Life in France by Susan Veeser Klein

Dec 2011

2011-12-23T14:40:00.001+01:00

Dec 2010 Strasbourg...The white "moon" may be a rain drop

Happy Holidays

This is indeed a Merry Christmas for us.

Towards the end of October, the doctor had found a tumor on Keith's kidney. Two days later he had an appointment with the head of the department of Urology at the University hospital. Surgery was scheduled to remove Keith's right kidney on the 21st of November. It was a malignant tumor. Our emotions have been up and down and all over the place, as you can imagine, and it was all happening so fast.
He had the surgery, and we were assured that all went well. It was complicated and took 4 hours, but they said they got it all. Keith was in the hospital for one week, the care was excellent. He has been home three weeks and recovering. A bit impatient at times, and not happy by all the rain we have been getting ( not as easy for his little walk each day).
Today he had a return appointment. They removed all of the tumor (and all of the right kidney too). It had not metastasized, which is good. Today we were told that there is no reason for further treatment (yeah), just follow-up scans and blood tests. He will be followed closely.
So, I have been here taking care of Keith, and have not taken many photos, or done much else. I did go for a walk one day and took photos of some of the businesses near the train station. This is to document Gevrey, and not very interesting photos to post.
We did have a day of snow, Dec 19th. I woke up and all was white. Today it is raining again!

Dawn (aube) on the 19th of Dec-backyard

Why is it so dark?

As the sun shown on the Côte -again backyard. The sun did come out on the 19th!

As far as a Blog goes, it has been fairly boring month to write about.

I have to write about the show last night. It was young children in a cooking competition. There were 8 children to start. The first challenge: they all had the same box of ingredients, which included fois gras. They had to cook the fois gras and plate it, with the use of any of the other ingredients in their box. They all knew what to do!! Incredible. Two 11 year olds were finalist, a boy and a girl. They had to cook a dinner for 10 people with venison as the main ingredient.. The dinners prepared and plated by these two 11 year olds were amazing! They had the look of a Michelin three star restaurant! The little girl made cannelles with her mashed potatoes (using two spoons, make in the form of an oval) And the jury was blown away with the quality of the cooking. So I am certain that the future is there for France to continue to have outstanding cooking in the future.

Been making some soups for lunch though. So for this months recipe, lentil soup, quick and easy. Not really 3 star, but quick and easy.

Have a great holiday season.

Recipe of the month
Lentil Soup ( very easy-vegetarian or not)
Ingredients

8 oz prepared lentil
1 onion-chopped fine
1 cube of broth (1 cup) chicken or vegetable
1 tablespoon oil
optional- cubed ham

I can buy lentils in a can that have carrots added, but not much else.

You can use dry lentils too, then add one carrot diced small (to cook fast)

PREPARATION

Saute onion in the oil
Add the lentils
Add the broth
Cook for 5 minutes ( if using dry lentils, add a little more broth and cook for 30 minutes)
If you add ham, add it at the end and warm another minute.

That is all. It is healthy and hardy winter soup in minutes.

November

2011-11-30T14:31:00.000+01:00

Gevrey-Vines and the Côte (the vines of Clos de St Jacques)

Short Blog this month. I had started this note on hosting a dinner a few weeks ago, and that is going to be it for this month. There are other photos at the bottom too.

Having guests to dinner
Although there are informal dinners, most dinners here follow a more formal path.
Sharing food with friends is more than a 30 minute sit down.

To prepare a meal, first I make up my menu. What to serve for hors d'oeuvres, entree, principle plate, cheese course and dessert. Either plan the food and then the wine, or plan the wine and then the food. It must be a good marriage of the wine and food.

Now the shopping. I shop differently too. We do not have a butcher here in Gevrey, so I do buy my meat from the grocer. We do have a once a week market, so I could buy it there if having dinner on a Friday night. That said, I prefer to buy my vegetables in the market or at a store that specializes in fresh vegetables. Always local and always in season.
Cheese from the cheese store, wine from a good winery ( although it is probably been purchased at another time and is in our cave), and fresh bread from the bakery ( and which bakery is also important). So I make the rounds.
This is so different from my shopping in the US. One stop shop, and I bought everything. I had started to use Whole Foods when we lived in Minneapolis, they had a good cheese selection, and of course a good selection of other fresh food. And of course coming from Minnesota, wine always had to be bought at the Liquor Store.
Here one shop-stop is also possible, the big grocer has everything, including wine. But the quality is better at the bakery for instance than at the Super Marché ( here it is the Super U). Although it is a little more time spent making the rounds, I am satisfied with the quality and enjoy doing it.
The cultural importance of food is so different here. Not large quantities, but it is the quality that is so highly rated. Of course there are bad restaurants and bad cooks, no different than anywhere else. But food is so much part of the social experience. Lunches or dinners with friends can last anywhere from " hours to 12 hours( it is the large lunch that can last 12 hours).
I have taken photos this month, of fog (we had two weeks of nothing but FOG) and of sun and of villages. I am leaving it here with the photos to follow.

Château of Gevrey in the fog with the vines

Church in Gevrey...in the fog

Building in Nuits St.Georges. Taken from the car
while I waited for the red light. Kind of fun...

Near Villars Fountaine ..in the FOG

Messanges

Beaune, taken again from the car(blurred foreground)..workers in the vines

Sunny day at last, and mushrooms all over

house in gevrey...original was sharp? why isn't this one?

Sunny fall day, vines of Gevrey

Same day, more vines

Gevrey in the late afternoon

October 2011

2011-10-30T14:40:00.006+01:00

Gevrey

It is a cloudy grey day here in Gevrey. Just had a little mist fall around lunch time. Last night was the time to turn the clocks back one hour. It will take a day or so to change my internal clock. I can easily go through the house and put all of our clocks to the right time, but it takes a little more to change my head.

Not a lot to say this month, but plenty busy. I took photos, so more of the story in photos than words.

Entrance to the spring

My History/Heritage club ( Histoire et Patrimoine) picked another spring (source) to clean this year. It is located in the Combe Lavaux which is nowt a nature reserve. So we had to wait for the right time to go in and tramp around, so we would not kill certain plants that bloom in the summer. Two of the employees that work for the Reserve came with us. The entrance was totally overgrown with vines. Actually there are two entrances. The first path was overgrown also. Then you arrive at a circular clearing, that is full of water in the summer. Since it had been dry during the month of September, it had grass and was muddy.
We were told to start at the first entrance and clear a path 2 meters wide. There were about 12 of us, plus the two young men in charge of our group. When this was cleared, we started on the path to the spring.
We worked steady for about 3 hours. Hacking away, cutting, and hauling all of the debris out to the truck.

The spring path

After we finished clearing it out ( we started at 9am) we went over to the hunters cabin for our lunch (picnic). Everyone brought food and something extra to share. So in good french style we started with some Crémant and apertifs ( I made a "cake"-french apertif with ham and olives and cheese)...and there were gougeres and other snacks. Then we sat down to lunch with our sandwiches and all of the salads that had been prepared and were passed around, and of course...wine. Then on to the cheese plate with bread and a nice Gevrey-Chambertin rouge, and then followed by many, many desserts ( apple tart, chocolate tart, chocolate cake, caramel chocolate tart, and some healthy clementines too)!!! A typical french picnic.

The muddy clearing

I returned home at 4 in the afternoon. I was tired, full to the brim, and very content. It was a fun day, even though it started to rain during lunch, we were nice and dry and having a good time.

Everyone working

Finally see the spring

Here it is DRY as a bone

One Sunday morning Dijon was having a different marché (market). It was to be produce directly from the farm. I decided to go in and see what they had to offer. I probably have mentioned that Dijon is under construction for the new tramway (to be finished the end of 2012). Below is a photo of the main road from the train station into Dijon. What a mess. Impossible to drive in Dijon, and not that easy to walk!!

all torn up for the new tram- train station at the end of the road

The market was OK, but small. Lots and lots of cheese, but we had some cheese at home. I was looking for fruits and vegetables, and unfortunately they did not have any. But I walked around and took some photos as usual . I like horses. The horses in the photo are horses from the Auxois (oh swah- burgundian "x" is pronounced more like an "s"). Look at the size of those feet!!

Mosaic on the Post Office building

I have always liked the post office building, and on this day I had my little camera with the zoom. I took a photo of the mosaic. Isn't he interesting. Remember the coq (rooster) is the symbol of France.

Art Nouveau

And next to the post office is a Art Deco or Art Nouveau building I have always liked. It is interesting to walk around on a Sunday morning because there is hardly anyone around.

Again back to my club, we had a meeting about some changes that are going to be made on the Place de Chateau. So I snapped a couple of photos. Gorgeous fall day and I wanted to take advantage of the color and light.

chateau

Church in Gevrey

I am trying to get a photo of the interior of the church in Fixin, but it has been locked. So I took this photo of the church and it's bell tower. Note the great tiled roof in real Burgundian style.

St Martin in Fixin

That same Sunday I went to a recital in Magny lès Villers with Marie Thérèse. A woman from the area has studied opera and was putting on this recital...a debut of sorts. She has a strong voice, and maybe not ready for the Met yet, but surprisingly good. I was not sure what to expect, but ended up very pleased. She sang some of the opera favorites too. Small petite woman with a strong voice. The recital was in the small church of the village.

Panel at the front of the church

This last Sunday Keith thought we should go to Flavigny (where Chocolat was filmed). They were having a flea market and more. It was a spectacular day, so why not! Hmm, one reason, the crowds. Lots of other people had the same idea as us. The road leading into the village has no turnoffs. Traffic came almost to a stand still about 3 km from the village. No other choice but to sit and slowly move along at a snails pace. Some people pulled over and walked. They kept about even with our car and even gained a little. Parking was in a field outside of the village. We walked in only to find that the village was full of visitors...not much of a surprise after seeing the field full of cars...oh well. I took a few photos, and then we left for a nice drive through the countryside and home (Flavigny is about 1 hour from Gevrey).

Color of the village

some entertainment

looking at Flavigny from a distance

And what has Keith been up too. His has been restoring an old bicycle. He believes it is about 100 years old.
He took it out for a short ride the other day, now that it has wheels. However, this old bike has no brakes!!

Great job...isn't it. Looks spiffy

Happy Halloween

Recipe of the Month

I am going to cheat a little here. Since I mentioned preparing “cake”, I am going to repeat my recipe for cake. It is sooo..oo good though. Although I love to put lots and lots of things into my cake, it does make it hard to cut into slices. If I want to have nice slices, I cut back on all the added goodies ( i.e olives, peppers, ham…). You have to leave enough batter around to have clean cut slices. So pack it up and deal with it, or cut back by almost half.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups plain white flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup cream or crème fraîche
• 1 1/2 cups pitted green olives or pitted black olives (chopped or whole)
• 1 1/2 cups gruyère or emmental cheese, grated, cubed or combination ( i.e.: 1 cup grated and 1 cup cut in cubes )
• 2 oz of chopped ham
• Salt & pepper

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. In a bowl beat the eggs until pale yellow and frothy.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, olive oil, melted butter, and milk.
4. Chop the ham, cube the cheese and slice the olives.
5. Stir in ham, cheese, olives, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour into greased bread tin, loaf tin or cake pan (11 x 4 inches would be a good size).
7. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown. (check with knife, insert and done when knife comes out clean)

Sept 2011

2011-09-30T14:01:00.001+02:00

Here it is the end of Sept. As always I have procrastinated once again, and I find myself at the last day of the month without a word on the page.

But it has been a good month. Actually the weather has been more July like than the actual July we had here in the Côte-D'Or! It has been about 25 degrees this last week with warm summer-like evenings (about 77°F). Ah how long can this last!
It is also very dry. Not so good, but I am sure the next few months will find a way to correct this problem. October can be a very wet month.

The vendanges (harvest) started about the 5th of Sept here in our area. That is about 2-3 weeks early. The week was grey with heavy skies, threatening the vendanges day after day, but in the end there was very little rain.
When to start the vendanges is the serious question.
Workers have to hired, but the grapes have to be at their peek. Each winemaker is busy checking his grapes, tasting the grapes and having the grapes analysed at the lab for the sugar, acid (and other things too). And then, the decision is made, and the vendanges starts.

Vines just before harvest

Leaves had started to turn on some vines

Here in the midst of the wine area, the vendanges is a major event. It, in a sense, takes over the village. The vandageurs ( workers) arrive, the grocer stocks huge quantities of food (large cans of vegetables, very large sausages, large giant size pates,...), and a flurry of activity takes over for the next week to 10 days. Parking is difficult with all the extra cars parked everywhere throughtout the villages. There is tractor or truck traffic (trucks loaded with grapes) at every intersection, and the vineyards are crawling with workers.

This year the grapes will need to be sorted carefully if the winemaker wants a good wine. There was a lot of mold on the grapes, and that means less grapes for the wine making. Some were healthy and hardy and others not. You can see the difference in the two photos.

Good grapes

Grapes covered in mold

Because the weather was gloomy and the harvest difficult, I did not take many photos of this years vendanges. Better to stay out of the way. Although I took a few photos in upper Gevrey, and the others were from my kitchen window.

Picking grapes by hand is not easy on the back!

Vines even in this little patch, are hand picked

Tractor passes down the line to to get the boxes of picked grapes

Had time this month to go for a few walks in the woods. Early in the month we searched for mushrooms. With the dry weather the forest floor was dusty, and there were no edible mushrooms in the woods. Then we had a little rain and went out again to look for chanterelles (called girolles here). VOILA...we found them. Had a couple of nice dinners with chanterelles and had enough to put a few into the freezer.

Oops, not a mushroom, it's a snail

Pretty little mushroom, but not edible

Ah yes, a whole basket of chanterelles...

I always enjoy walking in the woods. It is cool in the hot weather and calm, and the colors are extraordinary. There is a quiet beauty to it all.

And down we go... near Reulle-Vergy

Flipper leading the way, near Chevannes

Of course there are lots of spider webs here and there, and when off the path looking for mushrooms, you run into them. I take a stick at times and wave it in front of me, until Flipper the dog decides he wants to play with my stick. He wins of course, so what, there are plenty of other sticks for me on the ground.

