Chicken + Red Wine !

It's as simple as it sounds.  Chicken, red wine and just the one pot.  Oh...and a little love.

I love the shift to Winter my mind, body and routine takes.  Bit by bit, slowing down.  Not completely, as that would be too good to be true, but just enough to notice.  I seem to take longer over my morning latte.  I'm in bed earlier.  The food in my kitchen cooks for longer.

This dish is not the true coq au vin.  However, it is chicken slow cooked in red wine and I did use French wine, so I'm still going to say it's somewhat French.  Perhaps French inspired?

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Blueberry + Almond Cake !

How do you go to France and not eat the patisseries?

You tell me.

It's not that I was pressed up against the store windows with drool dripping off my chin, and no one force fed me.  I just suddenly became aware, like waking from a dream, of a plate, a cake and a fork in my hand.  Seriously, how does that happen?

You may wonder why I even mention it here, but when you've not eaten refined sugar and gluten for a few years....you have to wonder?

Even though French patisseries are no longer my treat of choice, I ate every forkful with utter love and not a single ounce of guilt attached.

Yes, I did suffer later.

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The Parisian Kitchen !

I have a crush.  A big fat one.  I have a crush on the most beautiful apartment in all of Paris.  A crush on the delicious food we created in that beautiful apartment.  And a big big crush on the gorgeous Benedicte who runs the lovely cooking school (which is the reason why I cooked the delicious food in the beautiful apartment) known as The Parisian Kitchen .  I even love the name.

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Madam Yoghurt !

We are what we eat.  So I keep getting told.  So what am I if I’m addicted to yoghurt?

I even have my own yoghurt lady here in Paris.

I nearly wet my pants when she said she remembered us when we shuffled through her fromagerie door, tired and in need of a hit of dairy.  She didn’t know that of course, as I like to think I played the aloof, professional and worldly traveller.

I love the white stuff so much, I have the tiny little glass jars it comes in at home to prove it.  Some people collect stamps or teaspoons.....

Is it sad to admit that they filled a whole box when I recently moved house?

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La Cuisine du Sucre !

There are moments in life when you have to throw away all of your rules.  Suck up the suffering and pain for later and simply jump head first into the unknown.

This was what I did today.

I don't have an overly sweet tooth.  I tend to avoid refined sugars (in fact all sugars) where I possibly can, and you'll rarely see me order dessert (unless it's a latte or cheese platter).

But today.....

Today I took part in a taste bud journey.

Today I ate 5 desserts....in a row!

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The Broken Arm !

With the Marais street market bustling away just outside its door, The Broken Arm is a little refuge  away from the noise, elbow pushing and cigarette smoke.

I've got my vintage teaspoons and the most gorgeous old ceramic coiffure jar tucked safely away in my bag.

Ella Fitzgerald is playing.  Slabs of lemon poppy seed cake on the bench.  The coffee is REALLY good.  

REALLY good!

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Back in Paris....Part II

With 7 hours of solid walking under our belt, a big degustation lunch (which was pushing out said belt), and a few chosen treasures, purchased by moi, safely ensconced in my bag from the big street market which happened to be going on in the Marais, we decided that we deserved it to be wine o'clock time.  Right now.

La Manger du Marais was our wine bar of choice (well, truthfully we just happened to be walking past it when wine o'clock hit).  

With its welcoming cushioned seats, big smiling (kinda cute) waiter, delicious rose and jazzy tunes it was the perfect choice for these two weary chickadees.

Ah Paris.  Part II is definitely off to a good start.

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Oh la la lunch !

Have you ever walked out the door of a restaurant and had to use all of your willpower not to curl up in the fetal position and rock like a little baby because your belly was so full and your eyes were so heavy?

This was me five minutes after the last photo was taken below.  

I was ready to let my body free fall and smack the pavement head first, falling into a deep food coma for the rest of the afternoon.

 Crap, I still had to act like a lady and get home before that was to happen!

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Day Trip to Normandy !

Holy hell….my life has just changed.  For the better?  I don’t know, only time will tell, but I have just tasted creme fermier

for the first time and there is no looking back.  No more Australian boring old cream for me.  It’s what the people of Normandy call "produced on a farm" cream.  The real deal. I couldn’t slurp up enough of it from the bottom of my bowl which was filled with pesky mussels that kept getting in the way of my gluttony.  If I could have intravenously hooked it up, I truly think I would have.

How was I to know that a little day trip to the countryside would change my belief system.  The day started out pretty normally.  With books, camera and an overly sweet and crappy vending machine coffee in our hands, we bordered the early morning train to Normandy.  A lunch date with our friend Janyce in the seaside village of Etretat  awaited us.

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Telescope !

Earlier today I fell in love.

The most gorgeous vintage teapot, made in France, is now settled snuggly in my suitcase.  With its gorgeous flower detail and dark green leather handle, I handed my 30 euro over to the old French monsieur who’s cigarette hung comfortably and expertly out the side of his mouth.

Only in France.

To celebrate my new love - we ordered our third coffee of the day.  In fact, it turned out to be the best coffee of the day.

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