Les Deux Rives

Translation in English, The two banks.

What does it really mean to me?

It means a cheap and delicious French red wine!

How delicious? I liked it so much, I went back and bought several bottles. Even used one as the base for a fabulous Boeuf Bourguignon. Recipe to follow shortly.

This wine is a Corbières Rouge. A blend of Granache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan. It is best served cool, not chilled, and is very fruit forward.

Here is the description on the label:

" The vast vineyard of Corbières stretches along the beautiful Mediterranean coast of France from the ancient Roman capitol of Narbonne in the north through the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in the south. It is one of the last great French vineyards to be discovered for the quality of its wine. The wine is rich, full and packed with ripe berry flavors."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

This is one of those NOT to be missed. It is a steal under ten bucks, but at less than seven, it is pure highway robbery!

Salut! Cheers! Cin-cin!

——

And to celebrate Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, don't forget to check out Amazon.com. They have some outstanding deals today, many with free shipping. Shop from the comfort of your own home. You can sleep in and not fight the crowds!

Love Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Domesticated Turkey~, 2. Make your own cranberry sauce 101, 3. It’s A Little Late for Thanksgiving Table Settings…, 4. homemade apple pie, 5. ..”If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you”, that would suffice”.., 6. Happy Thanksgiving!, 7. Wild Turkeys – 4:40pm, 8. baked sweet potato, 9. Stuffed for Thanksgiving, 10. Brooksby Farm Adventure 1, 11. Roast Turkey, 12. acorn squash with cranberry apple stuffing, 13. early Thanksgiving, 14. the depth of Autumn, 15. Happy Thanksgiving…………….., 16. sweet potato pie, 17. Somewhere I See a Pumpkin Pie, 18. Happy Thanksgiving 2007, 19. Fall Foliage in Pennsylvania, 20. Cranberry Wheels

***

A little look at what Thanksgiving means to me…in pictures. A feast for the eyes, if you will!

I am spending the day with family. I am thankful for being able to share this day with my nephew.

What are you thankful for today?

Happy Thanksgiving one and all and of course…Happy Love Thursday!!

Italian Beans on Toast

While watching the Today show a few weeks ago (my morning ritual enjoyed best with coffee), I was lucky enough to catch the adorable, cheeky Jamie Oliver, cooking up a few dishes from his new cookbook, Jamie at Home.

As an aside, if you have never seen or felt one of Jamie’s cookbooks, run, don’t walk, right out to your nearest Borders or Barnes & Noble, grab a copy and get lost in the tactile and visual feast that will be fast upon you.

You will realize why both his Jamie’s Italy and newly released Jamie at Home are high on my wish-list for Santa this year.

Now, back to cooking.

Jamie was explaining how he first saw this dish on a menu in Italy and thought it was kind of simple, boring, bland even. But then he was shocked and surprised at how something so simple could be so delicious.

That piqued my interest and I focused even closer, knowing that I’d want to make the dish myself. As with all Italian recipes, the ingredients are inexpensive and can be home-grown, the recipe simple and the results…delish!

Jamie’s Home-cooked Beans

11 oz dried borlotti, cranberry or cannellini beans-soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours

3 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

a few fresh sprigs of fresh thyme

a sprig of fresh rosemary

3 bay leaves

1 celery stalk, trimmed

1 small potato, peeled and halved

2 cherry tomatoes

Extra virgin olive oil

Red wine vinegar

few sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

slices of sourdough bread

***

Drain your soaked beans, then give them a good wash. Place them in a deep pot and cover them with cold water. Throw in your garlic, herb sprigs, bay leaves, celery stick, potato and tomatoes.

Place the beans on the heat and slowly bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether you’re using fresh or dried, until soft and cooked nicely.

Skim if necessary, topping up with boiling water from the kettle if you need to.

When the beans are cooked, drain them in a colander, reserving enough of the cooking water to cover them halfway up when put back in the pot. Remove the garlic, herbs, celery, potato and tomatoes from the beans.

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pinch the skin off the tomatoes. Put the garlic, tomatoes and potato on to a plate, mash them with a fork and stir back into the beans.

Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in three generous glugs of extra virgin olive oil and a few splashes of vinegar. Stir in the parsley and serve on some toasted sourdough bread.

Buon Appetito!

