1 Travel Plans

 Sometimes the best laid plans of bears and men often go awry.

Back in April when a French pet portrait client invited me to house-sit her apartment on rue St-Dominique for 2  months I hesitated but everyone said,

"GO! DO IT!"

Then in June when I mentioned I'd be arriving 2 days later than planned, my apartment lender took a walk and never again responded to emails, phone messages, or prayers.

I was left with an AirFrance ticket that needed changing

 And no roof over my head in Paris.

 Fortunately I was able to rent again my tiny studio in the 11th for a few nights.

 Frenchie by Meg Zimbeck

Fortunately a darling PB reader invited me to Frenchie the first nite I arrive. wow

 And terrific food blogger Mardi Michels of eat. live. travel. write. has invited me to to a recipe testing class at La Cuisine Paris on Monday.

 There just happens to be an Hermes scarf sale starting Thursday that would be fun to browse just for kicks. You can read about a past sale on Mary Kay's blog.

 I'll be spending my euros at the other Herme thank you very much. The current 5 jardins collection is very colorful and nicely designed.

 Another affordable luxury is following the footsteps of both Chanel and Audrey Hepburn to Angelina.

I wonder if they have iced 'hot' chocolate?

 Fortunately over the Bastille Day holiday I'll have a very nice roof over my head in the Loire Vallee indeed.

 And I'll be communing with darling chateau pet, Dimitri.

 Then I'll head to western central France to commune with gorgeous Biff

 And his mistress, author Karen Wheeler of Tout Sweet, Tout Allure and Tout Soul. She has invited me to visit and report back on her bucolic life in the French country side. I can't wait.

 The good news is the rains have stopped and the sun has come out in Paris!!

 Bear is completely packed and raring to go as always.

Me, I'm behind the 8-ball as usual.

But at least things have probably worked out for the better.

Way better!

0 Butte-Aux-Cailles

 Heading off to places no one much goes to in Paris can be a trip.

 The Butte aux Cailles in the 13th arrondissement is one of those places. More a hidden village than a touristic haunt, it's a step back in  time like Woody's Midnight In Paris.

 The buildings are small. The architecture idiosyncratic. The cobblestone streets narrow and quirky.

 Paris doesn't get more villagey than this. I'm a fan of the 13th's big chlorine-free pool.

 Otherwise I might have missed this adventure to the hinterlands.

 After a swim nothing is bettter than a light lunch at L'Oisive The 5 minutes away.

 The food is delicious.

 Ex-pat owner Aimee (lurking behind her home-made cakes) started this cafe on her own and it's a delight.

 Walls of yellow tea canisters are the perfect decor.

 A wall full of colorful yarns is for the kniters who frequent L'Oisive The.

 While parents knit and chat, les enfants play quietly on the floor and crayon. The atmosphere could not be more homey and friendly.

 Parisian Ines de la Fressange has chosen the Butte aux Cailles to stroll around this month, offering much insider info on charming shops I missed. Take a look and consider.

 I just down-loaded this little book, Forever Paris:25 Walks in the Footsteps of Chanel, Hemingway, Picasso and More.

 The 'more' includes:

Edith Piaf, Charles de Gaulle, Josephine Baker, Auguste Rodin, Cartier-Bresson, George Sand, Napoleon, Balzac, Simone de Beauvoir, Victor Hugo, Marie Antoinette (with spin out at Versailles), YSL, Henry Miller and Audrey Hepburn(she loved Angelina).

 And our fabulous Julia Child (rue Cler was her shopping street)!

Could you ask for anything more?
It's a mostly black and white book so perfect for your Kindle to have handy as you promenade around Paree.

Get out and walk this weekend.
Pourquoi pas?

Bon Weekend!

0 KASHA, BLACK-EYED PEA, MACKEREL, FAVA BEAN, TOMATO & MISO SALAD - SALADE DE SARRASIN, DOLIQUES A OEIL NOIR, FÈVES, MAQUEREAU, TOMATE ET MISO

Be careful of those who pat you on the back. They might be looking for a soft spot to plant the knife.
- Anonymous

Honest hearts produce honest actions.
- Brigham Young

Those who know me are aware of the fact that I cherish honest, genuine as well as selfless beings and look for the deep and meaningful things in life. Superficiality, artificiality, triviality, egocentrism and materialism put me off. I reject all the false values that this modern and unethical society apprizes.

