Friday, July 12, 2019

At this moment..kind of:)












Another week gone..

One of my daughters is in Belgium w/ her son for 2 weeks.
I would have never been that adventurous..
LOL maybe I was nipped in the bud in that respect~

It's lavender season here..
Paltry in my gardens I lost so much!

Still I took pics and made some lavender lemon madeleines  today after pruning the roses..
Make no mistake..Polar Ice is work.
But I want a second flush:)

I love the way I make madeleines..I sound so sure of myself.
But I am:)
As a Canadian..I keep reading how polite and apologetic we are..so true..


I vary the kinds now:)

Daisies are popping ..small Fairy roses..
Poppies..The ones that self seed..

Herbs are getting stellar so I made my salted herbs..

Google and pick the recipe you like..sometimes I make w/ a full 1 1/2 cups of parsley sometimes not..this time I added garlic scapes..
I love having these in the fridge all year long for soups and stews.
A good way to start is here..

I wanted to applaud  these watercolors..handmade..that I won on IG..
They are made by Stoneworks Mill that you can find on IG and Etsy.
Artisanal♥

And the very talented artist Kateri Ewing as her book was part of the gifts and I can't wait to get into it.
I painted the small squares of a store I love..

and a poppy of mine..

Great practice..different styles,different papers.

Also..we had near tornado weather yesterday..after a few months of knowing yesterday was coming it came..actually a true tornado north of us..

A Gardenbuddy I have corresponded for 100 yrs with..came to town  with her husband.

Arlene and Larry.

We met in person 15 yrs ago..
and again yesterday.
After nurturing the gardens perhaps a touch more w/ Arlene in mind..

We woke to thunder and downpours after such beautiful sunny Provence days here..

Oh well..

And it was a deluge..so Jacques and I decided to take them to a nearby town..that is a bit touristy..
OHMGEE

We walked around a bit in humidity and greige..

Then sat for a drink by the water..not to eat there..just a cool drink.

WE NEVER LEFT..and changed tables 4 times inching our ways closer and closer to inside..as the tempest..tempested and increased in strength as we moved along!

By the time we had witnessed a tropical storm in QC..and were snuggled in a moody bench indoors..

Our meals arrived and we lost power.

We ate in total darkness like famous restos..apart from Arlene's I phone propped on something..lighting tiny corners of our meals:)
LOLOLOL

Not the visit I had planned..but remember Paris?

Things happen.

Well she has not changed one yr in 15.
Such nice people..

Today she went to Old Mtl..and seemed to have a great time.She went on the ferris wheel.I have not even seen my ferris wheel.
She ate in a favored spot of mine and took loads of pics and shopped a touch more.
She said she had a great day.

SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

We will have some Long Island Rosé to their health..
ok and ours..

I'll wear a peony tshirt w/ a stunning photo A took..
and freshen up w/ Lavender towelettes..
A day to remember;)

Again..I wish you a lovely weekend.

Please know I love keeping in touch with you.
You are treats to me.

Here is how my madeleines turn out perfect for us.

Hopefully for you to.

Prep a madeleine mold.

I would love to find a heart one.WS had one and discontinued it..
So I use silicone..nine cavity ..it sits on a small rack.

I spray.

You will need a scale.

Start by mixing 2 eggs and 80 gr of sugar.See what I did below for these lemon lav ones.

I use a hand mixer.

Blend until paler in color and foamy.

Add 50 gr of cooled melted butter,and a tsp of honey (or not).

Then add 90 gr of flour that you have mixed 1/2 tsp of baking powder into.
add 1/2 an envelope of of vanilla sugar and mix well..I use a full one.
For this lemon lav recipe I had rubbed my sugar w/ a tsp of lemon zest.
And added a tsp of culinary lavender..but add to taste.

Fill prepped molds not full..but I do a bit more than half..
If you are using a silicone mat and it doesn't have a stand..lay on a solid baking sheet.You need support w/ silicone.

Star by baking in a 400F oven for 5 minutes..
lower the heat to 350 and bake an additional 10 mins or so.
You want to see a BUMP.

Let cool..dip in a lemon/icing sugar glaze..add a few sprinkles of lavender or dust w/ icing sugar.



27 comments:

  1. Your herbed salt sounds wonderful. Glad you had a good time with your blog friend.

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  2. Sounds like an adventure.... I think I will make some madeleines today! :) xo

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    1. Bonne journée!Lemons remind me of you in baking!!!

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  3. Your poppy dazzles! And for a moment, I was quite sure that carnation was a painting. It's so delicate and beautiful! And you make me wish I'd brought my madeleine pan north with me! Love every bit of the painting. Those sweet buildings. That looks like a good book!

    I think we had that same storm but in the evening. Blowing like crazy -- things were all over the yard, though no real damage apart from branches. And tons of rain. I loved how you moved closer and closer to the resto! What a treat. I hope one day you and I can meet up like that. And congratulations on your wonderful new watercolors and book. I must check them out. I've been painting a lot and will be posting them very soon!

    I love sharing your world right now!

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    1. I look forward to seeing everything you paint!!!
      I am liking paint little squares with stores and a characteristic☺️☺️☺️We had no power till the next day.
      The beauty of staying in touch!

      Believe it or not Jeanie those are poppies too!They do look like carnations now that you said that!
      I love that a Maddie is just 2 bites..the cake you made of Maries looked perfect..did you know she is going to be in Hello magazine?👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

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    2. I must have missed that, *(Hello) if she posted it. I've been very sporadic online this summer. I have to go elsewhere to use the internet and so can't just check in as much (or as late) as I'd like. That's so cool!