Outstanding in the field

Everyone has to come and see what is going on...

Nice view - church near Reulle is visible on the distant hill

A walk in vineyards of Gevrey (Here starts CHAMBERTIN)

Vineyards of Gevrey

All my fall activities have started once again. French class on Tuesday mornings, pottery on Thursday morning Photo Club Thursday night and History Club (the main group meets only once a month, but the committees meet as often as necessary for the work that needs to get done).
Our theme this year in the Photo Club ( for our annual Expo May 2012) is 3. Trying to get my head around two photos with 3. The theme is based on the fact that the club is 33 years old, therefore two photos with 3. So three trees, three flowers, three wine glasses...

In the history /patrimoine ( heritage) group, I have been taking photos of a couple of the villages. The idea is to document the village as it is today. Some photos will be pretty, others will be a photo of the street, telephone wires and all. Also trying to document what I would call a curiosity, a little point of interest. You start to see a village a little differently when you search out little details. It is an enjoyable project.

Chevannes- After the harvest, note vines are taller in the Haute Côte.
Note the dust cloud from A tractor

Late summer poppies

Chevannes with the church tower

Ancient relief on a house in Messanges

Dovecote and old oven in Messanges

Old house in Messanges

Dry wall around a garden -Messanges

Messanges

Vines in the Haute-Côte after harvest

Church tower in Chevannes- beautiful tiled roof

Keith has been busy. He has been sanding down our shutters and putting a new coat of varnish on all. In between he tried to ride his bike.
Then he work a private tour for a week and went to the Nebraska to visit his parents. He just returned and is trying to get back into this timezone.
It is fall now, and he will start going to Bligny-sur-Ouche to work on the trains. Winter is repair time, and they get together to work almost every Saturday to work on the poor old engines.

Fall is also the time for the Musique de Chambertin. I only went to one concert this fall(although there are many to choose from), it was with Thierry Caens. He plays the trumpet and he is also the Artistic Director. The concert was at Clos-Vougeot, and he played with an accordionist. It started early, so we had a light dinner at MT's before, outside in the warm late afternoon. Then off to the concert.

Clos de Vougeot

The concert room was crowded and we were in the last row. I really enjoyed the evening, Th. Caens is a very talented trumpet player. For an encore they played Flight of the Bumblebee. WOW.. I had never heard this played on a trumpet before and it was truly amazing.

I think that about ends this month. Keith has gone out for a ride, and I am here finishing this Blog. Not much more is going to happen.

Recipe of the Month

Last night I threw together a great salad. I decided it was good enough to share with you.

It was a hot day, and the dinner I had planned was a little heavy. A looked around, and I thought of this salad. Pears are coming into season now, so it is a good time. And it is so easy.

Spinach and Pear Salad

For 2 people ( or 4 if a small side)

INGREDIENTS

· 2 ripe pears ( I used poire Willaims)
· About 4 ounces of baby spinach
· 6 Walnuts chopped
· 3 oz blue cheese (Roquefort ), crumbled
· ½ cup olive oil
· 1/8 cup white Balsamic vinegar
· 1/8 cup walnut flavored vinegar
· 1 tsp Dijon mustard
· 2 tsp sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the vinaigrette

Place vinegar, sugar and mustard together and blend completely

Add the oil a little at a time while whipping the mixture until all the oil has been added and you have a thick vinaigrette. Check and add salt ( remember the cheese is salty too)

2. .Put the spinach in a bowl
3. Peel and cut up the pear and place on top of spinach
4. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts
5. Add the crumbled cheese
6. With peppermill, add some fresh pepper
7. Pour over most of the vinaigrette
8. Toss and if more dressing is needed, add now and toss again.

So easy…let me know if you like it.

August 2011

2011-08-31T08:34:00.003+02:00

August Harvest

The month is drawing to a close and I have not started my Blog. I do not write my Blog tidbit by tidbit throughout the month like some might do, but I find my photos for the month and write around the photos. It seems to work most of the time.

Or it works for me at least, not sure how the reader finds it.

This is August and nothing is open and nothing is done during the month of August. France is on vacation. Our baker was on vacation too ( as always the problem of finding bread when the baker leaves for 3 weeks). It was a slow month, and I was slow too. Not a lot to report.

We finally got our summer heat. We had a couple weeks of 90+ temps and high humidity!! But cool weather is back. Nice and in the 70's.

Started the month off with some good hikes. One was not difficult, but long. Marie Therese and I were going to walk from Messages over the hill to Chevannes. Marie Therese wanted to show me the Lavoir ( a "lavoir" is the old wash house or place. Water runs into the lavoir and the women would go there to wash cloths).

Lavoir of Chevannes

Hike route...

After our visit we started on the road back and met up with a couple of friends from Chevannes. So we continued on into Meuilley walking and talking and finally we all ended up back at Messanges. We did a large circle of almost 10km.

A few days later Marie Therese had arranged for a grand hike up, over and around Chambolle-Musigny. We started out walking straight up a steep hill. What a great view from the top. Took a little huffing and puffing ( by me for sure- not the others)!!

Chambolle-Musigny below and vineyards at the top

At the top we walked along the cliffs, sometimes a little close to the edge for me, but I made it. Up near the top we found an old cave. During hard times a family had lived in this cave.

Cave entrance

Inside..it goes back a little

Then more walking on the edge of the cliffs, steep descent, then climb the other side. More scenic "belle vue" , passed a old well and then down a path past an old chapel and back to Chambolle! Although we flirted with the edge of cliffs here and there, it was a wonderful hike with some truly awesome views.

It is a long way down!!

Old well...Flipper jumped in for water!!

Th chapel in the woods

The white by my red "arrows" are cliffs..the road goes between the 2

On a calmer note, we went searching for mushrooms a couple of times. Walks through the forest are usually on a lore level plain. The forest was very very dry mid-month. It was a little surprising to find the ground so dry and dusty. The second time out, it had rained and it was damp. The walk in the woods is always enchanting. And the fields of flowers too have a certain charm.

Mid-month we had a couple from Australia stay with us. They had ridden from Budapest and were on their way to Paris ( they were on bicycles). We had a lovely evening talking with them and hearing their travel stories.

Saulieu has the Fête de Charolais each year ( for you city folks, Charolais is a race of cows -all white cows). Keith and I had never gone over to Saulieu to see what this fête was about. I thought a nice Sunday outing, stop for some cows and lunch, why not. The fête, it is about cows and which cow wins the ribbon. But there were pigeons, ducks, geese, sheep, and chickens. This was all inside the building. Outside they had old and new farm equipment and some stands selling this and that. And there were equestrian events ( we watched part of the carriage competition), and woodsmans (lumberjack) competitions. It was all quite amusing.

Not very happy charolais

One fancy pigeon...all puffed up!

Looked at those feathered feet!! Pretty fancy

old tractor

and the lumberjacks..

and now the BIG Skil saw

Other notes for the month, Keith went to his bike camp; Semaine Federal. This year it was west in Normandy region of France. He rode about 1200km while he was out there. Took his tent with him and camped for the week. The event usually draws over 10,000 bike riders each year, Keith thought they had about 13,000 this year. There are different routes each day, so each person has the choice of a short ride, medium or long. If anyone out there likes to ride, here is the site: http://www.sf2011-flers.org/WELCOME

Me, I finished taking photos of the monuments. One project is done, YEAH. I took several photos of each monument. One from afar for placement, then close-ups for detail.
I have been working with another person in the club to sort through the 1,000 arial photos that were taken of the area! This is another project....The sorting is done, now to check the photo and straighten the horizon of a few!

Church with monument in front

The vendanges is on. It is very early this year. It has been a strange year for everything. So the vendanges starting a month early is no surprise. Because of the wet cold weather of July, there is a lot of rot in the grapes this year. The vingerons need to sort the grapes and cut out the rot. This cuts down on the volume of course. It will not be an easy year to make wine, but I am sure, the best ones will be up to the challenge. Here in Burgundy, wine is generally not blended. One year can not be blended with another. Also,( here is where it gets complicated)..a wine with the name Gevrey-Chambertin ( a village wine) can not be blended with an ordinary Pinot noir, such as Burgundy. I will leave it at that.

The other day I when I was shopping I started to think about the rhythms of life here. If I want good produce, I buy my vegetables at the fresh food market or store, then pass by the fromagerie for some good cheese, then of course the bakery for bread, and wine merchant for wine. I can buy everything at the grocery store, but the for better quality I make the rounds.

It rained last Friday. There is always something to do when it rains. A taste of wine perhaps? Found a new place just south of Nuits St. George.

Recipe of the month:

Chicken with artichokes, lemon and capers

This is a simple and light recipe that is easy to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
4 Chicken breast Escalope, uncooked,
salt to taste
pepper, black to taste
1 portion stock cube, chicken, make up 150ml with hot water
400 g artichoke hearts, in water, drained and halved
2 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
4 tablespoon parsley, fresh, chopped

PREPARATION
1. Add oil to pan and brown the chicken on both sides
2. Add chicken stock and let simmer covered for about 5 minutes
Turn breasts over.
3. Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes plus ( this will depend on the thickness
of your chicken breast. I have rather thin breasts when I make this, and the
chicken is done and the water has cooked down to about 1/2 cup)
4. Add the artichokes, capers , lemon juice and oregano.
5. Simmer a few minutes more until all is heated through.
6. Serve on a warm plate and spoon some sauce over each breast

If you want to , you could add a good tablespoon of butter at step 5.

2011-07-31T14:42:00.003+02:00

July 2011

Summer is fleeting. This year is so mixed up ! We had an awful November and December(cold, very cold). Then suddenly, the weather was not half bad for the months of January and February. Two winter months that were slightly warmer than usual… than spring came- that was March, a rather warm March. We had summer for the months of April and May, beautiful warm days and lots of sunshine. Our months of June and July have been more autumnal. We had had a few nice days, but those have been far and few between. I begged for rain, and now it will not stop. Although it was cloudy and cool, most of the rain was light or even misty, not a lot of water (until this last week). Is one ever satisfied with the weather? I wonder.

The vendage or grape harvest had been scheduled a month earlier than normal; the vignerons were all saying the harvest would be the end of August. But now with the rainy cool weather, it is anyone’s guess. They just shrug their shoulders when I ask and say maybe, or maybe later! For a good harvest we need some warm sunny days. On verra ( one will see). Come on SUN.

This morning I awoke to a cloudless sky (july 27). The sun came up and promised a great day. Now at 10am, the dark clouds have mounted an attack on the horizon! ZUT!

Tons of things to report this month and I will probably bore you with all the information. Hey, I took lots of photos too, so if bored, just skim all that I wrote and just look at the photos and breeze down to the recipe.

On July 2^nd my history group had a tour of an old fortified farm that is in ruins. There is an association now that is working on the restoration of the site. Have to toss in a little history.

Leuzeu has a history very rich. Neither a working farm nor castle,it was more like a large mansion, or a hunting lodge,but also possessing the outbuildings (or “trappings”) of a farm –some of which are still standing. The ruins bear witness to the rich past of this building,now lost in the woods. The ground floor had ceilings that were all done with vaults, while top floors had ceilings with beams that were painted. The first written records of Lauzeu come from the thirteenth century, but the building now in ruins was built around 1659 by Jean de Gastebois. Several legends exist: in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, it is thought that this was a hunting lodge, serving even for a trysts now and then; or that Marguerite de Bourgogne went there with her lovers.However, nothing can be validated.

What it had been

Ruins at Lauzeu-what it is today

Restored room.

Then the next weekend we toured the top of Vergy. Here are the ruins of a Chateau and an Abbey. This hill top is packed with history and dates and… but I will be brief.

The reputedly impregnable château de Vergy was sited on a rocky spur near Reulle Vergy . The first fort on the site dates to the Roman period. The medieval castle was razed in 1609 and only small traces remain.

With the other Burgundian possessions, Vergy was merged into the royal domains in 1477, on the death of Charles the Bold. The castle was immediately ceded to William IV de Vergy-Autrey by Louis XI. In 1609, following the participation Charles of Lorraine (governor of Burgundy) in the Catholic League from 1589 onwards, Henri IV completely razed the castle. Except for the church of Saint-Saturnin, the burg of Vergy has now entirely disappeared.

It has been written that Jeanne de Vergy inherited the Shroud of Turin (1418). (more info http://www.shroud.com/pdfs/sorensen2.pdf page 8)

The Abbey of St. Vivant rests on the hilltop too. The abbey was founded about 900. The year 1,000 the Abey of St.Vivant was turned over to the abbot of St Bénigne in Dijon. The abbot was from Cluny. At that time there were 30 monks. By the end of the century, the abbey is subjest totally to Cluny.

All that is left of the old resevoir

Quarry where the stone came from...on the hill

View from top of Vergy... I had to go out on the edge to take this photo!!

St. Vivant..2 lower levels. There were 3 more stories above!

St Vivant restoration in progress

How they form those arches (now and then)

Carved in the stone ceiling -picture above

Old window restored

Eglise Saint-Saturnin-.St Barbara

Eglise Saint-Saturnin XI century

I did not include the photo of the relics...St Saturnin's bones!

Keith and I squeezed in a little time together before the rest of the month took off. We decided on a picnic. I made my picnic sandwich, packed in some fruit too and cookies and cheese. We picked our destination and put everything in the car. As Keith started the car, a few rain drops fell. Oh no!! I asked to carry on, and we could see black clouds north (our destination) and lighter south. OK, so we go south west. We went up to St Jean de Boeuf, up in the Haute-Côte. It sits on a hill top, we had a wonderful view, and no rain. What a great afternoon.

Scenic view from St-Jean-de-Boeuf

Chris, our friend from London came for her annual visit. She drove over so she could pack her car with lots of wine to take back to England. Since she was driving I suggested that we could meet in the Loire Valley. I took the train to Tours and she met me there with her car. It was almost 3pm when we finally left the parking lot of the train station. For our first visit, I had picked Chateau de Villandry, known for its gardens. We took the garden only tour because of the time. What an absolutely beautiful place. Garden after garden, all immaculate ( not like mine), even the vegetables are in perfect line, all the exact same size.

