Bonjour everyone! Another week has flown by and I feel like I still haven’t gotten everything on my list done. Friday we got Thai food and the hubby handed me the fortune cookie message because he felt it fit me more. “You don’t have to take care of everything right now. Catch your breath!” it said. Here’s the thing…. I do and I haven’t. There are many things on my list to get done but there are many things on my list that haven’t gotten done. Some because it’s been too hot outside to work on outdoor projects or clean up, or worse it’s been raining all day long, or because I am just plain exhausted from my part time gigs. So much is in the works right now and we are in that limbo phase because we still have to meet with the French embassy about our visa applications (this Wednesday) then the wait for them to be approved. Then it’s the process of selling the house, getting things packed, getting the kitties sorted with their paperwork and lots more. I think once we are are there, in France, I will catch my breath. I’ll be able to start a new “le petite cottage” but now my attention is the current “le petite cottage” getting everything just so for the next caretakers.
So what that… I need to move to a bi-weekly newsletter for now. But think of all the things that will be coming your way! This is just until things get settled and we are in a good place for this MAJOR move & life change.
SAVE THE DATE: my next pop-up at Mount Hope Farm is Saturday, August 24th at the weekly farmers market. Bringing market bags, vintage finds, fresh flowers and yes a few furniture makeovers. (9am to 12:30pm)
Still deciding when our next yard sale will be. I think probably in September. I’ll keep you all posted on dates. I am also narrowing down our furniture sale list as I am giving all the pieces I plan to sell a “refresh” so they are like new for the next owner. Stay tuned for more on that.
French Pizza
If your garden is exploding with tomatoes like mine, this is such a simple and easy recipe to make. We had an abundance of cherry tomatoes growing on the arch in the potager (which I highly recommend growing them that way) and you can only eat so much tomato salad lol. So I came up with this… a French pizza of sorts.
Ingredients
1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry * (thawed)
2-3 Tbsp of good dijon mustard (I prefer Maille brand* )
1 pint of cherry tomatoes halved
grated gruyere cheese
salt & pepper
Instructions
preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper.
unfold your puff pastry and roll out to a 10”x10” square. place on baking sheet.
score the puff pastry with a knife to get a frame about a 1/2” from the edge. That part will puff up creating a crust. In the center section (inside the frame), use a fork to prick the base. That part will remain flat.
spread the dijon on the interior part of the puff pastry frame. this is your “pizza sauce”
place tomatoes cut side up in the center on top of the mustard.
top with grated gruyere ( as little or as much as you want)
bake for 20-25 min until golden brown
remove from oven let sit until it comes to room temp before cutting. I use a pizza wheel to cut slices. * Serve with a side salad.
Bon appetit!
Creating Cozy
We definitely plan to recreate the snug when we move to France. A cozy space with a little bit of a masculine feel where the hubby can relax & enjoy his collectables. It took 5 years before we did anything in this space. We threw a makeshift desk & chair for my hubby to have somewhere to work from home and a tv. Then it started to get a bit filled with miscellaneous stuff over time. It became the catch-all room which is never a good thing in anyone's home. So at the beginning of the year, I decided that the hubby needed a nice space that he could relax & work from if need be. So we cleared the room, repainted, added some new furniture, moved some existing furniture in, refreshed the decor and voila! But one of the smartest things we did was the window treatments. The only window in here faces south and gets full sun so it could get really hot in the summer. So we installed both a roman blind & curtains and they were both blackout lined. Because we keep both closed, this summer on those hot & humid days it's the coolest room in the house. In the winter months, it was the warmest. Blackout curtains keep the temperature in your room consistent & are a great energy saver. As energy efficient new windows are there are always small leeks here and there that let in the cold air in the winter and hot humid air in the summer. Blackout curtains and blinds help minimize that loss. Some of my favorite places to find pretty quality blackout curtains are Ballard Designs & Pottery Barn but they can get pricey. But they are an investment that pay off in lower energy costs. However I found my vichy check curtains * on Amazon and I love them! So much so I bought a second set for the dining room so I have a pair for France :) as for the roman blinds, these ones * from Home Depot are really easy to install and are well made too! Blackout curtains & shades aren’t just for the bedroom. Consider them for other areas of your home too!
