A Sunny Lunch at Le Plongeoir, Nice

We flew into Nice, France, and stayed a few days. Recent articles on Nice had mentioned that Nice was experiencing a renaissance since covid. It has been about 15 years since we were here last, and the time was right for another visit. We stayed in Vieux Nice, home for 20,000 people, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We ate well, strolled the famed Promenade des Anglais along the water, and took in the Monday brocante (flea) market.

A few days later we drove and stayed at the picturesque port and small town of Cassis, along the Côte d’Azur. Enough time for an evening dinner along the port, and to take in the Wednesday market there. A quick stop at Domaine du Paternel for wine tasting. This area is known for gorgeous white wines.

Above Cassis is the start of the Route des Crètes, one of the most scenic routes along the highest cliffs in France which allows to you view the coastline and out to the Mediterranean sea. Breathtaking!

Picturesque Cassis Port

Market Day at Place Richelme in Aix-en-Provence

On to Aix-en-Provence for a day and night. A vibrant university town with magnificent architecture and a grand wide boulevard called Cours Mirabeau. We had one of our most memorable and delicious lunches at Les Vielles Canailles at this tiny little restaurant, know for the talented chef and extensive wine list.

Hiking at the Gardon du Gorges, A UNESCO Biosphere

After almost a week in France, we rolled into our village around Uzès. So happy to be here again, to further explore our area, work on our little mas, and search for decorating treasures from brocantes and flea markets.

It is not all work, we have taken time out for market days, long lunches, and one day we hiked part of the Gardon du Gorges. It is an incredible gorge carved over time by the Gardon River. Steep cliffs, rushing river water, and natural landscape have earned this protected pristine gorge a UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere site.

My New Wall Sconce, Upper Left, for the Living Room

Sharing with you the vintage sconce I found for our salon, living room, stone wall. Small, delicate, a perfect size. It is French, and pre-World War II. It cleaned up beautifully, and adds a touch of elegance to our rustic room.

Our Neighbor’s Beautiful Stone House

It is beautiful here in the autumn. My neighbor’s vine-covered stone house is a site to relish in the fall.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend from France…Bonnie

Pumpkin Streusel Spice Cake Evokes Autumn In Every Bite

Pumpkin Streusel Spice Cake

Seen Online And Lovingly Adapted from MarketGrow, Anonymous Author

This is one of those versatile recipes that can easily be served for breakfast, an afternoon treat, or a surprise dessert. It is lightly spiced, moist, and reminds you of autumn in every delicious bite. Yields 9-12 servings, depending on how you cut your serving pieces. Enjoy!

Ingredients For The Cake:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

For The Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350 F. degrees. Grease and flour an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.

Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract and pumkin puree. Mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream or Greek yogurt, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined—be careful not to overmix.

Prepare the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped nuts (if using).

Assemble the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping generously over the cake batter.

Bake: Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It the top starts to brown too quickly, cover the cake loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Cool and serve: Allow the coffee cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before slicing or serving.

Enjoy this cake with your favorite cup of coffee or tea, or better yet serve it warm as a dessert accompanied by Trader Joe’s seasonal Pumpkin Ice Cream!

For Dessert, Serve Your Pumpkin Streusel Spice Cake With Pumpkin Ice Cream

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend From France…Bonnie

A Slice of Heaven, Lemon Gingersnap Icebox Pie

Here is a great dessert recipe, perfect for any occasion, Lemon Gingersnap Icebox Pie by Erin French. Erin French is the owner and chef of The Lost Kitchen, a forty seat restaurant in Freedom, Maine, that one has to send in a postcard for a dinner reservation lottery. Her restaurant was recently named Time’s World’s Greatest Places, and Bloomberg includes her in “12 Restaurants Worth Traveling Across the World to Experience.” She has quite a life story which she vividly describes in her bestselling memoir Finding Freedom.

This might be a perfect dessert for your upcoming Easter gathering and celebration for many reasons. It is best to make it the day before, so advance preparation eases up your schedule. You slice it straight from the freezer when ready to serve. Makes one 9” pie, serves 8.

Lemons are in season, and who doesn’t love a bright, cool, and creamy lemony dessert. It is so easy to make, and the citrus-ginger combination is addicting.

This icebox pie just looks like spring. You can have fun and be creative with garnish. I used fresh sliced kiwi, but you could use other fruit such as blueberries, or candied ginger pieces or even dainty edible flowers. Make your whipped cream the day before, and dessert is done.

Lemon gingersnap Icebox Pie

Lovingly Adapted from Erin French’s Big Heart, Little Stove

For The Crust:

1 box gingersnap cookies (about 9 ounces)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For The Filling:

6 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Freshly whipped cream, for serving

Make The Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies until the crumbs are the consistency of coarse sand. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl, add the sugar, and melted butter, and stir to combine.

Pour the crust mixture into a 9-inch springform pan or pie dish and press evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until just barely golden and puffed, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely before adding the filling.

Make The Filling:

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and salt and whip on high speed until the mixture is light in color, 3 to 4 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add the sweetened condensed milk, and then the lemon zest and juice.

Pour the filling into the prepared pan and freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

If using a springform pan, unmold the pie. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with freshly whipped cream. Add a garnish of your choice of fruit, dried ginger, or dainty edible flowers.

If you are not serving the entire icebox pie at once, return the remaining pie to the freezer, otherwise it will melt. Enjoy!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Holiday Table at Domaine de Manion

Thinking of all of you, thankful and grateful for the journey we have had together this year through the musings, recipes, places to know, garden, kitchen, workshops, culinary experiences, events, lifestyle tips, and above it all—the sharing.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season….Bonnie

After a break for the holidays, I will return in January 2024. Merci mille fois!

