This has no title

Because to be totally honest I have no idea where I am going with this post. Which has seemed to become a bit of a problem when trying to write lately. I have so many things swimming around in my Franglish head that sometimes I have a hard time trying to even complete one thought. So be prepared for anyone who is still even reading this little thought-keeper of mine that this entry and probably for the near future these will be a bit all over the place. For starters in the last few weeks the realisation that I am moving on and hopefully forward is here. I have spent two absolutely amazing and fantastic and unreal years in Paris. Now I am sure almost everyone will tell you the time the spend anywhere in a foreign country is amazing but mine REALLY was. I saw castles, a french Mickey Mouse, was here when the announcement of the new French President was made, partied with firemen and maybe even made out with one (I'll never tell), did some of the best shopping I have ever done, was able to see countries and cities and places that I KNOW I would have NEVER experienced otherwise (riding on and swimming with an elephant for example), I have MC'd an event with over 100 people and pushed myself to not throw up on stage from the butterflies in my stomach, I have been able to show my friends and family that visit around "my city", I have gotten lost again and again and always found my way home, I celebrated my first Christmas without my parents and siblings by my side (thanks though Skype and a few special Christmas Elves), I have seen sunrises while still out drinking and have danced until my feet can't take anymore, I have had my heart broken and fixed and broken again and I am still waiting for the right thing to happen, I have eaten enough bread and pain au chocolat for a lifetime and I have the closest most fantastic friends here now... even though there are only like 4 of them I wouldn't trade it for the world... these friends mean just as much to me now as my family. Which has made the choice to pursue my life in the US incredibly difficult. Really putting yourself out there to someone and relying on them time and time again creates a bond that I have never experienced before in my life and I am not sure I will ever experience again. So trying to get through the incredibly tough decision process of to stay or to go has been impossible. Even right now as I type this I am questioning everything I am doing - even if my choice was in the other direction, I think I would still be feeling exactly the same. See the problem now is I live two lived. They are intertwined in certain instances but for the most part they are just running along side by side with each other. I don't know if any of you have ever had to live two lives or make a choice that will cause you some regret no matter what the outcome but it will throw you for a doozy. No matter how prepared you are for it (or think you are for it)!! But the bottom line is I have chosen to take the next step in this little adventure we call life and along with making that choice comes so many other choices... such as:

What the hell do I do with all of my shoes and how is the poor sucks stuck packing them going to feel about that? Is he (or maybe she) going to treat them with the love and respect they deserve?

Where the heck am I going to live? Ma and Pa??? Room for rent?!?!?!! hahaha.

What exactly is the next step in my career? What do I want to be when I grow up? Because recently the most appealing jobs are my return to being a live in full time Nanny and hot dog sales girl on Church Street?

How do I know if I am making the right choice? Because this one is one question I wake up thinking about every night and I'll be honest the cover up is starting to not be sufficient in covering up the bags under my eyes....

When this all sinks in and I have to actually (well buy the one way ticket home) deal with my choice, will my friends here still embrace me the same way they have over the last two years and can we manage to stay as amazingly close and influential (well at least they have been for me) as we have been?

And who is going to drop me off at the airport and wipe my stupid tears away as I go through that gate at CDG and head back to the US one last time? Because it is a messy job - just ask my Mom... she dropped me on my first trip coming over...

Uh oh... the waterworks are welling up. That is an appropriate stop time for now.

Cheesecake Brownie Goodness.

