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!
Side by Side, Bibb Lettuce Salads with Persimmons and Candied Pecans
I wrote about this delicious perfect holiday salad recipe, Bibb Lettuce Salad with Persimmons and Candied Pecans, two years ago. It is such an easy divine salad, so perfect for the holidays, I wanted to mention and highlight it with you all once again.
The cranberry-based dressing is just a natural to complement holiday pork, turkey, and even beef recipes. If you can’t by chance find Fuyu persimmons, substitute pears in this recipe. Yum!
Would you like to know a perfect holiday salad, easy, and elegant for your holiday gatherings? It is “Bibb Lettuce Salad with Persimmons and Candied Pecans.” It is chock full of fresh seasonal ingredients like cranberries, Fuyu persimmons, and pecans.
Visually, a treat for your table. Healthy and good for you. It is what I call a composed salad, which is layered with a drizzled dressing on top, rather than tossed all together. You can make this salad ahead of time on individual salad plates or on large serving platters. It has different textures of crunch and softness, and sweetness from the cranberry dressing and candied pecans that stand up well to the tang of bold crumbled blue cheese. Your family and guests will love this salad!
Bibb Lettuce Salad with Persimmons and Candied Pecans
Lovingly Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine, December 2005
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce (purchased or homemade)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 heads of Bibb lettuce, coarsely torn
4 Fuyu persimmons, peeled, sliced
1 cup (generous) crumbled blue cheese
Candied Pecans
Directions:
-Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper.
-Mound lettuce in center of 8 plates. Top each with persimmon slices, then drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and Candied Pecans.
Recipe Note: I often substitute Bibb Lettuce with a Baby Spinach & Green Lettuce Mix, or when I can find it, a Baby Red Butter Lettuce. Trader Joe’s carries a ready-made Candied Pecans 5 oz. bag, perfect for salads or snacking.
If you make this salad, please share with me your comments. I would love to hear from you!
Another Related Post:
Beet & Goat Cheese Arugula Salad
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
On a Mission, Walking in Paris. Photo Compliments of Stephen Caldwell
This fall I spent a glorious week in Paris with a dear friend. I had wanted to do that for a while, spend a week just enjoying everyday Paris. We did a lot of walking in Paris, which I highly recommend. One can really take in the details of Parisian everyday life, study the architecture, smell the croissants, and enjoy the razzle dazzle of this great city. So often, a view, or a scene is like a real life picture perfect postcard. No editing or enhancing needed. Everyday Paris is amazing.
Walking so much in Paris, I had an “aha” moment where all of my past trips to Paris came together. I really got a grasp of the layout of Paris, and now it seems very personal and familiar to me.
Of course, if you are walking, it helps to have a plan. Last June, The New York Times published A Walk in Paris: Gardens, Greenery, and Flower Shops by Christine Chitnis, which was curated by Sandra Sigman. Sigman has had a long time love affair with Paris, recently bought an apartment there, and has a popular floral business in Massachusetts specializing in French floral design. Her delightful new book, French Blooms highlights the celebrated florist and her distinctive French style of flower arrangements. In The New York Times article Sigman tastefully guides you on a short three mile walk through the 6th and 7th arrondissements. You can stop and start whenever you like. If walking is not your preference, you can get to these places in your preferred mode of transportation.
Sigman highlights her favorite florists, eateries, green spaces, and specialty shops such as Barthelemy, an incredible cheese shop that has been in the neighborhood for more than 40 years.
One of the Neighborhood’s Most Charming Cheese Shop. Photo compliments of Stephen Caldwell.
These two neighborhoods, the 6th and 7th arrondissements, have an abundance of incredible flower shops. I can see why Sigman especially loves this area. This neighborhood also boasts Cafe Varenne, one of my favorite (and Ina Garten—Barefoot Contessa) casual spots for people watching and delicious lunch.
