40 books and counting...

I recently discovered that before obtaining my master's (and in addition to writing a minor thesis) I will have comprehensive exams to pass.

The exam doesn't seem so bad because we have to pick a list of books that interest us and submit it to the French department. From that list, they will draft three essay questions that we'll have six hours to answer. The only minor problem is that my book list will be quite extensive. I need to include 40 (!!!!!) titles on that list.

Being the student I am, I've already begun thinking about my list. I haven't read books in French for nearly five-plus years at this point, so I literally will need to get on this. My area of emphasis is modern/contemporary literature, but most French classes focus on the Medieval period to the 18-1900s. I've only read a handful of books that could fit under my area so I've certainly got a mountain of work looming ahead.

Which is why during Thanksgiving/Christmas break I've picked my first read: Marcel Proust.

I've never read any of Proust, but when I took a French Existential Lit class as an undergrad, he was referenced immensely. Rememberance of Things Past, however, will be quite the undertaking. The version I have (in English, let's be honest here) is over 1180 pages and that's just the FIRST VOLUME. It's a very, very vast piece of work. Who knows if I'll even be able to understand it.

For this reason, I'm begging anyone familiar with French literature for help. Any suggestions on authors/titles I should plan to add to my list or I should check out from the library? I'll take anything from the 1800s-onward. Doesn't really have to be relevant, I just need to come up with 40 books and be able to discuss them at length in the next two years...

....What have I gotten myself into?! :)

Nonsense

I recently discovered an AMAZING French website. A German TA actually introduced us :)

I've shown several of these videos to my students, so enjoy!

C'est en faisant n'importe quoi qu'on devient n'importe qui (It's by doing anything that we become anyone.)

French Friday: My brain is fried

I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.

For the past few days and over the course of the next week, I'm knee-deep into grad school and TA orientation. During the academic year, I'll be teaching introductory French courses and pursuing a master's in French Comparative Literature (maybe modern/contemporary literature through the Italian and English departments as well).

Orientation is going very smoothly. I'm FINALLY meeting people. Foreign people. International students. Multi-lingual people. And it's making me so, ridiculously giddy. I've been speaking a strange mix of franglais (English-French hybrid). My brain doesn't even know what language to speak. I'm accidentally speaking French to the German and Spanish TAs and vise-versa.

IT.IS.AWESOME.

So, I leave you with some scenes from mon film favori: Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)

Enjoy!

@+ (à plus...or see you later),

Breakfast and a bike ride

It’s been awhile since I busted out my bike… in fact, when I hopped on it this morning, I thought the brakes were sticking because of a horrible noise coming from the front tire. Turns out it was so flat, that was the excess rubber dragging on the ground. So I rolled up my sleeves and pumped some air into those suckers before heading out on a pretty leisurely ride.

You see, there was a really good motive behind my ride this morning.

FREE STUFF!

That’s what’s up.

If you haven’t heard yet, Starbucks is giving away a free iTunes 10 song summer mix to anyone who purchases a frappuccino this month (supplies are limited, however). I guess this deal began yesterday because sometime in the afternoon I received an email telling me so. What makes the deal even sweeter are the birthday gift cards I’m still using two months later! Free drink and music?! I think I’m in love.

Also, I tried something amazing. I’ve had hot green tea lattes before and enjoy them. I saw on their website that the green tea frappuccinos were also included in the deal. So I went with an unsweetened nonfat green tea frappuccino with coconut syrup. It’s a mouthful, but it’ll change your life. I promise, I can’t get over how good that was!!! I mean, I’ve had the coconut mocha before and wasn’t a huge fan. I think this is a much better use of Starbuck’s coconut syrup!! Please, try it ASAP if you enjoy tea. Now that I’ve discovered this combination, the possibilities are endless, raspberry syrup? Peppermint? Vanilla? This chick is about to go nuts… (And if you’ve got a registered account with Starbucks soy milk and extra syrups are F-R-E-E, theme of the day here).

Speaking of free, Starbucks, you can thank me for the free marketing/publicity. If you’d like, you can send me coupons for more free drinks!!! :)

Now about that bike ride…

There’s the little guy. Don’t let it fool you, it’s basically a cruiser with seven speeds. I can’t wait to have a full-time job and buy a nice bike and bike shorts and a helmet (I’m embarrassed to say I don’t own one. I know, that’s HORRIBLE and I’m considering going to Target just to get a cheap one for now. I kind of like having my life, you know…)

I went about six miles round trip and probably worked off all the calories in my drink ;) It was nice! On the way there I even listened to a random assortment of music on my iPhone.

