This & That: No. 53

A happy hour to provoke good conversation, decadent food, a Francophile blog to fall in love with and more . . .

~Blog to VIsit

1. Une Femme d’un Certain Age

Déjà Pseu, founder and editor of the blog Une Femme d’un Certain Age, has created a treasure trove of style inspiration for not only women of a certain age, but women in general. Sharing ideas about travel, lifestyle, beauty and other cultural topics that capture her Francophile interests as well as the primary fashion piece, she lives and works in Paris, having moved to the City of Light from California. Described as a blog about living a stylish, adventurous, balanced and delicious life after 50, I highly recommend stopping by and making it a regular blog to visit.

~Blog Post to Read

2. 5 Ways to Increase Your Intelligence

Always looking for ways to keep my mind active, Little Dumb Man offers five suggestions about how to do continually challenge your mind and keep your brain agile and alert.

~Cooking

3. Sur la Table Stainless Steel dough/bread scaper

Since seeing Rachael Ray use a bread scraper to neatly pick up chopped vegetables and drop them into the pot on the stove, I have been intrigued. So while taking my baking class this past weekend (click here to learn more about it), and seeing our instructor use it for a variety of purposes when working with dough (helps prevent dough from sticking, prevent tearing, and now they’ve added measurements), I quickly added it to my list for kitchen tools to pick up. For only $7, why not?

~Recipe

4. Baguette recipe from Fabulously French

I can still remember from my travels this past summer waking up in Paris and walking just a few blocks near Jardin du Luxembourg to pick up my morning baguette to be enjoyed with jam. Inexpensive, exceedingly delicious and a daily simple luxury to be savored, And while many of us don’t have this luxury afforded to us each day of the year, why not have a baguette recipe on hand for those special occasions or days when we have a bit of spare time?

~Restaurant

5. Coppia

Over the weekend, I met a dear friend of mine for a glass of wine in the Pearl District. And since I am just beginning to explore the many restaurants and foodie venues, I happened to find Coppia. A regional Italian restaurant with a daily happy hour from 4-6, they offer discounts on their scrumptious Italian wines and delectable appetizers. Choosing a pinot noir rose and nibbling on brà tenero (a three cream cheese from piemonte) which was paired with a fresh baguette from the Pearl Bakery, we tucked ourselves into an inviting conversational sofa and chair arrangement and enjoyed each others company.

~Shopping

6. Miu Miu curved platform pump

Did you know Barney’s Warehouse is available to shop online? Well, be warned, it’s accessible to anyone with an internet connection, and if you’re patient you could find yourself with a steal of a deal on your favorite designer items. This week a shoe sale is going on, so when I found these Miu Miu nude curved platform pumps on a steep reduction, I had to share.