Jambon en Honfleur

My  husband loves to eat ham.

We'd been leisurely walking side-by-side holding hands in the quaint, beautiful little town of Honfleur in northern France, until he saw this shop:

La Maison Du Jambon

(The Ham House)

His very lousy French translated those words just fine.

 

His eyes swirled around in his head and he sort of jittered the way Toad, of Wind in the Willows fame, did when he saw a shiny new motorcar.

I love France so much!

(And I love my ham-eating husband, too!)

Chicken Alfredo with a Twist

Quick, quick, hurry, hurry throw something together. Ever have that refrain rushing through your mind around mealtime? 

I'm here to help. Read the entire recipe before beginning, to get your ingredients gathered and the timing right.

Chicken Alfredo, Cherie Style:

Chicken breast, cut into smaller pieces so it will cook quicker (see photo above). Coat in flour, salt,  pepper, and dried thyme. Brown in butter and olive oil (medium - medium high heat) and cook almost through (lower the heat).

Toss some broccoli florets, and garlic on top before chicken is cooked through, add some water (1/3 - 1/2 cup or so, to keep things from scorching and to create steam), and a few squeezes of lemon juice (a teaspoon, if using bottled). Cover and steam until the broccoli is just about cooked the way you like it and the chicken registers 165 degrees or just under. Add cherry tomatoes, and let them heat for a couple of minutes, not to bursting, but warming them enough to turn their insides to liquid. Yum!

While the broccoli is steaming in the chicken, begin to boil pasta water in large pot (remember to add salt).

Once broccoli is steamed (this takes only minutes) drain excess water from pan, if there is any, add a container of whatever fresh Alfredo sauce you like - mine came from Whole Foods, so good - plus fresh cream, some glugs of white wine (1/4 - 1/2 cup), and season to taste. (I added some of my own dried thyme from the garden. Also, the wine is optional.) Heat through, simmering not boiling, so as not to break the cream. As soon as you have your sauce stirred in the pan with the chicken, cream, and wine, while it is simmering, drop your fresh pasta in the boiling water. This way everything will be heated and ready at the same time as fresh pasta takes but a few minutes to cook. (If you use dry pasta, begin the pasta sooner as it takes longer to cook.)

Plate the drained pasta, pile the chicken and sauce atop, garnish with whatever fresh herb you want (I had some fresh basil on hand.) Grated hard white cheese can be served on the side or grated on top before serving, or omitted altogether.

Enjoy this quick, impressive, one-dish meal full of protein, vegetables, dairy, herbs, and delicious pasta!

(After snapping this photo, I added more sauce to this serving before eating. Just so you know. Delicious!)

Joyful Art

One of the first things French people will tell you, when asked about Americans, is how Americans gobble their food. It drives them crazy.

The English will timidly ask, "Are the portions really as large as we hear?"

It's rather embarrassing.

It's something we moms and dads can do something about. First, by modeling mannerly eating habits and proper table etiquette, and secondly, by teaching them to our children, however long it may take. 

My children - and my husband - have heard me say time and time and time again, when pointing out etiquette at the dinner table, "If you ever eat with the President of the United States, you will be grateful to know these things." 

I have added the Queen of England to that statement, just in case.

Yes, eyes roll. But on more than one occasion of fine dining, I have been pleasantly surprised to see my Viking children using exquisite etiquette. Napkins and hands in laps (except in France, where hands are to be seen, a holdover from days of old when a weapon could be lurking beneath the tabletop), no elbows on the table when eating, correct utensils used in the correct order, politeness to the wait staff, bodily noises kept in check, enjoyment of food carefully eaten in small increments, please and thank-you's, consideration when passing food, inside voices used at all times. You get the idea. 

The kids - all adults now - enjoy these special occasions tremendously. A thing of beauty.

Find an etiquette book that covers table manners.

Read it.

Learn it.

Teach it.

You'll be doing the world an incredible lot of good.

Dining - whether a quick meal or a leisurely one - nourishes the spirit as well as the body in its joyful art.