Le Ménu de la semaine...

Last weeks meals were a huge hit! Except, I had to order the short ribs....so those are on the menu for this saturday. It worked out for us, Tom & I wound up having a nice date night out for dinner, then to the Lakes Region Symphony and then for prosecco and desserts at my favorite flutist's house! It was a very nice and raaaaa-ther civilized evening!

This week....

Lundi-

I'm done with soup....the weather isn't exactly warm yet, but I'm switching to Monday salads...

salade niçoise

baguette

Mardi-

radishes with butter & salt to snack on pre-dinner with other veggies & dip

pan fried chicken with a shallot & white wine vinaigre sauce

broccoli

rice

Mercredi-

carrot salad (my râpée de carottes)

quiche savoyarde

salade verte

baguette

Jeudi-

I have class....

Vendredi-

????

Samedi-

early dinner--late lunch:

braised short ribs with carrots

baguette

salade verte

cheeses

dessert (?)

Everything on the menu these week (except the braised ribs) are my own recipes or my version of the classics (like the salade niçoise or quiche)....After so many years of cooking, I am finally feeling a bit of confidence at creating my own spins on things, within the confines of classic techniques and french flavors.

Also, we will have fruit and/or a little gelatto for desserts this week.

What is on your menu?

Gratitude Friday...

It has been a while...

feeling grateful this friday for...

:: my job...the new leadership opportunities granted to me this year are pushing me and stretching me out of my comfort zone at times, but I truly feel I am as growing.

:: passions...I couldn't imagine not feeling "into" anything...

:: balance...work...life...love...friends....children....perspective & balance.

:: ok...I'll just say it...my new car....I've never LOVED a car, but my Saab.....I love her.

and you??? Share with me!

Vive le weekend!

Oh the weekends...leisurely breakfasts, long walks, bicycle riding, and our first trip to Dairy Queen of the season.

Le ménu de la semaine...

Although I've been cooking regularly, I haven't posted my menus in a bit! Here's the week coming up:

I feel like we need more veggies & fruits in our diet....so each night will have at least 3 servings (usually it is 2), making it easier to have 5 a day.

Lundi-

endive, beet and chèvre salad

carrot soup

baguette

poire belle hélène (poached pears in chocolate sauce)

Mardi-

warm poached leeks vinaigrette

potato pancake topped with ham & poached egg, steamed asparagus

grilled pineapple with caramel icecream

Mercredi-

Salade frisée aux lardons

chicken breasts in lemon sauce with broccoli

baguette

clementines

chocolate mousse

Jeudi-

I have class... :-(

Vendredi-

??? perhaps a night off of cooking? Sushi?

Samedi-

late lunch--early dinner:

crudité

braised beef short ribs

with carrots

baguette

salade verte

dessert (?)

Dimanche-

On mange chez mes parents.

French School Lunches

Have you seen this?

If you work in a school or have school age children or just plain care about the health and future of Americans, it will rock your world. I say send the video link to every administrator you know. Our children deserve better.

Charlie says, "is it Spring yet?"

If I may put words in Charlie's mouth, Charlie is sick of winter. Yesterday, we had a taste of spring. It was warm and light out for 2 walks! Then today....the snow came again....Charlie says "blah" wake me up when it is really Spring time:

A pause for a kiss...
Perching on the couch...
Snuggling with Daddy...
Watching TV...
Oh that little face...Charlie is nearly 10 months old now. He is growing up so fast! He is a very good leash walker. He trots along with his tail up and his ears pricked like the most handsome dog ever! He's smart and needs a lot of exercise and stimulation, but the little evening snuggle time and those eyes make it all worthwhile. Even Zola the cat is coming around!

Lynch Family Drawing

After the dinner dishes have been cleared, our dining room table usually turns into the Art Studio. Mia enjoys asking us to pose for her, so she can draw our portrait. I love it!

It is interesting, because she really studies your face, and refers back to it throughout her drawing.

~Mia draws daddy.~

~Hold still daddy!~

Tonight she drew me:

~the "HH" is funny, because I was wearing a Helly Hansen sweatshirt, I had changed into my exercise clothes to take the dog for a long walk. It is the only detail of my clothing she included.~

After Mia drew me, she said, "your turn Mommy!" Yikes, I hadn't drawn a face since 1999.....but I gave it a quick try....

~her jaw is really not that strong.....yikes!~

Tom then did a quick sketch of Charlie...

~he didn't sit in his pose for too long!~

Where was Benji? He scribbled a bit...and then asked to wash the dishes....ha!

Architecture

Last installment...

I saw so much great architecture in Brussels. Of course my heart is faithful to Art Nouveau, so I had my eyes on the look out for Horta! Here is a collection of interesting buildings...tile work, sgraffito and Art Nouveau!

~seems like a narrow Parisian block to me!~

I love this tile work on a random building...isn't it beautiful? It is inspiring bathroom designs in my imagination!