Once there, I ordered my drink, found a nice shady table and downloaded my free songs. Then I enjoyed a Larabar, my green tea frapp and read a few chapters of my newest read, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. To be honest, I’m basically reading this book because it’s going to be made into an English movie over Christmas.

I literally knew nothing about this book, other than everyone has read it and loved it. If you can’t wait for the English movie to come out in six months, I hear the original Swedish version is streaming on Netflix – you can be assured I’ll watch that as soon as I’m done reading the book.

Now back to my ride. On the way home, I decided to ditch my over played tunes and went for my favorite French newscasts! And get this, I can stream French news live for FREE (there’s that word again). I have about six apps and links I love, so if you’re curious and are a Francophile, look for those in a future French Friday post!

But if you can’t wait…

Si vous parlez français, il faut cliquer sur liens suivants pour écouter/voir en direct des infos et des émissions sur les sites français: FRANCE24 | BFMTV | iTele | TF1

Ce sont mes sites préférés!

Oh yeah, I’ve also been breaking in my NEW shoes (sadly, they were not free. But my sister did score me a 50% off discount at the Nike employee store in Portland)!!! The best part? I now have the capability to run Nike+… I just don’t have the censor yet to put into my shoes. In time… :)

Aren’t they pretty?!?! :)

French Friday + Week 20

I’ve been struggling with something new to do this week. I was going to cop out and write about the peach festival J.D. and I went to earlier. But I’ve been to festivals before, that didn’t feel right. I literally didn’t know what to do.

Until I watched an old episode of No Reservations on my DVR. I’d started watching one on Haiti a few days ago and finally got around to finishing it this afternoon. I literally cannot tell you what I saw. It’s devastating and immense and beautiful all at the same time. It didn’t feel right watching all of that without doing anything. Seriously, I urge you to watch that episode if you haven’t yet.

Anyways, as a French speaker, I’ve always been drawn to Haiti. The French Caribbean is something I’ve marked as a travel destination for a long time. And the ironic part is that I would have been placed in Haiti if I went through with my Peace Corps application almost two years ago. I would have been there (maybe not Port au Prince, but somewhere on the island) in January 2010. It is inconceivable for me to think about what volunteers were doing there before vs. after the earthquake.

Which is why I can’t just sit back after watching that episode. One of the things I wanted to do in 2011 was make a donation to an organization. I’m pulled in a thousand directions: cancer research, feeding the homeless, donating to Japanese earthquake relief, supporting international efforts, helping out people in my own state… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s overwhelming to think about who all needs help, and all the work still left to do in the world.

But like I said, after watching and hearing about J/PHRO (Haitian Relief Organization) over a year after the earthquake, I knew that was my start. Now I know I’ve griped about money issues a ton, but I live comfortably and have basically everything I want. Some of these people don’t have homes or food on their plates every day. I could scrounge up a little from my pocket to send their way for the time being. One day, when I have more money, I would certainly like to make charitable donations to a few organizations. Until then, this will have to do.

I just don’t know why it’s taken me 26 years to make my first donation. If you’re interested, you could help too. Maybe not to J/PHRO, but a charity near you (check that link for a searchable database of nonprofits or this one for a list of the larger international charities).

I know it’s not much, but it’s a start. Thanks for hearing me out.

Decision Time :)

I have a pretty big decision to make in the next two weeks....

But let me back up for a sec. I was in grad school for sports management two years ago. I only completed a year and haven't finished my degree yet. I was also getting paid to obtain my degree, as a graduate assistant working in the athletics department.

But since I've moved to Arizona, that's not the case anymore. About two weeks ago, I was accepted at Arizona State to transfer my master's units over there, but I would have to start from scratch with a totally new major (French Comparative Literature). I originally applied for a TAship, but was told funding would be cut in the next academic year, so I'd have to pay out-of-state tuition in full, by myself.

No thanks.

But yesterday... (you see where this is going) I received a TAship offer letter! School and insurance paid in full by the university, along with a monthly stipend, provided I teach two French undergrad courses and hold office hours.

I've taught English in France, majored in French and English as an undergrad, worked in professional sports, worked in collegiate athletics and was a journalist for a sports page. Oh yeah, and while I'm working for the Diamondbacks here, I've also been tutoring and subbing for high school classes.

