20121231

Happy New Year

Sanke 2013 by Yukié Matsushita

Happy New Year, Bonne Année,

Hello 2013!

Japanese people are already welcoming the year of the snake, 
I am wishing you all a very Happy New Year of 2013! 

May this year be Amazing, Bright, Creative, Delightful, Energetic, Fruitful, Gregarious, Happy, Interesting, Joyful, Kinetic, Loving, Meaningful, Nourishing, Opportune, Peaceful, Quintessential, Revolutionary, Scintillating, Truthful, Unique, Vivacious, Wonderful, Xanadu, Youthful, and Zestful!



20121224

Joyeux Noël


Snap shot of me and J.Y at Salvador Dali Exhibition
 (Rita Mae West room) 

November 21 2012 - March 25 2013


Merry Christmas!
Joyeux Noël !



20121221

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookie by Yukié Matsushita
Christmas is near, I got a craving for baking Gingerbread Cookies.
Happy Holiday!



Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies
gingerbread ingredients by Yukié Matsushita


Ingredients for Icing 
icing ingredients by Yukié Matsushita



Mixer and cookie cutter by Yukié Matsushita
it is easier to make Gingerbread Cookies if you have an electric mixer and Gingerbread Cookie Cutter, but even if you don't have them you can still make Gingerbread cookies. 




mixing dry ingredients by Yukié Matsushita
Mix together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a bowl. 
Mixing butter by Yukié Matsushita

Beat butter in a large bowl, add brown sugar, molasses and an egg. Beat until mixture is all combined.

Mixing all by Yukié Matsushita
Mix dry ingredients Separately then cobine with wet ingredients. 

cookie dough by Yukié Matsushita
Divide dough in two or three parts, wrap them with plastic film and refrigerate them for over three hours. 


Preheat oven to 375 F°(190 C°)
Lightly grease cookie sheets or use cookie sheet paper.

cutting cookies by Yukié Matsushita
On a well-floured surface, roll the cookie dough and cut out the shapes of Gingerbread men.

Cookies in oven by Yukié Matsushita
Place cookies 2 inches apart. 
For small Gingerbread cookies, 1/4 inch thickness; bake in preheated oven for 7-8 mins. For big Gingerbread cookies, 1/2 inch thickness; bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until edges are light brown. 

Cool cookies completely. 

Decorating Gingerbread Cookies
mixing icing by Yukié Matsushita


Beat 1 egg white and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice together, adding 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. 

coloring icing by Yukié Matsushita
Color the icing with food colors. 
Use a small plastic sandwich bag for each color. Cut off the tip of the corner of the bag.
decorating gingerbread cookie by Yukié Matsushita
Decorate the Gingerbread cookies using colored icing.

The cookies can be stored at room temperature for 3 days, 
or frozen up to 3 months. 

Voilà,
Happy Holiday everyone!

20121213

Café Le Saint-Amour

Café rare by Yukié Matsushita
"GOUTEZ ou EMPORTEZ UN CAFÉ RARE !"

Le Saint-Amour 
(Bar - Brasserie - Tabac)

Monday - Friday: 8 am - 8 pm
Lunch from 12 pm - 4 pm

When Annie saw this announcement "UN CAFÉ RARE !" she wanted to go in. 
It is our neighborhood café, an authentic Parisian café-tabac near métro Etienne Marcel, across from "Tour Jean Sans Peur". 
It is not a hip kind of café but its cosy, and we like having our morning café at Le Saint-Amour. 

When I was having a café with Annie, I heard the patron, Mr. Lenoir telling other customers that his fruit jams are all homemade. So I went back the next day with J.Y to have a breakfast of toast with good homemade jams. 



"Maître de Chai" (Master of Wine maker) 
a plaque you see on the wall of Café Le Saint-Amour.



As we were lingering over breakfast, Mr. Lenoir became quite busy preparing lunch, chopping onions, peeling garlic, etc...

So we began to talk about his cooking, and Mr. Lenoir told us proudly "Today, I am cooking monkfish, it is the best kind! I only cook with fresh products!".
Then he invited us to see the nice little kitchen, and even after breakfast the fish seemed very appetizing.
It's rare that a "chef" shows you the kitchen and all the fresh ingredients (a lot of restaurants use ready-made food), so this made us come back for lunch...

Mr. Lenoir is well versed in gastronomy, he recomanded us to try the homemade terrines, they were quite succulent!
The monkfish was delicious also, cooked just right and served with flavored Thai rice.
The foods were generously served so we had no space for a homemade tarte! 
Voilà, if you want to eat a quality lunch, you can go to café Le Saint-Amour!   


Noisette alone...





20121207

Annie

Annie Lipscomb by Yukié Matsushita

Portrait of Annie Lipscomb

My friend Randy introduced me to Annie last year. 
Annie has been living in Paris for 4 - 6 months of a year from Washington State since 2009. Annie lived near me, so we began meeting each other for morning café once a week, which became our lovely ritual. We got to know each other over our café and became very good friends. 

Annie suffered from chemical related illness for a long time. She has written a book about it. She always looks cheerful and elegant that I could never tell her fragile condition. It was always present to share stories with Annie.  

Annie went back home last week. I already miss having café with her. 
I will just wait for her to come back to Paris in August next year.


Last rendez-vous au café with Annie; 
she had a cup of black tea, and I had a cup of "café noisette". 

Thank you Annie for leaving me a book "Against Wind and Tide: Anne Morrow Lindbergh", and proof reading my "Furoshiki" booklet

20121203

L'assiette

l'assiette restaurant by Yukié Matsushtia 
Many thanks to Gabrielle, who transformed her little red restaurant L'assiette into a little cute boutique this weekend. 

Gabrielle served hot red wine, café, homemade goat cheese sable biscuits, chocolate cake, guimauves, fruite jelly candies, etc, generously to anyone who came in. 

Restaurant l'assiette is located at the north of Sacré Cœur. 
78 rue Labat, 75018 Paris. The neighborhood is like a village. Everyone (neighbors, friends and tourists) who came to the "Vente de Noël" was so  friendly and was in a good mood. 

After the "Vente de Noël", we had a delicious Ukrainian dinner cooked by Gabrielle and her husband Valentin.


angel by Yukié Matsushita


The angel mobile made by Gabrielle's sister hanging in the window.