If I Lived in Paris...

I'm thinking about it seriously. Soon I'll be back in NYC looking at Paris street sign magnets on the refrigerator.

 Instead of the REAL thing dans le rue.

 If I lived in Paris I could show you les fleurs grande et petite.

 And more French handwriting.

By the way my French has improved a lot. People consistently respond to me in French (!) I just wish I understood what they were saying%$#@!

 I would show you many more ballerinas.

 Once a week I'd shoot with Mes VitrinesNYC the latest Paris fashion windows.

 And shoot more Paris backs regularly.

 I'd shoot more architecture.

 And more reflections in windows/vitrines.

 I could do more dessert research at Angelina's and other yummy places.

 And more coccinelle research.
I know you're all waiting for that. But honestly is there another town on the planet so smitten with this little red and black bug 🐞 

 Thanks to reading Bringing Up Bebe indepth before I left, I've been eating more fruit compote.

 And a lot less sweets (with a big helping hand from The Power of Habit).

 I will never give up MACARONS!
Don't worry. I am wondering how Weight Watchers France found me? They're bombarding me with emails!?

 I've become a BIG fan of La Grande Epicerie Paris macarons.

 Ah...Paris dogs. They would be on my menu daily if I lived here.

 I'd shoot more shoes on the bus and metro. Thanks to Jill of Mad About Macarons for pointing out that I did this. I didn't realize...

 When I finally finish my book on Paris, the back flap could say, 'she's an ex-pat who lives in Paris'. Wouldn't that be nice! What do you think? Should I do it?

Dedicated to the one I love...

John saw this watercolor dedicated to Angelina...And requested if he could have the same watercolor
but with his friend, Caterina's name on the cup.
What a good idea!I got to thinking...
Marie-Noelle has been coaching me in the art of Frenchie ecriture handwriting...
I forget what she calls it, but I know she'll remind me shortly :) Wouldn't it be fun to add French terms of endearment to the watercolors
Known as, Les Petits Nom et Les Mots Doux
There could easily be thousands of these terms of endearments in French...
Here are just a few to choose from:
Pour les petits et même les grands, Joli coeur, jolie rose, louloute, ma beauté, ma belette, ma biche, ma biquette, ma canaille, ma chatounette, ma chérie, ma choupette, ma choupinette,ma belle, ma choute, ma cocotte, ma coquette, ma dame de coeur, ma douce, ma douceur, ma drollière, ma grenouille, ma jolie, Ma minouchette, ma noisette, ma petite bichette, ma petite bichette, ma petite chérie, ma petite crotte, ma petite frite, ma petite hirondelle, ma petite perle, ma petite princesse, ma petite puce, ma poule, ma poulette, ma poupette, ma princesse aux pieds dorés, ma souris, ma tortue, ma minette, mimi, mon amour...
Etc! Etc!
Just be sure you get the masculine/feminine correct!
And while we're at it..
Don't forget The Shirelles song:
Each night before you go to bed my baby
Whisper a little prayer for me my baby
This is dedicated to the one I love
This is dedicated to the one I love
This is dedicated to the one I love
This is dedicated to the one I love

History of Hot Chocolate...

Chocolat Chaud at Angelina, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

This is my own personal history of hot chocolate...

I got addicted to drinking French hot chocolate on the low-end you might say. At Jean-Pierre's house in Biarritz, I tasted his kid's hot chocolate - NESQUIK. Embarrassing but true. Nesquik is "a milk flavoring mix" developed in the U.S. in 1948. I don't even see the word CHOCOLATE in the description! The adults drank coffee of course. On another visit I took to the kids' POULAIN GRAND AROME - the cheerful orange and blue boxes you see here. This is a common French supermarket brand - la poudre magique du petit-déjeuner/ the magic powder of breakfast...Hmmm

It's only in the past 3 years I've branched out to the finer French chocolat chauds, when I discovered better quality percentage chocolate bars. My tastebuds yearned for a more complex morning drink than supermarket kid's stuff.
Last trip my focus was on the Parisian hot chocolate research project - visiting as many of Paris' best hot chocolate cafes rather than buying new brands to test out at home. The multitude of brands in France is downright astonishing! I tried MONBANA and it's excellent. They had a sweet little boutique in the 6th arr. Marché St-Germain on rue Lobineau - here you can drink a cup or buy a box.
These adorable boxes are from Chocolat Chapon. I didn't get to their shop this trip or even taste these. But I will next time I SWEAR!
Most of these shots were "stolen" at Le Bon Marche - another chance to get arrested.
I did buy this hot chocolate to drink in my hotel room. I used hot water from the tap + a chunk of chocolate bar. What's a girl gonna do at 5 AM in the morning?
More hot chocolate boxes I regret not buying...from Maxim's

Here's my daily home brew - a melange/mixup of whatever's in the closet.Plus the all-important chunk of the best dark chocolate bar I can find. The backbone on my morning drink is 2 heaping teaspoons of Les Confitures a l'Ancienne. You can find it on Amazon. MarieBelle is new to me and made in New York. When it's mixed with the other brands it tastes less sugary, the way I like it. I did pick up Pierre Herme's Chocolat Chaud Nature and Angelina's hot chocolate the very last minute in Paris.

Heat up 1 cup water for 2.2 minutes in the microwave.

Pour slowly into the cup of melange + 1 square of dark chocolate.

You'll have a thick slurry to start.

Stir constantly.

It never tastes exactly the same, but it's always intensely chocolatey and sugar is a minor undertone. I nearly forgot to mention I always add 1+ heaping teaspoon of the best plain cacao, in this case from Michel Cluizel.

If you want this concoction to have extra kick,

make it the night before and heat up the next morning.

Variety is the spice of...

My Cups Runneth Over...

Tea at cafe Luco, original watercolor

I forgot to say yesterday that my cup runneth over.

2006 has been a wonderful year for me, because you've stopped by Paris Breakfasts for a cuppa..

Hot Chocolate at Les Duex Magots, original watercolor

A friend sent a kind email: I raise my teacup to you. Continued succes, cherie.

Hot Chocolate at Angelina's, original watercolor

I have lots of ideas I want to get out of my head and onto paper.. And lots of cups to paint for you this year.
BIG MERCI everyone! :)

Hot Chocolate

Chocolat Chaud at Angelinas, watercolor on paper, 9" x 11 1/2"

Right now you can't have too much hot chocolate IMHO. This is from the famous Angelina's and served with their pile of whipped cream.

Every year at the Paris Salon du Chocolat, Chantal du Chouchet shows her huge collection of rare chocolatières. 

Here is the wooden moulinet that fits in the top and used to foam the chocolate since the 17th century. Madam de Pompadour ordered the first chocolate service from Sevres. And was not far behind... beautiful bean I was ranting on about last month. PLEASE get to know your cacao beans!

An unusual rare Art Déco pot still has the hole in the top for the moulinet..

Look! Chantal even has a doll house-size chocolatière and in silver too!

Silver Chocolat Pot, original watercolor on paper, 12" x 15"

I found my own silver chocolatière in May at La Vaissellerie. I was thrilled but it's a "fake". No hole in the top for foaming the chocolate. Just don't tell anyone. 

This unique chocolatière is cleverly shaped like theMarie-Antoinette