Gardens looking toward the church

chateau and garden

Chateau view from upper gardens

After our garden visit, we were in for a surprise. Most restaurants are closed Saturday and Sunday (this was Sunday). This is tourist season in a high tourist area, and restaurants are closed ( and note that here in France, all stores are closed on Sundays, so no grocer to run to either). We were staying in Montbazon, and I had asked at our hotel and she had no suggestions. So we stopped for a glass of wine at the local bar, and asked again. One man offered us dinner at his house…joke, proposition, or a real invitation? At my age I prefer to think it was a proposition ( one must hold on to some illusions).

Anyway, we were told to go North a few miles back towards Tours, and we should find something. And we did indeed, a very nice place with great food. We had a lovely evening.

Montbazon

Montbazon-bridge (opening photo is other side of bridge)

Montbazon and ruins of Donjon

On Monday morning we headed to Chenonceau, one of the famous chateaux. It was built in 1518, and Henry II gave it to Diane de Poitier in 1547 after the death of Francois I. One must remember that he was married to Catherine de Medici. So when Henry died, Catherine kicked Diane right out of the Chateau ( of course Diane had another chateau at Anet and I think another on the Loire…poor lady ). This chateau was extended across the river Cher under Diane.

Chenonceau

Gallery room that extends across the Cher

Vaulted ceiling

Ahh...the view of the Chateau over the river. Nice place!

We had a little lunch at Chenonceaux ( the village) and off to another adventure in the afternoon. A shop keeper at Chenonceaux had told us to go to Montrichard for a visit, so we did. Beautiful little village.

Stairs to the Donjon and church- Montrichard

Oold Roman bridge -Montrichard

In the afternoon we went to Cheverny, another noted chateau. This was built on the ruins (foundations?) of the old fortified chateau at the beginning of the 1600’s (they are not sure where the old chateau was, so it is presumed this was built in the same location).

View from the front

Nice dining room

And get a load of that CEILING! Wow

View from the back

We were dodging rain, and had done a fairly good job. It was raining as we drove to Blois where we would spend the night. Since the reservations said that we were 8 minutes from the center, I thought it meant walking. But no, it was by car. We kept looking the the GPS that said we had arrived at our destination!! What?? We were not in the city, but out in the industrial section!! We checked and rechecked!! Yes, this was the correct address, and yes this is where the hotel was located. It was behind one of the storage buildings…and there was a small little road into the parking. The hotel was fine, no problems there, just not where we expected. We decided to take a taxi in for dinner. We wanted to see the center of Blois, even though it was pouring rain. Chris wanted dinner with wine, and did not really want to drive her English car( after drinking) in the middle of the city. Taxi it was.

Our driver gave us a verbal tour as he headed into Blois. Since it was raining, I did not take any photos. There is a chateau here too ( oh surprise) built on the hillside. Funny thing, here it was Monday evening, and we found restaurants closed… near the center there were 2 that were open!

On to Tuesday morning. It was pouring! Six guests at the hotel were on a bike tour. There they were, setting up their bikes with covers on everything, pulling on rain gear over their biking clothes. Not a day I would go for a bike ride!!
We ran to the car, and still got very wet! Our itinerary for the day included a tour of the Chateau Chambord and then head in the direction of Gevrey. We arrived at Chambord, and what a surprise, we actually had a decent parking place, even at 10am. Maybe it was the rain? It was still pouring. We pulled out our rain coats and umbrellas, and decided “why not”, it was not going to get any better. The external architecture is very interesting! As the guidebook says “truly extravagant Château in every way and masterpiece of the French Renaissance”.
It was started in 1519 under Francois I, and some think that Leonardo da Vince worked on the architecture ( note Francois I again, he built Chenonceau too- how many chateaux does one need? -oh yes, this was the hunting cabin!). Too bad it was raining so hard, because the grounds and woods are supposed to be interesting too. Maybe next time.

look at that roof!!

Closer look at one of the towers from roof terrace

Another from roof terrace- it was raining!!

After a stop for wine at Sancerre ( a little off the path to Gevrey), we arrived in Gevrey at about 8pm.

View of Sancerre (from car) in the pouring rain..best I could do

On Wednesday morning I had scheduled a wine tasting at Domaine Ambroise. Wendy also joined us for a wonderful tasting. A little different to do a wine tasting at 10:30am, but why not! Actually, many professionals prefer to taste in the morning. We had lunch in a small restaurant in Nuits St. Georges, and then on to a second tasting in Fixin.

I will not put the name of the Domaine, they have some excellent wines. However, I have never experienced a tasting that was so unfriendly! It was like the ice age in the tasting room!! I mentioned people we knew in common, asked questions, nothing, nada, rien!! "Yes", "No" responses, and ice cold stares..brrrrr! I think the Domaine should think about client service just a little ...? And so it goes.

Thursday, more wine tasting. We drove down to Buxy. Chris wanted some every day red wine and liked the Pinot Noir rouge from Buxy ( and the price is good too). Marie Therese went with us, and we had her wine and Cremant, mine and Chris’s too. The station wagon was loaded down.
On the way back we pass by the village of Rully. Of course one must stop and say hello to Jean-Claude and Anna at Domaine Breliere. There was a mixed crowd tasting when we arrived, but they were almost finished. Jean-Claude gave us a taste of some white while he finished the groups’ orders and packed their car. Then we talked to Jean-Claude and Anna for a good hour (or more). Always such a pleasure to stop there.
This year’s crop in Rully has been severely damage by hail. Some lost almost 100%, Jean-Claude thinks he lost about 50%. So if you like Rully, buy some now, because there will be very little of 2011.

Marie Therese had prepared a “little” dinner for us. How wonderful, and it was not that little either. As always, a nice evening shared with friends, food and wine. I had to drive back to Gevrey, so I had to limit the wine!!

It is now Friday, and we had Beaune on our schedule, and a late afternoon tasting at Domaine Parigot at Savigny les Beaune. Marie Therese joined us again for the afternoon. Chris had a few things on her list to buy in Beaune, and after that we went to the wine Expo in Beaune. They had set up large glass containers of different scents st up to acquaint ones nose with the scents found in wines. By each one they had a description of the scent and which wines you would find these scents. Here in France one can even buy kits for children/adults that have different scents to identify. Interesting Expo and Chris thoroughly enjoyed it.
Just for info, Marie Therese wrote about this in her Blog this month (how is your french):
http://www.vinsbourgogne.com/agora/agora.cgi?cartlink=actualites.htm

Next on to Domaine Parigot. They make only sparkling wine, Crémant and sparkling Burgundy ( or Rouge). Some very good Crémants, very close to Champagne and half the price. Like the red too, it is a good wine for a summer barbeque.

On returning to Messanges, I sat and watched the Tour de France with Christian. We were just in time for the end. Chris was amazed at how involved everyone is here in France with the Tour. Christian and I were cheering on Rolland. What a great end to the stage.

Saturday was a lazy day (Chris had hurt her back lifting a wine box). We took a stroll around Gevrey ( before it rained) and had a salad at a little café in Gevrey. Keith was going to be home for dinner too. Had not seen him in over a week.

Chris left Sunday morning. I sat and did nothing the rest of the day! Oh yes, did watch the last day of the Tour de France.

Keith had returned from guiding a tour in the Alsace. He had only 2 clients, and enjoyed the Tour. It had been set up last year, but they never had anyone sign up for the tour. He had wanted to do this tour and see how it would work in practice. And how he loves Alsacian food (sauerkraut and sausages…). He had a good week, but was tired too. On Friday after the guests left, he had to drive from Alsace to Orange, about 7 hours. He arrived late in Orange, and stayed overnight. He returned to Gevrey by train on Saturday.

Other than that, Keith has spent time in the garage with his old bikes that he is repairing. He is working on two right now. One is near 100 years old. Keeps the boy busy. He has also been slowly ( as weather and time permits) sanding the shutters and revarnishing.

It is “vacance” here in France. July and August, almost everyone is on vacation. Our baker is closed for a month ( zut alors, one month), and the highways and byways are jammed with cars. My pottery is done until September, and all club activity ( photo and history) is done too. That does not mean that I have not continued to take photos however.

On Saturday, the 30^th I went for a walk with Marie Therese. We set out for Chevannes so I could take a few photos. We met up with some friends and ended up walking near 9km. Since I had not hiked much in the last 2 months, I was a little tired. But it was a beautiful day and I took some nice photos (this is for the history club).

And today as I finish this journal, it is another gorgeous day ( so why am I sitting here!). I hope that ending on such a good note, that it will bring in a beautiful August.

This month I have had an email war with Expedia!! I scheduled Keith to fly to Denver to see his parents. I wanted the trip via Minneapolis. I picked that flight and ended up with a lousy flight through Atlanta with a long layover!! I tried to explain that I had not picked this flight and wanted to know how it got changed. After about 15 emails stating I could not change, I had another 5 or 6, still resulting in we do not think we made an error, it must have been you!!! I DID NOT PICK THAT FLIGHT! But they do not care, plus the Customer Service is lousy (they did not even read my note the first 18 emails), ...I lost I guess. Still mad about it...had to add this note, boycott Expedia.

Recipe of the Month

Easy recipe to make and so good. You probably can buy the grilled summer squash. You can substitute zucchini if you want… I had made a picnic sandwich the day before and had leftover grilled zucchini so I made up this tart for a hot summer night….try it.

Summer Tart

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound small yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
12-15 Fresh basil leaves cut in thin slices
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
1 puff pastry, pre-prepared ( I buy the pastry made for a tart, already rolled out)
1 large tomato, very thinly sliced
10 small pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.

Grill the onion and the yellow squash …or sauté in skillet ,about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a paper towel

3. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and plce it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes…prick with a fork if bubbles rise up.
5. Thinly slice the tomato and place slices on paper towel
6. In a small bowl, blend the pesto with the goat cheese. Add cut leaves and stir
7. Remove pastry from oven
8. Spread the goat cheese all over the pastry.
9. Arrange top with the squash mixture and tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and white pepper
10. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the bottom is completely cooked through.

June 2011

2011-06-29T15:05:00.019+02:00

The month has passed so swiftly. The longest day has come and gone. Living in a northern area means that it is still light at 10pm. How I love these long summer days.

I have had a cold these last two weeks, so I missed a few things I really wanted to do. And alas, that means I did not get a chance to take photos. I missed American day here in Gevrey!! I wanted to see what that was about. There will always be next year.

This month you may notice that I have blurred faces in some images. France has strict laws on publishing peoples visages. Public events are different though and therefore no problems, those I could leave untouched. It is a difficult line to follow, so the best course is to be cautious.

One late afternoon at the beginning of the month, we had a little excitement in our neighborhood. Marie Therese was here and just getting ready to leave when we noticed a police car in front of our house. Some people were gathering too. Of course we all have to get up and check what was going on. The police car ( actually gendarme voiture) is not only in front of the house, but it was sideways in the street, blocking the road. As a neighbor passed by, Keith asked what had happened.
Now to give the full picture of this I must mention that a new housing development is going in just north of our neighborhood. It had been a wheat field, and it will now be full of houses. Well on this fine afternoon, they were digging a trench and VOILA...there was a gas leak. So the houses closer to the leak were all evacuated. Gas company people arrived, fire trucks arrived, and more police. In the midst of all this, a woman who lived behind this barrier arrives in her car. Seeing the road totally blocked, she decides to drive up on the walkway to drive pass all the vehicles. Ah, but the gendarme catches her and of course stops her. What was she thinking!!!
Marie Thesere could not leave, her car was blocked in and behind the barrier. So we watched for about 30 minutes before going back into the house. Now was this the most prudent course of action? Our house does not have gas... so the interior is/was probably safer than standing in front of the house. But we out in front for about 30 minutes, if the house down the street had exploded, it may have been a problem...so how stupid was it to stand and watch...WHAT WERE WE THINKING!!!

Gendarme arrives

And now the fire truck

Bees are much more interesting!! Look there's one now

After about an hour, the leaked had been stopped and the experts were checking the houses closest to the leak. The gas company was here late into the evening, I assume trying to get everything fixed and reconnected. During this process I have had the water cut off 'without notice) and a foul smell in the house another day ( presume they hooked up the sanitation lines). And so it goes.

The second weekend of the month, Saulieu had its' annual gourmet weekend. It was Pentecôte week-end, and that Monday was a holiday, a three day week-end. On Friday (before the weekend crowd), I went with Marie Therese to Saulieu. There is everything a foody could ask for...bread, spice, pastries, meats, cheeses, chocolate, cookies and of course wine. We were going to meet Wendy and Robert there for lunch.
Now one is able to buy a plate of foie gras, magret and rillettes for lunch here and it is excellent (I had it two years ago). This year I thought I would have a salad . There are several booths that sell a lunch plate, plus a couple more restaurant type places, your choice.
The three others went for the sinful plate (MT, Wendy and Robert), and it really is sinful but good. I was happy with my choice, really..the other was just a little too much for me!! We did taste some of the other delights ' they give out samples), a little chocolate here and little fromage there..mmmm, what a feast. Just regard these photos, and I hope the scratch and sniff works so you can enjoy the aroma too ( ah just kidding-maybe someday).

He rode around on this bike ! Interesting?

All of these glorious fruits

Can you smell them? Spices of the world

Ham, sausage, cheese?

And the desserts!

A little Cremant on the side

Cheese ....love the choices, all sooo good

This same weekend was the wine tasting of the Independent Winegrowers in the Côte D'Or. These independents had an open house ( Portes Ouvertes) for Saturday and Sunday. My pottery instructor always has a Pottery Expo at the same time, her husband is a Independent Winegrower. So pottery and wine, works for me. We, as students, were invited to come and work on our projects as live demonstrations.
On Sunday I went over and worked on my pottery project with a few others. I had done my roof finial, the cat. He was in last months Blog. Now two others started Gargoyle finials. So here are a few photos of the Expo and of some work in progress. It was a very pleasant way to spend my Sunday afternoon.

Some of Fred's work.

Babette's whimsical pots, cups and bowls

Look at the display

Closer look...

Working on our projects on Sunday...two big gargoyles

On Saturday, I took a friend around to a couple of the places for wine tasting. I was driving, so very limited tasting on my part. She however wants to learn more about wine. We had a nice afternoon, stopping at three different places.

