Jennie Goutet's Blog: A Lady in France, page 17

Forgiven

I’ve been all elbows and knees lately, figuratively speaking of course. I always seem to say the wrong thing, and I can’t even blame it on my runaway mouth. I even type the wrong thing, when the time it takes to write should give me sufficient pause to figure out whether I’m saying something idiotic or constructive. Alas …

Last week I said something so unbelievably stupid and cruel (although that was not my intention, obviously) that I really hurt a good friend of mine. And this happened right at a time when she’s suffering tremendous personal loss, so if I had been trying to kick her while she was down, I would have been right on target.

I cried so hard. It’s one thing when you’ve been hurt, and you need to heal from the suffering under God’s provident care. But it’s quite another when you’re doing the hurting. Where does the comfort come from then? I imagined Jesus putting his arm around her shoulders as he led her away from me, turning only to say, “Well, you just think about what you’ve done there. I’m going to comfort the one who really needs it.” And then he leads her away, and I’m standing there abandoned.

Can you relate to this at all? Someone, please tell me you can relate. A mutual friend showed me tremendous grace when I confessed what I had said. And another friend in our circle agreed I had been boorish, but showed me love all the same. She concurred how hard it is when you’re the one who’s spoken those ill-judged words. You want to force the person to sit in front of you while you explain how it’s not what you meant! But sometimes you just have to accept the consequences of your sin.

My friend forgave me way quicker and more unconditionally than I deserved – which of course brought a fresh bout of tears. I pretty much cried all weekend. It was so good to be forgiven.

I already told you I relaunched my memoir last week. And I just got the hard copies today. Yippee!

Perfect timing since I’m holding a table at a career fair for my daughter’s junior high on Saturday morning. If you haven’t bought the book and would like to, you can use this affiliate link or just go straight to Amazon and do a search. (Thank you).

If you’d like to try for a free copy, I’m holding a GoodReads giveaway this month, and you can access the giveaway here.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Stars Upside Down – a memoir of travel, grief, and an incandescent God
by Jennie Goutet

Giveaway ends March 03, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

I hadn’t gone on Goodreads in awhile, and I was catching up on some of the reviews I had missed. Obviously, since this is a relaunch, I know my original book is flawed – namely that it was too long. I had come to brace myself for a bad review, and be surprised and grateful whenever I would get a good review from someone I didn’t know. Apart from the first few bad ones, which were like a cold bucket of ice water on the head, I started not to mind them. I learned from them.

So, I was expecting a few bad reviews mixed in with the good, but there was this one that made me laugh when I first read it, and then feel stung when I went back and read it a few days later. Yes, it does sting. But I mostly find it amusing. This is what she said:

I have no idea what people see in this book. A spoilt girl and woman who essentially uses God as a metronome for good and bad – if you give me a $40,000 dollar salary i will know it is what god wants – REALLY??????. I am less than convinced that the author is was good or religious as she makes out. Some of what happens to her is truly terrible but for the most part she seems to get just what she wants.

So that was it. I laughed because she missed the whole point. I was never trying to make myself out to be good, or religious. If I had been, I would never have talked about trying to seduce a married man, or passing out on a public stairwell, or raging against God, or looking down on people in other religions, and even in my own church. I would have spoken beautifully about what I know is the right thing to do / think / feel / say.

As it is, I put all the ugly out there because I feel safe to do so.  It doesn’t matter what you, Dear Reader, think of me. It doesn’t matter what she does. It only matters what God thinks, and he already knows my heart.

I just thought I would talk about this today in case you’re feeling “not good” yourself. It doesn’t matter whether the outside is clean and sparkly – only whether the inside has been scrubbed clean. And even when it’s been washed, it still needs constant polishing. You need only witness the idiotic thing I said just this past weekend to have that confirmed. And that’s me 20+ years in the faith, and 46 years on earth.

So, no. I’m not a good – or religious – person. I’m a forgiven one. And of the two, that’s the title I’d rather bear.

