Jennie Goutet's Blog: A Lady in France, page 4

A Gentle Tongue

At the beginning of November, our family attended a church retreat in Belgium. It’s the sister assembly of our church in Paris so we know a lot of members there, both from having been invited to Brussels once (my husband preached the message) and from meeting each year for the pre-teen camps in Switzerland. This year, while we were there, I was honoured to have been asked to speak to the women on the topic of “parler avec une langue douce” which translates to “speak with a gentle tongue”.

Of course, when I told my husband the topic on which I’d be instructing my worthy sisters in Christ, he laughed. That did not bode well for my “leading by example.”

I am (nevertheless) going to share my thoughts with you, but before I do that, I wanted to mention that I’ll be taking a step out of my usual routine by posting again tomorrow – a short and sweet post. I want to announce the winners of the two signed copies of my new book release, and I want to announce another piece of good news as well.

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In French, the word “douce” – as in une langue douce, or a gentle tongue – can also mean sweet. You talk about desserts as being douce in the same way you talk about people being douce. In pondering what it means to have a sweet tongue, therefore, it was natural to make the leap and examine what the opposite of that would be. Well, if it’s not sweet, then what else is there?

1. A sour tongue 

When I thought about my own tongue tendencies, I had to admit that I have an acidic tongue. I’m sharp-tongued. I’m a truth-teller, and it’s taken me more years than it should to see where love is supposed to fit into all that. This scripture convicts me about the importance of humility and goodness over sharp truth-telling:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (James 3:13-15)

When I’m sharp-tongued, I’m not displaying the wisdom I might think I am. Wisdom is revealed through deeds done in humility, not in having the perfect retort. 1 Corinthians 8:1 further convicts: We know that, “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

A sour tongue is a proud, cynical tongue that thinks it knows better. Not the tongue we’re striving for here.

 

2. A bitter tongue

There is also the bitter tongue. And when we think of bitter, our thoughts naturally go to Naomi in the book of Ruth, whose husband and two sons died while they were living as foreigners in Moab.

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” (Ruth 1:20)

Her pain was understandable, and God was patient with her until she was able to see His goodness again. But then there are those bitter tongues that refuse to acknowledge God. In this, I am reminded of the man with one talent, who displayed a gross lack of understanding of who God is.

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ (Matthew 25:24)

This always gets to me – this assumption that God is a hard man, or in other versions, a “cruel master”. Oh, so you know that about God, do you? You, who have lived so many years and know so much.

A bitter tongue is an angry tongue. It’s a refusal to keep our eyes fixed on what is good and honourable and what we know to be true about God – what we already have in the way of blessings.

Once again, not something to aim for.

3. A salty tongue.

In this, of course, I am not referring to the salt of the earth that Jesus encourages us with in his Sermon on the Mount. I’m talking about James 3:9-12

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I don’t know about you, but this kind of tongue crops up most when I’m driving. The words don’t come out, but they spring up and fill my head and are apparent in my facial features and gestures. But we can’t have a gentle tongue at the same time as a salty tongue. Fresh water and salt water do not flow from the same source. In the same way, we cannot praise God and curse others and think this is acceptable.

A salty tongue is a tongue that is enraged and lacks respect toward God and our fellow human beings.

A sweet tongue

So coming back to a sweet tongue, where does it come from and how do you get it? Well Jesus tells us in Luke 6:45 (NRSV)

The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

So the state of our heart dictates what trips off the tongue. We cannot be moderate, calm, patient, conciliatory, affectionate and gentle with our words if we are not moderate, calm, patient, conciliatory, affectionate and gentle in our heart.

To this we must look at Jesus, who was all those things. I elaborated on the sweetness of Jesus’ nature in this post about The Optimism of Jesus, and I won’t go into too much detail here since the points are already written. But I believe praying and striving to be transformed into his sweetness is the key to our speaking with gentle tongues. I think a lot of times our words are bitter, salty, or acidic because deep inside we have have no hope. Or we forget we have hope – it gets buried. We’re frustrated by life and circumstances. We feel things are unfair. We’re fearful, angry, sad… and so we lash out with our words.

Jesus had cause for all that, and more. Rejected by his countrymen, abandoned by his friends, mocked by his enemies, tortured by those in power, and separated from God, whom he had known intimately from before the existence of time — he faced a stress of impossible proportions. And yet, what were his words right before he went to the Cross?

“I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33)

What were his words on the Cross?

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

“Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” (John 19:26)

Jesus was able to speak gentle words under the most intense physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pressure because of his joy in God, because of his certitude in God’s perfect will and plan, and because of his intrinsic knowledge of God’s goodness. He was able to speak with a gentle tongue because of the joy that bubbled up inside him, and which overflowed to wash away the sins and troubles of a multitude of weary, beaten souls.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

If we want to speak with a gentle tongue, our hearts, minds, and thoughts need to be fixed on Jesus and the joy set before him. Our eyes must be on Him until his joy becomes our own.

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If you’d like to read more of my posts on faith, click here.

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New Release in Clean Romance!

TODAY IS THE DAY! (Well, actually yesterday was the day). A Friend in Paris is finally available for sale, and I’ve launched the book at the low price of .99 for kindle (for the first three weeks), $10.99 for paperback, and – as always – it’s free on Kindle Unlimited. If you’ve missed the earlier announcements, here is the summary.

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Friendship between a talented young artist and her handsome French neighbor is a promising start—until it’s not enough.

April promised her dying father she would study painting in Paris, but friends are few, her budget is tight, and her landlord increasingly won’t take “no” for an answer. Then she meets Victor.

Victor is as chivalrous as he is wealthy, and if it weren’t for him, April would have already left the City of Light behind. Too bad Victor still has eyes for his ex-girlfriend, who is now back on the scene and wants to get married.

Although April and Victor swore to remain just friends, magical Paris seems to weave a different spell. The more their connection deepens, the more it becomes difficult to keep a proper distance. Or to remember why they should.

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I’m really excited about this book. It was fun to write, and I loved both of the main characters and the team of supporting characters. I also feel like I came into my own as a writer with this one with a faster moving plot and more snappy dialogue. If you’d like to purchase your copy, you can do so by clicking on these affiliate* links below that lead to amazon.com (first box is for kindle and the second for paperback). Or you can click the non-affiliate links below that if you’re in a different country.

(*Affiliate links simply mean I earn a few cents if you purchase via the “shop now” option on my blog, but you can also go to Amazon and search for the book if you’d like to avoid using an affiliate link).