Inside the Flower Shop, 69 Bac
Each flower shop is different from the next, in what they carry, how they display, what they specialize in, and their locations. Flower shops and flowers are very popular and well supported in the Parisian community. It is not uncommon to see an armful of beautiful flowers heading to someone’s nearby home.
Jardin de Luxembourg, A Perfect Spot to End Your Walk
Sigman ends her walk at the Jardin de Luxembourg, a classic Parisian park, usually filled with relaxing Parisians strolling about, lounging in a chair by the Grand Bassin, or contemplating by the magnificent Medici Fountain. In October, the gardens were still bursting with color for all to enjoy.
Started in 1611 by Marie de’ Medici originally, Jardin de Luxembourg has seen many transitions. Thank goodness Jardin de Luxembourg was saved from the mammoth Haussmann urban redevelopment happening in Paris in the 19th century. Slated for demolition and development, 12,000 Parisians petitioned to keep the garden, ensuring its glorious permanence.
The Magical Setting of the Seine at Dusk. Photo compliments of Stephen Caldwell.
Not on Sigman’s curated walk, but a “must to do” sometime while you are in Paris. Stroll the Seine at dusk and sunset with a friend or a loved one. It is breathtaking, and postcard picture perfect. One really feels the essence of Paris and the amazing beauty that abounds.
Paris has recently made strides to make the city more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Roads down to the Seine have been blocked from cars, encouraging you to stroll, meet up with friends, or perhaps stop at one of the riverfront cafes. Allons y!
Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie
Provence Lavender
Many have tried to define the magic of Provence, but it is not one single thing, it is many, many glorious things together.
“Provence is one of the great garden destinations of the world. It is a special place where the beauty of its natural landscape has magically mingled with civilizations for centuries, and the beauty keeps on radiating.” —Bonnie Jo Manion
Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie
Last Days of August at Domaine de Manion
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” —Marcel Proust*
That is the way I feel about all of you! I love sharing ideas, recipes, philosophy, tips, travel, styling, in other words, a “Taste of French Country Living” to live by, no matter where you are. A few pillars of this life is simplicity, awareness of living in the present, and embracing everyday simple richness.
I hope you all had a marvelous summer, full of excitement and everything you like to do with family and friends!
Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie
*Marcel Proust was a French author, literary critic, and essayist who is considered by critics and writers to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. He was born July 10, 1871, and died on November 18, 1922.
Alexandra Stoddard’s Books In My Library
I actually thought about Alexandra Stoddard recently, and then I heard this delightful current interview podcast with her talking to Shannon Ables of the The Simply Luxurious Life, a lifestyle blog I regularly follow. No coincidence, life is full of surprises.
I have been a fan of Alexandra Stoddard for many years and have many, many of her 28 books. Her voice and philosophy on life is beautiful and uplifting. She reminds us to use all of our senses, every day, every present moment.
At 81, she is still writing, giving interviews, and presentations and lives in her beloved stone cottage in Stonington Village, Connecticut.
This special interview is over an hour in length, and a gift for you today. I invite you all to sit back, relax, and listen to this uplifiting podcast. It has prompted me to place Alexandra Stoddard’s Grace Notes nearby my bedside table once again, and start re-reading her books.
To listen to the following podcast, click on Reacquianting With Alexandra Stoddard, the original post on my website.
Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie
Intrigue Rose Brightens My Kitchen
“Less is more” is the message here. In my kitchen I have in a corner a marble lazy-susan on my kitchen counter. I keep different olive oils, salts, pepper, garlic, and more at handy reach. In a very simple antique vase I try and keep a favorite blooming cut rose in it.
It makes me happy. It is cheery. It is beautiful. It is often very fragrant. It speaks to me in many ways. it is a companion while cooking. It reminds me of my garden when i can’t be there. It gives me joy.
Try a simple cut rose in your kitchen, it will make you smile, and it smile back with so much more.
Simplicity is elegance. Never underestimate a single cut rose.
Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie
