I'm drooling just thinking about it! The best thing is that out here we don't have big city prices and the whole menu ran for 29 euros - not bad me thinks!

When we arrived the last bit of sunlight was fading away... you'll have to excuse the iPhone camera but it didn't do such a bad job of capturing the moment. :)

I've got to get back to getting things ready... the family invades in a week!

carrot

I bought purple carrots at the market today. They are more expensive than the normal carrots but I just couldn't resist...

I also planted all the bulbs I bought last week. I always told myself that if I were to put money into gardening that I would first buy things that were actually productive, that you could eat. But this spring I found myself pining for some color with all the dreary grey skies we were having.

So this year I bought 3 bags of bulbs for 14 euros; narcissus, hyacinths and irises and planted them down by the mailbox. It was totally worth the 5 euros for the hand bulb planter. Now I just need to wait for the spring to see if they bloom!

summer's over...

What really cracked me up when I was in Paris last weekend was all the bloggers asking how my garden was going! So I'm happy to report that even though we were basking in the summer sun last week the weather has decidedly turned to autumn. But my garden isn't done yet! I've picked over 2kg of wild blackberries that grow EVERYWHERE! Every other day I go out and pick a small handful of raspberries.

Nothing is better than raspberries still cool in the morning.

My spaghetti squash is starting to change color with a yellow hue slowly replacing the green.

And my pumpkins! I've got 3 that are starting to turn orange! They won't win any contests for the biggest pumpkin but I'm hoping they'll cook up nice 'n tasty :)

I also have a little mini forest of wax beans that I planted the beginning of August. I've snacked on a few while touring around the garden and they are tasty even raw.

(Mystery Guest thinks I'm nuts for eating raw beans...)

My mini harvest of wax beans! Last night when I got home there was a big bag of green beans on our doorstep (love the neighbors) so I think we'll be eating some beans tonight!

  

Other than that the corn is slowly coming along. I had a peak inside one husk and the kernels haven't quite plumped up yet - I'm hoping they will before long!

deux americaines dans la manche

I met one of my good friends, Sarah, when we both lived in Caen and worked at the university. Since then I moved out to the countryside and Sarah moved to Paris to get her Masters and then as of a few months ago, get an amazing job doing what she loves in Paris.

But every hardworking Parisian girl deserves a break in the countryside! This weekend happened to be one where her boyfriend was on a business trip and where my Mystery Guest was gone helping some friends with their house in haute-normandie.

So girly weekend in Normandy it was! Luckily for us the weather is the best we've had this September, beautiful sunny skies, no cold wind but a gentle warm breeze and of course the scenery around here is pretty spectacular!

It was mademoiselle's request to eat at the Auberge des Grottes which is a charming restaurant out on the very tip of the peninsula a the Nez de Jobourg. They didn't have any place left for dinner so we decided to go for lunch. What an amazing lunch, oysters on the halfshell, sauteed scallops, lamb, cheeses and dessert... YUM. Plus the restaurant is literally out on the tip and our table had one of the best views overlooking the sea.

After lunch we decided to take a hike and we ended up at a quiet little cove where you could hear the waves rolling over the pebbles making the most delightful tinkling sound - Sarah said it should be the sound you put on those machines to fall asleep. I agree. I was too lazy to take off my shoes to dip my feet but Sarah went for it. I had my camera all prepared to catch her screams as her feet hit the ice cold water but she said that it was not cold but refreshing - a true Normande :)

I had wanted to take her to visit a Cidrerie in the area but apparently you had to reserve the guided tours in advance... oh well next time! We still go to wander around the orchard (full of ripe apples!) and sample some of the apple juices, ciders etc and bought a couple bottles of course.

When we got home we took a little walk around to enjoy the end of the day and ran into my neighbor. When we mentioned that we had been out to Jobourg she asked if we had seen Paul.... ummm... didn't know any Paul... Turns out there was a book and then a documentary written about a old farmer and his life. She gave us a lesson in patois and then lent us the DVD and we watched it last night. It was so sweet and it was fun to see the same scenery that we had just seen that day. The only problem was that Paul really mumbles and half speaks in patois so I think we missed quite a bit of dialog!

