News From France

More sushi... from last Friday...

2009-12-07T20:08:00.002Z

This was my dinner....

YUMMMMMM!!!

This was Alex's dinner...

YUM YUM!

Il Gelato, Paris

2009-12-07T14:03:00.005Z

Two of my students (for my cupcakes classes) recently opened a gelataria in Paris' popular Latin Quarter!

They make their very own gelato and I can attest-- It's the BEST!!! It tastes DELISH and if you are in the area... You MUST try it... They are even serving up baked goods, such as cupcakes... Which taste like my very own... After all, they learned from me!! Stop in and tell them Leesa sent you!!!

Il Gelato

65 Boulevard Saint Germaine, Paris

In addition to their DELISH gelato... they have YUMMY CUPCAKES, too...

Marsala, Sicilia

2009-12-06T21:31:00.005Z

In July of 2005, I went to Sicilia to visit a friend of mine... I had such a great time, I wanted to share some of these pics... I have a blog, Traveling in Italia, that you can look at if you are interested! I LOVE ITALIA!!! I hope to go back this summer or sometime soon to visit...

Me and Tam... bronzed by the hot Sicilian sun in the summer heat! It was in the mid - hi 80s during my stay!
Tamara and Gianvito (They make such a handsome couple).
Tamara and her beautiful smile.. We had cappucino's at her friend's cafe daily... or twice daily, even!!
And, I will NEVER forget her dog, Charlie, who had a great affection for people's legs, esp.. mine since I was staying at her place!! Ohhh Charlie!! You are soo cute but such a little bugger!!!

In the Old City, Lucca, Italia

2009-12-06T12:14:00.001Z

Lucca- Around the City...

2009-12-06T09:01:00.001Z

I'm posting my pictures of Lucca now HERE. Please feel free to come over and have a look!

On our last morning in Lucca, Lindsey and I took a very relaxing and picturesque walk around the city wall. It was absolutely beautiful and it was a great way to see the city and surrounding mountains...

Expat Interview with ME!

2009-12-05T23:10:00.001Z

I had forgotten about this interview that I did last year in early November... I was reminded of it when someone popped over here from the interview! Cool... Here it is, in case any of you are interested in reading about me... It's not super interesting but it's nice. Click HERE to read it.

Sushi in Antony....

2009-12-05T22:10:00.004Z

Is becoming a new weekly "Friday" tradition for us... It compares with the delicious sushi resto- Sushi House of Taka in Sherman Oaks - and the fish here is super fresh and great quality. Alex and I both love this place...
The Sushi Shop is a "chain" of sushi restos in France... it's not really "Japanese" in terms of a "real" Japanese sushi resto/bar.... but I do have to say that it has a varied many with PLENTY of choices... they use fresh fish that tastes really good... and they don't serve brochettes, like a lot of sushi restos in Paris that are run by Chinese or Vietnamese owners... Not saying that that is necessarily a "bad" thing... But, when I want Japanese food, I go for sushi... and try to get as close to it as possible, outside of going to Japan... This resto is more of fushion food, and while it's pretty to look at, I'm sure it's one of the trendy things to attract more clients.. BUT, it's YUMMMY... hands down..

Now, if I can only find some tempura and teriyaki dishes...

The Sushi Shop in Antony:

Sushishop Antony

www.sushishop.fr

12 Rue Auguste Mounie
92160 Antony, France

In Sherman Oaks:

Sushi House of Taka

4627 Van Nuys Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-2916
(818) 784-8777

More fall shots... mid November

2009-12-05T22:03:00.002Z

Fall - mid/late November in Sceaux

2009-12-05T21:57:00.000Z

Paris Wine Convention 2009

2009-12-05T19:54:00.003Z

Well, it's that time again! Time for Paris' annual wine convention, which is held at the Porte de Versailles. It was HUGE and it's really a cultural event for any non-French person.. to really SEE what different wine regions there are and the wine producers (viticulturists) who sell there wine here... Mind you.. it's not everyone.. but it seems like it really could be.. I think it's probably just a fraction, though.. Maybe someone (David) can help me out on this...

Alex's favourite wine region is Bourgogne. I don't have a favorite region, just give me a good sweet wine and I'm happy! I do really like the Sautern and the Vin du Paille... I bought 4 bottles of different sweet white wines... And, I don't even drink! Hehe!

It's hard to make a decision, sometimes! So many different wines to choose from.....

In attendance for the Wine Convention: Me, Alex, Justin, Jasmin and Sam. It was a fun time!

There are just too many wines to sample, so when you do ask for a "taste" you may be obliged to "dump" the rest into the bin at your feet in order not to get to drunk... Really, it's just a tasting, not a real "glass of wine," and you may not even like all the wines you taste, so just dump it.... Although, I did find it hard to dump a good tasting wine....

Look at all the PEEPS!

******************

A little cheese, too?! Wine and Cheese!

Of course, there are a few other things that can be found at a wine convention. Where would we be without a little cheese to go with that wine?? And, of course, you have to eat something, in order to not get totally blitzed.. A little bread to soak up the alcohol, perhaps...

