Mama's Cooking

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris Copenhagen, Denmark:

I'm sure you're all familiar with the term staycation, but I'd like to coin a new noun describing one of my favorite kinds of vacations, the gourmetcation. (Shove everything within arm's reach into my mouth-cation is more fitting but it seems to me that it's supposed to rhyme with "vacation," so excuse me if I'm a little limited, people.)

We started with what's known in America as "Danish" but known in Denmark as "Vienna Bread." (Don't ask me what it's called in Vienna. When I was there with Cashew this summer, I tried to figure it out but with no luck.)

Then we enjoyed one of my favorites, filet mignon of pork with Danish potatoes and a delicious salad.

We had lunch in town with a girlfriend and enjoyed an amazing potato sandwich - another item from my list of favorites. I know it sounds weird, but don't knock it until you try it.

We had Thai food last night that we made at home with my mom. She also made a rhubarb pie for dessert which we served with ice cream. Yum!

French Domination at the Oscars

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris Copenhagen, Denmark:

SexySultry and I are on vacation in tropical Scandinavia ...you know, to work on our suntans and stuff. We watched the Oscars yesterday after a very relaxing day of doing absolutely nothing.

It was amazing to me that Jean Dujardin won best actor over long ignored Gary Oldman but I guess there is a point for the argument of playing a role with very few spoken lines. I congratulate him regardless and all of France is going crazy for the success of The Artist. They are making fun of the fact that in order for the French to be revered in Hollywood, all they had to do was keep their mouths shut for once!

Jean Dujardin barely speaks a word of English but like a good actor, memorized a passable acceptance speak but then out of pure joy and excitement shouted out a few sentences in his native tongue before leaving the stage. The French are much more liberal with nudity and language on television and he was completely unaware that dropping what is equivalent to the F-bomb on national television is a serious faux-pas in the U.S. Now we're bombarded in Paris by the intolerance of the Americans for something the French consider innocuous and silly. Leave the poor guy alone and stop serving as a buzz-kill during his moment of glory! (read more here)

It was the Louis Vuitton dress that captured Karen's heart, and although it is beautiful and exquisitely made, I fell in love with the amazing Tom Ford number worn by Gwyneth Paltrow.

The most recent Tom Ford collection was not even showed at Fashion Week but had to be privately viewed by appointment. You can recreate the look by following the advice in THIS ARTICLE.

*images borrowed from the internet*

My Favorite Oscar Dress

Photo

Michelle Williams in a Louis Vuitton dress. It took over 300 hours to make at the atelier in Paris.

I didn't get to go to Pajama Party Oscar Girl's Night 2012 this year which broke my heart. But armed with Thai Food and a box of Kleenex (I cry at every acceptance speech-Meryl Streep destroyed me) I spent a lovely evening in my pajamas judging, critiquing and applauding from my couch. 

I absolutely love this dress. It's burnt orange and perfection. Some don't agree with me but that's the beauty of judging from my couch. 

This morning it's back to Legos, doctors appointments, and laundry. But for a few hours last night I got to enter the world of pretty. 

Have a wonderful Monday

Spring

Spring officially begins March 20th 2012 at 1:14am.

But it sure looks like it's already here in Southern California.

I've Seen Bluebirds Cuddling.

Squirrels Dancing.

And, Lovers Kissing. 

I'm ready for some warm happiness.

Have a beautiful Sunday.

xoxoxo

Mardi Gras

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

I made quiche for the first time in my life. It's pretty easy actually. I added onions and a little extra cheese but here's the basic recipe.

Les ingrédients :

• 1 rouleau de pâte feuilletée
• 3 œufs entiers
• 30 cl de crème fraîche
• 25 cl de lait
• 300 grammes de lardons fumés
• 150 grammes d’emmental râpé
• Sel, Poivre, Muscade

In France you can buy your pie crust rolled out and wrapped up which gives you the nice flakey crust. You start by unrolling the crust, placing it into your quiche pan, and piercing it numerous times with a fork to avoid bubbling, which you then put in the oven at 250º celsius for ten minutes until golden brown.

At the same time, you fry up your bacon in a pan on the stove and you remove the grease.

Remove the golden pie crust from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before placing the bacon (and onions if you choose to add) to the bottom, dispersing evenly.

