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Happy Friday kitties! 

And yes, it is Friday already, the new year begins and weeks are already flying too fast… So as promised, I’m going to tell you about my resolutions 2014, even though it’s true that in the end it’s my business, writing them helps me to try to remember them, as if I’d assimilate them better (a fancy of the mind?)

So my resolution number one, before any other ones: to get a head start at everything, to keep taking days as they come but to be organized, and worst, to become the organization itself. Too many things are in my head and I’m juggling with lots of topics, my fear always is to lack the time to do them all, and the time I loose « panicking » I feel it would better be used to plan and organized my days. So far I’m good at it and I simply want this year to keep going the same way but just more  serenely and even better! Keep cool 2014…

My resolution number two is of course to keep doing things with my heard, to keep finding new way to show, to try to surprise you, to cut it short, to reinvent myself while staying faithful to who I am… Not so easy huh! 2014 New « myself »… Or something like that. 

And my resolution number three, the last one, yes I only have three because I think that if I make a huge list I have no chance to stock to it… Is to enjoy the little victories! To be glad about the little things such as: the end of a project, an old client calling me for a new job, a shower of nice comments, etc… Take those things as support because this is what they are, instead of filling overwhelmed by the pressure to do better than the last time. 2014 Take it easy…

So here are my 3 resolutions, when I read myself I feel like I am a little freaked out, but you know I’d rather tell myself that nothing can be taken for granted, and always be on the alert than rest on my laurels (I’m about to give you my whole repertoire of sayings today…) So exit the resolutions like stop going to McDonalds (because I killed it on the 1st of January), go to the gym 3 times a week (hahaha), tidy things when I’m done using them (pfff), hang out my laundry when they’re done and not wash them twice etc… But this is only between me and myself, I know that writing them will make you smile but in the end, these resolutions are only details… And what about you, what are your « real » resolutions?

And to go back to our topic of the day, the happy friday, I’m wearing a red hat (nothing to do with the news) Uniqlo, a woodcutter shirt Uniqlo, a necklace given to me by the sweet Caroline from Numéro 8, a skirt and a lovey coat Uniqlo, a lady handbag Le tanneur, twisted with a pair of New balance sneakers. Oh yeah and, because I know you’re going to ask me, I’m wearing an Urban Decay lipstick "F-Bombe"....

Happy wednesday my chestnuts! 

While waiting for my resolutions - I’m refining them - I give you my mission of the day: persuade you that cork isn’t has been but is absolutely cool. To me, cork means stressful bulletin board from your grandparents’ kitchen where are pinned business cards and other coupons, don’t pretend you don’t see what I’m talking about… Today I’m teaching you how to customize a piece of furniture in order to give it a new lease of life, to make it unique and yours, but this method can be used on any surface. Keep it in mind for when you’ll want to refresh some furnitures. Let’s take your scissors, it’s easy I promise and the stunning effect is guaranteed.

To make this DIY: 

- Cost about 35 euros (furniture not included)

- Time about 4 hours…

- Difficulty « easy, but a great attention to details is needed »…

 Materials: 

•  a roll of cork,
•  Scales template
• little tapestry nails with flat head,
• hammer,
• special wall strong glue called « sans clou si vis » (literally, « no nails nor screw»),
• pencil, rubber, ruler and masking tape.

Start with downloading the scales template, print it and draw the scales onto the cork, for this piece of furniture you will need about 120 scales, the number of scales depends on the surface to cover.

Once your scales are perfectly drawn, take care to cut them. The uprightness of your cut will make the final quality of the furniture. Take the ruler and the pencil to mark the piece of furniture. For this one I marked parallel lines every 7,5 cm. To cover another surface, measure the height and divivd the distance into an even rectangle. To be able to use the template of these scales, the height of your rectangle must be between 7 and 8 cm.

Draw very parallel lines on all the surface to cover and be careful about this drawing, especially if your scales are on doors that are side by side! There is no room for approximation here! Now, along the drawing, pre-place your cork scales with the tape, start with the lower line.

Once your line is done, take the small tapestry nails and fix the scales on the piece of furniture by their top ends.  

Please be careful with your fingers, and be gentle, cork is a fragile materials when not correctly settled.

Keep going with the covering, doing the previous steps on the second line, and so forth until the last line, the one at the top of the door.

Now, to finish your last line without any trace of nails that can be unattractive, I’d advise you to use this magical glue that is « sans clou ni vis », extremely efficient for our matter. So glue your last scales and be careful to line them up with the top of the furniture.

