I just saw this article on CNN.com. If you get me started on this topic, I will go on and on for quite some time.
The bottom line: we do not have nor do we take enough vacation in America. I know we need to work to provide for our families, but I wonder if more families would be stronger relationally if we spent more time together and less time working away from each other?
I love teaching my students about the school system in France. The looks on their faces each year are priceless. I print off this calendrier scolaire from the French government's website and pass it out.
All students in France start the school year at the beginning of September. At the end of October and into early November, they get 10 days off. They have a 2 week long Christmas break (mind you, we only had 9 days off last year, and 11 this). Then things get awesome, but slightly confusing: the government divided France into 3 different zones, and the next two breaks in the school year differ based on where you live. Everyone gets 2 weeks off in late February/early March (perfect time to hit the slopes in the Alps) and then another 2 weeks off in late April/early May. The school year continues throughout June, but they have all of July and all of August off for a summer vacation... and WHY can't we adopt this?
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Menu Plan Monday 5/9
We FINALLY got some sunshine this weekend!! It was so nice to spend sometime outside yesterday afternoon. This week is super busy as I'm giving lots of quizzes and tests at school and will be getting ready for my housemates from college to come visit! Hopefully I can do some of my grading outside this week :-) Fun little culture tidbit- in France, they don't call French onion soup "French Onion Soup." It is simply called "Soupe à l'oignon"... soup with onion. Onions were on sale, and since it's still been rainy, I figured why not.Here's what's on the menu:
Sunday: Mother's Day Brunch: chicken & mushroom crepes, roasted asparagus with thyme, and crepes with strawberries for dessert. Dinner: Soupe à l'oignon
Monday: Toad in a hole/egg in a frame (whatever you want to call it) & fruit
Tuesday: Pasta Primavera (probably cutting back on the cream...), bread
Wednesday: Veggie burgers & leftover soupe à l'oignon
Thursday: Honey garlic pork chops & baked potatoes
Friday: homemade pizza using this crust recipe
Saturday: out with my college housemates & their husbands!!!
go to http://orgjunkie.com/2011/05/menu-plan-monday-may-9th.html for more menu-planning ideas!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tarte aux fraises
Tarte aux fraises... [tart oh frehz] This, my friends, is the dessert I live for. A combination of a crunchy yet soft crust, a light vanilla custard, fresh strawberries and a yummy glaze to top it all off. What's not to like? And so many food groups too... fruit, dairy, grains, n'est-ce pas?
Here is my first ever photographed tarte aux fraises experience. Summer 2006 in the city of Avignon, France. They were in the middle of a canicule (heat wave), hence the frizzy hair and lack of make-up. I had quite a few tarte aux fraises that summer... but also a lot of ice cream. Since we're talking about desserts, I think it's fair to throw in my opinion that I would like the USA to start serving ice cream with one of those cookies in it, like they do in France. I would also like to add that despite my ridiculous consumption of pastries and ice cream, I managed to come back to the states even skinnier. I think I'll save those stories for another post. 
I did not return to France again until 2010, and when I did, I indulged. Multiple times.
One of my cooking projects this summer will be to make my own tarte aux fraises, but I will need tarte pans as well as good strawberries. And I'm a little intimidated by the whole glaze thing... I had a French professor in college who came in one day carrying two tarte aux fraises and after our puzzled looks (this was not the norm), explained "I'm working on perfecting my glaze." Only a true Frenchman is comfortable enough in his masculinity to make such a statement in a room full of college students. Ever since then, I've always assumed the glaze process must be très compliqué.
Until summer, I will be forever thankful for La Chatelaine, a wonderful French bakery not far from where I live. I convinced my husband to take me there for Valentine's Day, and after some delicious boeuf bourguignon, you know what I ordered for dessert...
Délicieux.
Here is my first ever photographed tarte aux fraises experience. Summer 2006 in the city of Avignon, France. They were in the middle of a canicule (heat wave), hence the frizzy hair and lack of make-up. I had quite a few tarte aux fraises that summer... but also a lot of ice cream. Since we're talking about desserts, I think it's fair to throw in my opinion that I would like the USA to start serving ice cream with one of those cookies in it, like they do in France. I would also like to add that despite my ridiculous consumption of pastries and ice cream, I managed to come back to the states even skinnier. I think I'll save those stories for another post. 