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Konjac Pasta with Olive-Tomato Sauce

Konjac pasta is made from a plant in Asia, and is naturally gluten-free, low fat, low in calories, and high in fiber. I discovered it when I bought – what I thought was – rice pasta to use in an Asian dish, and when I read the word “konjac” I tried to google translate it into English. Wouldn’t you know, it’s the same word in English! And then I had to see what in the heck it was. This is what I found. If you’ve heard of it at all, it might be under the name of Zero Noodles.

Anyway, once I read up on it, I thought – why not try it out with a traditional pasta sauce as a healthier substitute? And guess what! It’s delicious! It remains al dente with a slightly more rubbery texture, but that didn’t bother me. It took on the flavour of the sauce. And it only takes 2 minutes to cook, once your hot water is ready. It seems you can’t go wrong.

I didn’t try for a low calorie sauce; I figured I had some leeway with the double portion of high-fibre konjac noodles at 30 calories a pop.

Recipe for konjac pasta – naturally gluten-free, low fat, low in calories, and high in fiber. @aladyinfrancePowered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

I sautéed an onion in about a tablespoon of olive oil. And I cut up a cup and a half worth of mushrooms and added them once the onion was lightly browned.

I cooked the two together until the mushrooms were soft. I like adding these extra elements to the sauce because it makes the dish heartier without adding something heavy, like beef.

The first time I made this, I sliced about a half cup of green olives, and a half cup of black. This time I used Greek olives instead of black olives because that’s what I had on hand. But the taste was too strong, so I recommend regular black olives.

Add that to the onions and mushrooms –

and then just put in a jar of sauce. Nothing fancy. I really like Barilla (this is not sponsored) because it’s the most tomatoey, authentic sauce I can buy without making it myself.

As for the noodles, You can pretty much make the whole sauce and do the noodles last because they only take 2 minutes to cook. They’re packed in water, and tied into cute little bundles.

Heat up some water in a pan, and put the noodles in. They’re done in 2 minutes.

Drain them. (I know this is elementary pasta instruction. Humour me here).

New Release: Stars Upside Down

My new release is not really a new release, but rather an old memoir that needed to be refurbished. Introducing… Stars Upside Down – a memoir of travel, grief, and an incandescent God.

The original memoir was not particularly bad. (Let me boast a little bit here, please). It had 81 reviews with a 4.4 star average, out of 5. It earned an honourable mention with the New York Book Festival, and a bronze medal with Illumination Press (the first under the memoir category, the second under the e-book category).

But the title, A Lady in France, was not adapted to a Christian audience, and I had a few disappointed (understatement) readers who thought it would be like A Year in Provence. I figured that was bad enough, but once I launch my romance later this year, and then follow it (hopefully) with a Regency romance, the old title A Lady in France will disappoint many more people, who will be expecting more of the same.

Also, I’ve since learned how much of writing is not just about putting words down on the page, but also about weeding them out again. If you can believe it, in this new edition, I’ve weeded out 52,000 words, bringing the total to a more standard memoir-sized book of 82,000. With the help of friends, I’ve streamlined the chapters so they all relate to the central theme. (Travel, grief, and an incandescent God). So I think this book is much better, and I’m glad I took the plunge and redid it.

If you’re reading my blog, it’s probably because you like me a little bit, right? So here’s where I ask for some help in promoting. If you’ve read the book – the old one, or are about to read the new – would you be so kind – SO kind – as to leave me a review on Amazon (and also Goodreads, if you’re there)? If I want to participate in certain promotions later on, I’ll need at least 150 reviews, and I’ve already lost a bunch in making this switch.

And if you know someone you think might like the book, will you tell them about it? We small time authors need to beg a bit, unfortunately. It keeps us humble though.

William

William is my wild card. When I was pregnant with Juliet and Gabriel – after knowing what sex they were, and what they would be called – I sent up a specific prayer for each of them about the qualities I wanted them to have. It’s funny because the prayers have come true so far – but with the answered prayers, some unexpected quirks. Hurdles that have to be overcome in order for the prayers to be fulfilled. I can’t really explain more without revealing personal stuff about my kids.

