bonjour au paris!

oh don't mind me, just spending an afternoon in paris, waiting out a quick thunderstorm in our airbnb rental in the marais. we've already been to two cafes, had plenty of rosé, and now we're gearing up for dinner. next time i write, it will be from north america! craaaaaazy. oh, and we had to say goodbye to dylan. dislike very much.

one final belly rub for our favorite great dane.  

the skies were blue when we arrived!

the view from our apartment. 

and yes, i've already had a pistachio macaron from pierre herme. i mean. whattttt. so good.

sad to bid farewell to our french adventure, but can't wait to be back in the states. see ya on the flip side!

zee perfect omelette

since we've been in france, i've been obsessed with perfecting a breakfast omelette. we are big egg eaters, and usually do some variation of eggs and veggies in the morning, but omelettes always struck me as super fancy and difficult. maybe it's something in the air, but i think i've finally nailed this elusive oeuf dish (yes, it' much more fun to call them oeufs instead of eggs. just say it out loud and you'll get it). so break out your nonstick pan and give it a shot!

zucchini omelette (for one)

- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or butter)
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 eggs
- 3 slices of tomato
- 1/4 cup of diced ham (optional)
- Avocado (optional)

start by buying a kilo of zucchini at the grocery store for about 50 cents because july. then choose one and chop it up.

heat up about a tablespoon of the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the zucchini along with a pinch of salt and pepper. sauté for about 8-10 minutes. i like my zucchini verging on burnt (don't ask), so if you like yours a little less well done, just keep an eye on it.

once it's done, take it off the heat and put it in a bowl for later. now you can assemble the rest of the cast of characters!

put the pan back on the stove with the other tablespoon of olive oil or butter and heat it up on medium-low heat. whisk together the eggs with another pinch of salt and pepper and then pour into the pan. if some ham tickles your fancy, go ahead and sprinkle it on top of the eggs and throw a cover on top of the pan for about 3-4 minutes.

once it starts to firm up, start feeling around the edges with a spatula to see if it's done enough to flip. freak out a little and take a deep breath. close your eyes, say a quick prayer to julia child, then remember that it's probably better to keep your eyes open, and just go for it. you just flipped an omelette, hooray!

once you've recovered from that anxiety, throw a few slices of tomato and the cooked zucchini on one half of the eggs.

it only needs to cook for about 30 seconds on this side, so once it's done, use your spatula to fold it in half and slide it out of the pan onto a plate.

give yourself a pat on the back for not ripping it on the way out!

add a little sliced avocado (with some salt because french avocados don't taste like anything at all and it's really sad) and a perfectly ripe peach or two on the side.

the last and final step is the most important, so pay close attention. eat outside on the patio of a french garden with a lounging great dane on the lawn beside you.

et voila! c'est magnifique.

our weekend was: the get me outta here edition

ok, i realize i will garner little to no sympathy for this post, but we are ready with a capital R to be on that plane back home. i'm hoping this week flies by, and for the love of god, stops raining (for those of you keeping track at home, we're now at 10 straight days of rain). if i can spend our last week back out in the garden, getting some vitamin d, that will make things a whole lot easier.

we were in desperate need of a trip out of town, but we didn't get our act together to leave until mid-afternoon on saturday. so we drove to beaune, which is a (wait for it) very picturesque little village about 45 minutes away, and walked around for a bit for a change of scenery.

just a castle in the distance as we were driving. because france. 

one great thing about being surrounded by so much wine is visiting beaune in the afternoon, and then drinking a bottle of local red in the evening. i still can't get over how cheap and delicious the wine is here... i guess it's "world-renowned" or something for a reason.

and it's bastille day today, so we're gonna go explore this evening to see how they celebrate! i'll be wearing my new french espadrilles which i purchased for 4 euros... at the grocery store. i mean, what a deal!

oh, and how about those germans last night?? so excited, but wishing i was there to celebrate!

what did you get up to this weekend?

thoughts for thursday: rain, gene kelly, and bikes

closing in on our last week here in semur, which is mind-boggling! our time here seemed to stretch endlessly ahead of us when we first arrived, and the days are long but the weeks are blurring together. yesterday, i took a shower, got dressed in clothes other than yoga pants, and put on make-up just to go to the grocery store for a handful of things. yeah, i think we're just not cut out for country living...

linking up again with nat and annie on thoughts for thursday! you should too!

it has seriously been raining here since friday. that's six days. not on and off, and not nice summer storms in the evening. it's been gray, rainy, and 50 degrees and we are going a little stir crazy. july in france feels a lot like november in new york! but this dreamy forecast for seattle is keeping me going... hopefully it stays that gorgeous for our three weeks there and we get lots of time out on the water.

the view from blake's parents' house... cannot wait to be on that deck!

