Friday, March 2, 2018

I was going to take you to Provence again..but next time:)











I still want to share a few favorite Provence places with you..but  I don't want to forget a few things to share with you..before the next Hop On Hop Off:)

I am so happy to be stitching ..we have a long winter here..I have made a couple more tea cozies..and am working on a scarf:)

For next fall/winter I guess..

I just made 2 dishcloths for a special girl..isn't it funny how when you are purposely making something you screw up?
Lol I did.
My daughter said..she will never notice♥

If anyone wants to learn how to crochet..may I recommend a site?

She is by far..the one MY brain is in harmony with.

I wonder..had I found her first..would I have struggled so much?

I love her.

Blossom Crochet.

Different people ..learn different ways..

I know if Jacques tries to explain something to me..he loses me in the first sentence.

He is an engineer..I am the farthest thing from an engineer:)

Other people..show me something once..and By George..I got it!:)

We are all wired differently..

Blossom Crochet is one of my learning wires.I had never SEEN her until I Googled to link here.

Lovely girl..and she explains clearly..her voice is perfect..calm..relaxed..nothing superfluous.Perfection.

I have mentioned Instagram..perhaps one time too many and here I go again..I found..Caroline..

and she made a beautiful hummus and beet hummus..

I had Costco hummus in the fridge and beets..Chioggia mind you..which don't give the rich red of a regular beet once roasted..but I did not mind the pink♥

Make your fave hummus..or buy..

I love to roast my beets in foil..with a big drizzle of EVOO..s and p and fresh(ours) garlic..  roast till fork tender and save those juices..

I used my hand held food processor to purée my beets..while adding some pre-made hummus..which..in fact lightens the beets again..

Sooooo good!

Plate the reg hummus..add your home roasted beet hummus..drizzle w/ a great EVOO..and I like to add pistachios..black sesame seeds..and sunflower seeds..

even walnuts..pine nuts ..will do..NUTS are GREAT for us:)

Serve w/ veggies..French radishes would be BEAUTIFUL..  croutons..warmed Naan..or crackers..
I truly do love this dish.

Ahh..tea wise..I keep talking about blooming teas..
I want you to know..

Don't disregard if you do not have a glass..suitable teapot.

When my friend Nancy lived across the street..we used a huge Mason jar..
See?
I do it here too..
For taller blooming teas..
This one is Lily Bouquet♥

My ceramic French canisters are from Nancy..when she moved she gave them to me..she lived in Paris..and the South of France for innumerable years..these were bought at a brocante..w/ her husband.
I am honored to be the keeper of them♥

I do not mind a sprinkle of Stevia in my tea.
Except my morning green  loose leaf tea.. lemon..ginger and honey are added.

Ok ..if you sometimes crave an apple pie but want quick and oh so delish..

Just visit Ricardo..
This is a keeper..

My only notes..I added a bit more cinnamon and my everloved cardamom.
La perfection Ricardo.


Sidebar anecdote..I updated my camera w/ a new firmware..and all my settings were temporarily lost..so Ricardo's lovely squares were shot HDR..:(
and ..I cannot remember where I dowloaded the dishcloth printable:(I hope I thanked you.  



Have a lovely weekend~






49 comments:

  1. What a beautiful plate of hummus. I make mine regular, with chic-peas and before I grind them I put a big handful on the side. Some I mix into the hummus for texture and some above for garnish.
    Amalia
    xo

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  2. I am loving your stitching, Monique! And, you are so right about our all being wired differently and how one way of teaching will work for us and another will be more confusing than help! Ha! Your hummus looks divine! Thank you for sharing the links! Wishing you a wonderful weekend! blessings ~ tanna

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    1. Bonne fin de semaine Tanna! You are kind:) To say my stitching is loved:)Because I know where the words are coming fom:)TY for the encouragement..Poor Jacques..I seem to tune out when he tries to explain something to me;)Me not understand;)

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  3. I wondered what would be that shade of pink and that would go with basil. Beet hummus! Of course! Delicious.
    I'm sure you've seen the already-roasted beets that are sold at the food markets in France. Just peel.

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    1. Yes..Costco has them all peeled too..vacuum packed..Love Beets..I just like the taste of home roasted w/ garlic..oill and s and p..then you keep that oil and add to dressings..But a great time saver you are right and the colors are much deeper:) Bon Weekend~

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  4. Beautiful photos. That hummus sounds wonderful. We love beets here.