LINKS TO BUY

U.S. – kindle and paperback:

 

AMAZON : FRANCE // U.K. // AUSTRALIA // CANADA // INDIA // JAPAN

 

GIVEAWAY

In addition to the (amazingly cheap) launch price of .99 per kindle copy, I’d like to offer a signed paperback to two of my readers. That means that A Friend in Paris will come to your mailbox with French postage on the envelope (just an automated sticker – nothing too fancy) and a Paris postcard that you can stick on your fridge. And, of course, my signature.

To enter, you need to fill out the Rafflecopter form below. It won’t accept entries until Thursday 12:00 am, so if you’re viewing this from my FB page on Wednesday, you’ll have to come back tomorrow to enter. In order to have a valid entry, please make sure you also leave a comment here on the blog telling me whose name I should put on the book. (Or send me an email or message via the contact form if you’re shy).

Additionally, if you share the New Release post on my Facebook author page, it will increase your chance to win. The image for that is below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click on the image below to go straight to the FB post on my author page, and you can hit the share button from there.

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Besides the exciting new launch, I’ve been really busy doing final edits on my Regency novel, which will be published by Cedar Fort in March. It’s just bad luck that the two projects happened to coincide. My house is pretty messy right now, and you’ve probably noticed that I’ve missed two weeks worth of blog posts. After I submit the final version early next week, I’ll take a few weeks off before beginning anything new.

Yesterday, a friend invited me for a belated birthday lunch at her place. She could tell I was counting the cost on what it would mean to give up precious writing hours for the time it would take to attend (ungrateful wretch that I am). She said, “Jennie, you need to come to this.” She knows that sometimes, in my weakness, I would prefer to write about life than actually live it.

So I went. And it was a surprise birthday party for me with friends coming from the four corners of Paris to encourage me. This, right in the middle of a busy work week. They sat me in a massage chair while I opened my gifts. They read their cards to me and fed me an entirely gluten-free lunch.

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Juliet at home with my birthday balloon.

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So I celebrated my book launch in style, feeling humbled by this show of love. And living life, for once … instead of just writing about it.

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Pictures from a French Supermarket

Today I have a very simple post to share with you, and that is pictures from my grocery run. I mean, grocery shopping is not the most exciting thing in the world, but for those of you who follow me for the posts on France (admittedly there are not as many of those as there are of faith or recipes) you might be curious to see what’s inside a French supermarket.

I’m editing this post to say that it seems I’m having a glitch with photos, and I need to get help for it. If the photos don’t appear in the emails for those of you who are subscribers, go ahead and click on the link to see the original post and I’ll make sure it’s fixed before my next post goes out. Sorry about that.

And when I say supermarket, I mean the big kind.

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When I first walk in, there’s the bakery section on my left. Here are the pain au chocolats and croissants – not as good as at the boulangerie, but still not bad.

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The baguettes.

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And today they have a special Breton station where they’re making galettes (buckwheat crepes). There’s always a station that makes fresh Japanese food, and sometimes there’s sauerkraut or food from the islands. (I’m not sure which island).

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If I go to the far end of the store, I’ll find the butcher. There are also rows of pre-packaged meats if you want quick.

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And if I turn right, I get to the cheese selection. I know that’s what you’ve all been waiting for.

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Many of these shots are cropped to avoid including people’s faces. So most of the aisles are much longer than what’s shown, and this is no exception. There are aisles of pre-packaged cheese all around the cheese counter, in addition to the grated and pre-packaged cheese next to the yoghurt. Next to the cheese counter is the traiteur with hams or pre-made appetisers and meals made with puff pastries (like bouchée à la reine, for instance).

Next to the fresh cheese are the vegetables and fruits (i.e. vegetables to make ratatouille).

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And next to that is the fish. There is also pre-packaged fish and seafood next to the fishmonger, again if you prefer just to pick something up quickly.

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On the other side of all this fresh food is the wine selection.

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I don’t know … about four aisles of this, maybe? There’s the expensive stuff, located in what they name “la cave” – the wine cellar.

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And this is where I find my humble alcohol-free wine selection. They distinguish between wines that are protected by region. For instance, a true “champagne” has to come from the Champagne region. Anything else needs to be called sparkling wine.

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Next to the wine is the frozen section, then the milk (not refrigerated – it’s pasteurised and sealed).

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And the eggs – almost always brown.  The milk takes up a whole aisle and the eggs share the aisle with butter and cream.

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Now – once we get past the yoghurt and a few other perishables shown below – we’re heading into the grocery section. First yoghurt.

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There are two sides to this aisle of yoghurt (and fromage blanc and petit-suisse), in addition to a second double aisle of cream desserts, such as this.

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And they’re good too – they taste rich and not commercially made.

There are also more cheeses – grated, parmesan, camembert, and Swiss, blues, goat or sheep – all pre-packaged.

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Next to that are the hams. It’s not like any of the pictures are all that great with the poor lighting, but sorry for this particularly blurry one below. It was to show the … ham thighs (blerk)

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and the sausages (next to which are the pizzas, crèpes, tartes and quiches).

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Now on to the groceries. Bottled water and sparkling water (there are other aisles for beer, soda and non-refrigerated juice).

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The coffee, which is next to the tea.

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The chocolate – only half an aisle shown.

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When it comes to coffee and chocolate, this is what I always buy. Carte Noire coffee (pur Arabica, and the best taste) and Lindt dark chocolate.

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Now we’re over next to the cereals in the jam aisle

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which shares space with the honey (there’s more than what’s shown).

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Then there are some uninteresting aisles like cleaning products or rice, pasta, couscous and an aisle of foreign foods (where you find peanut butter and maple syrup). After that, we get to the beauty and hygiene products, including shampoos.

Well, first there’s the parapharmacie, which is the part of the pharmacy that doesn’t require prescriptions and has things like anti-ageing solutions.

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And then the make-up, shaving cream, soaps …

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Yes, there is Dove and Nivea but I like these artisanal soaps.

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And then there are a bunch of aisles of baby stuff, clothing for the family, household things, small electronics – this really is a huge supermarket and tends to take a bite out of your wallet. The stationery section can be interesting. Those cool notebooks with the graph paper that are standard for French schools.

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And the fountain pens, which are also standard for French schools.

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I won’t show you the Christmas decorations (you’ve had enough, right? I haven’t heard carols yet, though). I’ll just bring you to the check out lines. You can use this little scanner (do you have that where you are?) to scan all your groceries, then you just have to pay. That’s handy.

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Following that energetic venture, you just bring your groceries home! Here are the cheeses I bought, which are wrapped in paper and plastic.

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And that’s it for grocery news. I’m sure you’ve had more than your fill of garish lighting and industrial food sourcing so let me leave you with this pretty picture of Paris from my last trip in.

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There. That’s better, isn’t it?