Reproduce all these steps on the second door and TA-DA!

Inspiration Sara Larsson via Pinterest.

Happy New Year my little chestnuts ! 

I allowed myself one more day to recover from my atomic new year’s eve… But I’ve heard that you can wish people happy new year until the end of January so no rush… 

There we are, I wish you, in no particular order, love (of course), but also health (we don’t think about it when everything is fine but is is incredibly important), work (a lot of work), creativity (especially), trips (lots) and encounters (inspiring)… Wonderful Year 2014 to all… 

I’d like to use this post to talk to you about the news in 2014. I’m not going to tell you everything but there will be new things, nothing radically different but little tools and other goodies not to waste a single drop of your lemonade… 

Workshops: nothing revolutionary but I’m talking about them because I receive emails everyday - literally - about them. Workshops are organized every months and there will be top people… 10 tickets are available and no more. I do not want to sell them in advance because the organisation and other partnerships aren’t always definitely decided months in advance. And it gives me the occasion to give you a rendez-vous here every months. Besides if you’ve subscribed to the newsletter I will tell you the day and time there (I’ll talk about the newsletter in a few lines). 

Comments and the Golden Lemon. Aaahhh the golden Lemon, but what is this thing now ?

Okay first of all comments, they are like my biggest frustration of the blog, I’d like to answer to everyone of you so much… But you have to know that I read absolutely all of them and if I had to answer each one it would take me all day and I almost wouldn’t do anything else, so my resolution is easy, and you’ll be the first ones to see its impact, I will answer you as soon as you ask me something like « what is the brand of you nail polish? », « how should we wash this embroidered sweatshirt? » etc… You can count on me, it will be done. But for 2014 I wanted to make a little something for you, that I put in place with the help of a HTLM-code-virtuoso (thank you again Julien): the Golden Lemon, to show you that I’m here and reading you all. The golden lemon will be  attributed to the best comment, the funniest, the coolest, the most inspiring, the most touching comment of the article (one by article). Because I know that you are spicy, sparkling and chatty, I want this blog to be a sharing space where you can express yourselves. So the choice of this comment will be completely arbitrary… And it will not mean that the other ones are bad, it will simply be a little something, a crush between you and me, don’t see anything more into it… Just a little bonus…

Facebook contest: I read several times that you think I don’t do enough contest on the bog… It is true but it’s a choice, I don’t want to change my editorial line to talk to you about a product more than about another one… So I’m not saying I will NEVER EVER have contest here… But I’m currently putting in place two contests each months on my facebook page, with nice brands, set and photographed at the lemon sauce… Because you are almost 20 000 fans, you crazy !!! And I think it is important to thank you by giving you present regularly and to me facebook is only a bonus and it’s an occasion to post exclusive contents… 

And the Newsletter: it will be launched this year starting in February (finally! It took me some time) but I was alone to do everything until now… But this is it, Make my lemonade is spreading and when we are two we can now call it a team I think! So in the newsletter you’ll find the day and time of the release of the tickets for the workshop, and I will also announce the partners for the Facebook contest, and a little news about the DIY that you’d have liked the previous month! 

I will leave you to it, sweet kisses, I have some work to do as you may see! I wish you the best, really, and I talk to you about my new year resolutions in the next article! Love you my adorable followers… Lisa banana

Happy monday mes petits chats, 

I hope you had a nice weekend running for your christmas shopping, hunting for the perfect present… I have to admit that I had some trouble this year to find present that’d hit the nail on the head but it’s not too late, I still have 9 days… Where there’s life there’s hope. Oh yes I hear you fine « She could make her own present ». Yeah that’s true but let me tell you something sweeties, I’ve been making them for 20 years, I say 20 years because let’s say that from the age of 5 I handled Crayola and quite soon after that scissors and glue: everything was possible. And to make it short, 20 years of Christmas gift x 10 (it’s about the number of people present on the day of Jesus’s birth) well that means I had 200 ideas (it’s an around number, I included birthday presents as well). I’m not saying I had 200 good ideas but I cleaned out the jewelry box covered with décopatch (easy-to-apply paper with patterns), the knives-holder in salt dough, making clothes, jewelry, frames, paintings… (in 20 years of making stuffs, you get better at some point). But you know what people, this year I’m out, I bought your gifts. I love you just as much but my brain is steaming.

