Today, February 2, is the national holiday La Chandeleur in France, a Catholic feast honoring the Virgin Mary. Tradition says that the Pope offered crêpes to pilgrims who came to honor Mary. And the French have been eating them ever since. Today all of France is dining on crêpes, the very thin rolled pancakes with delicious sweet or savory fillings. Crêpes are easy to make at home – and even easier with the ready-made crêpes I shared with you last year – but this year I’m introducing you to Moi new favorite neighborhood crêperie, La Crêperie.

To be totally honest, TBG and I passed this resto countless times before finally going in…we just assumed it wouldn’t be what we wanted. Were we ever wrong: its exactly the type of neighborhood restaurant everyone wants to have:

• easy walking distance
• casual authentic food
• inexpensive menu with a good variety of options
• and, its a French!

Living in Paris we were always lucky to have a crêperie within a few footsteps, plus outdoor crêpe stands are easily found in many Paris neighborhoods. Living in St. Louis, we walked to City Coffee and Crêperie, and then in NYC we literally lived above Artopolis, featuring crêpes and gelato! I guess we thought it too good to be true: but once again, a charming and authentic crêperie right in our neighborhood.

On our 1st visit to La Crêperie we took niece Rachel, who was a little reluctant to go to an “authentic” crêperie: we’d taken her to Artopolis, and she loved the more creative pizza crêpe. Inside, La Creperie is dark and crowded (everyone in the neighborhood discovered it before us!) but charming and reminiscent of a 3rd or 4th generation crêperie in Brittany. She was a little skeptical of the menu, but TBG and I were enthusiastically discussing the beer, wine and cider menu: this crêperie was the real thing! After explaining that fromage crêpe was basically toasted cheese on a pancake Rachel chose that, while I decided to order the soup a l’onion gratinee and “share” Rachel’s fromage crêpe and TBG’s jambon et fromage – and a HUGE platter of pommes frites.

OohLaLa! Accompanied by un verre rouge and un bol cidre – and a diet Pepsi for the child – we were very happy indeed. But saved a little room to share a Banana Sara for dessert: oozing with banana, chocolate, caramel and vanilla ice cream.

the details

Bon Appétit!

Most ex-expat Parisians moan their loss of French cheeses, many still practically unheard of in the US. Personally, while j’adore le fromage Francais, I find the cheeses at specialty stores – such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and other gourmet shops – and the cheeses from my local farmer’s markets do a pretty good job of satisfying my craving for fresh, rich, indulgent cheese.

Until recently, the same couldn’t be said of yogurts. While many Americans jump off the plane and head straight to a Parisian street market or the local fromagerie, I headed straight to the Inno or Monoprix refrigerated section to indulge in richy, creamy, tangy French yogurt. While I  would readily have risked confiscation by smuggling yogurt into my luggage, I sadly feared 9 hours on the plane (plus 2 hours waiting for my luggage to bump down the belt) would curdle or liquify the yogurt.

Why French yogurt? I’ve always been a yogurt lover, but prior to my 1st trip to Paris I thought yogurt was overly-sweet, bright blue or red, lumpy, and pudding-like. More like a snack or dessert: good but not a meal. Back in the day I even bought myself a yogurt maker, and with a little plain yogurt starter I made my own plain yogurt and sweetened it with honey, fruit preserves and wheat germ (who’d heard of granola back then???) But lack of time (and counter space) due to family, job, house and dogs eventually buried the yogurt maker.

But now, Greek yogurt is firmly ensconced in the US and my craving for rich tangy yogurt is satisfied. Chez Moi I’m a huge fan of Fage, and TBG prefers the slightly sweeter Chobani. But this week, TBG made a grocery run and as usual, he didn’t stick to the shopping list.

And brought home Cabot Greek Yogurt. We were familiar with Cabot Cheeses: we love the American brand, always buy their cheddar. But I didn’t know they’re now making greek-style yogurt. Its rich, creamy, tart and a little sweet. Perfect with my morning berries and granola.