It makes me appreciate God, who has understanding far above our own, and who makes life vastly interesting.

With William, I ran out of ideas for specific prayers and just told God he could do whatever he wanted – create him however he wanted.  (You might think I’m being insolent towards God, but I don’t think he minds when we negotiate with him, like Abraham did when trying to save Lot’s city).

Well God is always surprising me with William. He’s funny, and seems like he doesn’t have a care in the world – or it seems he has his head in the clouds with no clue as to what’s happening around him. But then he’ll express something that is profoundly sensitive, or has deep meaning, or shows great understanding. He’s most definitely a wild card. I love it.

Anyway, you may remember that when I miscarried a few years back, we planted a peach tree in memory of the baby. Now, the kids call the peach tree ‘Alistair,’ which was his name. I wondered if William understood that the peach tree wasn’t Alistair, but only in memory of him, but didn’t press the issue too hard.

We recently moved ‘Alistair’ to a better location in hopes that it would have more sun, water, and nutrients than when it was so close to the laurel hedge. And yesterday, while we were waiting for the others to come outside so we could head to church, he and I had a conversation that went like this:

William – Mommy, come over here. Let’s go pray next to Alistair.

Me (curious, and following) – Okay. What do you want to pray about?

William – Well, you know, like when a king dies, they erect a statue for him and then everyone comes and prays to him.

Me – Alright, but you know we can’t do that because you can only pray to God, not a statue or a tree. There’s only one God.

William (disgusted by my lack of understanding), I know that. But let’s pray to God about Alistair.

Me (touched) – okay. You wanna go ahead?

William – God, I pray that you keep Alistair safe in heaven until we can see him again. I pray that we can all be together in heaven – me and Mommy, Daddy, Juliet, Gabriel – all my grandparents, and my cousins … I pray you take care of Alistair so we can all be together again in heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Me (a puddle on the ground) – That was really great honey. It was a great prayer.

William – … Even though I’ve never seen Alistair. But you saw him, right?

Me – I did.

William – And Daddy and Juliet saw him.

Me – Daddy did, but Juliet didn’t. Alistair was dead when he came out.

William – But Juliet was born when Alistair came.

Me – Yes, she was.

William (taking Gabriel’s presence for a given here, I think) – And was I born too when Alistair came?

Me – Yes you were. You were already here.

William – Hey! If I was born when Alistair came, then I’m a big brother! I’m not the baby anymore. I’m a big brother!

He skipped off, almost before I could smile and say, “Yes, honey, you are.”

 

Mommy? Know why I was looking at my feet? Because I was like a T-Rex chasing my prey. #instagramkids

A photo posted by Jennie Goutet (@aladyinfrance) on Jan 22, 2016 at 6:53am PST

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Jumping In to Say Hi

This is probably the shortest post ever, but I kind of miss you guys. I haven’t had a lot to say here (not even a real desire to write), but that’s probably because I’ve been so consumed with book edits. You’d think that after publishing a book and editing the same one so many times, there’d be nothing left to edit. But I think you grow as a writer, and you start to find new ways of expressing things. If I weren’t so eager to move on to other projects, this could be a never-ending one.

This past weekend I went out to lunch in Paris with some fellow authors.

We went to the Grizzli Café in Chatelet-les-Halles. It was fun to connect over lunch and talk about what everyone is working on. I’ve been listing some of the new releases on my FB page. And now my book will be launched this coming week. Never mind that it’s re-publishing old work. I need to have my memoir done properly before I can publish other books. I can’t wait to start working on those.

There’s still a lot of noise at our house as the workers bang and clatter on the roof and drill through cement, and saw wooden beams. We’re supposed to choose the roof tiles on Monday. I’ll take a picture for you.

This weekend I’ll be going back and forth with my designer (I LOVE her new design for the book), and doing some winter pruning in the garden. It’s cold and frosty, but not anything like what you guys are experiencing.

What’s going on with you?

