Everyday French Bread

The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star. - Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin Isolation. Confinement. Quarantine.  Scary words. Possibly even more frightening than the disease itself in that complete isolation from the world outside is, for most of us, upon us now, our reality. While the dreaded disease ...

French Apple Cake

Wednesday, September 28, 2016 11 , , , , Permalink 6

Let them eat cake. – Marie Antoinette While my own parents were making pies with frozen shells and canned filling or cakes from boxed mixes, my future mother-in-law was feeding her family on homemade treats. Apricot or plum halves pressed into sugary, crumbly pâte sablée or rich quatres-quart made with butter, milk, sugar and flour. Simple ...

Green Tomato Jam

Saturday, October 24, 2015 11 No tags Permalink 0

Homegrown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes What would life be like without homegrown tomatoes? Only two things that money can't buy That's true love and homegrown tomatoes. - John Denver, 'Home Grown Tomatoes' Raymonde stands in the lobby of the hotel legs slightly apart, vaguely military, hands clasped behind her back when not stretched out in front of her punctuating her ...

Small Town Life

Sunday, May 31, 2015 10 , , Permalink 0

A small town is a place where there's no place to go where you shouldn't. - Burt Bacharach I like the small-townness of Chinon. Everyone seems to know one another but not in an American small-town way; the knowing is very discreet, a restrained nod of the head in passing, a simple acknowledgement of recognition, of ...

Welcome to Chinon

Sunday, February 1, 2015 23 No tags Permalink 0

Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace. - Eugene O'Neill A stroll through the beautiful city of Chinon, and the fairytale of living in France returned and ignited my esprit. Each afternoon ramble through the narrow medieval streets of this picturesque village with its swags of roses ...