Petit Clos Grande Opening (pas)

The trouble with committing to such a large undertaking like moving to a new country, renovating a 100-year-old farmhouse and turning 250-year-old barns into gites, managing a 50-acre farm, and trying to start both a chambres d'hotes and gift business at the same time,  is that it's really difficult to stay focused and what you had hoped would have been achieved by a certain date does not happen as scheduled. But, I guess that's life for all of us. Take, for instance, our planned "grand opening"of the chambre d'hotes on July 1. As we speak, Hank is on day five of digging a 100 meter trench so we can hook up to city water now that our well has completely dried up. He's gone through 2 mini pelles in the process as the first one we rented was just too small and he hardly made a dent after four days. Now he's upgraded and will hopefully be finished in 2-3 days digging 10-12 hours straight per day.

The good thing to come out of this unexpected diversion was that I learned how to tile a bathroom and I must say, did a pretty damn good job, if you don't count the fact that I had to do an entire section of wall over again because I didn't realize you had to match those suckers up at the corners. I was so tempted to say, "Ah, it's not that bad, is it?" But it was. See for yourself:

So, begrudgingly, I chipped the entire wall off, tortured my hands further mixing another batch of mortar and retiled. Voila!

Now we just have to hook up the plumbing for the clawfoot tub (ooh, i cannot wait!!!! - my first bath in over 6 months...well I mean, first bath in a tub other the thing we currently use and call the dog bath). That is, until I have to relinquish it to our first guest.

Back to staying focused or rather, not staying focused as I'm sure is becoming quite evident now, we really felt the need to do a project that gave us an actual visual reward (unless you can call repairing the stinky septic tank, pulling new electrical conduits or installing yet more drywall attractive). So a few weeks ago, Hank and Caleigh's petit ami, Theo, tore down the cinder block garage that used to block our beautiful view of the prairie from our front entrance (and cute little window from our kitchen). This job took another few days of Hank's valuable renovation time, but it was so worth it.

Unfortunately, our neighbors down the road rarely park in their own driveway since they have enjoyed using ours as a parking lot and turnabout for all the years our house stood vacant and no sooner had Hank opened up our beautiful view, were we "viewing" their and their friend's not-so-beautiful cars. Luckily, there is a solution for this and will just require putting up a nice wood fence up our driveway once the trench is covered and installing an gate (#12 on "to do" list) and thus, keeping the peace with our neighbors.

Another thing that came out of the garage demo was the discovery of some large concrete slabs, perfect for the base of a patio. One recent morning Hank used the tractor to move them to the front of our house and in doing so, he had to pull the wire fence aside and realized that there were some great old stones under the ground. So, he yanked them out and put together a semi-finished patio which just awaits for pebbles or gravel that we'll have delivered once we're ready to do the driveway.

Which brings me to the garden. I have really, really tried to keep it alive, but with the water issues and nonstop heat (it got to 110 degrees a week ago), it has really been a challenge. It doesn't help when Patrick stops by and reminds me that the plants need l'eau. "Je comprend, je sais vraiment," but there was a month or two when I was actually hand watering (i.e. lugging a 45-lb bucket that I had filled from a cistern) and that's not easy. Somehow I did manage to keep it alive and we've had nonstop lettuce, zucchini, basil, and just recently green beans and soon shallots and tomatoes. A little something I learned about the green beans though. I guess you don't let them grow until you can actually see the seeds popping through and they only have a short, 2-week harvest. "Shit, I mean, dang, why don't I know these things?" And what added insult to injury was at first I was so proud of my beans and took a bag over to Colette only for her to let me know that I'd left them on the vine too long. After lugging all that water for months, I was crushed, but according to Colette, I could still use them for some sort of mushy, soupy dish, or probably feed them to the animals, but I think I'll pass and pay more attention next year.