On the 15th Keith and I went up to Paris to see the Manet exposition at the D'Orsay. Although my cold had started, I enjoyed the exhibit. Keith had hoped for a few more pieces, less known. It was great to have the tickets in advance and walk right in to the museum. However, inside there was an additional line for the special Manet Expo. Even with the reserved time ( 11am), we had to wait about 20 minutes in this line. Oh well, it was worth it.
After the museum, we found a nice little restaurant and had lunch. Later we walked around the area in search of the Roman baths (which we found at the Cluny museum- Musée de Cluny - Musée National du Moyen Âge ...), and we spent some time at the garden of Luxembourg ( wonderful place to stroll or just sit and enjoy). It was a beautiful day.
At the end of the day, a bit tired and still time before the train left, we stopped at another garden just to sit and enjoy. And where is this garden near the Gare Lyon (train station)? It is built on top of a place called the Arches, not far from the train station. Lovely and surprising little corner in Paris.

Musée D'Orsay à Paris

Luxembourg gardens

Children playing with the boats...he has a stick to push the boat

A boat on its own...

Cluny museum 13th century

Door to the Cluny museum

Metro crossing over the river ...most go under

Garden over the Arches

The Arches of the viaduc -rue Daumesnil

In and around I have been taking photos of monuments for the history club. This is a seies on the Monuments to the Dead ( Monument aux Morts), those who died in military during one of the wars. There is always something. I need to get out more and get some photos taken.

Messagnes sits on the side of a hill. This hill is called Mont Myon. This month there was a Fête de Mont Myon, at Messanges, that included a 15km race. I was on the spot to take a couple of photos.

And they are off...note the smokey gun at the left!

And not everyone is totally serious, some have fun.

Keith had cut down on trips this year, he had the one in May and one in June so far. In the meantime, he has found another old bike to restore. Oh I have lost count of the bikes now in the garage!!!!!!!!!!!
Also he is slowly working at sanding the outside woodwork and re varnishing.

Although we have had some rain here this last month, we are still in extreme dry conditions. And to top it off, the last few days have been in the 90,s ( we do not have air conditioning). Today, the 29th is cooler, and the next few days should be great.
June 21st is always the Fête de Musique throughout France. This year was no exception. Dijon has about 10 bands located throughout the city. It is a night ( sometimes day) to get out and enjoy misic. Here in Gevrey we had a few chorale concerts and some music in the village also. Enjoyment of the long summers night.

So that about wraps up the month of June. July will be here and the TOUR de FRANCE..it starts this Saturday. Just a couple more of my nature photos should do it.

Recipe of the Month
THAI SHRIMP
This is a recipe I found on the internet with a fat free Thai dressing. It is not french....but give it a try anyway.
I have modified it to my tastes and changed some of the ingredients. It is a great summer dish.

INGRÉDIENTS

Noodles -use Asian or Wheat or even Italian. I use angle hair noodles.
about 2 cups of shrimp, cooked and peeled and tail removed -ready to eat
1 cup calamari -(optional) I buy fresh calamari rings, all cleaned and ready to go
1 cup diced mango ( cut near 1/4 inch)
1 red chili - type of chili and the degree of HOT that you want depends on your chili choice. Asian chili or Habenero for a nice hot dish. This dish does need a hot chili, so do not avoid completely. It needs some perkiness
1 red bell pepper diced small ( same size as mango)
3 spring onions sliced
1 cup fresh coriander, then chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, then chopped
1/4 cup mint, then chopped

DRESSING

1/3 cup lime juice (2-3 fresh limes)*
4 TBL fish sauce (nouc man)
2 TBL soy sauce
2-3 tsp sugar*
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or crushed chilis*
2 cloves garlic minced

* adjust to your taste, I use a little more sugar. TASTE and decide

PREPARATIONS

First chop all the indredients and dice the mango and bell pepper. Set aside
Blend the dressing ingredients and set aside
If using calamari, cook in a little water (less than 1/4 cup) for about 3 minutes
Start noodles according to package directions
Drain noodles and add dressing. Toss untill well covered
Add the red peppers, mango, herbs and onions
Toss again and put in serving bowl
Top with shrimp and calamari

What a beautiful, colorful summer dish.

This can be eaten warm or refrigerated as a cold salad later. Also good with cashews or chopped peanuts on top, added just before serving. Give me some feedback if you try this dish.

May 2011

2011-05-29T12:16:00.004+02:00

I love poppies- such an brillant red

Bonjour..
May is almost at its end. It has been a hot month, more like July but with cool nights ( "good sleeping weather" as we used to say in Minnesota). Here in Gevrey we have had "a little" rain, but drought conditions still are high this year over a large part of France. Most of crops, flowers..are early this year, by a few weeks.

I mentioned last month that I had planted my garden. There are flowers on all of the tomato plants and I have a couple very small zuchinnis already. Beans have sprouted, and the cucumbers too: all is looking good. Can not wait to harvest some of the good fresh vegetables.

This again has been a busy month, and I have lots of photos. If I prattle too much and you get bored, just scroll down and at least look at the photos!!

Keith took off at the beginning of the month for some biking and camping. He went north. Note- above I said the nights were cool !... well, he froze the first night out ( it was about 38 degrees in the north that week) .Wisely he found a small hotel for the next night. Surprisingly he did not stay out camping for as long as he had planned!

In the meantime, I had a tour with my history group of Fort de Beauregard on May the 7th. The fort is not old, it was built in 1887. After the defeat of 1870, it was decided to build a ring of Forts as protection against another invasion. I will not bore you with lots of details, just a couple of photos. The small village of Fenay bought the Fort in 2003, and it was listed as an historical site in 2006.
After that tour of the fort, we went over to Noiron-sous-Gevrey to see the canal. The canal was built by the monks of Citeaux around the 1212-1221. The monks needed more water at the Abbey of Citeaux. The canal runs about 10km from Fenay to Citeaux. In Noiron the canal passes over the river below via a bridge -Pont des Arvaux ( bridge of Arvaux). Photos of the Fort and the Pont.

Tower at the Fort

A look at the fort standing next to the tower

Entrance to the Fort

Pont des Arvaux- Canal on top where Herve is standing

The canal - I am on the bridge

On Thursday night (12th of May), we were invited to Savigny-les-Beaune. Keith was working during the week with 2 new employees, going through the Burgundy trip and introducing them to everyone-wineries, restaurants, hotels... ( pre-trip). In Savigny there is a Domaine that makes wonderful Crémant ( better than some champagnes). So in the course of events, it was decided to have a dinner party there; casual. Keith of course knows Greg and Caroline ( from the Domaine), and I am not going explain the other connections...too long. Anyway, there were 7 of us for dinner. We had a nice evening with hors d'oeuvres and Crémant to start, bubbling red Burgundy with the pizza and a nice Côte de Nuits (red wine) with the cheese course. We did not get home until after midnight. Late night for these 2 old f___s.

Caveau de Chambertin- place for our EXPO

My Photoclub had our annual photo Expo on the 14th and 15th of May. Friday afternoon we set up the Expo in the caveau of Gevrey-Chambertin. The "vernisage" was scheduled for 6:30pm ( vernisage is the opening of an Expo where, of course wine and snacks are served. The mayor or adjunct mayor comes to say a few words. It literally means to varnish. I think it comes from the 19th cnetury when a last touch of varnish was put on a painting before the doors are opened ).
As soon as everyone (invited guests) had enough free Cremant, Kir and snacks and left; we cleared up everything and prepared for our party. We have an annual pizza party ( ah yes pizza 2 nights in a row). But this is a pizza party with a french flair. There are hors d'oeuvres, and this year grace de Lionel, we started with Champagne ( his 40th birthday was near).
Then on to the pizza with a choice of wines, red or white. One choice happened to be Clos Vougeot Premier Cru 1995. Hmmm not bad with pizza.
It was sort of a pot luck too, so there was a variety of salads to choose from, and still a few left-over hors d'oeuvres. And then desserts...so many desserts!!
Two nights in a row with wine and pizza! Really tried to focus on small tastings, 1 piece of pizza and lots of salad! Really I did!

Then on Saturday morning I had to be up, dressed and outside waiting for a ride at 5:45am!! This was our planned trip to Lyon (with my history group- Keith slept in, he did not go to Lyon-remember he had guided tours there a few years ago).
Our group had arranged to have a tour of Lyon. One member of our club had lived there many years and took on the job as guide. We had been invited to see the museum of tissue ( cloth) by a woman who had lived in Gevrey when she was young. She now managed the restoration of old cloth for the museum. Lyon was at one time the silk "capital".
We arrived, 21 of us and were met by our fellow member "guide " for the day. She handed out bus tickets and we were off.

Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay 11th century

On the way to the museum we passed the oldest church in Lyon. We took a brief tour, and the priest came and added some information. He wanted to show us a few more things, but our guide wanted to keep us on track. We had a 10am appointment at the museum.
The museum may be interesting if you are into old cloth and lace, and period costumes. However what made our tour special was our guide at the museum. Since she worked in restoration, she told us what state the piece had arrived ( one in an old garbage bag) and what she had to do to restore it. Something you would not get walking through there.
Tick tock, tick tock....we had lunch reservations at a Lyon Bouchon for noon. Hurry up and finish the museum tour, and off to lunch we go.

A Bouchon de Lyon is a restaurant that serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine. They are often small, and it is "plain" food, or family food. Often it is hard to get into one, because the regulars eat there every day and have "priority". Our guide had made the reservation well in advance. We had picked our meal out in advance so all went smoothly. There were 23 in number now ( the 20 on the train, our guide, her friend who was guiding half the group in the afternoon, and our museum guide).

Bouchon

Part of the our group

I had ordered ( as did 5 others at our table for 6) a salad to start. Then we had chicken in a cream sauce. This was brought out in a large pot and set on the table, as was the large bowl of rice. More than enough - 2 pieces of chicken per person. And that rich cream sauce, so good on the rice!!!And for dessert, Ile Floatant
More than a little full. And of course water, wine and coffee are all included in the price of the meal.

After lunch our group was split into two. One group toured the district called "Croix Rousse" and I went with the group that toured "Renaissance Lyon". I have included here a gallery of photos. Note the tromp-d'oeil below, Lyon is know for this also. Several building side have been painted. This is just one example. One other note is the traboules of Lyon. Alley ways made in the 14th century as "short-cuts" to the river, probably for the silk makers. After the photos, there is MORE...

Basilica from below

Basilica -close up with telephoto

Tree with ceramic flowers- it was raining when I snapped this

Inside the Basilica - a little too much

OVER THE TOP!! Everywhere you look!

The ride down on the Funicula

Corridor of a Traboule

In a traboule you sometimes arrive at these amazing courtyards

Another Traboule

Tromp-d'oeil - Building painted with famous persons of Lyon

This is at street level -Paul Bocuse Famous Chef in Lyon and France

We finished our day and arrived back in Dijon at 9pm. A long but enjoyable day.

Up and at it on Sunday morning, I had my shift at the Photo Expo at 10am. Drank lots of coffee. Went home for a short rest in the afternoon and returned in the late afternoon. The votes are counted in the afternoon and the winners announced ( if at all interested you can see the top photos here). I did not win, however I did come in 2nd in the votes casted by my fellow club members. It was for my Sedona, AZ. tree. Felt good about that.

I have continued to take walks in the woods. This month there are no cliff hangers! whew! More just some nice strolls in search of flowers. Although it is dry, a few flowers have managed to poke through. It is the month for wild orchids. With the little rain we had last week, some have popped up. Here are a few of my forest photos...and then there is still MORE...

Loved the light, sort of a fairy land effect

It gets hot sometimes and a drink is good too...just let me cool my feet

Pretty wild flower

Another wild flower

Now it is our turn to stop and have a snack..oh so good!

wild orchid

Butterflies in spring ---X rated photo

wild orchid

Wild Orchid

Insect on dandelion...called a Gendarme

look at all the colors of green...so pretty

History club will keep me busy this summer. I need to start taking photos of the villages too. Here I have a couple of photos; one from Messagnes, Croix de Chevaliers at the old mill, and one from above of Chevanne. In addition, I have to start taking photos of the monuments in the canton (32 villages). These are Monuments de Mort, or War monuments to the soldiers of the wars. Then to, I need to continue to take the flora and fauna photos for the club.

The Cross at the Moulin Chevalier

Historic Flour mill( Moulin) of Messanges

Looking down over the vines to Chevanne

And pottery...have to show you the photo of my latest work. Roof or garden ornament.

My little kitty on a roof tile....of course I made the roof tile too.
This is sort of a copy of an old finial

Keith worked last week. It was a special private tour. You can ask Duvine Adventures for almost any bike tour you want, and it will be designed and priced just for you. This one was to have more riding and Michelin starred restaurants. So it went from Beaune to Macon, and with several one and two stars and one three starred restaurant. Of course it included lots of wine tasting. It was a good trip, but I had one exhausted husband when he returned last Wednesday.
This coming week he plans on taking off for a ride and some camping. He loves to go off with a tent and climb those mountains.
That is all the news from Gevrey-Chambertin. Hope I did not loose all of you with this months Blog. Now for the recipe of the Month.

Recipe of the Month

This month I am taking a step back. A few months ago I had a recipe for beets and blue cheese. This is a variation of that recipe, but a little "gussied up".

Although I took some short cuts so I could take the photo, it can turn out to look very nice on a plate as an starter.

Depending on the beets size, I think it is about 1 beet per 2 persons. Hope you enjoy it, let me know if you try it. Really would like recipe feed-back (good or bad).

INGREDIENTS

Large fresh roasted beet-about 4 inches in diameter
3 oz. Blue cheese
1-2 TBS of creme fraiche or sour cream
Plastic wrap
Lettuce and vinegarette to add on the plate

PREPARATION

Peel the beet and cut off the bottom end
Cut into 1/4 inch slices -from the bottom
place slices on paper towel
Mix blue cheese with creme fraiche to a "spreadable" consistensy
Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a plate
Put down first slice of the beet
Spread with blue cheese mixture
Continue untill all the layers are done
Wrap in plastic and put the refrigerator for about 1 hour
TO SERVE remove from refrigerator

Cut off sides to square up ( or rectangle up depending the shape of the beet)
Save cuts for your salad tomorrow, or go ahead and nibble now!
Then with a good knife cut beet into 3/8 inch (approx) slices
Hopefully you should have 2 slices per plate
Add salad and a squiggle of balsamic vinegar and serve

Banks and such....