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Tian Provencal Recipe

I have always wanted to make a tian provençale, but it looked like an intimidating thing to make. It’s not, really, and you can make it, too, in about an hour, including bake time.

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Tian is pronounced tee-yawn, except that you say it all really fast and you don’t pronounce the ‘n’ at the end. The word tian refers to the earthenware platter that’s used to make this dish. It’s usually lacquered, and mine is on the bottom, but it has a teflon coating on the inside. Tian is considered a typically provençale summer dish, and is usually served as a side to grilled fish, beef or lamb.

You’ll need a medium-sized eggplant and zucchini, 4 large tomatoes, and two red onions. I’m showing more vegetables below because I expected to use two eggplant and zucchini, but finally they didn’t fit in the pan.

You’ll also want to have some bay leafs, sprigs of thyme, garlic, dried oregano and olive oil on hand.

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Take your tian (the platter, not the prepared dish) and cut a piece of garlic in two. Drizzle just a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of your dish and rub the two halves of the garlic in the olive oil to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Don’t think that this doesn’t make a difference, this little touch, because it does. The garlic smell comes out while baking and permeates the entire dish.

Preheat your oven to 180°C, or about 350°F. Slice all the vegetables thinly. You want to try and find vegetables that have roughly the same diameter. It’s hard. Our zucchini are always the skinniest (although they do sell round zucchini here and I could have bought those instead).

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You don’t peel the vegetables first, unless you see brown “scars” on the zucchini or something – peel those off. Then all you have to do is alternate the slices, end to end, in the tian. Like so.

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One trick you can do, if some of the slices are smaller than others, is to wedge a slice of zucchini under the smaller portion to pop it up so all the slices look to be about the same.

Now give a quick sprinkle of dried oregano and a more generous sprinkle of sea salt. You’ll want to crush 2 cloves of garlic and spread them over the top, along with 8 sprigs of fresh thyme and 5 bay leaves tucked in various places. Finally, you drizzle olive oil all over the dish.

You can make variations of tian, such as adding slices of new potatoes, but in that case you’ll need to cover it with foil for 45 minutes and cook it an extra 15 minutes uncovered. The potatoes should not be too thick. You can also sprinkle parmesan on top.

But what we’re making today is tian — plain ole traditional tian.

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You bake it for 45 minutes, and it looks like this. You will probably have a lot of juice at the bottom of the pan, which is normal. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and leave the juice behind.

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The mix of fresh and dried herbs make the vegetables in this dish taste amazing. The flavours pop and I was surprised to see that even my kids like it.

Carefully lift out the slices for individual plates and serve while still hot.

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Et voilà! It even tastes good the next day.

[image error] Tian Provencal Recipe   Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 45 mins Total time 1 hour   Serves: 6 Ingredients 1 medium eggplant 1 medium zucchini 4 large tomatoes 2 red onions 3 cloves of garlic 8 sprigs of thyme 5 bay leaves a sprinkle of oregano and sea salt about 2 tablespoons of olive oil Instructions Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Wash and slice all the vegetables. Grease the tian with olive oil and rub 2 halves of a garlic clove on the bottom and sides. Arrange the slices, alternating with each vegetable. Mince the two remaining garlic cloves and sprinkle that on top. Sprinkle oregano and sea salt on top. Add sprigs of thyme and bay leaves, and drizzle olive oil over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. 3.5.3251

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If you’d like to see more French recipes, click here for the recipe index.

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Storms

Two weeks ago at the church retreat, I heard a message preached on Jesus and the storm, and because it felt particularly relevant at the time, I paid close attention.

If you’re subscribed to my author newsletter, which goes out every Friday (and includes snippets of personal news, plus new releases and book deals, mostly in clean romance, but also in women’s fiction, memoir, and books on faith) some of the pictures/stories you’ll see below will not be news to you. I don’t usually like to repeat myself, but in this case, it was too relevant to leave out.

Our church retreat was in Étretat.

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And we stayed here.

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While we were climbing Étretat, someone snapped a photo of Matthieu and me that I just love. I put it on Facebook with this scripture caption below:

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“She seldom reflects on the days of her life, because God keeps her occupied with gladness of heart.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:20)

When I posted that scripture, I already knew that I’d be going in for an MRI because the routine mammogram revealed something that was worth looking into further. I decided during those three weeks of waiting that I would not reflect on the days of my life, but instead would only be occupied with gladness of heart. And, except for one sleepless night where worry and all the “what ifs” took over, I focused on just that: gladness of heart.

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Focusing on gladness of heart is an easy thing when all is going well, but it’s a deliberate thing when you’re in the midst of storms. In the message at the retreat, two storms were referenced. The first was in Mark 4:35-41.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

That was the first storm, and I shared my thoughts on it in this old post. The second occurs not all that much later, apparently, because it’s in Mark 6:45-56. That means that the disciples saw Jesus calm the storm twice, and they didn’t even have to wait all that long before they saw this miracle again.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

I started the story in Mark to show the chronology of the two storms, but I want to continue with this second storm by reading about it in the parallel story in Matthew 14:22, which contains more details.

Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

In the first storm, Jesus’s disciples were afraid because of the power of the storm, and they accused Jesus of not caring about them because he was sleeping through it. He got up and calmed the storm. Then they were terrified again, but this time because of the power Jesus held.

In the second storm, the disciples had not reached the breaking point where they could not go on without God. They did what they were accustomed to doing — that is, they got into the boat and began rowing to the other side. They were experts, right? So, of course they knew how to manoeuvre a boat. But, instead of succeeding as they usually did, experienced sailors that they were, they rowed and rowed, and basically went nowhere because the wind was against them. They were stuck in the middle of the sea, and they kept straining at the oars getting nowhere. All. Night. Long.

How often do we try to advance and achieve something, all on our own strength, because it’s the thing we know how to do? The thing we have a natural aptitude for?

In this second story, God helped the disciples see they were not able to go anywhere without Jesus. Since Jesus was not in the boat, Peter took a leap of faith and stepped out into the stormy sea, where — in doing so — he was able to accomplish the supernatural. However, the minute he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm, he began to sink. He began to regret (one imagines) the safety of the boat, even though the boat was not where Jesus was. Jesus was out in the storm.

How often do we cling to what we know, even though we’re not really getting anywhere, rather than stay wherever Jesus is, even if it means staying in the storm?

These were the thoughts I carried with me when I went into the MRI. I decided I would fix my eyes on Jesus right through the storm. So even though I was nervous they wouldn’t find my vein to inject the contrasting solution, and even though I knew this might be the beginning of a new life for me, one that was perhaps more full of storms, I spent the entire MRI (with the loud beeps and terrifying noises and strange sensations as if my hips were being lifted off the table – some of you know this, right?) worshipping God with gladness of heart and praying for other people. I kept my eyes fixed on Jesus.