In a mixing bowl, break the 3 eggs and whisk. Add the sour cream and seasoning. Mix. Then add the milk (I do not use milk.)

Pour the egg sour cream mixture over the bacon and add the grated cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes or more until the cheese starts to harden into an almost brown color, like lasagna.

It's preferable to remove the quiche from the pan after baking and let cool on a baking rack afterwards so as to not keep the liquids in the bottom which makes the crust soggy.

Bon appetit!

Shake Your Moneymaker

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

SexySultry and I got to dress up for a fun sexy 70s party over the weekend. It's been ages since I've made that kind of effort to look nice and it felt good!

You've got to look marvelous to feel marvelous, darling. Right? According to Billy Crystal, it's about how you look, not about how you feel. I have to admit that we looked pretty damn fantastic!

We both wore fun skirts and lots of makeup - fitting as it's carnavale!

Joyeux Dimanche - Petit Marcel

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

This song makes me happy.

The making of Little Marcel hiver 2012 from Anakena on Vimeo.

Carnaval de Paris

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

Tomorrow is the beginning of carnaval in Paris. Head on down to Place Gambetta in the 20th around mid-day if you want to be at the beginning of the parade route.

Down and Dirty

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

I spent the afternoon and evening yesterday near Opéra Garnier. It started with an appointment at the Apple Store which is normally a pleasure. But no one seems to care that I can use my iPhone for all it's functions EXCEPT the standard phone. I cannot talk on my iPhone unless I'm using Facetime or Skype. So you see, there's nothing wrong with the speaker or microphone. I went to my cell phone provider who sent me to Apple. And that back and forth is always fun. Apple didn't test anything, the Genius just sort of looked at my phone and said it's probably the antenna, needs to be replaced and that will cost me over $200. I said HELL NO.

I was already in a bad mood, Cashew had been intensely stalking me already via email all day and it was starting to get mean and spiteful. Radio silence radio silence radio silence radio silence... I had to walk around mumbling it to myself like a mantra in order to not respond to him. But I'm stubborn, and if I haven't responded all this month, why would I respond now?!

Then he sent an email to SexySultry and all hell broke loose. She was having a bad day and called him out on his impoliteness and bad behavior. It quickly escalated into a full-blown knock down drag out and I was powerless to stop it.

All night long I lay in bed, as I often do, with millions of thoughts running through my head keeping me awake.

From 2am-3am, I had my eyes closed and lay on my side. 3am-4am, lie down on couch in living room and stare at the laundry which is probably already dry on the rack. I could be folding it instead of battling insomnia. 4am-5am, get tired of debating whether or not I'm wasting my time by being awake and not folding laundry so turn to face the wall and stare at that instead. I start to feel hungry.

I think I fell asleep around 6am, and got up at 7:30am. Yay for me.

You would think I would be up all night secretly plotting my next move with Cashew, how to fight back, what I'll do, what I'll say... but no. I was actually plotting against my beloved Apple! I'm going to go back to the Mac store and I don't care who's waiting at the Genius Bar! I am not waiting! I am going in without scheduling an appointment and they WILL fix my phone! Or at least test it this time and see what I'm talking about. And be nice to me. And tell me geek jokes that have me swooning in geek love. You know, like how it's supposed to be!

And then everything will be right again in the world.

Standing My Ground

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

Valentine's Day this year was pretty much uneventful. I got a flurry of emails and a nice Valentine's card in the mail from Cashew with his usual declaration of love and request for marriage... pretty much identical word-for-word to the hundreds of other love notes he has sent in the past few months since he left Paris. How original. How romantic.

My question is this...

If you're an extremely intelligent, well accomplished man who has been around the block, how is it possible that you hope to change the current situation with the same old tricks which have never worked on me in the past?!

It's sad really. I have enforced a complete black-out on communication from my side since the beginning of the month when it became crystal clear that what we want for the future are two separate things and that both of us are too stubborn to give in. (FYI, I was willing to go half-way, he was willing to have me go all the way - his way or the highway... but there is no highway...)

So since then, as far as I'm concerned, it's over. And I was clear about that. But he won't stop emailing me multiple times a day. As you all know, I've left him in the past but have stayed polite and responded to all his communication with a kind but firm NO. Obviously, that tactic doesn't work. So now I'm reduced to not responding at all. But this does not seem to be working either.

