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!

The holidays are officially over but I still feel incredibly busy: Too much travel? Too much baking? Too much online shopping? Too much Lifetime Christmas Movies?

Fortunately over the holidays I discovered 2 new treats that are making Moi life just a little sweeter…

Torani Sugar-Free Salted Caramel Flavored Syrup - I’m always up for a Starbucks trip. Recently I ordered my year-round standard (tall skim chai, extra shot, extra water, extra hot please!) SIL Katie ordered a sea salt caramel mocha coffee: how’d I miss that? Still missing NYCs posted calorie counts, I went online and checked the calorie count: anywhere from 220 to 450! So saved for special treats…

Then on a shopping trip to World Market I happened to see the Torani syrups, and noticed Sugar-Free Salted Caramel: voila! Now afternoons when I’m working at home I make my own salted caramel mocha coffee:

Salted Caramel Mocha Coffee

• 1 cup fresh hot coffee (I usually make decaf)
• 2 pumps Torani Sugar-Free Salted Caramel syrup
• 1/2 packet 25 calorie Swiss Miss instant hot chocolate

Sweet and salty and chocolatey – and less than 25 calories!

$6.99 per 250z bottle: and I like the convenient pump for a 1-time extra $1.99.

Marzetti Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip: niece Rachel came to visit, and gifted us 2 cartons of Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip and a big bag of pretzels: Uh- Oh! I held out for a week, but then I had to open the 1st container…huge mistake! So sweet and so salty and so creamy and so easy! I’m guessing it would be yummy with apples too…but so far I’m sticking to pretzels!

$3.99 for a 16oz container…but I’d buy 2…just in case!

Torani Sugar-Free Salted Caramel Syrup and Marzetti Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip…it makes me happy!

Moi Idea: I’m thinking I might try my nutella poundcake but with Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip in place of the nutella: this could be dangerous!

Christmas around the world: I’m watching Paris dress for the holidays.

This afternoon we shopped Passy Plaza and had to stop and mire the shimmering gold and white lights. It’s not yet Thanksgiving, but it’s beginning to feel alot like Christmas…

I like to snack on hard boiled eggs when I’m rushing but need to eat. Julie asked if I’ve tried Eggies. No, but I’ve seen them at the check-out at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Then Eggies were featured in a BBB flyer. Then an email. And since I was at BBB buying picture frames, and my friend Suzanne was coming to visit and she loves hard boiled eggs as much as I do, and Eggies were sitting right next to the cash register, why not?

Why? Eggies allow you to hard-boil eggs without the shell. Each package has 6 plastic egg shaped containers. You break 1 egg into each container, then boil as normal. Voila! Hard boiled eggs for a quick on-the-go snack, salads, stuffed eggs and other uses. Can also be used to make all-white hard boiled eggs.

$9.99 less 20% coupon I have 6 new Eggies, and an egg separator (which will sit unused in a drawer for a while until I finally throw it away).

btw… Eggies is also sold on TV and online, and the online site states that Eggies are not available in stores. Funny, because I know I bought my Eggies at BBB and I’m pretty sure that’s a store!

Hard-boiled eggs without the shell: it makes me happy!

I’m highly competitive, and love word games so I’ve been a Scrabble addict since I was a kid. When we lived in Paris I bought the Scrabble version Francaise to help expand my French vocabulary, but never mastered French spelling so stopped playing that game. Moi husband and kids have refused to play Scrabble with me for years. Now with Moi iPhone and iPad I’m a Words With Friends addict: I have simultaneous games going with a young mother in England, a Marine in California, a Canadian in France, and countless sisters, nieces and nephews, and friends across the US: even my daughter will play WWF with me. I play in bed, in the car, on buses and train, in planes with WiFi, in line at Target (and to the annoyance of TBG at the dinner table, while watching TV, and anytime or place I can sneak a peak at my iPhone.)So while searching for the perfect birthday gift for a young friend turning 10 this month I bought him Bananagrams: sort of a free-form Scrabble/cross-word game. For 2-8 players aged 7-97. I’m ensuring I’ll be playing WWF for years to come! Completely portable and with its own case it’s perfect for home or on the road. $14.95  Fruits games also available: Appletters and Pairs in Pears.

Friend me on WWF!

I’m not really an early adopter. But I am a big reader. So back in the 90s, with my first Palm Pilot (I hated cell phones, but with a job requiring travel and 2 kids and a husband: necessary!) I discovered eReader: I could download books to my Palm Pilot, and read them wherever, whenever. Back then the selection of e-books was pretty limited, so I pretty much read classics and trashy novels, which kept me entertained for hours on planes, trains and automobiles…and subways, buses, doctors’ offices and cafés. I adjusted to the small screen easily, the only inconvenience was I had to download the books to my computer, and sync my Palm Pilot to load the books, so I had to plan ahead. A small inconvenience with a huge payoff.

screenshot of my iPhone: outdoors

Fast forward 15 years, I was gifted the brand-new cutting-edge Kindle  e-reader (OK, I bought it myself, wrapped it, and handed it to TBG with instructions to gift it. But still…). And I was happy to spend all my spare change on ebooks at Amazon.   Then, I graduated to the iPhone. And the Kindle App. Could life get any better? Yes, in fact it could. This Christmas TBG gifted me the iPad, and he thought of it all by himself.