So. A few weeks back I mentioned I was trying to bake. I go through incredibly motivate (and sometimes strange) phases and seriously a few weeks ago I was convinced that I wanted to make baking my new life passion. I mean baked goods are jut delightful and they make people incredibly happy why not be the creator of delish bites that will make others smile?? Well I can give you the why not ... It is a whole new experience trying to translate French recipes but the kicker of the why not is baking in a foreign country requires a SERIOUS amount of math and patience and trial and error. So after weeks of searching for a recipe I could make the conversions rather easily I found a tasty little recipe for cheesecake explosion brownies. The name alone of that recipe made you drool... It's ok I understand that is why I selected it!! Well that and what better combo for dessert is there than brownie and cheesecake?!?! Ok well maybe if there was some peanut butter in the brownies but that is for another day... Anyhoooooo. I made all the conversions that needed to be made and started my search for measuring spoons (something I was sure I had but absolutely didn't... Just another reason why my first attempt at baking took almost two years). Now one would think that measuring spoons would be an easy peasy find, HAHA. THINK AGAIN!! They do not use measuring spoon well at least not on a regular basis. A teaspoon is à petit cuillère meaning the one you stir your coffee with and a tablespoon is a soup spoon. Which now that I think about it works but with baking being something you have to be rather precise with I was a bit hesitant. I mean any "baker" you talk to will make it very clear measuring is a matter of being as precise as possible it is pretty much a Science. But at this point I already had all the ingredients and my craving for cheesecake was only getting worse. So off I went... bake away baby. There I was with my makeshift measuring spoons, 1 measuring cup that I was hoping covered every amount liquid and non spoon measurements as possible!! And luckily it worked. I think half of the cheesecake batter ended up being taste tested because after realizing my spoons weren't that accurate my attitude was more along the lines of a little extra here and there won't hurt!! And it didn't. I ended up with a tasty delicious batch of cheesecake brownie explosion bombs that pleased me and my office pals. Now that all is said and done I won't lie... I think I will leave the baking to the professionals. At least until I am safely back in the US with a set of measuring spoons in hand!!

I swear I only taste tested the edges... how many edges I will never tell...

Welcome to the Country

This past weekend I was lucky enough to travel a little bit south to the Loire Valley with two wonderful companions and see what life in the French Countryside is really like. Let me tell you what, it couldn't get anymore opposite of Paris and I loved every second of it (and not just becuase I ate like a champ all weekend with homemade quiche, pasta, roasted chicken, pizza, omlets and desserts like you would not believe). After taking the TGV only 1 hour south it was like we entered an entirely new world. It looked different, smelled different and the people were totally different (by different I mean super friendly, they offered directions, said hello with a smile and even the man making the crepes at a street side stand refused to let me go without having a crepe sucre "on the house"!!!!). Everything about it had my head turning to look here and there, I really did not want to miss a single thing. Although on a side note - I did try out the local Monoprix becuase some genius packer (c'est moi!)  forgot something really important - pajamas!! Upon our arrival we explored the town of Tours and then picked up the rental car to make our way to our final destination. Once we realised that GPS is not always the smartest thing ever, we made our way out of the city and ended up in Amboise, a sleepy little town where Da Vinici is buried...Where we were lucky enough to stay with two gracious hosts at their newly renovated country home. It was a three story, charming house that was built in the 1800's, a complete transition from the tiny cramped apartments of Paris. Being in this type of atmosphere just reinforced the fact that I am a country girl through and through at heart... I felt just a bit more at home being surrounded by trees and flowers and dirt roads. There were no cars honking and it just smelled fresh (and I don't mean fresh in that gross garbage been sitting in the sun all day fresh, I mean the fresh bread ad laundry drying in the sun fresh!)  You can take the girl out of the country but not the country out of the girl...  Even though the weather wasn't incredibly gorgeous (I think that Spring has gone on vacation and Winter is earning some serious time and half overtime pay because it has been gray, cold and rainy for weeks now...) we had a few brief moments of blue skies and sunshine and managed to stay dry enough to enjoy 3 Chateaus, an awesome little market place, a donkey park, a vineyard, a traditional French lunch in the middle of nowhere in a long house built next to an asparagus farm  and some very breathtaking scenery. Walking through these castles and little towns brought an entirely new appreciation for France and made me realise what a young litte country the US is. The stories that have been made on these tiny country streets and within the castle walls are older than anyplace I have ever experienced. Of course the Asian Tourist part of me came out and I clicked away like these castles and towns were going to dissapear and I needed to have proof they once existed. So for your viewing pleasure, here is a SMALL sampling of the weekend...

DISCLAIMER: there are no wine tasting/vineyard photos because I think that deserves an entire post dedicated just to that!!!!

Cathédrale Saint-Gatien de Tours

The view from the house where we stayed. Simple, quiet and delightful!

 


Chateau Chenonceau



<3

 

Chateau Cheverny

The lunch crew at La Coudraie - a delightful m eal, wonderful conversation and even a little sunshine!

I wish I was back here right now...

Chateau Chambord

Sleepy street in Amboise.

I'll take two, toasted with fresh strawberry preserves, please & thanks!

Radishes, radishes everywhere!!

Every good French girl needs a weaved basket to take to the market...