So, we're a bit delayed with our opening, but our upstairs rooms are ready to let out once the second bathroom is finished. Our dear friend and creative guru, Megan - http://www.springcreative.biz/ (hey, techie wizard that I am,  learned how to include links recently and why not plug a friend to my 15 followers I say) was out last month and has designed what I think is an incredible logo for Petit Clos. She also designed our brochure which I love, except for the fact that I'd like to swap out better pictures as more work is done. let me know what you think:

I'm still playing with our website and the same restrictions apply (waiting for a finished product and subsequent photos) as well as not really knowing what the hell I'm doing, but feel free to check out: petitclos.com (why not plug myself?). It is not finished so keep any expectations low and feel free to offer any suggestions.

Well, I'm heading off to a sewing machine repair shop with Colette to hopefully fix some problems with my Elna so I can continue sewing and participating at vide greniers and markets because at the rate we're currently going, we won't be open for business until August and there still is that nagging little issue about making a living. Hey, I've got an idea, how about taking a little visit to France soon my friends? 

Les Vide Greniers de Eté

As we near the finish line of completing our upstairs rooms in our chambres d'hote (bed and breakfast) with the hopes to at least tap into any overload from nearby inns beginning in July (yes, that is one week away and electrical and water are still being worked on as we speak), we have also begun the process of getting our gift line, or "Petit Clos Cadeaux" off the ground. When my mom was out in early spring, she had packed one of her suitcases full with pretty aprons and totes that she had designed and sewn to be sold when our little gift store on the premises finally opened. It was also my goal to bring the hand embroidered antique french linens back to life in the form of hand-sewn pillows and sachets. But, seeing that we're not widely known in the area yet, nor are we exactly located in the most heavily tourist-trafficked Rue (remember, our address is just the name of our house and Federal Express only recognizes it after multiple attempts which usually end up being delivered at our village's Mairie's office which is at least easier for them to find due to its closer proximity to the village's landmark artisan boulangerie), we decided about a month ago that we needed to begin participating in the local marchés and even "vide greniers" (french for village garage sale). Marchés were still sounding kind of intimidating for me with all their french professional vendeurs who do it every week in multiple villages and of course, speak the language....but vide greniers, hell, I just might be able to handle one of those as I'm sure I wouldn't be intimidated having a stall next to someone selling their priceless antiques alongside grandma's old slippers or their disney collection of VHS tapes. That's the beauty of vide greniers. There is so much great stuff waiting to be discovered amongst a lot of not-so-great-stuff and the best part is that it is an absolute requirement to negotiate. Something I'm still getting used to, but actually think I'm improving at and even discovering my own little strategic techniques..

So, I started slowly researching just what type of venue would be best for our products, just mentioning my interest of doing this to a few of our local friends, when one of them, Patricia, enthusiastically volunteered to help me sign up in the nearby village of Loubes-Bernac which we did. Thank God I had a local to guide me as we began at her hair dresser's (coiffeur) where we found out where to get the form, only to find it was down the street at Bridgette's gift store. Bridgette in turn informed me of all of the details that I probably only understood half of, and then we were off. Wow, I've really done it and now the money really should start rolling in right? Well, not exactly. Especially when I found out that his particular village wasn't holding their vide grenier until August and right then I realized that I had to get serious and began looking into other nearby vide greniers online http://vide-greniers.org/


The first one I decided to sign up for was in one of our largest neaby villages of Eymet and it was held a few weeks ago and after a fairly dismal start, we ended our afternoon with a decent profit. I mean, I'm still probably only clearing .25 an hour when you consider my labor, time and expenditures, but it was still exhilarating. People were walking by and oohing and ahhing and actually saying out loud how much they liked our things and taking our business cards. In fact, as luck would have it, one of those persons was the incredibly talented Leeann who runs the gorgeous chambres d'hotes and gift store in Eymet called Maison No. 20 http://www.maison20.com, but remember, you can only stay there if there is no room at Petit Clos! Nah, not really, especially if you prefer the village atmosphere over the country, this is one of the nicest self-contained B&B apartments I have seen with incredible attention to the finest details. Plus, her place has water and electricity so she's got that over us right now. Anyway, Leeann dropped by and took our card and as luck would have it, called me the following week with an order. I couldn't believe it. My first order! 


So as you can imagine, my confidence has slowly started rising and I thought to myself, "Hell, I'm going to try getting into a more specialized market, maybe the culinary based one they have in Soumensac over the summer." 

