Nutmeg has learned a few things about technology in the last couple months including:
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!
Tags: Easy Beef Recipes, Easy healthy desserts, Easy sweet tart recipes, Food in France, French Food, French Recipes, Recipes with Pears, Stew Recipes, Tart Tatin
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.
Tags: Cooking Classes in Provence, French Food, French Recipes, Provence Travel, Recipes for Savoury Tarts, Recipes with Spinach
Ginger is crazy about alpine skiing. He has been checking snow reports since the slopes opened in France, in November. The World Cup race results are reviewed on a daily basis. He even convinced Nutmeg to leave shoes, clothes and her winter coat in Calgary, so that he could bring two pairs of his precious skis to France. So it may seem a bit obvious to tell you that skiing is on the agenda, while in France.
Ginger and Nutmeg both compiled “top ten” lists before leaving Calgary, to make sure that they were in fact headed to the same continent. The good news is there was some overlap when it came to skiing. However, the individual motivation might be a bit different:
Tags: Austria, Chamonix, Daube Provencal, Easy Beef Recipes, French Food, Stew Recipes, Travel Entertainment, Travel in France
Nutmeg is not superstitious by nature. That being said, she is not foolhardy either; there is no good reason to spend to much time with a black cat or walk under a ladder or generally tempt fate.
It is a tradition in Nutmeg’s family to eat lentils on January 1st every year. In many nationalities, eating lentils on the first of the year is supposed to bring you prosperity through the coming months. The round shape of the lentil is similar to a coin, and thus in theory the more you eat the more wealth you will gain. Given the fact that Ginger and Nutmeg are living, eating and drinking in France without paychecks, a bit of prosperity would not hurt.
Tags: food info, French Food, Recipes with Lentils, Travel in France, Vegan friendly, Vegeterian Recipes
France is known for many things; art, music, food, wine, cafés, diverse scenery etc… As a population, they are very proud of all things French, and if there is one thing that is clearly a huge part of the national culture it is the bread. This country does not easily cater to those who might require a gluten-free regime, unless you can survive on French fries. The bread is made fresh several times daily; every small town and village has at least one, or in some cases a few boulangeries.
Ginger of course is in heaven, since every meal promises a basket of fresh baguette or other equally good options. Nutmeg has found you need to look a bit harder, but there are some options for “7-cereals” and multi-grain. The Artisanal Boulangeries (fancier variety) tend to have some really decent quiche and/or tarts. So far Nutmeg has tried quiche with tomatoes and Dijon (yum), quiche with salmon and capers, tarte aux aubergine et chevre and the best yet a tomato and chevre tart. Every good road trip should start with a stop at the local favourite purveyor.
Tags: Easy Appetizer Recipes, French Food, Provencal Food, Recipes for Savoury Tarts, Recipes for Tomatoes, Travel in France
Ginger and Nutmeg have been overwhelmed by their generous welcome to Provence and Southern France. They feel very privileged to have been invited into peoples’ homes for some terrific meals during the last few weeks. The lovely lunches and dinners have included; sausage stuffed peppers and tomatoes, curry chicken, soupe de poisson, shrimp and scallop risotto, roast beef, chili, summer salads and a traditional pot-au-feu. These have all been very special occasions, highlighted by terrific company, lovely wine and great food.
The pot-au-feu and soupe de poisson are very traditional Provençal dishes. Pot-au-Feu is literally translated to “pot on the fire”, which is essentially a French stew. Typically, it is made with beef although can easily be made with pork as well. Many countries have a variation on pot-au-feu, as it is typically a way to use low cost (less desirable) cuts of meat.
Tags: Easy Casseroles, French Food, Provence Travel, Recipes for Pot au Feu, Stew Recipes, Travel in France
A gift of time..
Nutmeg is happily jobless for the first time since the mid 1980s (you can do the math). Ginger as you already know has been working very hard on a Masters degree for the last 10 months – and he has done it! So what better way to celebrate by taking some well deserved time off than to travel? Nutmeg has been negotiating with Ginger for awhile and it is finally happening, they are going to France for six months! The planning began back in June and the list was very long. The most important thing was the visa application to allow for an extended stay in the country (anything over 90 days requires a visa).
Several years ago, Nutmeg worked in France and she knows that if there is one thing the French love it is paperwork. What better way to emphasize the national love for bureaucracy than a lengthy visa application? The process is 15 steps long and not for the faint of heart. You need to commit to gathering all of the following (and more) in original and photocopy versions; police clearance, finger printing, photos, insurance, copies of your bank balance, promises not to work, seek unemployment insurance or get sick… It is no small feat to gather the documentation. Once you have all that together, you need to physically go to Vancouver for a face-to-face interview, and to hand over the documents.
Tags: Coq au Vin Recipe, French Food, Healthy Chicken Recipes, Travel to France