So today let me introduce you to my « MAKE MY PARTY LIKE GATSBY » table, I had so much fun taking these pictures (I love my job!). I rented photography supplies for the occasion (like for the Sézane shoot), I knocked up the light and it was so rewarding to do it all, from the shopping for the table to the set while imagining little DIY I felt completely right, as if it was obvious that I had to go further, to push my limits by doing everything myself.

So. For this table I wanted a chic atmosphere but also quite dark, not creepy but more like a Christmas for grown-ups, also with a tad of seduction. A Gatsby Christmas table all in all, or more a NYE table actually… With golden, silvery, copper-colored, and of course with the black and white from a tuxedo. But I also wanted some Christmas tree branches, some babies’-breath and some wax to stay within natural and wintery tones.

You can download the little « shirt-collar and bow tie» place cards HERE. It really is easy, some paper and glue and it’s done, it’s cheap and it will definitely work. To write the name you can either use a gold pen or get inspiration from the Gatsby stationery from this article. 

Okay there I went a little crazy, I made « candle art »… So what is it ? Well my love it’s like nail art but on candles: some tape, nail polish and here you go… It’s very simple but I think it’s quite good for a quick DIY… Do you remember one of my first DIY, le serviteur silencieux ? I know, so much ground has been covered (especially regarding the pictures…), anyway I love using it for my scenographies, it gives height to the table and I used it here as a little Christmas tree covered in bulbs of different sizes mixed with little « craquelin » choux buns from Picard.

I’d like to mention that every pieces of tableware and the Christmas decoration was lent by Galeries Lafayette Maison. Btw if you’re in Paris next Thursday from 6.30 to 8 pm I’m showing you there how to ice your cake like a « bonnet de bain » (I can hear you think « she’s crazy »…). The cake recipe will be online next week.

PS. I’d like to set things straight about the fact that I used stuffed animals on set, because I feel like some of you will react. So yes, they are real animals, you can find it horrible, it’s fine. As for me I don’t mind, and here I wanted to integrate them because I wanted to set a weird aesthetic, like a cabinet of curiosities but I really don’t want to justify myself more than that… If I could have had a real penguin or a real heron that’d have been great but unfortunately I don’t have the same budget as Cartier to bring a baby tiger on set… That’s too bad. If is can make you feel better and avoid you sending me rocks or Brigitte Bardot, they are antics lent for the job and not animals that were savagely murdered for this shooting. They are kind of « second hand » if you will, and this penguin has a mischievous look that had been immortalized for posterity. I’ll not talk to you about where I stand regarding fur, eating meat, going to the MacDonalds, travelling by place of letting the water run when you brush your teeth today, but maybe it will come someday. 

Happy sunday my loves, 

I hope you’re going great, I’d like to take a moment to say thank you! Because yes, it’s been a long time… Thank you for your words, for your patience when I’m sometimes a little late, for your fidelity and for the tons of love you send me everyday… THANK YOU I’d like to be able to do more, to answer to everyone of your comment, to get my head out of your computer screen and kiss you on the cheeks whenever you say something sweet… In short send you as many positive ways as you do to me. I’m starting to install a little something that you should like, some sort of lemon « goodies » on every article to thank you and make us share more… Unbearable SUSPENSE I know, it is in the final phase and I don’t want to overstate it but I think it should be set in 10 days or so… 

Back to our topic… The first Gatsby 2.0 DIY featuring the Christmas spirit. Yes yes it is possible. To tell you how the story began, we need to go back to a few weeks ago: I was invited to the opening of a new brand of socks called « Pas chassé » (what an adorable name!). I don’t go to openings very often for a lot of reasons… But I was curious about this one because Mai made the video of their first collection’s look book and because « Pas chassé » moved in in the same office as lots of my friends… I go there, I watch Mai’s video, very cool as usual, and the Made in France socks collection, thought to be worn with shoes. I was really convinced because I love socks/shoes looks and their collection is really nice. I love discovering the excitement of the designers, their desires and their ideas. Coralie, one of the designers, says those words « jewel-socks ». Okay here I am trying to wrap my mind around it, I’m already picturing myself with strass necklaces around my ankles, charms that outline the button loop of an invisible T-bar sandal, I give up and stay stuck on « jewel-socks », « jewel-socks », « jewel-socks »… I come back home with my little pair of lurex socks, all happy about it… I got an idea for a DIY: party socks to wear right now and to put near your Christmas tree to amaze the bearded man who loves chimney. 

