Here we go, a whole new year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful time last night. It probably helps if you weren’t at the Address Hotel in Dubai.
The party we went to was delightful. Incredibly relaxed. Everyone was kind, open and friendly. The food was very good, a classic French holiday menu: foie-gras, oysters & blanquette of veal. Unfortunately that’s Mike’s nightmare dinner. He eats none of those things.
We were sat next to a charming Australian couple from Melbourne (which I hope we meet again.) Thank goodness they were there because we got to have an English speaking corner- plus they took food that Mike enjoys. We took Indian lamb koftas which were more popular at our side of the table than the French speaking side.
The one little hiccup was on my way out… There were no lights. Mike has a little torch on his keychain- but he didn’t wait for me which meant I fell into a ditch. Not ideal when one is wearing a white shirt. I considered being furious at him, but then decided against it and just laughed it off. Outdoor lighting is important, people. Even if it’s just those solar things- they’re enough to mark a walkway.
This evening we’re invited to dinner by our elderly neighbour who lives on her own. We’d forgotten to buy something to take her so we went out today trying to find an open shop. Fortunately the Carrefour mini-market in the centre of town was open and they had a decent Rothschild champagne.
Now we’re going to watch Le château de ma mère which is one of my favourite films and perfect for a lazy day by the fire. Happy new year!
My Mazamet 
I find torches tend to dim magically when I’m very pissed. 😉
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Or split off into a myriad of beams, presenting the oftentimes treacherous question, which one do i believe and follow….?
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Happy New Year to you too.
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Happy New Year!
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Wishing you the happiest of New Years!
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I’m sorry, but I did smile when I read you had fallen into a ditch. Not because it was funny, (you could have hurt yourself), but it’s the sort of thing I tend to do….& in daylight, & when sober too. I hope tonight’s dinner is more to Mike’s taste, & you both take care when leaving. I look forward to another year of reading your wonderful blog 🙂 & seeing photos of the progress in your home.
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You have my permission to laugh 🙂
It was indeed rather hilarious and absurd. This wasn’t a shallow ditch, once I was in it, all you could see was my head and shoulders. It’s only at that point that Mike decided to shine the light in my direction… And you know what his answer was when I called for help? “What are you doing down there?”
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P.S. dinner was quite early and light, we’re already back. Salmon, tzatziki, cheeses- Mike was happy!
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Still smiling….my last bad fall was on a beach in October, when I stupidly stood on a seaweed covered rock whilst holding my camera, & slipped, landing heavily on my bottom in a very rocky rock pool. Camera got wet, & sadly died the next day. Kind husband, who is very used to me doing this type of thing, simply laughed & said it was a silly thing to do. And took a photo! At least you were spared that.
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Did you fall before or after midnight?
The enquiry from Mike sounds all too familiar to me…but by the time my helper arrives I have usually had time to compose an answer.
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-grin- So pleased the Aussie contingent were up to scratch…and that you didn’t hurt yourself, or Mike. -cough-
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A few months ago I decided I *would not entertain anger* anymore- unless the anger would somehow lead to a positive outcome. And also that I’d stop being upset by little things. It’s not easy.
Last night when I came downstairs wearing a dinner jacket and saw Mike wearing chinos and a blue sweater, I had to take a very deep breath- or ten. It’s a good method. All I said is “you know you’re going to be the ‘only person in the world’ not wearing a jacket tonight.” and then I smiled 🙂
In fact it turned out he was right and I was terribly overdressed. In fact as soon as we arrived I felt compelled to take off my jacket because I was the only person wearing one 🙂 I guess I’m still a bit at a loss for how people do things in our new environment.
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Meh…I do sympathize. Been caught out like that myself. These days my style is ‘casual chic’ wherever I go. Luckily I don’t go out that often so I rarely get it wrong. 😀
Mazamet sounds a lot more understated than Sotogrande, but that could be a very comfortable style to get used to.
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I’m not sure I know how to do understated. It doesn’t come naturally to me. Mike and I were together for about two years before he ever saw me without concealer or with messy hair… And that only happened because he bullied me into it. If I had my way no one would ever see me looking unpresentable 🙂 I get fully dressed every morning, just in case the postwoman rings the doorbell.
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-face palm- Pinky! Life is way too short to waste so much of it on non-essentials. You have a brilliant brain, the rest is just window-dressing. 😀
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“I’m not sure I know how to do understated.” In the context of your story I would recommend wearing what Mike wears, LOL :-‘)
What did you wear to the neighbor’s house?
Do you find that generally the French are suspicious of non French food?
Your hosts certainly provided a classic French New Years menu, to bad for Mike that there was nothing on the menus for him.
Instead of bringing Indian food which I’m certain was delicious, perhaps you could develop a talent for Macaroons? I was on Amazon the other day and saw the moulds, I think I’ll try making some soon.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/223234/macaron-french-macaroon/?internalSource=rotd&referringId=14709&referringContentType=recipe%20hub
I think you would pretty much be the bomb if you came with homemade macaroons. I still remember the decadence of the last Carmel & Sea Salt Macaroon I ate. My husband always uses a copper bowl when whisking his egg whites for soufflés, which come out absolutely perfect every time. That is the desert we serve almost every time, soufflés. At the table we poke a hole in the center with a teaspoon and pour in various fruit sauces he makes. Just basically boiled down and reduced fruit with sugar, not hard to make, sometimes he adds some liquor. Soufflés have the added benefit of not being very expensive, the main ingredient is eggs after all. For my macaroon idea I’ll have to have him teach me about whipping the egg whites, he says that is the secret to success with soufflés, just knowing how long to whisk the egg whites and knowing when there are whipped up just perfect and to stop. I am sure he will already know how to whisk the egg whites for macaroons. He doesn’t use a mixer, just a big old fashioned kitchen whisk.
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Macarons are notoriously difficult to get right!
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I have given up trying to make macarons – I’ve wasted dozens of egg whites & goodness knows how many kgs of ground almonds & still the wretched things aren’t perfect. I have, instead, made many batches of Ricciarelli, which are similar but much easier to make.
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I’m with you 100%. Even putting our personal failure aside, I have a friend who spent two weeks in Paris doing a course with a pastry chef and even she decided to give up making macarons. Ricciarelli’s sound like a very good alternative! 😀 any tips before I try?
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Happy new year, guys!
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Happy new year! Your entrecote looked fabulous, btw 🙂
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I got the recipe from here https://londoneats.wordpress.com/2015/12/22/10-ricciarelli/ ..the hardest part of the recipe is leaving the mixture overnight to firm up, & trying hard to resist eating much of it before it reaches the oven. I find it best to slightly undercook them so they are even more deliciously squidgy in the middle. have fun 🙂
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