Italian Cinema

One of the ways we are trying to get more practice with the Italian language is renting and watching Italian movies. We have seen three in the last few weeks, and not only did we have fun picking out some words that we knew, but we thoroughly enjoyed the movies. Uh, we also learned that we won’t be speaking and understanding any Italian locals for quite some time. *Sigh*

So, I would like to share those movies with you.

Add them to your Netflix queue or run out to your local video store to rent them. Or, if you want to add them to your DVD collection, click on the links below to purchase them through Amazon.

I loved all three movies. Each has it’s own unique message of love, of inspiration, of destiny. Each one can make you cry…but for very different reasons. I had seen Life is Beautiful before, but I can watch that movie over and over and fall in love with it again and again each time I see it. That one is certainly my favorite of all three. That Roberto Benigni is some genius! It is no wonder he and the film won the Academy Award some ten years ago.

Have you seen any of these movies? What did you think? Do you like any of them so much, that you had to own it? Do you have any other Italian movies that you’d recommend to me?

Plume Plume

While strolling around the Marais, I was drawn to the facade of this building. It was once a Patisserie, back in the day. But it is now the home of a lovely romantic boutique called Plume Plume. En Français, it means feather feather. Don’t you just adore that name for a boutique? Oh, the images that should conjure up. Mais oui, I had to go in!

I have a thing for displays. I have a degree in Fashion Merchandising, so I spent a year or ten doing visual display. This window was calling me…

Around the corner, I peered into this one..

Still not convinced we should go in? I promise, the best is yet to come!

I love these little vignettes that are scattered about the boutique. As you can see, it is an accessories boutique. Bijoux, handbags, scarves, hats, gloves and shoes are on offer, with a romantic, vintage feel to them. This isn’t Mango.

Pink and Black. Two of my favorite color combos and oh so very French. Magenta, hot pink, raspberry, fuchsia…I love them all. Even the boutique name, Plume Plume is scribed with a delicate flourish of hot pink on the outside windows.

Sometimes, I prefer to just drool over the decor, rather than what is for sale. I couldn’t resist both the gold mirror and the console table. Très chic!

And speaking of decor. I looked up to find this beautiful painted fresco covering the ceiling. I couldn’t help staring at it. I was mesmerized. The colors were so crisp and clear. I just adore that robin egg blue that exudes French-ness.

And the piéce de rèsistance. A lovely French, Louis the something or other, settee. With a distressed white finish and gilt gold embellishments. A perfect spot to rest your tootsies while you sip your glass of bubbly waiting patiently for your friends to finish shopping. Wouldn’t it just look lovely in your parlor?

Next time you are window shopping in Paris, stop by Plume Plume. It is a romantic feast for the eyes.

Plume Plume
rue des Francs Bourgeois
75004 Paris
01 42 72 30 17

Metro: St. Paul

Summoning the Green Fairy

Wandering around the Marais in Paris, not far from our hotel and tucked into a tiny corner off the Place du Marche St. Catherine, we saw this store front for Vert d’Absinthe. With my extensive knowledge of the French language, I gathered this boutique sold Absinthe. Now, being that Absinthe is not legal to buy in the US, it made me all the more intrigued and dare I say, curious, to wander in and check it out. I must admit, I felt a little naughty.

This boutique is a homage to everything Absinthe. Books, vintage posters, glasses, fountains and all the other paraphernalia and accessories that goes along with it are sold here. He is the Absinthe expert. No question. Here are a few of his offerings.

Here is a short synopsis about Absinthe on a leaflet provided by the proprietor with our purchase:

“ Absinthe was originally created by a Swiss woman in 1750 as a cure for stomach ailments. In 1797 the medicine was purchased by Major Dubied and became an aperitif known as Extrait d’Absinthe à 68. Major Dubied’s daughter married someone named Henri-Louis Pernod. Sound familiar? By 1870, Absinthe became the favorite drink of the French. It was know as La boisson nationale. The national drink. It was enjoyed by artists, writers, actors..and rich people. “

This seems perfectly logical to me because anise is known for settling the stomach and is often offered as an after dinner drink to aide digestion. You can read much more of the story here.

Over time, Absinthe got a bad rap and many have heard the stories about it causing hallucinations in some cases. This was due to the fact that some tried to made inferior quality Absinthe, which contained combinations of bad ingredients and chemicals, which led to sickness.

I can’t imagine that I would ever consume enough of the good or bad stuff for it to drive me to the point of hallucinations, but I still looked forward to finally having a few sips of the forbidden fruit.