I found out the results right away and they were good. In fact, they were extraordinarily good in how very normal everything was. The doctor said that it was “strictement normale” and I could continue on with my life as I had before. I walked away from there with the words ringing in my head and my heart, strictement normale, strictement normale. The newness and wonder of the ordinary.

But the storm doesn’t necessarily die down just because we fix our eyes on Jesus once. We have to keep our eyes there or we begin to sink. On the same day as my good news, we got some not so great news. And even though I would rather have this bad news than health bad news, it was still a powerful wave, blown from a different direction, and knocking us under water.

We started a lawsuit a year ago to try to recuperate the money (around 75,000€) that was taken from us by the construction company – the money for which we are paying a 20-year loan. We thought our insurance company would pay for the lawyer, and they sent their expert to assess the damage in keeping with that understanding. In addition to the work we paid for, that the company did not do, we also suffered property damage under their hands to the tune of 5000€ (destroyed window guards and marquise and gutter pipes), and have lost the money we would have earned on the solar panels they took down in order to redo the roof. Our heating bill has also gone up because we’re leaking heat through the unfinished upstairs. (In the cold weather, we have to block the stairwell where the air current is with plastic sheets).

I’ve written about our spiritual struggles and our marital struggles over this problem here and the related post here. Needless to say, this event, if nothing else, has refined us. But earlier last week, we found out that, not only would the insurance company not pay for our lawyer because we didn’t have the right contract (after all), but also, it was up to us to go after the dishonest contractor’s insurance to get them to pay for the 5000€ in damages since they never bothered to show up to the goodwill meeting with our insurance.

Basically, our insurance was done with us. They could help no more. They would not pay for our lawyer, nor would they help us recuperate the money for the damages. This was a disappointment because we thought that if the insurance didn’t end up paying for the lawyer, at least we would have the money from the damages to help us cover the costs.

But no. Then on the same day I got my strictement normale news after the MRI, my husband spoke to the lawyer and discovered we’d be expected to pay between 3000-5000€ for a judiciary expert to come and write up everything that was needed for our lawsuit. And that it would be due in December (at the same time as Mission’s contribution at church and whatever we’d hoped to give our kids for Christmas). We have no idea where the money is going to come from for the judiciary expert, but we’re still going to give what we planned to mission’s contribution.

Yesterday I was in such a bad mood. I think it’s worth mentioning that a friend lent me the book, Battlefield of the Mind, by Joyce Meyers, and I’m reading it. So I’m conscious of what kind of attitudes I should be focusing on – what I should be putting my mind to. I know where the battle is. I suppose it’s no surprise that, as soon as I decide to focus my mind on all that is good, I should be presented with the … opportunity to focus on the good instead of the bad in the midst of these storms. (And that I would not necessarily win the battle on the first try).

What stole my good humor all of yesterday is how much I feel like a failure and how mad I am that everything is not in order as it should be. I’m finding it hard to raise teenagers, lovely children though they are, because teenagers talk back, you know. I’m mad that we still have scaffolding up after three years, and that we have a yellow, sad, weedy garden. I’m mad that our couches are sagging and ripped. I’m mad that everything needs buying all at once (my shoes and pants, husband’s business shirts, daughter’s clothes) because we keep putting things off until there are holes that let rain in, frayed collars that are not appropriate for professional attire, and short hems that are too obvious to ignore.

I’m mad at my own failure to take the bull by the horns and get out in the garden myself, or pick up a paintbrush, or do something, but I can’t seem to because the only projects I’m good at seeing through to completion are writing-related. I had hoped to make enough to pay someone else to do all that I’m not good at doing (gardening, construction, even house cleaning) but we are so far from being able to pay the bills we have already. And my husband, faithful, hard-working man that he is, has no time to do much more than me. He has his own buffeting waves to navigate.

So the storm is still raging, and I’m still out of the boat, standing next to Jesus, except that I’m not all that sure my eyes are still fixed on him. I think I started focusing on the storm again, and in doing so, began to sink.

A friend posted a scripture on Instagram. The scripture was so surprising, and it stood out to me so strongly, it was as if I had never seen it before. I actually had to go grab a Bible to make sure it was really in there. It was. And the scripture is this:

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With the image was the caption: “Our prayers matter.”

Suddenly, my perspective shifted and I saw a different storm. I saw the storm of prayers upon prayers of the saints, shaking the foundations of the earth and the skies, as the angel hurls these fiery weapons down amid thunder, lightening, and earthquakes. I saw the storm of prayers that matter, and of Jesus, calm in the storm’s eye, in perfect control.

We don’t live quiet lives. Or — we don’t have to live quiet lives. And I don’t think I want to. I think I want to be out of the boat – in the storm where Jesus is – with prayers that shake heaven and earth.

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Praying The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus told us that when we pray, we should say the words that have come to be known as The Lord’s Prayer. (This is found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11). These are the essential elements we need to communicate to God when we pray, and these are the essential elements we need to focus on to strengthen our own hearts and faith.

Lately, among other things, my husband has been listening to David Bercot, who said that the early Christians used to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day. I’ve not gone through these early writings to see if that’s true, but – considering it was Jesus’ own teaching that we should pray this way – I began to pray the Lord’s Prayer more regularly as a result.

Not recite the prayer, but really pray it.

Matthieu and I used to do this when we were dating and earlier on in our marriage – pray through the Lord’s Prayer together, and focus on each phrase as we prayed through it. It’s been good to come back to that, and what I’ve found is that there’s power in the Lord’s Prayer. Of course there would be power because Jesus – who is the Word become flesh (John 1) – taught us to pray this way. I think there’s also power because the words are plainly spoken. They cut to the essentials.

But how do you pray – truly pray – the Lord’s Prayer? One way is to say the words and mean each one, pausing after every phrase to reflect on what it is you’re praying. Or you can elaborate after each phrase and meditate on what the words mean by using parallel scriptures. This is what I’ve done below. I’ve separated each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer and added related scripture in the hopes that it will reinforce what you’re praying and help you to connect to the words.

Please add any scriptures in the comments that you think might be useful as well, so that we all may pray more deeply and authentically. The goal is for these supporting scriptures to flavour our prayer, so that we’re praying in the Spirit with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19) and so we can “worship our God with reverence and awe”. (Heb 12:28).

