Monday, February 3, 2014

In My Little Town


One true thing I know for sure.

Life is never boring in my 'hood.

I arrived home from work on Saturday night to a pastry making lesson.

I might not bake, but I'm always prepared. Kitchen Aid, a scale, parchment paper, baking pans of all shapes and sizes, you want it, I got it. Well except nutmeg, I seem to be out of nutmeg.
Elle found French butter and her sister  sent recipes.

We started with pate brisee.


 And ended with Quiche Lorraine.

But in between the  Saturday night pastry making and the Sunday eating, quell disaster.


Elle dropped the Kitchen Aid on her foot.  Do you know how heavy a Kitchen Aid is?

Heavy enough to send her off to the emergency room for 4 stitches.

Sunday afternoon , Elle resumed the lesson.

 It was delicious.

Not to be undone by her walking boot she will wear for 8 weeks, she then whipped up a clementine cake.

We did have a Super Bowl party to attend after all.

As I was making my hummus, there was a knock on the door.

My new neighbor's brother was standing there with a towel wrapped around his wrist.

He had just cut his wrist with an exacto knife, another trip to the emergency room and six stitches for him.

There were no accidents at the SB party, though I'm sure Denver fans would disagree.

In the past week Elle has watched her first Grammys, State Of The Union and Super Bowl live.

She has visited an American emergency room, gone to Zumba, and lived through several snow and ice storms.

Gus has also stolen her hair clip and Lucy seems to be perpetually drenched in her perfume.

As for me? I'm being very careful.

Very, very, careful.

                                             Luckily I have my own guardian angel/ peeping tom.



 








40 comments:

  1. Oh no, I'm not sure I can manage the ER part of the story (especially the exacto incident) with the food part. How did you do it live? Stay careful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well i didn't have to go to the ER either times, I just arranged rides, cause i don't drive.

      Try telling someone with a sliced wrist.

      Come in and sit down while I call your sister is the best I could manage.

      Tho I did offer tea, with lots of sugar....

      Dear god.

      Delete
  2. OMG! I'm so ready for tulips.
    You'll need lots of Zumba with that great cooking ;)
    Yes, do be very careful...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wanna know, how do french women NOT get fat?

      Delete
  3. I am truly surprised that Elle’s foot is not broken in multiple pieces! Those mixers weigh a ton. That’s why my stays (permanently) on my kitchen counter except to slide it forward for use. BTW, Smitten Kitchen has a good spinach quiche recipe that is more veg than egg.

    Your tulips remind me that spring will come…eventually. Kitty seems to be spying on your cooking lesson.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know I would love a spinach quiche, maybe I'll make the pastry for the next one..

      I don't have room in my kitchen for mine, which is why i hid it in such an accessible place.

      Kitty is always spying. Must work for Homeland.

      Delete
  4. Your weekend sounds horrible Jane, but I am happy to hear Elle and your neighbours brother are both OK now. Your quiche looks good!

    Take care Jane!

    Madelief x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have a KitchenAid and they are incredibly heavy. Elle must be black and blue but what a trooper to resume the pastry lesson. Your guardian angel looks quite cute :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She wasn't going to let the pastry go to waste she said.

      Thank god.

      I'm sure she is black and blue. the gash is on the top of her foot, where it bends. Ai yi yi.

      Delete
  6. Two trips to the ER in one weekend is unfathomable!

    That said, i love, love, love to make pastry. There is absolutely nothing that makes me more satisfied than that. Glad you enjoyed your lesson. Now, if only it weren't so fattening so i could have it more often. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to watch people make pastry. Some day I hope to achieve the state of satisfaction you feel.

      Well two trips for the block, not for me, I just give solace and find rides.

      Delete
  7. That thing with French women not getting fat? It is portion size, I'm convinced. And absolutely no snacking. And what dramas chez vous!! Eek - I am pathetic with blood! Xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So is poor Elle. Luckily one still can look pretty while crying at 22.

      I'm a florist. I have to pretend bleeding doesn't bother me.

      Oh good, it's almost Valentines. Another massacre waiting to happen!

      Delete
  8. I can't wait to make a pate brisee. That looks awesome!

    How does one accidentally cut their wrist with an exacto knife?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? He was cutting a 10" fiddle leaf fig out of it's plastic pot and when the knife hit the heavy plastic rim it snapped and wedged itself in his wrist.

      He did have a good sense of humor about it and remained very calm.

      I wanted to start shrieking but also remained calm.

      Today, so far so good. Knock on wood.

      Delete
    2. I mean a very large fiddle leaf fig out of a 10" wide pot.

      Delete
  9. I can't imagine how she dropped the Kitchen Aid on her foot. Why was she lifting it? Never mind, it was worth it, hmmm just look at the bubbling yummy quiche. Tres magnifique!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep, make that kept, it on the bottom shelf in the cramped laundry closet, with a drying rack in between the two, she tried to maneuver it around the rack and down, It didn't work, It was a very loud crash. Shudder.

      Delete
  10. What mixed emotions! Drooling at the pastry making, cringing at the cuts and bangs. (If Elle is going to show you how to make those divine pastel-coloured macaroons then I'm on the next flight over!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's how the weekend was here! Drooling, crying, cringing, eating.

      Almost relieved to go back to work tomorrow.

      Delete
    2. And she does make the macaroons....book a ticket and let us know your time of arrival!

      Delete
  11. That is a beeeeeauitiful picture of your guardian angel!

    S
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  12. You get the best roommates. French women don't get fat because they Marcher touts le temps. And probably portion size is a factor. She's a trooper, Mlle Elle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She is a trooper. When her friends and family found out, after commiserating, they all wanted to know how the Kitchen Aid was....I think they're pretty indestructible.

      Delete
  13. I'm smiling. Baking, and stitches, and all the other oh-so-American experiences for your carefully chosen roommate. Stitches and a boot sound like the lucky end of the encounter with the Kitchenaid. You already know how much I love your kitties.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are correct, I'm surprised no broken bones!

      Welcome to the USA.

      Delete
  14. Holy cow, never a dull moment for you.
    (I hope you don't have a mandolin.)

    I'm interested in the clementine cake (love all things citrus) and I've never made my own hummus. Tips?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used the smitten kitchen hummus recipe, she riffs on Paula Wolfert's. It's a sure fire winner.

      i will get the clementine recipe, It was a lovely, dense, sunny cake.

      Delete
  15. Well Jane,
    for us Denver fans, all of last night was one giant trip to the ER! :-(
    Kidding aside, hope everyone is OK now. The quiche looks "tres delicieux."
    A bientot,
    Diane in
    Sad But Sunny Denver

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denver must be shrouded in a cloud of sadness.

      go get some tulips!

      xo

      Delete
  16. The first time I read this I read "with a towel wrapped around his WAIST" so I was having all kinds of visions of half naked neighbor men and could not understand what he was doing nakey with an Exacto knife. The second read through clarified things but then it wasn't quite as interesting!
    Love that you are learning to make pastry with a FRench cookbook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh god, and the visual just got worse:-)

      Now I need a translation for the recipes!

      Delete
  17. And the tulips and kitty are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sweet Lord what an eventful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Someone has put that curse on you "May you live in interesting times". Wishing you an uneventful time now, where nothing much happens.....

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh my... But at least you are not bored, boredom is the death of the soul, I believe. But I am wondering, how sharp are your knives??

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your peeping tom is precious! A nice touch after the horrible accident stories.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh my gosh .... and now she has Valentine's Day to contend with. Wow, having just read your post I am incredulous. It is nothing,nothing, nothing like that here. I'll be thinking of you!

    ReplyDelete