Deep down I know nothing will bend this stubborn mule's will, but I was really hoping that his love for me would be too strong for him to resist. I imagined grand gestures, him hopping a flight to Paris and showing up at my door declaring his love and agreeing to find a way to make this work. Seeing as how he won't budge, I have to face the fact that I'm just not that important to him despite the last few years and that we are not meant to be. Sigh.

Time to move on. Uh... does anyone have any advice on how to get him to cooperate and accept that it's over?

Folsom Prison Blues

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

I don't sleep well. Call it insomnia or neurotic or stress or what have you, but I am a night person and have trouble falling asleep. Which is no big deal when you can sleep until the crack of 3pm. Unfortunately, unlike when I was a teenager, I cannot do that anymore. Not because I don't want to but because for some reason I seem to wake up about 3 hours after finally falling asleep.

This morning I stood in front of the bright lights of the bathroom mirror and put on my makeup before stumbling into the kitchen to drink my first cup of coffee and continuing into the living room to eat my yogurt and read my email. Then I realized it was 9:20am and that I was fully made up. That just seems unnatural to me! A full face of make up before happy hour? Who am I?!

I went to a French prison for men today to sing for the inmates and their children. In France, families of inmates are permitted to visit 3 times a week (space is limited) provided they schedule their appointments in advance. However, the children never get a chance to spend time alone with their fathers as their mothers or other guardians are always present. I am part of a program that tries to facilitate keeping the connection between these fathers and their children so they have more reason to stay straight once they're back outside, and so these children don't suffer more than they have to from the absence of their fathers.

I don't know how you parents have the energy for kids. My inmate has 4 daughters - 14, 12, 10 and 3 years old. All I had to do was accompany them to the gym and keep them occupied until the prisoners (their dad) arrived. These girls are all pretty shy, very polite and respectful - extremely well behaved.

Once the kids were reunited with the inmates, the singing started. We tried to involve the kids who were not busy with (or ill at ease with) their fathers. It wasn't that strenuous but 2 hours into it I thought, "Holy crap this better be over soon because I'm about to fall over."

I got home at about 5-6pm and promptly passed out on the couch, I was so beat up. Seriously, parents. Two hours wore me out. How do you sign up for 18+ years??

Happy Valentine's Day

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

Since the French are such a romantic bunch, the Mayor's office advertised a few weeks ago about a submission contest that would get your love note put up in lights on one of their many information signs scattered throughout the city.

Today they're popping up all over for everyone to see.

To see more, CLICK HERE.

***Images borrowed from the Internet***

Je t'aimais, Je t'aime et Je t'aimerai

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

There are quite a few different Facebook pages devoted to Paris. Here's a link to a photo contest one of them was having with a Valentine's theme so you can see the below photos and more. CLICK HERE.

***Images borrowed from the Internet***

Joyeux Dimanche - l'Amour à la Française

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

Seeing as how it's almost Valentine's Day, I thought I'd post about the most famous, long-lasting couples here in France. We all know how the French have a reputation for being passionate lovers with hot tempers. It's amazing to me how these couples last the test of time. I guess they learn to deal with the fact that no one is perfect and they accept and appreciate what they have for as long as it lasts.

Any relationship that can withstand public scrutiny and paparazzi for more than a few years is definitely praise-worthy, in my opinion, especially when they really seem to love one another and aren't together for the publicity.

Love is in the air. Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day, whether you're single & fabulous, or spending the day with your honey.

Johnny Depp & Vanessa Paradis

Vincent Cassel & Monica Bellucci

Marion Cotilard & Guillaume Canet

Carla Bruni & Nicolas Sarkozy

Happy Sunday!

***Images borrowed from the Internet***

Chouchou

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

When I first met Obsessed! in the late 90s, a new television series had come to France called Un Gars, Une Fille starring Jean Dujardin and Alexandra Lamy. Due to the recent Golden Globe, you all probably know who Jean Dujardin is and his now wife, Alexandra.

In the show, the two main characters called each other by the pet names Chouchou and Loulou. I don't know if it was because of this show or if we came to it on our own but I always called Obsessed! Chouchou and he called me Louloutte.