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Our Father

It’s not just “Father” – it’s “our Father”. We are able to claim this unique relationship with God because Jesus paved the way for us to have that relationship. Here are some scriptures to meditate on for our special relationship with God.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:14-16

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Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13

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See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2

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But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7

who is in heaven

Lest we forget in our joy at having an intimate Father /son & daughter relationship with God just who He is and where He lives, let us remember his dwelling place and that which awaits those of us who are in Him.

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 1 Tim 6:15-16

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At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

‘ is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.  Excerpts from Revelations 4 and 22.

hallowed be your name.

Hallowed be your name, God. Holy be your name, majestic be your name, glorious be your name… The name of God is to be held as sanctified and holy as it is tender and dear.

 Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,

    but your name alone do we honor. Isaiah 26:13

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Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,

    extol him who rides on the clouds;

    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

    is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families,

    he leads out the prisoners with singing;

    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:4-6

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Those who know your name trust in you,

    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10 

Your kingdom come

God’s kingdom is the church made holy by the washing in Jesus’s blood. It’s the joining of the saints in heaven with the saints on earth. When we enter the church through baptism, we enter God’s Kingdom. What we’re praying for when we pray for the kingdom is for his church to expand, adopting all the lost souls who are thirsty for a relationship with God – for his worshippers to be unified with one another, for the fellowship on Sundays and throughout the week to look like a piece of heaven that has taken root on earth.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. John 4:23

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Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22

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For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. Colossians 1:13

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Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

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For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me Luke 22:27-29

your will be done

The happiest possible plan, scenario, and outcome is that all things might be done according to God’s will. We need to pray for this to happen in every corner of our lives and for the lives of those throughout the world.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

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Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15

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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

on earth as it is in heaven

If God’s kingdom on earth is to ressemble his kingdom in heaven, we need to ressemble our Lord. We need to pray to be like God and rely on the Spirit to accomplish what is contrary to our earthly nature.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

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It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

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They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:27-29

give us this day our daily bread

We need to pray for enough to eat (or – in the case of some – to be satisfied with enough and not overeat). Here, we’re also praying for God to meet our needs in every area – give us the time we need, the money we need, the health we need, the energy we need, the love we need in order to serve others. 

  In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

    in the morning I lay my requests before you

    and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

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But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34

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Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Luke 9:16-17

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And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

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And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

forgive us our sins 

We cannot have fellowship with God if we try to hide our sins – from others, from God, even from ourselves. A true relationship with God begins when we are open with him, trusting him for forgiveness, and being willing to lay ourselves bare.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:5-9

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 ‘ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17

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This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation in quietness and trust is your strength, Isaiah 30:15

as we forgive those who sin against us

We have to forgive others when we pray. Daily, apparently. Sometimes we’re forgiving the same person for the same fault that we’ve already forgiven them for, but the feelings are still raw so we need to do it again. And again. This is part of our daily prayer with God.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Lead us not into temptation 

I liked the explanation here about this part of the Lord’s Prayer – the part about lead us not into temptation. Of course, God can’t and won’t tempt anyone (James 1:13). And as the article stated, temptation can also mean trials. We’re praying for God to spare us from the kind of hardship that could lead us toward the pitfalls of losing our faith. Satan is always working to the contrary, so we need to be partners with God for our own salvation. We need to pray to avoid temptation.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:11-14

And the reverse – a warning about what happens when we no longer care to avoid temptation, but rather we welcome it:

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. Romans 1:28

This is why Jesus tells us to pray to resist temptation.

Deliver us from the evil one.

Last of all, keep us free from Satan’s entanglement. My husband and I recently had an issue where we were going to get some help from a friend in which the work he offered (not him, but the person he put us in touch with) would be done under the table. We didn’t realise that at the time of agreeing to it, and once we found out, we were in a quandary because our friend had gone to a great deal of trouble to get us the hired help.

We didn’t want to ruin the friendship and really wrestled over this one. In the end, we prayed and God provided a way to get out of the situation without hurting our conscience or the friendship. We need to pray to be free from Satan’s schemes.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

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“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27

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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:10-18

Praying the Lord’s Prayer is how we commune with our Heavenly Father in the simplest form, and we do it because Jesus said,

“Pray then like this.”

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I have two quick announcements to make. The first is that I will be taking at least one week off from blogging next week, and it might possibly be 2 weeks. I received the copy edits for my Regency from the publisher, and there are significant rewrites required that are due by October 22nd. I have to put everything else aside to make sure this is done well. I also have another round of revisions for my contemporary novel before it can go to the next set of beta readers in time for the November launch. I don’t want to be distracted by other deadlines while I work on these things so I’m taking some time off to focus.

My second bit of news is that my memoir was published in French!! The memoir is close to my heart so this is special to me. If you know of anyone who speaks French who might like it, please share the news with them.

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Here are the links: Amazon Canada, Amazon France, Amazon US, FNAC Kobo, and Nook/Apple.

See you in one or two weeks!

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Fig & Almond Clafoutis

Clafoutis, pronounced klah-foo-tee, is from the Limousin region in the center of France. Though sometimes called pelhaire for the uneven way the cherries color the batter, or millard if you’re from Auvergne, clafoutis comes from the old French word – claufir, and that comes from the Latin – clavo figere, which means to fix something with nails. The fruit at the bottom of the pan serves as the “nails” that fix the batter which is poured over it.

Clafoutis is typically made with unpitted cherries, but this fig and almond variant is a crowd-pleaser.

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I got the recipe from a French mom, who gave me one for fig and almond, which she likes to make, and another for cherry because I told her I’d messed mine up the one time I tried it. I ended up combining the two recipes because the fig and almond recipe called for no butter. Even pancake batter calls for butter, and I wasn’t sure it would turn out well. So I used the fruit portions from the one recipe, and the batter proportions from the other.

Clafoutis batter is quite eggy – almost like a flan. The traditional ingredients are sugar, eggs, flour, milk, butter, and fresh fruit, and if you use another fruit than cherry, like I’m doing, the dish is sometimes called flognarde or flaugnarde. And now you have four French names for a dish that only needs one : yummy.

After pre-heating the oven to 180°C (350°F), I generously greased a deep-dish quiche pan (25 cm wide and 4 cm deep), then sliced 250 grams of figs, which equaled 6 small to medium-sized figs.

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Then, I warmed 1.5 cups of whole milk plus a teaspoon of vanilla extract, which is not a traditional ingredient. While that was heating, I mixed the dry ingredients : 1 1/3 cups flour, 3/4 cups of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (which is also not a traditional ingredient. I also melted 100 grams (7 tablespoons) of butter in the microwave.

When I had combined the dry ingredients, I added 6 eggs, two by two, mixing them into the flour.

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(My flour, as always, was a gluten-free mix, which works very well in this recipe).

