Spring and Mad Style

C'est le printemps à Paris et il est fabuleux!

It is spring in Paris and it is fabulous! We are on spring break so our days are free, beautiful, and long! I've decided to take advantage of the weather, and freedom of schedules, to make it a point to explore something new in Paris each day. So far the days have been filled with lots of playing, bubbles, and sunshine! (and mad style on Elise's part...what do you get when you mix a 3 year old with a new wardrobe of skirts and dresses? see above...it's unfortunate that you can't see the black and green Santa socks worn with sandals!)

Monday we explored a new street in our neighborhood and window shopped. And to welcome in the vacance, we stopped at McDonald's for some french fries! Tuesday we went to a new park in the Sevres-Babylone area and meet some new friends for a playdate. The Jardin Catherine Laboure was a fantastic find and we had a great morning climbing on the playground and playing in the field. Then we took a bus across town to meet Brian for lunch. The bus ride itself was a fabulous adventure: we saw new churches, buildings, and water fountains that we had never seen before. We love riding the bus!

Today will be a quiet day at the market in the morning before heading off to the doctor for check-ups in the afternoon. Not sure what our "new" adventure will be for the day but I'm hoping something will come to us after our rendez-vous avec le medecin! We'll see what the ladies are feeling up to post-appointment. It may have to be home and naps...not that I'd complain!

In the cooking department, I made my first risotto last Thursday! Home-made stock and everything! The results were pretty fantastic and I'm super excited for the newest recipe to add to the collection. The risotto was a very labor intensive plate but well worth the effort. I made the stock from our collection of bones leftover from the Osso Buco we purchased the week before. It was delicious!

I'm also experimenting with different eggplant creations. Last night I soaked, fried, and baked the eggplant into a fabulous concoction that complemented our tomato, artichoke, and onion spaghetti sauce perfectly! I'm making some delicious progress on the eggplant; more on that to come!

It has been so refreshing to be in the kitchen with the energy to experiment, cook, and observe. I love trying new things and then eating up the results! As a working mom these last few years, although my desire to cook has always been there, my interest in being creative or learning something new was lost to playtime with the ladies or pure exhaustion from the days work/activities. I feel fortunate to have this time now to really explore and see what kinds of creations I am capable of creating in the kitchen. Plus, it's SO much fun! Ahh, to be in Paris in the spring and Paris in the kitchen! Does life get any better?