Sardi's - like Birthday Party at Pèppoli Italian Restaurant in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Sardi’s – like Birthday Party at Pèppoli Italian Restaurant in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

When I was a teenager, I religiously read Shirley Eder’s column in the Detroit Free Press about local, national, and international celebrities from all art fields, many of whom performed at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. 

I especially like reading about casts from Broadway shows celebrating successful theatre runs by dining at Sardi’s in New York. 

For a Sardi’s – like birthday, my daughter Florence Paget and husband Laurent Paget took me to Pèppoli Italian restaurant in Pebble Beach, California, which has earned a highly coveted Michelin star for its food, wine list, service, décor including colorful and elegant Italian maiolicha ware, comfort, and details like having a fire going in the fireplace, white tablecloths, and muted light for nice photos. 

The scene was set for a delicious and leisurely meal for my birthday. 

We started with fritto misto, a mixture of lightly fried calamari, shrimp, thinly sliced leeks or what may have been cardoons, and thinly sliced, small Meyer lemons with a slightly peppery marinara dipping sauce on the side. I felt as if I were in Amalfi, Italy munching on fried lemons. 

Pèppoli has an extensive wine list, but I chose to drink a Peroni beer instead. Peroni is a pale lager made from spring barley, Italian corn, and hops. The Peroni website says it has a citrus flavor, but I liked the taste of grain that tasted nice with the fritto misto. It would also be a good choice for charcuterie. 

Laurent and Florence ate Caesar salads as a first course. I ordered polenta to go with my main dish and enjoyed sipping the Peroni beer as they ate. 

Florence and I ordered lasagna as our main dish, and Laurent ate pasta carbonara. The lasagna at Pèppoli is what I consider Bologna-style, because it is made with balsamella sauce (béchamel) and a ragù sauce made with tomato, chopped sirloin, and fennel-flavored Italian sausage. It is made to order with a perfectly crunchy topping of melted Parmesan cheese. Our waiter told us the lasagna was a signature dish at Pèppoli. I thought it was sumptuous and delicious for birthday mom me. 

Laurent is always happy with pasta carbonara made with pancetta, Parmesan, eggs, and salt and pepper. I made Laurent this dish weekly when we lived Stuttgart, Germany. It is easy to find great bacon in Germany. Pèppoli beats me, though, because they use house-made pasta in the dish. 

As a contorni, an Italian vegetable dish, I ordered polenta made from fine grain corn meal that has been stewed, cooled, and fried. The polenta arrived as elegant triangles standing up in a small pool of marinara sauce. The polenta was light and dainty, a definite mom treat for her birthday. 

Pèppoli is a great venue for birthdays, anniversaries, end of talent show parties for singers, wrap-up parties for theatre productions from Ariel Theatrical for young actors to Western Stage and Pacific Repertory in neighboring Carmel. Family reunion organizers might enjoy planning a catered meal here, too. 

My birthday with my family at Pèppoli Italian restaurant in Pebble Beach, California was marvelous in all aspects and a splurge as you would expect at a Michelin restaurant. It was worth every penny. Thank you Florence. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Trader Joe’s Big Belgian Chocolate bars can fill 3 stockings by Ruth Paget

Shout out for Trader Joe’s Belgian Chocolate bars that are the size of a paperback book!

One of these bars paired with a dessert cookbook would be a nice stocking stuffer.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Gingerbread House Wars White Flag by Ruth Paget

Gingerbread Wars White Flag by Ruth Paget 

I saw that Food Network runs a TV show now called Holiday Gingerbread Showdown, a competition about who builds the best gingerbread house often with a theme. 

I looked the show up online and realized this is becoming an established cultural phenomenon with events happening in places like Naples, Italy for military families and at Boston University. 

 I feel hopelessly left out of the competition due to lack of skills. When my daughter Florence Paget was little, we went to Cost Plus World Market and bought a gingerbread house kits. (4 different kinds of gingerbread house kits are available and on sale at Cost Plus World Market for $11.89 in Seaside, California with pre-baked panels, icing, candies, gummies, sprinkles, paper cut outs, and tray as of today 12-11-2025). 

Even with a pre-fab gingerbread house, my gingerbread house looked more like a log cabin than a snow-covered Hansel and Gretel cottage. 