Before the milk started boiling, I poured that into the egg and flour mix, whisking it so it would have no lumps. After that, I poured in the melted butter so all the ingredients were combined, apart from the fruit.

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(See the milk on the stove? I’m a messy cook).

Clafoutis batter is surprisingly runny.

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I should have put the figs on the bottom of the quiche pan to make a proper clafoutis, but I misread the directions. In the end I’m glad I didn’t do it that way, and let me show you why. I poured the runny batter into the pan, then placed the fig slices on top of the batter. The slices float, so I was able to arrange them in a way that was visually pleasing. If I had poured the batter over the figs, it would not have looked like this.

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I sprinkled a large handful of slivered almonds on top of that. My guess is you’ll use about a 1/4 cup, but you can wing it. Then I sprinkled a large tablespoon of granular sugar over that. My French friend Vivi (who has my opposite life – married an American and lives in the US) told me that it makes the dessert sparkle and taste delicious. She’s right, and it also makes the almonds even more crunchy.

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Ready to go in the oven for about 40 minutes. Do check your clafoutis to see whether it needs to be turned during the baking time (because it’s browning unevenly) or if the heat needs to be turned down.

And this is what it looks like when it comes out.

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I don’t think I need to tell you what a success it was.

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It keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (though you should warm it a little before eating), and it’s even good without the crunchy almonds that you get when you eat it warm and straight out of the oven. So you have some flexibility here if you’re making it for a small crowd.

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But honestly. Do you really think it will last more than one day?

Fig & Almond Clafoutis   Print Prep time 20 mins Cook time 45 mins Total time 1 hour 5 mins   Serves: 8-12 Ingredients 6 figs (250 grams) 1.5 cups milk (35 cl) 1 teaspoon vanilla 100 grams (7 tablespoons) melted butter 1⅓ cups flour (120 grams) ¾ cups sugar (150 grams) ¼ teaspoon salt 6 eggs ¼ cups slivered almonds 1 tablespoon sugar Instructions Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and slice the figs. Butter the quiche pan. Bring the milk and vanilla to a simmering point and melt the butter separately. Mix the dry ingredients, then incorporate the eggs two at a time. Mix in the milk first, then butter, and whisk everything together. Pour the batter into the quiche pan, then place the figs on top. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and sugar. Bake for 35-45 minutes, checking to make sure it browns evenly. Serve warm. 3.5.3251

 

*I I got my information on the history of clafoutis here.

If you’d like to see more French recipes, click on my recipe index here.

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Paris Museum : Jacquemart-Andre

I avoided accents in the title because it tends to mess up the link, but the museum name should be Musée Jacquemart-André. It’s located on a quiet leafy Parisian street at 158 Boulevard Haussmann in the 8th arrondissement, within walking distance of the Champs-Elysées.

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I went last May when there was a Mary Cassatt exhibit, which was absolutely enchanting. Do you know about her? I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the exhibit, but she was an American woman who was recognised alongside other impressionist painters of her time, and her specialty is mothers and children. You can read more about her and see some of her paintings here.

This museum is more intimate than most because it was the home of Édouard André and his wife, Nélie Jacquemart. He had it built starting in 1869 as a “hôtel particulier”, which is a luxurious residence meant for one family, built in the middle of the city. What’s particularly interesting about this couple is that they met because he needed a portrait done and he had heard of her skill as a portraitist. She realised his portrait in 1872, and they became friends.

In one count, I learned that he proposed marriage in 1881 after he’d gotten a diagnosis of syphilis, an illness that rendered him sterile. She accepted his proposal from a desire to remove the taint of her illegitimate birth by contracting a proper marriage. Theirs was a platonic relationship, unified by a common passion for art.

On the official website, their story is not quite so unromantic. It states that theirs was a marriage between two radically different entities – he, a Protestant Bonapartist, she a Catholic Royalist. They had 13 happy years together before he died. I imagine that no matter what initially brought them together, the latter statement is probably true.

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You enter through the narrow arch that used to be used for carriages.

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And this is what the entrance to the museum looks like.

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Henri Parent, having lost the bid to design the Paris Opéra to Charles Garnier, served as the architect for this residence, and he was inspired to follow a classical design in its façade and interior. The residence was finished in 1876, and the notables of the period lauded its success as heartily as they had the grand foyer of the Opéra Garnier.

Leading up to the front entrance …

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The winter garden

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And the staircase

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I love the smaller details in these museums, such as the iron work here.

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André began his art collection in 1860 and was asked by Napoleon III to lend his collection to the Universal Exposition in 1867. When he and Nélie married, she had a strong hand in choosing which art to add to the collection and also in deciding where to place it. They traveled to Italy together, and also to the Middle-East, where they acquired more transportable works of art.

So let’s take a look at some of the apartments. I was not careful in noting which picture is from which room, so there might be some errors here. You’ll just have to come in person to see it all yourself!

I’m not sure I have photos of the Picture Gallery, the Library or the Dining Room, but the following is from one of the three (given its red cloth wall covering).

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Here’s the Grand Salon

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The Music Room

 

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Then there are the museums : Florentine Gallery

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(Yes, I believe that’s his tomb up there).

The Venetian Gallery, which owes its influence to André.

 

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And here are the private apartments: Madame’s bedroom[image error]

Monsieur’s bedroom

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And the informal apartments: the Tapestry Room:

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The Study

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The Smoking Room

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There’s also the Boudoir and Library, which I don’t have pictures of. And below is the room that normally contains a work by Francesco Botticini from 1471 (The Virgin between St John the Baptist, St Pancrace, St Sebastian, and St Peter, on wood) but it was under construction.

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So you see, just a quick, and incomplete, photo tour to introduce you to this hidden gem that merits a visit if you have time.

When André died in 1893, his cousins tried to contest the will and regain control of his fortune. Distraught by her husband’s death and having been born into poverty (with no one to come to her aid), she would have lost everything had her husband not remade the will specifying he was leaving everything to her. After his death, she traveled alone to the Far East to acquire yet more works of art and continued to add to their collection.

Before her own death in 1912, she had in mind to open her home to the grand public, rather than just a small circle of art experts — this in the interest of educating the public. She went so far as to stipulate when the museum would be open and where the art should be placed.

The Musée Jacquemart-André was inaugurated on December 8, 1913, a year after her death, and is still open for the public more than a century later.  Do go and visit, as much for the unique works of art, as for its charm as a private museum and its unique history.

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And why not stop at the café there, as well?

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Since you’re already in a haven from the streets of Paris.

* Information for this post gleaned from the official website and from here.

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A winner has been chosen for our INSIDR smartphone giveaway for her next trip to Paris. Cassandra D, congratulations! INSIDR will contact you to arrange the details.

