Food market in France…

For the French people, food is a religion. We love to entertain our friends and our family. Then cuisine good fresh products and prepare a nice lunch or dinner is our way of life.

Beautiful Blois

Blois attracts most visitors because of the popular Chateau de Blois that is situated in the town, but Blois is also a very popular city. While in Blois, also take a look at the rest of the historical town which has some other less famous highlights to discover.

Chicken salsa Xcatic, stunning.

Mexican cuisine is knowed to be very spicy. This is not always true, and all Mexicans do not eat spicy everyday. This “Pollo salsa Scatic” is a perfect sample of fine cuisine that will not burn your mouth.

Tequila

Made with the fermented sap of the blue agave plant, tequila is produced in and around the town of Tequila in Mexico’s Jalisco province.

Orchids, what a nice flower.

In these days you can even purchase some comestible orchids and this will make your salad really interesting. Still Orchids are delicate flowers that will make your home precious.

Orchids prefer high air humidity, but their roots will rot easily in wet compost. Water them about once a week, ideally using tepid rainwater. Water from above and tip out any water that collects in the saucer under the pot. Alternatively, plunge the container into a bucket of water and allow to drain thoroughly. Many orchids need a rest period, usually during the winter months, when watering and feeding should be reduced.

Most cultivated orchids are native to the tropics. In their natural habitat, they attach themselves to the bark of trees, or the surface of other plants. Their thick, white roots are specially adapted to absorb moisture and dissolved nutrients. Because these tropical orchids usually grow high in the trees, rather than on the forest floor, they are accustomed to good air circulation and plenty of light. They prefer a 12-hour day, all year-round, and require a high intensity of light — about the same as midsummer conditions in temperate regions.

Most tropical orchids prefer humidity levels of 60 to 80 percent. With the winter-time humidity level in most homes hovering closer to 30 percent, orchid growers often use a humidifier, or set their orchids in special humidity trays or gravel-filled trays. Some orchids also benefit from being misted.

Chenonceau

It is certainly one of the most romantic place in the Loire valley. We call the Chateau of Chenonceau, le Château des dames, The chateau of the Ladies. It was builded in 1513.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster was capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812, after which the capital was moved to Harrisburg. The city of Lancaster was home to several important figures in American history.

Lancaster was home to Democrat James Buchanan, the fifteenth president of the United States. Buchanan arrived in Lancaster in 1809 to practice law. He took up residence near the courthouse on N. Duke Street. In 1848 he purchased Wheatland, a Federal style mansion in the suburbs. He was elected President in 1856.

In 1879, Franklin Winfield Woolworth opened his first successful “five and dime” store in the city of Lancaster, the Woolworth Company.

Lancaster city has a thriving art community. Gallery Row on the 100 block of North Prince St. features a block of art galleries, and the city proper has over 40 galleries and artists’ studios. The alleries host a “First Friday” each month, extending theirbusiness hours to exhibit new artwork and new artists to the public.

The Lancaster County Quilts and Textile Museum, completed in 2007, celebrates the art of the hand-sewn quilts and other textile items produced by women of the region’s Amish and Mennonite communities. The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society Museum and the Heritage Center Museum display artifacts and interpret the region’s unique history. Children can have a hands-on experience with educational learning at the Hands-on House, also known as the Children’s Museum of Lancaster. Nature and geology-minded visitors can view the exhibits of the Louis Arboretume Arnold Tanger and the North Museum of Natural History and Science.

There is a rich history of theater and music in Lancaster.

Walking in Lancaster today gives you the feeling of a sleeping city, however you can see the rich past of this nice town.

“La Meson del Marques” in Valadolid.

We decided to go to Valadolid last Sunday. After a good ride on a nice highway from Cancun, we were in the Yucatan. Valadolid is a beautiful colonial small city and you would be amazed by all the tresors you can find there.

At the “Zocalo”, facing the Cathedral, on the other side of that square, there is a very nice Colonial house and it is a hotel and restaurant. The name is ” La Meson del Marques”. We went to have lunch there and WOW, what a nice experience.

So beautiful, you just cannot stop looking at all the details. We got a table in this gorgeous courtyard, you have a indoor dinning room with AC if you prefer.

• 

• 

Let’s start with some Dry Martini cocktails and a bottle of very good Mexican Cabernet Sauvignon from Mexico. Of course they bring you some Tortilla chips with salsas ans Pico de Gallo. This is very traditional.

• 

• 

We were three persons and only two of us decided to get a first course. Queso fondido with Chorizo and a delicious Sopa de Lima for me.

For the main courses, there was a Cochinita Pibil and that is Porc meat, A flambed Chicken breast and I could not resist to order one of my favorite dish in the Yucatan cuisine : Relleno Negro made with Chicken and an egg. These 3 dishes were really delicious. We enjoyed them to the last bit.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Creme Brulee and some coffee to end this great lunch in this beautiful and so typicall house. I highly recomand you to have some lunch or dinner or even stay at “Meson del Marques” if you visit (and you should) Valadolid in the Yucatan.

Benoit Castel such a great Boulangerie and Patisserie in Paris.

Do not expect a fancy place, it is more a kind of a loft of the Bakery itself and this give a fantastic ambiance and a relaxful place where to go for a Sunday brunch. I adore as well to go there for daily bread that is made like in the old days and the pastries are delicious. I have a cruch for the Tatin…

Soon you enter the store, you realise that the staff is happy here. They are lucky to work at Benoit Castel. Lots of fantastic pastries, wonderfull Croissants and awesome bread, this is what you will get there.

A delightful brunch idea for Sunday. Climb on the Hauts de Belleville and discover the former bakery Galal taken over by Benoît Castel. This Breton from Redon, who was a pastry chef at Hélène Darroze and Jean-Louis Costes, but also at the Grande Epicerie, proposes in a spacious, relaxed, open-style baker’s loft, a quality buffet, every week-ends.

Scrambled eggs with herbs, pizzas, salads, macaroni, quiche with vegetables or cheeses, without omitting a choice of quality cheeses, sweets in scrounge (chocolate fudge, identical mousse, strawberry mousse, rice pudding) are worth more than one Back and forth. Not to be neglected, homemade confectionery delights, such as the famous custard tart blending custard and whipped cream, with a Saint Honore on a shortbread, plus a cheese cake, a fine lemon tart or an exquisite cheese cake. Take as much as you want from the very generoous buffet. You might have to wait if you arrive late…

Country bread, walnuts, cereals also of quality  baguette. Add exquisite leaky juices (apples, pears, oranges…) and a delectable coffee. Nice atmosphere.

150, rue de Ménilmontant – Paris 20e

Tél.01 46 36 13 82

Coqui Coqui, a world of Elegance.

Get surrounded by rich Mayan history, Coqui Coqui is the ideal setting to enjoy the harmony between a busy life and a vintage retreat.