To make this DIY: 

- Cost: about 10 euros (socks not included, yeah that is the « downside » of pas chassé…)

- Time: about 1 hour, yes I’m sure

- Difficulty: « no need to be an expert » 

• a pair of lurex socks
• 6 large rectangle strass and a few strass with mounting to sew 
• all kind of sequins (all available at your hardware store)
• thread and needle, and some patience.

Start with sewing the large strass on the first sock. I advise you to start with the middle strass to help you well define the center of the sock. And it’s important not to sew this kind of strass hastily. Because they are « heavy » they must be fixed firmly.

Then place the bigger sequins all around your strass line, simply put them to define their future place and take a picture to immortalize it. It will serve as model.

And don’t forget the tip from one of the last DIY: to fold the sequins. I assure you it changes everything. Alternate and embroider with a hand-stitch. Because the hole is in the middle you have to make a big loop but I don’t find it bothering, I actually think that it’s quite graphic and fits with the 1920 theme quite well.

I found these crazy sequins at the hardware store, simply black circles and small silver squares, almost antique, perfect for our purpose. As in the previous step, embroider them onto the socks and alternate with other round sequins.

Finish with scattering a few strass randomly and fix them with the thread and needle and TA-DA!

And here is the gif that makes you blink!

My little cats, 

The amazing Joanna, who works for the music part of the blog since the flower weeks, did a fine job again to give you a very contrasted playlist this time, with a mix of very « Roaring Twenties » songs and more 2.0 party ones. We wanted to be in the Gatsby theme, by Fitzgerald, but also with a lemonade 2013 twist, I’m sorry there isn’t JAY-Z songs (even though I love mainly his wife…) but Baz Lurhmann had gone a little bit crazy on its soundtrack… Joanna wanted to illustrate the main topics of the story: money, power, decadence, frivolity and of course love… Enjoy with your ears, we wait for your reactions! kisses! 

Playlist available on Spotify ICI

See you tomorrow beautifuls…

Happy friday my birdies ! 

Yes I know I am unforgivable it is friday already… And yes it is crazy how the day flies… And on top of it, and I know you know, but it’s dark outside at 4 in the afternoon so I have to shoot in the morning, but in the morning I write emails, I organize my day the house, the office, so it’s quite the rush… One more time I’d like a « organizer » + « timefreezer » microchip planted in my brain… That’d be so convenient if we could freeze time just to get the right light and if everything was as organized in my calendar as in my head! 

But I have great news! 2014 will be even crazier than 2013 (and yes it is possible) and my main goal is to stop being overwhelmed. It is mu number one resolution for 2014. I know it’s early to talk about resolution but I think it’s good to select your goals, well your goal… Define your desire and do everything to achieve it, no need to have 100 of them if you’re going to quit when February comes… Okay, back to our topic.

Gatsby! I made you a « Make my party like Gatsby » table for the weekend but in the meantime I’d like to show you the invitations and other stationery items I imagined for this party… that I am actually organizing for my friends for New Year’s Eve… Remember that every idea is valid for any party, a birthday, Christmas, a wedding… I’ll never say it enough but ADAPT!

Of course to me Gatsby had to be gold and black but feel free to print the invitations on silver paper. Because yes, that was the challenge of these home-made invitations: how to print a gold color with your home printer ? Well the answer is quite simple: you can’t. You can think of printing a yellow mustard color but you glittering/partying level drops down to -10. So I didn’t give up and I gave it some more thoughts and bingo, I know how to do it: I’m going to print it in black on golden paper (at this precise time I felt like I’d found the cure for hair loss).

But mark my word, not on any paper… I made some unsuccessful tests, the problem came from glossy paper, it wasn’t fantastic but a little shiny and gold however the main thing was that the ink would never dry. I let you imagine how complicated it was… I found this paper in A4 format, antique gold color. Or if you’re in Paris you can go to the printing house Magenta Color, 55 boulevard magenta, they have an awesome similar one.

I’ll leave you to it, have fun with the invitations and other templates to download here and for free… I used the « CORE CIRCUS » typography available to buy on the Myfonts website. To download the pages in black and white click HERE, THERE and THERE again. See you tomorrow my dears!

Happy Monday kitties ! 

