Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Feb 6, 2012, 10:27 am
I'm not fussy when it comes to trying new cheese. As soon as I get it home, snap a few photos and make sure it is at room temperature (very important not to eat cheese too cold!), I cut myself a generous wedge and dive right in. Which is exactly what I did with le Deauville, a sumptuous cow's ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Feb 3, 2012, 3:27 pm
The other day I counted ten different kinds of cheese in our fridge. Eleven if you include the tub of mascarpone. It made me wonder, is there such a thing as too much cheese? Mais non! One can never have too much of such a good thing.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Feb 1, 2012, 10:39 am
Trying to organize this move has had its moments. Before we got the keys to our rental house we contacted the usual suspects to alert them of our new abode. EDF and la Poste were easy. France Telecom, (who has definitively changed their name to Orange...I think I was the last to kn...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jan 22, 2012, 10:20 am
Domino, a photo by chez loulou on Flickr. Loving our new place, just wishing Orange would hurry up and connect us to the Internet! Until then, we've found ourselves a fantastic little café with free wi-fi in Bayeux to keep us sane. A bientôt!
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jan 18, 2012, 7:36 am
Along with antiquated doors, weathered shutters, outdoor markets, old stone houses and French windows, I am totally infatuated with empty chairs as a photography subject. Does anyone else share my fascination?
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jan 14, 2012, 7:32 am
This is butter. But it isn't just any old butter. It is golden beurre de baratte* from Normandy, impregnated with crunchy bits of sea salt and hand molded. Don't you love the cow? It is rich and rustic, with flavors of caramel and cream. And it is heaven. *butte...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jan 10, 2012, 4:30 am
Today's topic, the 10 Year Carte de Résident.  A daunting subject, I know. Translated from the www.service-public.fr website: "A carte de résident bearing the words "résident de longue durée - CE" may be issued to any foreigner who has resided legally and ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jan 8, 2012, 6:55 am
Grandmother and grandchild, on their way to the Sunday morning market.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jan 3, 2012, 11:53 am
2012 was ushered in with a last minute, overnight trip to Paris followed by a teary goodbye to our friend from New Orleans on New Year's Day. I returned home with a head cold and a craving for some sleep and some cheese. Our house had been a virtual cheese-free zone for nine days due to ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Dec 29, 2011, 4:16 am
We've been in Normandy for 11 days now and we haven't wasted a minute! 
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Dec 24, 2011, 1:45 pm
Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays!
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Dec 19, 2011, 2:42 pm
Crates of Coquilles St. Jacques along the quai in Port-en-Bessin. Straight from the sea, heading to tables all over France.  (a bit blurry as it was raining...it is Normandy after all!)
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Dec 16, 2011, 9:19 am
Tomorrow we're moving to Normandy. Please don't think we're crazy. We've discovered that when you tell people in the south of France that you're moving to the north of France, they tend to think that you've lost it. Completely. Well, we haven't. We know about the rain ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Nov 2, 2011, 4:25 am
Watching over the abandoned Château de Maisons in Normandy. 
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 30, 2011, 4:58 pm
No, it wasn't the Magic Unicorn of Luck or the Charmed Life Fairy that placed us in our adopted homes. (but where were they when we needed them?!) Almost 1000 years old, the Tapisserie de Bayeux is worth the trip. All you need to know about the cemeteries in Paris.  Or if that subject i...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 28, 2011, 7:16 am
I love peeking inside old village churches. On a sunny day the light streaming through the windows is magical.  
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 26, 2011, 9:36 am
It's so exciting when a place exceeds all of your (already high) expectations. Calvados, one of the three  departments in Basse Normandie, did just that. And then some! First there's the scenery.  Lush green pastures, picture-perfect postcard villages a...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 23, 2011, 5:08 am
Beautiful Bayeux
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 22, 2011, 3:46 pm
Looking up at the cathedral in Bayeux.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 21, 2011, 3:10 am
Les Halles, a photo by chez loulou on Flickr. The daily fish market in Port en Bessin. It's Coquilles St. Jacques season!
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 20, 2011, 2:33 am
What a Face!, a photo by chez loulou on Flickr. There are cows everywhere!
