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wayfaringwordhackWe've been back in Sancerre for almost a year and this week is the first time we've gone down to sit by the river! Last year I was too tired, too busy, too hot, too puffy to want to go, and when, by some odd stroke of fate, I had one day where all the toos had left me in peace, the water level was too high. This year is off to a good start, though; we've already been down twice, once just to enjoy the sunset and another time to picnic.
Sprout seemed to enjoy the outings, and even though her daddy says it looks like she was checking out the boys over her sunglasses, there were no boys to be checked. :P
While the food cooked, J and I sat on the mat we bought from this lady--
⓵The sausage is what the majority of the French call saucisse de Toulouse. The sausage isn't actually made in Toulouse, but "northerners" call any sausage that looks like typical sausage from Julien's region by that name. It's so good, the shops in the north of France package it and call it by that name, but if you ask a butcher in, say, Mazamet (where J's mom lives) for some saucisse de Toulouse, he'll probably shake his head and roll his eyes at you. Internally, of course....or maybe not...
⓶ We first ate eggplant this way in Mayotte when we camped out on a deserted isle for our 7th wedding anniversary, so it also brings back good memories.
⓷ Very good! You can't even taste the "weird" secret ingredient. However, I used coconut oil instead of butter and it hid the chocolate taste of the cake a bit too much for my liking. Next time, I'll use butter. Oh, and the frosting? Delicious! I used organic coconut sugar instead of the things she suggested, and it was soooooo yummy. Like ganache! I wonder how soon I can make another batch without appearing gluttonous...
⓸ Our 10th anniversary is the 28 of this month. Ten years already!!!! Time flies when you are in love and having fun.
⓹ Wow, even more memories surface, seeing J sporting his beard!
Sprout seemed to enjoy the outings, and even though her daddy says it looks like she was checking out the boys over her sunglasses, there were no boys to be checked. :P
For our picnic, we grilled sausages⓵ and an eggplant (I adore eggplant grilled whole then cut down the middle and served with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper⓶) and had some beautiful beetroot pesto over whole-wheat spaghetti noodles, a green salad, homemade bread, and this"Healthy Chocolate Cake with a Secret."⓷
While the food cooked, J and I sat on the mat we bought from this lady--
--while in Moheli for our 8th wedding anniversary⓸ and played cards, the same game that we were playing while cruising down the Mekong in Laos ⓹ the eve of the day I first took a pregnancy test to affirm that I was indeed pregnant with the sprout pictured above.
______________________⓵The sausage is what the majority of the French call saucisse de Toulouse. The sausage isn't actually made in Toulouse, but "northerners" call any sausage that looks like typical sausage from Julien's region by that name. It's so good, the shops in the north of France package it and call it by that name, but if you ask a butcher in, say, Mazamet (where J's mom lives) for some saucisse de Toulouse, he'll probably shake his head and roll his eyes at you. Internally, of course....or maybe not...
⓶ We first ate eggplant this way in Mayotte when we camped out on a deserted isle for our 7th wedding anniversary, so it also brings back good memories.
⓷ Very good! You can't even taste the "weird" secret ingredient. However, I used coconut oil instead of butter and it hid the chocolate taste of the cake a bit too much for my liking. Next time, I'll use butter. Oh, and the frosting? Delicious! I used organic coconut sugar instead of the things she suggested, and it was soooooo yummy. Like ganache! I wonder how soon I can make another batch without appearing gluttonous...
⓸ Our 10th anniversary is the 28 of this month. Ten years already!!!! Time flies when you are in love and having fun.
⓹ Wow, even more memories surface, seeing J sporting his beard!