Blackberries!

 No no, don't worry I haven't switched to a CrackBerry, I still have my trusty iPhone!

But it is blackberry season! They are ripe much earlier than last year and they are big and beautiful! I just went to go pick for 20 minutes or so just around the house and came back with a big bowl full. The weather is just stunning today, warm and sunny with no wind - my kind of September day!
 

Don't you just want to lick the screen?? 

Milk

I was chatting with my neighbor (who has left goodies such as potatoes, rhubarb, eggs etc on our doorstep and I leave cookies, apple jelly etc on hers) and it came up that she goes down to fetch milk from her friend's farm. She offered to get me a litre if I wanted.

Of course I jumped at the chance! Her friend has a non-registered organic farm but doesn't sell to individuals so even when I offered to pay she wouldn't let me.

As promised when we got home today I saw this little mini milk jug on our doorstep full of whole raw milk! Yum!

Thanks neighbor!

Chickens and rainbows

Last night I looked out our sliding glass door only to notice a chicken out for a stroll on our newly paved road. It must have flown the coop - literally.

As we were cracking up I looked over and there was the most beautiful double rainbow on either rise of the house; the first one I've seen since we moved here.

I take the escaped chicken and rainbow as good signs :-)

kayaking to dinner

 (please excuse the bad  pictures, my cell phone camera doesn't do well when I'm moving and trying to take a picture at the same time! Didn't want to take my big camera on the water so you'll get the idea...)

One of our friends invited us to join them and their friends/family on an outing last night. After a summer of fairly crappy weather it turned out to be a hot and beautiful day Friday so we had high hopes for Saturday evening. The skies finally cleared and a nice warm September sun came out when we hit the water and kayaked 17km downstream.

We saw cows.

 The view from the river, in the winter this river floods the surrounding wetlands.

 The sun setting behind us.

 We arrived at our destination about 2 hours later just as the sun was getting low in the sky. Apparently this auberge and the surrounding houses used to be a port in the wetlands back in the day...

 It was the most amazing still evening, not a poil de vent, not a wisp of wind and the sun was warm and toasty as we enjoyed a rosé apératif as we watched the sun set.

 Then we moved on over to the auberge and had a nice tasty meal.

The best part? They came and picked up the kayaks and so we didn't have to paddle back at midnight when we finally finished eating dinner! That and today it is now pouring buckets outside, torrential rain I tell you! Lucky us, it was a wonderful way to start the weekend :)

My neighbor's house... How French :-)

Garden progress

Sadly my tomatoes kicked the bucket with some mysterious (to me) disease... The rest is doing well though!














Corn!!!

Baby pumpkin!!


















Teenage spaghetti squash being a typical teenager and trying to escape!

peach pie 2.0

I made peach pie this morning. The last time I made one was two years ago according to my blog!  We're invited to a friend's house for lunch and I wanted to take a dessert that wasn't too rich and chocolaty. I got some white peaches and even made my own crust this time around. I'll let you know how it tastes... I can't really cut a slice out before we go... although I'd love to!

Garden update

 Yup, garden update. I ran around taking pictures of my garden to blog while Mystery Guest started up the BBQ! We had his family over for a good 'ol fashioned American BBQ for lunch. On the menu? Homemade burgers (this ain't no MacDo!), marinated chicken, potato salad (with purple potatoes!) and his mom brought over some salad and some carottes rapees. Unlike a French lunch there was no entree nor cheese course but we did start off with an apero before hitting the cheeseburgers and fixins! Of course for dessert I had to go a bit nuts with not only cookies but a big Red Velvet that always impresses people :) Yum.

So everything was yummy and we had a great time sitting outside enjoying the sun (which decided to show itself after a good week of rain around here - good timing!) and I gave a couple tours of my garden:

 Blueberries on the left, tomatoes in the middle and a combination of pumpkin, butternut and corn to the right.

