A Comfy Wingback Chair, A Dozing Kitty, An Inviting Candle

As we begin the month of December in this crazy pandemic year, and amidst the holiday season, my gift to you is “find your own little” or put another way, “find your own simple.” It is the greatest gift I can whole-heartedly give you, one of the best gifts you can easily give yourself which might dramatically change your life, and if you let it— it can last a lifetime! Find your own simple, it is around you each and every day. You just need to recognize it, and be mindful of it.

In the October 2020 Victoria magazine issue, there is a beautiful article on the legendary illustrator N.C. Wyeth’s home in Pennsylvania’s breathtaking wooded Brandywine River Valley. Actually, it is an article on both N.C. and his also famous artist son, Andrew, Wyeth—their homes, studios, and neighboring Kuerner farm. Today these properties have been thankfully restored and are now protected as part of the Brandywine River Museum of Art complex through the concerted efforts of the Brandywine Conservancy. Reading the article and enjoying the photos, it is quite clear that N.C. and his family enjoyed simplicity above all, and a life of comfort over pretense. His quote really resonated with me, and is powerful.

A Wise N.C. Wyeth

A couple of months ago I posted Follow the French, writing about the same message. I think the French have the ability to live this way naturally, because it is ingrained in their culture, and their DNA. It is such an important gift and message, and interesting how it can be said in so many ways with the same meaning.

One of the silver linings in this unusual pandemic year, is the fact that we all have experienced a unique social and cultural filtering which has trickled down and changed our everyday lives. We started baking more, got into organizing and enhancing our homes, spending more time with our families, traveling less, and appreciating the “little” things in our everyday lives that bring us joy.

Finding the “little” in your life is your journey, and honestly, maybe some of you have already found it. What is my “little” is not the same as your “little,” but I think you will begin to recognize your “littles.” Making a difference in someone’s life, starting from a small loving gesture becomes great. Tapping into an “ah ha” moment and building from there can be greatness. Appreciating nature and wildlife in our own garden can morph into a beautiful and caring community.

Remember Sarah Ban Breathnach’s wildly popular book, Simple Abundance from 1995, and now there is an updated version. It might still be on your bookshelf. Her book and message is full of “little” suggestions to get reacquainted with, and she suggests “Joyful Simplicities” for each month to carry you throughout the year.

This is my gift to you, start with the “little” things that bring you joy, and watch what happens.

Susan Herrmann Loomis’ French Farmhouse Cookbook, Lentil Recipe

There might be two kinds of people in this world, those who absolutely love all kinds of beans, and those who avoid them at all costs. If you are one of the former group, you need to know about Rancho Gordo Beans, a Napa, California based bean purveyor who specializes in growing and selling heirloom beans, legume, herbs, spices, and products from all over the world. In fact, there is such a cult following for Rancho Gordo beans they offer a “bean club,” like a wine club, which sends you quarterly a variety of special dried beans and recipes to try. I waited a year to get on the “bean club” and had to jump at joining when they emailed me, before my window to join closed. In my first shipment in November, I received “Super Lucky 2021 Black Eyed Peas” for New Year’s Day, Cassoulet beans to make Authentic Cassoulet Bean Soup, a Crimson Popping Popcorn—a rare and wonderful popcorn, and many others.

Spices at Cahors, France Market

One of the first things I wanted to try from Rancho Gordo, was their French Green Lentils, grown in California, but very similar to the famous French green lentil from Le Puy, Auvergne-Rhône Alpes area of France. French Le Puy lentils are thought to have gastronomic qualities that are attributed to this very specific terroir and the area’s predominant volcanic soil. Consequently, Le Puy lentils have a a very desirable distinctive, peppery, flinty taste, and keep their shape after cooking. When I am France, I look for the Le Puy dry lentils at the outdoor markets because they are so tasty, and easy to transport home.

Not only do lentils taste great, they are good for you, full of protein, some vitamin B, carbohydrates, fats, and minerals. Lentils are versatile and can be used in salads, made into soups, as a bed for grilled salmon, mixed with really great sausages, and much more.

Susan Herrmann Loomis has a nice recipe for Simple Country Lentils in her 1996 cookbook, French Farmhouse Cookbook. It has a wealth of French Country recipes to drool over, and she divides her book by interesting components of French eating such as The Farmyard, The Pasture, The Sea, The Breadoven, etc.