Yes, I’ll still buy Fage. But when I find only Cabot Greek Yogurt in the fridge I’ll be looking for a spoon, not my car keys.

Bon Appétit!

• Fage Greek 0% Yogurt: 17.6 oz $6.99

• Cabot Greek-Style Plain Yogurt: 2lbs $5.99

• Chobani Fat-Free Greek Yogurt: 32 oz $5.99

NOTE: Dairy prices vary widely by region. I’m in SoFlo now, so your prices may differ. For the best price, try Target or Costco.

Greek yogurt: it makes me happy!

I spent last week in Berlin shopping, eating and just generally relaxing with my friend The Antiques Diva. Since I’ve been to Berlin many times already sightseeing was not on our must-do list (although our 3rd travel friend Stacey is pretty confident I never have been sightseeing in Berlin, or I’ve just forgotten every monument and historic sight we passed). As we visited in late November I was lucky enough to enjoy the beautiful city of Berlin all dressed up for the holiday season. And as my photography skills never seem to improve, I was lucky that The Antiques Diva shared her photos with me…and now with you.

Of course we visited Berlin’s glamorous department store KaDeWe, not once but twice

and enjoyed the early sunsets  window shopping around the city.

Stores were dressed for the season

We chanced on holiday shop Käthe Wohlfahrt, which we’ve visited many times on trips to Rothenbourg ob der Tauber

And though the famous Berlin Christkindlmarkts didn’t officially open until the day we left Berlin, we were fortunate to visit a Christmas market at Potsdamer Plotz that didn’t read the official holiday calendar, with plenty of wurst and sauerkraut, glühwein, potato pancakes and stollen (I carried a stollen home with me to Chicago for our Thanksgiving brunch!)

Auf wiedersehn, und Frohe Weihnachten!

Fall is in the air: pumpkin spice lattes, chai teas, deep-dish apple pie and maple syrup: all the sweet and spicy flavors we associate with the changing of the leaves. And for me, speculoos cookies. Normally I bake my windmill-shaped speculoos cookies for the holidays, but I start craving them once the nights start to turn colder. So a few years ago when I discovered Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Spread at Monoprix in Paris, I began hauling jars home. Cinnamon, caramelized sugar, ginger, cardamon: my favorite sweet and spicy flavors.

Much like my other favorite Nutella, I’ve found lots of ways to use speculoos spread:

• as a dip for apples
• spread between 2 shortbread wafers for a yummy sandwich cookie
• slathered on hot toast or pancakes

Living in NYC, I got lucky: The Wafels and Dinges truck not only came to my neighborhood at least weekly, but they also sold their own version of speculoos spread. I bought 4 jars before we left NYC!

And now, Biscoff Speculoos Spread is at my World Market! I checked: you can also order it thru amazon.com, or directly thru Biscoff. I hear you can also find it at Walmart, but I haven’t seen it yet.

Moi note: I’m a loyal Delta frequent flyer, probably because they pass out free packs of Biscoff speculoos cookies! And if you’re really nice, the flight attendant will give you two!

Every August we start to hear the question: Is it OK to wear white after Labor Day? Mais oui! In fact, as I’m writing this its a sunny 42° September morning in Chicago, and I’m wearing white jeans and long-sleeve black t-shirt. However, it is time to switch-out my summer white Furla bag for a Fall bag.

Last week TBG had a short trip to London, and while normally I’d finagle my way to go with him, the trip was so short I didn’t even consider it. Due to international travel hassles, TBG arrived at Heathrow nearly 3 hours before his flight, and after a touchy-feely British TSA invasion, he ended up with nearly 2 hours until boarding time. How to spend a few hours in the airport: shopping at Harrods, bien sur! So when the cab brought him home Friday night, Mignette and I were downstairs to greet him. The first thing out of the cab: a giant shiny green Harrods bag. For Moi.