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Home, Garden, and Me

I know it’s not been that long since I last posted, but it seems like ages. It’s a long stretch for me anyway. I’ve not been low on ideas, but I haven’t had the desire to write. It’s probably, at least in part, due to the fact that I’m madly (still) working on the final draft for my memoir. You know the one that was already published two years ago? And needs to be published again with almost half the words so I don’t have to duck my head in shame when I talk about it? Some writer I am.

Speaking of which – why, oh why, did I promise to come and talk about my “career” at my daughter’s junior high school? I just found out I have to hold a stand for 3 hours and talk to all the aspiring writers about how to become one. I’m wondering if my new book will be ready on time, and whether I should bring both. Ahem. (I can pretend they’re different so I can look more professional).

Kidding, kidding.

I wanted to show you the pictures of our house and garden. You like that, right? Home renovation and construction? I do anyway – the before and after. So here is the pignon – the triangular cement wall that will support the roof and give us the space for 4 bedrooms up there, even if they will have sloped ceilings.

They put a piece of tarp to protect the roof from all the heavy rains – and thereby, our ceiling  – (they’ve not yet pierced a hole in our living space for the stairs so we’re pretty much all protected in here). But there was so much water collected in the tarp, it ruined our ceiling anyway when they removed it.

In this area it’s bubbled, and a couple feet over, a steady drip formed on to our oriental rug from the break they made in the plaster. The good news is that they’ll have to fix the ceiling and repair it, instead of us.

One other hitch in our house news is that the chimney is blocked with rubble – the chimney which we discovered was the primary source of drafts and air filtration in our house. Whenever someone ran the shower downstairs, we smelled ashes from the fireplace upstairs. It was pleasant, really.

Now, without the draft, it’s just moldy.

Mold is springing up everywhere! Behind the furniture, the paintings, in the ceiling corners … We are bleaching each spot we see it, but then it comes back. When I finally cleaned behind our bed, it was not only moldy there, but wet from the moisture seeping in underneath the floorboards.

We put a quick fix and cleaned it with bleach, and put more aerated furniture there. (The furniture on the right doesn’t touch the wall).

This is just temporary. We’ll be insulating the exterior of the house and putting an air filter system in that will solve the problem (and hopefully keep our piano more in tune, once there’s no more excess humidity).

As you can see, our house is a complete “chantier” (shan-tyay) these days – a construction site.

They’ve started to place the 300 lb beams that fit in the niches they built into the cement. They lift the beams themselves, without a machine, and climb on the pignons without a harness. It’s frightening. We pray for their safety.

Here are some views. On the one side:

Another side:

Back view (on a different and sunny day):

Today, they’re nailing the long, thin wooden beams perpendicular to the heavy thick beams. This is where the roof tiles will rest. We haven’t chosen yet, but I think we’ll go with the traditionally French red clay roof tiles.

In addition to the leak from the ceiling, we also semi-flooded our laundry room  because I turned the water leading to the outside tap on from in there, and there was another faucet I was supposed to turn off and didn’t.

If that were not enough drama for one day, I also have to tell you about the trees in our garden.

There are none.

Well, there are a lot less. At least we still have our delicious plum. We paid someone to uproot the messy hazelnut tree, 2 wormy apple trees, a bay laurel, and the rather large ash tree that was smack in the middle of the lawn and was neither beautiful nor useful.

But … remember that gorgeous baby apricot tree that I rooted for each year – the one that sprung up all by itself from our other apricot tree, and which the former owners said never bore fruit? The one that finally gave a harvest of the most delicious, plump apricots last summer? Yeah, they accidentally uprooted that one instead of the wormy apple tree.

I’m not sure whose look was more comical – my look of wide-eyed shock as I mouthed the word “no,” or the gardener’s alarmed chagrin when he saw me shake my head.

So we had quite a day. But there’s no use crying over cut apricot trees. Now we need to figure out how we want to redo the garden. We want a space for kids to play, but we also want cute, shady little fruit trees that give good fruit, not wormy ones. That’ll be on our list as soon as the house is done.

Want to know what else is going on? It’s the month of sales here!

