A Table For One and Walton's Tip For Surviving Winter

Here's an odd activity I occasionally like to participate in: lunching alone. I'm not talking about shoveling down a fast food burrito while driving (although I'm also guilty of that), but going to a sit down restaurant by myself and eating by my lonesome.
Except it's not lonesome at all. I often go to a place that James doesn't particularly care for, order what I want, and catch up on Facebook, CNN, or whatever trashy celeb magazine I have handy.
Sometimes it is nice to eat a quiet meal and let your thoughts wander without feeling like you need to be engaging in conversation.
Besides . . . sometimes you really DO want to eat the whole plate of lettuce wraps . . .

In other news, the temperature seems to finally be dipping (as in we are now in the mid-70's). I swear next year I'm moving to Vermont from September through January.
But there's one fellow that dreads the coming cooler temps. I'm pretty sure it's because he has no fur on his tummy and refuses to wear any of the cute sweaters I buy him.
100% sure I'm talking about James? Not this time! It's poor Walton who has trouble adjusting to the weather. So he does what it takes to survive, which involves nesting under any possible blanket covering.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

For goodness sakes! It's only 78 degrees! Get yourself together, man! Or at least wear one of your adorable sweaters . . .

And Fall is Here!

My last post was so whiny and so long ago! Sorry! I definitely caved to my end-of-summer-depression as of late.
You know how northerners really start to get sad and gray around March, when winter has dragged on a little too long?
That's me in September and October. At that point it's been 6 straight months of 90+ degrees, and this girl just needs a break by then! I want to drink a spiced pumpkin latte without feeling like a fraud!

But now that the weather is in the chilly 60's, I am rising out of my bedroom cave like the weather-tempered Phoenix that I am!

And with the cooler weather comes to opportunity to share some of my favorite fall recipes!

Here's a stew that will haunt your dreams:

Jaime Oliver's Beef Stew. Jaime Oliver as in the cute Naked Chef with the adorable British accent. As if that isn't enough to love, this stew is ridiculously easy to make!
I made it about a month ago (when the temps were still stubbornly in the 90's) just because I couldn't stand it anymore and was going to at least PRETEND it was fall.
We had some friends over to watch football, and it was a hit with everyone! Make it for a big group or just for your family with plenty of leftovers!
This stew does not disappoint. I serve it over mashed potatoes and with warm crescent rolls.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• a knob of butter (a knob! that's adorable!)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• a handful of fresh sage leaves
• 800g/1¾lb stewing steak orbeef skirt, cut into 5cm/2 inch pieces (I do 2.5 to 3 lbs- we love us some meat)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• flour, to dust
• 2 parsnips, peeled and quartered (I use mushrooms or extra potatoes if I can't find parsnips)
• 4 carrots, peeled and halved
• ½ a butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced
• optional: a handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved (Ive never used these b/c I can't find them, let me know if you do!)
• 500g/1lb 2oz small potatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• ½ a bottle of red wine (drink the other half while waiting for stew to cook)
• 285ml/½ pint beef or vegetable stock
• zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (optional, but worth it- that goes for the last 2 ingredients as well)
• a handful of rosemary, leaves picked
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped


Directions:

The great thing about this stew is that it gets put together very quickly, and this is partly to do with the fact that no time is spent browning the meat. Even though this goes against all my training, I experimented with two batches of meat – I browned one and put the other straight into the pot. The latter turned out to be the sweeter and cleaner-tasting, so I’ve stopped browning the meat for most of my stews these days. (He's absolutely right. No need to brown the meat. Just make sure you really flavor the flour with salt and pepper.)

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/300ºF/gas 2. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready. Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C/225°F/gas ¼ and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat. 

The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfuls into bowls, accompanied by a glass of French red wine and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

I lie about a lot of things. But I don't lie about food. Make this. Eat it. Rejoice.

Happy (Finally) Fall!!!!