 Monster pumpkin!

 Love the little tendrils that hook on to anything and everything!

 Zucchini!

job update

This week has been busy, a huge learning curve and on my feet all day. Plus I'm working Tuesdays through Saturday so now that it's Sunday I'm totally confused!

This have been going well. Luckily I'm familiar with the computer system from my experience with the Company last year but it's a whole new world other than that. Before I was on the phone all day, in English. Now I'm on my feet all day and dealing with customers face to face in French - aside from the random English person coming in and then asking where I learned my perfect English (haha).

I think the hardest thing is dealing with numbers. I know my numbers in French but have always had a hard time with rapid fire telephone numbers etc. So when someone comes in and spits out their number I'm trying to catch up on the quatre-vingt-douze etc by typing in a 8 first then deleting it for a 9 and then missing out on the rest of what they've just told me. But I'm getting better.

Surprisingly I haven't had too many comments on my accent, maybe once a day but never criticizing, just curiosity which is nice especially considering that I'm not working in a big city so people aren't exposed to that many foreigners around here and country folk can be extremely wary of foreigners. Luckily here in Normandy Americans still have a very good reputation from the war (not like the English and their more recent, and well deserved I might add, reputation) so when I do say I'm American people smile instead of giving me snide comments.

So the job it self is going pretty good so far. It's a one-month contract for now but there is a chance it could be  prolonged. But at least it's a great experience, my first 100% French job for a big French company and that will be nice to put on my CV in any case.

First zucchini of the season!

Blueberries from the garden for dessert!

garden update!

For those of you interested my little garden is coming along! It's just been just under 1 month since I planted (some seedlings and some from seed) and it's looking pretty good! We've had alternating hot sunny weather and really really rainy weather and apparently it makes for happy plants.
I've got sweet corn, spaghetti squash (flowering), zucchini (baby zucchinis!), pumpkin, butternut squash, cherry tomatoes (taking over the garden!), normal tomatoes, basil and blueberries!
Yesterday I planted some wax/butter beans cause the box I saw in the store said they could be planted through August. I thought I had missed my chance with beans but I thought why not, let's give it a try!

an egg

I know what you're thinking, it's an egg - a boring white egg.

Actually no, it's an egg from our neighbor's chickens, free range happy chickens. What happened was on Wednesday I made a big Red Velvet cake.

Yup right?? You betcha!!! It was a friend's birthday and he would have spent it commuting and not celebrating so we invited him over for dinner and to celebrate his birthday. Birthdays in my book are special, they are celebrations that can last for a good week if need be. So I made a BIG special cake - for three of us... I don't know if you can tell but that is one big mofo cake! The friend took about half of it to work the next day to pawn it off on colleagues and I divided up the rest and went over to the neighbor's. 

That's always the tricky thing when you "stop by" the neighbor's, you are always invited for a coffee and it can take quite some time to actually leave. I wanted to make it quick so Mystery Guest stayed at home ("I need to get back MG is waiting for me to eat") which worked pretty well. But my neighbor said since I couldn't stay would I like a couple of her eggs? 

Yup!! She gave me a dozen eggs!! That's not a couple but as she pointed out, a couple to eat soft boiled, a couple for a cake, a couple for a quiche and pretty soon no more eggs! I always like getting eggs from her, they have the yellowest yolks possible! I made pancakes with them and I swear it looked like I had added corn flour to the batter!

Whew! All that to say that the thing that really struck me yesterday is that the eggs are mostly white. 

White you say? Of course! 

In my America (to use a KylieMac expression) store bought eggs are always white and eggs from the farmer's market are more "rustic" and tend to be brown. In France I have looked high and low for white eggs to decorate for Easter (try decorating brown ones? yeah, the dye doesn't do much...!) and here I find them, fresh from the neighbor's chickens! 

In my mind that's all sorts of backwards. And the end to my long winded story... 

... about an egg.