I went to a not-that-nearby outlet store, and besides getting some necessary clothes for Matthieu, I also got a salt and pepper mill from …

Le Creuset! Can you believe there’s a Le Creuset outlet store? (Or perhaps it already exists in the States, and I’m so passé).

Wouldn’t you know that my salt and pepper mill from the not-that-nearby outlet store is actually a salt and salt mill? I forget to check that the black one had a P on top instead of an S. So I have to go back. grrr.

And I got a pretty bag for the spring. This is not something I usually splurge on – nor is it my usual color – but it was thankfully not pricey. And it’s soft.

We’re able to go to the States this summer and visit family and friends, as well as … the States! We rarely get to visit a city just for its own sake, but this time we’re going to Atlanta. That’s another thing that has kept me busy as I booked plane and car, planned out road trips, and contacted friends, and chose hotels.

It’s cold now, finally. It was such an unseasonably warm autumn, the crocuses had already started to come up, and the fruit trees – what’s left of them – had started to grow leaves. I fear the cold will do some damage there, and it’s not the best working conditions for our workers.

But overall, despite a few hiccups, I’ve been filled with gratitude for my life. It’s something I think about all the time, and wonder how I can give back.

Anyway, I think I’ve pretty much caught you up. I probably won’t write again until my book is OUT. Because I need to work on it, publish it, and be freed up for new projects.

Feel free to share what’s going on with you in the comments! See you soon!

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What’s Doing

I was sucker-punched by the holidays. A blanket of exhaustion has settled over me, but it’s a comfortable one because I’m not under any stress. I’m grateful to God and my husband for letting me be a stay-at-home mom and lead a life that allows me to rest when I need it.

And I am resting, even though things crunch under my feet and my kids have no clean socks. I’m taking a sabbatical for about a month to listen to God more closely. I’d like to know how he wants to use my writing, and I have a few personal goals to discuss with him as well. Yes, I will clean my house but I want to wait until my arms stop aching and I can get up from the couch.

It’s been over 2 years since I published my memoir on Amazon and it’s nearly ready to be republished in abridged format. Did I tell you the new title yet? It’s from one of my chapter headings. Stars Upside Down: a memoir of travel, grief and an incandescent God.

Here’s the new cover.

I’m excited about this new version. It’s more readable because a lot of the unnecessary details have been cut out (and the font on the print version is bigger). The title makes it clear that the main theme is Christian inspiration / memoir so I won’t get any more negative reviews from people who expected a Regency romance or something.

Speaking of which, I am dying to move forward on publishing the romance, but need to wait until the memoir is out before I focus my efforts there. I wanted to set a better foundation for my literary career.  (And I’m not even going to smirk when I say those words as if I were insecure. Pshaw!) I want none of my work out there if I think it can be much better.

The good news is that I’m never short of ideas – at least not for blog posts. Book plots are much harder to come up with, which is why I’m still going to polish up the Viscount even though I’ve learned a lot about writing romance since I wrote that. Plots are not for the plucking in my brain so I need to use what I’ve got and hope that I’ll only improve.

But you probably don’t care about all that, right? (chuckle)

Otherwise, this is what I’ve been listening to lately. (It’s from Instagram, so if you’re reading this on e-mail I think you have to click over to the blog to see it).

This. For about an hour after school. Every day.

20 Elegant Appetizers for New Year’s Eve

Perhaps some of you – like me – are only now looking for inspirational ideas for New Year’s Eve appetizers. It’s not too late, you know. I’ve only just figured out my menu and have done my grocery shopping this morning.

So! I’ve compiled a list of 20 appetizers for you to take a peek at and get some easy inspiration yourself. Many of these are gluten-free, most of these are a cinch to pull together, and all of them are elegant.

With many thanks to all those who allowed me to include their recipes in this roundup, let me present Twenty Elegant Appetizers for New Year’s Eve!