Calculators, manipulators and profitors are my biggest enemies. I fear them like the pest and smell them from a distance. Actually, I make it a rule to stay far away from anything that is shallow or anyone who is toxic, fake and untrustworthy as they can only be harmful to me and drain me of my life force. Negative energies and all forms of parasitism are to be avoided at any cost or they'll bring you down and suck you into their decadent spiral of chaos and destruction.

After having been psychologically abused by my tyrannical parents who exercized their maleficious control over me and could not care less about my person, but prefered to use me as a pawn in their viscious family game, and escaped from my Machiavellian sister's iron grip and mean powers of subjugation, I am finally free of all oppression so I really treasure my new found freedom and fiercely protect it with all my might. I have given enough and refuse to bleed more.

Since I have been deceived and ripped-off quite a few times by despicable individuals who are only interested in misusing others for their own egotistical purposes and evil agendas, I tend to be very careful when it comes to letting people into my existence and trusting them blindly. I pick my pals meticulously. This is the reason why I am not surrounded by hords of "friends" and definitely not the most popular girl on the block. But that's ok with me as I have my peace.

Nowadays, I listen to my heart and follow my instincts. If somebody is devious or something is shady, then I'll feel their bad vibrations and will not let them corrupt or rape my soul as I have understood that nobody can be my master nor that I am accountable to anyone. Power is in my hands and "no" is not a taboo word anymore...

Make food simple and let things taste of what they are.
- Curnonsky aka Maurice Edmond Sailland

I want a dish to taste good, rather than to have been seethed in pig's milk and served wrapped in a rhubarb leaf with grated thistle root.
- Kingsley Amis

I detest...anything over-cooked, over-herbed, over-sauced, over elaborate. Nothing can go very far wrong at table as long as there is honest bread, butter, olive oil, a generous spirit, lively appetites and attention to what we are eating."
- Sybille Bedford

When it comes to food, I love my grub to be straitforward and real. Pretentious or unnatural eats have no place at my home nor in my heart. I loathe unneccessarily complicated or pompous dishes and detest industrially processed aliments that have been deprived of their nutritional qualities and are loaded with a multitude of gruesome additives (saturated fats, artificial colorings and sweeteners, preservatives, corn syrup, etc...).

My dinners are seasonal, hearty, comforting, stripped of any chichis, yet they don't lack refinement or aromatic complexity. I try to enhance produces and get the best out of them without ever spoiling their original characteristics. This demands a little understanding of nutrition, some knowledge regarding the ingredients employed, a good dose of patience and a lot of gut feeling. Nothing very esoteric or difficult to accomplish, however it requires commitment and dedication.

Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.
- Craig Claiborne

Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.
- Marcel Boulestin

If you are a passionate gourmet who is interested in your physical wellness, then it is absolutely not a sacrifice to relentlessly surf online in order to search for useful culinary information, to spend a few hours experimentig in the kitchen or to follow a healthy diet. Your hard labor will be rewarded and your body will be thankful for treating it like a temple rather than a dustbin. Certainly worth the effort!

Speaking of power foods, the salad that I am presenting today pretty much carries all those characteristics and is not far from perfection. It is well-balanced (contains many essential nutrients: fibers, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fatty acids, antioxidents, proteins and other compounds), extremely satiating, not expensive, fresh, easily prepared and although it appears to be simple, this harmonious tasting meal offers intricate flavors (nutty, herby, pungent, spicy, sweet, smoky, etc...) which will make your palate sing and your tummy smile.

My summery "Kasha, Black-Eyed Pea, Mackerel, Fava Bean, Tomato & Miso Salad" is ideal for a relaxed lunch or supper in the garden/on the balcony and for taking on picnics or bringing to potlucks, parties as well as work. Quirky, practical, energy-ladden and scrumptious!