The long slow death of summer

Is anyone else just ready for a cloudy day and temperatures to dip out of the 90's? I don't think I'm asking for much since we are just a few days away from OCTOBER.
Seriously, my "reverse-seasonal depression" is well and alive right now. I feel I can't escape the blinding sun and repressive heat unless I'm tucked away in my bedroom with the windows drawn and the a/c down to 70.
When will there be clouds and breeze and crisp air and boots and scarves and stews and slippers and cold noses?
Right now I feel it's as far away as Easter baskets. What I wouldn't give for a "Winter Home."

Tiny Moment

One of my many (many) goals for this season of retirement, is making sure I carve out time for meditation, prayer, and journaling. You'd think it would be an easy goal since I also seem to have time to watch 3 episodes of RHONJ back to back, but not so much.
Setting aside time to just be still, is probably one of the most challenging parts of my day. So to help, I've set up a little nook in our bedroom.
It's just an old coffee table that I've pushed against the window. There is no room for a chair, and it is literally wedged between our dressers, so it involves me crawling on my knees to get there. But that is another part of its charm.
And I do feel hidden away in this corner, and all I have is the view of sky out the window and a few books, journals, and flowers on my "desk."
Like everything else about this stage of life, it's a bit uncomfortable, new, and bare. But it is quickly becoming one of my favorite places.

Do you have a hiding place that helps you step away from the world for awhile? Where do you go when you need to get away for a bit?

August in Paris

After our friendly reunion in Spain, James and I jetted off, just the two of us, for Paris. Since we were down to only two photographers, we didn't get as many pictures, but here are a few of us exploring the city of lights:

 Like the good little tourist sheep we are, we spent a hectic day at the Louvre, that is, us, and apparently every resident of Japan.

 I was most impressed by the Greek and Roman sculpture collection (mythology nerd alert!).

 James refused to leave the Louvre until we found The Code of Hammurabi (tax lawyer nerd alert!).

Since we don't handle stress exceptionally well, we found the Louvre a tad overwhelming. But we were glad to see the epic art pieces for ourselves.

Travel Tip: If you do get the chance to traipse through Paris, make time to visit The Orsay Museum. Filled with the works of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Courbet, and many other geniuses, it is sensory overload. Plus, it is not nearly as crowded as the Louvre, so you can enjoy the works for longer.

Bicycle Trip to Versailles

Without a doubt, our favorite experience in France was our day trip to Versailles. Once again, Fat Tire was the way to go.

Before we got to the grounds, we stopped by a local market and picked up baguettes, meats and cheeses, and a bottle of wine for a picnic on the Versailles grounds.

The rest of the day was spent bicycling around the gorgeous grounds and exploring Marie Antoinette's old stomping grounds.

 This little guy is just one of the smaller chateaus built for Louis XV's mistress. She was obviously in it for love to live in such a dump.

Due to the large sides of the lakes, the gardeners weren't able to keep all the fountains on at once, so they worked out a system using red flags to warn each other when the king was about to turn a corner so as to turn one fountain off and another on before he saw it.

I use the same system for hiding Anthropologie purchases from James.

 Picnicking on the grounds, French royalty style.

 We also got to tour the Chateau as well. Apparently, Louis XIV was all about his calves, as they showcased his power, so James added a Longhorn twist to Louis' signature move.

 Although the Chateau was all grandeur and wonder, the outside grounds were our favorite. The manicured gardens have been shaped to mimic what they looked like in the 18th century.

Trying to take a picture without sunglasses, now reminded why I take pictures with sunglasses.

With a few days left in Paris, we managed to tour the Catacombs as well. The cemeteries were similar to New Orleans in that they had mostly above ground, elaborate graves.

The catacombs were something out of a nightmare. There were miniature sculptures designed by prisoners, gothic poetry etched into walls, and art made out of bones.

After resurfacing, we set our tourist goals on loftier sites and headed to Notre Dame Cathedral. Unfortunately, there was a large crowd, so I was only able to grab a couple of snapshots.

So that, in a sloppily written nutshell, is the overview of our European trek. It was worth the money, time, and indigestion, and I would highly recommend that if you ever plan a trip to Europe, do the EXACT SAME THINGS WE DID. Otherwise you will hate it.

So until next time, Au Revoir and/or Adios! We will resume our regular North American posts shortly!