—–

I like the fact that you can serve these as an appetizer, like bruschetta, as shown in the picture leading off the post; Or as a main dish, by placing a large hunk of sourdough on the plate and topping it with a large helping of the beans, pictured directly above.

Jamie offers several creative recipes, using these beans as a base. Some of the ones I liked best involved frying some red snapper and topping the beans. Or, topping the beans with a fresh crab and chili salad.

So, have you ever had Beans on Toast? What else would you top ‘em with?

Travel Tip Tuesday -Thanksgiving Travel

It is that time of year again.

Turkey Time.

This is usually one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.

However, due to the troubling economy, AAA reported last week that Thanksgiving travel is expected to drop for the first time in 6 years.

I won't be traveling far, but for those of you who are, I have compiled a few tips for you.

1. The busiest travel days are Wednesday and Thursday. Try to leave earlier and return later, if your schedule will allow.

2. If flying, add extra time for check in. If your airline typically requires you get there 2 hours before flight time, at a minimum, double it. Get there at least 4 hours ahead.

3. If you are driving, again add extra time. The roads and traffic, will be more crowded than usual. Try to travel at odd hours or opposite the normal traffic pattern.

4. Give your car the once over. Check tire pressure, get an oil change, make sure everything is in working order. Pack an emergency kit with flashlight, flares, some non-perishable food and warm clothes, just in case you get stranded. A bag of salt and a small snow-shovel may also come in handy if the weather is calling for snow.

5. Check the weather forecast. Be prepared for the worst.

6. Have flight information and some airline phone numbers handy, in case you have to reschedule a flight due to inclement weather.

7. Bring patience and entertainment. The airports will be crowded, kids will be crying, people may be loosing their mind or you may have a two hour delay on the runway before take-off. Bring your Ipod, your laptop, a good book or some Sudoku. Just in case you have to drown out the sound or keep busy, you'll have plenty to choose from.

8. Stay home. Stay local. Avoid the headaches at all costs. Make your family come to you. The cost of buying the food and the hassle of coming up with a creative and original table setting is totally worth it compared to the nightmare that is Traveling around the Thanksgiving Holidays!

______

And as an added bonus I decided to throw in a little Top Ten action this week.

I subscribe to almost every travel site known to man. I get scads of automatic travel emails in my In box on a daily basis. Travel deals, top destinations, Best of lists- you name it, I get it!

This week I got one from Sherman's Travel on Top 10 Thanksgiving Travel Destinations.

So, here they are:

1. Aruba

2. Brussels

3. Kauai

4. Los Cabos

5. New York

6. Phoenix & Scottsdale

7. Plymouth

8. Transatlantic Cruise

9. Vail

10. Vieques

To find out why, or for more details, visit Sherman's Travel, to read the full article.

***

So, did your favorite place make the list? Where are you going? What would be on your Top Ten list?

e="font-family: Georgia;">—–

Don't forget to head over to My Bella Vita to gobble up Cherrye's Travel Tips today!

And may you all have safe, uneventful and happy Thanksgiving Travels this year!!

All Roads Lead to Rome?

You know the old saying, ‘All roads lead to Rome’?

My friends, I hate to break it to you, but this has to be the overstatement of the century.

It couldn’t be further from the truth.

The one thing I learned when I traveled to Rome, other than driving there was taking your life in your hands, is that driving in Rome is a lesson in futility.

Romans do not believe in street signs.

Don’t believe me? Let me share a little story about what happened when we drove to Rome. And maybe, just maybe, I will convince you.

In 2004, when the pseudo-hubs and I traveled to Italy for our two-week, world-wind tour of a lifetime, I did all the planning. From soup to nuts. I crossed every I, dotted every T, you get the point.

I set up the car rental, train reservations, hotel reservations, and planned the itinerary. Did everything for our all-out-assault on Italy - seven areas in two weeks.

It was going swimmingly - all without a hitch. The trains, the driving, reading the maps and the road signs, all just great.

Until we left for Rome, that is.

Now, the one that plans, also needs to be the one to take full responsibility when things get all effed up, which happened to me.

We left Tuscany en route to Rome by car a bit later than we had planned, due to the marvelous time we were having trolling about the Chianti countryside.

With our Michelin map as our guide, we made our way to the autostrada and set our SmartCar on high-speed-autopilot, due South, 130 kph.

We stopped to refuel at a gas station about ten miles outside of the first exits for Rome.

Pseudo-hubs turned to me as he climbed back into the car and said “Ok, where to from here?”

