SARRAZ'S QB INC

Anticipation (after a shoddy, dreadful week)

It's been take-away French-style with the excellent all rounder cheese fondue, this time served with potatoes dauphine - little balls of mashed pototoes served crsip from  the oven, and a flamin pizza (Flammenküche).

Photo courtesy of http://alsannuaire.asonblog.com/tag/flamme-kuche/

We are eagerly awaiting our first guests and so have been running up and down stairs making beds, moving rooms and general other panic associated with "heck it's that time already" syndrome.  Good thing too, as it gets our minds off the last week, which I won't go into but which I hope to never experience again.

It had all been done yesterday but of course the kids slept in the newly made beds and the house sort of got trashed as seems to happen with kids.

The only thing left to do tonight is make sure I get some sleep.

Tomorrow I have nothing more strenuous planned than fresh croissants and bowls of coffee, more sleep, a visit to the market for cheese (finally!) and then raclette for dinner (turkey, horse, duck, beef and pork). 

We can't wait to see you dudes  it's been ages.

Here's another random link, this time extolling (I think) the virtues of Haute Saone in Allemand (German), for Andrew and Kate;

http://frankreich.germanblogs.de/archive/2008/03/27/vogesen-und-haute-sa-ne.htm

and finally here's a recipe for dauphine potatoes courtesy of cooks.com for Bronwyn

2 lg. potatoes, cut up
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
1 dash pepper

In small pan, cook potatoes in water with salt until tender. Drain. Save 2/3 cup potato water. Dry potatoes on low heat to rid excess moisture. Mash (no milk). In medium pan combine saved water and butter, heat over medium heat until boiling. Reduce and add flour all at once, stir fast until mixtures leaves side of pan, remove and cool slightly. Add eggs and mix separately. Blend in potatoes and pepper. Drop by rounded teaspoonful. Deep fat fry 8 minutes until puffed and browned.

Enjoy Saturday!

where have we been?

 
It's been a while since we last posted.  

I'm writing to the soothing sounds of Chopin. Not for any reason except it happens to be on the french TV and it's way better than the rather shocking scenes that came on at the watershed yesterday (in other words as soon as they could) and which I had to turn off.   I'm still having mares. Bleeding French.

Life has been up and down (regular life getting in the way again).  Nevermind, it's all calming down now and once again we have the time and headspace to appreciate everything.  We are thinking of all of you at your various homes around the globe and hoping that things are ok too.  Or if not, that you know we are thinking of you.

Here's a photo diary of what we have managed in between, starting from about 3 weeks ago and ending with some photos from today.

 

Pony riding.

What to do when you miss your fav cafe-style giant-sized muffins from Oz?  Make your own.  These were truly yum.

A weekend visit to friends at Pontarlier.  This is a view from the house - how beautiful is Lac St Point with the morning fog hovering over it? 

We slept like babies here, at 837m altitude. This is the 3rd largest natural lake in France and about 30km from the Swiss border.

A shop dedicated to mushrooms....

Note to me - must do a blog on french tiling.

   

and le comté, morbier (http://www.fromage-morbier.com/),

By the way, I discovered this really cute website (in english)  http://www.letroudesouris.com/index-en.php

More morilles than one can comprehend - it's too much, I must be hallucinating!

The bags of morilles ranged from a modest 20€ for a sizeable looking pillow to this 1kg bag which cost 160€.

Of course, you could always do what the locals do and hunt for them in the surrounding forests for free!

 

A gift perchance?

 

30€.....DJ's etc eat your heart out

But honestly? I very nearly put 'me stockings over 'me face to storm the place.  Instead I opted for a camera for all you poor folk at home who can't get to sleep for lack of morilles and black trumpets and truffles and uncooked cheeses and chunky boar pates and home made fruit liqueurs.

I'll have you know I got some very strange looks from the proprietor. Sigh.  The lengths I'll go to for a good blog.

By the way we ate locally found morilles supplemented with store bought, in a cream sauce served over the tenderest pork medallions.  Why, why can't I cook like that!

Quad devils

Another gorgeous view of Lac St Point

Fish n chips french style (fresh from the lake)

Today - 8th August - an afternoon at motorcross practice with Ange's younger brother and nephew (not on quad - we just like seeing quad's jump)

Not here either - we just like seeing bikes that jump really high

Alex and Tonton (the other uncle)

Moi aussi, je fais le motocross (I can do motorcross too)

Nephew - 8 yrs old and rearing to go

How amazing is the view?
We are just outside of Vesoul, behind the areodrome.

Finished up tonight with a BBQ, a great night with yet more of Ange's family visiting.  Loved it.  Has been an awesome summer's day too which really brought out the colours in the countryside.  Saw farmers on tractors rolling giant hay bales, sunflowers in full bloom, massive fields of corn ripe for the picking, the kids have had a ball, and finally tis only me and hyper hamster Rhino awake in the house.

Felix, did you know Rhino loves corn on the cob and can fit a whole one in his cheeks at one sitting!  Have you finished your book yet?  

Bonne nuit tous le monde
 

Happy Birthday Amby

Amby is 9 years old.  Happy birthday sweetheart!

Bon anniversaire cherie.

Diablo Menthe aperitf a Luxeuil, centre ville

Home made sponge with myrtilles (wild blueberries).

Je crois que le gateau en France est superbe, mais c'est pas comme ce lui de mamma.

Mmmmmmmn