I have so much fun lately, I'm juggling and that feels so good! Here is another theme week and not any theme: it is my THE GREAT GATSBY week, kind of a christmas/new year inspiration for your eyes! Did I say a week ? I meant my two Gatsby weeks ! For a little while I've been living with the rythme of the Roaring Twenties, I'm re-reading Fitzgerald, I'm fantasizing on Redford and I'm hallucinating with Leonardo Dicaprio... We should talk about this Baz Luhrmann movie by the way! I find it quite TOO MUCH! I remember seeing it in 3D and getting out of the theater exhausted (a bit like with Gravity but not for the same reasons...). There were too many things and my brain couldn't assimilate all of them... And I watched it again on my computer, making screen impressions and breaks, digesting informations, and I thought WAOUH, what a work! The interpretation of the book is very different from the Jack Clayton's one (with Mia Farrow and Robert Redford), especially regarding the scenes with parties where you can feel the Martha Stewart era, everything is insanely coordinated and sublime with not a single lack of taste.   

While doing some research to write to you this morning I find there is another movie from Herbert Brenon, 1926 and The Great Gatsby from Elliott Nugent (1949)… I have still have some things to learn… But if you saw the last movie with out sweet swollen Leo Dicaprio I advise you to close your computer and go discover this Francis Scott Fitsgerald fabulous novel.

To see all these pictures « in full size », rendez vous on my pinterest in the « J Gatsby » pinboard. And by the way if you want some fresh inspirations I « pin » a lot lately, 20 minutes a day is what I was told… Love on you.

Happy sunday night meerkats! And here is the last completely crazy recipe of the week from my friend Antonin… You met Antonin before, he and his mustache were in the last chapter of Make my party, souvenez-vous ?… We kept saying we had to make a recipe together because Antonin, in between its two hundred activities is also a cordon bleu… So I told him about my SALAD PROJECT and that he had « carte blanche ». 

One sunday I arrive at his apartment/workshop and Antonin makes me dream with its fruit salad light as a cloud and full of vitamins (it is true I didn’t mention what kind of salad I wanted…). I’m glad to end this week with him, he is like a culinary UFO but I think this salad looks like him after all, efficient, tasty and minimalist. Run look at his work, this young man has more than one talent and his last baby is « Passion », a beautiful very inspiring fanzine… 

Thank you to all the participants for their recipe, time and generosity! THANK YOU my friends!

• Hi Antoine, can you introduce yourself quickly ?

I am a graphic designer. I came to image from graphisme, I am also sensitive to the object from a technical point of view but also from an aesthetic and a functional ones. Sometimes I happen to collaborate with a culinary workshop and otherwise, I ride a bike whether it is to go down the Charonne Street or to go to Biarritz sleeping in fields…  

• Tell us about your Passion fanzine. 

Passion is a fanzine I created to make possible and public some projects that have been sitting in our desk drawers, hard-drives or twist and turns of the brain for too long. We are 5 people to work at it. The fanzine allows us to concretize desires, to go wrong, to progress in our own field. We end up producing a common object, an experimental support, result of our way of life. As am passionate with « handmade » I motivated my fellows to make the cover of a Passion issue ourselves by putting eyelets to close the Fanzine, or making handmade perfect binding… In order to make of every edition beautiful object to keep… And the lot for 300 numbered copies, s’il vous plait.

• Let’s talk about your other passion, cooking (okay it was easy), what is your first culinary « Madeleine de Proust » ?

Unfortunately my brain is a little unpredictable, but one thing is certain, my first strikes were with sweet and sour and our traditionnel goat cheese/honey or a side such as onions cooked in wine and raspberries.  

• You take care of yourself by eating well, when did it clicked for you ?

I like a body exuding sport and health. Food plays an essential role with all that. I wanna say « your body isn’t a bin, respect it ».

• What is your favorite ingredient, the one you put everywhere not even thinking about it ?

Lemon/cinnamon/honey - okay that’s not one but you made a lame joke earlier so I’m excused ha ha ha ! 

• What meal do you cook when you don’t feel so good, your comfy meal ?

My boulanger is quite sharp, he comes from Ladurée… I go and buy him some good bread, a tad of salted butter,  velvet jam and here I am.

• What is you detox tips before and/or after the holidays?

A cup of warm water with lemon.

• Antonin, your heart goes between graphisme, design and cooking… I’m not the best person to ask you to choose but if you had to restrict yourself to one passion, which one would it be?

I won’t cook for a living, I’d rather restrict it to share and conviviality. To me, graphisme and design appeal the same sensibilities as cooking but on different supports, and I express myself more in those fields. However I ask myself the same questions when I cool as when I create a page setting or an object: efficacy, functionality, aesthetics… No embellishment nor useless artifice. Going to the point. Nothing else, you’d say

  Retrouvez ici toutes les recettes de cette semaine à télécharger en format carte postale...

 ici pour la salade de l'amour: fiche Justine B.