There is a special way to prepare Absinthe, also known as Summoning the Green Fairy. The basic recipe:

Pour a shot in the bottom of a glass. It will be a lovely emerald green color
Put the special slotted spoon over the top of the glass
Put a sugar cube or two on top of the slots in the spoon
Slowly drip cold water over the cube, a little at a time, until the sugar dissolves
The cocktail turns a milky jade green color and is ready to sip slowly!

Here is an instructional video, showing how to properly make it, with the fountain. I love the whole process. It’s a ceremony. A celebration. It does seem so French to me. So formal. The French do have a grand way of doing almost everything.

Absinthe tastes like licorice. But it has an stronger herby, anise flavor, much like Pernod, but much bolder. I did enjoy it, but only in small doses. I would enjoy it more sitting at an outdoor cafe in Paris, in the searing summer heat.

For more information, a virtual visit to the store, another video on preparation, a feast for the eyes and to hear the owner speak with a passion of Absinthe, I highly recommend a visit to his Vert d’Absinthe website. The website…and his videos are in French, but it is definitely worth a the trip.

Vert d’Absinthe
11 rue d’Ormesson
Paris 75004
01 42 71 69 73

Meme, Meme and More Memes

Two new blog buddies I met at The Ultimate Blog Party have tagged me for memes. Linda from Milanese Masala, tagged me for a 7 facts about yourself meme. I have done this one before, so you can read more about me here and here, but I still came up with another 7 things. My life really doesn’t seem that interesting, but here goes…

1. I love roller coasters and amusement parks!
2. I dislocated my elbow when I was 9 years old. And yes, I still remember how much it hurt
3. I have never tried Sushi. Don’t know why really.
4. I used to Square Dance. Yep, do-ce-do, petticoat and all!
5. I have an obsession with scarves. I have a serious collection…maybe 30 or more!
6. I came in second place at a Karaoke contest. I guess I have some pipes.
7. My first trip to Paris was a 10 day solo trip. It was a scary and exciting adventure, but it was also one of the best things I have ever done!

Since, this one has been around for a while, I am only going to tag a few folks that I think haven’t done it yet. So, Shawn, Joe and TACE..this ones coming your way!

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And then Not Trying for a Boy tagged me for another meme. I just love the name of her blog! Here is the Q & A.

What I was doing 10 years ago: I was living in Northern California, working for Gold’s Gym.

Five things on my to-do list today:

1. mail my sisters birthday card. (her b-day is Thursday)
2. do my homework from our Italian class last night
3. watch Barack Obama’s speech
4. finalize our Easter plans
5. do a blog post (well, one outta five ain’t bad)

Snacks I enjoy:

Chips n’ salsa, greek yogurt and fresh berries, a homemade smoothie, peanut butter or nutella on just about anything!

Things I would you do if I was a Billionaire:

That’s easy. First, I would scream. Loudly. Then I would faint. When I came to, I would pay off all my debt and give my parents some dough for all the help they have given me over the years. Then I would purchase 2 villas. One in Provence and one in Tuscany. I would proceed to the best flea markets and antique shops in both France and Italy and spend the rest of the year decorating said villas. I would spend each year going back and forth between the two, open them both as Bed and Breakfasts and eventually write a book about the whole experience. Uh, do you think I have thought about this just a little over the years. Naaa.

Three of my bad habits:

1. spending too much time on the computer
2. not proofreading my blog enough..before I hit publish
3. piling random *stuff* on my kitchen table, the catch-all.

Five places I have lived:

Long Island, NY
Seymour, CT
Clinton Corners, NY
Walnut Creek, CA
Poughkeepsie, NY

Five jobs I have had.

NY State Park Police Dispatcher
Receptionist in a Dermatologist’s Office
Sales Consultant for several Gym’s
Store Manager for Kids ‘R’ Us.
Supervisor for GAP distribution center

and finally…five people I’d like to get to know better. Consider yourself tagged.

1. Erin at the Olive Notes…because she is living my dream.
2. Mental Mosaic…because I love the name of her blog.
3. Anne in Oxfordshire..because she’s a sweetheart.
4. Joanne at Frutto della Passione because she’s all about Italy and food.
5. Milanese Masala because she tagged me for the first one, so right back attcha.

Love your dog

Thought I’d share something too cute with you this Sunday. The first time I saw this commercial, I swear it brought tears to my eyes. Not sad tears, but happy tears. It is so cute, it chokes me up. Yea, I am a sucker for a cute dog. And guitar notes that pull at your heartstrings.