Soupe de concombre
Again we have had a really good year in the potager especially for cucumbers and again at some point, a good cucumber salad gets old. So of course I start googling cucumber recipes and I came across the French cooking goddess herself- Julia Child’s recipe for cucumber soup. Now before you say- yuck. What I loved about this recipe was the fact that you can serve it hot or cold depending on what you are in the mood for. “Si flexible!”
It’s a great transitional soup from summer to fall. Here’s the link from Eating Well magazine with the recipe. You can also find it in her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol 2 * (which for some reason I do not own so I will need to remedy that asap)
This soup is best served in a shallow soup/pasta bowl. These Apilco ones * (one of my favorite French housewares brands) at William-Sonoma are classic with their beading detail.
Dahlia Dreaming
They say “Good things come to those who wait” but never say that to a novice gardener. I’ve been seeing people asking why their dahlias weren’t blooming in June on the local gardening blog groups and I just giggle. But patience with dahlias is what it is all about. Here in the Northeast, they are a true Fall flower and once they bloom the abundance of flowers they give is unreal. But patience IS a virtue and mother nature decides when she is ready to let them bloom. This is my French dahlia patch this morning. not a single bloom yet. Some plants are taller than others Some have buds that are further along and some don’t have buds yet. But I know that they will all be covered in beautiful blooms soon. Everyday I check on them to see how they are moving along, watering them, feeding them wishing them a healthy season. Soon I know I will be cutting, cutting and cutting blooms. But for now I’ll get excited with each little step they get closer to that day.
This is the fertilizer that I use for my flowers. * I like that I can add it to my water can and water it appropriately.
These are the flower snips we use at the farm. * They are great! I own a few pairs myself. Make sure you always disinfect them in between the flowers you cut. Simply keep a jar of water & bleach to keep your snips in. This way you grab one when you a ready to cut another variety.
Sunday Saves
Here’s some things that caught my eye….
11 Ways to Make Your House Sell Over Asking, According to Pro Stagers
How to Tell if a Home Trend Is Just a Fad or Here to Stay via Real Simple. I think stick to a few accents that are trendy is ok but go for timeless classic style and you will never be bored with your home. It’s why i am able to shop from our cottage moving furniture & decor from one room to another to create a whole new look.
My favorite skincare line was featured on the Rhode Show this past week. So happy for Brenda & Lela! If you haven’t been to the shed, it’s a must visit. But you can easily order their products online too. These are everything I use from them for skincare to lotions. *
7 plants to prune in August to keep your yard neat, tidy, and flourishing
Have you seen “Wicked Little Letters’ on Netflix yet? First of all it has Olivia Coleman (acting goddess!), it’s a period piece (1920’s- love those kind of movies) and it’s racy & funny at the same time. Plus it is based on a true story! Did you know you could be arrested & serve jail time for libel back then? OMG who wouldn’t be in jail if that were still the case now. Here’s the back story on The 1920s Libel Scandal Explained.
Are Britons and Americans still moving to France? Well I know one of each that are LOL.
If you have been following me on Instagram, you saw that I was cleaning the grout in the bathroom. OMG what a difference! I had so my people reach out for what I used: Here’s the grout cleaner and then this is what I used to seal it.
13 Genius 1-Ingredient Twists on the Classic Aperol Spritz to Try This Summer via Better Homes and Gardens
French Girl Makeup Tips, According to a French Makeup Artist
This French Grandmother Just Shared Her Simple Vinaigrette Recipe you will never buy store bought dressing again (just saying)
Sharing another tomato recipe with you as we are in tomato season: Tomato Tian. Best made in an earthenware dish like the ones from Emile Henry. My friend Molly has done a collaboration with them and you can get 15% off your first order using code MOLLY15. This baking dish is “parfait” for this recipe.
*Please note that some of the links are affiliate links including my Amazon shop where I do make a very small commission at no additional cost to you when you shop my links which helps me continue to provide this free weekly newsletter.
As always….Merci beaucoup for your patronage! xo- Jenna