In the bag: a new bag! I scored a new black Jimmy Choo hobo bag, light weight with lots of interior pockets. (Apparently it was also available in plum, but no returns to Heathrow!) For the last 6 days my new bag has stayed in its Harrods bag, decorating our bedroom floor, but this morning I decided to make the seasonal bag switch. (Yes, I use other bags throughout the season, but I always have a go-to bag ready each season. And btw: I do have a winter-white bag I usually use around the holidays.)

So I dumped the contents of the Furla onto the bed, anticipating a quick switch to the Jimmy Choo. Even I was surprised at a few things I found on the bed:

• a folded up stack of $20s: $80. Who knew?
• 2 iPhone earbuds and a charger: apparently I fear going into iPhone withdrawal
• 3 different bottles of eye drops
• about $4 worth of change: no wonder the bag was so heavy
• a fan, and battery operated pen-fan: I was using the bag in SoFlo, so that makes sense.
• 2 containers of migraine pills: both with pills (on my trip to Boston in July I had the containers but no pills: and a migraine )
• lipgloss, eyeglasses, empty eyeglass case, tide-out, Altoids, hand-creme, plastic hairclip
• reusable plastic shopping bag (which Trader Joes would probably like me to use)

Naturally no wallet or sunglasses: they were on the dresser. But not bad! The change is heading to Starbucks for a “free” chai latte (tall, skim, extra water, extra hot) and the $20s are my little secret…TBG never reads my blog.

Note: I didn’t ask, and I haven’t checked, but I’m guessing it would have been cheaper for me to fly with TBG to London than his airport shopping spree.

I love riding my bike, but even as a kid my bike was primarily for transportation rather than recreational. School was over a mile away, and no bus service, so I when I was a grown-up 4th grader my bike got me there in 10 minutes versus the 30 minute walk…and I had a messenger bag slung across my shoulders when they were still called bookbags! During the summer, my best friend Carla and I rode our bikes 3 miles downtown to the Palatine Public Library – then a big old renovated house – for afternoons reading in an upstairs corner where no one ever bothered us, and to Janies or Benjamin Franklin for 25¢ bags of candy.

Biking in Holland

Later living in the suburbs with a family a car was a necessity, and bikes relegated to family nights cruising the neighborhood or hauled to the forest preserve to cruise the bike trails.

When we lived in Europe, TBG and I started taking 7-14 day bike trips through different regions of Spain and France and Italy, and riding our bikes around the Paris Bois de Boulogne (or taking our lives in our pedals and trying to keep up with the peloton at the Hippodrome!) Then we moved to Copenhagen, and bikes became an integral part of our daily life. TBG biked 5 kilometers each way to work. I rode my bike to the grocery, bank, public library, parks, and all neighborhood errands. We not only had baskets on our bikes (which I have always had and TBG has always mocked) but we also installed saddle bags to haul home our packages. The car sat in the drive way, and we became a part of the very organized, dedicated bicycle lifestyle.

Biking the Val de Loire

Back in the states, bikes became recreational once again: although possible to use a bike in NYC or Chicago as a means of transport, neither bikers nor motorists seem willing to adhere to the rules of the road. Bikers rightfully claim that drivers literally run them off the road, but the bikers blow thru stop lights, weave between lanes, and take short cuts down the sidewalks. Its a battle out there!

In SoFlo I think its even worse: along with all the other dangers, you have narrow winding scenic roadways which both bikers and motorists love to use and abuse. We frequently see large tours of bikers riding A1A, wearing all their official Tour de France gear, 3 abreast at about 15 miles per hour: so its impossible for motorists to pass, and encourages motorists to cross lanes in blind spots to get around the packs. However, if the bikers ride single lane, motorists try to squeeze past them frequently running them off the road and causing severe injury. No one follows the rules. And everyone blames the other guys. But it can work: we lived it in a country where a biker running a stop sign is heavily ticketed by the local police and a motorist not yielding the right of way to a biker could lose his drivers license.

