Salad Days

In these lazy, hot, summer days, where the abundance of fresh produce abounds, a good salad can make the perfect meal. There are infinite combinations one can put together to create a wonderful salad. But having a good vinaigrette to complete it is essential. Here are just a few of my favorite combos, so far this summer.




Early in the season I lightly steamed fresh peas & asparagus to toss with garden fresh lettuce & thinly sliced radishes. Below a combination of lettuces, tiny, multi-colored, heirloom tomatoes & lightly steamed, tender, yellow beans ( green beans would also be perfect ) is finished with lots of fresh basil.




To make an easy but delicious dressing, I cut up a clove of garlic in the bottom of a salad bowl & cover it with salt. Let rest for a few minuets & then mash into a paste with the back of a wooden spoon. Add one large spoon of vinegar to three large spoons of oil & whisk. That's it ! So simple & so good, any salad combination will be delicious.




Of course, the ingredients you use, will make all the difference in your sauce, as well as your salad. I usually use a good quality balsamic vinegar & a light oil for my dressing. This summer I have been using walnut oil, which is produced & made in this region. I do not usually use olive oil for this dressing, unless it has a very mild flavor.




Another of my favorite summer salads, here in France, is one with melon & walnuts. The melon here is sweeter & juicier than the American cantaloupe but I think a good ripe cantaloupe would do just fine. With this salad I like to use a raspberry vinegar for the sauce.




Sometimes, although salad is all you really want, there is still a need to have something hot. On just such an occasion, I created this hot potato salad. I quickly sautéed one large red tomato & one large yellow tomato with garlic in extra virgin olive oil. I added this to cooked & still hot new potatoes, which had been cut in half ( I used a combination of red & golden new potatoes ) & steamed tender yellow or green beans.




Finish this salad with the juice of a half of a lemon, salt & pepper, & lots & lots of fresh basil. Serve hot or at room temperature. So good & pretty too! What are some of your favorite summer salads?

Location:France

Storefronts

Well OK, maybe I won't have enough photos to keep this blog going all summer, from my one afternoon in St. Antonin, but almost. Here is my second installment of photos from that day. These are of storefronts, old & new.




Some old storefronts have been preserved, as they were, even though the business within has changed. This building now houses a Bed& Breakfast.




Some have simply been left to weather into a lovely patina. The cool, pastel green of this building is one of my favorites. Even the wood covering the windows & the cooper pipe have a beautiful patina.




But sadly, some have lost their true antique charm after being repainted. This storefront was one of the most photographed in the town before it was "restored".





I love this old photography studio, closed for many decades. There are still old faded photographs in the window, showing off the latest photographic techniques. It is as if one day, someone just closed the door, locked up the shop & simply never returned.




Just across the street you can sit under the cheerful blue awning of Le Gaspacho & contemplate the mystery of Studio Rene.




No matter what their history may have been, there is something most intriguing about these faded beauties. Don't you think?

Location:France

Happy 4 th of July

To everyone in the States





Hope you have a Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Location:France

Just a Word of Thanks!

Hello, everyone. I am so happy & wish to share my appreciation!




I would like to take this opportunity,
to thank everyone, who has taken the time to stop by my blog, so far, this summer.





I feel so fortunate. I have met so many interesting & talented people through blogging & I am honored to have so many wonderful people showing an interest in what I am doing.




I greatly appreciate all of your support. Your kind comments mean so much to me. So thanks everyone. I hope you will continue to stop by & say " Hello".





Happy summer everyone !

Location:France

Lunch at Eddie & Theresa's

Lovely swim! Lovely shade & cool breezes on an otherwise hot sunny day!




Good company! Beautiful ambiance!





Marvelous alfresco lunch!




Merci beaucoup et Bon Anniversaire, Theresa!

Location:France

In Praise of my iPad

I would like to take a moment to say a word about my iPad. I bought it just two weeks before I left the states. I had never had an iPhone or an iPod larger than a Shuffle, so this was all new to me. With the help of my son I hurriedly downloaded apps, books, & podcasts for my journey.





In the past I have carried English books with me, enough to last the whole summer. With books & art supplies taking most of the room in my suitcase, I pack very few cloths. I am a real lover of books. So the idea of reading on an electronic devise was not, I will have to say, very appealing. But I have been won over.
To save money I downloaded free books, classics, I had always meant to read. I started with Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov. I quickly remembered why I had never gotten through this book, all those long Russian names. However, with the iPad one can simply click on a name & be reminded of all the places you have already met a character. Amazing! And there is a dictionary too. With a click you can find any word you may be uncertain of. This really does change how we read.




As far as the internet is concerned, in years past, I had ridden my bike the 8 kilometers to St. Antonin. At the library there, I could use a computer for one hour, with a reservation. Although I love the library this was not a fast or easy solution. I still must travel the 8 k to hook up with wifi, but having the iPad makes all the difference. The door to the library is pictured above & just beyond, through the archway, is the cafe, where I now go to use the wifi & my iPad. For the price of a cup of coffee I can sit there all day. And best of all, I can download photos & publish my blog. So I would have to say that the iPad has been the perfect tool for this summer's communication. Plus, since it is so new, it has proven to be a real conversation starter.

Location:France

Old Doorways

I spent the day in St. Antonin recently & took so many photographs that I will be able to keep the blog going all summer, just from that one afternoon.
There really isn't any reason for comment, I will create little groups of like photos, & post periodically. These are just a few of the many old doorways one can see while strolling around the village.

Location:France