I started to panic and began riffling through ‘my papers’. Beads of sweat started to appear on my forehead and I began to realize I had no stinking idea.

How could that be? How could it be that I meticulously planned every little detail, except for the driving directions to the parking garage in Rome?

I had the address. I guess that was something.

Did I somehow imagine that I would magically know what exit to get off and that since we were in Rome, the Lord Jesus himself would somehow miraculously guide us to the parking garage?

I really don’t know what I was thinking, but it was clear I had screwed up. I had no idea how to get there. No detailed map of Rome, no directions. Nada.

At this point I turned to Chris to give him the good news.

“Uh, I dunno. I guess I was kinda focused on all the other difficult connections we had to maneuver in the earlier part of the trip.” I said.

Chris, being the unusually calm and patient one, was suddenly very out of character.

I little tantrum ensued. And then I got defensive. And then it was ON.

After we both calmed down, we got back on the autostrada and said our prayers. I generally have an innate sense of direction, so I was confident we would be alright.

We both put our game faces on because we realized that this was going to be a bit like driving to New York City and trying to find Central Park, without a map or a clue.

Oh, and without speaking the national language. Let’s throw that in for good measure.

We picked an exit from the Michelin map that seemed like it would be close to the Parcheggio di Villa Borghese and traveled down the ramp.

Surely there must be a sign at the bottom announcing the park, right? I mean, it is a large, well-known park.

To our dismay, not a one. No signs telling us anything.

This was the case for the next hour or so as we drove around aimlessly.

I was able to find a small map of Rome in ‘my papers’, but was never able to quite pick out our location. We couldn’t find one street sign telling us where the hell we were.

We drove round and round, back and forth. Nothing.

Frustrated and lost, I spotted a few young boys on bikes and we drove over, rolled down our windows and asked. Lucky for us they were helpful and spoke some English.

They even had a hard time telling us where it was, which in some warped way, made us feel a little better about our situation.

Though the boys didn’t solve the problem, they pointed us in the right direction and after another bout of getting lost a few more times, I finally spotted a sign for the garage.

But that was just a temporary high, because as Chris began his descent into what seemed like the entrance, half way down the steep, curved, narrowing ramp, he realized that he had made a grave error in judgment.

He had gone down the motorcycle entrance ramp. And though we were in a tiny SmartCar, it was no match for the narrow concrete walls.

We couldn’t make it any further down without taking the bumper and side-view mirror off the car and if someone were to pull up immediately behind us, we would get the second screwing of the day.

Where was the Lord Jesus when you needed him?!!

Knowing that I am the irrational and impatient one, I decided it would be best for me to just SHUT MY MOUTH!!

Instead, I closed my eyes, took several deep breaths and said yet another Hail Mary as Chris gently tried to maneuver the car out of the crevice that we were now lodged in.

It was a wise move on my part, because both the car and its inhabitants escaped without injury or further incident. Un Miricolo.

By now we were exhausted. But the fun was just beginning.

We trudged up the steep underground steps with our much too heavy luggage in tow and made our way to street level. Now we needed to find our bus (we were determined not to take taxis, but I was really beginning to regret that decision now).

Again, I asked myself what in the hell I was thinking!!?

Too tired to look around for a tabaccheria to buy a bus ticket, we hopped on the first bus we saw with the flashing neon #116, that by all accounts would drop us near our hotel.

We struggled with getting our luggage on board and some nice bus riders, who we later found out were American, helped us.

I began to worry that we would be kicked off, or worse, jailed because we were now illegally riding the bus without purchasing a ticket. I was panicking again.

Then the nice family that helped us with our luggage started chatting us up and I quickly forgot about my law-breaking status.

Turns out, they knew the bus line quite well. After we explained our hellish day, we told them our hotel was near the Piazza Navona. They must have felt sorry for us because before we could even start to worry about an exit strategy, the bus doors opened, they pushed us off the bus, luggage and all, promising that it was the right stop.

And we never did get to thank them. Nor did we get arrested.

Instead we spent the next half hour, marching up and down the street, looking for the little two block alleyway that housed our hotel.

No luck. When we finally found the road, it dawned on us that it was the exact spot the bus had stopped. If we had just looked down the tiny alleyway in front of us, it was the third building in on the right.

Go figure.