2011-05-27T14:40:00.002+02:00

This is a note to my Blog in between my monthly posts.

I just need to whine! complain! get on my soap box for a minute! get rid of my frustration!!

I know very well that we chose to live in France. However, I did not think it would be so difficult to get my money at times.

I decided to finally have a monthly check from my 401k.

What a problem! It is with AXA-Equatible (AXA is a FRENCH company and AXA has banks here in France !also?!). And although I have sited AXA-Equitable, other companies are the same. I did do some research looking into other companies to see if I could transfer my money.

The only way I can get my monthly check is for them to mail me a paper check in dollars!

No euros-they do not want to do that- no electonic transfer-they do not want to do that! I was finally given an honest response, they have looked into this and they do not want to do it.

I had checked with several other companies, and unless I had a US address, they would not accept

my account. So much for that. Yes, I could use an address of family or friend, but I really like to be honest. I live here now. Open a post box, yeah that is possible, but then you pay a fee for the box each month. And it has to be forwarded. So are you ahead...and they accept a box number... hmmm

But I guess I thought in this day and age with a global economy it would not be that difficult. Think of the number of transactions that occur every day. Must have to have lots of money for it to go smoothly and not just a small little check to an individual.

And YIKES, the dollar to the Euro right now. But that we knew could happen, so we live with that.

Keith's check comes in euros ( of course there is a charge, but not a big charge). But for me, paper check arrives, I go to the bank. They have to fill out a special form, and it then takes about 3 weeks for clearance ( they do not accept foreign checks without suspicion ) and a large charge!

Be interesting when I start my Soc Sec check next year. After this experience I presume that the Social Sec check will be the same.

OK I have vented. Thanks for listening.

April 2011

2011-04-30T12:58:00.005+02:00

April 2011
Another month has passed. April was the month of summer. It really has been more like the month of June. We have had sunny days and temperatures in the 70’s almost all month. And the not good part is that we have had little rain. It is starting to get to the critical point. Note: I wrote this on the 27th and that afternoon it rained… as it did on Thursday also...yippee

However since the weather has been nice, I or we have been outside enjoying it as much as possible.

North side of combe Lavaux

I have been taking photos of flowers. What a joy to go for a walk in the woods.
To start back a little, I am on a subgroup of my genealogy/ history/heritage club called Flora et Fauna. At the end of March, Michel found some morel mushrooms. He called and we went out and I took some photos (he told us to pick them for our dinner, he had already had some). This was the last of the morels since it did not rain again for the next few weeks.
But after this excursion, I continued to take photos of flowers as the season flowers opened up.

And sooo good to eat

I am trying to be thorough about this and find the names of each flower( in French and latin). I have found that the book I have is lacking a little. I need to go find a better book. But Marie Therese has come through for me on a few of the flowers.

Amur

wild poppy ( coquelicot)

I have taken other photos while in the woods also. There is a certain enchantment when one is in the depth of a forest and all you here is the birds.

Combe Grisard- south of Combe Lavaux -Gevrey

another walk above Gevrey

Of course this has led to some walks with Marie Therese. I think I will name this “ Walk on the Wild Side”! As you can see from some of my photos, she has no fear of cliffs (unlike me).

Chambolle with the dogs

Combe -Chambolle-Musigny

We took one walk on the south side of the Combe Laveaux ( Valley or maybe gorge…cliffs on both sides), a nice walk we have done in the past. It was somebodies idea to try a new path. We ended up in the combe Grisard, and had to climb down about a 12 foot drop ( not a cliff actually, but enough to turn around and hug the rocks as you try to find a foot hold and descend)!!!!!!

About half way down

Mid month we took a walk up the hill where Messanges is located. Been there and done that before too. But again, lets’ try a new path that goes to the top. Have you ever had to climb a hill so steep that you had to grab tree branches and pull yourself up!!! But I made it to the top, panting away like a tired dog (felt like it too). This was just a dirt path, steep but no rock climbing involved. It was a beautiful day though and the view was something else.

View from the top -above Messanges

AND SPRING TRAINING CONTINUES
This week we walked up the north side of the Combe Laveaux. There are a few paths that are more difficult, but actually we took a nice path that was quite easy; steep here and there, but nothing bad. We were at the top- I did not want to go left to the cliffs, so we turned on a path to the right. If we continued on this path going north, we should come out on a dirt road that would descend into Gevrey. But along the way, someone noticed that the Alpine club had marked a path. Let’s go this way…. Ah yes, more cliffs….longer and steeper!!! YIKES… at what point are you committed and it is just easier to go down. I have to say, Marie Therese went first and then directed me on where to put my feet. That helped enormously. I think we had 3 of these drops. I tried a photo, but it does not look at all bad from below…should have taken it looking down.

Just before the rough part!

Looking up on half of the descent

But I did survive, and maybe it did me some good to know that I can do it, even as a woman who is not “29” anymore.

Here he is....

As for Keith, we took a couple walks too. This last week we had arranged a picnic with two new employees-guides of Duvine ( company Keith works for). I thought taking them to the cliffs near Chambolle would be a great place for a picnic. Something they would not see in the routine of the job. It was a hot day and we had a great time. And the view…it is great if you stay away from the edge. I made a large salad and quiche. Also had wine, bread and cheese. The two men brought saucisson and dessert. The cheese in one of those little round wood containers sat in the sun and was scrumptiously delicious all melted and warm when we opened it. Does life get any better than this?

On a balmy Friday night, the committee that wants the vineyards here on the Côte to be classified as UNESCO set up an event. It was April 8th. The temperature was at least 75 that day, and the evening was warm. There was a walk from the village of Chambolle-Musigny to the Clos Vougeot, about 1 ½ km. There were to be lights in the vineyard and a wine tasting at the end of the walk. You were supposed to register by calling or online, so I did. However about 2500 people did not. So they expected about 500 people and had almost 3000 arrived.
They had put torches around the perimeter of all the vineyards and it really was pretty. However, the crowd was huge and walking was slower than a snail’s pace. Advance 3 steps, stop for 5 minutes. Keith gave up and we left. Doubt there would have been any way to get a glass of wine with that crowd anyway! So the event was too successful. We ran into people we knew and had a chat here and there before we turned back to Gilly where the car was parked. I tried to take a couple of photos, but my camera does not take night photos well ( this is the little automatic).

Easter weekend a few villages had wine tastings. We went on Saturday to Montélie. Again beautiful weather, so we enjoyed a few sips of wine…Keith is so good when he is driving, he does not swallow. Me…well let’s not go there.

I had my first meeting of my little sub committee the beginning of the month. This is the subgroup of the Sur Les Traces du Passé -Association of Genealogie/Histoire et Patrimoine of Gevrey and the canton. My group is Photography. I had thought we should "adopt" a village and take photos. There are only four of us and 32 villages in the Canton de Gevrey. We each signed up for a couple of villages, and now it time to go take photos to document the village at the beginning of this century. Hope someone appriciates these photos in 50 or 100 years ( ah ha, and of course that raises the question of how to archive). This is a very long term project. But I think it is a fun idea. The other members liked the idea too.

Back to Keith..
This month he also had his annual work meeting in Provence. He went down for the last couple of days. Had a couple of good dinners and a day of bike riding. Got the t-shirt too.

He was delayed because of me. I had some numbness in my left little finger and was scheduled to see a neurologist. Of course I thought the worse ( my imagination always goes wild) and was nervous, so he stayed and went to the appointment with me. It is a pinched nerve, nothing more. He did a little acupuncture and it is a better, mostly a tingle. He said surgery could correct it entirely, but my immediate response was NO-. I will wait on that. It is not that bad. What a guy!

Right now he is occupied with sanding and varnishing the shutters. The garage doors are done, but now about 1/2 of the shutters need to be done this year. It is always something.

Keith has two weeks of work in the month of May. We also want to take a day trip to Paris for the Manet exposition at the d'Orsay.
He plans to take a bike/camping trip. If weather is good he will leave on Monday. More on these adventures next month.

My spring tulips

Today is the end of the month. It is sunny and the sky is so blue. I think it is a good day to finally plant my garden. The tomatoes, beans, zucchinis cucumbers; eggplant and squash have all been waiting in their little containers. I battle in my little garden with Liseron (bindweed)....hate the stuff. Basil is planted too. Now where to put the rosemary, it will get to be a large bush ( my other one died the winter of 2010- it was huge ). Everything here is about 2-3 weeks ahead of the regular time, due to the warm spring. Have to see how the rest of the summer unfolds.

I have followed the news of the incredible storms in the USA. What a violent spring.
Tossing in one more photo of colza and the church at St Philabert (colza is canola or rape).

St Philabert

And spring vines in Gevrey

'Till next month.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Roasted chicken

I saw this recipe on a television advertissement for mustard. I thought to try it out. It is very simple to prepare, and the results are good. I know it may sound bizarre, but give it a try.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole roasting chicken ( I used free-range chicken)
5 TBS Dijon mustard
3 TBS herbs de provence
1 TBS olive oil

PREPARATION

Wash chicken
rub with olive oil
Put a generous coating of Mustard all over the chicken ( I have 5 TBS listed, this was for a small size chicken, if you are cooking a American huge chicken you may need more)
Cover mustard with Herbs de Provence

Cook in the oven at about 300 degrees. I cooked mine about 2 hours, but that will depend on the size of your chicken. The mustard will get very brown and actually flake off when you cut the chicken. But the chicken underneath is nice and moist. There was only a very slight hint of mustard herb flavor in the chicken, Keith ate the crispy skin and said it had a little more, but not strong.

How easy does it get, smear the bird with mustard and wait two hours. Always open to any comments if you try this.

We had this with fresh asperagus, rice and a white burgundy wine from Monthélie.

SPRING - PRINTEMPS

2011-03-26T16:32:00.061+01:00

Spring

Ah yes, spring, glorious spring. After all my whining about winter, March has been wonderful.This Blog is a spring tour with lots of photos.

route in pink

Went on a few walks this month. One was earlier in the month. We walked near Messanges, taking a route near Meuilley, then towards Villars-Fontaine and over to Sergois and back to Messanges. We had the two dogs with us, Flipper ( Marie T's dog) and Dols ( her father's dog). Walking along the dirt paths, the dogs are loose and run and play. We only have to put them on the leash when we are on major roads. Messanges is located on the side of a hill, so we go down, then across, and it is up hill to Villars and Sergois.

I have a couple more photos from this walk.

Vineyard - Villars-Fontaine

Sergois- small village

Mid month, I was excited about the arrival of spring. I took some photos of my garden.


My garden	My flowers	Neighbor's lawn

Now a little detour - our neighbor's cat. In the past I have mentioned Tim ( our name for him). He comes and goes as he pleases. He has made himself at home here. Keeps wanting food, but we refuse to feed him. It does not stop him from asking though. One day looking out the window towards the neighbors house, there was Tim. Next to it is a photo I took, just because he was here.


a sign of spring, or cat on the hot "" roof?	So cute

Another walk with Marie Therese and Flipper. This time we went to Reulle Vergy and walked around the top. I will write a whole article this summer when I take a guided tour. The ruins of the chateau are on top, along with the ruins of the old abbey St Vivant. So more on that this summer. This walk was just for fun.

Église Saint-Saturnin XII century

Some people can walk near the edge! ! !

And so can their dogs- Flipper

Must be SPRING

I took a walk this last week and decided to add a little lecture on grape vines. I know that you all are dying to know about grape vines, and I have not written much.

During the months of November through February the vignerons are busy cutting back the vines. After the excess is cut off, these branches ( sarments) are gathered and burned. In theory the time for burning must end Febraury 14th....hmm what was that smoke the other day? As stated, in theory ( or law that no one pays any attention to- whatever ).

Before the vines bud in the spring, the branch must be attached to the wire ( think of this, bend over to cut, bend over to remove branches, bend over to attach branch---ouch!!)

Here are some photos I took this last week walking through Gevrey ( except the close up of hands-that was 2 years ago).

Vineyard plowed and ready

Vines from above photos- branch attached

Different vineyard- no plowing- each vignerons has a personal preference- branches tied

Tying is done by hand

Tractor by cemetery

photo

These old vines are done by another method

How vines are grown, cut , tied and generally cared for are all the choice of the vignerons. In practice, the vines on this side of the Côte are shorter than the vines up and over the hill in the region called the Hautes Côtes. Some plow, others leave grass or put in gravel. Some have gone back to the "old" ways.

Now if I have not totally lost my audience, onto other things.

Of course with the nice weather Keith has been out riding his bike. He is a biking fool, riding between 60 to 90km a day when weather and time permits. He is still going to Bligny to work on the trains on Saturdays. That will end on May 1st when they start running the trains on the weekends. Sure hope they all run! ! ! Still looking into the boiler problem on the one train. All donations can be sent directly to the Tourist Train ($60,000 or so) at Bligny ...JUST KIDDING! Do hope they find a solution. The one big steam engine, the Meuse, is working. And of course a couple of the diesels are working too. And then on the side, for his bike restoration, he is trying to pin stripe the bike. And someone from his french internet group is making some wooden handles. There will be photos of the finished product.

I have to get busy here too. I continue as treasurer of the history group, but now I have charge of the sub committee of Photography. We have added some new members too, and have some interesting outings coming up. There is no lack of historical sites here in the Cote D'Or.

Photoclub has its Expo on May 14th and 15th. A lot a focus on that the last couple of weeks. I think all is ready now.

Have been watching lots of news the last few weeks. So many tragic events going on ( Japan and Libya). It does make the mundane events in our daily life pale in comparison. One must be thankful for what one has.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Tabouli ( ah maybe not what you think, this is the what the french call tabouli)
This is just a quick recipe idea. With the warm weather coming, I thought I would toss this in. Every french picnic or gathering, where everyone brings something, there will be a tabouli or two. It is couscous.