So last week when I went to the post office to pick up a care package filled with cheetos, frito-lay sunflower seeds and every makeup sponge applicator ever made on this earth from Teddy, I decided to ask the ever kind postal woman if she knew how one could go about participating in the Soumensac market. First off, as I stuttered my way through the first part of the question, she slowly and patiently spoke to me so I could understand. She then went next door to the Mairie's office to inquire for me and returned to let me know that it appeared that they were no more spaces left this year but that I could request a stall for next year. Well, that's okay I think (that is if we survive here that long), but she then proceeded to write exact instructions about who and where to address the request and offered to personally deliver it to the right person and perhaps ask if there might still be an opening. So, that's what I did this morning. Drafted my letter explaining who I was, how I wished to participate in the community and sell French & American inspired gifts relating to the kitchen (aprons, table clothes, napkins, etc.).  For some reason I didn't seal it and I ran over to deliver it, before they closed at noon. Thankfully, my buddy was there and smiled when she saw me, so I gave her a sachet in thanks and I asked if she wouldn't mind reading my letter. So, of course she does. I'm in the post office. The primary postal worker has literally stopped delivering the mail and began making some corrections, while continuing to assure me that it was well written. So, I buzz on home, make the corrections, buzz back to the post office,  return the revised letter and voila, it's done.


It still remains to be seen if they'll have me at their sunday marche in July and August, but I've done what I can and more importantly, made another few wonderful french connections in the process.

A Day in the Life

After having worked nonstop, 10hr-plus days, 7 days a week, today was just one of those amazing, kind of "pinch me; is this real?" days. I was sitting in my car waiting for Caleigh's school bus to arrive when I heard a tractor rumbling by only to see it was our friend Dominque who saw me and waved hello. Shortly after, a new acquaintance who runs the local hot air balloon tour company rode by on his bicycle saw me and again, smiled and said bonjour. Minutes later, a parent waiting for their kid pulled up and gave me a big smile. Of course, the late afternoon light made everything even more dreamy, but I couldn't help but feel that I was actually becoming part of this tiny french village.


Earlier in the day, I had picked up my girlfriend and neighbor, Patricia, who had offered to introduce me to the Maire's winery so I could buy a nice bottle of sparkling wine for our newlyweds arriving this coming weekend. Not only did she help me with this, but she also ended up gaving me 5 fresh trout from their lake AND an offer to help register me in an upcoming "vide grenier" (french village flea market) while she has her hair done this Saturday at the local coiffure. It just goes on and on with the kindness of our friends and neighbors and even though we have had some tough weeks with either bad news regarding water, insurance or an astronomical french electric bill, the good we have experienced far outweighs the bad.


Again, with barely a budget, we have been cranking on the house and finished the kitchen, living room, my office, and one of the bedrooms upstairs (did this while mom and Gary were in Italy). In the midst of all this, I've been trying to keep my vegetable garden alive with the help of a cistern that Patrick filled up with the mucky, animal water from another part of our property (unfortunately not potable or able to fill our well). It's great but requires physically filling bucket by bucket and hauling them 50-100 feet to the plants which can be physically exhausting. But, the results have been great, having fresh lettuce, basil, tomatoes, green beans, pommes de terre, etc.

Our latest challenge is the 2nd bedroom and brand new bathroom upstairs that we're trying to get ready for our first guests due to arrive this weekend. Thankfully, they are practically family and understand our work-in-progress setting, but still, I want everything to be as nice as possible. Mom and Gary have been prepping, spackling, grouting and painting, not to mention, mom going crazy over every brocante or vide grenier we hit. She's got a little hole in her pocket devoted to decorating and furnishing some rooms and with her taste and creative flair, who am I to stop her?

The film crew came out for their third and final shoot last week which was terribly draining as we were asked to reverse some of our progress so they could capture the renovation in sequence. Nothing better than recreating something that was finished weeks ago rather than actually try to finish a house that we hope to fill by next month. Luckily the crew were all very professional and kind and we had a great wrap party on the last night that I think we all really needed.