I’d never been happier to see three-flights of stairs and took them two at a time. We threw our luggage in the room and uncorked a bottle of red faster than you could say ‘Chianti’. We quickly polished off every last drop of the good juice in an effort to wash away the horror of the nightmare we just survived.

In the end we almost killed each other, avoided destroying the rental car, got to ride the bus for free, put our fate in the hands of some helpful Americans and realized that sometimes what you are looking for might just be right in front of your eyes.

Even with a detailed map and the best directions, the fact still remains that the signs in Rome really do suck. It leads one to believe that though all roads may lead to Rome, that tidbit of factual information is best left for the unprepared traveler to discover from the comfort of the backseat of a very expensive, but reliable Roman taxi cab.

And a little prayer in the city considered to be the Catholicism capital of the world doesn’t hurt either.

***

Have you ever driven a car in Rome before? Would you? Do you have a harrowing tale of misfortune to share?

French Chocolat a l’Ancienne

Since the weather is getting cold, I thought it a perfect time to share a little something I like to call a cold remedy.

Not a cure for the common cold, but more like a potion that will warm the coldest of hands and melt the hardest of hearts during the winter months.

But first, a little background story.

I remember on my last visit to Paris, we stumbled across a lovely little spot in my favorite part of Paris – the I'le Saint-Louis.

La Charlotte de l'Isle, an eclectic salon de thé, has a pink facade and a curvaceous lady caricature gracing the outside. Ms. Charlotte I presume.

But inside is where the magic happens.

Even though it was September, I couldn't pass up a chance to have some of the best, French hot chocolate, made from an ancient recipe.

This is not your typical Nestle's powder cocoa-in-a-box that you mix with water, like you find here in the States.

Nay, nay.

This is pure dark chocolate melted and combined with rich whole milk to create a rich, oozy, heavenly concoction that slides down your throat, thick like honey, but oh so warm and chocolatey.

And though you won't be sipping it on the I'le Saint-Louis in Paris, the recipe below is so good, that your mind just might fool you.

Chocolat a l' Ancienne

6 oz. good quality semisweet chocolate, like Valrhona, chopped

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons hot water, divided

3 cups hot whole milk

Sugar, to taste

—

Using a double boiler or a heat-safe glass bowl over simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate into ¼ cup of the water. Stir in the 3 tablespoons hot water and milk until the chocolate mixture is smooth. Pour the hot chocolate into cups and add sugar as desired.

Sip plain or garnish with a spoonful of whipped cream.

***

So, what is your secret to the best Hot Chocolate?

Love Thursday: Cappuccino Love

1. My Cappuccino Love, 2. Cappuccino, Gilli, Florence, 3. Cappuccino with heart, 4. cappuccino, 5. LOVE Cappuccino, 6. Fazilet's Cup of Cappuccino, 7. Cappuccino, 8. Blue Bottle Cappuccino, 9. I *heart* cappuccinos, 10. Cappuccino – illy style!, 11. Gotta Love Cappuccino, 12. I Love Cappuccino, 13. cappuccino at Paul Bassett Japan, 14. Cappuccino, 15. Latte Art (Soy Cappuccino) from Espresso Vivace, 16. Cappuccino, 17. A lovely cappuccino, 18. French and Cappuccino, 19. Cappuccino, 20. Cappuccino of love

***

Who doesn't love a cappuccino? Especially one with an artfully hand-crafted heart design notched into the foam. It is as if the barista is infusing the love right into your cup.

The cappuccino is delicious enough, but doesn't it taste a tad sweeter with a little love on top?

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

Kitchen Sink Frittata

Sounds delish doesn't it?

Maybe not, but hopefully you can appreciate the sentiment. I think it looks better than it sounds.

One of my favorite things to do is taking what I have on hand and making something simple and delicious out of it.

Hmm, sounds like something Italians have been doing for centuries. It is the staple of the Italian cook's culture.

As the name suggests, the recipe should and will vary based on what you have in the fridge to be used up.

Here is how I made mine.

Kitchen Sink Frittata

Remove sausage from casing, break off in pieces and brown in pan, set aside

Saute some chopped onion in some olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick oven safe pan

When translucent throw in some minced garlic along with salt and pepper

Add chopped plum tomato, chopped olives, and ripped red swiss chard

Slightly whip 5-6 eggs in a bowl

Pour over the veggies when they are soft

Add the sausage

Let mixture set

When almost set, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley

Place in the oven at 350 degrees to set and brown the top

It should look like this when done

**Cooks note: You may notice that the sausage is arranged on only half of the frittata. This is so the vegetarian in the house can also enjoy it!