CHEESE

Cranberry Brie Bites by Kitchen Sanctuary

2. Cranberry Compote with Brie by Thrifty Jinxy

3. Savory Mini Cheese Balls by Mama Likes to Cook

4. Roasted Red Pepper Burrata Crostini by Living Sweet Moment

And if you’re thinking of having a French cheese platter, this next post will give you guidance on what to include, and how to serve, cut and eat the cheese:

5. How to Cut Brie and other French Cheese Etiquette, right here at A Lady in France

SEAFOOD

6. Gravlax (Smoked Salmon) by Caroline’s Cooking

This next one is the featured photo and probably has you drooling already. I’ll be making this one:

7. Broiled Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Dip by Kelly Stilwell

8. Two Hors d’Oeuvres – Buttered Radishes and Smoked Salmon on Toast, by A Lady in France

9. Gluten-Free Fried Calamari Rings with Marinara Sauce by A Lady in France

MEAT

10. Sweet & Sour Ham Balls by Farm Fresh Feasts

11. Jalapeno Poppers (fried in Wantons) by Mommy of a Monster

12. Sausage Cheese Apple Balls by Farm Fresh Eats

 

DIPS

13. Black-Eyed Pea Hummus by Mama Likes to Cook

14. Smoked & Fresh Salmon Dip by A Lady in France

15. Eggplant Walnut Dip by Farm Fresh Feasts

 

FINGER FOODS

16. Cranberry and Goat Cheese Crostini by Two Healthy Kitchens

17. Grilled Polenta with Mozzarella & Balsamic Tomatoes by Two Healthy Kitchens

18. Artichoke Heart with Tapenade and Goat Cheese by A Lady in France

This next one is a crazy version of foie gras, but you can just serve foie gras with fig jam over toast. Yum!

19. Foie Gras Pops by A Lady in France

20. Hummus Deviled Eggs by Two Healthy Kitchens

 

We’re having about 20 people over and I’ll be cooking up a storm. I’m excited because I’ll be serving a panoply of alcohol-free drinks in festive glasses.

We’ll have alcohol-free champagne, wine, and beer, plus cocktails made of Palermo and Scwhepps tonic water. And the kids will have bubbly cotton candy lemonade (why yes! It does exist!) and something I just found called “Life Addict.” A non-alcoholic bubbly grape juice.

An #alcoholfree #newyear célébration. Check out the roundup of 20 easy and elegant New Year’s Eve #appetizer links on my blog.

A photo posted by Jennie Goutet (@aladyinfrance) on Dec 30, 2015 at 4:41am PST

We haven’t forgotten the silly string and silly hats and balloons that say Bonne Fête!

Photo from Pixabay

Because it’s going to be a good one, right? Bonne fête, dear friends. 

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Wild Rice, Sausage & Chestnut Stuffing

We used to have wild rice stuffing with sausage every Thanksgiving when I was growing up, except we used water chestnuts instead of regular chestnuts because they were easier to find.

My grandma was the one who brought the wild rice when she visited from Minnesota (where wild rice grows and can be bought more cheaply). I think my parents might have gotten the original recipe from a Food and Wine magazine? This recipe is my variant.

I know it’s not very practical to post a holiday stuffing after the holidays. But you could pin this for Easter, or for next Thanksgiving / Christmas. Or who knows? Perhaps you’re planning a New Year’s Feast!

Wild Rice Stuffing with Sausage and Chestnuts

I used 3.5 cups of wild rice because that’s the amount that was in the two bags I bought.

I rinsed it by swirling it in water, and gently pouring the water out. If any of the rice grains float to the surface and go out with the water, it means they’re not the best grains to eat. So let ’em go.

Chop up two medium onions and 3 large garlic cloves and fry them in olive oil. I didn’t measure, but I’d say about 2 Tablespoons of oil.

When the mixture is slightly browned, add the wild rice and 2 large chicken bouillon cubes. Let the rice soak up all the excess water and take on the flavour of the onion / garlic.

Then add 9 cups of water and bring it to a boil. To this you’ll add the spices: 1/2 t coriander powder, 1/4 t allspice powder, 1/2 t white powder, 1 t basil and 1 t salt.

