grocery store...

I used to love the grocery store..
My grocer plays romantic big band tunes...
so you can walk through the isles singing Sinatra...

But now all I find my self doing...
Is singing LOVE songs to Chavre Cheese
Farmers Cheese
Sharp Cheddar
and various Yogurts...

Yes Kefir got a whole chorus...
and my eyes welled up by the deli counter,
I had to leave the family to order the sausages
with out me...
the deli guy looked hurt..
We always had such a nice relationship before...

The cracker Isle broke me up,
and then..
I got hopeful
and rushed over to the "flour isle" and looked
for..
ALMOND flour..
after quite the search I found a puny little bag..
so tiny..
it MIGHT have made 1 cup...
and I was near bursting into tears when I saw the price..
$12.89
SHOCK!!!
I stumbled back..
almost knocking into someone...
rush forward...
could it be?
yes...
there it was..
$12.89
I grabbed the cute little girl that IS my daughter...
and we rushed to the nut isle...
looking for blanched almonds...
a tiny handful...
(ok my husbands BIG hand)
was $5
two containers MIGHT have made
1/2 a cup...

SERIOUSLY  !!!!!!!!!!!
I hope I win Elana's BIG Giveaway!
and now I know...
I'll be having to order my almond flour ONline...
bummer..

so today..
the grocery store was NOT
the culinary delight it usually is..
it was sad and depressing.
because...
I am in love
desperately
in love
with really good food...
with excellent cheeses...
superbly fresh organic produce
(much of which is not on my list yet)
wonderful imported delicatessens
I love the way food tastes
the way the flavors burst in my mouth
the aroma of a dish
the art of cooking
and of preparing
and of displaying
I love texture and color...
to me..
FOOD is another Medium for with which I might create
and I feel
forlorn
....
but..
melons and greens were bought..
so ...
hopefully today
a green smoothie
will be made!

that might cheer me up...
:)

major REVELATION!!!!

LIGHT BULB!!!!!!!!
ever feel very very blond?
well, I am not blond..
but I just had a very blond moment...
how would I KNOW what one was?
I WAS blond as a kid...
I remember the feeling... the "aura"

anyway...
WAY off subject

REVELATION

I HAVE A VITAMIX!!!!!!
with the fancy dry BLADE!!!
oooo la la!

I can MAKE almond flour too!!!!!
I just need blanched almonds...
hmm now to find ... blanched almonds...
any thoughts?

The Vita Mix...

So I mentioned that My darling and much beloved
VITA MIX
was a bit under the weather...
right?

did that concern you?
most people who have ever heard of the
Vita Mix
think it WILL never stumble or get a little...
let's just say...
 under the weather..

But here's the deal with Vita Mix..
THEY plain old fashion
ROCK THE HOUSE!!!!!!

A machine is a machine..
made by man utlimately
it may have hiccups now and again..
it MAY need a little TLC
and that is why VITA MIX has what is known
as a WARRANTY!!!!!!
and they stick BY IT!

We called them up
after owning this machine some 3 years..
and they said to box it up and send it in..
and they fixed it,
and gave us a new container to boot!
I think they were concerned the thingy wasn't spinning right...
and it was upsetting the motor..
but they fixed the motor too!

So... there you have it..
NO other blender company I EVER worked with did that..
and can I just be honest with you..
NONE of them lasted 3 years...
I KILL blenders..
I do..
I blend...
I LOVE smoothies..
desperately...
and now that I am learning about GREEN for life
and the RAW FAMILY...
I think...
my life...
may NEVER be the same..
and JUST in time ;)

My Vita Mix was returned in PRISTINE condition :)
Vita Mix 5000 :)
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

I think I want to be one of those sales people ...
I really really do..
I LOVE Vita Mix..
and LOVE when they come to my local Costco...
I know the people who sell! ...
I think it's the BEST!
I've helped them sell why drinking their smoothies
right there at my local Costco...
I've even convinced neighbor's and friends to buy them...
really perhaps I OUGHT to get commission... hmm
anyway..
I didn't want ANYONE up all night worried about
my poor Vita MIX
it has been to Vita Mix "spa"
and has been returned  to me quite happy
and is back at home on my counter :)
with me..
and all my leafy greens...

;)  all is well in the Big Blue House! 
just IN case you were worried !

RAW family! check this out!

So we've had our Vita Mix a LONG time now....
But THIS information is FABULOUS!!!!!!  I never knew this!  and frankly
it all makes SENSE.... It adds up with everything else I have been learning..
I am so excited about this information!  I hope you are too!
I think I will be changing the way I use my Vita Mix...
and ordering THIS book ASAP :)  what about YOU?

Why isn't she sharing MORE recipes ???

Ah my beloved readers...
I am back from my little mini break...
We have been on a bit of a break
for medical reasons...

France was simply GRAND for our health...
all that FRESH produce each and every day..
all that walking
The wonderful markets...

Coming BACK to suburbia
in America HIT us like a ton of bricks
and my health began to decline rapidly...
I am a believer that we must put IN good nutritious foods
to get good results...
the old addage
garbage IN garbage out..
but sometimes..
PERHAPS you have been there..
families hit a crisis point..
and you just go INTO survival...
and anything IN seems better than nothing..
and you are flying (or rather we were)
from appointment to appointment
from putting out one fire to another...
and suddenly american fast food entered...
and our health grew for bad...
to worse....

