Summer in motion!

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There are two types of Americans in Paris.  Those who go home the month of August and those who stay.  Although I secretly envy those who can binge on a month-long ice cream headache of Americana, my summers are a more local affair, doing a mini Tour de France of friends’ vacation homes throughout this fine country.

I’m pondering what France’s summer traditions are, but I’m blanking.  Oh, yeah the month of August not at home, fleeing to everywhere but here?  Merguez on the grill? Spritz on a terrace? Summer reading and late dinners?  A bottle of chilled rosé on ice?

Ok, these new traditions work just fine for my developing adult tastes.  But I still can’t help but miss those sticky childhood summers at home in Chicago: the twinkling bell of the paletas guy selling my favorite ice pop arroz con leche, shucking the golden husks off sweet corn hot off the Weber grill, the self-inflicted pain of watching daytime tv all day long and the call of arms when the ice cream truck roll through the neighborhood.Although I come from the Klondikian school of frozen treats, the Magnum bar is my good-to Euro replacement.  I quickly learned last summer that “A Magnum-a-day keeps the bikini bod at bay”. But every now and then, it’s the only thing that will do the trick.  Happy Summer!

Kale gets animated!…an unrecipe recipe

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Parisians have turned their frowns upside down; it’s back to the grind! Nonetheless I love that early September still hangs onto the Summer harvest.   Summer fruits and vegetables are a god send because they can be thrown together laboriously into long, outdoor summer dinners or quickly slapped together with an iphone between a shoulder and a cheek.  This is non-recipe recipe I improvised for my lunch the other day during a multitasking frenzy, but it can easily be adapted to anything else fridge dwelling. But I’ll let the gif do the talking because it took 1000 times longer to make than the salad itself… 🙂

Some colorful news!

Edible-Paradise

I have been camping out in my work cave as of late.  But I have a good reason. I am thrilled to announce my forthcoming book Edible Paradise from Rizzoli New York‘s Universe imprint!  It’s a fully ripened coloring book of seasonal fruits and vegetables ready to be attacked with sharpened colored pencils.  Edible Paradise will delight any curious foodie, green-thumbed enthusiast, broccoli-phobic child or anyone in need of unplugging and reconnecting with the edible plant world.

Nevertheless, mark your calendar for the release, February 9th, 2016.  Although it is always best to purchase Edible Paradise from a local bookstore, preorder a copy here on Amazon today.

In the meantime, savor all the summer fruit and veg you can eat!