When it starts to boil, turn the heat down low and cover the wild rice and let it cook. Wild rice takes a long time to cook and you should count on at least an hour with this amount. You’ll want to stir occasionally to keep the bottom from sticking.

In the meantime, cut up 10 sweet Italian sausages (about a pound). (I used Halal poultry sausage because my dear Muslim friend was joining us for Christmas Eve, which meant I also substituted vegetable bouillon for chicken). Sauté them until thoroughly cooked, then set them aside.

Cut up 3 stalks of celery and the equivalent of 2 cups of sliced mushrooms

and stir fry them in the leftover sausage drippings. (You can use a clean pan with olive oil instead, if you prefer).

When the water from the wild rice is nearly absorbed (although not completely – there should still be a little bit of excess water) add the sausage, celery and mushroom mixture, plus 2 cups of white wine. (Alcohol-free is fine – that’s what we use). When that’s absorbed, your stuffing is ready to serve – either as a true stuffing, or as a side dish.

This is a perfect gluten-free version for stuffing and a delightful addition to any holiday.

I haven’t posted that much personal stuff lately, but I’m doing well. I’m almost ready to re-release my memoir in its abridged form and I’m working on the romance (still). It turns out that writing and polishing a book is quite a bit of work! (cough). And we’re in sort of heavy construction right now with scaffolding everywhere and no roof, although it’s on hiatus during the holidays. That’s pretty much what’s going on with me. I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday!

Stay tuned for a round-up of elegant New Year’s Eve appetizer recipes on Wednesday. Just in time for grocery shopping!

Wild Rice, Sausage & Chestnut Stuffing   Print Prep time 20 mins Cook time 1 hour 30 mins Total time 1 hour 50 mins   Serves: 8-10 Ingredients 3.5 cups wild rice 2T olive oil 2 medium onions 3 large cloves of garlic 9 cups water 1 large chicken bouillon cube 1 tsp salt ½ t ground coriander ¼ t allspice ½ t white pepper 1 t basil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 3 stalks celery 2 cups sliced mushrooms roughly 2 cups chestnuts (1 lb) 2 cups white wine Instructions Rinse the wild rice and set aside. Chop the onions and garlic and brown them in olive oil. Add the rice and bouillon and stir until moisture is absorbed. Add 9 cups of water, plus all the spices, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer. Chop and cook 10 sweet Italian sausages (I lb). Set aside. Chop celery and mushrooms and cook in sausage drippings. When water is nearly absorbed in the rice, add the sausage, celery and mushrooms, chestnuts and white wine. Cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed. Serve hot. 3.5.3208

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Ballet Classes in France

This is Juliet’s sixth year taking ballet classes, and the way it’s taught in France never ceases to charm me.

This is a purely self-indulgent post because I was never particularly graceful at ballet (or at anything else for that matter) so I could just stare at my daughter for hours who IS graceful. Combine that with an inherent love for ballet, and you have a post composed purely of ballet photos and videos of my daughter that is likely to appeal only to a minority.

But it’s my blog, so …

Children in France are more likely to learn ballet at a city or town conservatory than in a small dance school. Not all towns have a conservatory, but many do, even the small ones (including ours). Whether or not it’s taught at a school or conservatory, the children are required to wear matching uniforms for the practice sessions, according to what year they’re studying.

Juliet is waiting for the Open House to begin.

Another aspect of learning at the conservatory is that the requirements are the same nation-wide. At the end of the year, an independent jury comes to the conservatoire to test each student individually to see if they are fit to pass to the next level. (They’re not cruel – you don’t have to be a professional-in-training to pass, you just have to acquire the steps).

I think the class structure is the same as in the States, but those of you in the know can correct me.

They begin with barre exercises, basic stretching and legwork.

We’ve seen a lot of progress in the first few months of this year, which says a lot since we lost their usual dance teacher (a former principal ballerina) to the conservatory in Versailles. Who can blame her, though! It’s such a prestigious position.

The new teacher is young, but she’s well-liked, funny, and doesn’t take any nonsense:

“I don’t know … sounded a bit like some hippopotamuses dancing over there.”