Kasha, Black-Eyed Pea, Mackerel, Fava Bean, Tomato & Miso Salad

Recipe by Rosa Mayland, June 2012

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients For The "Miso Dressing":

1/3 Cup (75ml) Apple vinegar

1/3 Cup (75ml) Olive oil

2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbs Barley miso

1 Tbs Sweet soy sauce (Kikkoman)

1 Tbs Sweet chili sauce

1 Tsp Runny honey

1 Tsp Sesame oil

1/2 Tsp Fine sea salt
Ingredients For The "Salad":
1 1/2 Cups Raw kasha (buckwheat groats)
1 Tsp Fine sea salt
1 Cup (120g) Fresh fava beans, shelled (method)
260g Cooked black-eyed peas (cooked from scratch or canned)
2x 125g (2x 95g net weight) Canned mackerel
1x Beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
Fresh coriander, to taste

Method For The "Miso Dressing":
1. In a big salad bowl, whisk all ingredients together.
Method For The "Salad":
2. In a medium pan, lightly toast the kasha until golden.
3. Add 4 cups water (~1l) and the salt. Bring to a light boil, then immediatly lower the heat to a soft simmer.
4. Cook for about 8-10 minutes (it should still be a little crunchy - see remarks).
5. Sieve and rince with cold water, then let the water drip off.
6. Once the kasha is at room temperature, add to the bowl with all the other ingredients. Mix delicately.
7. Serve. 

Remarks:
The onion can be replaced by 2 chopped spring onions.
In case you don't have black-eyed peas at home, any legume of your choice will do (white beans, chickpeas, red beans, etc...).
You can also use other fresh herbs: chervil, parsley, basil or thyme.
Don't overcook your kasha, otherwise it'll go mushy. In order to avoid that, keep testing it while it is cooking.
If you like to eat your salad chilled, then mix all the ingredients together (minus the coriander, tomato and fish - you'll add them at the last moment) a few hours before serving and refrigerate. 

Serving suggestions:
Serve chilled or at room temperature and accompany with a glass of quality white wine (Gewürtzraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Chasselas,  etc...) or rosé (Vin Gris, Oeil de Perdrix, Weissherbst, Provence, Gamay Rosé, etc...).

Salade De Sarrasin, Doliques A Oeil Noir, Fèves, Maquereau, Tomate Et Miso 
Recette par Rosa Mayland, juin 2012.

Pour 2-3 personnes.

Ingrédients Pour La "Vinaigrette au Miso": 
75ml de Vinaigre de pomme
75ml Olive oil 
2 Gousses d'ail, hachées finement 
1 CS de Miso d'orge
1 CS de Sauce soja douce (Kikkoman)
1 CS de Sauce de piment douce 
1 CS de Miel liquide
1 CC d'Huile de sésame
1/2 CC de Sel de mer fin
 Ingrédients Pour La "Salade":
1 1/2 Coupes de Gruau de sarrasin 
1 CS de Sel de mer fin 
120g de Fèves fraîches, pelées (voir méthode) 
260g de Doliques à oeil noir cuites (voir méthode - vous pouvez aussi prendre une conserve)
2x 125g (poids net 2x 95g) de Filets de maquereau en conserve 
1 Tomate coeur de boeuf, coupée en dés
1 Oignon moyen, haché finement
Coriandre fraîche, selon goût

Méthode Pour La "Vinaigrette Au Miso": 
1. Dans un grand saladier, mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble. 
Méthode Pour La "Salade": 
2. Dans une casserole moyenne, torréfier le sarrasin jusqu'à ce qu'il soit légèrement doré. 
3. Ajouter environ 1 litre d'eau et le sel. Porter à légère ébullition, puis immédiatement baisser le feu et laisser mijoter à feu très doux.
4. Cuire pendant environ 8-10 minutes. Le sarrasin devrait encore être un peu croquant (voir remarques).
5. L'égoutter et le rincer à l'eau très froide, puis le laisser égoutter encore une fois afin que toute l'eau se soit évacuée.
6. Une fois que le sarrasin a refroidi (température ambiante), le mettre dans le bol avec tous les autres ingrédients et mélanger délicatement. 
7. Servir. 