      I love your paintings. I've been doing a lot this summer now that I'm kind of caught up with cleaning and getting the cottage up to speed. Your style really makes me smile.

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  4. Every single picture has me drooling.
    Every single one is delicious. ❤️

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  5. Monique, it is all lovely! Your poppies thrill me. I wish I could get a good crop to grow. They are all around here growing wild along roadsides, but I spread seeds and get but a handful here and there.
    This moring I got up early and drove with Miss Merri Mac to the hill country just west of Austin. There is a flower farm about 50 miles from here. I like to buy their flowers which are sold locally at several markets, but it is always fun to drive over to the farm. Several years ago they bought land in Minnesota to grow peonies. This year was the first harvest, and today they hosted a peony party at the barn. I had to go! It was such a delightful way to spend the morning. And I've not a big bucket of peonies, sunflowers, and zinnias. I will arragen soon, but letting them drink a bit.
    Your tale of the friendship meet up, is humorous in retelling, but I suspect it wasn't so experiencing. I'm happy you got to visit again. One day, I hope that is us seated across a table having lunch or dinner. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend.

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    1. What a fun morning for you.I just love outings such as those.I look forward to the pics of you and Miss MM💕
      I love how we stay in touch.
      It is so very important to keep these connections going.
      Like sands through the hourglass..so are the days of our lives☺️☺️☺️

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  6. Dearest Monique,
    Your Madeleines are class!
    Love the poppies in the garden and the one you drew.
    Oh, what a nightmare that meal with your friends.
    All that effort of 15 years... One never can predict what's next in life!
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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  7. Never!Unforgettable though😂😂🙂Thank you!

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  8. Oh that watercolor poppy! Be still my heart.

    I am glad you are enjoying your gifts and larry and I had a small taste of some of your Canadian treats. The action packed visit with you and J will always be the highlight of this trip. You guys are such special people.

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    1. Enjoy the rest of your vacay A..Saw that covered bridge:) Always..they remind me of The Bridges of Madison County:)What an adventure for us lol..and just the day before..all was calm..all was bright;)Bon voyage A and L!

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  9. Such. Sweet post. Always fun to meet up with blog buddies. The Madeleines look wonderful. Always loving your gardens.

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    1. It is fun and thanks for the heads up re the pan..next visit to the US☺️

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  10. Your daughter is very brave traveling to a foreign country with her son like that! I admire that! I once flew across Canada from Alberta to New Brunwsick by myself, pregnant with three toddlers. I don't know I did it now. The young are so brave! At least I was much braver than I am now! Your flowers, paintings, Madeleines, all beautiful. I loved reading about your meet up with your friend. Scary but another wonderful memory built! I am going to make those Herbs Salees! I have no garlic scapes to add, but they look fantastic and what a boon to add to all sorts I imagine! Did you see the latest photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Opening of the Lion King? She is so beautiful, even carrying a bit of extra baby weight. I wish the press would leave them alone and stop saying nasty things about her. I hate that they build people up just to knock them down. Horrible people. Meghan as always and Harry, so classy. Hope you have a wonderful week! I will keep up on IG! I love it! xoxo

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    1. It is not natural to get out of hospital thinner than when you got pregnant.Personally I find she has added a bit of being real to the picture and I find she looks great and ohmygod if that is heavy then what is the rest of the world.
      How trivial and mean the critical people are being.
      She is an actress and in the limelight and because of that mark my word she will have the very same figure she had.Stars are like that.
      She has all the help at her fingertips from nutritionists to cooks to trainers.
      And it is important to her let's not fool ourselves.
      I watched Suits for years..
      Image is important to her.
      It's the nasty comments that bother me.
      I think she looks fab.
      I only flew to Fl alone🙃
      I am nor brave nor adventurous anymore.At all.
      Have a great week!

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  11. Here I am, finally :) Took us all day yesterday to clean up with what little energy we had left in us after gourmet. We both took naps in the afternoon - LOL. The herbes salees are definitely something I'd love to try with my herb crop! How long would you say that they keep in the refrigerator? How wonderful that you and Arlene got to meet again after so many years! Too bad about the weather but I'm sure it didn't dampen your spirits and visit. I love your little paintings and what a wonderful gift you won! Your Madeleines look and sound delicious! Gorgeous flowers! Ours are almost two weeks late this year...didn't have but 4 or 5 snapdragons to pick for our dinner table Saturday so had to supplement with store bought!

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    1. Listen I think you are stars to do that dinner.Stars!!
      You know even my garlic harvest might be late..
      Why can't everything be ready now?All the cute tomatoes and globe zucchinis lol.
      I personally want it all right now Susan!
      I keep mine one year lol if they last that long..

      A great gift a great gift!!!
      Greatful😍😍

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  12. HI Monique...I cant believe I missed all thee gorgeous posts!!!I have stopped looking at blogs, as I cannot comment on my ipad...
    Worth the trip up to my Mac...your posts never disappoint♥️
    So nice to see your friends after all those years...even kinda fun to eat without power!!
    Your gardens look lovely...lush...love it!
    Enjoy your day...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Hi! Never worry about not coming by..I have lost long lost buddies that don't visit blogs anymore..I keep blogging though..think I do it for me too good for the mind..soul..keeps us inpsired to learn from others.IG is taking over it seems..
      Oh well Do all good things come to an end?
      I think I keep the posts up too for non IGERS..many still don't..but I know all this can be repetitious for IGERS..AS you say so well..CHeers:)♥

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  13. Chaque fois que je vois une image de ces merveilleuses madeleines, j'ai envie de courir dans la cuisine et de mettre la main à la pâte. Bisous

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  14. Fun and adventures, all the way around!

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