We keep getting asked why and how are we doing this and I can really only answer the why question right now because how we're doing this, I really cannot explain. We're doing this because we wake up every morning with a renewed energy and know that every ounce of effort we put into the renovation will pay more than just the rates we hope to receive when the rooms and gites are available to be rented.


We're doing this because Caleigh is blossoming here. Although it has not been an easy transition, she now has a strong grasp of the language and is making new friends as well as thinking about her future. We also get to look forward to two of her close friends from LA visiting us this summer.

We're doing it because we absolutely love France and the people and lifestyle and want to do our best to share this incredible culture with other Americans (and anyone else of course), as well as eventually offer French travelers a unique vacation spent with an American family in their own backyard (hopefully when we finally grasp their language). Maybe I'll make Connie's incredible homemade salsa and serve tacos for them or have a barbeque and watch a western movie under the stars :)


As we're rounding the corner of finishing Phase I, it finally feels like our initial dream has the potential to turn into a reality.

The Well Run Dry

Both literally and figuratively for us last week.
Just a week after the plumbing and electricity were in perfect working order in our brand new kitchen and I had gotten used to not running down the hallway with a bucket of dirty dishes to be washed, I was watering my newly and somewhat pathetic, still more-dirt-than-plant kitchen garden, when l'eau just stopped coming out of the hose. "What the hell?," I pondered. Surely there must be a problem with the hose because as far as I understood it, we had unlimited and free well water (puit l'eau). As it ends up, I was correct about the free part, but having experienced one of the driest Spring on record (and incredibly nice weather), the water table was dangerously low for those of us who wished to take a shower or flush a toilet that day which included my mom and Gary, Caleigh and the sweet exchange student, Tessa, who had just recently arrived from Belgium. Hank and I? Nah, by this time in the project, he and I were used to holding off because really, what was the point when you're just going to get filthy again the next day?
So, we definitely had a petite problem and we proceeded to call and contact everyone we know. We started with our plumber extraordinaire, Mathieu, who came to our house within minutes while on his lunch break to assess the problem. "Not good," he says, but says he will come back after work to see what he can do. We phoned Patrick and I actually left him a message in French which I'm sure was pretty interesting. But he came of course, because he has continued to prove himself invaluable in situations like this. I emailed Isabelle who informed me that we were not the only ones affected because that this had been an unseasonably dry Spring. Of course she offered her assistance in phoning the people at SAUR (the city water people that we had actually been meaning to contact the closer we got to completing the rooms and eventual gites), so she did. Then there was M. Coussy, who responded to my email within the hour offering further suggestions and recommendations and he even went as far as to send a local man over in case we needed a temporary cistern filled with water.
So, other than the not-so-nice woman answering the phone at the SAUR water department, everyone literally stopped what they were doing to help us on Monday. Fortunately, when Mathieu returned that evening after work, he had another brilliant idea and was able to lower our pump in the well so right now, we have water. For how long, who knows. We cannot waste in on things like watering the garden though, so I've resorted to using recycled water from the shower runoff or dishwater just to keep my plants alive. Who would have ever imagined me showering with a bucket or siphoning excess water from my sink? Like the local farmers, I just hope it rains soon.
Figuratively, our non-existant "well" of a budget was also hit very hard this week in the form of our first reading and subsequent electric bill from EDF. Ouch! We knew it wouldn't be pretty with the inefficient heaters cranking in 2-3 rooms all winter long. I also knew that I often cheated by doing laundry during the day AND using our dryer (although, sparingly). $822.50 euros (or $1200 dollars) later, I have learned not to fool around with electricity in France. As I research all of the available plans and figure out which one will be better for us in the long run, I am now washing my clothes and dishes the french way by programming the machines to run in the middle of the night and drying clothes on the line during the day.
Then that pesky "Securite Sociale" health insurance issue came back to bite us in the form of a registered letter informing us that not only are they still demanding $2264 euros for "insuring" us from Jan-March, they now want an additional $122 in late fees. It's kind of strange because when we applied for coverage, we thought that was what we were doing - applying - and should we choose to accept their plan, we would pay the necessary premium. Had we had any idea that we were committing to any amount that they deemed appropriate and that they would charge us for 3 months automatically even though we were not technically covered for 2 of them. Fortunately, we do have an incredible financial advisor who will help us dispute the charges so at the very least, get them reduced.
We ended the week speaking with our financial advisors in LA who have continued offering their support and have invaluable in turning our retirement pittance into, well, a little bit larger pittance. We are making more progress in the house and completed the living room and Hank plans to tackle the upstairs bathrooms next week while I get going on our website and figure out the logistics of selling my mom's beautiful French linens at the local markets until we are up and running as a B&B

