At Home in Normandie

This is one of those posts that has been in my drafts folder for months, and now is the time to share it. For those of you who regularly follow my blog, it probably seems like theTravelsketcher and I are always traveling, however, we do spend quite a lot of time at our home in Normandie. When we’re home, we get caught up on preparing blog posts, as well as indulging our hobbies – cooking, reading, jigsaw puzzles, yoga, Tai Chi, enjoying long walks in our neighborhood, and spending time with our neighbors who have become good friends. Basically enjoying the bucolic country life.

We’ve always enjoyed walking and usually have several favorite routes we take wherever we live.

On hot evenings last summer, we would take walks around our neighborhood and Neville would follow along. One neighbor commented that he was more like a dog than a cat when he saw Nev tagging along. He liked playing in the corn rows and chasing bugs; we miss him so much, he was such a little love.

We also do Duolingo daily and meet with our French tutor twice a week. We’re making progress, slow but sure!

Cooking has always been one of our favorite activities. We love entertaining and cooking meals for others, no matter the size of the group.

We also enjoy experimenting with different ingredients, techniques, and methods to create recipes of our own. I recently spent several weeks perfecting a recipe for shrimp bisque. The recipe is at the end of this post; let me know if you try it and how it turns out.

We had to make some adjustments with cooking since living here because our kitchen leaves a lot to be desired compared to our fancy kitchens in the states! But where there’s a will, there’s a way, as they say.

Recently, we had planned a nice meal but found that the butane tank for our stove was empty. We hurried to the grocery store to get a replacement to find that the store was closed due to a bank holiday. Minor holidays are not on our radar these days since we’re retired. Our only option was to try one of the many pizza vending machines we’ve seen in the area.

It takes about eight minutes from the time you select your pizza until it pops out of the machine. It’s really quite ingenious!

We also enjoy eating out and have a few favorite restaurants in the area, Bistrot St Julien being one of them. We’ve been there many times and have taken visitors there too. It’s been written up in multiple travel guides and is one of the best restaurants in the area. The last time we were there, when we said “bonjour madame” to the owner, she said to us with a smile, “pas madame” and told us her name. The French can be quite reserved, so we felt quite accepted with her gesture.

Auberge de la Source is another award wining restaurant in our area, and we’ve had some amazing meals here as well. The owners are très sympa and we are always greeted with kisses on our cheeks whenever we visit.

After spending four weeks at home we hit the road again last weekend when we went to Honfleur, a beautiful harbor town in northern Normandie. This weekend we’re in Paris, and in September and October we’ll be visiting Carcassonne, Provence, and Norway. Check out Terry’s recent posts about Honfleur, and a fun one about a family secret that’s been revealed.

We feel like we’ve found a nice balance between time at home and time spent traveling. We enjoy living in the quiet country, particularly knowing we can visit the city whenever we want. I guess that’s what retirement is all about, being footloose and fancy free.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia

Shrimp stock and bisque recipes:

Shrimp Stock

4 C shrimp shells; including heads

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced in quarters

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

large bundle of fresh herbs, I use chives, rosemary, thyme and parsley.

Place all items in a large pot, cover with 2 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, skimming off the foam as it collects. Cool, strain through a fine sieve. You should have approximately 1 – 1/2 quarts stock. Refrigerate and use within a few days.

Shrimp Bisque – makes 2 – 4 servings

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 quart shrimp stock, reserving the remaining amount to adjust the soup if needed

salt and pepper to taste

chopped chives and cooked shrimp for garnish

Sauté onion in the olive oil until translucent, add the garlic, and cook until soft, add the potatoes, stock, salt and pepper. Simmer until the potatoes are soft. Cool and puree using an immersion blender. If it’s too thick, thin with additional stock. If it’s not thick enough for your liking, mix together equal amounts soft butter and flour, to form a paste. Bring the soup to a low boil and add 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. Reheat to desired temperature before serving.

Cook’s Notes:

1. Most stock recipes call for carrot and celery; I add these to vegetable and meat based stocks, but I don’t like the flavor they add to shrimp stock.

2. Use a colander lined with cheesecloth if you don’t have a fine-mesh sieve.

3. Shrimp stock can be frozen for up to 6 months.

4. Russets or Yukon Golds work best for thickening soups due to their high starch and low moisture content.

5. Place shrimp shells in an air-tight container and store in the freezer until you have enough for the stock.

Bon appétit!