DINNER!!! QUACK!!!

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack

OK. So I know, I know, I know… it has been two months since my last confession.. ummmmm I mean blog post… so here I am to make amends. But I have to throw a few excuses out there as to why I had not posted – the first being; things became so normal and day to day here in Paris that I found it hard to share anything exciting. The shopping, the food, even the unreal crazy folk on the metro became just ordinary. That was until I realised that it is slowly creeping up on the end of my contract for my job here in Paris and I needed to spice it up a bit because well I just have no idea what my life is going to throw at me in the near future and I want every single memory I make before my return to the US absolutely amazing (maybe that is a high expectation but a feel it is a totally worthwhile expectation). So I can be totally honest and say that over the past few weeks I have done much more than I normally would have during a regular week in Paris. After spending almost a month back in the states – with no real leads as to what I am going to be doing next – I thought it would be really hard to return to the City of Lights and my life here, but I was dead wrong. It all fell back into place seamlessly and now to be honest I find myself questioning what the hell am I doing?!?!!? Now many of you know that I also made the same kind of comment about wanting to stay here knowing that my family and friends are back in New England and that there is a huge draw to want to be back, but why oh why can’t I just mash the two up? I mean is it so much to ask for a job that would allow me to spend 75% of my time in the US travelling and the other 25% back here in Paris? So if any of you have a brilliant idea or two about how to make that happen, I am all ears, literally, spill them. I feel it would be the perfect solution for me. But enough waaaaaahhhhhh about having to move and real life choices, let’s get to the nitty gritty – which include all of my adventures since I returned to Paris at the beginning of April. Let’s see – I have seen street dancing, Science Museums, been to my favourite Vietnamese restaurant with my two favourite children and the partner in crime, spent an entire day reading in front of my favourite window in my apartment while drinking REAL espresso (I had no idea how much I missed that liquid sunshine until I had my first sip when I returned), finally managed to bake up a tasty treat with all of the conversions done in French (did you know they don’t have measuring spoons here, just use a soup spoon or coffee spoon?),  eaten falafel with the best spicy green chilli  sauce ever, travelled on the TGV to the Loire Valley, visited my first real winery, four castles, saw the French countryside and was asked to be on a tv show… and those are only the things I can remember right now as I type. As always there are LOADS of photos and I plan on taking sometime this week to share my favorites and tell you (if anyone is still reading this silly little thing) about all of my adventures. Actually for the first time in a while I am incredibly excited to write about these little tid bits and share them… so I hope you are ready for this :)

de Cuisson en France

For some strange reason I have had a serious urge to bake for the last week. Maybe becuase I overdosed on Red Velvet cake when I was home and I am going through withdrawls... I really have no idea, especially because I am NOT a baker. Not even a little bit. I love cooking always have , but that is mostly becuase when cooking there is the freedom to mix and match and sprinkle a little of this and a little of that. Baking on the other hand is precise and scary and revolves a bit too much around Math for my liking. Anyone who knows me, knows that Math and I DO NOT MIX - we are sort of like oil and water (funny enough those are also two things commonly found in baking recipes, I am sooooooooo hysterical sometimes I can't even stand it). Back to the baking... after finding an amazing osunding recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies I was ready and determined to make this happen. It has been quite the process. First I realised I didn't even have a pan to bake in - quick trip to Monoprix to find something that would work. Then after searching around for all of the ingredients, I came to the next realisation which put a huge damper on this whole potential project - I have NO IDEA what on earth the ingredients are translated into French. Seriously I was ok when it came to flour (farine), butter (beurre) and eggs (oeuf), heck I can even find a large egg (gros oeuf) but then came the difficult things... for example Baking Powder - I had no idea where to even start... so I stood in front of the baking aisle in Monoprox after work one evening and pulled up my trusty buddy - Google Translate on my even more trusted buddy, my iPhone, and started searching away. The worst part was once I found something that could have been it I couldn't remember if i needed baking soda or baking powder and what on earth the difference was in general, after my 25 minuites of translating then realising I still had no clue which one I needed, I began wishing for Mommy. So "why not just buy both" I thought... then came the search for baking cocoa - this is when I really started wishing for my Ma. Does baking coca have sugar or not and why on earth are there so many choices?!?!?! After making my best judgement about what resembled that box of Hershey's baking coca powder stuff, the biggest road block came into play - red food coloring, pretty much impossible to find in this lovely country and a serious neccesity for Red Velvet anything... at this point, after spending aover an hour and a half in Monoprix, my patience were gone, I was starving and I wasn't even halfway through the ingredient list. I won't lie - I plopped my basket of random selections that resembled baking goods down in the baking aisle and marched myself home, picked up some yummy China chow at the place across the street from ma maison, cracked open a bottle of wine and re-evaluated my mission to make a tasty treat. After some research I think I discovered what most of the baking supplies were that I needed when the next problem came into play. The measurement system in France is 100% absolutley not the same as the one in the US - meaning that my recipe now required some serious conversion... I don't know if you have ever tried to convert cups of flour into grams (especially when you aren't a mathematician) but as mentioned before baking is a science somehting that needs to be handled with care - or else you could end up with an explosion in your oven, hockey puck type treats or even worse a gooey mess in a pan that never turns into anything... needless to say, I have been working on this potential project for a week now and nothing delicious has come out of it. I have researched, purchsed the correct baking supplies and even found a recipe that sounds tasty and is in French (ingredients and measurments - now we just have to hope my French reading level is as good as I assume it is)!! Now the mission is to get my butt back to the store, buy all of the supplies I need and make it happen. Who knows, maybe baking will become my new past time and I can be the next Betty Crocker - if that happens I think I will bring awesome aprons into style...