Living room

Hank and his cerise tree

Oh, and did I mention that one of Patrick's horses had a filly last week?

What didn't we do last week?

It's 7am and another beautiful day is beginning and before it completely gets away from me, I wanted to give a brief update.

First of all, my Mom and Gary arrived a little over a week ago and were put to work immediately clearing old vine roots, gardening, setting tile, hanging cabinets, prepping paint, you name it. I still cannot believe how they barely let the 9-hour jet lag (not-to-mention, 7-hour drive from Paris immediately following their 13-hr flight) slow them down. I'm calling them "super seniors" from now on as they wake up ready and willing to take any and all tasks we throw at them and I'm sure they are going to need a vacation from their "vacation" soon. Fortunately, they do plan to go to Italy for a week or so and can hopefully relax and get their strength for Phase II.

Phase I having been just completed last Saturday when Hank was finally able to hook up the kitchen sink.  We still have plaster and paint touch ups to finish, as well as hanging curtains, decorating, etc., but we have a kitchen for the first time in 4 1/2 months! There's new electrical, plumbing, cabinetry, a sweet oeil de beouf window, and cathedral ceilings with exposed wood beams. Not only is it beautiful, looking almost exactly the way Hank envisioned it, it is surprisingly functional for it's size.  I still have to stop myself from schlepping the dinner dishes down the hallway into the laundry room sink out of habit or looking for plates and utensils in the living room, but given time, I'm sure I will eventually adjust.

We also began our kitchen garden after having hand "plowed" the the fields with the help of Patrick's rototiller. We have been fortunate to have him here to share information and give advise with just about everything pertaining to the maintenance of Petit Clos. He is the kind man who keeps his two horses and a donkey on our property in exchange for helping maintain some of it. But he does so much more really. When I voiced interest in having a garden, I'm pretty sure he tried hiding his disbelief that this city girl could do it so he generously offered his assistance that I readily took when he unexpectedly arrived the same afternoon that my mom was due to arrive. As I have learned by now, you must grab situations as they present themselves and in this case, he was offering his time and expertise so I jumped on it knowing that I would be a muddy mess by the time my mom arrived.


He measured and lined up our rows of tomatoes, green beans, pommes de terre (potatoes), eschalots, (shallots) framboise (raspberries), strawberries and radis (radish) with the precision of a professional surveyor. If I would place a seed barely outside of the line, he would be sure to relocate it to the proper place. My only regret about our method of planting was that it was nearly impossible to communicate to him that I also desired an aesthetically pleasing garden layout so this year it looks like I'm going to have to settle for a more industrial looking garden which is actually probably a lot more practical since we may seriously have to consider being self-sufficient on this farm if I don't get some work soon.

The week was also incredibly rewarding because Patrick also assisted us in setting our large burning pile on fire which in turn allowed us to enhance the view and roughly set up our "Sunset Plaza" dining area where we have enjoyed a few bbq's overlooking the grape vines and admire the incredible coucher de soleil.

We let the workers off on Wednesday and took them to La Roque Gageac, Beynac and Dome and after lunch, rented canoes on the Dordogne.