So, do I want to go to grad school and push my interests more towards academic? Or do I want to continue pursuing my athletics profession (which is rooted in about five years of experience now)? OR, can I do both at the same time?! I mean, I kind of already am.

Anyways, I have two weeks to accept or deny my admission and I'm super excited, but also quite nervous! I haven't written or spoken academic French in several years. And oh yeah, have I mentioned that there is a graduate study/TA abroad semester option in your second year....?

I'm excited to see what my future has in store for me :)

Suggestions/comments on my upcoming decision are welcomed and appreciated!!! :)

ADD Christmas Recap: Snow, California & Secret Santa

Before I dive into my AWESOME trip back home, let me introduce tonight's post with the CRAZY news that it's been snowing in Arizona today... I'm not talking about Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon. I mean the PHOENIX VALLEY (link to a news segment on today's weather)!!!! For the first time in the near six months I've lived here, I turned on the heater this afternoon. Currently it's under 40° -- much colder than Iowa, Northern California, Washington D.C., you name it! With that, I'm enjoying my first mug of coffee and Baileys of the season :)

Now about the presents....

Going into the holiday, I was most excited for the blogger Secret Santa exchange put on by Tina! How awesome that idea was. Needless to say I was pretty stoked about what I got for Jamie. I'm such a French nerd and love reliving my time abroad, I knew she must feel the same about studying in Italy! So you know what's ironic about this gift exchange that I'm pretty sure included 50+ members? I was Jamie's Secret Santa and Jamie was Poppy's Secret Santa, and you guessed it, Poppy was MY Secret Santa! Our circle is complete :)

Anyways, I ended up driving back to California on Dec. 20. It was a long drive, was supposed to snow on the Grapevine (pretty much the only way out of LA), and I knew I couldn't make a 13+ hour drive solo. Well, I had Woodstock, so I had to stop even more frequently than normal to ensure he didn't ruin my seats! :) I made two days out of the trip there and back, stopping at friends' houses in Los Angeles/Orange County both ways. That meant my Secret Santa gift was going to arrive without me! Luckily J.D. was home to receive it and send me some pictures of all the lovely goodies Poppy sent me!

The card was adorable!

And I love everything in the gift! Chocolate, puppy treats, a notebook (she must know I LOVE to write), pomegranate fruit strips (my fav flavor), Pop Chips and a dog costume....

...Which Woody hated, but I LOOOOOOVED haha. He's so darn presh. In other news, we celebrated acknowledged his first birthday on Tuesday! Of course I didn't throw a party or get him any presents, he's a dog hahaha!!! But I do plan on baking some dog treats someday soon for the little guy.

I don't know if you noticed from the picture above, but I also went a little crazy and dyed my hair black! I think I love it. It's such a big change for me. My hair is usually light brown, I've streaked it blonde and have darkened it to a reddish brown color in the past. That's about it.

Not gonna lie, the black was inspired by my current celebrity crush:

(Source)

I downloaded Katy Perry's new album and have been playing it nonstop. I freakin' love her!!!! She had a Christmas special on last week and it's waiting to be watched on my DVR and you know I recorded her biography special on E! last night. And then watched it as soon as I drove in from California at about 9 p.m. And I've been watching her videos on YouTube. So obsessed... I think everyone knows about my infatuation, I keep getting texts from friends and family whenever she's on TV ha, thanks guys. You get me :)

Speaking of California, Woodstock and I really did make the Tour de Cali. I stayed in Santa Monica and ate at the most amazing restaurants. It's been my dream for years to live in LA, I'm going to see that it happens sooner rather than later. Then I stayed at my parents' house in the Bay Area for eight days, seeing old friends from high school and college, and enjoying amazing French food made with my mom and sister! We had a soufflé on Christmas Eve, Aimée made peppermint ice cream and candy cane-dipped waffle cones and I attempted to make pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants), but something was off because they basically turned into chocolate bagels ha. Oh well. Then I went to Sacramento, Stockton and Huntington Beach where my friend and I took his boat out around Huntington Harbour (in the rain) and ate sushi at a restaurant off the boat dock!

It really has been amazing and I can't wait to go back again! I don't know when my next trip home will be, but I am heading out to Washington D.C. next week!!!! I'm milking my unemployment for all I can get, because my job begins in February!

Finally, the presents! I made off with some amazing gifts. I love my friends and family! The past 11 days were a total blast -- I miss them already.