just a little weekend drive

i never really understood what it meant to "go to the city" for a day trip when you live out in the middle of nowhere/a historic but tiny village in burgundy... until this weekend, when we ventured into dijon and were immediately overwhelmed by traffic, stores, restaurants, and other humans. so many of them! it felt like we were crawling out of a cave into the daylight. yes, that's right, two former new yorkers were overwhelmed by a city of like 150,000.

so overwhelmed in fact, that as we wandered around the main street, browsed in shops, and treated ourselves to sandwiches and macarons (hey, it was like a vacation!), that i didn't take any pictures. i was too excited and distracted by the fact that i found unsweetened almond milk at a grocery store, and proceeded to buy up their entire stock. woooo!!!

anyways, we took the long way home through the incredibly beautiful vineyards of burgundy. there's a road called the 'route des grands crus", which basically translates into the road of the great wines. it's dotted with villages and vineyards and is basically stunningly gorgeous. sadly, we didn't really have much time to stop and taste any wines, but don't feel too bad for us, as we're well stocked with local bottles at home. it was threatening to storm all day, but the rain held off long enough for a few pics along the way.

the perfect lunch plate

now, this might be surprising, but it turns out there isn't a chipotle, or a chop't, or even (god forbid) a subway within about 100 miles of our village. i know, right? what do people eat for lunch??

the thought of cooking a third meal along with breakfast and dinner every day seemed really overwhelming.  not to mention, lunch time falls right around the start of my work day, so i'm usually already set up on my laptop for the day. so instead, i've perfected the quick cold lunch plate. and i'm about to let you in on the secret.

ok, it's not really a secret (anymore).

a little cold rotisserie chicken (we buy about two of them a week); some roasted, salted almonds and olives with herbs; some chopped carrots and cucumber; a little dab of local mustard to dip it all in; and some incredibly juicy and perfectly ripe cherries for a little dessert. 

so that's the basic template, and it has protein, fat, and veggies to keep me full til dinner time. not super into cold chicken? try some prosciutto wrapped melon, or a slice of ham to change things up. add some cherry tomatoes or an apple and almond butter. the beauty of this bad boy is that it's all about what's in the fridge, and not about prepping and cooking a super fancy meal. note: if dairy and gluten doesn't make you feel like death, then some cheese and crackers would sure fit in awfully well.

et voila!

oh, and if you happen to have a macaron or two or ten laying around to snack on once you're done, that certainly can't hurt. sadly, they never last long enough around here for a picture. someday. maybe. probably not. 

feeling a little homesick...

i've been missing nyc like crazy the last few days. yes, we're in this beautiful french village, and yes, we're on this amazing adventure and i cannot WAIT to get to la, but it feels like we're kind of in this purgatory here.

this weekend, all i wanted to do was go back to our routine when we lived in new york. wake up in our apartment, go to yoga or for a run in the park, enjoy a long, leisurely brunch, walk around, go grocery shopping at whole foods, meet friends for a drink or dinner... i'm just missing normal, little things. things like:

sunsets in central park, looking at the west side.

a walking tour of semur-en-auxois

last thursday, while blake's parents were still here, we took a stroll from the village's main square that the tourism office recommends. it was about three miles, and it hits all of the major sites in semur-en-auxois. it also basically confirms the fact that we are living in a fairytale. a fairytale with a disappointing lack of kale and unsweetened almond milk, but a fairytale nonetheless.

here's some of what we saw! it's a lot like the upper east side of new york, as you can see... and by a lot like, i mean nothing like. still can't believe this is where we get to hang out for another three weeks!

five on friday: bbq season

of all the little luxuries that come from not living in a 500 square foot box in the sky, having a backyard with a grill is pretty high on the list. we've been using ours here just about every night, and it's the easiest way in the world to make dinner. chop some veggies, marinate some meat, throw it all together, et voila! leaves a lot more time for wine-sipping and garden-watering... you know, the finer things in life. linking up with lauren for high five for friday, here are five go-tos that we've loved making!

1. lemon chicken

this recipe was a mainstay back in nyc just on the stovetop, but it easily translates to the grill. the marinade keeps the chicken so juicy and it's really bright and fresh.

2. skirt steak with chimichurri

i'd like to have a gallon of this sauce in the fridge to put on everything forever and ever. it is amazing on scrambled eggs and just about anything else you can think of. oh, and skirt steak of course. we've figured out how to order skirt steak at the butcher now (after a few false starts), so this will be on the menu many evenings to come.

3. apricot mustard grilled pork tenderloin

ok, there are literally three ingredients to this recipe and it is DELISH. one modification i made was using a spice rub on the tenderloin (this one worked great), just to add a little extra oomph. highly recommend making this one asap! we had it with grilled zucchini, peppers, and cherry tomatoes.

4. grilled green beans

or, shall we say, haricots vert? i'm loving that french green beans which are $10 a pound in the states are cheap and plentiful here. we've been eating a ton of them! this is my new favorite way to fix them - the shallots and the garlic really add a nice kick, especially with a little bit of char from the bbq.