Biking the Camino de Santiago

But still, we persist. We love our bike rides both in the city and in the small towns along the coast. So we forge on, fearful but enjoying the scenery and the exercise and the fresh air too much to give in.

Clearly we’re not alone. Last month USAToday ran an article about the increasing popularity of bike-sharing in the US. We’ve enjoyed renting bikes in the bike-sharing programs in Paris (Vélib’) and Copenhagen (City Bike) with our visitors, and now can easily enjoy biking in cities around the US.

In Miami Beach, bike-sharing is sponsored by KLM: love the tulips on the baskets! (Note the baskets: convenient and chic. KLM is the official airline of Holland, the world’s tulip capital!)

The DecoBike Miami signs, where you also rent the bikes, display area maps, biking tips, and some nearby attractions. (sorry, must be 18 to rent a bike!) With over 1000 bikes available, we easily find them available for rent around South Beach. The first 30 minutes is free, and you can rent by the hour, day or month. For visitors, prices range from $14 a day to $30 for 3 days – or just borrow for 30 minutes at a time: for free!

The basket is perfect for carrying your purchases…or Mignette!

Don’t know where to find a DecoBike? There’s an app for that! Or follow DecoBike on Twitter or FaceBook for the latest Miami Beach biking news.

I confess: I watch almost 100% of TV on moi DVR. No commercials, and I save 18 min per hour. But last week I was forced to watch something live, and during a commercial I looked up from moi iPad and was immediately transported back to my Paris life.

Long, slow hot summer days in Paris: sitting at a sidewalk café sipping a café glacé, strolling by the Seine, (and later lounging at the Paris Plage) joining the que of tourists on Île Saint-Louis for a Berthillon ice cream: j’adore glace Caramel-Buerre-Salé, although some prefer the glace caramel.

But every day, running errands in the neighborhood or looking for a quick cold break – this was before the 39 Starbucks arrived in Paris – we’d duck into a boulangerie or parapharmacie or drougerie with a bright blue cooler on display and cool off with a sweet and sticky Magnum ice cream bar.

Rich vanilla ice cream, deep dark Belgian chocolate, sweet and sticky caramel frozen on a take-away stick: I love the Magnum Double Caramel.

Magnum is readily available throughout Europe, but until now they were not sold in the US.

Moi tip: check your Sunday paper for a $1 coupon

Not sure when I’ll get back to Paris, but for a few moments on a hot summer afternoon, je mes souviens.

bon app!

I like travel. And food. And books. And best of all, combining all 3! Having lived in Paris for 7 years and last year traveled and tasted my way thru India, my friend Suzanne – another adventurous traveler and food sampler – gifted me the book The Hundred-Foot Journey – A Novel by Richard C. Morais. I had too much going on to do more than read the accolades on the back cover for the 1st few weeks, but then I had time to open the book and drift into other worlds and flavors.

The Hundred-Foot Journey is a culinary travelogue from India (with a quick stop in England) to France. J’adore the contrasting colors, smells, sounds and tastes of both these fascinating yet so extremely opposite countries. The writing is exceptionally good: the words evoked tastes and smells I’ve missed these past months, yet simply and clearly and charmingly written.

the food markets of Udaipur

In fact, for the first chapters I didn’t realize the author wasn’t in fact Indian: he’s a well-traveled white American! I hadn’t read the author bio.

The plot is simple: a young Indian boy and his extended family of restaurateurs in Mumbai experience tragedy and travel first to England, then settle in the fictional Alpine village of Lumière in southeastern France, where his taste buds and cooking skills have a gastronomic collision, then fusion as his gift for cooking propels him from country kitchens to Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris. My love of both French and Indian foods had my appetite in over-drive as each page introduced Hassan to new insights about his ancestral cooking and discoveries about his adopted country’s cuisine.