Simple Country Lentils

Lovingly Adapted from Susan Herrmann Loomis, French Farmhouse Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 pound small green lentils (preferably from Le Puy or Rancho Gordo), 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium carrot peeled and diced, 1 celery stalk diced, 1 small onion peeled and diced, 4 ounces slab bacon-rind removed-cut into 1/4” pieces, 2 cups dry white wine, 2 bay leaves, 4 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried leaves, 2 cups water, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper.

Directions:
1) Rinse the lentils under cold running water, and set them aside to drain. Look for and remove anything foreign from the lentils.

2) Combine the oil, carrot, celery, onion, and slab bacon in a large heavy skillet. Stir so the oil thoroughly coats the ingredients, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to turn translucent and the bacon is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the wine and the herbs, and cook until the wine is reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes.

3) Add the lentils and the water. Stir, cover, reduce the heat so the lentils are simmering gently, and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and continue cooking shaking the skillet occasionally so the lentils cook evenly and testing them for doneness, until they are tender but still have plenty of texture, 10 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!

Driveway and Sign for Domaine Tempier

My husband, John, and I visited Domaine Tempier winery on a stunning spring day in May of 2015. It seemed a bit surreal to be walking down the tree-lined driveway and to be on this hallowed ground making our way up to the tasting room. I had read so much about the story of Lucien and Lulu Peyraud, who founded Domaine Tempier, after Lulu’s father gave the young couple this property as a wedding gift.

With a lot of hard work, the exceptional vineyard terroir, the beautiful wines, and seven children later, the legendary life of Lucien and Lulu Peyraud grew and grew. Lulu was not only a mother, but a wine ambassador and marketed Domaine Tempier wines traveling extensively. Her cooking became legendary, pairing the simple gastronomic Provence flavors and foods found at her local markets, which perfectly complemented their wines. The Peyraud’s often hosted, cooked, and feasted with culinary royalty and friends such as Richard Olney, Alice Waters, Fanny Singer (Alice Waters’ daughter), David Tanis, and many more. For an up close look at Lulu’s kitchen and sharing of some of her recipes, David Tanis wrote a beautiful article for Saveur for their special France Issue, May 2016.

A young Kermit Lynch, in the 1970’s, out of Berkley began importing wines from small family wineries in France, also became a lifelong friend and ambassador of Domaine Tempier wines. Today, Domaine Tempier rosé is the gold standard for rosé in Provence, and also their Mourvèdre driven reds.

John Amongst One of Domaine Tempier Vineyards

When we visited Domaine Tempier in 2015, Lulu Peyraud was 97 years old. We certainly did not see or visit with her, but her presence was felt. Last month, on October 7, 2020, the world lost Lulu at 102 years young, just shy of her 103rd birthday. Her passing was felt all over the world, and you can read more about remembering her, and her life in The Washington Post and The New York Times.

I have always looked up to Lulu Peyraud, because of a similar heartfelt passion and connection with Provence, the wines, the food, the “joie de vivre,” celebrating the simple everyday life. How incredible to experience that much life over time, as well as the unfolding of so many generations of your family. She had recently become a great, great grandmother.

It is also Lulu’s story, her authentic self, humor, and sharing at the table, how one woman could make such a difference in this world, one dish and one glass of wine at a time. She is a shining example, that each and everyone of us is unique, have so much to offer the world, and can make a difference in the world.

Richard Olney Insisted Lulu Write Down Her Recipes

Richard Olney was an American expat neighbor who lived nearby Domaine Tempier, in a run down cottage, and did not drive. The Peyraud’s would gladly pick him up and return him home after their get togethers. Richard Olney was the author of eight books on French cooking, and was also the Chief Consultant to the Time-Life Good Cook series. The friendship he had with the Peyraud’s was special, and because of him, Lulu Peyraud shared her recipes with the world. You can find Lulu Peyraud’s cookbook on amazon.

Every time I have a glass of Domaine Tempier, or a bit of olive tapenade, or a slice of onion tart, I will certainly think of Lulu Peyraud, a life well-lived, and all that she shared with the world. Salut!

The Cook’s Atelier Storefront

One of my best cooking school experiences has been at The Cook’s Atelier in the storybook town of Beaune in the heart of the Burgundy, France region. An easy weekend getaway by train situated, either about an hour south from Paris or about two hours north above Avignon. My husband and I met dear friends in Beaune for a fun weekend. The gals had pre-booked “A Day in Burgundy French Cooking Class” and shopping on their agenda, and the fellas scheduled superb wine tasting venues.