Work clothes from Macy*s

My dream recently has been to become a pastry chef (it's so expensive, I'm going to become self-taught haha)... I also received an array of cookbooks!

Jeopardy on Wii and Beauty and the Beast on Blu-Ray/DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soon it'll be time to take down the tree J.D. and I have here... but before that, a celebration to end 2010 and kick off a new decade is in order! Happy New Year everyone :)

Fun with Pumpkin: Pumpkin crème brûlée and pumpkin martinis

I know the season for pumpkin is melting away faster than the snow in California. But if you're like me, you bought way tooo much pumpkin over the fall months. I cracked open the cans, used what I needed and stored the rest in the freezer for a rainy day.

Well, rainy days are few and far between here in the desert. In fact, it's still close to 80° here in Arizona....

Enter warm and frosty pumpkin treats!

You'll remember I raved about the pumpkin crème brûlée we had for Thanksgiving (not to toot my own horn, but this was pretty dang good). It was creamy, thick and tasted like a mini serving of pumpkin pie with a thick buttery and sugary crust on top. I recently watched the movie Amélie and was reminded of my favorite line (promise this is going somewhere):

"Amélie is a shy young woman with a pronounced taste for all life's small pleasures : immersing one's hand in a sack of grain, craking the crust of a crème brûlée with the back of a teaspoon or skipping stones on the Canal St-Martin."

Cracking the top sugary layer of a crème brûlée into a million tiny shattered pieces is one of my favorite things in life. Seriously, it's my favorite dessert, ever. It is with this in mind, I present to you my Thanksgiving dessert, and a recent apératif.

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée (adapted from Emeril Lagasse, I may or may not have said "bam" while preparing):

Ingredients:

• 2 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c light brown sugar
• 1/4 c sugar, plus 4 t
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1/8 t grated nutmeg
• 1 c canned cooked pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Arrange 8 (1/2-cup) ramekins or custard cups in a large metal baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy and lemon-colored. Slowly add 3/4 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream, and whisk. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin, and whisk until smooth. Divide among the prepared custard cups.

Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custards are just set in the center but not stiff, 45 minutes to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle each custard with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining sugar (I used a special crème brûlée praline-flavored sugar, it made the taste super buttery and gave it that extra step above regular sugar). Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. Place on small dessert plates and serve.

...Heaven in a ramekin!

Now prior to dinner tonight, I continued my pumpkin spice flavoring tradition to rid my freezer of canned pumpkin. Enter my pumpkin apéritif (pre-dinner drink in the French tradition):

Pumpkin Pie Spice Martinis

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2 t pumpkin pie spice, divided
• 2 t granulated sugar
• 2 c skim milk
• 2 t pumpkin puree
• 2 c pomegranate cranberry juice
• 4 oz. clementine vodka
• ice

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, 1 t pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 c water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes. Syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Mix together the granulated sugar and remaining 1 t pumpkin pie spice and put it onto a shallow plate. Pour 2 tablespoons of the simple syrup onto a plate. Dip the rims of 4 martini glasses into the syrup, and then in the spiced sugar. Set aside.

In a cocktail shaker, combine the milk, pumpkin puree, juice, vodka, half the simple syrup and ice and shake until well blended. Pour into the prepared glasses.

**I realized halfway through I was missing a liquid base. So that's where the pomegranate juice comes in, but it's masked behind the creamy texture of the pumpkin puree and the frothiness of the milk. Pumpkin pie spice simple syrup seriously might be my favorite flavor ever!! This all combined to make a martini that essentially tasted like pumpkin pie... but with alcohol :)

Does life get any better than that?! (Note: I couldn't consume too much, it was quite rich. This is simply meant to be for sipping as an apéritif -- before eating)

It's like I'm in France... again!

It's official. I love French cooking. What, that wasn't a new revelation or anything? Alright, I lived abroad, loved reading My Life in France, loved Julie & Julia and received Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking for my birthday back in April. I tried making Coq au Vin and Suprêmes de Volaille à l'Écossaise. But for some strange reason, I haven't cracked open the book since April!! Maybe because it's so rich and decadent and I never have any of the ingredients on hand.

Well that changed last night. We had some left over heavy cream -- nearing its expiration date -- and butter from Thanksgiving. When one has butter and cream on hand, what little choice is there to do with it but make a French meal?! I had a half-opened bottle of wine and some potatoes so I decided to make Poulet au Porto and a spin off Child's Gratin Dauphinois (recipes are linked to both dishes).