Tea at the Ritz Paris!

The only thing missing: recipes! I’ve been spoiled by the autobiographical stories Under The Tuscan Sun, Lunch in Paris, The Sweet Life in Paris, and so many others that not only share the authors story, but also share their favorite recipes! This sent me off in search of Indian cookbooks (I have many French cookbooks, see some favorites below). I finally settled on Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking… and a reservation at a nearby Indian restaurant.

Moi tip: The Hundred-Foot Journey is perfect for book clubs! And why not bring an Indian or French dish to share while talking. The author’s website, while not providing a reader’s guide, provides commentary and life stories about his inspiration for the book that will be sure to keep the conversation going. And a surprise: the book may soon be made into a movie!

Moi tip encore: I have alot of French cookbooks, but there are a few I continuously return to:

French: The Secrets of Classic Cooking Made Easy by Carole Clements and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen

Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

Je Sais Cuisiner: I Know How to Cook by Ginette Mathiot translated by Clotilde Dusoulier

and my new favorite:

Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

bon app!

We’re in Chicago for a few weeks: yes TBG and Moi are officially crazy. When we took Mignette for our morning walk by the lake it was 23° with a few snowflakes circling our heads. And it was 84° in SoFlo.

But the sun was shining and the skies were blue, and with the fireplace flickering it was a perfect day to stay indoors, working at a table next to the window enjoying the view of the lake and the skyline. Until it was time to bundle up, run out the door, and head for a book signing at the Hotel Allegro with David Lebovitz.

I don’t know David but I’ve been following his food blog and hysterical tweets for a while. He arrived in Paris about the same time we left, and we’ve never crossed paths. I’ve made some of his recipes from his website, love the frozen yogurt, but never bought one of his books.

Today there was an added incentive: David’s book signing was sponsored by Spice Islands (he’s their new Flavor Explorer) and all proceeds from sales go to benefit the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance. So, off I went. I bought a few books, had them autographed and enjoyed a quick chat with David, bundled up and returned home to start dinner as the sun began to set. Hmm, 2 hours til dinner and feeling a bit chilly.

Hot Chocolate!

I had all the fixings, plus I’d just been gifted a bottle of vanilla extract from Spice Islands. I had a can of Pierre Marcolini Madagascar chocolate from a recent trip to Brussels. So I whipped up a single steaming mug of chocolat chaud, and topped it with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

And sat down to enjoy The Sweet Life in Paris.

Thanks, David.   À bientôt!

I’ve been fortunate to have visited Vatican City several times, but I took advantage of the opportunity to see Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art at a special exhibit at the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum.

The over 200 pieces of Vatican Art on display can be easier to appreciate out of their natural setting: everything in the Vatican is so oppulent and overwhelming. As a traveling exhibit with well-written signage and an informative- if slightly boring – audio guide TBG and moi really enjoyed re-discovering pieces we’ve previously seen. For an art lover, or religious adherent, the exhibit is a wonderful introduction to the wealth of historical art in Vatican City; and the foundations of the Catholic religion. The 4 minute film introduction sets the stage for Vatican Splendors representing two thousand years of Christianity, and lays a foundation for the paintings, maps, statuary, documents, mosaics, stonework, precious metals and vestments, including:

• relics of Saints Peter and Paul
• reliefs from the the old basilica, replaced in the 16th century
• Bernini’s Two Angels sculptures
• a papal throne
• portraits of recent popes, including a life-size sculpture of the hand of Pope John Paul II
• the 1975 cast of Michelangelo’s Pietà

The Vatican Splendors is only exhibiting in 3 cities. It has already left St Louis and Pittsburgh: Ft Lauderdale is the final opportunity to see this stunning collection of religious artwork.

Moi tip: be sure to visit the exhibit’s gift shop. In addition to souvenirs of the exhibit, there are Vatican Library pieces seldom available in the US, including rosaries, jewelry and religious memorabilia.

the details: