julia child – Jennifer Michie

November 17, 2009 / 0 Comments

Je reve en Francaise

Je reve en Francaise, or I dream in French. I was starting a little Christmas shopping this morning and as I was looking at French General’s website, I saw these stickers and they made me smile! We pretended to be French last night and made Julia Child’s “Chicken with mushrooms” for dinner with garlic whipped potatoes and steamed green beans.

It was the most wonderful comfort food for a cold day and it made me long for Paris. I wanted to wash the dishes, grab our coats and scarfs and head out to one of our cafes along the river, for a glass of wine and a little jazz.

One of our favorites is a little place called, Le Petit Pont. They give you baskets of hot salty popcorn to munch on while you imbibe and there is usually a good jazz singer at the piano. It is wonderful sitting outside under the toasty warm lamps and just taking in Paris.

I dream in French, I dream of France; especially this time of year when the weather has turned and the Christmas markets will soon be up. The joy of Christmas shopping in Paris, where your gifts are beautifully wrapped and stopping at Angelina’s for a hot chocolate is a must in the frosty weather.

But, Paris is not in the cards at the moment, so I will just have to continue to reve en Francaise.

Visit French General’s website if you have not before. Kaari Meng’s books are so beautiful , I have given them many times as gifts, they are a treasure to go back to again and again.If for nothing else than to just stare at the sumptuous images.Click on the Image above to go to French General’s website.

(All Images copyright French General)

September 21, 2009 / 0 Comments

It Happened Again…

We couldn’t help ourselves, still ooohing and ahhing over Saturday night’s dinner, we did it again and this time it was even better than before, if that is possible? My husband pan fried the bread to perfection!

We dove in as soon as they were ready and with olive oil and tomato juices running down our chins we toasted the last pink light of sunset.

Darkness is coming more quickly now, no more natural light till 9pm, soon it will be hot chocolate, hats & scarfs, and cozy candles lit everywhere weather. Autumn is here.

The pumpkins are out at the market and yesterday while picking up more tomato salad supplies, I spied a gorgeous fat pumpkin with a perfect squat little stem. As I walked by he just so happened to leap into my arms and come home with me. He is now adorning my hearth. My first Fall treasure.

September 19, 2009 / 1 Comment

Julie & Julia

My husband surprised me and took me to the movies on this cloudy fall day we are having here. We saw “Julie & Julia” and we laughed, cried, and left feeling the great need to run for the station and get on the first Eurostar to Paris, so we could be eating in on of our favorite hangouts before midnight.

Alas, we have settled for delicious pan fried bread overflowing with a fresh tomato and basil salad we came home and whipped up, all inspired by this sumptuous movie! If you have not seen it, you must, what an absolute treat! Meryl Streep has Julia Child pegged!

I have always been a fan of Julia Child, her humor and passion for food was a delight to see onscreen. I used to watch her cooking show with Jacques Pepin when I was in College, that was the highlight of my Saturday morning.

She inspired so many people and in cooking with her you seem to aspire to great things as well, Paris comes alive in your kitchen and before you know it you can imagine bustling down the Rue Mouffetard and stuffing your basket with bread and vegetables, inhaling the scent of chickens roasting and the scrumptious potatoes underneath them being cooked in the dripping chicken fat. In France it is so easy to live off the markets, you hardly ever need to step inside a grocery store.

The markets are so tangible and alive the best of Paris at your feet and fingertips. I must stop talking of food as I am getting hungry again for the taste of baguettes and warm oozing Brie with apricots spilling over the top, a candlelit table, a glass of good wine and more importantly, good company, what more could you want? Bon Appetit!

To see Julie Powell’s original Blog click below:
http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/2002/08/25.html

June 19, 2009 / 0 Comments

The Cookie Jar

Food, like music, is a cultural transcendent. We bond over food. In looking at our cultural and geographical diversities we do have similar dishes to one another. The smell, look, taste and even thoughts of food conjure up very powerful memories for me. For better or for worse, food makes me happy. I have only to think of Paris and I can see the patisserie my sister and I visited near the apartment we were staying in. What could be better than sugar for breakfast? We feasted like Marie Antoinette on pastel colored cakes, éclairs, iced in chocolate, with billowing clouds of pastry cream oozing out and strawberries delicately sliced on top.

The aroma of something delicious wafting out of an oven door or an open window brings to mind childhood reminiscences. I grew up in an unusual household, in that both of my parents are excellent cooks. Through them I have learned to cook and to trust my instincts in the kitchen, to know if something is “right” by the smell, the look, the taste.

The food was just as important as the company. We all ate dinner together. That was our time to talk, to be. It took time to make the meal and therefore it should take time to enjoy it. We caught up on our day, on what was coming up for us in school, in work. Both of my parents worked and yet we still ate healthy balanced meals and they made time to be with us, no matter how tired they were.

It is a sad comment on today’s society that food companies are now making commercials to encourage us to prepare their particular meal in the hopes that we will have a “family night” once a week to enjoy it. Family night is every night. It should be the core of your household; the kitchen is after all the “heart of the home”. But, maybe the problem lies with us instead, with the busier we get as a society and the more media based we become, possibly the only option is for the media to encourage us to get back down to family basics.

As I was doing a little research I came across an old Susan Branch newsletter pertaining to some of her cookie recipes. I have always loved her illustrations, wishing I had that talent. I have given her books to friends in the past knowing they will thoroughly enjoy thumbing through them with a good cup of hot cocoa or tea, but at the same time, I am sad to not be keeping it for myself as my own little treasure to go back to again and again.

Having made some of her recipes in the past I wanted to share this link with you; I am not sure which I enjoy more the recipes or just staring over the charming illustrations surrounding them. As Julia Child says, “Bon Appétit”!

Please Click on the Cookie Jar to go to Susan Branch’s Website.

(recipe card image taken from “Recovered Recipes“)