I don't know how I have French genes but have a strong aversion to butter. In trying to make the dishes healthier, I not only cut the recipes in half for two people with leftovers, but also cut down the butter requirements to 1/4 of what she called for haha. The woman loved to rub everything in butter: the chicken thighs, the pan, the dishes, she even told me to rub my face with butter. Ok, maybe not. But that's what it felt like. I also cheated with the mushrooms. As in, I can't stand them! You'd think after 25 years they'd grow on me... so instead I opted for carrots, which I had on hand. It was still pretty dang tasty.

So here you have it....

Poulet au Porto (Wine-steeped roasted chicken)

and Gratin Savoyard, also known as a Tartifelette in the Alps region of France and Switzerland (potato gratin with milk, butter, gruyère and bacon). I added the bacon to make it more Swiss:

(P.S. How AWESOME are the iPhone 4 pictures?! They're waaay nicer than my point-and-shoot camera haha. Hope J.D. doesn't mind me stealing his phone every now and then...)

Fun fact, my dad lived in Annecy, in the French Alps, when I was living on the beaches of the Mediterranean. We'd make the 6- to 8-hour train ride back and forth tasting regional specialties. One of my favorites was the Tartifelette and of course, fondues of the Alps. Does anyone want to go back to France with me, RIGHT NOW?!?!?! :)

Well, if I can't, at least Julia Child can take me back there for a night or two.

Don't drink and blog

...Or do. But don't say I didn't warn you.

(If you do, you HAVE to try the Sam Adam's winter sampler. The chocolate bock is to die for. I wish it had more than two in the box.... then again, maybe it's a blessing in disguise)

Otherwise you might start giggling uncontrollably at random produce like I did for a while.

But seriously, how freakin' cute is that butternut squash?!? I bought three and can't wait to use them. They're so tiny and cute I could eat them right up.

Anyways the other day J.D. was off from work so I wanted to surprise him with Swedish Pancakes (pannkakor) for breakfast (recipe linked). His family is from Sweden. Mine being from France, we had quite the back-and-forth over the difference between crêpes and Swedish pancakes. Basically, they're the same thing. Personally I find that the French crêpes are a little heartier, while the Swedish 'cakes are thinner due to a runnier batter.

We had quite the Swedish day. I made the pancakes for breakfast with some lingonberry jam we bought at IKEA a few weeks ago. We then had Swedish meatballs (those Swedes are so creative with their dish names, huh?), roasted rosemary potatoes and salad for dinner. But let's get back to breakfast first:

I had two with lingonberry jam, Greek yogurt and chia seeds.

But for the real twist. The next day I had my Swedish pancakes in a French preparation for dessert. In the traditional crêpe dessert style I folded in the sides to make a square, filled it with NUTELLA, berries and of course, French vanilla ice cream. I mean, I like the Swedes and all, but don't mess with the French and their cooking ;)

Speaking of French cuisine.... I attempted a Poire Tarte Tatin this aftenoon (pear tart with homemade pie crust and caramel sauce). It was involved and kind of tricky to master the technique -- ok maybe I'll get it the next time -- but I think it tastes pretty amazing. Pear is one of my favorite flavors. The caramel did harden up quite a bit, so in order to remove the tart from the pie dish, I had to cut it in half and flip it right-side-up.

But trust me, it's worth it! This is sooooo good:

Pear Tarte Tatin

• 2 cans pears
• 2/3 c sugar
• 3/4 stick of butter (room temperature)

*If you prefer to make your own crust instead of using store-bought, follow the recipe at the bottom.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put sugar and 3 tbsp. water in a pot and let caramelize. (How to caramelize? Let sugar melt into water on a very low flame. Once melted, turn up the flame a bit, don't stir, but tilt the pot and move it around from time to time. Once the syrup has a pale honey color, you can stop, it's caramelized. If you want a darker caramel, just be careful that you don't let it burn.) Add butter to caramel and stir until it melts. Take off heat and pour caramel into a buttered pie dish.

Cut each pear half into three even pieces. Place pears in pie dish, so that they are squeezed tightly together. You want to do this step as quickly as possible, so that the caramel doesn't harden too much. If you want, you can begin slicing pears while you are making the caramel. Just be careful to check caramel, so that it doesn't burn. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. During this time you can prepare the crust, then roll it out so that it is a drop larger than your pie dish, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Even if you are using a pre-made crust, you still want to spread it out to the right size, and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take tatin out of oven, and let pears cool off a bit. Once cooled, place crust on top, tuck the edges into the dish, and bake for 30 minutes or until crust has browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Then, place a serving dish on top of the tarte and carefully flip over, so that the pears are facing up.