Fortunately, the icing tasted good and the gingerbread was easy to chop up for sprinkles on ice cream. 

When Florence became older, one of her friend’s mom held gingerbread house decorating parties not competitions. My fellow mom knew how to make sticky icing that would hold gummies on the side of a house.

My testimonial on the gingerbread house kit is that it is fun to do as part of a larger activity. I would read the Gingerbread Man story book to Florence before building the house and have her work on a Gingerbread Man coloring book as part of Gingerbread House Day. I would play Christmas carols that we would sing along to as well. 

Now I would add watching the Food Network Gingerbread House Competition to this list of activities. 

The gingerbread itself is bitter, which is why I put chopped pieces in ice cream. It is also good dunked in tea with honey in it. 

We no longer build gingerbread houses, but if you have younger children, I would recommend doing one of the gingerbread house kits at Cost Plus World Market as a Christmas week activity.  Walmart and Target also sell gingerbread house kits.  Older teens might like Amazon’s gingerbread house kits - these kits prepare you for gingerbread wars.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Pecans, Walnuts, and Peanuts for Christmas by Ruth Paget

Pecans, Walnuts, and Peanuts for the Holidays by Ruth Paget 

When I was a child, my father always bought walnuts and pecans in a shell to snack on during Christmas. He sat on the window seats in our house in Highland Park, Michigan (an enclave of Detroit) and had me crush the walnuts and pecans in the holiday nutcracker. 

The nutcracker looked like a wooden cup that had a large wooden screw that you could turn into the cup through a grooved hole. The wooden screw eventually crushed one side of the nut well enough to pull it apart and remove the papery husks inside the nut. 

I did not like walnuts then, but enjoyed crushing the nuts in the nutcracker. I liked tipping the nutcracker into the garbage every use to clean things up easily. I realize now that my dad was being somewhat like Tom Sawyer getting me to do all the work while he munched away. 

One of the neighbor kids who was my friend also mentioned that I was doing a lot of work with nothing in return to my dad.  She then told him what her family had as treats. 

My dad sheepishly got me Fig Newtons, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, M & Ms, and Snickers Bars. 

I liked Halloween for Christmas and my opinionated, bossy friends in Detroit. 

(Note: I eat pecans, cashews, almonds, and walnuts now.  They are good with a sipped shot of Marsala.)

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Holiday Treat - Butter-Pecan Ice Cream posted by Ruth Paget

Tillamook Butter Pecan Ice Cream Shout Out!

I really like this ice cream.  Needs no sauce.  Nice texture from soft pecans.

I bought mine at Nob Hill.  Great with espresso.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Versatile Cranberry Sauce Recipe by Ruth Paget

Versatile Cranberry Sauce Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Dave Faries’ article about cranberries in the Monterey County Weekly inspired me to write up my favorite recipe for cranberries. The Weekly article has historical information and gourmet recipes for this tart and bitter seasonal treat, which I have included in the hyperlink below: 

https://www.montereycountynow.com/news/cover/cranberries-sauce-up-thanksgiving-but-they-are-also-a-versatile-ingredient-the-rest-of-the/article_f331f22f-4903-4fe5-af76-ab4baf73a493.amp.html

When I lived in Wisconsin for 3 years, I made my version of cranberry sauce from cranberries that grow in Wisconsin as well as Massachusetts. 

My recipe has several uses. I would mix my cranberry sauce with yogurt for breakfast and as a sauce for vanilla ice cream. You can also add it to hot grain cereals like oatmeal, grits, or cream of wheat. It certainly pairs well with Thanksgiving turkey. 

Cranberry Sauce 

Yield: 12 ounces 

Ingredients: 

-1 (12 – ounce) bag of fresh cranberries 

-1/4 cup water 

-1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar or honey 

Steps: 

1-Rinse cranberries and discard any stems.  

2-Place the cranberries in a saucepan along with the water. Bring water to a boil. 

3-Let the cranberries begin to pop open and mash them down. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. 

4-When all the cranberries have popped open, remove the cranberries from the heat. Stir in the sugar or honey and let it dissolve. 