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    1. I think mre and more people enjoy beets:)The colors are so lovely I find..natural dye:)

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  5. Monique you would have laughed while I was trying to figure out the dish. I stared at it - grits and. No savory. Nuts and seeds, but basil. Pink maybe salmon tartare. Finally figured hummus, but never got the beets till you said it. It is a beautiful dish. I can only imagine what it tastes like. Love the potholders. You have been prolific this winter. I still have Grandma Great's potholders and some the kids made. I gave them all to them finally. I do hope they kept them. GG even crocheted some Oreo cookies, actual size. I'm not sure what those were for and we had many snowflakes she made.

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    1. I am like that sometimes..trying to figutre out what the dish is:) And with these paler beets..it's hard..I hope my kids keep some things too;)Oreos:)

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  6. Hello...I love to crochet but have never done the dishrags although I have done potholders. Your pics are so welcoming to your blog. Roasted beets, never tried that. I love pickled beets though. They are so good chopped up on green beans. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Pam:)The dishrags are best more tightly woven..nbut I love granny squares:) I was lucky enough to have blog friends that inspired me to lear.What a lovely hobby!!Have a nice weekend.

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  7. Thanks a lot for suggesting the crochet site.. In fact I'm thinking to crochet some cushion covers, as I've many yearns in my stash...

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    1. Krishna..she is wonderful..her voice is calm..her accent delightful..she doesn't make mountains out of molehills:) I started with teachers that just complicated everything..I hope you enjoy..I think this would suit you so much!:)And it is relaxing:)

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  8. Your dish cloths, so sweet! I love the colours! And the printable sleeve, also sweet. That plate/ bowl with the hummus is so beautiful Nd it goes perfectly with the colour of the hummus! I live beetroot hummus. I mDe some not that long ago. So good! The Apple squares look really delicious also! Yum! Everything you turn your hand to is an exercise in gentle beautiful things. I love visiting you sweet blog home. I am off to check out the crochet site now! I hope you are having a lovely weekend! Not long now and Spring will be springing! Xoxo

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    1. Aww..you could teach the crochet..your tutorial wasINSTRUMENTAL in my learning..I love that BC girl..do check her out:) The apple squares are fun because it's applesauce..so simple and quick..and you know we love crumble bars..not as good as your jam ones..but they are good:)Bon Weekend Marie:)

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  9. What lovely dish cloths. Love your special plate, it looks so appetizing!

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  10. My weekend was just made much more lovelier after reading this post, Monique! I of course now first hand how soft and pretty your crochet pieces are. Merci!
    I gave my glass tea pot away as I never used it. Seeing your pretty blooms makes me think that was a mistake. Fascinating to watch! Enjoy your weekend. Quiet one here. We will attend an art opening later today, bu little else is on the agenda.

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    1. Well..that is my quiet little life:) Ours..and no gallery openings.
      To be truthful I am relieved busy is over..
      How nice to stay home in winter..I dreaded open houses at the end..snowstorms..blizzards..this is better:)
      Watching a show called The Divorce..interesting because an art gallery is in the picture..I thought I did not like the show at all..and now I am..findng it interesting;)
      I think I am part "voyeur":)

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  11. Beets and hummus - I would never have thought to put those together, but now that I think of it, I love roasted beets and garbanzo beans on a salad. Will have to give this a try. The crocheted dish cloths are lovely and so useful. I still have one that my daughter made years ago. She learned to crochet. I never did, much to the dismay of my Mother, who has made table clothes, bed spreads and dust ruffles, as well as many other things. Have a great rest of the weekend!💕

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    1. You too!..Ry..I started stitching very young.. and the pleasure of my fingers working w/yarn..never escaped me I guess..because I am enjoying it so much now.
      I think it would be much more beneficial to me to be out walking this winter..yoga..etc..all I have exercized..are my fingers!!♥
      I would love to see some of your mom's things:)

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  12. Blossum puts me to sleep Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzszzzz

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  13. I love crochet, I looked the site, wonderful!! I learned my first crochet works with my chilean grand mom, of course she was amazing, the lovely still I have and use her crochet. love this green you used is one of my favorite colors. I was thinking in knitting again ..I think I need sometimes. I have a ball of wool in some part. All beautiful Monique !! xoxox

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    1. If you think you need something..you might:) This is so relaxing as you know..and so is she..I have added her frill tutorials to some..just so relaxing:)I bet what yor nana taught you is very special:)

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  14. I just love that colour combo on your dishcloths...so pretty!
    Love beets... my mom cooked them many different ways...and she pickled them!
    Enjoy your evening...
    Cheers,
    Linda :o)

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    1. You too..we had snow..not much but Jacques was convinced our driveway would be asphalt soon..not the yard..but the driveway..nope..

