adventures of an american housewife in the south of france

Hump Day: Our New “Special Occasion” Wine

We're getting ready to celebrate lots of special occasions next week as we embark on the East Coast Love Tour.  Tomorrow morning we're heading back to the U.S. to attend not one, but two weddings on the east coast!  We're so excited to spend another week with our dearest friends that will involve sun (hopefully), kickball, beach time, and of course, LOVE. Speaking of special occasions, we've got a new wine for...

Summer Recipes: Not Your Typical Potato Salad

You know what's awesome?  Potato Salad.  You know what's not awesome?  Really mayonnaise-y Potato Salad.  Luckily this Potato Salad recipe has all of the awesome and none of the mayonnaise.  Last week we had Stéphanie and Simon over for a steak dinner and I whipped up this healthier version of Potato Salad as a complementary side dish.  I found this recipe last year in a summer issue of Cooking Light and I've...

21st Century Baby Shower

What do you do when your only little sister is having a baby shower and you live over 4,000 miles away?  Surprise Skype in, of course!  Thanks to 21st century technology, living on a different continent than your family isn't so bad.  After several test runs earlier in the week (first I could see Mom but not hear her, then she could hear me, but not see me) we finally got Skype up and running at Shady Hollow...

Smoking Hot Bed Beard

Sorry for no post yesterday and I have to warn you:  this isn't going to be much of one either.  I had a really good post planned for yesterday, but you'll just have to wait until next week because I'm too busy sitting here wallowing in my own sweat to be motivated to think too much.  We're going on nearly two weeks straight of intense sun and humidity with no air conditioning or reprieve,  and it's making me...

Hump Day: Aperitif

Have dinner at any restaurant in France and the first thing they will ask you is, "Désirez-vous un apéritif?"  An aperitif is a refreshing pre-dinner drink that is meant to stimulate the appetite. Usually The Hub and I go straight for the wine, but lately we've been imbibing in a more traditional pre-dinner drink:  the Kir Royale.  We drank a lot of these while we were in Paris with my parents.   I'd...

Midnight in Paris

Around midnight on Sunday in Paris, after a long first day of sightseeing and dinner with the parents, Michael and I wanted to buy some bottled water and maybe a beer or two to bring back to our hotel room.  We spoke to the concierge to see if there was a corner store nearby, but he informed us that everything around the hotel was closed for the evening.  Even though he was probably right, we decided to take a...

Mr. Fix-It: Dad’s Vacation

I think if you asked my Dad, “Hey Dave, what was your favorite part about France?  Was it the Eiffel Tower?  Seeing Versailles?  The Mediterranean Sea?”  He would probably say something like, “Hmm, it's a tie between installing the new oven and re-wiring the bathroom lighting.”  Seriously.  I think my Dad is happiest when he's helping others and fixing things.  Case in point:  When I was growing up,...

Parental Bed Beard

Happy Friday, ya'll!  Sorry it's been a bit quiet over here.  The 'rents are here and I've been busy showing off my new country.  The Hub and I are so happy to have them here and someone else is too.  If there's one thing Figgy loves, it's his "Grandparents."  Case in point:  Yesterday when we walked into the apartment, Fig went straight to Grandpa and Grandma and not to me.  I think it's all the treat-giving...

Summer Recipes: Salad Montpelliérain and How to Make Dressing

You've probably heard of a Salad Niçoise, but have you ever heard of a Salad Montpelliérain?  I assume not, because we just made it up.  A basic Salad Niçoise contains tuna, green beans, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives, and anchovies.  The Hub and I don't particularly like anchovies, only like olives occasionally, and prefer the salmon here in France to the tuna, so we decided to put together our...

Food Porn Dictionary: Part II

Get out your drool buckets and napkins because you're gonna need them.  It's time for another episode of the Food Porn Dictionary!  This one will be a little less of a "dictionary" than the first episode, because I wasn't quite as diligent at writing down the exact name of every dish.  But I will tell you what I remember and I can I find on menus online.  But you don't care, right?  You just want to see all the...

« Previous Entries

Design by RoyCreative