5. grilled sweet potatoes

i love sweet potatoes in just about any and every form ever, and this are super quick and easy. oh, and yummy too.

i'm in the market for any other good recipes you might have up your sleeve, so please share!

our weekend was: the tourist edition

happy monday! all of the days are starting to blend together a little bit here, as the only thing that really distinguishes the weekend is that i'm NOT at my computer in the afternoon and evening to work. this was our first weekend here on our own, and here's what we got up to:

did a little sightseeing in the neighborhood. no biggie.

five on friday: life in burgundy so far

wait a second, how has it been a whole week since the last time i posted? wow! we have had our hands full getting settled here in burgundy, where we'll be hanging out for the next few weeks. for today's link-up (with april, natasha, darci, and christina), i thought i'd do a list of five things that i'm loving about our summer homestead.

1. there's a friggin cherry tree.

it is a 180 degree turn from our city apartment to be living a few kilometers outside of a village of 4600 people, with at least an acre or two of gardens and orchards. we are quickly learning the ins and outs of taking care of such an operation (blake has become the chief waterer, which is quite the daily task). but one of the many bonuses is that we arrived right in the middle of cherry season. oh, you'd like a few cherries to snack on? let me just climb the ladder and pick some instead of taking the subway to whole foods and paying $10 a pound for them.

2. this sweet pup

this is dylan! she's the reason we're here, taking care of her while her parents are in the states for a few weeks. she's the sweetest, gentlest, most sensitive dog i've ever met, and i adore her. she is mostly low maintenance, except for the fact that twice a day, we drive her across the village to a park so she can poop in her preferred spot. this is not a joke. also, she speaks three languages, so she's smarter than both of us.

3. working. with a view.

i'm back on the clock these days, but working from noon-ish to 9pm-ish, so that i can catch up with my east coast clients and colleagues. big fan of that schedule, and an even bigger fan of this view. parking myself on the patio, soaking up some sun, and getting so much done in those hours before everyone else is awake is kind of a dream come true. also, no subways to deal with. and i haven't put on make-up in a week.

4. allez les bleus!

so i'm a HUGE world cup fan. growing up in germany, it's taken very, very seriously, and i am pretty torn between rooting for germany and the us (god help me when they play next week). now, of course, we also have to cheer for france! tonight, they play switzerland at 9pm, so we're going to ride bikes down to the village, set up camp in the brasserie, and have some local wine while we shout "allez les bleus" with a terrible french accent.

5. one more trip to paris

it's only an hour-long train ride away, and i am daydreaming about spending one more night in paris before we head to the airport. i totally fell in love with the marais, the neighborhood we stayed in, and all i want is one more evening spent with a bottle of wine in a sidewalk cafe eating steak frites. merci beaucoup!

blake's parents are coming to visit this weekend for a few days, so i'm excited to explore more of burgundy! and i'm excited to be posting more, now that we're here and settled.

bon weekend a tous!

five on friday: paris pics

i'm beginning to think we might not leave paris... we've really adapted to a tres french schedule:

wake up late, leisurely stroll to a cafe for a croissant et cappuccino, sit in the sun for an hour, continue strolling until we're hungry again, find another cafe to drink a glass of sancerre and eat a baguette avec jambon et fromage, then hit a patisserie for a macaron and some creme caramel to eat by the river, come home and take a late afternoon nap, then finally head out for some steak frites and another three hours of people-watching and wine-drinking until hitting the hay around midnight. it's ideal and it's how i want to spend every day for the rest of my life. ok, maybe for the rest of the summer.

for this week's five on friday, here are five of my fave pics from the last few days here in the city of lights!

eiffel tower selfie zomggg

handstands across europe: the tour continues

seen on a bridge

at the luxembourg gardens (#bighairdontcare)

paris peonies. swoon.

one more day, then we're off to burgundy for the rest of the summer!

paris, je t'aime!

we woke up this morning in the most adorable teeny tiny 3rd floor flat in the marais and i still can't quite believe this is real life. we got a bit of wandering in last night, and once i figure out how to cook us some breakfast in the world's smallest kitchen, we're headed off to see what we can see (and eat and drink everything along the way).

a few pics from last night's beautiful sunset along the seine. pinch me.

europe: one week in

so we've officially been on the road for one week today, and have checked london and two places in germany off our list. right now, we're in heidelberg, which is where i went to high school, and it's been so fun to walk down memory lane here! we are packing up this morning and heading to the train  station - next on our list, paris! can't wait to get there. i fully intend on doing more in-depth recap posts for each of our stops, but with spotty internet and temperatures in the 90s (while staying in an air conditioner-less apartment), my heart and attention span just aren't in it quite yet. for now, a few pics to tide us over.

(note how we've really upped our selfie game from london to heidelberg. i think we'll really crush some paris selfies...)

trafalgar square

the few minutes of sun we had in london

big ben!

blake's first german summer beer

the castle in heidelberg (where i had my prom!)

did you see the castle? it's right there.