      M is off to Disney..Harry Potter World this time:)

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  15. Pretty dish cloths..my Mom crocheted me some..way to pretty to get dirty. Lol.

    Your right Monique nuts are great for us..as well as chia and flaxseeds..dk choc too..(very good in greek yogurt).

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    1. I've never tried dk chocolate in yogurt..Thanks! Yes we eat all those:) Have a nice Sunday Jan.

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  16. wow !!! it really beautiful so much.i like your good idea Thanks for the inspiration!

    หนังไทย

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  17. Dear Nana, I love crochet as you know. I'm going to visit the site you've just mentioned.
    Sorry to say I've never ever tasted humus.
    Have a nice Sunday.

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    1. Oh you could teach it Nina:) She just works for me:) Not too slow not too fast..some sites are so hyper! Or too blurry or too slow..Like Goldilocks I found this site to be just right for me:) And her comments are great..so many find she's the one too:)
      Bon Dimanche!

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  18. Sounds like you are a busy bee! Love hummus and the way you served it here. Have a terrific week!

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  19. I love visiting your site. Your photography is so calming and your comments so encouraging. I live in Beautiful British Columbia but lived in Provence while going to school in Aix. I can relate to all the places you mention. Just re-read Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence, a fun read.

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    1. Saw many students in Aix!Sun was shining..just beautiful.
      A Year In Provence was my intro to Peter Mayle..sorry he is gone..so talented.
      Thank you for you really kind words.so appreciated!

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  20. Bonjour Monique, tes photos sont toujours sublimes je ne m'en lasse pas. Merci beaucoup pour les liens pour le crochet et les carrés de Ricardo. Mon anglais n'est vraiment pas bon, mais c'est très visuel je devrais donc m'en sortir. Je te souhaite un bon début de semaine. Josée

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    1. Josée le visuel est bon!Tu es douée en arts ménagers et créatifs..tu vas réussir des merveilles!Merci de ta gentillesse🙂Et..notre Ricardo..tout est bon d'habitude👍🏻🌟Bonne semaine!

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  21. Whenever I visit here I feel peaceful and calm and so happy. I save your posts till I have time to just sink in and enjoy them, return to each beautiful photo, celebrate the joy. The apple looks terrific and I really love the pattern and color in your dish cloth. In my happy place!

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    1. You are so nice always!I did something neat today..we have a new tea room/resto..gift shop..Totally British..spur of the moment I went with one of my daughters..so nice.I wish them so much success!I rarely go out for tea..you would have loved it!Have a great week🙏🏻

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  22. I will try that British tea house...and try Ricardo's recipe when I feel better! Beautiful blog Mon~💚






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    1. Di..it's cute..it's a sweet little place:)Take care.

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  23. Could have sworn I posted here yesterday! I know my brain wasn't working at full capacity so maybe I lost it when I clicked on one of your links :( Your hummus and beet mixture is so pretty plated that way. I am a nutty gal too :) I remember loving the beautiful green plant and wanted to ask what it was. An herb? You are getting GOOD at crochet!! Bravo! Lovely spring colors in your dish cloths, like daffodils ♥ I have saved the Blossom Crochet link ;) Now off to Ricardo's link after I hit post :)

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    1. It's so nice to have you back:) I could never make something for you in crochet.That would be like sending Monet one of my watercolors:)
      Truly!
      I like that..daffodils!
      The hummus is delish Susan..you would like it..
      Our brains are still on holiday for a day or two after a southern vacay:)Again welcome..back;)

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    2. Oops no..not an herb..close to Baby's tears but not..may..be..pilea depressa..too happy looking I find for that name;)

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  24. You are a beautiful queen of the Home Arts, Monique!

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  25. Those apple squares look delicious... maybe will try them later today.... xo

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