Lemons.... Shrimp Scampi. Pasta al Limone. Fresh Lemonande. Campari & Vodka with a twist of lemon. The front porch on a summer evening..... Lovely.

honey-lime salmon with confetti corn salad

Yes, I posted this dish last summer, and was reminded of it when I noticed that a blogger looked up the recipe and decided to make it again!
Confetti salad over salmon, so very fresh and light. The fresh lime juice really makes this salad perfect summer eating!
Ooopsie- here is the recipe!
2 tsp iime zest
1/4 C. lime juice
1 Tbls olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 - 4 oz salmon fillets
2 C. fresh or thawed corn
1 red pepper chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1/4 C parsley minced

Combine lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, honey, S &P in small bowl. Place salmon in large ziploc bag , spoon 3 Tbls of marinade over salmon and refridgerate.
Combine corn, pepper, onion, and parsley, add to this the remaining marinade.
Grill salmon for approx 5 min. depending on the thickness of salmon.
Let sit for a few minutes. Spoon confetti salad on top!
Easy and de-lish!

Happy girls! Yes, the color of the ice cream is frightening, but once in a blue moon is not going

to hurt! Ha ha!

Happy Birthday Sophia!

Ready for graduation celebration!  Yes, to all of our friends who traveled so very far

to get our children in China, these lovely little girls know how much they are loved!

It seems like yesterday that we were together, hanging on together , doing our best to

let these beautiful little girls know they were safe with their new families!

Oh the time....

pretty....

I've never been much of a rose fan, but they have grown on me, no pun intended!

The fact that they are in our side yard is nice, since our front yard is much less formal in style!

See what I mean, our front yard, so rich and full! We get to sit on our beautiful front porch

and take all of this in!

Still dreaming of France ....

Oh dear, the food in France, ahhhhh..... These scallops were perhaps the best I have ever eaten!

Could it be that it was where I was eating them?  Maybe so, but look how pretty, topped with a dollop

of whipped  mushroom paste, though very light, careful not to overpower those beautiful scallops!

Divine.

Our lunch this day lasted for 3 hours! Perfect amount of time , as each dish slowly and quietly arrives.

Each dish, a delightful surprise!

Foie Gras anyone?

 

Foie Gras: Delicacy of Despair?

Sometimes reading about how certain foods are made/created is best left to the palate!

While in France, this beautiful little (or not so little) plate of foie gras was divine....

A dollop of fig spread topped with lemon zest, along with some gently tossed greens

made for a decadent dish! This was only the beginning!

Ahhh.... France

It's amazing the simple beauty you find just wandering the streets.

Avignon is full of beauty!

Shhhh...... I will kiss and tell!

Who says the French are not friendly? They are very friendly, trust me!!!!

where to begin!

If you have never had a french macaroon, you are in for a treat! Where did we begin in Paris? Why with dessert first! These little treats are so beautiful, so divine beyond words. As you can see one has to taste every little one! Aren't they so beautiful? Rather weren't they so beautiful? This is only the beginning! Just wait! You will be booking a flight straight away! I know that next year we will go back , John will run the Paris marathon and I will be running to the closest patisserie! Wouldn't you???? Ahhh.... reason to travel, food!

Food and fun in the city of lights

France is more spectacular than I ever imagined, especially for a foodie like me. The freshest of ingredients, the most inventive preparation and spectacular presentation make this a foodie paradise.

Today I went to the Place D'Aligre market in the 12th arrondissement. Table after table overflowing with the freshest fruits and vegetables, fish mongers hawking treasures from the sea and vendors proudly handing out samples. Sweet, juicy mango's, so succulent, so sweet! Ahhh, heaven. Melons, brightly flavored-a bit of summer in my mouth.


A stop in the marche du formage converted me from a "stinky cheese" avoid-ee, to a stinky cheese lover-can you say "epoise" boys and girl? The same shop carried hand cured meats, fresh eggs and mousse au chocolate. Not to be outdone, the chocolatier next door stocked dragges, "tablets" (light or dark) studded with dried fruits and gelee's-made from super concentrated exotic fruits.

Of course the daily baguette was de-riguer, as was the glass (or 2) of red.

Coming up...the best restaurant in Avignon...stay tuned.

Yippee!

It has been a LONG time since I've blogged.... ooops, so sorry. I will be traveling to Paris and the south if France. Sounds fun right????
I am leaving my family behind ( just for a short time) and meeting my friend Jackie there! We have been friends for over 30 tears, she is hilarious , so imagine the fun we will have. Jackie told me she spoke fluent French , well sort of , with the exception of telling someone her husband was horney!!! How Jackie messed up on that was beyond me! She. Just laughs at herself and moves on. Should I be worried?
I look forward to blogging upon my return, oooooh, just think of the food! I can't wait!

this is where it all begins!

i

I love a beautiful table, an informal one for me though. The simplicity of white , with just a bit of color in the napkins , fresh flowers , and lots of candles!  Imagine it only getting better from here!
These beautiful glasses I purchased at the Gardeners Cottage in Asheville down in Biltmore village. A must go to shop. Libby, the owner, is so warm and lovely. She has some of the most beautiful things, from glasses, handblown glasses at that, fresh flowers, gorgeous plants. I could go every day and see something new. I think I probably did one week!
The white plates came from William Sonoma, my sister Sallie said there is nothing better than these dishes made in France! She was right, she's never let me down before!
Just though you might enjoy the beginning of a lovely night!

pretty!