Lastly, we acquired our lovely brown laying hens. As usual, Hank and I found ourselves in a sort of surreal french farm situation when again, Patrick dropped by out of the blue and offered to take us to the property where he resides and the owner, a woman named Christine, assisted us in picking out chickens. First of all, while walking by rows and rows of caged pigeons, rabbits and chickens, I'm pretty sure that I complicated the transaction after attempting to converse with Patrick's girlfriend by telling her how I much I enjoyed preparing lapin (this being one of the few french sentences I was confident enough to sputter out since I had recently learned how to cook rabbit). She then tried translating what I said to Christine, telling her that we were looking for chickens to eat rather than laying eggs, which I then attempted to correct in French. By the time we left, all I sort of knew was that we had just purchased 5 chickens (for eating or laying, I wasn't quite sure), and that we had no idea of the cost (they would be charged based on weight and we would not know until the following week). Oh, but we knew they were brown chickens.

A few days later, Patrick came by with the hens and all I can say is they are not the cutest chickens in the world (having long, stringy and featherless necks), but they do lay some beautiful and tasty brown eggs. Of course, since acquiring them, I cannot help but notice everyone else's beautiful and brightly colored chickens roaming in their yards so the jury is still out on whether these will be laying chickens or eatin' ones.


So, today we are scheduled to go to our third vide grenier (garage sale) and hopefully meet up with some new acquaintances who run a B&B down the road. Tomorrow it's off to the big city (Bordeaux) to buy lots of paint at Brico Depot. I'm feeling like there is definitely a end in sight and looking forward to having some of our first clients who have kindly offered to be our first guinea pigs when they make their honeymoon journey from Paris to Spain sometime near the end of May.

The Paint Factory

For months now I have carried a stack of ripped out pages from Maisons de Campagne magazine and color samples from The Little Green paint company trying to fine tune the perfect shade to paint each of the rooms in the house, including variations of the chosen hue for trim, moldings, built-ins and doors. 


"This time, I'm really going to do it right," I think to myself as I pour through even more examples of the perfect French country decor. I have purchased and painted samples on the walls of every gradation of "gris suede" and similar grey/blues that Arlette suggested as well as the creamier, french linen whites and offwhites that are so fresh and inviting. I've  contemplated if I should try a lime, ochre, or tea-stain technique that I have read about on various websites and decorating books. And Hank and I have discussed (and argued un peu) on whether the texture of Venicien plaster would work best in the hallway and warrant the additional time it would take to apply.


To me, this is truly going to be the most rewarding part of the renovation because it will have such an instant effect and best of all, paint is cheap. Except of course in France. I'm not sure why, and I really ought to look this up, but most of the local DIY stores charge about 50 euros for 2.5 litres (about 1/2 a gallon). With todays exchange rate, that's just under $150 a gallon! And seeing that we're going to need beaucoup gallons, but do not have beaucoup d'argent ($$), I've been researching online and asking the locals where they buy their paint. 


Most people recommend Brico Depot or Leroy Merlin in Bordeaux and we have bought some paint at Brico that was more in the 30 euros per 1/2 gallon range. Better, but still not great. Then, we heard about a little place outside of Bergerac called The Paint Factory. 
"You can get about 5 gallons for 50 euros," said a British expat we recently met. Now, that's what I'm talking about and I then proceeded to take about 3 weeks just to find the damn place. First time we tried to go by memory off just her verbal description; the second attempt, I actually printed directions from mappy.com which were mainly effective in getting us lost (again) causing each of us to blame the other as we drove in circles (literally) around each and every round-about in Bergerac.  But of course, the third time was the charm with Caleigh by my side giving me directions and voila, I finally found the bloody Paint Factory.


I swear that the sun rays appeared to shoot down through the clouds and I heard angels sing, I was so flippin' happy. As we walked into the warehouse, I could see hundreds, probably thousands of huge containers of beautiful paint. Since the only sales guy was helping someone else, Caleigh and I proceeded to look around and try to locate the color samples so I can match my inch-thick paperclipped magazine pictures to them. Only problem was, there wasn't a sample chart anywhere and the only thing remotely close to one was a large 6' x 4' board with 8 colors on it. This surely couldn't be it. There was so much paint in this place.