INGREDIENTS ( this is flexible)

1 cup dry couscous
1 large tomato chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small cucumber diced ( not more than 1 cup)
3/4 cup parsley chopped ( or coriander )
2 eggs boiled and chopped
1 red pepper (small) chopped or jullianed
1 clove garlic minced fine
[ other options- raisons, chicken, zucchini ....]

DRESSING:

1/4 cup Lemon juice
3 tablespoon Olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cumin or other seasoning can be added too -depends on your taste.

Preparation

Prepare couscous according to recipe (1 cup couscous to 1 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth -I prefer using vegetable or chicken broth for some flavor).

Let set a few minutes then fluff with a fork

Combine prepared couscous with all of the ingredients you have prepared.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Pour dressing over the couscous a little at a time and mix well.

Serve

You can prepare ahead of time and refrigerate.

Fevrier 2011

2011-02-28T08:30:00.005+01:00

Flower in the Woods

Here it is the end of February and I do not have my act together.
Why, I think I have been at this computer too much this month. Two projects have been ongoing.

First, I have been try to move the banking account for the Association from an old version to a new version. Of course the new is not compatible with the old, so all the banking entries for 2009,2010 and 2011 had to be entered one at a time ( this is kind of like a Quicken checkbook program, but includes a place for members of the association, members annual fees, equipment of the Association...etc). After working on this project and finally so excited to be done, I needed to make one little change. Went to open and the OPEN is next to the DELETE. Slipped and a months worth of work disappeared!! No second chance!! OK it should be in my back-up files, right. I had this program under the first level with my name" SUE" and not under My Documents, and the back-up ignored it totally!!! Live and learn. Of course I have the old version, so the club data is still there, it is just the frustration of it all. I now have entered the 75 entries for January 2011. Will go back and do 2009 and 2010 some other day! All the members are loaded back in and have updated the payment of fees area too. And I did a back up of it all.

Then my other project is more or less the same. I am updating Marie Therese's website "Cellier des Chaumes" to a new version. Since the base program is english, I can not do a automatic update. So I have been combing the 1,000 some pages of coding to change the english to french. Wish I had kept better documentation the first time, however some things have moved, so it may not have helped. Slowly it is coming around.

Along on that note, we have done some great wine tasting. One place we tasted, I believe because the proprietor knows Marie Therese's father, he opened a bottle of 1980 Charmes Chambertin. A 31 year old bottle of wine on a rainy Tuesday late afternoon, one of the Grand Crus of Gevrey Chambertin. It was very good indeed ( Lucky Sue ) and not a drop left in the bottle when we parted!
Then this last week, we tried a vigneron here in Gevrey, Domaine Boillot. Marie Therese has been searching for a good Volany ( red wine), and Keith and I had tasted his wine last summer in Volnay. He is very passionate about his wine. The wine he makes is made in the traditional manner. His wine is excellent.
We were tasting 2009 right out of the barrels. It is a young wine, but wow, it is a good year (2009) for the Cote D'Or.
As we were talking he mentioned his distributor in the USA. MT asked who it was and he replied Kermit Lynch. Keith and I have read his book, in fact it was our first introduction into learning about french wine. If you want to learn a little about wine, read Kermit Lynch's book (Adventures on the Wine Route).

So this month there have definitely been some perks.

Speaking of wine, I just have to quickly mention this little item. Burgundy is trying to get the Côte (vineyards) registered as a UNESCO site. Stay tuned for more.

Descending into Ruelle Vergy

As always I complain about the weather. Grey and foggy, or a light mist like today. But on the other hand, no blizzards, no snow, and the temperature for the most part has been above freezing. On a few nice days I have been working on the garden ( ground is not frozen).

I have taken a few walks this month. I do enjoy going for a walk. This last week took a new route in the Combe ( gorge) in Gevrey, but I did not have my camera!! In the Combe of Gevrey, there is a lot of box, you know those little boxed hegdes that outline gardens. Left on its own, it grows up to tree size. Some were about 20 feet tall. And all of the moss, all over everything, and so green and lush ( of course it has had some moisture this winter).

I do not have a lot of photos for this month, but I have sprinkled a few here and there throughout this Blog. And some have blue sky.

Last week I went to lunch with an American friend. Her husband was away, so we went for a nice long lunch. It was a little restaurant on the other side of the hills, in the Valley d'Ouche.

Curtil Vergy

Started the old spring cleaning this last month. Taking it slow, a project here and there. I am not sure why, it is the vineyard out back or what; but we get a lot of dust. And I do not raise dust bunnies, but full grown dust rabbits. I do use my little swiffer, however within a few weeks, everything is covered again. Oh well, such is life. Also tried to go through a few things and toss. We will see how successful this is!! At least the spice rack has been cleaned! Always something.

Keith went up to Paris to see one of his old students. This student is now a professor at the University in Christchurch, New Zealand ( and yes he and family are OK after the earthquake). He was working here in France and speaking/participating in a workshop at the Polytech University in Paris. Keith had a day of math and science and time with a friend.

Path in the Shade...look at at sun ..GORGEOUS day- a little haze

Keith also has been on the internet looking for parts for his bike restoration project, primarily on the web. His biggest challange is spokes for this bike. The size is not used much anymore and he is having trouble finding some new spokes (maybe have them in Sweden, but he does not know any Swedish). He keeps searching, they must be somewhere out there. He has found them a few times, but then only to be told that they are out of stock. The search continues.

At Bligny, where the tourist train is located, it has been a winter of repairs. Tourist season will start the first weekend in May; weekends only May, June and Sept; July and August daily tourist train.
They took apart the steam engine so the boiler could be inspected and certified ( required every so many years). Unfortunately it failed the inspection. Now they have to see if it can be repaired at a reasonable price. Each boiler ( as I am told ) on these old steam engines is unique, so they can not just find another. To have one made would cost a fortune; which they do not have. They could be down to one steam engine for the season!! They have a couple of diesels that run and they use the diesels for the week days in the summer. Keith enjoys his Saturdays during the winter months with the "guys".

Gevrey- Burning wine branches (sarments)- a little SMOG
settles over Gervey-Chambertin.

He is also getting ready for another tourist season. Looks like a tour or 2 in Champagne this year, one down by Macon and of course a Burgundy trip or 2 or 3...

Beautiful Tricycle at a flea market

We are beginning to think that we do not have a hedgehog, but maybe a rat ( this would be in the compost). I have a live trap now, and we will see what happens. I have not added anything to the compost, I do not want to feed a rat!! Although in the movie, Ratatouille was adorable, I really do not want him in my compost!!

I think I will sign off here with my recipe.

Recipe of the Month
This month I am going to not post a french recipe. My friend
from England sent me this recipe for Eggplant Curry. It is
a recipe from a big grocer chain in England, Waitrose.
I can take no credit for it. I made it last night for dinner and
it is easy and good if you like curries. Of course I had a french
red curry paste and it had very little punch. You can also use
coconut milk that has reduced fat.

AUBERGINE CURRY ( eggplant)
Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Total time : 35 minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

2 medium aubergines
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cm piece of root ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Thai Red Curry Paste
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ x 400g can half fat coconut milk

PREPARATION

Trim the aubergine and cut into small cubes.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger.
Cook for 2–3 minutes until starting to brown then add the aubergine cubes and fry until browned on all sides.
Stir in the red curry paste to coat the aubergine and cook for a minute.
Add the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce and season.
Add 400ml cold water and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes until tender and the sauce is reduced.
Stir in the coconut milk and heat gently but do not boil.

Check seasoning and serve, scattered with shredded basil leaves and steamed Thai jasmine rice.

Jan 2011

2011-01-29T17:04:00.005+01:00

TO A GREAT 2011
(over here there will be the two big weddings- July with Albert & Charlene and April with Will & Kate )

A new year has started.
What resolutions have you made for this new year? Have any been broken?

Are intension's are so noble, but the follow through is not always the same. Have to say I am still on track. Why, because I did not make any resolutions. Easy-peasy that way.

We started the new year with a simple lunch with friends. I had tried to make the baeckhoeffe ( last months recipe with new added comments on the recipe) for lunch. Although the baeckhoeffe was not perfect, it was a nice relaxed afternoon with friends.

Keith passed by Premeaux-Prissey one day and stopped to say hello and a Happy New Year to Bertrand. Bertrand mentioned that he had a group of Americans coming through for wine tasting and dinner the next week and that we should come too. So of course we did.

The red arrow points to Keith

About mid-month I went with Marie Therese to a hippodrome above Chenove. It is only about 10km from here. Her cousin's daughter (age 4) had her pony lesson that afternoon. It was entertaining to watch these very young children bounce around on these little ponies.

Small ponies, but so are the children. So cute

On the 15th of January we had a wonderful warm day. I was more than a little impressed at the color of the grass, so I took a photo while on my walk.

Look at the grass - Jan 15th 2011- SO GREEN

The next day the fog moved in. In the morning it was hard to see beyond out back fence. The fog was thick and showed no signs of lifting. Keith and I both wanted to go for a walk, so we decided that maybe the parc at the top of Mont Afrique just might have some sun . Mont Afrique is above Perrigny-les-Dijon. The foot of the Mont is about 7km from our house... They have just finished re-making the road going up through Marsonnay la Cote, and it is much better. Mont Afrique is so named because Julius Caesar had put his African troops at the camp on the top. It was true, we had sun at the top. However walking through the parc, we were soon in fog again.

Fog in the Parc

In the parc they have some old Cadoles. These are little shelters that are usually made of dry stone and used by the vignerons as shelters. The more common slang for the cadole here is Cabotte.

Cadole or Cabotte

Busy with my clubs again. Clubs usually have a night for Galette des Rois to celebrate the Epiphany ( Jan 6th). The Galette des Rois is a buttery-flakey pastry with almond creme in the middle. Not a bad way at all to start the new year. It is also the time for the annual photo of the club members.
( photo here: Photo Club members in costumes ).

The Photo Club has its annual Expo May 14th and 15th. We had to have our photos printed and ready by January 27th. Well, if you remember I mentioned a new computer that we bought? It crashed. It would only open in Safe Mode ( if you do not know what that means, all the better).

After buying a new computer, I was not really excited about paying a computer person 50-100 euros to come and fix my new computer. Finally, since we had had it only a little while, I took the plunge and re-loaded back to beginning ( manufacturers' state). We lost a little, but not much. I had to re-load Google and Picasa and Skype and my other programs I had...but at least it worked.
Now, it has now run for a couple of weeks...YEAH. But back to photo club, I lost a couple of valuable weeks that I should have used to select and work on 3 photos. Well the long story-short, I quickly picked 3 photos (theme is trees) and set them up for printing. I got them back on Jan 26th ( due the 27th)...whew....even in retirement there are deadlines. I guess there were other photos, I could have done some things with these photos, but there was not time for any of that.

I have put my 3 photos here: Picasa Photo Album EXPO 2011

The Historie club set off the year in the same manner. Our annual meeting is the first part of January, this year January 11th. After the annual report and election of officers ( I am now treasurer), we had Cremant and yes, Galette des Rois.
Lots going on this year. I am also on the Archives committee. We are pulling lots of documents and these need to be archived. So first; a registration program so we know what we have and where it is located (using Access right now) and then looking at on line digital achieving.

Then we have lots of outings planned for the year, and we will have another Expo ( theme to be decided). We have a few projects lined up to research too. It will be a busy year.

Pottery continues. I think Keith has stated that anyone that visits will get a bowl as a memento. I think he thinks I have made one too many.

Today it is sunny ( the 29th of January) and not too cold. it was supposed to be about 40 degrees, and I believe it is. I went out to the garden and the weeds are already taking hold. I got out the fork and turned my vegetable garden, turning the weeds under. I am sure the birds like the merle ( thrush family like the US robin) will appreciate the gesture too.

I have a compost in the back yard too. Something is living in it. MT thought maybe it was a hedgehog. I throw some old vegetables in there and the next day all the soil has been turned over. I was calling the creature Ratatouille, but it is true that the hole is large and I do not believe the garbage (veggie stems, peels and such) are eaten. So I will beliee it is a hedgehog. They a re only partial hibernators, and with the nice warm home (my compost) he is one happy hedgehog. Think of the bugs and worms in there too.

I am going with hedge hog ( prefer that to thinking it is a rat). Great little worker

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

WARM BEETS

I am going to present a very great winter recipe that is VERY simple.
The main ingredient must be fresh. This recipe takes only minutes to prepare, and is so good..

Try it and write me a note.

INGREDIENTS

One fresh cooked beet ( hopefully you can buy these in the market, please do not use canned)
1 or 2 ounces roquerfort cheese ( how much do you want?)
Olive oil - 2-3 teaspoons
Chopped flat parsley 1 Tablespoon
Salt

PREPARATION

Peel the beet* and cut into small cubes or julianne if you prefer
Warm the beets in a pan or microwave (I often use the microwave)
Drizzle a little olive oil over the warm beets and sprinkle lightly with salt ( check how salty the cheese it before you salt the beets). Add a tablespoon of chopped parsley
Mix carefully
Crumble the cheese over the top and take a whiff as it starts to melt a little
SERVE IMMEDIATELY

*If worried about red hands, rub with oil before you start handling the beet

Decembre 30 2010

2010-12-30T16:41:00.006+01:00

Dec 28 2010

Dec 19th (OK I need a haircut)

Happy New Year

It is almost the end of the month, and end of the year. If I do not get my act together here, it will be 2011 before this is done.

It is the time for reflection of the past year and time for those new resolutions.

We have passed through a good year. I was happy to see some of my family with my trip to the USA.

Before I go on with the month of December, I have to go back to the end of October. I forgot to mention last month that Keith went to Italy for an end of the season “soiree” with his colleagues from the tour company. They went to Acqui Terme, a small village north of Genoa or just south of Asti. One of the guides for the company also has a vineyard and his parents have a Bed and Breakfast. They ate and road bikes and told stories. He had a great time. Keith thought it was a beautiful area and would like to go back (with me of course).

Here is a photo that he took.

