Breaking a Few Eggs to Make an Omelet

In France, you get 2 hours for lunch, and those who can go home to eat. This means, my husband and I  eat at home together nearly everyday. I love the extra time together, but sometimes I run out of a) ideas or b) ingredients! On these days, it's time for an omelet.

Omelets are deceivingly simple. For years, I would always set out to make an omelet, and then have to call it scrambled eggs by the time I had it on the plate. This is a nearly fail-proof method I've figured out over time. Granted, the Cordon Bleu probably wouldn't call it a true omelet, but it works for me!

Start by mixing eggs and milk and whisking well.

Chop your veggies. I had a zucchini and an onion lurking at the bottom of the fridge.

 Heat a pan with olive oil, and quickly sauté your onions and veggies, just enough to give them some color.

 Pour the egg mixture over the veggies (I added some walnuts in there too to give an extra crunch).

Here's the secret. Lower the heat to medium/low (depending on your stove), cover and DON'T TOUCH for about 10 min.

Add some cheese, if you'd like. I used a soft herb cheese.

Cover and cook on low (or just turn off the burner at this point) until just ready to serve. Take a spatula and fold the omelet in half. Cut in half (or whatever division is necessary per number eating) and serve!

Bon appetît!

The Longchamps Obsession

You may have wondered what I meant by my "fancy Longchamps" that I mentioned yesterday. Let me explain...

Longchamps. The ubiquitous French bag. Seen swinging nonchalantly from the arms of girls from Paris to Marseilles. It started off innocently enough for me, I got myself a basic black "sac pliage" that I used for years, and still use to this day, despite the holes forming in the corners (too many books/ computers/ market veggies stuffed in over the years, I suppose).

But then, somehow, the one turned into... many. So many different shapes and sizes!

I never strayed from my beloved sac pliage (the soft, fabric ones, they fold in on themselves for easy storage and travel... another reason to have extras!) until my husband bought me my "fancy longchamps" in buttery leather.

What, this isn't normal?

40's style

I found this vintage style dress at H&M last weekend; H&M perpetually confuses me. Some days, it's so full of overpriced, poorly constructed pieces that I just turn and walk out of the store. Other days, I find things like this. It's even lined in a super cute printed statin!

 

I spent years looking for the perfect pair of beige heeled boots, which I found last year at J. Crew, only to ruin them a few months later at my bachelorette party (leather covered stiletto heels + a dock + being blindfolded = shoe disaster!) I managed to revive them with a generous amount of shoe polish.

When I want to feel ladylike, I carry my "fancy" Longchamps bag.

Market day

Growing up, I loved going to the farmer's market with my mom. Today, I've grown to love the tradition of the French markets, which happen twice weekly in our little town.

I put off for a long time buying a market caddy, because I felt that they were for old ladies. When I found this super cute polka dot one, I caved, and my shoulders have been thanking me for it!

My husband's grandma always says, a true Norman meal isn't complete without some potatoes!

Fall in Normandy

My husband and I went for a late fall walk on Sunday afternoon. It was the perfect fall day- crisp air, a yellow sun and crisp crunchy colored leaves.

We even came across an ewe that had just given birth, so sweet.

It was pretty muddy so I put my Aigle boots to good use. A traditional must for wet Norman weather.

The weather was also warm enough to wear just a light jacket - I've had this jean jacket since high school! It has seen many different styling choices over the years... makes me feel very American when I wear it in France.

Jean Jacket, (really old) Gap; Sweater, Banana Republic; Pants, Zara; Boots, Aigle

Favorite French Things

Over the years, living in the US and in France, I've developed a list of favorite beauty supplies that I always keep on hand, no matter which country I'm living in. Not surprisingly, a grand majority of my makeup is French.

Diorshow Blackout mascara is by far the best mascara I've ever used. It gives me long, yet believable lashes. I bought the waterproof version for our wedding, and it was the only waterproof mascara that I could ever deal with.

Lancôme Tient Miracle foundation definitely lives up to it's name. Sheer enough to wear everyday, yet thick enough to cover what needs to be covered. Plus, it has an SPF of 15. 

Hard to see in the picture, because I used the baby sample bottle I use for vacations (my everyday bottle is not in blog-picture-worthy shape!) is Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse. I use this on the ends of my hair every time I wash. It's a magical mix of oils, and I like to pretend that it fixes my split ends. It at least makes them manageable! You can also use it on cuticles, hands, feet, face etc. etc.

YSL Vernis à Lèvres looks like nail polish but it's a lip tint. I have the vintage red color, a perfect dark pink that stays on for hours.

And it goes without saying that my perfume is French too!

My French Thanksgiving

My day in the kitchen yesterday paid off last night! I managed to pull off French Thanksgiving without a hitch. In full disclosure, I'm a vegetarian (yes, in France!) with a newly sparked interest in vegan baking, so I didn't have a turkey or anything to worry about.

I made napkin ring place cards by simply printing out our names landscape and making rings with double sided tape.

I set the table with plenty of pretty stemware, and silver candleholders that were passed down to me from my grandma.

  
 I wore a black and white color block dress with seamed black tights; love the retro feel.

Dress, Forever 21; Belt, vintage

And finally, the food! Style Me Pretty was one of my favorite wedding blogs when I was planning, and I will admit that I still find myself reading it. I was overjoyed to see that they had a Thanksgiving feature, complete with recipes. I tested a few of them out, and added my personal favorites. You can find their ebook with recipes and decor suggestions here.

With champagne, we had pear and goat cheese bruschetta.

Followed by an arugula salad with parmesan and cranberries,

The main course was lentil loaf with vegan gravy (recipe from my all-time favorite vegan blog, ohsheglows.com), brussels sprouts with caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes.

Of course, pumpkin pie for dessert. This is the vegan pecan crust recipe with coconut whipped cream, again from ohsheglows.com.

A certain someone wanted to know why he wasn't invited...

Joyeux Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! So far, I've spent my day in the kitchen, as is traditional. This is the first year I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my French family (other than my husband) so I'm a little nervous, but also really excited!

Anthropologie makes the cutest aprons. My mom got me this one for Christmas a few years ago.

A sneak peek of the decorations- I went all out, it is my French family's first Thanksgiving, after all! I made the banner from a printable I found here.

November details

Fall and winter are some of my favorite seasons to decorate for. Perhaps because the two go hand in hand, or perhaps because we tend to spend more time indoors and thus more time around my handiwork!

This November, I set about making a cornucopia. I used a spare piece of natural colored butcher paper, which I painted with a champagne gold paint. Some dried leaves got the same treatment. Mixed together with some leftover paper peonies that I made for our wedding, and a few baby squash from the kitchen, I'd say it turned out pretty well!

I used some gold leaves on our coffee table as candle decorations as well.

I have a small obsession with painting my nails. It's a small way to uplift my day and make me feel pretty! Recently, I've been getting into this nail art trend.

I did this look with a base nude color, and then lightly layered gold polish on the bottoms. I put on topcoat while the gold was still a little wet to get it to streak for a nice ombré/ gold leaf effect.

 Sally Hanson polishes in Café au Lait and Gilty Pleasure

Showing my stripes

shirt, J.Crew; shorts, Forever21; shoes, Nine West

The longer I live in France, the more stripes seem to creep more and more into my wardrobe. While this isn't the requisite Petit Bateau marinère (striped sailor shirt), I loved the mix up of colors and stripes.

It's definitely fall here, but it's been a bit on the warmer side lately so I decided to get the most out of my shorts by pairing them with black tights and a pair of of heeled mary janes that I've had forever.