Ginger and Nutmeg had been on the road for 12 days travelling to Italian cities and ski resorts. They arrived back in Aix en Provence after a 9+ hour drive, and it took a full day to get through the laundry, pick up Jade from the “doggie spa” and buy some groceries.  It was at some point that day, that they noticed a text message from Truffle – he was just a few kilometers away. His planned high-mountain ski randonnée in Corsica had been cancelled due to awful conditions.  The great news is Truffle was in town and could come for dinner, the bad news: what do you serve a guy who makes foie gras and magret de canard for regular pre-dinner snacks? Dinner was fine, the wine and company much better.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Bouillabaisse Recipe, Food in France, Provence Travel, Seafood Recipes, Top Marseille Restaurants

The coastal city of Genoa (Genova in Italian) was Ginger and Nutmeg’s first overnight stop en-route to the Carnevale di Venezia and the Italian ski resorts.  It was a logical stop as it allowed for a just the right amount of time in the car (not too much, not too little). Genoa is the Ligurian port city where Columbus was born in 1451.  The current city and surrounding area encompasses a population of just over 1.4 million.  The historical city was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006.  Genoa is home to the Bank of Saint George, one of the world’s oldest institutions, and it continues to hold a strong place in the Italian economy today.
Ginger and Nutmeg stayed at the Bentley Hotel in Genoa.  This hotel is really beautifully appointed, however has little classic Italian, Mediterranean or European charm.  The hotel could be found in any major centre globally – it was lovely and the bathroom…

Recipes & Travel:
Genoa, Travel in Italy

Ginger LOVES the Calgary Stampede.  He is a faithful rodeo attendee and never misses a single chuckwagon race. Every year, Ginger dons his cowboy duds for the full 10 days of the Stampede, and a few more events on either end.  He is a dedicated volunteer, who donates his time selflessly every year.  OK, not exactly selflessly, there is an official access badge and lots of beer involved.  This year he will seriously miss his favourite event of the year.
The good news for Ginger, is there is no shortage of cowboy culture, horses and bulls in Provence.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Provence Travel, Rodeo in Europe, The Bulls of Provence, Travel Entertainment, Travel in France

In Nutmeg’s books the Chartreuse liqueur is unappealing in colour (green) and definitely taste (distilled alcohol with 130 herbal extracts).  Thankfully, Ginger does not like it much either.  The production of this liqueur started in France in the 1740s by the Carthusian monks in the Chartreuse Mountains near Grenoble.  The production and sale of Chartreuse continues to support the order of monks today.  The history of the liqueur is interesting in that the production was stopped a couple times when the monks were expelled from France in 1793 and again in 1903.  It was not until after World War II that they were officially allowed to return to France.  Production today is based in Voiron and the exact recipe remains a well kept secret.
The liqueur may be unappealing but Nutmeg was interested to see La Chartreuse in Villeneuve les Avignon across the mighty Rhone river from Avignon.  This beautiful mostly restored structure is now state owned and is the…

Recipes & Travel:
Abbeys, Avignon, Carthusian Monks, France, La Chartreuse, Provence, Villeneuve les Avignon

Warning! This post has nothing to do with the horrible sandwich meat.
Nutmeg LOVES the Italian language.  After fighting rush-hour congestion, some GPS misinformation, tiny crowded streets and a retail strip thronged with groups strolling on a Saturday evening – There is something immediately soothing to hear “buonasera signora“!
Allora that is how the visit to Bologna began.  Arrival on a Saturday, at the height of late-day shopping and the start of the “apero” (cocktail) time, was an adventure.  However, once settled in the very centrally located Hotel Metropolitan, a city map in hand and some restaurants suggestions, Ginger and Nutmeg ventured out into the crowded streets.  Bologna is located in Northern Italy, it is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. Bologna was called Felsina in the time of the Etuscans and later renamed Bononia under the Romans. Bologna is home to the oldest university in the world, which dates back to the 1088. Today Bologna continues to have a strong…

Recipes & Travel:
Bologna, Road Trip Planner, Travel in Italy

Nutmeg has learned a few things about technology in the last couple months including:

