Watermelon Harvest is in at Trader Joe's in Marina, California by Ruth Paget

Watermelon Harvest is in at Trader Joe’s in Marina, California by Ruth Paget 

While out shopping with my family this weekend, I saw seedless watermelons advertised for $5.99 (price as of 9-5-2026) at Trader Joe’s in Marina, California by CSU-Monterey Bay. 

Seedless watermelons are perfect for a Greek salad I ate when I would go to Greek – American backyard parties with my college roommate from the University of Chicago. 

There are online recipes for the following salad, but many seem to use sweeter salad dressings than I recall for this salad. 

My very loose recipe for this harvest salad follows: 

-seedless watermelon cut into squares

-feta cheese cut into squares 

-peeled and sliced cucumbers 

-1/2 sliced red onion (It is tempting to use more red onion, but it can quickly overpower the flavor of a dish so taste as you add, if you add more.) 

-seeded black Kalamata olives 

-lemon and olive dressing with oregano 

This salad was chilled with the dressing tossed into it right before serving. We ate slices of Greek bread with the salad to soak up the dressing and watermelon juices. 

The Greek watermelon salad quickly transported me from Skokie, Illinois to Crete in Greece with a glass of bitter retsina wine or sweeter roditis wine when we were older. 

For watermelon memories in Monterey County California, Trader Joe’s in Marina has easy-to-work-with seedless watermelons on sale now. 

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Post-Labor Day Shopping by Ruth Paget

Once Labor Day is over, take inventory of your bar and restock.

BevMo has locations in Salinas and Carmel ( California) with lots of parking.

I went to Tierra Liquor and Deli today (Labor Day) and saw they have a large selection of red wine for sale too. They are located at the crossroads of Corral de Tierra Road and Highway 69.

Fall is a great season for making Burgundy beef..  (October is called the slaughter month in many cultures for the killing of surplus number of farm animals before winter).  The recipe for Burgundy beef is pretty easy.  I have attached below my daughter Florence Paget’s video of how to make Burgundy beef:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/08/boeuf-bourguignon-video-filmed-by.html?m=1

The beauty of Burgundy beef is that you can make it with stewing beef that is less expensive to buy and still obtain tender beef at the end of cooking.  Our family uses pinot noir wine to make this dish.

There is also a Belgian French dish called carbonnade that is beef braised in dark beer that is often made in fall.  

Jacques Pepin has a recipe for carbonnade in Food and Wine on the link below:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/carbonnade-la-flamande-flemish-beef-stew

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1000+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

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Double Protein Greek Yogurt Personal Chef Recipe Ideas by Ruth Paget

Double Protein Greek Yogurt Personal Chef Recipes by Ruth Paget 

As a follow-up read after a visit to the Athens Restaurant in Westport (WI) on 2026 Wisconsin summer vacation with my husband Laurent, I read The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal by Toby Amidor. 

Amidor is a registered dietician and writes that the reason Greek yogurt is so good for you is that it is regular yogurt that is strained. The concentrated result that is left has twice the protein of regular yogurt. Greek yogurt has a large amount of calcium and probiotics, making it good for bones and gut health, too. 

Amidor goes into more detail about the benefits of Greek yogurt in the book, but increased protein, calcium, and probiotics are enough to sell me on the product.

(For example, I routinely drink kefir, a drinkable yogurt following a Ukrainian recipe in the morning. Kefir is sour and thick, which puts off many people, but the health benefits outweigh the taste for me.)

One of Amidor’s first recipes in the book is for tzatziki sauce made with paper-thin cucumber slices you obtain using a microplane slicer, Greek yogurt, olive oil, salt, and white pepper. I ate this refreshing sauce with a gyro sandwich at the Athens Restaurant in Westport (Wisconsin), which has encouraged me to see out Greek yogurt recipes for health benefits in Amidor’s book. 

Two crustless quiche recipes seem very easy to make since they resemble casseroles and can be made in three steps. 

The first recipe is for a crustless broccoli and cheddar quiche made in three steps: 

1-Sauté the vegetables in oil and then place them in the bottom of a casserole dish.

2-Plae shredded cheddar cheese on top of the vegetables. 

3-Place the egg, milk, and Greek yogurt mixture on top of the cheese and bake. 

The crustless mushroom recipe in made in a similar manner. 

Amidor’s true genius dish is a puréed white bean dip made with canned white cannellini beans, olive oil, Greek yogurt, salt, and paprika. This dip can easily be made with pantry ingredients and is very good for you.  Vegetables and cheese crackers can be used for dipping.

Personal chefs and caterers can find many healthy recipes to suggest clients in The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal by Toby Amidor (available on Amazon Kindle), which make this book a useful purchase. 

Note: Tierra Liquor and Deli located at the cross section of Highway 68 and Corral de Tierra Road outside Salinas, California sells Greek yogurt, feta cheese, Greek dips and spreads, and Greek soups.  These items are stored in refrigerated cabinets.

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Istanbul Cookbook by Ozlem Warren is $1.99 on book in today reposted by Ruth Paget

I bought Istanbul by Ozlem Warren today on bookbub.com for $1.99. 

I bought Istanbul based on Caitlin Blue’s review of it on TikTok. I especially liked the photos she showed from the book.

I am looking forward to reading this book and trying some appetizer recipes.

A link to the book in site follows, which links to Amazon Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4FGMSWR?_bbid=358775407&tag=core_cohort_a_email-20

Happy Cooking!