If you’d like to see other tourist posts on Paris and other cities, click here.

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Coq au Vin Recipe

I was running low on ideas for French cooking, so I asked for suggestions in a local moms group and coq au vin was one of them. Coq means rooster, and vin (you probably know) means wine. Unsurprisingly, this is a classic French recipe.

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If you don’t have a rooster on hand, you can use a really large chicken. (I didn’t, and that’s what I did, and in this post I’ll refer to it as chicken rather than rooster, which can sound a little weird when talking recipes).

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The day before you want to serve this, you need to marinate the coq, whose meat tends to be tougher than chicken. The marinade also infuses the meat with flavour.

Cut up the chicken into pieces, and if you don’t know how, here is a great tutorial. Except, unlike her, I used all the pieces, even the backbone. The backbone has the sot-l’y-laisse!

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To prepare the marinade, you’ll need 75 cl of red wine, which is about 3 cups. We’re an alcohol-free household, so we use alcohol-free wine, called Bonne Nouvelle. I’m assuming most of you are not, so I want to give you some wine suggestions. I’ve read that you want red wine with a woodsy undertone – a Bourgogne. For example, un Pommard or un Beaune. If you can’t get that, use a Pinot Noir, Châteauneuf du Pape or Côtes du Rhône Villages.

If you speak wine language, you want something warm, with some body, not overly strong tannins (they said “melted tannins” so I’m not sure if I’m translating that right), and a hint of spice. Or, to keep things simple, just ask for something woodsy at the wine store. (But apparently not Bordeaux because that’s too woodsy).

And to drive the point home, don’t buy super cheap wine because so much of the flavour is the wine. I wasn’t sure we’d win any awards with our alcohol-free coq au vin, but it was, in fact, delicious.

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Add 4 juniper berries to the wine, plus 1 clove, 2 bay leaves, and a sprig (or two) of thyme. Let that sit with the poultry pieces overnight.

I looked up the recipe in several places and ended up using the one from this French website because I liked it best, and he gave great tips for a successful coq au vin.

One of the tips, which I didn’t follow but I think is a good one, is to use any part of the chicken you plan to throw away and make a reduced stock with it the night before so you can add it to your dish the next day. I threw the inedible part of the chicken away before I read his tip, so I’ll be using pre-made bouillon. However, this is something for you to keep in mind.

Alright. So it’s the next day, your chicken is marinated, and you’re ready to begin. First, remove the meat from the marinade and set the liquid aside. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and let them sit while you fry up 200 grams of bacon (7 oz). The French use “lardons” – bacon pieces similar to lard but with more meat. You, however, can just use bacon.

Remove the bacon from the pan and set it to the side for later. In the bacon grease that remains, fry 2 medium sliced onions and 3 cloves of minced garlic, and then set that aside.

I used two pans – one is my iron skillet, and the other is the large pot I used to cook my coq au vin. I wanted to be able to brown all the meat in one go, and you’ll need the separate pan later on anyway so may as well pull it out now.

Add some butter to the pan(s) and brown your chicken pieces.

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Now here I want to make a distinction between the original French recipe and what I did. The original French chef said to pour a “glass of cognac” over the browning meat and add a flame to let the alcohol burn away. A French glass is small and is probably equivalent to 3/4 cup. Since we don’t drink alcohol, I added a full cup of apricot juice to the stock and let it simmer with the rest. You can do either one.

If you’ve browned the meat in a separate pan, put all your chicken pieces, the onion / garlic mix, and marinade, plus 1 1/2 cups stock (and apricot juice if you’re using it) in the Le Creuset cocotte or large pot. For the stock, I used veal bouillon mixed with water, and I checked to make sure there was no gluten in the pre-packaged bouillon. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, then turn it down and simmer the dish for 1 and 3/4 hours.

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We may as well talk accompaniments while the coq au vin is simmering. I read what should be served with it, and the greatest consensus was tagliatelle. We had just eaten pasta recently so I ignored that option, but it might be the best for you. Second to that was boiled potatoes with parsley. Then there were some other options, like homemade mashed potatoes and stir-fried mushrooms that had commentators throwing rotten tomatoes at the suggesters, but which I think are valid options. Well, maybe not the mushrooms because there are plenty in this dish, which I’ll get to in a minute.

This is my stove with the accompaniment on one side, the coq au vin on the other, and the iron skillet in the middle, waiting to be put to use again.

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Anyway, I ended up making the potatoes so I just got started on that while the meat was cooking. When they were boiled, but not overdone, I added persillade – parsley mixed with shallots and garlic – and drizzled them with olive oil.

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When the meat has been cooking for an hour and a half, turn the oven on to 180°C (350°F) and preheat the oven for 15 minutes. This is a crucial step because we’re going dry out the meat a little in the oven, and make it crispy, while we reduce the broth so it’s not so liquid-y. This is a genius step because you don’t want overly liquified sauce, nor do you want soggy poultry. This solves everything.

Get your chicken in the oven and cook it for 45 minutes. My oven tends to heat stronger than the temperature suggests so I only left it in for a half-hour.

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Then slice two medium-sized carrot. Add those with 18 pearl onions. I never use pearl onions, so even though the recipe only called for 12, I went rogue and added 18. After tasting the dish, I think I could have even added 24 because what am I going to do with the rest of the jar of pearl onions?

What am I going to do with the rest of the jar of juniper berries, for that matter?

(Feel free to leave me suggestions in the comments!)

So you’ve added the carrots and the pearl onions to the stock, and you’ve got this pot now uncovered and boiling away on high heat. Guess what else you’re going to add? Two squares of dark chocolate!

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That’s right, baby.

Boil that down, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t actually get so reduced there’s no liquid left. While that’s reducing, stir-fry 2 1/2 cups of mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil. I used the same iron skillet with the leftover bacon / onion / chicken flavours so the mushrooms would absorb that taste. You can use regular mushrooms, but why not try mixed mushrooms? White button, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle … that’s what I did and it added the perfect touch of … Frenchness.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, add the stir-fried mushrooms to the sauce, as well as the bacon. (Forgot about the bacon, didn’t you? Don’t add it too soon or it will get soggy).

Add the now-crispy chicken pieces to the sauce, and serve your completed coq au vin over your potatoes (or tagliatelle or mashed potatoes).

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Hello, happiness!

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Seriously, guys. This was that good. Even my kids liked it.

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In the end, coq au vin is not all that hard. It just takes a little planning. What about you? Are you willing to give it a try?

