France

Getting ready for les Fêtes d’Orthez

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Preparations are underway for les Fêtes d’Orthez, which start this Thursday and run through Sunday.  At La Maison de l’Horloge, a restaurant we appreciate for its dignified ambiance and accomplished food, looks like they are getting in 30 kegs of beer, 9 cases of Get27 (a mint flavored liquor) and 6 cases of Clan Campbell […]

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Slide 1

Preparations are underway for les Fêtes d’Orthez, which start this Thursday and run through Sunday.  At La Maison de l’Horloge, a restaurant we appreciate for its dignified ambiance and accomplished food, looks like they are getting in 30 kegs of beer, 9 cases of Get27 (a mint flavored liquor) and 6 cases of Clan Campbell

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France

A southern view into Spain

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The mountain valleys of the French Pyrenees  are a paradise for hikers.  There are routes for just about every level of hiking expertise that offer splendid views of the mountains, and often interaction with the wandering herds of cows and sheep that pass the summer in the high pastures.  The Vallée d’Ossau, just south of

A southern view into Spain Read More »

Slide 1

The mountain valleys of the French Pyrenees  are a paradise for hikers.  There are routes for just about every level of hiking expertise that offer splendid views of the mountains, and often interaction with the wandering herds of cows and sheep that pass the summer in the high pastures.  The Vallée d’Ossau, just south of

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Petites Histoires

Petites Histoires

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Over the years, I have been lucky enough to have eaten and drunk very well in France. Since my first visit in 1989, through the years of 1990-1991 when we lived in Paris, through frequent return visits after we were once again living in Seattle, until today, when we live full time in Orthez, some

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Slide 1

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to have eaten and drunk very well in France. Since my first visit in 1989, through the years of 1990-1991 when we lived in Paris, through frequent return visits after we were once again living in Seattle, until today, when we live full time in Orthez, some

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Stuff

Time to fire up the barbecue!

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What a beautiful day in the sunny southwest of France!  Cool, misty morning, then sunny with clear skies, low humidity and not a cloud in the sky.  What else is there to do but to fire up the Weber kettle?  Locally, zuchini has been coming on strong for a few weeks, eggplants and peppers have

Time to fire up the barbecue! Read More »

Slide 1

What a beautiful day in the sunny southwest of France!  Cool, misty morning, then sunny with clear skies, low humidity and not a cloud in the sky.  What else is there to do but to fire up the Weber kettle?  Locally, zuchini has been coming on strong for a few weeks, eggplants and peppers have

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Recipes

Recipe Problems!

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It has recently been brought to my attention that some of the older recipe post on my blog no longer actually contain a recipe!  Opps! After a bit of research, it appears that the problems stems from a system update to WordPress (the site that hosts my blog) last fall. Anyway, the problem has been

Recipe Problems! Read More »

Slide 1

It has recently been brought to my attention that some of the older recipe post on my blog no longer actually contain a recipe!  Opps! After a bit of research, it appears that the problems stems from a system update to WordPress (the site that hosts my blog) last fall. Anyway, the problem has been

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The Garden

Blueberries in June

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May was very wet throughout most of France, with the local news saying it is the wettest in 30 years!  And despite a few sunny days, June has started wetter than usual as well.  Good news for the ground water levels but not so good for our tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Oh well, there is

Blueberries in June Read More »

Slide 1

May was very wet throughout most of France, with the local news saying it is the wettest in 30 years!  And despite a few sunny days, June has started wetter than usual as well.  Good news for the ground water levels but not so good for our tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Oh well, there is

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Stuff

Trout from the Pyrenees with favas, baby artichokes and nettle pistou

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Here is one idea of how to serve nettle pistou. These favas where so young and tender, I didn’t bother to peel them.

Trout from the Pyrenees with favas, baby artichokes and nettle pistou Read More »

Slide 1

Here is one idea of how to serve nettle pistou. These favas where so young and tender, I didn’t bother to peel them.

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Sauces

Nettle Pistou

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Nettles pop up in our yard pretty much any place we leave to grow wild.  Which is fine by me, as nettles are not only very useful in organic gardening, they are also one of pleasures of the spring table.  We save the tender new leaves for recipes, and chop the tough, older stems and

Nettle Pistou Read More »

Slide 1

Nettles pop up in our yard pretty much any place we leave to grow wild.  Which is fine by me, as nettles are not only very useful in organic gardening, they are also one of pleasures of the spring table.  We save the tender new leaves for recipes, and chop the tough, older stems and

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The Garden

Stawberries from the garden!

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Strawberries are THE quintessential fruit of springtime.   We enjoyed these with just a drizzle of heavy cream. Yum! I planted 6 strawberry plants spring 2023, but they didn’t really get much traction during their first year; the few strawberries that they produced got eaten by birds or slugs. This year, with the help of  anti-bird

Stawberries from the garden! Read More »

Slide 1

Strawberries are THE quintessential fruit of springtime.   We enjoyed these with just a drizzle of heavy cream. Yum! I planted 6 strawberry plants spring 2023, but they didn’t really get much traction during their first year; the few strawberries that they produced got eaten by birds or slugs. This year, with the help of  anti-bird

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Stuff

Wild black pepper from Madagascar

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On a recent trip to our local coffee roaster, La Brûlerie du Béarn, I discovered a new spice that has since become a bit of a fetish for me. It’s wild black pepper from Madagascar, and if you are saying “yeah, black pepper, whatever”, I assure you that this wild black pepper has nothing to

Wild black pepper from Madagascar Read More »

Slide 1

On a recent trip to our local coffee roaster, La Brûlerie du Béarn, I discovered a new spice that has since become a bit of a fetish for me. It’s wild black pepper from Madagascar, and if you are saying “yeah, black pepper, whatever”, I assure you that this wild black pepper has nothing to

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