Maybe some of you have already discovered these little gems, they are lemon plums. It's the first time I've seen them in the market, they are lovely. The perfect little treat after dinner, or anytime for that matter!

what's important.....

Anything, everything, little or big, becomes an adventure when the right person shares it.       ..... Kathleen Norris

see what I mean!!!

 Aren't these dumplings beautiful? They are melt in your mouth! Easy to make too! Let me know if you want the recipe. The sauce is the secret!

pork dumplings

My sister Sallie is a very talented cook, everything she makes is divine! While on my most recent visit to Austin, she taught me how to make dumplings! Yep, we made all of these! Ok, so I made 1 to her every 10, I just needed a little more practice! What fun it was! Top these with my brother-in-law Luu's sauce that's made with lots of fresh ginger and garlic yum-mo, it doesn't get better than that. That was only part of one meal. I came back to Asheville, feeling completely taken care of, as always, and ready to make some of Sallie's favorite dishes. .. What fun we had, lots of laughter, I can always count on Sallie for the reminder of what joy really is!

Yikes!

Wow, life gets busy, so busy that I forgot, sort of, that I would be away. Though, I thought I could still blog. Then things happened, I left my computer, nook, and other things that I thought I couldn't live without..... for a bit, I was freaking out that I walked out of the house without these things, but realized that I'd be just fine! Breathe!
Ok , I was only in Austin, Tx for several days, but still-you know what I mean!!
Long story long, have some great food pics, my sister Sallie is a fabulous cook. My brother-in-law Luu, is Chinese, (his sauces should be bottled) so the combination of the food Sallie cooked, and the sauces that Luu made were to die for! OMG! Yep, that good!
Will nestle in after a sister trip and do my foodie blog! Thanks for your patience!
Just a reminder and a tease , we will be in France in April, imagine...... talk about food to die for!

jumping the gun a bit!

I am so excited I can hardly stand it! Just wanted to share with my foodie friends that I will be in France, ok, not until April!
Imagine the food, imagine the food pics! Reason to go right?
We will be in the south of France in Avignon for several days, then back to Paris for a few days! What fun!
I promise to have food pics per usual before that...
If anyone has any thoughts about must eat places, please share!!

fashion over weather

We woke up this morning to a balmy 24 degrees! As you can see, our daughter is well prepared! All I can think of how is that winter hat going to fit over that HUGE flower!!! Too funny!

baked oatmeal

Ooooh, there were delightful smells coming from our kitchen this morning!
I know mornings are busy, sometimes too busy, so I put this yummy dish together the day before and popped it into the oven in the morning!
By the time you are done in the shower, you to can have this for breakfast.
It is a big hit in our family. Let me know if you would like the recipe! You won't be dissapointed! Did I mention only 10 minutes at most to put in together?

pretty little packages!

We had dinner with our friends Domping and Jie, these beautiful dumplings are the best I have ever had. Even better than the ones we ate in China! Although, that said, I have not had my sister Sallie's dumplings YET! She is a brilliant cook , so perhaps I can persuade her to make some on my next visit to Austin! For those of you in Asheville or pretty close Domping is happy to make them for you, for a party, or just an authentic chinese meal. I adore our dinners with them, I'm spoiled now and cannot eat chinese food unless they are cooking! Just let me know if you are interested and he will be happy to make them for you. Totally organic, whether you want vegetarian, or meat. You will not be disappointed. He's alot of fun to watch in the kitchen. One of the happiest people I know! We are so grateful for them in our lives, especially for our daughter who has been learning chinese from Domping's wife Jie now for 6 years plus! Oh , this lovely dish below is baby bokchoy with tofu. Yum!

lemon chicken

You hear from me all the time! EASY! Trust me about this one too!
This could not be any quicker or any more tasteful.
You may have also gathered , I am going through The Barefoot Contessa's newest cookbook 'how easy is that'. So there you go, this delicious dish is wonderful , serve on top of brown basmati rice, just to soak up all the
lemony / olive oil juices!

Serve with whatever vegetables suit your fancy! This time of year we LOVE kale , just cannot seem to get enough of those greens!

always start with fresh ingredients!

I don't know what it is about fresh nutmeg. I love the colors of it, ever changing as you grate it. Not to mention the flavor of it! This pretty little spice went into the bolognese sauce. Yum!

weeknight bolognese

I love this dish! You know those cold nights when you need comfort food? Well this simple pasta with a bolognese sauce is perfect. So tasty, how could it not be with ingredients like cream, nutmeg, and all the other yummies that go into making a bolognese sauce.
This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa's cookbook ' how easy is that', trust me, it is easy! Scrumptious too!
As always, if you would like the recipe just let me know!

Fun news!

Happy New Year! Just a bit of news to share with you, for those living in Asheville or close by, or simply go on line and take a look at Verve Magazine.
I was actually featured in an article! Very exciting, since, as you know, food is one of my greatest passions!
Check it out , it's fun and Jess did a great job writing the article! Matt, the photographer was great fun to work with, but if you're anything like me, I am never thrilled about having my picture done! But we had great fun anyway!
Thanks Jess and Matt!