It is a brilliant idea to keep back-up files
Software version updates can cause problems
The benefits of saving documents to a cloud

Luckily, there are a few loyal readers including CardaMOM, who prints everything.  Nutmeg has rebuilt the recipe database on this blog over the last few weeks, and she has been able to recover 99% of the recipes.  The new format is much better for printing.  Rather than make you search back through old posts for the French recipes, some of them are captured below (click the links) and enjoy!
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Easy Beef Recipes, Easy healthy desserts, Easy sweet tart recipes, Food in France, French Food, French Recipes, Recipes with Pears, Stew Recipes, Tart Tatin

Ginger is a good sport and keen travel partner, he agreed to several days of sightseeing in the cities of Genoa, Bologna and Venice.  He gamely played tourist; walked all day, took lots of pictures, visited old churches, and climbed up towers, but when given the choice of sleeping-in or visiting a market – he chose his pillow.  Nutmeg was not deterred; she grabbed her camera, some money for a cappuccino and walked the short distance from the hotel to Bologna’s Mercato delle Erbe.

Bologna is well-known as a city with a strong culinary reputation. This is not light cuisine; there is a heavy focus on meat, cheese and pasta.  There is a near addiction to cured pork meat; such as prosciutto, salami and mortadella.  Pasta comes in every variety, with the ragù alla bolognese as the most famous. The local region is also well known for Parmesan cheese, Modena balsamic vinegar and of course some great wines.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Bologna, Italian Markets, Italy Travel, Markets in Europe, Mercato delle Erbe Bologna, Things to do in Bologna

Spring 2011 came early to the French mountain resorts, mostly due to a lack of snow during the ski season.  Ginger and Nutmeg needed to change the tires on the car to the “summer wheels”, as we had been rolling along on dry roads for several months in the South.  The “stars aligned” and Ginger found a few consecutive days with no commitments, a good weather forecast and a chance to visit Saffron and Truffle while they were on holidays in Chamonix.  The three of us piled in the car with almost no luggage and headed NE.  The drive was easy and Nutmeg’s only disappointment was that the walnut trees near Grenoble were not in bloom.
We arrived in Chamonix and I headed straight for the river, Ginger went directly to the car garage and Nutmeg settled in for a massage – anybody wondering who is the smartest in the crew?  The next morning dawned and it promised to be…

Recipes & Travel:
Chamonix, Golf in Chamonix, Travel in France, Travel Tips with Pets, Travel with Dogs

Who would not be inspired by this view?

Whether your passion is art, music, food or something else it would be hard not to feel the urge to be creative.  Ginger and Nutmeg were very fortunate to spend two days with Marc Heracle in his beautifully appointed kitchen at Chateau D’Arnajon. The Chateau is located in the village of Le Puy Sainte Reparade.  Marc’s focus is on traditional Provençal style cuisine.  Traditional methods pre-1900s did not include dairy, butter or refined flours.  The cooking methods of the time used olive oil, almonds, olives, citrus and spices that were (and still are) found in abundance in the region. Marc’s style is relaxed as he shares his knowledge and practical experience.  He encourages participation and is happy to share some stories.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Cooking Classes in Provence, French Food, French Recipes, Provence Travel, Recipes for Savoury Tarts, Recipes with Spinach

According to Nutmeg, the Mimosa in cocktail form, does not do justice to either of it’s ingredients; champagne or orange juice.  It is often served for brunch and that is a whole other story (see previous blog post).
This post is about the first flower of the season in Provence.

The mimosa is a beautiful flowering bush that is often found in gardens, green-spaces, and forests all over the south of France. There are over 1200 varieties world-wide, the shrub is native to Australia, Central and South America and parts of Asia, not France. It is believed that the mimosa plant travelled to Europe on one of Captain Cook’s voyages. This flowering beauty was introduced to southern France around 1850, by wealthy English, who planted them to in order to brighten-up their gardens during the winter months on the Cote D’Azur.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Cote d'Azur Travel Ideas, Flowers in France, Following the Mimosa Trail in Provence, Provence Travel, Travel in France