Jalapeno Corn Chowder

I made jalapeno corn chowder last night and it's perfect for a chilly, rainy December night :)

~ 6 cups frozen loose-pack whole kernel corn
~ 32 oz chicken or vegetable broth
~ 2 cups {uncooked} small pasta such as tiny shell or tiny elbow {cook according to box directions}
~ 2 cups milk, half & half, or light cream
~ 1 bell pepper
~ 2 Tbsp diced jalapenos
~ 2 Tbsp butter
~ Black pepper to taste

1. Simmer corn in broth until tender.
2. Blend half of the corn and broth in a blender until almost smooth
3. Slice bell pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in oven at 425 for about 20 minutes or until tender. Then dice the roasted peppers.
4. In a large pot, combine broth mixture with the remaining corn, cooked pasta, milk, roasted bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, butter, and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Note: the chowder in the photo has potatoes and scallions, which I'm sure would be a nice addition to the recipe :)

Photo credit.

Prancer

"Don't worry, Whiskers, we'll be back in a couple of weeks with the big guy."

Photo: sent to me in an email from a friend

96

If you want to live to be 96 years old {or what we learned from our French friend, Elise}...

• have a zest for life. {or what the French call je ne sais quoi - something special}
• enjoy people. Don't let a little thing like a language barrier get in the way of you communicating with others :)
• indulge occasionally. It's okay to have both wine and dessert with lunch.
• stay up-to-date with what's current. {Elise shared with us about an area with cool restaurants and cafes that young people enjoy and she told us to be sure to go there.
• dress up. Even when you are your own date. You'll feel better, especially when you add a smile :)

Elise is the cheerful French lady who befriended us when we sat next to her a lunch in a Parisian cafe. She talked and talked and we were able to communicate with her little bit of English and our little bit of French. We were so impressed to learn that she was 96!

From Every Angle

Romantic.

Grand.

Magical.

Enchanting.

Classic.

Splendid.

Picturesque.

The Eiffel Tower is one of my favorite places on earth and I felt so blessed to be able to experience it with the love of my life. It was the perfect way to spend Thanksgiving morning!

The Food :)

In one word: incredible

I think the food is half the fun of travelling and France is full of amazing meals awaiting to be experienced. Little pastry shops, patisseries, are tucked into every corner of Paris it seems. {It's almost amazing how they all stay in business since there are so many, but then one just has to look in the window's display case to see why people love their patisseries!


A popular French item for lunch is a croque monsieur {a grilled ham and cheese sandwich} or a croque madame {a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top}, which is what Ben and I had one afternoon. It was so good that Ben and I are going to try to make our own version, but maybe a bit healthier {turkey, Gruyere cheese, bell peppers, spinach, and of course the fried egg}.

Omelet, salad, and fries. Yum.


Escargot--delicious. After I ate them {using the handy little utensils} I dipped the bread in the olive oil and garlic that was remaining in each little crevice :)

Desserts: mousse au chocolat {the best chocolate mousse!} and a crepe with nutella

Tartine Italienne and salad

Roasted vegetable lasagna that we cooked at Michael's apartment! We're definitely going to make it again!!

At a kebab restaurant I had a "kebab frites" pita. It had turkey, lettuce, tomato, yogurt sauce, and fries in a pita--so yummy!

Grocery store in Lyon

I love soup and I love anything pumpkin, so I had to try this pumpkin soup in a restaurant that's an old converted train station.

Desserts: creme brulee pie, sweet cheese with a cream cheese-like sauce, and the most delicious chocolate cake!

What may appear to be an odd combination was actually a delicious appetizer {which in French is called l'entree}: ratatouille, pouched egg, and salad with a Dijon dressing.

Breakfast: a banana and pain au chocolat {basically a croissant filled chocolate--perfection!}

Salmon at The Salmon Shop!

The Salmon Shop appetizer: guacamole and tortilla chips! My fav :) It appears to be sort of Americanized, but it's a really popular place with the locals {no tourists}. Using English in the names of restaurants and shops is trendy in France, but there are "language police" who ensure that there's not too many English signs, etc. in France.

Our feasting began on the plane ride! A yummy lunch of braised beef and melted cheese on rye with tomato soup and fruit salad {with mango!} and a Cabernet :)

Our dinner on the last night in Paris was amazing {it was a bit too fancy of a place for me to be bringing out the camera for a photo} and it was the perfect place for our Parisian Thanksgiving dinner :) It was a modern place with a French and Asian fusion. Ben had the duck and I had pumpkin stuffed pasta. And I just have mention our fabulous and unique desserts: 1) chestnut soup with gingerbread crustinis and date chutney and 2) white chocolate and wasabi (!) ice cream: so surprising and wonderful! The perfect ending to a delicious week :)

A Visit with the Cheek

Note: the Cheek=my little brother Michael; it's been his nickname from me since he was a baby and it's stuck :)

Ben and I travelled by train from Paris to Lyon {about 2 hours since we were going 180 (!) miles per hour} where my brother is living and studying this year. Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France and was beautiful and full of history.

Michael is loving his time there and he's definitely becoming fluent in French! I know basic French and Ben knows a very little bit {he studied Spanish}, so Michael was our translator occasionally.

The view from our hotel room. On top of that mountain is a beautiful basilica, Fourviere.

We cooked dinner in a real French apartment!! It was so much fun :) Earlier that day we went to an outdoor market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and cheese and then we went to Michael's local grocery store, where great French wine is very inexpensive {we bought some that was $3!}.

Michael's roommate ate dinner with us and it was so interesting to talk to him. He's French and speaks English very well. He said he learned English so well by watching American TV and films.

The fountain is located in a large city square, Place Bellecour, and the fountain was designed by the person who designed the Statue of Liberty in NYC.

Such a beautiful {and very old!} city. There are 2 rivers that run through Lyon, the Saone and the Rhone.

We found this cave as we hiked up a mountain {or maybe just a very large hill, but it felt like a mountain :)} to get to the Fourviere basilica.

It was such fun to get to visit my brother and experience a great city! I miss him already and I'm looking forward to him being home for Christmas in a few weeks!!

Bonjour!

A few quick things:

1. We made it home safely from France :)
2. It was an amazing week and I look forward to sharing photos and stories soon!
3. This photo was taken {by Ben--he's talented when it comes to one-armed photography} from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Now off to rest up a bit, because my body doesn't know if it's noon or 6pm :)