And something sweet to go with that....

And now, back to the alcohol, the final scenes:

Interesting labels on the bottles, definitely NOT traditional but I liked the style.. Americans are more into labels, I think.. Some of us really know LESS about wine and so it's all about how cool or interesting the label is... that appeals to us... Hmmmm, when I was in Cali this summer, I saw sooo many interesting and original wine labels. I thought to myself, "Boy, you'd NEVER see something like this in France!" But, then again.. I wouldn't have expected to see something like the picture above in France, either!! They take there wine and labels very seriously here!

Mozart, L'Opera Rock - 29 November

2009-12-04T07:58:00.002Z

This was such a FABULOUS performance!!

Big Umbrellas! Dublin, Ireland

2009-12-04T07:54:00.000Z

Manarola/Riomaggiore

2009-12-02T19:22:00.001Z

I took these on our last day in Cinque Terre. It was a glorious morning! I am going to see if there are anymore pictures of CT that I have to post, but then I am ready to move on to Lucca and Pisa... Please join me here in the next week or two to see new pictures from my trip to Italy: Our Vacation Photos.

The Fresh Air Fund

2009-12-01T20:05:00.005Z

In case you haven't heard about the Fresh Air Fund, I suggest you take a look at their website HERE and learn what they are about. I first learned of them last year, when I was contacted by Sara Wilson, the Outreach Coordinator, to ask if I was interested in sharing The Fresh Air Fund with my readers. I did a blog post about this wonderful program and now I am posting again to let people out there know what a amazing program this is! The program is set up to provide New York City children from low-income communities with fun and memorable summertime experiences. It reaches out to the most needy families to give them a chance to discover new sights and scenes, to make new friends and to experience something new while having fun!

The Fresh Air Fund is an independent not-for-profit agency which has been providing free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children since 1877! Their numbers have soared up to almost 10,000 children annually! This is AWESOME!!

In 2009, close to 5,000 children visited host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 States from Virginia to Maine and Canada. Three thousand children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York.

Contact information:

Angela Pender-Fox, Friendly Town Director
APenderfox@freshair.org

Jenny Morgenthau, Executive Director
(212) 897-8898
jmorgenthau@freshair.org

Kate Brinkerhoff, Public Relations Director
(212) 897-8890
kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org

Sara Wilson, Outreach Coordinator
sara@freshair.org

*Picture taken from The Fresh Air Fund's website.

Celebrating the life of a wonderful woman....

2009-11-30T07:47:00.002Z

Four years ago today, my mom took her last breaths and left this world. We were all with her and she is at Peace now. I will see here again, one day!
Me and my mom!

My Mom! My mom is Louise. My mom is beautiful, loving and kind. My mom is brave, strong and inspirational. My mom is special to me because she gave birth to me on Nov. 28, 1965. She nurtured me and raised me to be the special woman I am today. She supported me, put up with me, listened to me, gave me good advice, and loved me unconditionally. She was always kind and funny!! I LOVE my mom very much....

Dear Mom,

I wanted to let you know how much I miss you and that I think about you all the time... day and night! It's so hard to be without your beautiful smile, loving words, and warm hugs. You live on in my thoughts and in my heart. You are everything to me. You are the best mom EVER and you have always been there for me. I LOVE YOU MOM!!

Love, your one and only daughter, Leese

B-day dinner with friends!

2009-11-29T23:07:00.004Z

Frederique's b-day was on the 26 and mine yesterday so we celebrated our b-days together over dinner... We had a great

time and I made some more yams and green beans and a cake ... It was YUMMINESS all over again!!!!!

Feels like Thanksgiving again two days later! Funny how it worked out that way!
To top it off... Lots of DELICIOUS cheeses! The nice thing about going over to someone's house for dinner is that there is always a nice choice of cheese at the end of the meal!

And then, of course... Birthday cake!

Me n' Barbara

2009-11-29T22:46:00.003Z

got together last Wednesday for coffee in Antony. It's a cute little store with café in the back- just a few tables to sit down and order a nice, strong coffee! Barbara had hot choc.

Sunrise in Antony....

2009-11-29T22:40:00.002Z

I took these pics last week when Alex called me over to the window to look at the sunrise! Just beautiful!

Bourg la Reine

2009-11-29T09:11:00.003Z

I spend a lot of time at this particular station because a lot of my students are in Sceaux, and I have to change here to take the line to Sceaux, just one stop from here but a bit to far to walk when I'm in a hurry! It's a nice little town, too.. and it's close to where my dear friend, Barbara, lives!! Helloooooo Barbara!!!

Just waiting for the train to go home with nothing much to do but wait.. I had my camera with me so I thought I'd entertain myself by taking some pics...

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2009-11-27T23:47:00.003Z

It's now "officially" my BIRTHDAY!! It's number 44 this year, in case any of you are wondering! I'm proud of my age and don't want to hide it... Though I'm no longer a spring chicken... I am still fit and looking good!

Well, I'm not trying to toot my own horn.. but maybe I'm fishing for compliments.. Okay, go ahead... it's my birthday, so I'm not turning anything done today!!! Heheh!!!

