November 2010

Last Rose - 1st week of November

Fall has set in and it is a gray November. The weekend of the 13th-14th we had some sun, and it was about 65 degrees. Then late Sunday afternoon, a storm came through. 

The good weather was gone in a flash.

Nov 28th 2010- from bedroom window

Back to the end of October. I had a little surgery, my gall bladder removed (laproscopy). So how is medicine over here? I was treated well and all went smoothly. I had surgery on Oct 26th (Tuesday) and got out of the hospital on Thursday the 27th (normal stay of 48 hours after laproscopy here).

I had a private room with a toilet and shower and windows on the south east side. I would say the building was probably built 50's or 60's, so the room looked like many hospital rooms I have seen in the US.

Can't say the food was great, I was having gall bladder surgery!! I had to go in the night before, on the 25th. That night I had pasta with nothing on it, and some kind of broth and water. Oh um! I have heard from others that the hospital food here in France is good, and even served with wine. But not for me. The two days following, the menu was much the same.

Recovery from this is fast. Just have to add that with the problem before surgery, I have lost lots of weight. It is great...so happy...more energy too.

So that aside, November has not been that exciting. We had another velo tourist stay one night, this was through Warm Showers. Nice young man, he works half a year and tours half a year. Next year he said it was California. He is young, so why not.
In the middle of November, the Hospice de Beaune has their annual wine sale. It is a big event, and there are lots of other events and wine tastings throughout the town. I usually go to this with Marie Therese, and we walk around looking at all the booths, and watch the parades and the musicians...and .... This year it rained. Most of the activity is outside, so we gave it a miss.


My photo club had an expo of Clunisian sites (property owned by Cluny).  The expo had 24 photos, black and white. These were picked from over 1,000 photos. I missed the opening (vernisage), but saw the exposition. I had two photos in the exhibit, one of the building in Paris and one from the church just south of us in Meursault. 

Photo from Paris

PHOTO

Photo of church in Meursault

History club is up and running and an ambitious year is planned. Lots of outings (including one to Lyon in May) and new Expositions planned. We also have some more history research to do. Fun year ahead. Keith has started back with the train in Bligny. In the winter repairs need to be done on everything. Also, one engine needs its' boiler inspected, so they have to take the train apart so the inspectors can get at the boiler. Lots of hard work, and now the group is down in numbers, so only 3 or 4 show up on Saturdays. Still, he really enjoys his Saturdays in Bligny.

Keith has been in the garage this fall repairing and restoring a 1950's Bianchi bike.It is looking really good now. He even replaced all the spokes! 

Thanksgiving was a quiet time this year. I made dinner with a turkey breast filet, and it was just the two of us. And I did not go out and search for cranberries this year.

I missed the couple of sunny days at the end of October, so no beautiful fall photos this year. It was a fleeting few days, then the wind arrived and all the leaves fell. I have taken a couple of photos for the History club Gazette, these are photos of the war monuments (monuments de mort) in Gevrey and Morey St. Denis and Chambolle. We had about 1 hour of sun the other day (November 26th), and I ran out and took the photos. The one photo of Gevrey was taken in the spring. Our history club may do an Expo on the monuments of the Canton de Gevrey.

Gevrey monument -spring 2010

Morey St. Denis-November 2010

Chambolle- November 2010        Top of this monument fell off this last year.

 

We had dinner one night in Messanges. What a great night. My first big outing since the surgery, and with friends, good food and wine, the evening was perfect.

I have a few other photos taken late October or November. Also went this last week and visited Ohtar, Marie Therese's horse. He is stabled near Seurre (valley of the Saone River).

Fixey - October

Beaune -October

Ohtar-November

Have a good month...till the end of December....

I do have to add that Nov 28th was Keith's birthday. I made beef burgundy and we had a 1994 Morey St. Denis 1er Cru, it was sooooo good...WOW (oh by the way, the beef burgundy was good too). Life is good............

Recipe of the Month

CARROT FLAN

This is an easy and great winter recipe. Also really not that hard.

Be a little creative, add a little thyme to the recipe. Or maybe a little fresh

nutmeg. Adding flavors should always compliment the other dishes that

you are serving (i.e. maybe add the thyme if you are doing a pork roast with 

garlic and thyme).

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 ounce Grana Padano cheese, grated
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup  crème fraiche or heavy cream 
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
• Salt and pepper (white pepper preferred)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Butter a 8 ramekins or use a cupcake pan -sprinkle it lightly with Parmesan cheese.
3. Boil the carrots until tender
4. Pass them through a potato ricer while still hot. 
5. Blend the carrots with  cheese, eggs, and crème fraiche
6. Add pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
7. Spoon the mixture into the buttered ramekins.
8. Prepare a large roasting pan with warm water
9. Place the ramekins  in a roasting pan (water should come about 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekins )
10.  Bake at 350°  about 15-20 minutes (test with a knife or toothpick -should come out clean when put into the middle of a ramekin)
11. Cool  slightly before unmolding and serving.