Every year I bring out this vintage sleigh to decorate and place by my front door. Year to year the vignette and decorations vary. My holiday decorations and style are generally simple and rustic, and often using greens from my garden.

Making This Vignette:

Find an interesting piece for a base, such as this weather-worn sleigh. Choose a piece that is novel, whimsical, and might bring on a smile.

Use a focal piece or showstopper. I chose a 10” beautiful red poinsettia plant inspired from a recent tour at Weidner’s Gardens, organized by one of my garden clubs, The Village Garden Club of La Jolla.

Wrap the plant in simple burlap.

Cut Blue Juniper greens and Little Gem Magnolia pieces from my garden, arranging them on the sleigh. Look for greens, foliage, berries, pine cones in your garden, or possibly from a neighbor or friend.

Add another smaller interesting piece. In this vignette, an interesting pine cone from another part of California.

Add a colorful bow, if your vignette needs a pop. I didn’t want to take away from the color and beauty of the poinsettia, so I didn’t add a bow.

Make sure everything in your vignette can tolerate being outdoor for a period of time.

Enjoy what you have created. If you make a vignette, I would love to hear about it!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Autumn Tablescape

Thinking of you all, and wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving full of love, blessings, and deliciousness.

Gather your loved ones close. Gather the abundance of the harvest and its many comfort flavors. Gather your gratitude. Gather your thoughts, and take time to reflect on the year that has unfolded.

Be in the moment, but honor the past, and carry forward creative positive thoughts that will manifest how you want your next year and life ahead to unfold.

Bon Appétit et Happy Thanksgiving….Bonnie

The Kitchen Garden at Allt-y-bela in Wales, Garden Design 2012 Magazine

From my post last week, Down The Garden Path, followers were asking me where I got my willow fencing. I thought it might be fun to revisit the original post from June 2021, and my original kitchen garden inspiration from photos and the Garden Design article. I hunted “high’ and “low” to find willow products, and finally found them at Master Garden Products in the Pacific Northwest. I actually called them as I had several questions and needed more information to make my order. Master Garden Products couldn’t have been more helpful and so friendly. I highly recommend the company and their products.

Now is a great time to get your gardens plans in place, make an order, and enjoy the beauty of willow!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

The inspiration for my kitchen garden, or potager, came from a Garden Design, Winter 2012 magazine article, Simplicity Rules, on well-known garden designer, Arne Maynard’s rustic and historic late medieval farm, Allt-y-bella. Located in Wales, much of the rustic gardens and garden structure remind me of Provence. I envisioned borrowing a lot of the main elements featured in the article and photos, creating the look of a rustic kitchen garden. Some of these elements that caught my interest were the wattle hazel fencing, arching fruit trees with a centered bench, raised beds for vegetables, obelisks for climbing vegetables, easy pathways around the raised beds, and select spots for larger perennial plants like rhubarb and artichokes.

Allt-y-bela Kitchen Garden Pathway, Arching Fruit Trees, and Bench, Garden Design 2012

In 2015, I started creating a kitchen garden space to the north of our vineyard, with 4’ x 8’ raised bed kits. I looked high and low for hazel or willow wattle fencing for enclosing the kitchen garden similar to Allt-y-bella. I couldn’t find any source at the time. I needed about 75’ total. However, I happened to find a large amount of rolled willow fencing at Rogers Gardens at 50% off in an obscure sale corner. My intention for fencing the perimeter was to keep our chickens out of the kitchen garden as well as any random critters.

Up until 2020, my kitchen garden was good, and a work in progress. Over time, with sun exposure and high winter winds the willow fencing began to come apart and break down. This is common. I started looking for what I call wattle or willow fencing again.

My Kitchen Garden, June 2020

Last month I found willow fence panels online at Master Garden Products. They offer a nice selection and sizes of willow fencing, panels, borders, obelisks, etc. They are out of the Seattle area, and will freight orders to you. I purchased 6’ L x 3’ H woven panels for my entire perimeter, and used the same anchoring rebar and metal stakes that were already in place. I am really pleased with the look, and the material overall. I also purchased three obelisks for climbing beans. The willow panels are stronger and sturdier than the rolled fencing, but will eventually break down over time.

My Kitchen Garden, May 2021

Fine tuning the willow fence, I will put put larger rocks around the bottom of the fencing, to discourage critters from burrowing under the fence.

Starting an Outside Row of Perennial Artichokes

For more information and musing on how I create garden rooms from garden magazines, photos, and design ideas, please go to my previous post, The Making of a Garden Room.

French Fabulous! On Netflix, there is a new French subtitled drama series, Lupin. It is like a modern day “Houdini” Thriller series. Lots of twists and turns. Not only does it keep you on the edge, it is filmed mainly in beautiful Paris. Once you watch an episode or two, it draws you like a magnet. With two series completed, I see there is a third one coming.

Bon Appétit and Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Courtyard Vignette at Domaine de Manion

There are many vignette definitions, noun and verb, but for my writing here, a vignette is simply a grouping of objects. Interesting objects I might add. A vignette can be anywhere there is a special spot, on a table, a buffet, inside your home, or out in the garden. The beauty is you can create it with any number of objects, pieces, and things to make a person’s eye pause to catch the totality of the objects assembled.

Some things to think about when creating a vignette:

Is there something of interest or unusual? Like this French cart.

Is there symmetry and balance? Like the two pots of geranium, sweet peas, and mums.

Does color play into this? Like the delicate pink blooms of the geranium and verbena.

Is there simplicity here? Like a gathering of random potted pots.

Row of Confit Jars at Domaine de Manion

Now is a great time to create vignettes for the spring!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie