Ramequins fondants au chocolat

I know that it seems like I am eating a lot of desserts in France from the postings. Well I have...how can I not, with all of the pretty cakes and treats lining bakery windows begging to be eatin. Today Eric had the brilliant idea to make this chocolate cake I've been drooling over since first taste. It's like a little lava cake with chocolate flowing with each spoonful. Soooo gooood! I'm probably going to make it everyday for gouter when I return. We've also been talking about doing something that involved a bit of exercise...I find walking around the city exercise enough though.

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Let the good times roll! Mardi Gras in France is kind of like Halloween for kids. They dress up and throw confetti all over the place....can't even imagine how difficult its going to be to clean up with this wet weather! So today we made a Saint Etienne specialty to celebrate....it's called Bugnes and my wikipedia translation compares it to Angel's Wings or a beignet. Oh and by "we made" I actually mean we made...I played an integral part in this Bugnes making process (proof in the pictures...not staged at all). They are so so good. I've had 6 already and I can keep going...but I won't.

It's becoming obsessive

My love for pretty desserts. Tous les jours (everyday) is something new and pretty and delicious. Notice the cute mini macaron accents. J'aime bien la France...and their desserts!

It's like Christmas!!!!

We braved the cold today to play in the snow. It's been snowing nonstop for a few days now and it has really made a huge impression on the city. It's so pretty...not that it wasn't pretty before, but I think fresh white snow makes everything extra nice. Belle mais il fait trop froid! (Pretty, but it is too cold). Here are some pictures of Parc de l'Europe in Saint Etienne. I got a little too excited and ended the day with snow in my boot. Pas bon. (Not good). Hopefully the sun will come out soon, but I can handle a few more days of this.

Happy Valentine's day! Joyeuse Saint Valentin!

I have a good idea

Just got finished eating a moelleux au chocolat caramel au beurre salé (basically a lava cake...but somehow so much better) before dinner! Goûter comes in the late afternoon after lunch and before dinner. Usually it's just something small to snack on before the dinners feast. But it got me thinking...how often do we really want dessert, but have absolutely no room for it after dinner. And when we somehow find room for it, it can't really be enjoyed because...well you're forcing it. Why not use goûter for dessert? I thoroughly enjoyed that cake and probably more than I would have after dinner....nothing was forced. I think that's a pretty good idea...dessert at 6pm. I haven't had dinner yet though, so it might be a bad idea. But on the surface, it's good!

Snow Snow Go Away

Come again another day! 3rd day of straight snow. Apparently it's the coldest winter in France in 25 years! Now I know in a previous post I said I wanted to see it snowing in the city. I take that back! Right now it's -7degrees C (19degrees F)! I'm cold just looking at the pretty snowflakes outside. We went out yesterday and quickly realized that was a bad idea (we got stuck on a hill in his voiture...life flashed before my eyes), so we'll stay in today and work on my French!

Here are some pictures of outside in Saint Etienne....I didn't actually go outside, I took them from the window...I did open the window!

A Tout a l'heure Cher Amis!

Foie Gras and Escargot

I'm going to say right off the bat....The statements on this blog are purely my own opinion! Escargot is not my favorite food in the world. I've tried it once before in San Francisco and I hated it....but since I'm in France I thought it only fair to give it a second taste. Outcome is the same. I wanted really badly to like it for one reason only. My brother (the pickiest eater in the world) tried it when he visited France and liked it. If he could like it, I surely could. Wrong! I think maybe I was thinking too much about it, being those little things that come out when it rains. I might have just psyched myself out as I pulled the curled up slug from its shell. That's one French specialty I probably won't be adopting. Pâté de foie gras on the other hand...I have really gotten to liking that luxury. I feel so French as I spread my pâté across my baguette. I can't really describe the taste (not a foodie) but its buttery and tasty....how I like all my food!

photo: http://karen.web.free.fr/st_e/shopping/escargot.jpg

Venice Day # 3

Here is our final day in Venice. Such an amazing trip, but I think it was time to go. Venice, you are beautiful, but très cher for me (too expensive).

View from Rialto Bridge.

Us on Rialto Bridge.

Cannoli Crema....Soooo good.

View from a bridge after a not so good lunch.

Rialto Bridge.

Rialto Bridge in B/W.

On the waterbus taking in the sites.

On the waterbus down the Grand Canal.

Same

I think this was the modern art museum.

Gondola drivers...tough guys considering how cold it was.

Island where we were able to see amazing views of all of Venice.

Venice Day # 2

Venice in the background...from San Giorgio.

On the waterbus.

Looking like a tourist.

Arsenal.

Laundry hanging.

Burano home, with leaning tower in the background.

Burano...famous for its colorful homes.

Burano.

My favorite picture.

Sun setting from the waterbus under Rialto bridge.

Venice Day # 1

As promised.....here are the pictures of our first day in Venice. The next days to follow. So day 1, we visited St. Marks square, roaming the Basilica San Marco and the Doge Palace. We also got lost visiting the different neighborhoods of Venice. It was pretty convenient, our hotel was right in between Rialto bridge and St Mark's square, so we were always able to find our way back to base.

Oh, on a side note...I'm in a McDonalds updating this blog. If you ever go to Venice and are thinking of buying a citywide wifi card....DON'T...there is no citywide wifi, so don't waste your money. McDonalds here is so fancy and clean!

View from Rialto bridge

On the waterbus. I love the concept, but those buses are really slow.

Near the Academia.

Venice canal.

Salvador Dali in Venice.

Salutida Vicenza.

Every street has this kind of view.

Gondolas.

On top of the Basilica looking down of St. Mark's square.

Same.

Eric enjoying the beauty.

Basilica San Marco...they're doing restoration on the church so we didn't get good pictures of the whole building.

These pigeons in Venice have a good life.

This is not the McDonalds we're at now!