Life in the Country .. what to wear ??

With all the things that happened to my life this past year, I have had a very lax way of thinking about what to wear and how I look.
Of course, I still wash my hair and wear makeup and perfume and dress nicely ( better than the average around here, due to the lack of country clothes and overabundance of city clothes) ..
I do wear skinny jeans and Chanel quilted work boots ... funky but nice.

But I don't and as my husband had told me once, I will never blend in.
Funnily, I blended in pretty well in Buenos Aires. As long as I did not speak.
I had people coming up to me all the time, in Spanish or English, asking me for directions.
I was so flattered, half the time I wanted to walk them to their destination, I was so happy to be taken for a Porteño ..

Now I look like a Weekender. . . or a foreigner ... someone who obviously did not grow up here..
Apparently someone who still does not know her way around and has no idea what to wear .
My dressed down is generally the dressed up for this area.

I don't see people in the street like you do in the city, so I have no idea what to wear some days.
The lady next door goes out in a blizzard with a sweater on so I can't go by her.
All the men I see around here are hearty and wear things like lumberjacks wear or outdoor workers.

All this leads to the fact that I have to 1- move somewhere that I will blend in  2- buy some new country clothes..
Personally I like option number 1 but I think 2 might be the one I will have to take.
Although. I am keeping my mind open .. if there was the right offer, the right place to go to .. I am willing.

So I look at online websites where people in the street are featured or magazines that have people in the countryside ... what are they wearing ?

It is like having homework but no one will grade it.
Got to get back to studying.

Don't feel sorry for me though, this is the kind of study that I excel at . And I do want to blend in .. sort of.

Soup

COCONUT BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH RICE

recipe type: Soup

prep time:  25 mins

cook time:  30 mins

total time:  55 mins

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped plus more for garnish
• 1 15 oz can of light coconut milk
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ cup jasmine rice
• ½ tablespoon butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise. Peel both halves, remove seeds, 
2. then cut the round bottom off each half (where the seeds start). 
3. Chop the long neck part of the squash into 1 inch square pieces.
4. Bring a little water to a boil in a medium sized pot. 
5. Place a colander with the squash bottoms in them on 
6. top of the boiling water, cover with a lid, and steam the squash
7.  for about 15 minutes. 
8. This will later be mashed and used to thicken the soup.
9. In a different large pot, heat sesame oil. 
10. Add chopped squash, onion, garlic, and ginger and 
11. cook until onions are translucent.
12. Stir in crushed red pepper, turmeric, and cilantro. 
13. Next add coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, 
14. and simmer for 20 minutes.
15. When steamed squash is done, transfer to a food processor. 
16. Add ½ a cup of liquid from the soup and puree until smooth. 
17. Once soup has simmered, stir pureed squash into pot.
18. In a small pot, cook rice. 
19. Once rice is cooked mix with butter.
20. Serve soup over rice with a s little bit of lime juice 
21. and some extra cilantro on top.

From Tastespotting : Things I Made Today 

Parlez vous Tartine ?

I am gonna go all French on us ( well, me ) tonight and make Tartine for dinner.
That is really just a fancy French way of saying I am making grilled cheese sandwiches.
Except open - faced.
With more than just cheese . Maybe French cheese.
Maybe a Nicoise olive or two.
And some Dijon.
Parlez vous, tartine ?








Merci NYT for le foto

Decorating ... someones gotta do it.

I like decorating with the Eiffel Tower.
I have the one on the far right. I have had it for many years... over 15 at least.
It sits on top of a couple of big coffee table books ... on my coffee table ! I know, I am so avant garde.

I feel like doing some decorating today.
I can do anything I want, I have only myself to please.

That is very sad .

Maybe I will buy some silk and cover the pillows .. sewing by hand .. that'll keep me busy for a month at least.