Carefully loosen and cut into pie slices using a plastic knife

Serve with some rosemary ciabatta and a green salad for a perfect dinner or brunch. Cold leftovers also make a delicious breakfast treat.

Buon Appetito!!

***

So, what are your favorite ingredients to use in a frittata?

____________

And I have an exciting announcement to share. Claudia, the creative talent behind The Paris Apartment, has agreed to an interview. And we are going to kick it up an notch and combine it with a book giveaway. That's right. Her book. A signed book giveaway!

Look for more details over the next two weeks.

Travel Tip Tuesday – Why go solo?

I know many of you out there would never think of venturing out on vacation alone, whatever the reason.

Maybe your other half would never hear of it. Perhaps you don't want to ditch your yearly girlfriend

getaway. Fear may rear its ugly head, making you scared to spend THAT much time alone with yourself.

But for those of you who have already traveled solo, or some of you that may be teetering on the fence, I offer you 5 reasons to go solo.

1. You can do what YOU want. "What do you wanna do today?" , "I dunno, what do you wanna do today?" Sound familiar? Yeah,we have all been there. When you have one or more people in the mix trying to figure out an itinerary, someone always gets the short end of the stick, someone gets pissed off and lets face it, it is frustrating for everyone. If you go solo, you get to skip all the drama and do whatever you want.

2. You never miss a trick. When you travel with other people, you spend lots of time talking to them. When you travel alone, you can become a better observer and soak up everything happening around you. You have more time to appreciate hidden details that would otherwise go unnoticed because you are focused on your companions. These details and captured moments may very well make your trip that much better.

3. Set your own pace. Remember when you were in the car as a kid and Dad had to stop for coffee, Mom wanted to stop a few miles later for food and then a few minutes later your brother had to pee. You were the one whining and rolling your eyes in the back seat, crying "C,mon, we are never gonna get there!!" You can avoid all of that by going alone. Stop at a cafe if your feet hurt, leave the museum early if you are bored, take 50 pictures in the park without your traveling companions pacing back and forth crying "Aren't you done yet? How many pictures of the park do you really need?"

4. Score that deal! Picture this, you find that deal of a lifetime on the Internet, but you sigh because you have to check with so-and-so. Gotta make sure the dates and times work for them. By the time you coordinate and hem and haw back and forth-the deal is long gone. Well, if you are the only one going- you get to pick the dates and book that deal! And these days if you find it- you have to book it right away!

5. Make new friends. If you are traveling alone, you may find others traveling alone and strike up a conversation. Maybe with one of the guests in your hotel, maybe with a stranger in a restaurant. You will meet other travelers that you may never have met if you were traveling with someone else. Perhaps you will make fast friends with folks of different cultures, in different parts of the world, that last a lifetime. How nice that would be.

And as an added bonus, if you are lucky enough to have a significant other who supports your solo travels, best friends or parents that are staying behind, maybe you'll just have a built in ride to and from the airport!

***

So, who out there has traveled solo? What do you like and dislike? Would you do it again? What's the best thing about it for you?

For those of you who haven't yet, would you like to? Why or why not?

And while you're at it, stop by Cherrye's for her Travel Tip this Tuesday!

A Fall Stroll in Old Quebec City

Strolling down the breakneck stairway, called the Casse-Cou that leads from upper to lower town, if you head to your left, you run into the Park Montmorency.

It was a dreadful, rainy, windy, miserable day. But we made the best of it. I love the blanket of colorful fall leaves carpeting the park. It offers a stark contrast to the black cannons and grey stone walls that would otherwise have been invisible against the steely gray pavement.

I can't imagine this park being any more beautiful than in the fall.

Quebec City is a fortified city. This park is located along the upper ramparts. These cannons are on wheels and can be swiveled about 120 degrees to the left and the right. Napoléon would feel pretty safe here.

The spire in the background is the Séminaire de Québec.

It is a magnificent building. The Seminary was founded in 1668. I love the zinc mansard roof. Trés Francais, non?

Another close-up nearby.

This is a view looking down from the ramparts on the port below. A giant Crystal cruise-liner bellied up to the port, letting passengers off for a stroll around the city. The lifeboats secured on the sides are larger than some houses I have been in.