The Cook’s Atelier is a small family business offering French culinary cooking classes, private events, a culinary boutique, and wineshop all situated in a 17th century lovingly restored stone building, beautifully lit by three floors of floor to ceiling windows overlooking a central atrium with a skylight. The original wooden spiral staircase magnificently connects all the floors. Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini are mother and daughter American expats who dreamed of living in France and showcasing their culinary skills and wine background in one of France’s gastronomic meccas. Kendall fell in love and married Laurent, a Frenchman from Provence, moved to Beaune, started a family, Marjorie joined them, and the entire dream and family business has taken off.

The Cook’s Atelier is a visual masterpiece for your senses, from the start of the day to the finish. Your day begins with meeting at the Beaune market with many of their special artisan food producers and buying seasonal ingredients for the cooking class and extended savory lunch. A quick walk through the historic heart of town, and you are at their storefront, ready for your hands-on cooking class. The teaching kitchen is on the top floor, the dining room on the second, and ground floor is the culinary boutique and wine shop at street level. Students are taught and work on recipes for lunch, learn basic techniques, simple recipes, and culinary tips in general.

Handsome Merchandizing Mixes New and Vintage Pieces

Looking Down Through the Atrium

The Cook’s Atelier Teaching Kitchen Ready for Students

The Table is Set for Our Hard-Earned Lunch

“Rack of Lamb with Herbs” and Spring Vegetables was Star of the Lunch

Marjorie and Kendall, A Dynamic Duo

Lunch was seven courses from appetizers to dessert with accompanied wine pairings chosen by Kendall’s husband, Laurent. The copper, the tea lights, the peonies, the embroidered napkins, the soup tureens, all of the details were so simple yet stunning, and lunch was absolutely delicious! A day of savoring “joie de vivre!”

Marjorie and Kendall wrote and published in 2018 a beautiful cookbook, The Cook’s Atelier, with many of the recipes that were featured in our “A Day in Burgundy French Cooking Class.” This cookbook is beautifully written and is organized by the seasons, and how their year unfolds which I always love. My dream is to return once again to this special region of France, and immerse myself in one of their week-long intensive cooking classes. If you can’t make it to France, like this year, many of their curated products are available online at www.thecooksatelier.com with worldwide shipping available.

Do you know of The Cook’s Atelier? Have you experienced a day that totally takes you to another level of experience and thinking, you are forever changed?

San Marzano Tomatoes

Last February a dear friend gave me San Marzano tomato seeds from Italian Franchi Seeds to grow. Fast forward to August, and it was time to harvest. San Marzano tomatoes make a beautiful sauce, but I wanted to dehydrate them, a first for me. I have a setting on my oven, and used that method over night.

Dehydrated San Marzano Tomatoes

Beautiful crimson color matched with a flavorful tomato intensity, I wished I had grown more of these tomatoes. Remembering a quick recipe from Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food II, I made her Crostini with Dried Roma Tomatoes, Anchovies, and Capers. This recipe is made with simple but ingredients you most likely have in your pantry, and with the star addition of dried Roma Tomatoes.

Anchovies, Capers, Olive Oil and Dried Roma Tomatoes

Dried Roma Tomatoes, Anchovies, and Caper Mixture Ready for Crusty Bread

Lovingly Adapted from Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food II

Waters likes to add fresh chopped parsley or marjoram to each crostini for a touch of green, punch, and texture.

Please share if you dehydrate tomatoes or other foods you grow. Please share if you have a great Roma tomato recipe.

I heard distant rumblings about Sharon Santoni from her first book, My Stylish French Girlfriends, then she was featured in the May/June 2018 Victoria Magazine, sharing with us her just-released second book, My French Country Home, and her gracious taste in French country living in Normandy, France, and I was hooked. 

Sharon Santoni grew up in England, fell in love, married a Frenchman, raised their four children in a rural dream home and cultivated garden, and embraced her French life. Soon to be an empty nester, Santoni got the idea to start a blog, My French Country Home, sharing her daily life in rural France and all that it offers.

Fast forward, her blog is now read by thousands all over the world, two beautiful books under her belt, and an accidental entrepreneur with her quarterly subscription mail order Stylish French Box. From spark to fire, sometimes life is like that! She muses frequently  about reinventing oneself, lessons we can all learn from her.

If that is not enough, Santoni loves to troll nearby brocante flea markets for unique treasures for her home, garden, and entertaining. She is my kind of girlfriend!