By this time I'm wondering if there was possibly a different, special, "french" method of selecting paint that I'm not privvy too yet. Maybe they are just super hi-tech and the samples were on the computer? And then, part of me started feeling a bit awkward as more and more professional painter types had walked into the store and I contemplated just going back to Bricomarche and speak to the nice bilingual sales person and pay the 50 euros for 1/2 gallon. But hell, we were here and I just couldn't leave now without attempting to buy some paint. Once the sales guy was finished with the previous customer, he walked up and asked if he could help us.  My brain, obviously wiped out from making a dentist, an orthodontist AND a Prefecture's appointment earlier in the day in French went completely blank and I turned bright red and barely managed to sputter out that I was looking for paint samples. Caleigh jumped in and saved me and after seeing how embarrassed I was, the nice, and I should add, attractive salesman, kindly steered me into his office and away from some of the now smirking customers. He then explained that they did not have color samples other than the 8 shown on the picket fence example which included peche (peach), abricot (apricot) and vert d'eau (pastel type green that I'm almost sure the previous owners bought here to paint the hallway).


"You're kidding," I thought but did not say to him. "Oh, okay...then I'll take one 2.5 liters of satin Ivorie please," needing to buy something after all this effort and knowing that we could probably use it somewhere in the house for trim.


And so that's where we're at. My mom arrives later today and thank God she's great with color and can help me with translating the shade closest to the ones in my pictures when we go to Brico Depot next week to hopefully finally buy some paint.

Lapin Chasseur (Rabbit)

In an attempt to get the imagery or "taste" of last week's blog out of your minds, I thought I would share a recipe that my dear friend Colette taught me last week and I also thought it could be a perfect dish for the upcoming Easter holiday. Now, you've got to be willing to try preparing rabbit which is in abundant supply over here; but if your local butcher at Vons isn't carrying it this week, this recipe works almost as well with chicken. And since I'm not quite yet ready to buy the whole rabbit and have to remove the head (complete with a little face that resembles a bad facelift) and cut the rest into morceaux (or pieces), the following recipe is based on using legs and thighs, although if you can find the derrière, Colette swears that it is the best part. Lastly, although she provides me with her recipes in neatly written French, between the translation barrier and the fact that she typically ballparks the quantities of ingredients, you might need to improvise slightly to suite your taste (i.e. for the liquid used, she used a small bowl rather than measuring cup, so I'm guessing here). Although in this recipe, I have found that it is nearly impossible to go wrong. And better yet, it is really easy to make.


Lapin Chasseur (serves 4)


4 legs with thighs (or 8 pieces)
1/2 cup flower
1 T vegetable oil
4-5 Shallots, peeled
8 1-inch size sliced pieces of thick, smoked bacon (ou 2 doigt potrine fumée cubed)
1 Bouquet Garni with parsley, thyme & bay leaf
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken bouillon (or any other "aromatique" cube diluted in water)
1 1/2 - 2 cups dry white wine (Colette says Sauvignon Blanc is the best to use)
1 can mushrooms (champignons "de Paris")
4 - 5 garlic cloves without the germ, or sprout thingy removed to prevent bitterness...comme ça:

Heat the oil and saute the bacon and shallots for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan. 

Roll rabbit in flour and brown on all sides. 

Put bacon, shallots, rabbit and all their juices into a large pot. 


Add bouillon, wine, bouquet garni, garlic and heat to boil. 

Then add mushrooms and lower to simmer with the lid on and cook for 30 - 40 minutes. 

Add fresh, parsley and serve with steamed new potatoes or pasta. 


While we were preparing lunch, speaking half French and half English as we typically do, Colette entertained me with more interesting tales of her life. On this day she told me about how two German soldiers lived in her grandparents house a year and a half during WWII. I asked if the villagers were resentful as the French Resistance was very active in the area. 


"Oh, not really," she told me. My grandfather was the village butcher and he made sure to save the best cuts for the villagers (that the Germans later told him they knew about but chose to allow it because it kept the people from being more antagonistic toward the soldiers). He was also instrumental in ferrying the locals across the river to the village since all of the bridges had been destroyed.


She went on to tell me how she had actually done a little resistance work herself, carrying messages back and forth in the basket of her bicycle when she was only 12 years old. I can just picture her.


So, after my weekly language, cooking and history lessons, I headed home so glad that I took a break from all the nonstop work at home to enjoy some quality time with my 82-year old bonne amie.

.