Eggplant Terrine in Provence

While in France, we loved the Maussane les Alpilles area of Provence, and thoroughly enjoyed Masdeteuliere for dinner. The cheeses and the desserts are simply exquisite. And the friendly service of Mady (the owner) is worth the visit. I had the best eggplant aperitif that I wanted to recreate at home. It's simple and delicious, and Joe preferred my version which makes me very happy. 

This terrine will be perfect for a healthy appetizer or a light entree. It will also please your vegetarian friends.

Eggplant Terrine

2 eggplants

1 egg

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons light cream

Preparation of the eggplant terrine: Peel the eggplant and cut into large cubes. Put them in a hot pan with olive oil until cooked through. Allow about ten minutes.

Peel the garlic and cut it coarsely.

Pass the eggplant and the garlic in the food processor. Add salt and pepper.

Add cream and egg and mix.

Put in a mold: you can use individual molds or a cake pan. (I used individual molds)

Bake for 30 minutes at 180 °.

Allow to cool and cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Spread on fresh or lightly toasted sourdough bread. This would be a nice addition to a cheese board. 

In France, they swirled a tomato and basil sauce on each plate. Magnifique! 

We were also very fortunate to have a private tour and olive oil tasting at Castela. As much as I wanted to bring several bottles of olive oil home, I knew I wanted to keep the weight in my suitcase at 50 pounds. After some research on their part, we were informed we will be able to obtain their olive oil at a store in NYC. They have never sold in the states before, so this is great news.

 xo

Debbie 

Enjoying Spring Blooms #7

 

June's beautiful colors...

Baptisia Australis (False Indigo)

We collect car magnets from our trips :-) 

 I planted this Mock Orange bush 15 years ago, and love the scent. 

A forget-me-not lunch at camp. 

We planted myrtle at camp many years ago, and it's fun to watch butterflies enjoy it. 

I almost didn't show you this garden gate because Mother Nature has taken it's toll on it. But it will always be my gateway to my secret garden behind our camp. It's a great place to hide...lol...no one can find you here...it's so peaceful in the woods. 

This pretty spring bloom surprised us at camp. This is the first time that Lady Slippers (Mocassin Flower) was found growing at camp, and Joe spotted it and called me outside. I could not believe my eyes. I invited the neighbor over, and she was just as surprised as I was. What a treasure. 

 Joe enjoys appetizers before dinner at camp, and I am happy to join him. Do you love Boursin cheese and French wine too?

Our tradition on Father's Day is to visit the Showy Pink Ladyslippers that grow in a marshy area (secret spot) near our camp. The landowners are nice enough to let us take pictures. 

Thank you for stopping by!  

xo

Deb

A Wee Bit of France and Nectaroscordum

 We are back from beautiful France, and after two days the jet lag is gone and I am back to my perky self.  I've been going through hundreds of pictures I took of the back roads of Provence, French Riviera (Cannes)  Nice, Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, St-Rémy-de-Provence, Maussane les Alpilles (wonderful olive oil tasting and dinner) and the high-speed rail journey to Paris.

I was pleased upon our return that the garden is in full swing after being gone 10 days. I placed an order with my reliable supplier of garden plants before we left for France, and picked them up today.  Fun, fun. We went to France with a tour group, and you learn a lot from talking to others during dinner. We hit it off with someone that had an app on his phone that monitored his garden while he was away and when it needed watering and could prompt that. So techy, and how awesome is that. I am old school and asked my neighbor to water mine and I brought back some wonderful lavender from Provence to thank her. 

Well anyways, I planted this flowering bulb several years ago. I can’t even remember where I bought the bulbs, but this Nectaroscordum siculum or Allium siculum is a wonderful oddball of a flowering bulb. It has lovely dangling mauve and green bells, and are very tall and located near our patio table so they stare me in the face when we dine alfresco. Nectar-garlic (that’s what Nectaroscordum means) is animal-proof, since nobody messes with onion relatives, really. It is long-lasting too. Nectaroscordum is good-looking even after the blooms are done, forming a tan-colored seedpod that turns upward where each waxy bell once dangled. It’s a great cut flower but I don’t have enough to do that J Bees love it which is why I planted it.  I watch the bees while I eat.

We enjoyed seeing the poppies blooming in France (lavender will be in bloom soon), and the first photo is of the white tree which was the first photo I took on the French Riviera during the Cannes Film Festival. They have since removed everything that was set up just for the festival.  

Thanks for stopping by! 
xo
Deb

Traveling Tote #19

 What does a mom do on a rainy Mother's Day? You can read more about that below. And I did not complain once. The gardens were beautiful! 

 On Saturday,  April 13 I was lucky enough to attend the MacKenzie-Childs warehouse sale in Union Springs, NY (near their retail store in Aurora). 

 Upon leaving the warehouse sale, my husband took me to the MacKenzie-Childs retail store in Aurora where I found my fellow traveling tote friend Patti @ Pandora's Box.

Although my visit with Patti was brief, it was great to reminisce about the warehouse sale which we both loved. I like it better than the barn sale in July especially since we received an extra 30% off the already reduced prices of 50%.

We bought the black sisal rug trimmed in Courtly Check, and the petal platter. Yes, an extra 30% on the rug! It looks wonderful with our newly painted accent wall done in Benjamin Moore "Iron Mountain". The other three walls are BM "Linen White" which I have used in our home for 25 years. Please ignore the extension cord on the floor. 

 Tom Tracy is the most photographed employee at the MacKenzie-Childs retail store in Aurora. His warm personality and hugs are the best! 

 

 The new "Royal Check" looks like blue denim jeans. 

 

  A very colorful store indeed.  Like Candyland for adults :-)

  The birdhouse is one of my favorite purchases. When I came home, I plunked it on the cake pedestal and left it there until after Easter :-)

 The remainder of our purchases from the sale included  new towels, Christmas ornaments for our tree, place cards which I will use as gift tags, a fantastic owl and fall bouquet, four ice cream pedestal bowls, coffee mug, Easter bunny with a crown, new pot holders, 

 

We had a great morning at Sycamore Hill Gardens. When we arrived it was not raining, we toured the lovely gardens, and then all of a sudden the sky opened up but we were done so we left. I was prepared! I wore a rain jacket with a hood, wore boots and gloves and brought my umbrella. Can you believe I needed gloves in May! Miss Aurora is always a good sport, and I did not complain once either. Truth! I felt sorry for the moms that got stuck in the mud in the large field. 

  Don't forget to put your name in the hat for the wonderful giveaway! Leave a comment on The Sketchy Reader's blog, and you will have a chance at winning the beautiful MacKenzie-Childs wine tote. 

Come along and travel with:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Cherry Kay and Carrie Ann Hall @ Entertaining Women  

Thanks for stopping by! Our adventures for June, July and August will be posted on Sepember 1. Have a great summer!!