I wanted to send you all my very best wishes for 2014 but couldn’t find anything interesting to write except the usual good health, love and success banalities… Then yesterday, when I was about to throw in the towel and make a stupid list of all my favorite recipes of 2013, I received this incredible…
Category: Art de vivre & Design
Where there’s love… – Là où il y a de l’amour…
(En Français plus bas) I was just telling my friend Elizabeth (do check out her great art work here) what a hard time I was having writing this post about our Christmas here in Bordeaux. It’s just that there were so many pictures to sort through; I just didn’t know where to start… So I’ll…
A challenge for the REAL foodies out there
The idea came to me last evening as I was preparing dinner. All I had left in the pantry were really good potatoes from the Farmer’s Market. So I made French fries and ate them with just a bit of salt. I could not remember when I had enjoyed just plain French fries for the…
More deco ideas for Christmas – Encore des idées déco pour Noël
I’m still doing some research for Christmas. Boy do I love Pinterest! I am definitely making the family photo lanterns for the table and the little houses to plug into the coffee cups! I am also thinking of a bird cage with paper angels in it… Does anyone have a great recipe for cookies. I…
The Cinderella meets Marie Antoinette Soup – Quand Cendrillon rencontre Marie Antoinette
(In English below) Il ne s’agit pas ici de réinventer la poudre, et certainement pas la recette de la soupe au potiron. Soupe de nos Grand Mères par excellence, il y en a des dizaines de recettes. Voici la mienne: Faites revenir 1 oignon et 200g de lardons fumés dans une cocotte Pelez et coupez…
Secret research for the best Christmas ever – A la recherche du Noël parfait
(En Français plus bas) My search for the perfect Christmas did not really need to take place since, for me, all that’s needed for Christmas to be perfect is to have my family around me… However this year, I am the one hosting the event and I want everything to be perfect. We will be…
French Soul Food for the Fall – Nourriture pour l’âme
(En Français plus bas) I call this French Soul Food, but only because I use what we call “Paris” mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporus) and white wine from “The Graves” region in this recipe. Mushroom soup and/or cream of mushroom, in its many forms, is considered soul food in just about any culture… This specific recipe for mushroom soup…
Per Doctor’s orders: a heavy dose of light and beauty – Ordres du médecin: lumière et beauté à haute dose
(En Français plus bas) When we were young, my parents would take my cousin Bruno and I skiing in the Alps every year in February. One year, as we were on our way to the mountains, I fainted outside a hotel we were staying at. The doctor came and said that my blood sugar was…
Your French Heaven is here!
My dear friends, I need your expertise! If you have been following My French Heaven, you know that what I enjoy most in life, what makes me come most alive, is sharing my love for France, our culture, our way of life, our culinary traditions… While I have been doing this on the blog –…
My secret recipe for the French country kitchen fragrance – Le parfum
(En Français plus bas – Bien plus bas) After my sight, my sense of smell is the one that moves me the most. We all have our favorite smells and fragrances. They trigger memories of childhood or other significant periods of our lives. Just a sniff over mom’s Bourguignon can make me feel good and…
Simple delights of my late summer days – Simplicité de saison
(In English below) je crois que c’est le plus vieux souvenir que j’ai de vrais moments partagés avec mon père: cueillir puis ouvrir, peler et déguster les noix fraîches sur l’arbre… Avec les mûres et les figues (qui…
Cook with your kids! Home Made Sardine Rillettes – Cuisinez avec vos enfants! Rillettes de sardines maison
(En Français plus bas) Piano lessons, soccer, drawing and painting lessons, tennis or pony riding; all are fine activities for our children. But what about cooking lessons? Taking time to teach our kids how to cook and how to eat is (or should be) a priority. It is such an amazing opportunity to spend time…
Heart and Soul – Coeur et âme
(In English below) J’ai toujours pensé qu’un marché traditionnel représentait le coeur et l’âme d’un pays: Le marché et toujours au centre du village ou de la ville. Il est au centre de la communauté. Le marché se tient souvent le samedi ou le dimanche. On ne fait pas ses courses (à la course), on…
Norwegian flair in the deep French countryside – Influence Norvégienne au coeur de la Charente
(En français plus bas) We drove up to the Charente region last Saturday to celebrate my brother Dominic’s and his wife Catherine’s 60th birthdays. The Charente region is just an hour north. That’s where Cognac brandy is produced. Another corner favorite corner of my French heaven :0) I mentioned Norway in the title, because since…
Raw memories! – Simplement cru!
L’une de mes crudités préférées. Un peu de beurre, un peu de sel et mes souvenirs d’enfance reviennent à la vie… One of my favorites things to eat raw. A little bit of butter, a little bit of salt and all my childhood memories come back to life…
Clos Mirande, heaven on earth – Clos Mirande, un paradis sur terre
(En Français plus bas) Whenever my guests at the B&B ask what my favorite restaurant is, the answer is always the same: Le Clos Mirande. It is, to me, the archetype of the perfect French country restaurant. My guests can also walk there through the vineyard, which, in the sunset, is probably the most romantic…
Bastille Day Lunch at my Sister’s – Un dimanche à la campagne
(In English below) Nous ne sommes pas vraiment à la campagne, mais ma soeur à fait planter un potager dans sa maison de ville cette année et nous profitons maintenant des légumes les plus frais. Ses petites carottes sont à mourir… Au menu de ce midi, quelques dorades pêchées hier au Cap Ferret et parfaitement…
From the market to my grill – Aloyau sur les sarments de vigne
(En Français plus bas) Here in Bordeaux, we use the branches from the vines (sarments) to grill our meat (and fish!). It gives it a smoky taste like no other. The branches are cut off the vines around february every year so the tree can be bent into shape for the season to come. We…
MY FRENCH HEAVEN 