Coq au Vin Recipe   Print Prep time 26 hours Cook time 3 hours Total time 29 hours   Serves: 6 Ingredients 1 rooster or large chicken 75 cl red wine, around 3 cups 1 clove 4 juniper berries 2 bay leaves 1-2 sprigs of thyme 200 grams or 7 oz lardon (bacon) 2 onions, sliced 3 cloves of garlic, minced butter (if needed) 1.5 cups veal or chicken stock ¾ cup cognac or 1 cup pear juice 2½ cups mixed mushrooms 2 carrots, sliced 18 pearl onions 2 squares of dark chocolate Instructions Cut the coq into pieces the day before. Marinate with the wine, clove, berries, bay leaves, and thyme. The day of, remove the chicken from the marinade and pat the pieces dry. Set the marinade to the side. Cook the bacon in the pan you plan to use. Put it to the side when done. In the bacon grease, fry the onions and garlic, then put that to the side. Brown the pieces of chicken in the same pan. Add butter if it starts to stick. Optional : pour the cognac over the browned chicken and burn off the alcohol. Combine the chicken, onion and garlic, marinade, stock, and pear juice (if you didn't use cognac) in a large pot. Simmer for 1 hr 45 mins. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C or 350°F. Remove the chicken from the broth and bake for 30-45 minutes. To the broth, add the chocolate squares, carrots and pearl onions. Uncover and put on high heat. Boil until the sauce is reduced. On the side, stir-fry the mushrooms until cooked and the excess liquid is gone. When the chicken is done baking, and the sauce is reduced, add the mushrooms and bacon to the sauce. Then add the chicken pieces. Serve coq au vin over tagliatelle or boiled potatoes with parsley. 3.5.3251

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I want to remind you that you have anther week to enter the contest to win a free INSIDR smartphone rental if you’re planning a trip to France before April, 2019. This deal gives you full customer support in English, a smartphone rental while you’re here, plus VIP insider tips of what to see while you’re in France. Details are here. Please leave a comment on my blog saying when you plan to come in order to validate your entry.

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If you want to see more French recipes, click here for the recipe index.

The post Coq au Vin Recipe appeared first on A Lady In France.

Back-to-School News & Amazing Giveaway!

If you’re here for the INSIDR smartphone giveaway, just scroll down to about two-thirds of the way where I list the details of the contest. If you plan to come to France before April, 2019 then this giveaway will make your stay in the City of Light that much brighter. I can’t wait to see who wins!

If you’re one of my regular readers, I thought you might like some news of la rentrée. The kids went back to school this week and are in 9th grade, 7th grade, and 5th grade – well, the French equivalent of all that anyway. (3ème, 5ème, CM2) They didn’t start on the same day, so I didn’t get a cute picture of them all together like I usually do, but we’re all really ready for the rentrée this year.

Last year was tough. I hobbled on one foot, torn in two places, for about 6 months, and then immediately upon healing from that, started getting one infection after the other. Our house had some construction done last September, then we spent the rest of the school year trying to get estimates so the insurance company could calculate the total amount our construction company had ripped us off, after taking their huge advance, then abandoning us. (And of course the companies we tried to get estimates from never came). Because we were in such flux last year, I never did any kind of organisational prep work for back to school and the year pretty much reflected that. I was tired emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically.

Howevah, my friends …

This year, after our whirlwind vacations, I had 3 weeks at home and I spent it doing a deep cleaning of our house. We must have evicted about 20 spiders from the kids’ rooms (which are partly underground with the windows at ground level). With the dust, humidity and easy access, those spiders had it good. But now there are squeaky clean corners, a dehumidifier, new rugs, and plants!

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I gave away bags and bags of toys, clothes, and sundry and probably threw away about as much. We cleared all the old school papers from the last two years (seriously – I’m not even tempted to hoard anything. It was just an ineffective year that led to much accumulation).

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Then I started on the linen closet.

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And the old bonnetière (large wooden cupboard in the living room that mainly has school supplies and the larger kitchen appliances that don’t fit).

[image error]followed by the buffet with all our dishes. We had boxed up a bunch of china and other kitchen supplies because we lost some living room cupboard space when we started the construction. I had been waiting until the house was completely done until I could find a new home for all these things, but I finally gave up on that and sorted through everything we wanted to keep, washed it, and put it in the buffet.

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Isn’t that just a work of art?

Finally, my husband found a solution for the knives, which have been shoved, dangerously, into various cupboards ever since we redid the kitchen and added the tile backsplash.

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Woah. That’s a lot of knives. What can I say? I like to cook.

He put the picture back in place and added the spice rack.

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Remember how I had my kitchen painted pink (which became more of a lilac when we had to repaint it after the water damage) to match this flowering plum outside the kitchen window? Now we have a picture in the same color scheme to match!

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So this is what I’ve been doing on the home front, and I’m feeling so great about making lemonade out of lemons following our abandoned house construction. I’m ready for what this year has to bring.

And … I’m super excited about this giveaway because it’s valuable and three of my readers will win. If you’ve been contemplating a trip to France any time before next spring, this might be the thing to encourage you to book it because I’d say, with three prizes and not everyone about to fly over to France in the near future, there’s a decent chance you’ll actually win. Have a peek below.

INSIDR GIVEAWAY

THREE of you will win a 10-day INSIDR smartphone package for your upcoming trip to France. The contest will be open from September 5 – 18, 2018 on this blog, and your trip to France must take place before April 30, 2019). If you’d like to know more about what the INSIDR phone service entails, you can read my post about it here.

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OFFER:

–       Free INSIDR Smartphone rental for 10 days incl. pickup at CDG and postal return in France (worth 80€).

–       Possibility to add paid options for extra logistics and phone insurance.

CONDITIONS :

–       Winners are requested to support INSIDR by completing a detailed survey at the end of your trip, and by leaving a review of INSIDR services. Although we cannot require you to do this, I think it’s a small way to thank INSIDR for their offer and I hope you’ll consider this as a condition of your contest entry. (I’m not an ambassador for nothing, right?)

–       Booking done directly online by the traveler with 90% discount code for immediate discount.

–       10% additional refund provided when phone is returned and survey (& review) are completed.

–       Offer eligible through April 30, 2019

To enter, you have to use the Rafflecopter box below and click the button when you’ve commented on my post (or followed my page or re-tweeted about the giveaway) because the names will be chosen automatically through Rafflectopter. If you don’t enter that way, your name can’t be picked. The only entry that is mandatory is the comment, though the other options give you more points toward winning.

Make sure to say in your comment when you plan to come to France, even if it’s only a determined dream for the moment. If you feel like saying a bit more, I’d also love to hear what sorts of things you plan to do when you get here!

All right. Are you ready? On y va!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

I can’t wait to see who wins and I hope you have the most magical time in the City of Light!

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