Ici pour la salade wrapée: fiche Hervé L.

Ici pour la salade de kale: fiche Alison B.

 Ici pour la salade "In Détox we trust": fiche Agathe A.

Ici pour la salade "en une bouchée": fiche Marine C. et la fiche de la salade de l'espace ici: fiche Antonin D.

Happy Sunday my kitties!

I’m giving you the last but not least recipe of the week for lunch, « finger food » with Marine, the creator of en une bouchée. During my first meeting with Marine, I didn’t actually meet her but her creations during an event she catered. A real treat, I’m often disappointed by petits fours and other finger food… But not this time, I couldn’t believe it and I literally squatted the buffet (so chic…). I took her business card and kept it safe. 

And one day, I worked for a paint brand who asked me to imagine a buffet, from the scenography to what was in the plates and I immediately thought about this little business card, called Marine to see if she’d be interested and she was! A great encounter, I wanted to introduce her to you because I find her brave and I love people who give themselves the means to their ambition, who try no matter what to live up to their passion… I find it inspiring, especially in Marine’s case, she made a career change from an industrial biology engineer to opening a restaurant of their own… I think it is a great example! 

And little story… For this job we needed a pink desert (ok, that’s not to hard…) but it became quite difficult because we didn’t want any cupcakes or macarons… And Marine offered to make her specialty, the « Strawberry Mojito » choux buns: killer alert!… For a perfect lunch break, rendez-vous au Marché couvert Saint-Martin, 31 rue du Chateau d’Eau, 75010 Paris.

• Hi Marine, can you introduce yourself quickly ?

I’m Marine, 28, ex industrial biology engineer, creator of en une Bouchée. I talk a lot and despite trying not to I’m really fond of food! I’d like Paris to eat all my little choux buns ! 

• Tell us a little bit more about how « En une bouchée » was born. 

I’m have a training as engineer in industrial biology. I worked 2 years as commercial engineer B to B in the cosmetic industry. In april 2012 some private events made me think and consider reorienting myself towards catering. To be sure about my choice I wanted to live the experiment from the inside. I worked at a restaurant (La Véraison, 15th arrondissement) while working at my regular job. For 3 months I worked as a commercial engineer during the week and in the kitchen during the weekends and it never was constraining, I felt good in the kitchen. That’s what confirmed my will of changing job. It’s at the end of september 2012 that I left my firm without any precise idea of what I was going to do next. I was looking for some job in catering but with no diploma and only my weak experience, it was hard. And I was used to host at home, to organise buffet dinner and drinks with my friends, it started from a desire, a belief more than from a purely thought-through idea. The « Finger Food » made sense in our plate so I took the risk because I had nothing to lose. It’s during november/december that the idea was fully developed, that I found the name « En une bouchée » and we know how it went. Since December 2012, I created the company « En une bouchée » in Paris, which is a Finger Food catering service.

• What precisely is « En une bouchée » ?

You forget protocole ! You eat with your fingers without guilt. « En une bouchée » is a new way of savoring. The FINGERFOOD: gastronomy on your fingertips with a leitmotiv: 0% guilt. Snacking isn’t a sin, it’s in ! 

• What is your first culinary « Madeleine de Proust » ?

A sugary croque-monsieur with brioche and milk chocolate ! MIAM !!! Thanks mom.  

• I really want to know the genesis of the raspberry mojitos choux buns, what a wonderful idea ! 

Ha ha ha the MOJITO choux buns… and more particularly the strawberry mojito! I already had the lemon pie choux bun on the menu… it is a derivative. I love mojitos, so I thought I’d make a lime cream, hint of mint, ginger (that’s a secret!) and a wee bit of rhum, and in the end that wasn’t more complicated than a lemon pie! And then the raspberry mojito came by itself, it is my favorite cocktail (strawberries or raspberries but more especially raspberries, I am an absolute FAN of red berries). 

• What is your favorite ingredient, the one you put everywhere not even thinking about it ?

Curry… and spices in general! Espelette pepper, cumin, nutmeg, 4 spices, everything! With two pinches, you can transform a dish!  

• What meal do you cook when you don’t feel so good, your comfy meal ?

 So, lately, I don’t cook for myself anymore. But if somebody would want to cheer me up because I wouldn’t be so well, he’d just have to make me… a good soup, a salad, a bowl of berries/yogurt! And hop, to bed!

• What is you detox tips before and/or after the holidays?

Same as when I don’t feel so good: soup/sala and the of course!!!