Acqui Terme

Now onto December.... First a brief weather report, just to bore you. We have had snow this month. Two big snow “storms”. It does not snow a lot here, so 2 inches here should be compared to about 6 inches in Minnesota. The first accumulation ended up being about 5 inches. Trains were late, school buses for the Cote D’Or were cancelled, and other regular buses were late or cancelled...the place was in chaos. Keith was going into Dijon. The train was not running so they had a bus instead. It took over an hour instead of the 10 minute trip by train.

You have to add to this equation that Dijon is totally torn up right now; why ?..because they are working to put in a tram system. We just got another little blast of snow just before Christmas. There really was not much snow, but it had rained for 4 days prior, and then the temperature plummeted and Mother Nature added a few inches of snow on top. Roads again were a mess. We have had a cold spell, with the temperature all the way down to about 10 degrees. Brrrr that is cold. We left Minnesota to get away from cold and snow. So that is the weather report, and enough of that.

The week before Christmas on Dec 19^th, I had an invitation for a concert and cocktails from the Mayor’s office. I had worked on the Cluny Expos, and this was a thank you. This was actually through the Photo Club. The club could invite 5 extra people (other than president...). I had taken photos at the chateau and had two photos in the Expo. The History Club had the same, but the president said she could not pick just 5 from the 20 some people that worked really hard. Who to choose and who to leave out!

The concert was by a local group called the Laostics. They sing medieval and baroque music, usually a cappella. For this concert they added some medieval and baroque instruments. The singing was still mostly a cappella, and then there were a few songs just for the instruments. This concert was in the old church St Aignan which is from the 11^th century (they had actually turned on some heat before the concert). It was an excellent 2 hour concert. The singing and the musicians playing the instruments were all absolutely brilliant. I just used my little camera, and inside photos are not the greatest (or nighttime either), but here are two photos 1) of the chorale group and 2) of a couple of the instruments.

Laostics in St Aignan 11th century church

Instruments- I pushed the lighting so you could see the instruments

I have to remark here on a french custom. Maybe I have mentioned it before, maybe not. At all of the concerts; small, large, amateurs, professionals, they introduce each piece with an explanation. Depending on the person, it may be short or can be very long explanation!

The concert was open to anyone, and it was free. As part of the group that was invited, we had reserved seats in the front. Wow, how nice and privileged.

After the concert there was a reception. Hors d’oeuvres were served, along with red wine from Gevrey, white wine from Marsonnay and juice or water. Then cheese was served (there is a fromagerie right here in the neighborhood) and after that, bite size desserts. It was a wonderful evening. I am starting to feel that I belong to this village.

A few days before Christmas, Keith and I took the train to Strasbourg. Strasbourg is located in the Alsace in the north east section of France. It calls itself the Capital of Christmas. Our train was stopped on the way up in the Jura because of rocks on the tracks. Yes rocks had fallen off the cliffs and on to the tracks. We were only delayed 30 minutes, as there were no boulders that damaged the tracks. We were resting on a narrow shelf that is wide enough for two track lines, and below us about 50 feet was the Doub river. Since we have had a lot of snow and or rain, it was a raging river. I tried not to let my imagination get away from me and imaging the worse.

We arrived in Strasbourg in the rain. We did spend 3 nights there and toured the city and the Christmas markets and ate Alsacian food (see this month’s recipe). It rained on and off, but it did not pour, so we made our way around the city. It is a pretty place, but I think if we go back it will be in the warm weather.

Strasbourg- Petite France

Strasbourg

Strasbourg Christmas Market

Strasbourg- COOKIES

Tree

Street in Strasbourg -name look familiar?

Christmas was wonderful, as always. We had noon diner with Marie Therese, Christian, her father and sister. The trip over was a little dicey because of the ice and snow, but we made it without a porblem. We shared a excellent meal with some great wine. We finally left (because of the weather) at 5:30. I hope you had a nice Christmas too.

My History Club has been busy putting out the 3^rd edition of its Gazette and a small book from our exposition. The book is limited, because we had permission only to use some of the documents in our Expo, not for reprint.

We have also been working on how to archive all of the information that we have accumulated. Joelle’s house is not the long term solution.

Photo Club will have an Expo in May, theme is trees. I hope to find a good tree photo.

We finally bought a new computer. We held our breath every time we started the old one. And turning it on or off took anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. This one will be faster; however there are a few bugs. The new one has only a USB connection for the keyboard. So without an option, we plugged in the french keyboard. The a and the q are swapped, as one example. You know how often you use the a? Lot of little differences, but slowly I will get there. Also having some problems with my PhotoShop. Hope that works out soon. My genealogy program set up without a hitch…YEAH.

Good news, it did load in English, however it converts some things to french, and we have not figured that out yet.

Keith is fine too. He is trying to get his last 120km in on his bike to reach his annual goal of 10,000. With the wretched weather, he has not been able to ride much the last two months. So he has only today the 30^th and tomorrow the 31^st left. Bon chance mon amour.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Alsacian Baeckhoeffe

This may look difficult, but it is not. It is just a stew. You marinade the meat, and then the next day put it all in the pot. I have eaten a few variations. One that I had was like a stew with lots of juices or sauce; the other had all the liquid cooked out, so there are just the potatoes layered with the meat. I preferred this method, as it is a little different. I will try to achieve this on Saturday January 1^st. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL…
NOTE JAN 2, 2011 : I made this recipe for the 1st of Jan. It lacked a little something. I have looked at a few more recipes, and it appears that two things should be changed.
1. Use meat with some fat. I used lean meat.
2. Many recipes add a pigs foot... could help. Common here, maybe a little harder to find in the USA
3. Maybe a little beef broth
Sue

INGREDIENTS

For Marinade:

2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
3 cups dry white wine (preferably Alsacian Riesling)

Marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS More:

1 pound beef chuck roast, choice grade, cut into 3-inch cubes
1 pound boneless pork butt, trimmed and cut into 3-inch cubes
1 pound boneless lamb shoulder, choice grade, trimmed and cut into 3-inch cubes
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (or other waxy potatoes), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
3 leeks sliced in small circles
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For Pastry Seal (optional : This is the traditional method. If you have a tight cover, first put aluminum foil over casserole. Then put on the lid. Press the foil tightly to the sides of the casserole dish to make a extra tight seal).

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS

TO PREPARE MEAT AND MARINADE: Combine the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add all the meats and toss gently. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

TO PREPARE VEGETABLES: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and lightly oil a large ovenproof casserole) with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the casserole with half of the potato slices. Remove the meats and vegetables for the marinade and reserve the marinade. Arrange the mixed meat over the potatoes, and then place the vegetables in a layer over the meat. Cover with a layer of the remaining potato slices and pour the marinade over them. Add enough additional white wine or water to just cover the top of the potatoes. Place the lid on the casserole.

TO PREPARE PASTRY SEAL: Mix together the flour, water, and olive oil in a mixing bowl, and form into a rope shape long enough to wrap around the rim of the casserole. Press the dough onto the rim of the casserole. Place the lid on top of the dough and press to seal completely (this seal will prevent any of the cooking liquid form evaporating).

TO COOK: Place the casserole in the oven and cook for about 3-1/2 hours. Remove the casserole and serve.

2010-12-16T14:58:00.003+01:00

Happy

Holidays

A home full of happiness,
laughter and memories,
friendships rekindled,
hearts filled
with joy . . .

May these be your treasures
at Christmastime.

Abundant good wishes for
happiness and joy
this holiday season

...more from me the end of December..

November 2010

2010-11-28T18:11:00.017+01:00

Last Rose - 1st week of November

Fall has set in and it is a gray November. The weekend of the 13th-14th we had some sun, and it was about 65 degrees. Then late Sunday afternoon, a storm came through.

The good weather was gone in a flash.

Nov 28th 2010- from bedroom window

Back to the end of October. I had a little surgery, my gall bladder removed (laproscopy). So how is medicine over here? I was treated well and all went smoothly. I had surgery on Oct 26th (Tuesday) and got out of the hospital on Thursday the 27th (normal stay of 48 hours after laproscopy here).

I had a private room with a toilet and shower and windows on the south east side. I would say the building was probably built 50's or 60's, so the room looked like many hospital rooms I have seen in the US.

Can't say the food was great, I was having gall bladder surgery!! I had to go in the night before, on the 25th. That night I had pasta with nothing on it, and some kind of broth and water. Oh um! I have heard from others that the hospital food here in France is good, and even served with wine. But not for me. The two days following, the menu was much the same.

Recovery from this is fast. Just have to add that with the problem before surgery, I have lost lots of weight. It is great...so happy...more energy too.

So that aside, November has not been that exciting. We had another velo tourist stay one night, this was through Warm Showers. Nice young man, he works half a year and tours half a year. Next year he said it was California. He is young, so why not.
In the middle of November, the Hospice de Beaune has their annual wine sale. It is a big event, and there are lots of other events and wine tastings throughout the town. I usually go to this with Marie Therese, and we walk around looking at all the booths, and watch the parades and the musicians...and .... This year it rained. Most of the activity is outside, so we gave it a miss.

My photo club had an expo of Clunisian sites (property owned by Cluny). The expo had 24 photos, black and white. These were picked from over 1,000 photos. I missed the opening (vernisage), but saw the exposition. I had two photos in the exhibit, one of the building in Paris and one from the church just south of us in Meursault.

Photo from Paris

PHOTO

Photo of church in Meursault

History club is up and running and an ambitious year is planned. Lots of outings (including one to Lyon in May) and new Expositions planned. We also have some more history research to do. Fun year ahead. Keith has started back with the train in Bligny. In the winter repairs need to be done on everything. Also, one engine needs its' boiler inspected, so they have to take the train apart so the inspectors can get at the boiler. Lots of hard work, and now the group is down in numbers, so only 3 or 4 show up on Saturdays. Still, he really enjoys his Saturdays in Bligny.

Keith has been in the garage this fall repairing and restoring a 1950's Bianchi bike.It is looking really good now. He even replaced all the spokes!

Thanksgiving was a quiet time this year. I made dinner with a turkey breast filet, and it was just the two of us. And I did not go out and search for cranberries this year.

I missed the couple of sunny days at the end of October, so no beautiful fall photos this year. It was a fleeting few days, then the wind arrived and all the leaves fell. I have taken a couple of photos for the History club Gazette, these are photos of the war monuments (monuments de mort) in Gevrey and Morey St. Denis and Chambolle. We had about 1 hour of sun the other day (November 26th), and I ran out and took the photos. The one photo of Gevrey was taken in the spring. Our history club may do an Expo on the monuments of the Canton de Gevrey.

Gevrey monument -spring 2010

Morey St. Denis-November 2010

Chambolle- November 2010 Top of this monument fell off this last year.

We had dinner one night in Messanges. What a great night. My first big outing since the surgery, and with friends, good food and wine, the evening was perfect.

I have a few other photos taken late October or November. Also went this last week and visited Ohtar, Marie Therese's horse. He is stabled near Seurre (valley of the Saone River).

Fixey - October

Beaune -October

Ohtar-November

Have a good month...till the end of December....

I do have to add that Nov 28th was Keith's birthday. I made beef burgundy and we had a 1994 Morey St. Denis 1er Cru, it was sooooo good...WOW (oh by the way, the beef burgundy was good too). Life is good............

Recipe of the Month

CARROT FLAN

This is an easy and great winter recipe. Also really not that hard.

Be a little creative, add a little thyme to the recipe. Or maybe a little fresh

nutmeg. Adding flavors should always compliment the other dishes that

you are serving (i.e. maybe add the thyme if you are doing a pork roast with

garlic and thyme).

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, roughly chopped
1 ounce Grana Padano cheese, grated
3 eggs
1 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
Salt and pepper (white pepper preferred)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Butter a 8 ramekins or use a cupcake pan -sprinkle it lightly with Parmesan cheese.
Boil the carrots until tender
Pass them through a potato ricer while still hot.
Blend the carrots with cheese, eggs, and crème fraiche
Add pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
Spoon the mixture into the buttered ramekins.
Prepare a large roasting pan with warm water
Place the ramekins in a roasting pan (water should come about 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekins )
Bake at 350° about 15-20 minutes (test with a knife or toothpick -should come out clean when put into the middle of a ramekin)
Cool slightly before unmolding and serving.

October 2010

2010-10-23T14:23:00.003+02:00

Better get it started on my October journal now, instead of the end of the month panic.

As I always make a note about weather, so far not too bad. Keith had his group of Mexicans here for 8 days (ended Oct 2nd). The last week of September was a cold week, the temperature around 50 degrees, with very chilly mornings (not nice for people from Mexico City). Since then we have warmed up into the 60's to 70's. Foggy in the morning, but it burns off fast. Could not ask for more.

These beautiful fall days are here to stay a few days. "Il fait beau, profiter", which is "it is nice, enjoy" - more or less. But the word "profiter" carries with it so many nuances. We can and should profit from everything around us (and not in the financial sense).

I took a walk through the village of Gevrey the other day. The wine is fermenting and the air is saturated with the scent of wine. I find this pleasing.
Birds were flocking in the vineyards...color was starting to show in the vines. Such a lovely walk.

Birds Flocking in the Vines

Looking down on Gevrey

Cellier des Dimes- Medieval times you paid taxes here.
Church tower behind the Cellier

The harvest finished that last week of Sept,although there was some the 1st week of October. A chilly, rainy time for the harvest this year. And the cold and wet days did not improve things. A friend did the vandanges (harvest ) and said it was indeed hard work, down on your haunches for the day cutting off grape bunches with cold numb hands! Muscles and back was sore at the end of each day, it is really hard to stand straight. But she may do it again next year!!

Keith is finished with tours for the year. His last tour ended on Friday the 8th of October, and paper work finished on Saturday. The end of this month (22nd-24th) he has a meeting (aka - party) in Italy with his company.

Have taken a couple of great walks this month, with the warm weather and all. Now as I finish this at the end of the month, we have had a few gloomy days. Just when the vines are at there golden best, the has been cloudy and dreary. Looks like sun today (the 22nd), but wow it is cold. We had a freeze last night.