Pie Crust Recipe:

• 1 1/3 c flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick chilled butter
• 1 T sugar
• Pinch of salt

Mix salt, sugar, and flour. Cut chilled butter into small pieces and mix into flour with finger tips. Stop working batter once it looks like sand. Make a well and pour in eggs. Incorporate into flour using your fingers and a spatula.

Once homogenous, form a ball, place on a floured surface and knead for 10 seconds. Reshape into a ball, roll out with a rolling pin, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Homemade Pizza

I love pizza. But I think I enjoy making it even more.

A while back, J.D. picked up some supplies to make crust with the intention of making pizza sticks. However, the dough took waaay too long to stretch out and I got frustrated and just made a big circle for a crust instead. The bf and I also have totally different topping preferences, so the sticks would have been ideal. But then the genius idea of quartering the pizza came to mind.

On one side we have sausage and BBQ chicken with onions.

Then in the back you'll see a margherita quarter (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) next to a fig, basil and green olive quarter. Can anyone explain to me why my first instinct EVERY TIME I write out fig is to spell it figue (I just did it again)??? French isn't even my first language!

Here's an interesting little gem we picked up at Whole Foods...

...Prickly pear infused beer!!! You'd think living in the desert I'm getting sick and tired of all this prickly pear flavoring.

NOT THE CASE. I love it. It tastes so good. Exploring beer and margarita flavorings here is becoming a favorite pastime of mine. However, not my stomach's favorite.

I decided on the fig (argh, not figue) and BBQ chicken slices, while J.D. went for the sausage and margherita pizzas. It's ok though, the next day for lunch we switched things up. I went the vegetarian route, while he went for meat-only.

Making your own pizza is so awesome. Eating it's up there too. I think I'm hungry already. But first, it's off to watch the journal télévisé - I need to keep practicing my French if I'm going to continue my graduate studies in French comparative literature at Arizona State next year!! (I've even uploaded my fav French songs onto my iPhone. Such a nerd.)

Don't forget- TODAY'S the day to vote for me (and everyone else with awesome entries) for my Project Food Blog entry!! xx

My gastronomical travels

I am not a professional chef. I've never cooked for a dinner party larger than four people. I've never even had any training in the kitchen whatsoever. And I've never been in an industrial or a professional grade kitchen.

This image is so foreign to me! (Source)

But I have eaten some pretty damn good food in my life.

I consider myself to be very lucky. I've had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live abroad -- twice. Compelled by my love of the French language, its literature and my French roots, I studied abroad in Nice, France, as an undergrad. Enchanted by the food -- which seriously changed my life -- sights, people and culture, I vowed to return. Upon graduating, I did just that. I taught English to elementary school students in France the year after college, but that was all just a ruse to take my taste buds on a whirlwind tour of Europe. While most people I traveled with shared pictures of world-renown monuments, I snapped photos of my extravagant and beautiful meals. No wonder I'm now actively blogging about foods I eat and fun recipes I stumble across. It was in France that I really spread my wings in my own kitchen and tried recreating magical meals I'd experienced in five-star restaurants.

Before my travels I was on a first-name basis with my microwave just like any college student. That, and frequent trips home to lavish in my mom's fabulous cooking. I can't believe how far from that I came after moving to France.

To say I ate my way across Europe would be an understatement. But looking at some of the pictures I saved from France, do you blame me??

île flottante - meringue, custard and a passion fruit syrup

a typical cheese display at the marché

pizza and wine in Italia

kir, one of my favorite apéritifs in Europe

tabbouleh at a Lebanese restaurant

caprese salad and bread sticks in Cannes, France

Well, after eating, cooking and baking to my heart's content, I eventually had to return home.... with a little more weight than I wanted to carry around. I've always considered myself to be a healthy eater, but the gourmande within got the best of me in France. Though literally meaning "glutton," I'm a little let down that the English translation for does not have an equally beautiful thought for this word. Glutton brings to mind a guiltless pig mindlessly stuffing his face with Lay's potato chips in front of the T.V. Whereas gourmand(e) conjures images of one who appreciates plump juicy berries ripe in their summer prime, the crunchiness of crisp green zucchini, the velvety feel of a rich chunk of chocolate rolling off the tip of your tongue or the fruity, yet peppery aroma of a finely-aged wine accompanied by the perfect blend of creamy cheeses.