Every Saturday, they show reruns of this show on French channel M6 and when we were living together, Obsessed! and I used to tune in to watch these two in their foibles. Nowadays I watch Un Gars, Une Fille with SexySultry although I've yet to start calling her Chouchou or Loulou.

Happy Saturday!

Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

The city of Paris is said to be home to thousands of churches, the oldest of which is l'Église Saint Germain-des-Prés built back in the 6th century. This church is located just a short walk from the river on the Rive Gauche in the heart of Saint Germain's swank shops and cafés.

The churches of Paris also frequently serve as venues for classical concerts featuring pianists, string quartets and opera singers.

Tonight I have a date at the above mentioned church to listen to Orchestre Paris Classik play Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Pachelbel's Canon, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and more.

Mr. 54 Martinis, let's call him, has been trying to get my attention since last Easter. I keep blowing him off although in the last 9 months I've seen him a total of 3 times and each time I'm annoyed and leave super blasé.

Why are dudes so psychologically backwards? If he meets a nice girl who's friendly and flirty, he's repulsed and rejects her (not helping her self-esteem at all,) but if she's not interested and is all but a bitch to him, he pursues her with the voracity of a starving wolf.

The last time I saw him, I so could not care less and showed up in a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers (I NEVER wear sneakers.) He showed up in a suit and tie. Yeah, so that happened... and he didn't even seem to notice.

Tonight, I assume I'll dress appropriately for the venue but I'm irritated because I don't want him to think I'm dressing to impress him.

Ah... my life is so troubling, I know.

Paris Classik à la St Chapelle

paris classik | Myspace Music Videos

**images borrowed from the internets**

Snow in Les Deux Alpes

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

The fifth week of the year is traditionally when my family packs their skis and gear and heads off to the Alps. This year was no exception.

The villa was just at the base of the lifts.

My sister practically learned how to ski before she could walk. That's why she's a triple black diamond skier (and has been since the age of 7.)

I'm more like Renée Zelwegger's character in Bridget Jones' Diary (the second movie) except I'm thinner, don't wear a pink snowsuit (or ginormous underpants,) and sadly, I'm not dating a Hugh Grant look-alike.

Loving Life

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

There's nothing like a good chuckle from a gratifying case of people watching. One of the best things about living in a major city is the amusement, wonder and awe you get from the earth-dwellers around you.

This morning, I had to smile when I saw a man wearing ski goggles on the tram. Paris is nowhere near the slopes but hey, might as well get as much use out of those goggles as you can!

I guess the cold weather is keeping people cozy and warm at home. It's rare to see no one on the metro platform.

I rewarded my braving the cold with a lovely raspberry tartlet!

Salon du Bien Être

Shaboom sends us her update from Paris, France :

This Sunday I went to what is referred to as a conference, trade show or convention in English. It is called a salon in French. Sounds so chic, non? When I got off the metro and went above ground, it was snowing!

Had I checked the weather forecast, I may have decided to wear boots instead of Chuckie T's. But it didn't occur to me since it almost never snows in Paris, and even when it does, it melts on the ground due to the warmth generated in the underground train system.

I took this photo from the tram platform somewhere in the 15th arrondissement.

The Salon du Bien Être attracts lots of people interested in alternative medicine and all things organic. You can buy stones to help you express yourself and ward off negative energy, like blue calcedony. You can buy a €3,000 mattress made of organic bamboo and what-not. You can test and take home reflexology sandals... you get the picture.

It's totally not my bag, baby. But SexySultry is into that kind of thing so...

At one stand, she was tasting a chestnut tree pollen that is supposed to have some sort of properties to help you combat fatigue. Apparently she's allergic to this kind of pollen and started to swell up like a balloon. Her ears were itching, her eyes watering and her throat started to close. Some yoga guru person in a white turban guided her over to a magic man with magnets or something who healed her through Reiki without touching her. She said it felt like an intense heat up and down the right side of her back. He told her she was afraid of something and that it had to due with men. But regardless, she might want to stay away from the chestnut pollen. Pretty crazy new-wave stuff, people.

Anyway, I thought I'd share since I know Karen's always trying to get me to open my mind to what I call the "hippy-dippie bullshit."

While SexySultry and her mom were testing all sorts of organic cosmetics and going for a spin in the massage area, I wandered off to the French (non-organic, anti-hippie) bakery, Paul, and got myself a chocolate croissant. Now everyone is happy!