Cooking in Canada -- better than hoped

I have been trying to post the last batch of photos from Montana the last two nights and it keeps crashing my computer (perhaps too much fairy festival for this weary machine?). I will try again with fewer photos tonight, but in the meantime, I had to let you know that I have twice now successfully made Christine`s gateau au chocolat in Canada, as well as an honest-to-goodness quiche au chevre with real French pastry (courtesy of Laura`s recipe and my brand-new food processor.) So far, the only thing that didn`t work was my tortilla recipe, and I think that`s because I used too much whole wheat flour (the whole wheat in France didn`t feel as heavy... so will try 66 percent white and 33 percent whole wheat instead of the 50-50 I had done in France.)

We have also hung up some of our French purchases and they are providing us with happy reminders of that other maison far, far away-- including the wonderful utensil wall clock in the kitchen, and the cool wall-mounted grocery list like Laura`s (pictures to follow). The beautiful blue kitchen towel that Alli brought one night for dinner is now the runner on our dining room table (too fancy to actually use as a towel). The lovely lime green Burgundy apron Geraldine gave me as a going away gift is hanging on my pantry door (and is covered in flour already). And I have even broken out the gorgeous tablecloth that I bought for our 17th anniversary a few times... and will try to post just that one photo now (please, please don`t crash!).

The kids are all so thrilled to be home, and we have been happily heading to dinner and barbeques and gatherings with different friends who were much missed while we were away. But the reminders on the walls, and in letters like the ones Jack got today from his classmates, and in our hearts, too, tell us daily that it was also soooooo good to have gone to France.