Kindle: outdoors

The first app I downloaded? The Kindle App, bien sur! So I could be reading a book on my iPhone, Kindle and iPad: wherever was convenient. And some magical mystical amazon internet god saved my place and let me open my book to the correct page, whichever technology I was using. And I can download a book from anywhere, nowadays even planes are offering WiFi…for a price.

Kindle and iPad side by side: outdoors

And so you ask, why do I continue to use both the iPad and Kindle to read? (The iPhone is easy: it’s always with me!) Blame the sun gods.

iPad outdoors: see the palm trees... behind me!

You’ve probably read alot about the e-reader glare factor. If, like moi, you read outdoors…or in the car…, sun glaring on your e-reader screen converts that screen from a reader to a mirror. I’ve purchased the adhesive glare screens for my iPad, and while they reduce the glare, its virtually impossible to be outside in the sun reading for more than a few minutes. So my Kindle remains close-by for dedicated reading, and my iPad is ready for multi-tasking.

Kindle and iPad side by side: indoors

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!

We’re slowly adjusting to the 90° temps and dripping humidity of SoFlo in May: not complaining, just saying. Fluids, lots of fluids. Frappuccinos, of course. Diet Ginger Ale. But trying to keep it healthy and low cal, I was inspired by a Starbucks summer favorite and am now brewing my own green tea lemonade. Couldn’t be simpler, or cheaper… or lower calories.

Homebrewed Green Tea Lemonade Recipe

Mix 1 pitcher of Crystal Light Lemonade

Pour a mug of Crystal Light. Add 2-3 green teabags (I prefer decaffeinated). Microwave 2 minutes. Allow to cool, then pour back into pitcher.

Refrigerate, and enjoy!

The benefits:

• refreshing: a big pitcher is always ready in the fridge
• antioxidants: green tea is loaded
• fast and easy
• cheap

Moi tip: a few frozen strawberries make your green tea lemonade colorful and festive: for you or your friends! Some people (not Moi) like a few sprigs of mint too.

Moi tip encore: Make the lemonade with only 1/2 the water. Pour 1 cup of green tea lemonade and 1 cup of ice cubes in blender. Mix until slushy. Voila: frozen green tea lemonade!

Green tea lemonade: it makes me happy!

I had to go to the medical pharmacy down the street to pick up a prescription for my elderly aunt. Rather than return in 2 hours, I decided to wait it out; and cast evil eyes at the pharmacist to encourage him to quickly fill the prescription and get me out of this semi-scary place. As I paced the aisles one of the hanging displays caught my eye:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugles? I think not. I like sweet and salty. I like peanut butter and chocolate. But Bugles are the little cones we used to cap onto our fingers like weird witchy fingernails and eat while we watched TV: I’ll pass.

But then I had to pass the pharmacy again. And again. So I went in, plopped down the ridiculous $2.25 plus tax, and brought a bag home.

Almost. I opened the bag as I hit the sunny street, and stuck a finger in, just to laugh at my chocolate fingernail. And then I popped a Bugle into my mouth. O.M.G.

Poor TBG, he didn’t get to sample even one Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugle. Maybe next time…

Moi Tip: I discovered Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugles have a huge following: they even have their own FaceBook page! And you can get them alot cheaper: currently on-sale at Kroger for $1.25. Who knew?

I know, nothing more boring to read about than another cleaning product, but this one really gets the job done! A while back I shared with you moi obsession with Mr Clean Magic Eraser to keep my walls clean: I even packed a dozen in my suitcase and gifted them to Paris friends! Now, Mr Clean has topped himself:

This new kitchen sponge is embedded with grease-cutting Dawn and cleans up spots and messes faster than the original Magic Eraser. About $3 for a 2-pack. (hint: with use the sponges turn black and disintegrate, so stock-up!)

I use my Magic Eraser for the Kitchen to clean the kitchen granite counters, stainless sink, electric stovetop, my white kitchen cabinets, around the light switch, and for spills inside the fridge. I don’t like cleaning my kitchen: but with Mr Clean Magic Eraser my kitchen gets cleaner, faster. That makes me happy!

Moi tip: Save $3 by going to the Mr Clean Magic Eraser website and sign-up for $3 promotional coupons on Mr Clean Magic Eraser and even more on other products.