le 22 juin 2018 (173/365) • Le Rêve, Wauwatosa, WI
« Le Champagne aide à l'émerveillement. » - George Sand
French 77 Cocktail: 1 oz. St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, 1/4 oz. Lemon Juice, Champagne, and a twist
Photos du déjeuner avec des amis au Rêve and a treat chez moi:
le macaron du jour - Champagne!
June 21, 2016 (173/366) "Strawberry fields forever..." - John Lennon
You can't beat Wisconsin strawberries freshly picked in June. For years, my mom and grandma would buy flats of berries from Chaudoir's in Sturgeon Bay. We spent hours prepping berries for jam and shortcake before freezing them to enjoy long after the season ended. Sadly, the crops at Chaudoir's were destroyed in a hailstorm in 2007, yet I still look forward to seasonal strawberries. Here's my recipe for strawberry-spinach salad. Martha has some good ideas too ;-)
This weekend, celebrations begin for le 14 juillet, Bastille Day, the French Fête Nationale. France will be draped in bleu, blanc, and rouge as citizens enjoy parties, picnics, parades, and fireworks. As much as I would love to be celebrating in Paris, I can indulge my francophilia right here in Wisconsin. I can celebrate Bastille Day at Le Rendez-Vous, our new French restaurant here in Okauchee Lake or head downtown to enjoy Milwaukee's Bastille Days. The annual festival features live music, an international marketplace, art exhibits, chef demos, wine tasting, mini French language lessons, French and Cajun cuisine, and even a 43-foot Eiffel Tower with an hourly light shows after dark. Those craving more French fare may wish to dine at one of the area's lovely French restaurants: Chez Jacques, Trocadero, Coquette Café, Le Rêve (photos and reviews here, here, and here), or my favorite, Lake Park Bistro (always a tradition on my birthday and our anniversary; see my reviews and photos here, here, here, here, and here). While downtown, why not visit the Kandinsky exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum? Together with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the museum is featuring a remarkable collection of over one hundred works, representing every period of the Russian-born French artist’s career from 1900-1944.
Not in Paris or Milwaukee? Here are a few stay-at-home ideas to celebrate French culture. Vive la fête!
* Enjoy a movie:
Rewatch Midnight in Paris(read my review here) before the new Woody Allen Paris movie, Magic in the Moonlight, debuts in two weeks.
Have an Audrey in Paris film festival (read my review here): Sabrina, Funny Face, Love in the Afternoon, Charade, How to Steal a Million
Watch a French film on Netflix. Current features: Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain(featured on my blog here & here), Intouchables(read my review here), Les Choristes (The Chorus)(my French students loved this film!)
*Read a book:
The Paris Journal(Evan and Nichole Robertson)
Luncheon of the Boating Party(Susan Vreeland)
A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)
*Have a picnic (French Recipes to Celebrate Bastille Day) - My suggestions:
Tomato tarte (Merci, Catherine @La Mémoire vive)
Baguette
Brie
Olives
Wine, Champagne, or French 75 cocktail
Bon appétit & Joyeuse Fête Nationale!
For Easter Sunday, I made this lovely spinach salad with fresh strawberries and candied pecans.
I created my first Steller photo story with these photos, and thought you might enjoy the recipe too :)
April 24, 2014 Photo (114/365): "Strawberry Spinach Salad"