You see, this looks exactly like my little Madison. Same sweet face, same alert dark eyes, same pointy pink ears, same little way she plops her head down on you and when this Westie climbs up at the table and looks at the camera…Madison does the same thing when she puts her front paws up on the couch and stares right at you! Uh, but unlike the commerical, she does not eat Cesar dog food.

Ah, for the love of a dog. I don’t know what I would do without her. My little Westie that steals my heart every day.

Go love your dog today!

Festa Italiana

Well, you all know how much I love me some Italian Food. And I have been known to enjoy a party or two, as well as a ~~occassional~~ ~~regular~~ mandatory glass of red wine with dinner. Well, I can’t think of a better reason to celebrate and bring it all together ’cause my friend Maryann over at La Dolce Vita and Marie at Proud Italian Cook are hosting Festa Italiana…

I have so many Italian recipes to choose from, but I think I will share with you one of my easy, but delicious favorites. I have posted this before, but it is a classic that bears repeating. As with most simple Italian dishes that have few elements, it is important to use the best quality ingredients available to get the best taste possible.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Course salt
1 pound spaghetti
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil a pot of salted water. Add pasta, cook to al dente. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a skillet over med-high heat. Stir to make sure it does not stick. Remove with a slotted spoon when brown. Keep on the side in a bowl.

3. Reduce heat to med-low, add the oil than the garlic and cook until golden, but do not burn it!

4. Lightly beat the eggs in the bottom of your serving bowl. When the pasta is done, add it to the skillet with the garlic and toss. Then transfer the pasta to the serving bowl with the eggs and toss. The heat of the pasta will *cook* the eggs. Add the cheese and the pancetta and toss again. Season with lots of black pepper and serve with some additional cheese on top.

Buon Appetito e Buona Festa Italiana!

Le Canard Enchainé

Last weekend we had dinner in Paris, France. Well, not technically. But it was the next best thing. It felt like we were there anyway.

We had dinner at my absolute favorite Paris bistro, in New York. It is called Le Canard Enchainé. If it sounds familiar, it also happens to be the name of a French newspaper. The chef, who graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and a few of the wait staff are from France. This is one of the reasons we like dining there. It feels like an authentic Paris bistro – complete with real French accents. Not just English spoken wis ze French assent. Real French, right from France, which is great for setting the ambiance as well as giving us some practice with our French language skills( which of course are not in the forefront being that studiamo l’italiano).

From the outside, this looks like a traditional bistro that you might find strolling in the St. Germain des Prés or Latin Quarter in Paris. Red awnings, blackboard menus, large windows complete with gold script lettering, flowers and of course, a tiny outside table.

photo courtesy of Le Canard Enchaine

The inside has a totally authentic French feel, complete with a dark wood bar, red brick walls, tiny white tablecloth covered tables with candles, burgundy and cream tiled floors and a mélange of French posters and black and white photos that don the walls. There is a piano in the main room, because on the weekends there is a piano bar. How fun! The night we went, there was a French music CD wafting through the air, which just added to the experience.

The menu is typical yet creative and there are always prix-fixe specials available. The night we dined, we had the $25 prix-fixe, which included a starter and main course. I enjoyed the French onion soup, which rivaled anything I have had in Paris. The cheese was thick and gooey, with just the right amount of browned broiled goodness topping it. Chris had the celery potato soup, which was the perfect velvety texture and delicious as well.

Our main courses were Beef Bourguignon, with a red wine sauce that made every taste bud in my mouth stand at attention and sing alleluia and beef that was so tender it melted in my mouth! I have never tasted a sauce so wine-y, beef-y and delicious! Chris had the mushroom truffle ravioli with brandy cream sauce. The ravioli were stuffed so nicely he felt like he was eating meat and the cream sauce was very rich, but not overwhelmingly so. We both agreed these were the perfect dishes for a cold winter’s night.

The wine – outstanding! I had a Bordeaux, which really complemented my beef and Chris had a Pinot Grigio. Both were more than reasonable at $9 and $7, respectively.

For dessert, we shared a classic tarte tatin, with caramel, well, somewhere. Not sure if it was baked in or added after…but it was certainly there. I hate to say this, but this was the BEST tarte tatin I have ever had. In Paris or otherwise. Yea, it was that good. No wonder they are Zagat rated and featured in the New York Times.

