Me me me me !!!!

Yesterday, Isaline/pimpampoum and her bf Fred gave me my birthday present : It's an actual cooking lesson from a Japanese chef ! I'm thrilled ! The class includes recipes with tofu, shitake mushrooms, omeshu, etc.

Expect loads of photos. If I can, I might even sneak in Blythou or another Cooking Mama's little helper...

Blythou out.

We're back from a short vacation in the South of France with four friends plus the ever sweet and lovely Baby Margaux.

Let's see what we did... Well, err, not a lot. Which is an accomplishment for me. The big question everyday was : where do you want to have a drink ? on the upstairs or downstair terrace ?

I cooked for everyone, which I enjoyed a lot, reorganized the fridge because my inner Bree from Desperate Housewives told me so, played with Baby Margaux, played with the wii, drank a little more than usual, had fun with friends, etc.

I also tried paragliding for the first time and loved the experience to bits, despite being terrified of heights. I drove a truck, too on the same day which was fun as well because I love doing things that nobody thinks I'm capable of.

And there were sales at Longchamp and my friend Ginger *totally* made me buy two bags. But I had my revenge : I made her buy her first Longchamp and she seems to be hooked *insert evil laughter here*.

I'll post my pics soon. We had a tremendous time there. I had no idea that relaxing with friends could be so good.

Blythou out.

- moved all the stuff (mountains of records, books, furniture) out
- washed the walls
- called charities to give them our old furniture and computers
- drank margaritas with my friend Renan yesterday evening. Yes that has nothing to do with redecorating our office, but it was a wonderful moment...


Our dining room currently looks like a storage unit, with boxes piled high, bookcases stuffed with more boxes, etc. There's dust everywhere.

Don't ask me why I still took time to slice fresh pinapple and make a fresh veggie casserole (zucchini, eggplant and bell pepper cooked in chopped tomatoes with loads of hot sauce). I'm either a masochist, a perfectionnist or, err, I don't want to lose my title of Real Life Cooking Mama.

I'm just beat and exhausted right now.

Blythou out.

My inner Cooking Mama has been pretty active lately... Here's my latest concoction, the cucumber soup/cocktail mixer.

I've seen a bunch of recipes for cucumber soups, but none really satisfied me, so I decided to create my own.

You need :

- A cucumber, finely chopped
- Dill
- Basil
- Mint
- Salt, pepper
- Shallots or finely chopped onion


Put the chopped cucumber into a bowl, cover with water. Add salt, pepper, shallots or onion to taste and PLENTY of herbs. Cover with cellophane and refrigerate.

Wait 5-6 hours then strain the cucumber mix. Put it in a blender and mix thoroughly. Add more seasonning if necessary and blend it a little more.

Serve in glasses, add a shot of vodka if you like (yes, you like).

Blythou out.

- putting the last touches at my big monthly feature
- shopping for Summer clothes with Marion
- buying a present for Adeline's b-day next week
- proof-reading my latest translation (the MOJO punk anthology)
- cooking for our Eurovision Song Contest party
- baking for the Sunday wii party


There's more to do, but I won't list it just now, because I sort of feel tired just *thinking* about it.

Blythou out.

Besides imagining that inanimate objects all have little smiles and sneakered feet so they can walk, I also picture vegetables with little faces.

Sounds horrible for a vegetarian who slaughters carrots, bell peppers, zucchinis, tomatoes, etc. by the truckload ?

No, not really. I've decided that veggies and fruits are suicidal creatures who love nothing better than getting chopped and eaten by vegetarians who truly love them for who they are.

So whenever I cook, I envision veggies doing a conga line before jumping on the chopping board and diving into the wok. And they usually sing.

As my friend JM would say : "you're doing *really* better".

Blythou out.

... when you're baking peacan brownies while wearing denim cut-offs and your freshly washed hair's wrapped in a towel that towers over your head like a beehive ?

Well, your husband yells : "OMIGOD ! Cooking Mama has turned into Amy Winehouse !"

I wish he'd taken a picture, because it was exactly that.

Blythou out.

I've been sorting out my girls' clothing. I'm going to sell a LOT of vintage Skipper and Licca stuff in the upcoming weeks, as well as a few dolls.

I've also decided to pack the dolls I don't play with but don't want to sell in order to have a more manageable collection that won't make me feel overwhelmed. I want to be able to enjoy Blythe again, like in the old days... And I'd love to sew, even though I haven't been near a machine for years and will need help at first.

Now off to cook. I've turned into Cooking Mama lately. I hardly ever eat what I cook, but I sure spend a lot of time in my kitchen !

blythou out.

- I cup chopped onion
- 4 zucchini
- 2 bell peppers
- 4 tomatoes
- herbs
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Pour the olive oil in a non-adhesive pan or wok. Add the onions. Stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the chopped veggies, starting with the zucchini, then bell peppers and tomatoes. You can add a can of mushrooms and a chopped aubergine if you want.
Add salt, pepper, herbs. Stirr. Cover and let the veggies cook gently for 15 minutes.

Eat.
Don't feel guilty since it's both healthy and yummy.

Come on. You know veggies are good for you. And I'm not saying that because I'm a vegetarian and a health/diet freak.

And in case you wonder, no, I don't have a Nigella Lawson cleavage and even though I love chopping veggies, I don't take softcore porn poses while doing it.

Blythou out.