• Last september you were opening your shop in la Pépinière du Village, this is a new professional adventure, what could we wish you for 2014 that would be crazier than that ? 

 I wish « En une bouchée » to keep going that way in 2014, to grow a little more every day and why not to become the new parisian reference for choux buns!

Happy Saturday honeys… 

For lunch, we’re eating with Agathe the awesome creator of the Café Pinson, 6 rue du Forez, 75003 Paris… A place I love, where I often go for business meetings… And exclusive informations for you, Agathe and her partner Damien are opening another Café Pinson in the 10th district, which makes me happy since it is even closer to my place! Alleluia! 

The Café Pinson is probably the healthier place in the capital city, fresh and yummy food with products that are as « local » as possible, most of the food is vegan and of course everything that comes out of the adorable Chef Cameil Kaundart’s kitchen is perfectly organic… I am a fan! 

To tell you the story, less than a year ago, I was going to Pinson for the first time to have lunch with Fred and Mai. We discovered the place that had only been there for a few days but was already packed with people! We had a huge crush, and it took me some time to remember the name of the little café, often calling it « Pignon » which led to some uncontrollable laughter… A few weeks ago, I was going to a business breakfast, I remembered Agathe and offered her this partnership, she accepted with pleasure, her generosity and smile made my week! Thank you Agathe!

• Hi Agathe, can you introduce yourself quickly ?

Well, before creating the Pinson I had several lives, just like cats!… I started with working into fashion and beauty products. And when I turned out 30, I had a huge burn out that ended with a nice mid-life crisis and its bunch of questions such as: what does my job mean ? And my life ?… Quite quickly my eco conscientiousness came up to the surface and with a real desire to contribute. Then I had my two children, and I started to get interested in the link between nutrition and health. And there I discovered how much when you eat better, it has consequences on your weight, your skin and even your mood… It is unbelievable (the challenge is to know how to define « better »!). I read an impressive amount of books, went to conferences, asked tons of questions to the dealers in organic grocery stores… And I made lots of experiments in my kitchen that were not always a success. Then came the idea of sharing what I had learnt, the desire to show that we can cook healthy and it still is colorful, happy, greedy. And here we are, a 3rd baby came into my life: the Pinson!

• What is your first culinary « Madeleine de Proust » ?

I sure am fond of food so I directly think of dozen of meals. But if I want to answer you precisely I’d say it is a smell: my mom’s morning coffee with milk. It was the first smell of the day. And even though I didn’t really like coffee, I loved this smell because it meant that the house was waking up, the day could begin. I still am sensitive to it and even today, what I prefer with coffee is its smell!

• You take care of yourself by eating well, when did it clicked for you ?

It happened several times. First of all: it was when I was pregnant, and when I realized I wasn’t « alone » anymore but we were two… I wanted to give us the best! Then, is was when I started to feed my daughter. It occurred to me that I had no idea of how to feed a tiny human being to make her good and healthy! It was quite crazy. And primitive. This feeling that I had to learn everything again! And indeed, I had to unlearn to learn it better! I loved that time. It was intellectually fascinating. In the meantime I discovered I was wheat and lactose intolerant. It was weird because those two products are an integral part of you daily life in France. But it piqued my curiosity and I gladly played along. I like challenges and it was actually quite fun to enter a kind of treasure hunt in the organic store to find the gem… THE product that would fit in everything and that would be gourmet as well. Since I was often disappointed, I decided to cook a little bit more. And suddenly, i was simple awesome! I discovered and rediscovered amazing savors: vegetables, seeds, cereals… 

• What is your favorite ingredient, the one you put everywhere not even thinking about it ? 

The tamari-joyu! I put it literally everywhere. It gives an awesome twist to salads. My children love it… Hence they eat salad and raw vegetables! I put it everywhere, rice, pasta… Except for some soup or velouté, I don’t want to impair the color of the vegetables: it would be a shame to put it into a winter squash velouté or into a Jerusalem artichoke one for instance. Herbs too. Fresh or dehydrated, I put them everywhere, tons of them. Really, with my eyes closed. Chives, thymes. I am an unreserved fan of basil. It brings lots of taste, and freshness, therefore you add less salt.

• What meal do you cook when you don’t feel so good, your comfy meal ?

When I am stressed, I tend to go toward what’s sugary… My comfy recipe (it really is): a crushed banana with what we call « poiret » (a sort of syrup from apples and pears… A pure treat). I looked up its real name (thanks to wiki!): the real term is « Liège syrup ». 100% regressive. I love it. 