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 19, 2011, 1:34 pm
Port en Bessin Huppain, a photo by chez loulou on Flickr. Port en Bessin Huppain
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 14, 2011, 5:01 am
What's the first thing you think of when you think of Normandy? Is it the apples? Mont Saint Michel? The D-Day beaches? The Calvados? The cream? Honfleur? The charming half timbered houses? The seafood? The gardens of Giverny? I think of cheese. The Brillat Savarin, the Cré...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 10, 2011, 11:37 am
This frumpy cheese may look a mess, but behind that rustic, naturally moldy exterior (the cracks in the rind are from poor handling on my part - it got jostled around in my market bag), lies an even textured, rich and refined fromage de chèvre. La Chèvrine is no shrinking violet...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 8, 2011, 8:14 am
A little color for the weekend.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 4, 2011, 5:15 am
... and to North America, is a darn good price 6) Fruit and vegetables - Buy what's in season and you'll get your Five A Day for about a Euro a day 7) Caudalie - While I wouldn't call this range of skincare "inexpensive"...the prices are definitely better here ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Oct 1, 2011, 10:33 am
If I had to choose just one dessert to eat for the rest of my life, Tarte au Citron would be it. I think it is the most sublime of all French desserts. My first introduction to the Lemon Tart came in 1994, when I was given a copy of Sheila Lukins' All Around the...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 28, 2011, 3:25 am
Today I'm craving a taste of Paris. And this view.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 22, 2011, 2:56 am
The vendange has been going for about a month now. First the white, now the red. The village streets are dotted with grapes spilled on their way to the cave to be crushed and the air is filled with the aroma of rich, earthy yeast.   Les vignerons are barely taking a moment to rest. ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 18, 2011, 3:24 pm
Here's what I know about France: There are more kinds of cheese than I can count. The countryside is breathtakingly beautiful. Electricity and fuel are breathtakingly expensive. French women do get fat. Pleasantries such as, "Bonjour" "Merci" "Bonne Journé...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 15, 2011, 3:06 pm
The early morning scene at the village café. In a word...quiet.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 13, 2011, 3:26 am
I have a confession to make... ...I don't make my own pastry. There, I said it.   phew! Yes, I used to be a pastry chef and yes, I know how easy pâte brisée and even pâte feuilletée can be. However, I can buy a roll of all butter pastry at the store for about €1. ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 10, 2011, 7:17 am
September in the Minervois.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 8, 2011, 7:05 am
There was a dearth of cheese chez nous this July and August. Other than driving back and forth to work and making short trips to town to buy groceries, I didn't leave the village. Not even to go to the market! Last week I was forced to leave my little Minevois bubble and head to BÃ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 5, 2011, 4:02 am
I love capturing a shot of a secret courtyard hidden behind those colossal wooden doors. Submitted to The Creative Exchange, a weekly event hosted by Lisa Gordon.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Sep 3, 2011, 6:47 am
Hot. Humid. Cloudy. Thunderstorms. Sun breaking through. Just a glimpse of a double rainbow.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 30, 2011, 1:51 am
Such a beautiful old door. Such a beautiful shade of blue. Submitted to The Creative Exchange, hosted by Lisa Gordon.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 27, 2011, 2:53 pm
Some events of late have started me thinking...about the decisions we make in life. And about sometimes regretting those decisions. Regrets. I don't believe in them. I believe that the decisions we make in life are always the right ones at the time that we make them. ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 25, 2011, 2:56 am
Deep in conversation. Submitted to The Creative Exchange, a weekly event hosted by Lisa Gordon.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 22, 2011, 5:57 am
If you ever find yourself in Carcassonne and either need an escape from the crush of tourists in la Cité or just can't face another overpriced, mediocre restaurant, I suggest you hop in your car and head 15 minutes southeast to the tiny village of Monze. There you'll find Restaurant M'1...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 18, 2011, 8:40 am
I get a lot of comments and blog traffic on the subject, but never realized just how difficult it is to find information about the cost of living in France until I did a bit of Googling today. So I've decided to update my cost of living in France posts. Obviously I can only offer persona...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 13, 2011, 7:23 pm
The bounty of the Languedoc summer, waiting for harvest to begin. Submitted to The Creative Exchange, hosted by Lisa Gordon.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 11, 2011, 4:13 am
I recently had the chance to take a little trip down memory lane when I was tagged for a meme called My 7 Links by Ashley of Backyard Provence. This particular meme was created when Katie at TripBase was looking back over her blog archives and realized that "not all blog posts are create...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 9, 2011, 2:35 am
This elegant old French door has an air of tropical decay about it. Reminds me a bit of New Orleans. Submitted to The Creative Exchange, hosted by Lisa Gordon.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 6, 2011, 7:09 am
These chairs look like they're waiting... for a long Sunday lunch for a summer evening apéro with friends for an afternoon of reading in the shade for a leisurely petit déjeuner This week I'm sharing this photo at the show off your shot event hosted by Rachel a...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 3, 2011, 7:04 am
1) It's HOT. You probably already knew that, right? Well, you'd be surprised by how many people come here and are shocked by how intense the heat can be in June, July and August. 2) Air conditioning is a luxury. A good fan is worth its weight in gold. 3) Ice is ...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Aug 1, 2011, 4:35 am
Le Chardin is a melt-in-your-mouth, smooth, dense, buttery-rich dreamboat. Need I say more? Le Chardin facts: an unpasteurized fromage de chèvre from la Fromagerie Jousseaume (no these people are not paying me to wax lyrical about their cheese...I just think they're fabulous) pro...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jul 31, 2011, 2:17 am
Summer evening light over the Canal du Midi. Magical. My first submission to The Creative Exchange hosted by Lisa Gordon.
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jul 28, 2011, 3:31 pm
Work this summer has been crazy. Luckily I've had some distractions. I've seen some old friends and met some new ones. I've been trying out some new recipes, working on my photographs and spending some quiet time reading a new book. Whenever I can, I try to balance the crazin...
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Jennifer posted an article on Chez Loulou - Jul 25, 2011, 1:14 pm
Every summer, gardens explode with an abundance of tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and string beans. At the same time every food blog and cooking website explodes with an amazing variety of tomato, zucchini, eggplant and string bean recipes. Boredom is not an option. In my opinion, the clas...
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