Random storefront with an eclectic Art Nouveau vibe!

The famous Old English building! It is now a Music Museum! Isn't it gorgeous???

So amazing!

This is the random building with the yellow flower tiles! I want to live there....seriously.

~chez Lynch~

~modern Art Nouveau styling~

The most amazing part of my Art Nouveau journey, was the Horta Museum. No photos allowed inside, so you'll have to take my word for it when I say it was breathtaking. I nearly cried with joy when I saw the staircase. Again, I'm serious.

The outside....and the door.
Building with sgraffito tiles. Gor-geous.
Brussels was a feast for the senses...and I was in heaven....*le grand sigh*

Street Art in Brussels

The Belgians love cartoons...it is the land that brought us the Smurfs and Tin Tin (and his faithful sidekick (wire fox) Milou!) Murals depicting beloved characters and others abound in the city....they are fun to notice when you are paying attention....which I was!

~cartoon cat sculpture by the Galleries St. Hubert~

~this guy fills his beer from the Mannekin Pis~

~the Mannekin Pis~

~of course, my fave is the tin tin...J'adore Milou!~

More of the architectural sights of Brussels coming soon....

Brussels = Beer

They say the pope is to catholics as beer is to Belgians. Yeah, they like beer...a lot. A lot a lot. Me? I like beer....but turns out, I LOVE belgian fruit beer. They make it like this: brew regular belgian lambic beer, then add real fruit for a second fermentation....ummmm, yummmmo! I tried: peach, raspberry, strawberry, cherry and currant. I liked them all especially the peach and raspberry.

~framboise~

~trying the fraise!~

~hoegarteen rose~

~tom loves (non fruit) belgian beer too!~

~la corne beer~

CHEERS!

Encore

Another day, I ventured out toute seule, through the Grand Place and up to the Musées Royaux de Beaux-Arts and the Musée Margritte. The sun was shining and I was delighted to see a little flower and plant market had "sprung" up in the Grand Place.

~ all sorts of bulbs, herbs and little plants for the garden!~

I ventured up the big hill to where the museums are. It was a pretty walk with great views.

~and lovely gardens~

~such geometry~

~a bit windy~

When I saw these mirrors in the window, I knew I was getting close to the Musée Magritte!

~C'est moi!~

After soooo much museum hopping, I was in dire need of a bit of a snack....I headed back to the Place Sablon, to Wittamer's for their famous hot chocolate and a rest.

~so rich...so decadent...so divine~

The perfect spot to recharge.....et hop!

Dinner in Antwerp

Wednesday night, we were fortunate enough to head into Antwerp with Tom's Belgian co-woker Kris, and his lovely wife Vicky. They took us to an amazing fondue restaurant.

~cathedral in Antwerp~

~Vicky & Kris~

At this restaurant, you order the kind of meat you want (and there were some crazy options...kangaroo, frogs, crocodile....and some regular options -- chicken, turkey, sausage, beef etc) They put a pot of hot (hot!) oil in the center of the table and everyone cooks their meats as they like. There is a big salad to share and different sauce options. It was super fun!

~my spicy fire-eater's plate of meat~

~Tom & I~

It was a lovely evening, and Kris was kind enough to drive us back to our hotel in Brussels. Cheers to new friends!

Hanging Out with Charlotte

Last year at school we had an exchange student from Belgium. She's now 20 and studying in Brussels...of course we had to meet up! What a small world....from LHS to dinner in Bruxelles! Charlotte, Tom & I had dinner together monday night at a fantastic seafood restaurant near Place St. Catherine.

~Charlotte et moi~

They had a fantastic selection of oysters on the menu...we loved the ones from Brittany best...and Charlotte tried her very first oyster! I'm not sure if she's a convert...yet!

~une autre demi-douzaine s'il vous plaît!~

~sole meunière....yummmm~

~les trois gourmands~

~les amoureux~

After oysters, I had sole, Charlotte had steak-frites, and Tom had duck, I just had to have the giant chocolate macaron for dessert...thankfully Charlotte had crème brûlée. I hate to eat dessert alone.

~les filles et leurs desserts~

We then made our way out and about through the Grand Place....which is spectacular at night.

You can imagine how happy le mari was that Karl Marx had lived (briefly) in Brussels.

What a fun night!

~J'étais si heureuse!~

Later in the week...Charlotte and I met up again while Tom was working to have lunch and faire un peu de shopping! It was fantastique to have my very own bruxelloise to show me the top spots for la mode!

~place Louise~

Ok, I only did window shopping around here....we had to go down l'avenue to find my price point!

~le lèche-vitrines extraordinaire!~

After a bit...we just had to stop for a little snack...

~pause gourmande!~

~café au lait et une tartelette au citron~

Un très grand merci à Charlotte! Elle me manque!