Lone Tree

Arcenant from above

Last week was the a national week of tasting, "Semaine de Gout". All around there were festivals to taste artisinal food and wine. Since I am still watching what I eat, I did not go to these. However to give you an idea, the cheese place near us (fromagerie) had free tastings. You get a plate with 6 different cheeses that they make, some bread and of course a glass of red wine. A few years ago my sister and niece were here for this weekend. We tasted cheese in the morning before the huge crowds arrived (OK some wine too, but it was almost 11am by then ), and went to the festival in Nuits St. Georges that featured many booths of food and wine. Keith and my niece shared some oysters (not my taste).

Speaking of food, I have to mention a TV reality show here. It is Master Chef. I have seen the US version where chefs come together to try to win the big prize and title of Master Chef. Here it is a different version. Over 100 people started in this contest, and not one of them was a trained chef. These are all people with other jobs (i.e. teachers, electricians, plumbers, ....etc). It is now down to 10 finalist. Wow, the food and presentation that these people turn out is absolutely amazing. The judge panel is made up of two chefs and one food critic. More than just a few times, they (the judges) have been totally amazed and stated that the plate could be served in a 3 star restaurant ( 3 Michelin stars is the highest here in France). Food and wine is a passion here.

OK to finish this up and post my monthly journal. It is now October 23. France is in a state of turmoil, to say the least. They want to change the retirement age from 60 to 62 for early retirement and from 65 to 67 for full retirement. Some of the problem, as I understand it comes from the fact that the President N Sarkozy was talking with the unions. Supposedly he stopped and just announced his plan. This is a simplification for sure, but the unions are angry. They are also upset with the change, and the University students are protesting too. They feel that if people work longer, then there will be less of job turnover, and no new jobs for them. The result of all of this is a huge disruption of transportation. The trains are very limited if not cancelled all together, the air traffic is slowed way down so all flights (if there are any) are all late, bus service is at a minimum with about 1/2 of the buses cancelled (this is local buses included), the Metro in Paris is at a minimum, and the refineries are blocked so gas is not being delivered to any gas stations. Now 25% of the stations in France are totally out of gas. There are gas lines all over. People are trying to get to work, but it is more and more difficult. So does this effect us. Yes, it does. I just filled the tank hoping that it will last for a while, but we are not just taking off in the car to do things that we would normally do. But we are coping. We do have our bikes, the grocer and baker (but unfortunately not the candlestick maker) are within 2km. And wine and cheese too.

Keith has his work meeting/party this weekend. There was a train at 6:20 this morning (Oct 22nd), so he took it. He is heading to Orange, where others are meeting to drive to the northern corner of Italy (there will be gas in Italy for the return trip- no problems there). He should be home on Sunday.

Hopefully trains may ramp up the next couple of days. Why, good question. It looks like the Senate may pass the bill, and unions said they would continue to strike (greve). However, the next two weeks are "vacances" (school break vacation). There are families all over France with planned vacations, so maybe, just maybe, a few of the strikes will ease off for the next two weeks. We will see (on verra)

Have I told you about Keith's winter hobby? He bought an old Bianche bike and is restoring it. He has been in the garage more than once, just polishing. Some of the components need replacing and he searches the internet to find the original parts. Keeps him busy. I will post a photo when he has done a little more.

This last week he replaced the sink in the kitchen. I noticed a crack in the floor of the sink (it shouldn't happen, but it did), so he wanted to replace it immediately. A person who does DIY projects is a "bricoleur" and the process of doing the work is bricolage. Since our kitchen in transition (Keith making new cabinets during the winter- now on its 3rd winter), it was not a good time to get a new sink. We want a completely different style in the future. So he went out to find a "cheap" sink that would fit the existing whole. So now we have the black counter tops, and a creamy/white sink. Oh well, it works well .

My Genealogy/History group started up again this month. Making plans for the next exhibit, plans for the next Gazette, and plans for future outings. Sounds like another good year ahead.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ...(not a big deal here at all, they tried for a few years, but it is fading away)

Recipe of the month

I am going to stick with something very simple for this month.
It is a great dessert and is not hard to make. Pears are in season and delicious.

Please give me feedback if you try any of the recipes. I could have made a typing error...could happen..

PEARS and BLUE CHEESE for 2 people

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe pears
2 oz of Roquefort (or other creamy blue cheese)
2 Tbls of honey
6-8 walnuts crushed

PREPARATION

Peel and slice the pears (about 8 slices per pearm or thinner if you want)
Lay slices on the plate (maybe fanned in a semi-circle)
Drizzle each pear with 1/2 of the honey
Crumble each pear with 1/2 of the Blue Cheese
Sprinkle each pear with 1/2 of the crushed nuts

Now how simple is that.

September 2010

2010-09-30T15:47:00.039+02:00

It is almost the end of September. This year the month of September has been a wet cold. We did have a few days of great weather, but mostly not!

Almost forgot, I had said I had some Black and Whites of Paris. If interested here they are: PARIS

I left off last month with the opening of our Exposition on Cluny/Gevrey/ and the Chateau.

First, our Expo lasted two weeks and we had almost 600 visitors. I would say it was a success. It was full of historical information; some people read it word for word and stayed for over an hour, and others skimmed and toured the Expo in about 15 minutes.

When an Exposition opens here in France (or at least here in the Cote D’Or), it usually opens with a “vernissage” (private viewing). For a large Expo, the mayor of the village may come to the vernissage and say a few words. The president of the club or organizer of the Expo will say a few words too. After the speeches are finished, there are refreshments (petite coup- a little glass). Beverages such as wine, or Cremant and apple juice are served along with some type of snacks (crackers, gougères, salmon treats (on toast), cheese treats....).
Since this Expo was at the request of the Mayors office, the Mayor did indeed come and give a short speech. And as this is Gevrey-Chambertin, and the vernissage was hosted by the Mayors office, the wine served was Gevrey-Chambertin [Gevrey is one of the better wines of the Burgundy region- red wine only-Pinot Noir. Many Expos serve a cheaper wine (Aligote) or a regional Cremant ].
Now that is what I call a grand opening.

Expo Set -up- Everyone is busy- oops- bad lighting

One panel with Sue's photos -Info on Gevrey

Panels one both side...lots of information

The weekend of our Expo opening( August 28^th and 29th), the Chateau in Gevrey also had a grand fete (it is the official Clunisien site here in Gevrey). They had animations, stands with things for sale, and a few demonstrations ( a forge, leather work, caligraphy, plowing vines...). I had a free ticket in exchange for taking photos. So off I went with cameras in my back pack (it is only a few blocks from where our Expo ). The rain had stopped and it did not appear to be too bad of an afternoon. In fact, it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon. There was a play at 6pm (or more like 6:30pm) just in front of the chateau. The sun shining, the sky color was gorgeous. Wow, sometimes the light is so beautiful.

I enjoyed myself for several hours. I took a lot of photos of the children in costume, but alas, France has a lot of regulations on using photos, especially photos of children without parents permission, so I do not want to post any of the photos of children and commit any violation of the law.... In all I took about 460 photos, not bad for an afternoon. Of course not all are good photos. I have included a few that I took of adults that were in costume.


Pelerin- Pilgrim to St. Compostello (the play)

Leather working

Wating for the Play

Is it SHARP? Oui...why do you ask?

Chateau Chorale Group

End of the Day

I went up to our Expo most days in the late afternoon. There were always a few club members gathered around talking about some aspect of history in or around Gevrey. It did wonders for my French to sit and listen. One member of our club , Monsiuer M, is a walking, talking historian. It took me a few years to understand him with his old Burgundian accent, but I have arrived. I like listening to his stories. He can look at old photos and start a story of who it is, where it was taken and what they were doing. What a honor to be there and listen.

When our Expo closed on the 12th of September, we had a small party. Although not required to bring anything, almost everyone showed up with something or another. It was a pizza party ( pizza to be ordered from the local pizza place). A few brought cake fresh from the oven ( a savory cake is made with butter, eggs, and then maybe something like ham and cheese and olives are added ... it is so good and rich). Madame C brought lots and lots of fruit, so there I was stuffing in the fruit when I really wanted a piece of the cake. I knew I would not eat pizza either, so I made a large salad, enough to share with the group. And then there were desserts.... lots and lots of desserts. No one starved. Now...the wine, I had brought a bottle of Burgundy red, but when I saw what the vignerons brought, I left my little bottle in my bag, it was a meager Red Burgundy. They had brought Gevrey-Chambertin Pinot Noir. A couple of the vignerons are well known, and the wine commands a good price, and here we were swilling it down with pizza. What a treat, I savored every drop of the wine and enjoyed it completely.

Someone had said once that my Blogs seem to talk a lot about food and wine. And yes I do, but food and wine are so intertwined with life in France, it is impossible to separate the two. I can not tell you about what I have done without talking about food and wine. In a room of 10 french people, probably 7 are “master chefs” in some respect, that is they love to cook, and are very good cooks.

Keith has been busy working. This week he has a private tour of 12 people. It is an 8 day tour, so new routes had to be planned and other sites/places to visit. So he has been very busy and I have not seen much of him. One hopes they are enjoying the trip, a little cold for people from the south.
Although some of the mornings have not been great, by the time they have started the rides, it has not been too bad. So they have avoided some of the rain (but not the cold). A tour at this time of year is a bit of a challenge, it is harvest season and the vignerons are working in the vines. Many places are closed. Great time to see the harvest in progress, not so great for wine tasting.

And speaking of the vendanges (grape harvest): it is a difficult year for the vignerons. The weather has not been the best this summer, and now when they need sun to increase the sugar content, we have cloudy misty rainy days. It poured last Friday! My birdbath filled and ran over in just a couple of hours. When it rains like that at the end of the season, the grapes suck up the water. The water in the grapes dilutes the sugar and acid content, and of course the taste of the grapes.
So wait for better weather? Or harvest now? Most have started the vendanges. There is a saying the years that end in 9 (i.e. 2009) are good years, and years that end in 10 (2010) are not so good. We will see. In November there is the first tasting and sale of wine in Beaune.
I feel so sorry for those poor workers out in the nasty weather. Since the weather is not very good, I took no photos of the vendagnes this year.

The Haute Cote (just over the Cote – going west from Gevrey) has not started the vendanges yet. The elevation is a little higher, and therefore always a week or two behind this side of the Cote. For whatever reason, the grapes look better up there. Did a personal inspection (and nibbled on two grapes) on Wednesday.

Mid September of every year, France has a weekend called "Patrimoine" or heritage. This year it was the weekend of the 18th-19th of September. Many old places or things that we would call "historical" are open to the public. Some charge (if they are not state owned) and many are free. It is also the only time some of these places are open to the public. The list of places in the Cote D'Or was published the weekend before. It was quite extensive, as it included many churches in the small villages, and some in the large cities too. When the day came, Sunday the 19th was a beautiful day. In the morning Keith wanted to make the rounds of a few "vide greniers" -(town garage sales- or literally empty the attic) to search for a new light fixture for the garage. We went to three and finally found it. He did not want the cute one that had four colored fish with light bulbs in their mouths...fussy fussy.
After lunch we picked Longecout-en-Plaine, a village not too far from us, east on the plain (20km). The chateau was open only for the weekend. It is a private chateau (XIII th century) and cost a whopping 2 euros to visit. We had a interesting tour, however since it is not open for tours, the information of our guide was a little limited. I want to do some research on a little of the history, but have not done it yet. There is always tomorrow. Here is a photo however of the chateau.

It is the time of year for the “Musique au Chambertin”. For about 6 weeks starting in September, concerts and wine tastings have been arranged by the Office de Tourisme of Gevrey for each weekend. Last weekend I went with Marie Therese (Keith was working) to a Baroque concert in the small church here in Gevrey. It was an excellent concert and very atmospheric in the old church. There was a violin, cello, harpsichord / organ, cornette/recorder, and vocal (male tenor), so five musicians in total. This next weekend there is another concert and I have tickets. It will be again here in Gevrey. The local trumpet player, Thierry Caens, is playing. He is extraordinary.

Went for a walk today (Wed the 29th). Not the prettiest day, grey, hazy, possibility of rain. But Marie Therese and I walked walked up on down the hills and dales of the Haute Cote. We started in Chavenne, walked up the hill towards Detain, but then veered into the woods. We ended up on the plateau above Arcenant, and then circled around back to Chevanne. Nice walk, and in spite of the haze (brume), there was some very pretty scenery. The new dog, Flipper, had a great time too. Flipper is a little bigger than expected. Oh well, he is a good dog.

Just above Chevanne- Vines in rows

Looking down on Arcenant

Flipper

Before I launch into a recipe I have to tell you that I finally watched the movie "Julia- Julie". I really enjoyed the movie, as I have always been a fan of Julia Child. Meryl Streep was outstanding in her portrayal of Julia. I have Julia Childs first book (my is paper back) and use it as a guide often. There are however, many recipes I have yet tried to make. One day I will......

^{RECIPE OF THE MONTH}

I looked at my past Blogs and did not see a recipe for Quiche... Hmm, I presume that I have never shared this recipe?
It is a deviation from my “healthy” recipes of the last few months, but I am thinking of whipping it up for Keith, so it is on my mind. This is not a fat free recipe - but it is very easy
Does anyone try these recipes? If yes, give me feedback...it is possible that in my random typing I make mistakes too. Or is it just not to your taste?

QUICHE

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
INGREDIENTS

1 Pie Crust (make your own, or buy a ready-made. The crust I get at the store is very good, so often I just use it.

3 eggs or 4 eggs (if small use 4)

1 1/2 cup crème fraîche (or cream)

1 1/2 cup grated cheese

Other ingredients... try any one of these:

*1/2 cup cooked and dried spinach (spinach holds lots of water, so it is necessary to put on a paper towel to remove excess water) OR

*1/2 cup to cup of blanched broccoli cut in very small fleurettes OR

*1 cup cubed ham OR

*1/2 cup sautéed leeks (cut in small circles)

Salt and Pepper

PREPARATION

Put the pie shell into the quiche pan ( or pie tin)

Prick with a fork and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Watch it during this time, if crust bubbles up, poke bubble with a fork.

Remove from oven.

Add cheese to the bottom

Add other ingredients (i.e. ham, broccoli...)

Beat eggs, crème fraîche, salt and pepper

Pour over the top

Place in oven and bake for about 40 minutes (pierce middle with knife, if it comes out clean, quiche is done).