Victoria Magazine, May/June 2018

“Photography by © Adam Mastoon, from Poultry Breeds, © by Carol Ekarius, used with permission from Storey Publishing.”

This is a great time to scour your seed catalogs and make your "seed wish list" for this spring and summer. If you raise chickens, like I do, this is also a great time to check out online hatcheries for specialty breed day-old baby chick selections. Poultry Breeds by Carol Ekarius is a great new pocket size book that gives you a lot of information at your finger tips. Ekarius describes 104 essential poultry breeds and their attributes, along with beautiful photos.

As I mention in my book, Gardening with Free-Range Chickens for Dummies (Wiley 2013), chicken breeds are as diverse as dog breeds, so do your research on what types of chicken breeds will work best for your and your family's lifestyle, location, and specific desire for raising chickens.

I have two remaining hens, Copper Penny and Amelia, from my original flock of ten chicks in 2012. Some of my flock I gave away to good homes, and some passed on with shorter life spans. Copper Penny and Amelia have ended their egg drought recently, having molted and stopped laying for about 8 weeks. With increasing day lengths and turning 5 years old this May, it is really amazing. I won't get eggs everyday at this age, but their eggs are golden. My seasoned hens will help with my new pullets (young hens) this spring, showing them the ropes around the chicken coop and garden.

I am currently looking at some of the more uncommon poultry breeds, supporting the Heritage Poultry Conservancy. Lifestyle expert, P. Allen Smith, at his Moss Mountain Farm in Arkansas, is a great advocate and enthusiast for heritage poultry conservancy. Three great online hatcheries I recommend to order a variety of day-old baby chicks are: My Pet Chicken,  McMurray Hatchery, and Cackle Hatchery. Hurry, as I see many breed selections are sold out for the time being or have limited availability already this spring.

Remember, "Love Thy Chickens, and Keep on Clucking!"

Outside Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California

Last August 2016, I finally found myself outside the hallowed Chez Panisse Restaurant and Cafe in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1971 by Alice Waters and a few other like-minded friends, the food principles that perpetuate this eating establishment have changed our food culture forever in this country.

Alice Waters, food activist and food icon, has taught has us the value and pleasure of eating locally, supporting our artisan farmers, eating seasonally, supporting food sustainability, and igniting the concept of school gardens for our children.

I meet Alice Waters at Chinos Farms, part of their Good Food, Great Chefs events for the celebration of her latest cookbook, The Art of Simple Food II. 

Meeting Alice Waters at Chinos Farm, Rancho Santa Fe, December 2013

Over the years, Alice Waters has mentored many talented floral designers, talented chefs, and cookbook authors such as David Liebowitz and Joanne Weir who worked, trained, and enhanced their careers at Chez Panisse.

Alice Waters has influenced me. She has that gift to inspire and motivate others. When I read food books about Paris and Provence, occasionally I run across her name and presence. The week after I visited Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Alice Waters was actually cooking in Thomas Jefferson's kitchen for an event. She has inspired me to grow as much of my own food as possible, be sustainable, and eat seasonally.

Cafe Water Carafe Etched "Chez Panisse"

Lunch was delightful and delicious, needless to say. The entire time I kept savoring details of lunch, the table, the clientele, and the setting. I share with you now Alice Water's Creamy Meyer Lemon Dressing I had that special day over bright green billowy bibb lettuce .

Creamy Meyer Lemon Dressing

Makes about 1/2 cup. This is a creamy dressing that coats lettuce in a luscious way. The flavor is light and sprightly filled with lemon juice and zest. Alice Waters especially likes it on sweet lettuces such as butterhead or romaine or a mix of small chicories and radicchio.

Stir together in a large bowl: 1 Tbsp. Meyer lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar, grated zest of 1 Meyer lemon, salt, and fresh-ground black pepper.

Taste and adjust as needed. Whisk in: 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, and 3 Tbsp. heavy cream. Taste for salt and acid and adjust as needed.

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Lunch in Provence Cooking Classes!

I Have a Place Setting for You and Friends!

Many thanks for everyone's interest and enthusiasm in the "Lunch in Provence" Cooking Classes. Perfect to treat yourself, a special friend, or loved one for a birthday, milestone, or to just experience a relaxing day in South France.

There are still a few place settings available for the Thursday, October 6, 2016 "Autumn in Provence" cooking class and the Thursday, November 10, 2016 "Que Syrah, Syrah" cooking class, see FALL CLASS SCHEDULE DETAILS.