Lucky my cat

Lucky is a young cat I befriended over the summer. I caught a glimpse of him last winter in the snow and I set my mind to care for him. Within not even a week of feeding him and gaining his trust, Lucky rewarded me by trusting me. He eventually jumped in my lap and let me pet him. I felt "lucky" and felt also obligated to care for him back. When I found him, he was malnourished and had two bald spots on his head as well as various scars on his body. I rushed him to the vet and a few days later, I had a new cat named "Lucky". Truth be told, I am not good with names and my cousin suggested "Lucky" as she felt he was lucky to have crossed path with me. On the other hand, I felt it was appropriate as I felt I was "lucky" to have him come into my life. He is such an affectionate cat, from first night, he let me pet him and he closed his eyes at me... I came to learn, it is a sign of trust for cats. He gets along great with the dogs and seems to act more like a dog than a cat in my opinion. He is so sweet and like my dog, Curley follows me everywhere. My spouse even complained the first week that he was meowing when I would leave. He definitely disarmed me and gained my love: unconditionally. There is not a day, I am not thankful for having such great pets in my life. I love them, as I know they accept and love me as I am.

The magic of movies and stories

As a child, books were my friends. I would escape, live adventures throughout stories in books. As an adult, I still read however over the years, I fell in love with the magic of good movies. I still value books more though once in a while, I find a charming story told in a movie. "A little princess" is one of my favorite movies, which reminds me of the stories I read as a child. "Lucky 7" is another movie that reminds me that all is possible, like in the books of my childhood. "You've got mail" is one of my all time favorite movie that I simply find "charming". 

I suspect what I enjoy in these movies is that like in books, there is a "happy ending" as in the stories I read and imagined as a child. These movies remind me to dream like my books did. 

The world of Julia Child - My Life in France

I must admit I never understood the rave about Julia Child. I even only heard about her when I first saw the movie "Julie & Julia" starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. However, I recently read "My Life in France" by Julia Child with Alex Prud' homme. I love the book and must say I have now respect and admiration for Mrs. Child. Having grown up in Paris, France, I really enjoyed her narration of her time in Paris and Marseille. This book illustrates clearly in my opinion how many of us first discover the magic of the kitchen.

I highly recommend this read to anyone in love of the French Cuisine as I believe it truly gives a glimpse into its culture. Enjoy!

How much I love my dogs

You see I was recently in the beginning of summer diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Others around me suspected I had it. In retrospect, I was told in past by a therapist as well and about 8-9 years ago, as I read "Look me in the eyes" and discussed it with a friend, I felt I recognized myself or certainly had many similarities with the author, growing up and as an adult. Anyhow, I must say, it was not easy to accept it. My dogs though are a big reason I feel okay. They never judged me, they seem to reciprocate this "unconditional" love we feel for each other, them and I. As I am writing this, both are right next to me on the bed. I comprehend that having Asperger's explains how much I care about animals though I wish to clarify that I comprehend others too love their dogs or pets as much as I do and don't necessarily have Asperger's. I even found out that my favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn had 3 jack russell terriers. In my opinion, anyone that has a pet and shares this "beautiful" relationship with them, can relate. After all, "dog is man's best friend" says it all.

Love for my dogs

I took my dogs out for a walk yesterday as weather permitted it. We had snow the night before and today it rained most of the day. As I watched them run about, Rowdy hunting for rodents, Curley proudly displaying a stick about 3 times his size, I thought to myself: I am so blessed to have these dogs. I felt so much love toward them. As I am writing this, both my dogs are lounging on my bed. I can't really describe what I feel for both except unconditional love. I comprehend some people get it and others don't. Well, to be fair, I think part of why I feel that way for them is that I grew up without feeling loved by or feeling part of my family. As a result, when Curley came into my life, he made me feel so much, I felt feelings toward him like I had never experienced. I felt highly concerned for his well being, while he made me feel that he greatly cared about me. To this day, I still remember the day, he put his head on my leg as I was crying on the floor (feeling unloved) and realizing at that moment, I was no longer alone: he was family, we were family together. Then came Rowdy who chose me and Curley. Rowdy may act like he doesn't care as much as his brother (not much separation anxiety, Curley follows me everywhere, even resting on my bathroom mat as I shower) though each night, he likes to sleep by mom. I love them both so much: unconditional love.

This past year, this love was tested over and over. I was asked to choose between them and the guy I fell for. Well, my answer was them. They are my family and I will never turn my back on them. Even if I was to live in my car if I could not find a place that allowed me to have 2 dogs. They truly are the loves of my life. I hope of course that others will come into my life or our lives: a spouse and maybe kids or even more dogs (even cats).

Do I spoil them? I don't think so. I tend to buy them toys and feed them good food (Acana, Orijen and Fromm), though it is my way of demonstrating how much I care for them.

In the end, they both taught me so much, especially what is unconditional love and what family means. They are my family and I feel lucky to feel part of this family.

Corned Beef - St. Paddy

Yesterday, I saw for my first time the famous Chicago Green River. While it wasn't yet St. Patrick's day as not yet March 17th, it inspired me to cook. Really it gave me an excuse to cook using my Le Creuset iron cast pot.
I personally enjoy garlic (I am French), so I always start flavoring my pot with some olive oil and fresh minced garlic. Then I add my Corned Beef already seasoned including my personal favorite: coriander seeds... I add some fresh pepper and salt then add some water as to prevent my garlic from burning. While my meat is absorbing the garlic flavor, I cut my cabbage, potatoes and carrots.

I add water as to submerge my meat and veggies then add mushrooms (once again I am French).

And Voilà, I only have to let it cook on medium heat for a few hours as it gets tender...

I suppose this is my French twist to my St. Paddy's corned beef.

Best finds

When it comes to getting the right tools to cook or bake, many of us know what we want. I tend to buy "made in France". My paternal grandmother, who is an excellent cook (is from Périgord) uses her Le Creuset dutch oven for many of my favorite childhood meals. As a result, when seeking a good cast iron, I compared Staub and Le Creuset. Anyhow, the cost of each was beyond my budget. In hope to save myself some $$, I scavenge local thrift stores. Well, it paid off. I found a set of 3 Blue Le Creuset cast iron pots for a fraction of the cost. I used some baking soda to clean the inside thoroughly. Today, I get to cook many of my own meals in them. I still search for more pieces to add to my growing collection.

What are your best finds?