In short, a gourmand(e) is one who appreciates the food he experiences on a daily basis. And unlike its English counterpart, to be gourmand is not a sin. Though after my trip, maybe it should have been!

Long story short, when I returned home, I vowed to continue cooking for myself and cut down on the American conveniences of eating unhealthy fast food and microwave dinners. I quickly realized that it's not only easy to cook delicious, healthy meals at home, but also saves me a ton of money! Recently I've begun experimenting with new recipes, tweaking classics and of course, playing with Julia Child's cookbook I received for my 25th birthday. My boyfriend and I still taste amazing food on a daily basis, either plates we've cooked ourselves, or through exploring decadent new restaurants. More often than not, I find myself venturing to try recipes that appeal to my traveler's soul.

I still try to recreate my European gastronomic travels in my own kitchen in Arizona. I've had some pretty amazing meals in my 25 years on this planet. While I still love to indulge in amazing meals and cuisines from around the world, I'm trying to eat healthy and balanced meals to keep the French word "gourmand(e)" in its purest sense -- far, far away from its American counterpart.

By creating my own healthy, beautiful meals inspired by cuisines from around the world, I've been able to drop those extra pounds and decrease my cholesterol. I'm healthy, happy and ready to travel the world with my fork.

I'm Monique, and I would be soooo humbled if you voted for me as the Next Food Blog Star! But then again, if you don't, I'd settle with us having blog exchanges and sharing recipes!

Food is a journey. I hope you travel it with me!

I am not a professional chef. I've never cooked for a dinner party larger than four people. I've never even had any training in the kitchen whatsoever. And I've never been in an industrial or a professional grade kitchen.

What is this even?! (Source)

But I have eaten some pretty damn good food in my life.

I consider myself very lucky. I've had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live abroad -- twice. Compelled by my love of the French language, its literature and my French roots, I studied abroad in Nice, France, as an undergrad. Enchanted by the food -- which seriously changed my life -- sights, people and culture, I had to return. Upon graduating, I did just that. I taught English to elementary school students in France the year after college, but that was all just a ruse to take my taste buds on a whirlwind tour of Europe. While most people I traveled with shared pictures of world-renown monuments, I snapped photos of my extravagant and beautiful meals. No wonder I'm now actively blogging about foods I eat and fun recipes I stumble across. It was in France that I really spread my wings and tried recreating magical meals I'd expereinced in my own kitchen.

Before that I was on a first-name basis with my microwave just like any college student. That, and frequent trips home to lavish in my mom's fabulous cooking. I can't believe how far from that I came after moving to France.

I think the best way to get to know someone is to find out how they eat. Especially people from different cultures. To me, food and cooking will always surpass any language barrier on the planet! With this mindset, I ate and I ate and I ate to my heart's content. I've had some pretty amazing meals in my 25 years on this planet. During my return stateside, I wised up a bit and changed my eating/exercise habits to follow a healthier lifestyle. While I still love to indulge in amazing meals and cuisines from around the world, I'm trying to eat healthy and balanced to sustain training for my first ever half-marathon. Now, if only my knee injury would cooperate...

My grandparents immigrated to the United States from France during WWII. The very first thing I learned how to cook were sugared crepes. Just the smell of crepe batter cooking on a grill takes me back to my childhood. That said, another staple in my pantry is extra virgin olive oil, fresh from the Mediterranean region! Everything my grandma and my mom cooked was always in EVOO. I use it as a dressing base with mustard rather than buy dressings at the grocery store. And last but not least, garden-fresh vegetables. There is nothing in the world like exploring the French markets. Farmer's markets are celebrated and locally-accepted as a daily event and most French food shines around local seasonal veggies. Ratatouille is the first thing that comes to mind in the South of France. I have had the pleasure of traveling to France nearly 10 times in my life, including living there for a year, twice. Nothing excites me more than the passion the French (my family) have for fresh, local ingredients. Dining is such an event, they reserve two hours in the middle of the day to celebrate food. It's no wonder I'm such a foodie, it's in my genes!

I'm Monique, and I would love if you voted for me for the Next Food Blog Star! But then again, if you don't, I'd settle with us having blog exchanges and sharing recipes! Food is a journey. Get lost in it. Lord knows I always do.