All along we were trying to use our
beloved VITA MIX...
but something was amiss with it..
it wasn't functioning to its full and proper capasity..
and even though the offer the MOST amazing warranty...
we kept putting off calling them..
to take care of it...
how could we let go of our ONE health help
for even a few days...
gasp...
what if it took LONGER???

and so...
finally
after much prayer..
we went to YET another doctor..
and I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease...
I won't make this site ALL about my disease ...
I promise...
THIS IS my site about food...
food, beloved, food...
ways to eat it, enjoy it,
new ways to explore it..
and things we are trying ! ;)
But I must share with you,
my beloved readers...
from ALL over the world that this disease
requires serious changes in ones lifestyle...
and so I have been researching...

I plan on bringing YOU
New sites
New exciting recipes
things REALLY out of the box...
that will be utterly focused on WHERE
OUR family is at...

and where IS our family...
well....
at a culinary cross roads my friends...

A whole NEW world is opening up to me..
and I want to share it with you..
My diet is VERY strict..
but..
often when things seem to narrow,
when our palate of colors seems to be smaller...
is often when we are forced to be the MOST creative...

so I hope you join me
on this WILD
FRESH
CLEAN
WHOLESOME
very ORGANIC
quite possibly RAW
and even ? GLUTEN FREE??
who knows WHERE this will go...
but with a BLOG as DELICIOUS as this one..
as PASSIONATE about flavor as this one
you have to know...
it will taste gooood
and be good for you...

so ...
are you in???

almond flour...

could it be? 
Elana's Pantry may be the answer to my prayers!
ooo la la!!!!!!
so excited about this POSSIBILITY!!!!!!!!
culinary creativity MIXED with my humble health crisis
enter
the elegant ALMOND
strip it of its dark exterior
grind it into a powder
and you've got FLOUR!!
enter ELANA's Pantry!
and YOU too can learn HOW to cook
with this HEALTHY alternative to
the more bland
and traditional
gluten-e flours..
that are from grains..
the ones that I
am NOT allowed to eat from for right now..
so... check OUT this EXCITING LINK
because Elana's got a NEW cookbook giveaway..
who knows...
I might be the winner..
and cook things and share HERE my wonderful trials!!!
or YOU might be the winner
and be forever THANKFUL to me for telling YOU about
Elana!

cheese... french cheese... chavre to be exact

MISSING good cheese
is a terrible thing..
now here in the States we have
the glorious Cheddar..
yes, it can be.. or so I am told...
gotten in the UK
but it was next to impossible for me to find in France..
and we like it a whole lot..
but more than a nice white sharp cheddar...
more than baby mozzarella balls all dolled up in olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, roma tomato's &  freshly ground black pepper....
MORE than brie...
more, yes more than cambret...
and all of that...
shocking I realize...
But more than it all
is the lovely world of
Chavre
a gorgeous French goat cheese...
now I confess ours here in the States is good..
not NEARLY as amazing as the cheese man's
when I would walk to the market in Lyon every day to get a new little pat...
but ours IS good...
just..
well...
one OUGHT to be HONEST...
it isn't nearly AS good as ALL THAT...
all that back in France...
where they make it fresh every day or what ever...
so...
anyways...
I have had it plain...
just sort of smeared on crackers, or bread... warm french bread is the best..

I have had it rolled in cracked peppercorns and crushed garlic...
and all sorts of ways..
my favorite way to serve it
is what I call
Lovely Log...
(I will check to see if I have the recipe on here for you)
but basically it is smothered in
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
ooooodles of garlic (way way way more than your wildest dreams)
freshly cracked black pepper
tons of basil... chopped fresh (a variety, basil flowers too if in season!)
AND
ripe, rich, red tomato, chopped small and inviting you to feast...
along with finely chopped chives....
anyways.. thats about it..
it looks amazing..
it tastes amazing..
it IS amazing...
and you eat if on crackers or garlic bread crisps.... oooo ooo ooo

I also make a Volcano... that's another terrific recipe.. hmm
you eat it with tortilla chips! yummy

so
do you GET that I like... LOVE this cheese?
hmmm
Well..
this Friday night
my husbands company had their annual Company Christmas Party...
and there it was ... along with the standards... and some yummy exceptions..
there was your plain colby...\
there was a fun monteray pepper jack (love that spicy kick)
a plain chedder
a sharp chedder
a gouda
a swiss
a brie  (nice)
a blue
and Chavre rolled in something new...
dill and some other stuff...
so I carefully, gracefully slice a tiny bit off and smear it onto my cracker...
and take a nibble...
I chose a water cracker so my palate could just focus on the cheese...
I tasted dill... which I don't often like in that amount...
I tasted chives...
I tasted it then... spicey... spice-E wow!
BAM
what that was... I am not sure..
but I grabbed a plate and casually looked about and wacked off a hunk of THAT cheese...
snagged some crackers and went to sit and figure it out...

Claudia noticed...
she is a Blue girl...
she never heard of Chavre...
she grabbed some for herself...
she went back and grabbed some more...
then I did..

it was ....
delicious...
simply... and unexpectadly delcious

On a mission...
I must create a recipe to match
to equal
or surpass
THAT...
wow....

anyways...
just HAD to share :)