I am taking a few days off to enjoy family and friends that have made the effort to gather here in very cold Chicago so we can all be together over the holiday. Be good (or not), stay warm, share love and we'll talk soon. 
KICK-shaw: 1. a fancy dish. 2. a showy trifle....began its career in the late 16th century as a borrowing from the French "quelque chose" literally, "something." In line with the French pronunciation of the day, the "l" was dropped and the word was anglicized as "kickshaws" or "kickshoes." English speakers soon lost all consciousness of the word's French origin and by taking the "kickshaws" as plural, created the new singular noun "kickshaw".
One of my daughters is working a part-time job that continues to be dragged out (happily) into what feels like a full-time job with no benefits. Doesn't sound great I know but it's a job in a very sad market and it's with an art museum which is her heaven on Earth. So, we raise our glass of pinot noir or cabernet nightly in honor of her having to catch the 36 bus come morning. Because of its somewhat tenuous nature, she has not been given the green light to get business cards printed. Not that she really needs them but there are occasions when one needs to or wants to reconnect with someone at a later date (while raising a glass of pinot or cabernet at a bar perhaps) and having a printed card with coordinates is certainly an easy way to make sure that can happen. 
In today's world cards can be as funky or subtle as the person who carries them. Companies like moo.com (above) have taken all the guesswork out by creating packs of pre-designed cards to which you simply add whatever message you want to leave behind. At mrsstrong.com, bespoke elegance reigns supreme. You can design a personalized logo or select from elegantly embossed cards that speak to a turn of the century elegance.
I could go either way. Love all the fun, funkiness at Moo. My heart of hearts as you know yearns for things from the past so Mrs. Strong has got that part of me covered. But, in the end, I am pretty sure I would go against my better judgement and come home with one I found on my favorite website, Greer. With my family rolling their eyes as they usually do with my choices I leave a clear message for one and all.....
If you happen to be one of a handful of chefs in the world, lucky enough and talented enough to rule the domain of haute cuisine in Paris, your standards, I would think, should be pretty high. What with the long and illustrious history behind French cuisine and their sometime overbearing smugness regarding the quality of said cuisine (an arguable point indeed) these chefs certainly are under the gun to perform day in and day out, consistently creating dishes that make patron's mouths dance in sensory happiness. The pressure to earn a coveted Michelin star and maintain that status year in and year out is incredible, leading some to suicide at the loss of this dining 'Oscar'. It's all about the perfect performance and to have that taken away can be devastating. 
We don't recycle here in Chicago, a fact that drives me insane. Having witnessed recent events this week regarding the possible selling of a senate seat, our president elect's seat, to the highest bidder, I believe I have a clearer understanding as to why we don't recycle....no company has coughed up enough bribe money to get the job. Some things never change. Chicago politics is one of them. 
With the holidays sneaking up on us, I for one am trying to be as organized as possible so I don't end up missing the entire celebration as I have in the past. Shopping, wrapping, decorating...it can sap all the pleasure from what should be a pleasurable time of year. I have numerous family members flying in from all over the place to celebrate and am working to get as much done ahead of time--food wise at least so I can eat and drink alongside everyone I'm entertaining. Last week, I found a great resource for all of us to use in planning menus and picking wine; two of my favorite things to do. 
.....well they aren't exactly sugar plums but just as good, if not better. Several world renown patisseries and chocolatiers in Paris have created their yearly Christmas offerings to inspire and delight. As always, the French can take the every day and elevate it to "haute whatever" as they pursue the art de vivre. This beautiful cake is the Marie Antionette created by Ladurée in honor of France's premier fashionista. 
A little window into the world of what is in store or what has already become a way of life for the President elect and his family was revealed to me this afternoon. Having lunch and doing some Christmas shopping in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, my walk along Armitage Avenue felt somewhat forboding. Along a short one block span I witnessed three police cars and four large black SUV's, parked in very conspicuous alleys and "No Parking" spots. Intially, my family figured some major arrest was going to happen and we should probably get out of the way. My daughter and I ducked into a shop filled with things my husband had no interest in so he sat in the car, patiently waiting. Within seconds, our car was surrounded by two plain cloths officers, one on either side wanting to know exactly what he was doing. Innocently listening to a college hoops game, he told them and they repeated what he told them in their little earpiece things to I am sure some sniper viewing all this from the top of a building. Sounds incredibly ominous, yet sadly, a new way of life for the Obama family. Michelle and her two daughters were attending a birthday party at a pottery painting place filled with other moms, other little girls and at least three very large men in black that we're pretty sure weren't there to decorate coffee mugs for their moms. Twelve armed men surrounding a tiny store front shop for a little girl's birthday celebration. 
I found these photos on my friend Richard Nahem's blog. Richard has done what so many of us wish we could do--pack his belongings and close up shop in his native New York to become a lifelong Parisian transplant. He and his partner live in the Marais and Richard has taken his daily life offering it up to tourists through his company Eye Prefer Paris. With an incredibly thorough knowledge of his neighborhood, he will play host to an afternoon of adventure and discovery that only someone living in Paris can provide. He is charming company and while you visit museums, shops and most importantly, chocolate shops along the way in a search of the best chocolate, he will unfold the colorful history of the Marais like no one else. By the end of your tour you will feel like you have been friends forever and probably will be. Check out both his blog and website. 
Les Bouquinistes have been around forever. History can trace these booksellers who make their home along the banks of the Seine as far back as the mid-1500's. Ingenious peddlers would bring their wares into the city in a wheel barrel and lay claim to a bit of earth along the river embankments to sell their books (initially forbidden Protestant pamphlets in a staunchly Catholic city). Later, trays strapped to the stone walls with thin leather belts served as their storefront. In the 1890's, these sellers were allowed to permanently secure boxes to the walls along the Seine and have remained fixtures in the city of Paris that continue to be popular with residents and tourists alike. The photo above shows visitors in the 1960's taking in the historical volumes that may have been owned by the clergy or noblemen but were freed up after the Revolution. Entire libraries became available and were sold cheaply by these vendors.
Today I was running some errands, taking advantage of warmer temperatures and no precipitation. When you walk everywhere and end up weighted down with packages, it helps to not have to struggle with the elements as well. My family knows on rainy, frigid, snowy days, dinner is going to be made with whatever was on hand because I may not have gone to get the goods. I bet they eat bigger lunches on those days. 