• What is you detox tips before and/or after the holidays?

My plan: fresh fruits in the morning (with dried fruits, cashew nuts and maple syrup, if I’m really craving for it), a real lunch (light), vegetables juice and raw vegetables for dinner. And herbal tea all day long. It is the easiest but it works. And I do it with pleasure because I only have to look up my cupboard (I’m not getting crazy because I have to put together 15 different ingredients that are nowhere to be found!). For the vegetables juice, you can take them fresh (the best) or if not, lacto-fermented. It will also work and I personally like the fermented taste. But I have to admit it is not very consensual… So if you don’t have a juice extractor or a juicer, you can make a smoothie.

• Less than a year ago you were opening the Café Pinson, 6 rue Forez, in the 3rd district, in a few days you’ll be opening the Café Pinson in the 10th district. If you’re keeping that pace, in 6 months there will be a restaurant in each district, today what is the best we can wish you for 2014 ? 

Oh, thank you! Why not a book for the Pinson? A third address? I don’t lack ideas but time… So it’s not in store right now!! The main thing for me is to keep watching this « baby » grow up!.. And the most importantly, to keep having so much fun doing it. Same thing for the team: they are all so great, I wish they keep having the same fun working in this great adventure!

Juice on the picture: apple, carrot, fennel, lemon, ginger. Crackers: sesame, chia seeds, rice flour, nori seaweed. All ingredients used here are available at organic grocery stores or at Terroirs d’avenir, 8 rue du Nil, Paris 75002.

My little angels…

What a week! You realize that all my posts and guests are ready to reveal their awesome recipes… But I can’t find 20 minutes for myself to write to you… So I’ll work twice as hard during the weekend to end this week on a high note with amazing lunches and dinners! So you’ll be in great shape for the christmas presents home stretch. Keep going, find your pace and it will be fine…

Tonight we’re having dinner with Alison… Alison is my american friend, a lovely person very talented when it comes to brand communication, always with good advice and a hot shop in strategy. I love calling her just to hear her american accent and her infectious laugh… I see a bit of myself in her, she is hyperactive always juggling with a thousand projects… She is a girl that do good around herself and it looks like she likes it, by her words, her presence but especially by what she puts into our plates… 

A while ago, I discovered another side of her. I was going to the Dirty Dick to kiss my good friend Scott, and there was Alison who was treating everybody at the crowded bar (like a hundred people) with recipes each healthier than the last, in order to ease their conscience after all the cocktails… It was a Yelp private party… This girl is everywhere!

• Hi Alison, can you introduce yourself quickly ?

I’m a fashion and art of living consultant, working for french and international brands. I just created SCOUT, a consulting company specialized in communication, marketing, research and management. 

• Can you talk about your « super food » concept ? 

Paris Super Food is a pleasure project that started as a series of tasting around the idea of super food. It started naturally with preparation for my and my family. Then I started to make allergen-free deserts, raw and vegan recipes, I organized detoxes, a few catering (Yelp party) and lately some food advices in France and abroad. 

• What is your first culinary « Madeline de Proust » ?

There are so many. Since I’m a kid, I’ve always been adventurous when it comes to tasting. I was 4 in a restaurant in Memphis when the waiter told me I had an « early palate ». 

• You take care of yourself by eating well, when did it clicked for you ?

A parasite I got when in Barcelona, food allergies diagnosed about the same time and trips, especially in Greece where the food is so good - season, fresh and local products. 

• What is your favorite ingredient, the one you put everywhere not even thinking about it ? 

Red pepper and olive oil. 

• What meal do you cook when you don’t feel so good (that also works for the day after a party…)?

 Miso soup, fried rice with ginger, spices and vegetables or a good froutalia (sort of greek omelette filled with potatoes and zucchinis).

• What is you detox tips before and/or after the holidays?

« Always excesses with moderation… ». Otherwise it’s a half Mediterranean half Japanese diet, low carb, proteins (low fat) and lots of greens. And never strict or trendy diets, it completely trouble my organism.

• You are kind of a communication « swiss army knife » always looking for new unexpected recipes, is opening your restaurant with an awesome concept part of your future plan ?

Ha! Not at all for now. My schedule and my head are mainly filled with my research and my advice for SCOUT, plus some occasional catering. But I hope that a project around travelling and food will come true some day. 

 The Kale, worshipped by the american women for its detox virtues, arrives in France… For more informations, go to this website the kale project.

Food pictures coming on Instagram @alisonbeckner & @parissuperfood #promiscuouspalate