Mmmmm... chocolate (insert Homer Simpson voice here)

** Disclaimer, I have been a little lazy in uploading my camera so the following post may seem a bit out of order seeing as I have been back in Paris for almost two weeks now. But as far as I am concerned better late than never.

So if you go searching through the old posts on this blog you will find one in particular that has to do with a day of chocolate tasting at a little place known as, The Chocolate Bar. As far as I am concerned this delightful, little location at the Langham Hotel in Boston is one of the best creations, EVER, in the history of the world. Seriously - what is wrong with a resto that serves nothing but the most amazingly delectable chocolate treats of every size, shape and type possible?? NOTHING , ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! And what makes it even better?? Going with someone who loves you and your fatness from the bottom of their heart, and I love her and her chocolate loving appetite right back!!! Ok back to the chocolaty goodness... this was my second trip to the Chocolate Bar with my bestie, Miss. Ashlee, we made the trek right before I moved to Paris two years ago (on that note, I seriously cannot believe I have lived in Paris for almost 2 full years! Yikes!) and promised to try and go back once a year. Although we didn't make it last year - an ocean separating us makes it a bit difficult, I made it a point to reserve my last Saturday back home (after spending an awesome week with my friends and family a few weeks ago) before I returned to Paris so we could carry on this tradition. I am so happy we did. This year's theme (each year there is a different one) is Degrees of Chocolate and they did a great job covering every single type of chocolate out there. When we walked in to the restaurant the sweet, sweet smell was overwhelming - it is exactly how I would imagine a piece of Willy Wonka's world, the only thing missing was the Oompa Loompas!! The stations went from lightest types of chocolate to the darkest most intense. It was unreal. Simply amazing and being in a chocolate coma right before a flight back to Paris was just what I needed to have a sweet end to my trip home...

*Warning licking the computer when viewing the below images may cause electric shock or serious damage to your screen...

I wanted to inject that cream cheese frosting from that cupcake directly into my veins

I am still not exactly sure what we were supposed to do with the chocolate powder on the spoon but we tried it anyway!

Bacon in a dessert = genius
Chocolate and Gruyere in a dessert = even more genius
Chase both with a chocolate shot and life is goooooood

These were absolutely one of my favorites, oops, just drooled on my computer a little

Parisian Carnival Craziness

Here they are.. the promised photos. Unfortunately as this was not a planned adventure, I only had my small digital camera with me and not my beastly but beautiful favorite camera. So the pictures came out ok but really don't give the colors or the atmosphere justice... Anyhoooooooo, please put on your party pants, any crazy head dress you may have laying around, turn on some Samba music and enjoy :)

This girl had on the creepiest mask. I don't know if any of you remember that Six Flags dancing geezer but this was even worse!!!

Close cousins of the one eyed, one horned, flying, purple people eater...

If I saw these guys in the Captain seat on my flight, I would take a shot with them, then quickly get the eff off of the plane!

How the heck did he steal this from my closet????