Paris, Day 2:   We headed down to the Metro to meet up with Chef Marthe.  This is the beautiful front door of her apartment.  We went up a winding staircase to meet her and then started out to the market to pick up the items we needed for our class on French food.

This outside market was big and bustling with people.  The smells, colors and sights were something to behold!  I've never seen such an array of vegetables and fruits and meats (even ducks with their heads still attached.)

The food booths were beautifully displayed, also.  I loved these cascading purple and green grapes.  I had a hard time not sampling them.

Chef Marthe picking out some good zucchini to make our salad with. 

We got to sample these tomatoes.....YUM!  As good as Utah tomatoes in August.

France, famous for its French bread---didn't disappoint!  Only thing is, French people do not ever eat their bread with butter.  It's rude to even ask.  One of the reasons we didn't see any fat French men or women.

Back to Chef Marthe's where she had a very modest setting for her cooking lesson.  That shining star is me taking a picture with the flash on.  Someday I'll learn to take pictures correctly.  HA!

Another shot of her apartment.  Notice the wooden bars under the table?  They were the chairs we sat upon when dining.  How French!  They make the most of their small apartment space.

Chef Drew using the mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini for the salad.  The other ingredients were lots of lemon juice, olive oil, greek olives, shallots, cherry tomatoes, topped with pine nuts and goat cheese.  This salad had to "cook" and be stirred every half hour for a couple of hours before it was ready.  We found out later that "cooked" meant marinated.

Chef Marthe showing us the proper way to cut the zucchini so it was "striped."  She was delightful as she worked telling us stories of her television show where she demonstrated how to cook.  Her specialty is macaroons, which are completely different than the coconut version we are used to.  There I am again in the mirror, not using the flash this time!  Much better.

Chef Marthe letting Chef Drew use her expensive, gorgeous stove.  From the left, Candy, Gaye, Pat and Jennifer, four of my compadres and partners in crime.

A picture of Marthe's blooming orchids with oranges in a bowl in front of the open window that opened out onto a main boulevard in Paris.

Our main course was rustic quiche lorraine.  A simple crust molded by hand, with several different French cheeses and eggs.  Delicious!

A picture of the finished salad and slice of french bread.  I ate the quiche before I thought to take a picture.

Lastly, but not least....the piece d' resistance....famous French Madeleines.  These were unbelievably tender and fragrant and lemony, and spongy.....just the way they were suppose to be.  Nothing quite like the taste of these marvelous cookie shaped sponge cakes.

After about three hours with Chef Marthe and full tummies, we reluctantly left and headed back to our hotel.  I took this picture of the outside of her building.  What a fantastic day!  The reason we came to France, after all, as a culinary group.

Viva La France!

We arrived in Paris, France Thursday morning, September 15, 2011.  Going through the streets to get to our hotel this is the first thing I saw with French writing on it, so I took a picture!  It appeared to be a shop of some sort that was named after St. Julien the Poor from a famous 13th century Greek Orthodox Church in the area. 

As we got closer to our hotel, I spotted this building which turned out to be one of the most architecturally  perfect and beautiful buildings in Paris, the Paris Opera House.  How grand that must be to attend an opera there!

Since we hadn't had much to eat on the plane and after arriving and settling in at our hotel, we stopped by this small patisserie and had a freshly baked divine cheese quiche, and I tried a delicious carbonated orange drink in a cute round bottle called "Orangina."  YUM!

This is the street, Rue Amelie, where the Hotel D'Eiffel was, and our leader, Chef Drew leading us to see the Eiffel Tower which wasn't very far away.  All the streets angled down and because there are no homes in Paris proper, cars were parked all along the street, sometimes so close they touched the car in front and back of them.

This was the first view of the Eiffel Tower as we walked toward it.  It was at this moment I became very excited because I had no idea how gigantic a structure it was.  Pictures don't do it justice.

We were almost to the grounds the tower stands on, and it just kept getting taller and taller....

Approaching the entrance I think my mouth must have been hanging open!

Notice the size of the people way in the distance and you can get some idea of how gigantic it truly is.

When I see this picture I still get goosebumps......me with Chef Drew in front of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.  Notice how the trees along the walkway are all "squared" off, some kind of topiary I've never seen in this shape before.

Oh My God!  And to think the French people were thinking of taking this beauty down after the World's Exhibition in 1889, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.  That would have been a horrible thing!  Luckily they decided to keep it.

Looking upward from the bottom of the tower I got dizzy and had to hurry and take the shot.  It is way, way, way up there. 

I liked this view of the part of the arch support which again shows how gargantuan it is.  Also, as we walked through it and towards the other areas in the park we noticed a real presence of French soldiers in uniforms holding AK-47's.  The security is very tight at most places tourists visit in France.  A lot more so than in the U.S.

Strolling along the bridge over the River Seine that leads to the other end of the Eiffel Tower grounds I noticed how large a river it is.  They have boats that you can slowly cruise along enjoying dinner and drinks at night on the river, which would have been beautiful because Paris is lit up at night, but we never got around to it.  Maybe another trip?
We did, however, stop at a creperie stand and decided we'd have a chocolate and banana crepe for dinner that first night.  After we finished eating, it started to rain and voila!  There were three or four people selling umbrellas all around us.  We each bought one and strolled slowly home.  It was the only time it rained while we were in France.  The umbrellas were basic black with a white stencil of the Eiffel Tower on them....how appropriate!

This is the other end of the Eiffel Tower grounds where I was lucky enough to catch the big gun spouts that erupt in beautiful fountains, lit up in color at night.  There are many, many of these in the area and they go off at different times.  Lovely.

I just liked this picture of a male statue from the back with the Eiffel Tower appearing to come out of his head.  Kind of phallic, but rather artistic, too, I think!