Every time we come here, we always have a great experience. In true French fashion, we are never rushed, our meal is served at a leisurely pace, the waitstaff is fun but professional, and you will have to ask for your bill. Better yet we get an authentic French meal, complete with French hosts and hostesses, at a reasonable price. A little slice of Paris, in downtown Kingston, without having to spend a small fortune on the airfare and fork over those falling dollars which are worth next to nothing in France now anyway.

What more can a true francophile, longing for Paris ask for? Well, maybe some more of that tarte tatin…to go!

Le Canard Enchainé
276 Fair Street
Kingston, NY 12540
845.339.2003

The Ultimate Blog Party

Come join in the fun. 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting an annual Blog Party. Now thru March 14, head on over there and get a chance to win some prizes and meet some new bloggers. Lots of new bloggers!!!

And if this is your first time visiting lil’ ole me…let me tell you a bit about me and my blog.

I live in the Hudson Valley, NY and I have a passion for Italy and France. And I love the European lifestyle. I guess you could say I am a Frentalianophile or would it be an Italenchophile. Well, it depends on the day!

I talk about my travels to both France and Italy, the food, the wine, the culture and the all of the reasons I adore them so much! Oh, and pictures. If you want pictures, I’ve got tons of pictures of my favorite places!!!

I also love antiques and I have a flea market on my blog as well. Somtimes I give you a little peek at the flea market finds in my home, my cute little Westie, Madison and my better half Chris, who shares my passion and doubles as my food stylist when I snap photos of recipes for the blog.

My latest project is studying Italian. We are now taking Italian classes and try to share with you some quirks about the language. I like taking you along for the ride. Oh, and it’s a bumpy one!

Now you know why it is called My Melange. Melange, in French, means a mix of things. And that is just what we have here. A nice mix, and a great group of readers.

I love meeting new people, so if you stop on by, feel free to make a comment, so I can hop on over to your house and get to know you a little better too! And, if you like what you see, you can always subscribe! Just click on the feeds icon or enter your email address, both located at the top of the right sidebar.

See ya at the party!!!

Lesson Four

Or Lezione Quattro. As expected the lessons are getting harder. It is increasingly difficult to find enough time to practice from settimana to settimana. Seven days is not alot of time between lezioni. I never thought I would wish I could go back to High School, where I didn’t have to work, clean, shop, cook or pay bills, so that I could have all that extra study time. I guess when you have that time, you won’t use it…and when you don’t have it, you want it. Go figure.

On the plus side, my vocabulario is expanding and my pronunciation remains strong.

So far, some of my favorite words are:

Allora……so. This is used often as a little in between word like OK. Plus is sounds so pretty.
Lentemente….slowly. This is a great one to know when someone is talking at the speed of light.
Passaggiata….a walk around town after a meal. You see this often in Italy.
Ecco….here it is!
Dopodomani….day after tomorrow.
Stamattina…this morning.
Piacere…..pleasing, pleasure.
Anche….also.
Cosi cosi……this or that. so so.

I can now also count to sixty(sessanta) and can ask and tell time. Both military and digital.

In Italy, schedules of trains, plane flights and concerts are written in military time, while everyday happenings like cena(dinner), lavoro(work) and general questions regarding time are told in standard time. There is not however, AM or PM, in Italian. If it is not obvious (you wouldn’t have dinner at 8am, so dinner at 8:00 (otto) means 8:00 at night) you use the words di mattina (in the morning), di pomeriggio (in the afternoon) or di sera (in the night), to differentiate. And any true Italian will tell you time is a subjective thing. So 8:00 (otto) is really 8-ish. Could be 8:30, 8:45, whenever. If you are planning dinner or a gathering with amici (friends) and it needs to start on time….follow your time with the phrase, in punto, which means sharp! Hopefully, they will get the picture!

However, there are still things that continue to haunt me. Namely conjugating verbs, the use of indefinite and definite articles and pluralizing nouns. Like any language, there are rules…and sometimes the rules just don’t apply. Argh. Not an easy thing to learn.

I keep pluggin’ away though!

A presto! (see you soon)

The Colors of Italy

I love all of the different colors of Italy. Granted, in the spring and summer months, the colors are more vibrant, as the sun is shining and the skies are blue. So is the water…

The terracotta tiles have a warm glow..

The grass and the vines are so very green…

Red shows up just about everywhere… facades, poppies and the ubiquitous geraniums.

And how can I forget the peach and ocher hued case and pallazzi.

Though it may not be a bright color, don’t count out gray. The stone and marble, weathered over time, always tell a good story. They are a solid part of Italian history…