Easter Eve

 An Easter Eve family dinner...

Just the six of us tonight.

Nola requested chicken/ tortellini soup, so I made a pot of that.

But I am currently inspired by the book I'm reading to "go the extra mile" with food.

So I also made two salads - one savory and one sweet.

Along with some cheeses, summer sausage and nuts.

The book isn't about food; it's actually an English couple's account of moving to France in their retirement years. But the French make such a ritual out of meal times that it's only natural for that to shine through the author's writing, and it's quite inspiring!

"One of the characteristics which we liked and even admired about the French was their willingness to support good cooking, no matter how remote the kitchen may be. The quality of the food is more important than convenience, and they will happily drive for an hour or more, salivating en route, in order to eat well."

A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle

Before my trip to Paris I showed you these two books I selected for the occasion...

I read The Lost Bookshop on the flights there and home, finishing the final chapter during a layover in Canada.

I enjoyed it. It was a cute story, but sad in some spots. The main character gets her start in the world of book dealing when she lands a job at the famous Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris. 

So you can imagine my delight to have visited it in person... It is charming!

(This is what the inside looks like. Can you think of a more lovely way to spend an afternoon in Paris?)

Having attracted historical figures like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, the bookstore is considered legendary today, and is a popular stop for tourists, as you can see from these lines!

I picked up A Year in Provence upon arriving home, and am now almost done with it. The author is really funny, and I would recommend it as a light, quick, entertaining read. And as I mentioned, he somehow makes plates of sausages, cheeses, salads and roasted tomatoes sound like the most delectable thing in the world!

And for the moment, I am inspired to grocery shop in the specialty cheese section to enhance our family dinners.

(Quick, kids! Eat well while you can before your mother reverts back to her true nature of frozen pizzas and the All-American drive-thru!)

I hope you have a blessed Easter.

(...enjoy and eat well!)

💐

~ Courtney