C comme Compote et Chats

 Do you wanna be a French girl?

Eat compote!

Something rarely if ever mentioned in the many tomes on achieving utter Frenchiness. Yet every French child learns to eat compote in the creche and before and being French, they never give it up.

 It's why they are so thin too.

 Not too many calories in plain old apple sauce are there, ahem

 And you can gussie it up with a touch of peche or figue or whatever your heart desires.

 Whilst in Maine, Monsieur Jacquie aka Jackie, a Maine Coon with great 'je n'ai sai quoi', taught me the way of making compote a la Francaise

 Your pommes/apples do not have to be French by the way. Macintosh will do just fine.

 Serving your compote de pomme in Frenchie-looking bleu dinner ware can't hurt in your efforts to achieve true Frenchiness

Le recipe received from cher Jacquie yesterday:

Ingredients: Apples, water, cinnamon, and a scant of sugar if desired. (makes about 2+ cups)

6-8 medium apples, peeled and sliced. ( I don't bother coring them, just slice to the core) into a medium size sauce pan. Pour enough water to fill the bottom of the pan. (about an inch high).

Cover and place on med heat. Boil/steam until the apples are softened.

Check often to be sure the apples do not burn and stick to the bottom.

If the apples are not softened and there is no water remaining, add a bit more water.

When the apples are softened, remove from heat. Stir with a fork until you reach a consistency that you like.

Add cinnamon and sugar to taste. I often forgo sugar depending on the tartness of the apple.

I like tart- so I often use Macintosh or Macouns. Cortlands are rumored the best for cooking. A matter of taste.

(I threw in zest + juice from 1/2 organic lemon + a teaspoon of brown sugar to counteract the lemon).

miam miam

There are tons more compote recipes at Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini.

 

 As an homage to Jacquie's skills in la cuisine in watercolor. Surely M.J. deserves this!

 Further homages I found in this book, I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats

 Have you read it? Truly adorbs

Her new sweater doesn't smell of me

I could pee on that

She's gone out for the day and left her laptop on the counter

I could pee on that

Her new boyfriend just pushed my head away

I could pee on him

She's ignoring me ignoring her

I could pee everywhere

She's making up for it by putting me on her lap

I could pee on this

I could pee on this

 

Merci Jacquie and I could Pee On That

Eat your COMPOTE!

Versace cats at H&M

I wasn't online at 5 AM last Saturday to catch Versace's cats at H&M I have enough cats to keep me busy at the moment. But I did pass by later on to check out the scene.

I coveted that Versace box, but you can't buy just a box malheueusement.

I looked at the leftovers.

Thanksgiving leftovers seem more appealing...ahem

A swipe of the cats paw was apparent in the Paris Metro.

And Paris vitrines/windows.

Almost all faux cat like this set at Claudie Pierlot.

Dans la rue a touch of cat at the neck.

Witty Barbara Rihl uses cat patterns as the base of her bags.

And around the neck of her figures.

While down the street on rue Cambon, her husband, Pierre Herme also has clever cats on the brain.

In Paris cat and mouse live happily together (in ballerina shoe store windows..)And on rue des Martyrs fat rats adorn fromageries like crazy.

 

BONJOUR CATS etc.!

The Dogs of Venice

Everyone has at least heard of John Ruskin's The Stones of Venice, a 3 volume treatise on Venetian art and architecture, even if they haven't read the mountainous tomes... BEAR and I decided we must write, The Dogs of Venice. Naturalement we must first finish The Dogs of Paris! At least Venetian dogs are sensibly dressed (if dressed at all) for potential rain unlike their ridiculously overdressed Parisien brothers and sisters... And who needs a leash when there are no cars to do damage?

If you stop in any museum in Venice like the Accademia for example, you'll be accosted by even more dogs.

Though mostly very small dogs so not to worry. And yes, dogs are allowed on the bed in Venice in case you're wondering...

Venetian dogs will only listen to Vivaldi quartets, so don't bother playing them Debussey per favore.

This little dog is the "Kiki of Montparnasse" model favored by all Venetian painters nonstop.

BEAR and I kept bumping into this hound over...

And over...

Even in Paris a Tiepolo fresco featuring this little dog was at the musee Jacquemart-Andres.

And on the streets as well...

You might be scratching your head wondering where the heck are all the cats of Venice?

Don't ask me. I saw only one meower and I had to take the boat to Burano to catch him sunning in a doorway...

Though Gawd knows there are way too many cat masks in Venice!

BUON GIORNO DOGS OF VENICE!

La Grève- Paris

Quite a few dear PBers inquired how I was doing during Paris' La Greve ...
Well the streets/rues were filled up with Paris trash...
The sanitation was not picking up...
Yep, that's all I experienced of La Grève in Paris.
Metros, buses, RER all were running and les rues were not even smelly. If this had been New York, Heaven help us!
Neatly piled pourbels didn't stop Parisiens walking petit chiens...
Crazy Parisien joggers were still out jogging in the brisk morning air...

Cafes were still full of Parisiens sitting outside yacking and smoking...

French Girls still had on their boots...

Why ever did I take my ballerinas?

Fall in Paris = BOOTS/Les BOTTES

c'est comme ca!

Au Nom de la Roses were still lined up as usual dans le rue...

La Grève didn't stop people eating ice cream...

Or buying beautiful flavored chevre fromage...

Berko, of Cupcakes Galerie from in Printemps had tiny tartelettes lined up in their Montmartre shop.

Grace took me to famous Les Petit Mitrons also in Montmartre...

To admire the tartes d'Automne...

Rows of oranges lined rue Montorgueil ignoring La Grève completement.

Goofy Fr. cat nail brosses at Pylones don't give a damn about La Grève...

Marlo, Amy's New York chat, knows zip about La Grève, being ensconced on the 6th etage/floor comme ca...

Life seems to go on in Paris, come what may...

BONJOUR La Grève!