Remarques: 
L'oignon peut être remplacé par 2 oignons de printemps hachés. 
Dans le cas où vous n'aurez pas de doliques à œil noir à la maison, vous pouvez alors utiliser une autre légumineuse de votre choix (haricots blancs, pois chiches, haricots rouges, etc ..). 
Vous pouvez également ajouter d'autres herbes fraîches dans cette salade: cerfeuil, persil, basilic ou thym.
Ne pas faire cuire votre sarrasin à feu élevé sinon les graines exploseront et vous vous retrouverez avec une purée. Afin d'éviter cela, faites-le mijoter à feu très doux (pas de gros bouillons). N'oubliez pas de régulièrement goûter votre sarrasin afin que vous ne le cuisiez pas trop (perte de son croquant). 
Si vous aimez manger froid, mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble (sans la coriandre, tomate et le poisson que vous ajouterez au dernier moment) et réfrigérer votre salade pendant quelques heures avant de la servir.

Idées de présentation: 
Servir bien réfrigérée ou à température ambiante et accompagner d'un vin blanc (Gewurtzraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Chasselas, etc ..) ou d'un rosé (Vin Gris, Oeil de Perdrix, Weissherbst, Provence, Gamay Rosé, etc ...) de qualité.

0 When Wanderers Cease to Roam

 I nabbed this cat (one of nine) off  Vivian Swift's blog, because it's near 90 degrees here in New York and I'd like to be padding through the snow rather than hugging the AC..

 And I wanted to share with you Vivian's first book,

 When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put.

In Vivian's own words:

It took me a long time — 52 years — to finally get down to doing the work that I think I was meant to do (this illustrated autobiography thing that I do to communicate my peculiar joie de vivre) and I thank my lucky stars that I finally figured it out. Yes, I wish I’d figured it out sooner, and not wasted so much time doing work I so dearly loathed, but you know how the fate thing works: In Its Own Sweet Time.

 Swift has led an interesting, nomadic life. After living in 23 different places in 20 years, she decided to stay put in a small village on Long Island Sound. Her first book is a staying-put journal/sketchbook of ovservations in her vicinity and from memories. Wanderers is organized in a 12-month seasonal format.

 Vivian is particular focused on weather and has attempted to paint and describe it in all it's ramifications like this snow flake 'chart'.

This is a sampler of snow.

This is what I did when I had to paint some snow pictures for my December chapter, and I had no real idea how to paint snow. I did what a good embroiderer does, when she has to learn a new stitch. I made a sampler.

 Or this March chart on dirt and mud.

 When Vivian visited last week, she looked around my studio walls and suggested I paint pages of cups,

'Put a cup here and another cup there on the page!' she intoned.

You will never want for teacups in the Wanderers travel journal. March is the Tea time month by the way. Who knew?

 There are pages on Vivian's many jaunts around the world as well as her home base. I have yet to visit Ireland I'm embarrassed to say...

 Here Vivian explains about laying out her embroidered illustrations. An orderly person tries to influence a disorderly person...

 There are many cats (and birds) in Swift's book. No dogs to speak of...

 There are loads of travel tips both whimsical and practical in Where Wanderers Roam . I'm packing them into my head so this upcoming trip departure will be less traumatic hopefully...

A tremendously fun book even if you prefer to do your traveling in an armchair. Amazon has marked it down ridiculously in my opinion so do take a look.

Have you too been listening to the homages for darling Nora Ephron, who we lost on Tuesday way to soon. For me she epidomized everything good about New York - witty, sharp, incisive, positive, open-hearted.
I love this quote of hers:

They write books about success through failure and the power of failure. Failure, they say, is a growth experience. You learn from failure. I wish that were true. It seems to me that the main thing you learn from a failure is that it's entirely possible you will have another failure."

That's not to say one should just give up when things don't work out.

"My religion is 'Get over it,'" says Ephron. "And I was raised in that religion. That was the religion of my home — my mother saying, 'Everything is copy; everything is material; someday you will think this is funny.' My parents never said, 'Oh you poor thing.' It was work through it, get to the other side, turn it into something. And it worked with me."

We will miss you Nora.