Please feel free to stop by and leave a comment today... and I will be VERY GRATEFUL and HAPPY!!

My Third Thanksgiving in France...

2009-11-26T21:47:00.005Z

And it keeps getting more and more delicious with each passing year! Here's what we had tonight for Thanksgiving! It was me, Alex, and our friend and fellow Antonian neighbour... Animesh! Here is my plate of plenty... I can't believe how much food we had... One plate was definitely enough... and DELISH!!!This is the most delicious cranberry sauce I have ever made-- I used a cinnamon stick and four whole cloves.. some orange juice and some of the orange pump... and a few drops of water.
The stuffing was DELIGHTFUL.. It's my uncle's recipe... It's always a winner! In it are: dates, prunes, dried apricots, toasted pecans, celery, apple and onion... Not to mention dried rosemary and thyme picked by Alex's mom in Provence..

Green beans... Yes.. I needed a healthy dish... almond slices, garlic and scallions fried up in tasty olive oil... The green beans were steamed and cooked before adding to the frying pan.
Alex's DELISH chicken that he marinated in olive oil and rosemary, hot chili peppers and bay leaves last night. OH SOOO GOOD!
Most delish yams EVER!!! Cut up pieces of pineapple, pecans and pineapple rings with marshmallows on top-- I drizzled maple syrup on them last! A hit!!!!

My Thanksgiving Adventure ... in cooking

2009-11-26T21:10:00.003Z

started yesterday night. I made the yams and the cranberry sauce in advance since I was planning to make a few more dishes today. Here are the cranberries as they are cooking...

Next up: My uncle Fred's famous stuffing and Merlyn's famous yams... YUM!!!

Year after year, this delicious stuffing is a winner!!! Inside the stuffing I put : onions, dates, prunes, celery, apples, pecans and dried apricots... dried rosemary, thyme and salt...

A little butter goes a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG way with stuffing.. I used very little this year.. but used fresh orange juice and hot water as stuffing softeners...

Merlyn's famous yams will go on being famously delicious! I first steamed the yams until they were completely soft.

Then I pureed them in my pink KitchenAid blender... Then I added the toasted pecans and cut up pineapple pieces..I even drizzled some maple syrup on top of it all.. YUM!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!!

2009-11-26T07:19:00.005Z

To all of you out there... a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you!

This is my third Thanksgiving Day in France. I decided not to have the big shin dig as the past two years, but rather share this day with Alex at home. It will be more quiet and we'll have less food than in the past years, but somehow... I feel that I have to take this year off from the huge task of preparing and cooking... last year, I cooked for 20 and the year before it was for 30. It was a potluck for both times, but I cooked the majority of the dishes, so it was a big project!

So, tonight, I will be serving up at home: Merlyn's famous yams, Fred's famous stuffing,my own fresh cranberry sauce, Alex's delicious marinated chicken (no turkey this year for us), and green beans. For dessert- if we make it that far... we will have fresh fruit. We decided to forego a traditional dessert because the delicious dishes already contain a fair amount of sugar. So, a dish of apples and pears will be our dessert!

I want to take this opportunity to say how Thankful I AM to have had my beloved and beautiful Mom, Louise, in my life for a grand 40 years... and how I will miss her so much again this year. I am thankful for so many things, and being able to share so many Thanksgiving Days with my family is one thing that I am most grateful for. We are all so scattered around the world now that it may be some time before we are all together again at one table to share a Thanksgiving meal... but we are all close in spirit! I LOVE YOU ALL, my dear family and I miss you all greatly!

I am also very thankful for all of my dear and wonderful friends both in the U.S. and abroad... and especially those in France, who have made life here very full and enriched by being in it!

I am thankful for good health...

AND... drumroll please..... I am very thankful to God for putting such a wonderful, kind, loving man as Alex in my path... because my life wouldn't be the same without him!!

I LOVE YOU ALEX!!!!

Thank you God for everything you have given me in life and for all the things to come!

AMEN

Stuff Parisians Like -- COFFEE!!

2009-11-23T19:57:00.006Z

So, if you haven't yet.. please take a trip over to Olivier's Blog, "Stuff Parisians Like." He's an actual Parisian and his blog is a nice look into the culture of Parisians- Yes, they are in their own class, quite different than the rest of the French... Just as L.A. folks are different from the rest of the Californians and New Yorkers are different then the rest of those in NY! So, read on... here.

Olivier's latest post talks about a favorite topic COFFEE and dessert.. YUM! What could be better? Okay, I left out the cheese, but the cheese stands alone this time as I continue on about my favourite of the three-- coffee!

So, I'm hoping that those of you who live in Paris who read my blog or newcomers... will stop her and leave a comment to tell me about the best coffee they have had in Paris and where I should go next to have one... Yes, I'm looking...

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and YES, Olivier... I'm hoping that you will stop by and give me your recommendations as I am not a local.. I'm in Antony, so I'm in suburbia...

Early Fall

2009-11-22T19:51:00.002Z