This was the first of two identical museums, one filled with art, the other with humans.  Really!  We didn't go in as we were on a time schedule, but there is a statue on the other museum, The Museum of Man, that warned of going inside.  Apparently they have really old stuffed human bodies from who knows when, but I'm sure it was from a long time ago.  Interesting, but for another visit, I suppose.
End of first day.

I heard yesterday that Sir Paul was getting married for a third time. This one looks like it's a much better fit than his last disaster. It made me think of how much influence the Beatles have had on my life. I'd have to say plenty.

When they were first becoming popular and famous in America I had just been through one of the worst periods of my life. My mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1962, had treatments, was cancer free for about eighteen months, then had it come back like gangbusters! She died in September of 1964. She left my dad with four children to raise, ranging from seven to seventeen years old, as well as an older married sister.

Life was as bleak as it could get, then I heard the song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" on the radio one day and it lifted me up and out of my sadness just a little. The hits kept coming and everytime I'd hear a new Beatle's song I felt better. I had never heard anyone sing like them before, or since for that matter. Whenever I hear a song on the radio, or play one of their many inspired albums I remember how they helped me to survive a really rotten time in my life. Their music lives on and it always will.

I've collected several Beatles' memorabilia over the years, so I'd like to share them now:

This lovely little glass domed music box plays the title song from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. It's a limited and numbered edition from 1993.

Various items from 1991: Books on the 60's and The Beatles, a signed guitar pin with John Lennon's face, the domed music box and a colorful bill holder.

A Blue Meanies stuffed doll, date unknown, George Harrison doll with toy yellow submarine from 1999, and Yellow Submarine lunch box from 1968.
Silver metal heart necklace with black & white photos of the Beatles, with black cord. possibly 20 years old.
The back of necklace with the signatures of the Beatles configured into the metal design. I've worn this many times over the years.
Ringo Starr figure with Blue Meanies Doll from "Yellow Submarine." 1999.
Paul McCartney doll with Captain Fred of "Yellow Submarine."
John Lennon figure with Jeremy (Nowhere Man) from "Yellow Submarine." 1999.
Close up of the bill holder. Date unknown.
Close up of the pin back plastic guitar with John Lennon's face and signatures of all four Beatle's from Leicester, England. Date unknown.

And now.....Paul:

And John:

What happens in Vegas......and other places I've been

This really cool plate shows the old Sugarhouse. It's not a state, but I have BEEN there, so it qualifies!


My little sis, Sandy, invited me to go to Hawaii a few years back and it was fabulous. We did the regular tourist things: Pearl Harbor, where the reverent feeling was broken when I looked down to see where the sunken ship was and saw a plastic chair someone had thrown down; Did lots of walking and shopping; went on a dinner cruise around Diamond Head; Had an authentic Hawaiian Luau. Next time want to visit Kauai!


Well...I stretched the truth a little here. I actually didn't stay in Ohio, just passed thru on my way to Pennsylvania! It didn't look that great, though.

My dad's family came from Eastern Canada, so when I was about 14 years old we traveled by train to the home town where my dad was born and one of the neatest places to visit was Niagara Falls. The Canadian side is the most dramatically beautiful and it was definitely one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.


My good friend, Lydia Deiss, lives in Idaho in a small German-American community called Cottonwood. When David and I visited there about ten years ago we drove thru a beautiful part of Idaho--McCall, where we met Lyd and her husband Greg and stayed in cabins on a bright blue lake, then continued to Cottonwood where David was able to go fishing and boating with Greg. The town has a sizeable Abbey we also visited where the 14 stations of the cross are along a slope before you get to the building housing the nuns. Quite impressive! I'd love to visit again.

Took my first trip to Vegas with my son, David, to celebrate his 21st birthday. Even if you don't gamble there is so much to see and do. We stayed in a nice hotel that overlooked the whole strip, ordered in a fancy breakfast one day, went to see the Secret Garden of Seigfried and Roy, where we saw and were able to pet some dolphins that were also there. Fun times! I'll never forget how brightly lit Las Vegas looked from the plane before we touched down. No place quite like Vegas!

State and Country Decorative Plates

Another fun collection of mine are plates from other states and countries. I wondered how many places I had been in my life and came up with the plates to match.

Yellowstone Park where my family trips were spent when I was young. I have many fond memories of seeing Old Faithful, the geyser, real live bears wandering up to your car as you drove through the park, and being able to pick out a few souvenirs to take back home (with the inevitable tag on the back indicating it was made in China)

Utah, my home state! One of the most diverse places on the planet. Zion's National Park-- towering mountains with slot canyons; the deep gorges of Bryce Canyon, red in the sunset; Moab, with stone bridges and rock formations in red sandstone; Park City, home of the Sundance Film Festival; The Great Salt Lake---miles and miles of salty water and home to the tiny brine shrimp. A pretty great place to live.


Texas! Dallas, where you can see on the street off Dealey Plaza a red X that marks the spot where President Kennedy was killed. Then into the "Fifth Floor Museum" where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shots. The whole floor is filled with photos and memorabilia from that horrible day. Outside a stark wall behind which is a memorial to Kennedy where one can meditate.


Seattle, Washington. The Space Needle, Pike's Market, and wonderful places to eat really fresh fish! A little known place to visit is the underground Seattle that still has the places carved out where there was a thriving "Red Light" district a long, long time ago.


Portland, Oregon. Green everywhere you look. Beautiful, lush Japanese Gardens, eclectic restaurants and diverse shopping areas, Powell's Book Store that takes up a whole city block. Lively downtown area by the pier overlooking the Willamette River where barges from all over the world come in from the ocean. On a clear day you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, famous volcanoes in the area.

I have a lot more places I've visited and more collective plates. Stay tuned!