I did not return to France again until 2010, and when I did, I indulged. Multiple times.
One of my cooking projects this summer will be to make my own tarte aux fraises, but I will need tarte pans as well as good strawberries. And I'm a little intimidated by the whole glaze thing... I had a French professor in college who came in one day carrying two tarte aux fraises and after our puzzled looks (this was not the norm), explained "I'm working on perfecting my glaze." Only a true Frenchman is comfortable enough in his masculinity to make such a statement in a room full of college students. Ever since then, I've always assumed the glaze process must be très compliqué.
Until summer, I will be forever thankful for La Chatelaine, a wonderful French bakery not far from where I live. I convinced my husband to take me there for Valentine's Day, and after some delicious boeuf bourguignon, you know what I ordered for dessert...
Délicieux.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Pissaladière
This is snow day (well... wind & ice day) #2 for us and I am going a bit stir crazy. So of course I figured a cooking project would keep me occupied for a little while. So I decided to make my first pissaladière, a type of pizza without cheese or sauce.
When I was a college student, I spent two summers living in France. The first time I lived in the city of Dijon, which is in Bourgogne (Burgandy... known for good wine and good food, such as boeuf bourguinon and coq au vin) and the second time in the city of Avignon, which is a small town in Provence. Provence is known for its lavender, sunflowers, sunny weather, herbes de provence, and the list goes on. I love everything about Provence, including the fact that it is super close to the Mediterranean Sea. Both of those summers, I made weekend trips to Nice, a city I first visited as a high school student. Nice is probably my favorite "beach town" in the world. Nice actually used to be part of Italy, so you have amazing Italian-influenced food and architecture, plus great shopping, music, and of course, the beautiful Mediterranean. Before I went to the beach, I would wander through Vieux Nice (old Nice) to grab a picnic lunch. I always saw the pissaladière, but never bought one.
Most likely because the three traditional ingredients are onions (yum), anchovies & olives (not so much on the last two). Here's a pic of one little part of Vieux Nice:
Today, I made my own pissaladière with what I like on it... which would be solely the onions. The verdict: it was delicious. I followed Ina Garten's recipe from my Barefoot in Paris cookbook for the dough (but I cut it in half), but then just kinda did my own thing with the rest. I cut four onions in half and then sliced the half and put them in a pan with some EVOO. I added in some salt, pepper and thyme (didn't measure, just put it in there). I cooked them on low for about 15 minutes and then added in a few cloves of minced garlic.
I probably cooked them for around 30 minutes until they looked like this:
I rolled out the dough, put the onions on top and brushed the "crust" with some more olive oil...
And baked at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. C'est tout.
C'était délicieux. You wouldn't even know the anchovies & olives were missing.
When I was a college student, I spent two summers living in France. The first time I lived in the city of Dijon, which is in Bourgogne (Burgandy... known for good wine and good food, such as boeuf bourguinon and coq au vin) and the second time in the city of Avignon, which is a small town in Provence. Provence is known for its lavender, sunflowers, sunny weather, herbes de provence, and the list goes on. I love everything about Provence, including the fact that it is super close to the Mediterranean Sea. Both of those summers, I made weekend trips to Nice, a city I first visited as a high school student. Nice is probably my favorite "beach town" in the world. Nice actually used to be part of Italy, so you have amazing Italian-influenced food and architecture, plus great shopping, music, and of course, the beautiful Mediterranean. Before I went to the beach, I would wander through Vieux Nice (old Nice) to grab a picnic lunch. I always saw the pissaladière, but never bought one.
Most likely because the three traditional ingredients are onions (yum), anchovies & olives (not so much on the last two). Here's a pic of one little part of Vieux Nice:
Today, I made my own pissaladière with what I like on it... which would be solely the onions. The verdict: it was delicious. I followed Ina Garten's recipe from my Barefoot in Paris cookbook for the dough (but I cut it in half), but then just kinda did my own thing with the rest. I cut four onions in half and then sliced the half and put them in a pan with some EVOO. I added in some salt, pepper and thyme (didn't measure, just put it in there). I cooked them on low for about 15 minutes and then added in a few cloves of minced garlic.
I probably cooked them for around 30 minutes until they looked like this:
I rolled out the dough, put the onions on top and brushed the "crust" with some more olive oil... 
And baked at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. C'est tout. 
C'était délicieux. You wouldn't even know the anchovies & olives were missing.
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