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Ballotin: The French Chocolate Buying and Selling Game created by Ruth Paget

Ballotin: The French Chocolate Buying and Selling Game Created by Ruth Paget 

Game Background: 

I was inspired to create a chocolate knowledge game after visiting the Swiss-German towns of New Glarus and Monroe during my Wisconsin 2026 vacation there. 

The New Glarus Bakery sells homemade Swiss chocolates like truffles (truffes), which the French also make. This New Glarus outing reminded me of chocolate shops I have visited in Belgium and France when I lived in Europe in the 1990s. 

When we lived in Paris, my husband Laurent and I routinely bought 1 kilo boxes of Belgian Leonidas chocolates (ballotins) to give as hostess gifts when we were invited to dinners along with bottles of champagne method Ackerman Crémant de la Loire from the region where Laurent’s maternal grandparents lived. 

I thought then and still do that knowledge of chocolate can improve your lifestyle for buying the best quality chocolate you can afford and provide you with job skills for selling or buying chocolate as corporate gifts. 

I named this chocolate game “ballotin” after the 1 kilo boxes of Leonidas chocolate I used to buy in Paris. 

Ballotin Game Objective: 

Learn vocabulary from the business of chocolate to obtain job skills needed to buy and sell chocolate for corporate gifts and improved quality of life. 

Number of Players: Unlimited. 

This game promotes individual play to learn and then team play to test knowledge. 

Materials Needed: 

-The Great Book of Chocolate, Revised: The Chocolate Lover’s Guide with more than 50 Recipes by David Lebovitz (Available on Amazon Kindle)

-index cards 

-pens 

Method:

-Learn chocolate vocabulary words by topic area using definitions obtained from reading Lebovitz’s book. 

-Quiz yourself on all topic words till you know them before moving on to the next topic area.

-Make one of three easier recipes, I have selected from Lebovitz’s book to get used to working with premium chocolate. 

-Read Lebovitz’s book when you know all the chocolate vocabulary words and enjoy his travel log of Parisian chocolate shops, his account of studying chocolate at Le Nôtre in Paris, and his insider’s view of working for a Belgian chocolate shop during Christmas week. 

The vocabulary words I have selected by topic follow: 

Chocolate Business Vocabulary Words by Topic: 

**What is Chocolate 

-cacao tree and bean description 

-name 11 varieties of cacao beans 

**How Chocolate is Made 

*Harvesting, Fermenting, and Drying Words

-mucilage 

-de-seeding 

-fermenting for chocolate 

-drying for chocolate 

*Roasting and Processing 

-cacao 

-cocoa 

-roasting process for beans 

-winnower 

-nibs 

-hull recycling use 

-cocoa powder 

*Crushing and Conching 

-lecithin 

-liquified chocolate 

-concher 

-cocoa butter 

*Tempering 

 -sugar bloom

-gray streaks

-fat bloom 

**Types of Chocolate 

-semisweet and bitter sweet chocolate 

-milk chocolate 

-gianduja 

-chocolate coating 

-single-origin and cru chocolates 

-white chocolate

-chocolate chips and chunks

-unsweetened chocolate 

-ruby chocolate 

-caramelized white chocolate 

-unsweetened cocoa powder 

-ground chocolate 

**Shopping Terms and Tips

-truffes (truffles) 

-bonbons 

-pralinés 

-feuilletine 

-nougatine 

-rochers 

-ganache 

-ballotin 

-boîte

-chocolat noir 

-chocolat au lait 

-mélange 

Recipes to Try:

-bouchons 

-gâteau au chocolat 

-white chocolate custard 

Happy Gaming the Chocolate World! 

Ballotin Game Created by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Useful “On Golden Pond” Merchandise from the Vermont Country Store Fall Catalog reposted by Ruth Paget

The Vermont Country Store Fall Catalog has many fall-themed, wipe-off table cloths for sale.  I have ordered several and think they are practical.  The tablecloths come in many sizes and are good for indoor and backyard use.

They also carry old-fashioned fruit cakes, divinity fudge with a pecan half embedded in it, and maple candy and maple cookies that are very nice.

I am posting a link to the Vermont Country Store’s fall’s online calendar:

https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/vermont-country-store-catalog?cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_pos=&cq_med=&cq_plt=gp&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid%20search&utm_campaign=Search_Brand_Pure_7RBRD004&sourceid=7RBRD004&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15783526241&gbraid=0AAAAAD_cv1g7EtD_dxsLBS62HK3PWzf3m&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2OnUBhC2ARIsACKyfaFufKp10y33KVsBBo3Pmvsv2-e2sNzy-zmbQPZ2TF10eOIbGK8_8cUaAoRFEALw_wcB&page=0

Their old-fashioned utensils like hand mixers are fun to look through and they work.

Have fun browsing!

By Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games

Roast Chicken with Onions, Shallots, and Garlic made and filmed by Florence Paget reposted by Ruth Paget

Roast Chicken with Onions Made and Filmed by Florence Paget reposted by Ruth Paget

My daughter Florence Paget made roast chicken with onions, shallots, garlic, and chives and filmed and edited the process as well.  

Nice job using butcher’s roasting twine to tie up the legs on the chicken.  .

The TikTok video follows:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTUNNVarM/

It browned beautifully while baking and was very juicy even the white meat.  Florence served scalloped potatoes with the roast chicken.

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

-developer of food and beverage knowledge games

-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center

-creator of French travel and culture games

-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs

-family genealogist

-developer of 9 music theory games