The cranberry sauce can be used hot or cold depending on what you are serving it with. It can keep for about two days in the refrigerator. 

According to WebMd.com, cranberries provide 25% of Vitamin C for recommended daily values and 9% of Vitamin A and 6% of Vitamin K. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. This tart berry is fairly healthy for your and plentiful in winter. 

I looked up cranberries on Nob Hill’s website and saw that their Raley’s store brand (12-ounce package) is selling for $3.19 as of today (December 8, 2025). I think this is a fair price for the amount of cranberry sauce you can make for several servings.  Making this cranberry sauce is a fun, family activity, too.

For more cranberry ideas, check out the Hello! 365 Cranberry Recipes by Ms  Fruit on kindle for .99 cents..  Information follows:

Cranberry Cookbook

Hoping you enjoy the cranberry sauce sometime this winter season! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Carpenter Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget - Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

Carpenter Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget – Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget  

My great-grandmother Etta Carpenter owned property in her own right in Wisconsin. This information can be found on platte maps in the Wisconsin Historical Society. Her family history illustrates westward European settlement of the United States. 

G1 refers to generation 1. 

G1 – Florence Paget 

-daughter of Laurent Paget and Florence Paget 

G2 – Ruth Pennington

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle 

-daughter of Frank Henry Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley 

G4 – Daisy May Bardsley 

-daughter of Edward Charles Bardsley and Etta Pearl Carpenter 

Born: April 25, 1905 

Died: April 4, 1984, buried in Arena Cemetery, Arena, Iowa County, Wisconsin 

G5 – Etta Pearl Carpenter 

-daughter of George Robert Carpenter and Phoebe Throop 

Born: April 29, 1866 

Died: September 10, 1928 

G6 – George Robert Carpenter 

-son of Benjamin Carpenter and Elizabeth Eaker 

Born: September 7, 1841 

Died: July 8, 1887, buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Black Earth, Dane County, Wisconsin 

G7 – Benjamin Carpenter 

-son of Barnard Carpenter and Phoebe Avery 

Born: May 4, 1803, in Great Nine Partners, Duchess, New York 

Died: October 18, 1866, buried in Black Earth, Dane County, Wisconsin 

G8 –Barnard Carpenter 

-son of John Charles Carpenter and Ruth Horton 

Born: December 21, 1756, in Great Nine Partners, Duchess, New York Colony, British Colonial America 

Died: May 8, 1843, in Boonville, Boonville County, Oneida, New York 

G9 – John Charles Carpenter Jr -son of John Carpenter and Sarah Thurston Born: January 4, 1728, in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America Died: 1804, in Milton, Saratoga, New York Note: He lived in Barrington, Bristol, Rhode Island in 1728 

G10 – John Carpenter Sr

-son of Benjamin Carpenter Sr and Renew Weeks 

Born: March 25, 1692, in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America 

Died: 1766 in Massachusetts 

G11 – Benjamin Carpenter Sr 

-son of Joseph Carpenter I and Margaret Sutton 

Born: January 19, 1658 

Died: May 22, 1727, buried in Knockum Hill Cemetery, Barrington, Bristol, Rhode Island 

G12 – Joseph Carpenter I 

-son of William Carpenter and Abigail Briant 

Born: April 6, 1534, in Shalbourne, Wiltshire, England 

Died: May 3, 1675, buried in Knockum Hill Cemetery in Barrington, Bristol, Rhode Island 

G13 – William Carpenter 

-son of William Carpenter and unknown name mother 

-Immigrant to the US 

Born: 1605, in England 

Died: 1659, buried in Newman Cemetery, Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island, British Colonial America 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Bardsley Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget - Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

Bardsley Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget – Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget 

My mother’s grandpa Bardsley lived with her family at the end of his life and loved doing crossword puzzles. He showed my mother Beatrice Pennington how to do them, and she still starts her day doing the newspaper crossword puzzle and the New York Times crossword puzzle on Sunday. 

G1 below refers to generation 1 and so on.

G1 – Florence Paget 

-daughter of Laurent Paget and Ruth Pennington 

G2 – Ruth Pennington 

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle 

-Ruth's sister Kathleen has worked as a printer for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution newspaper.  

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle 

-daughter of Frank Henry Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley 

-My mother worked as a newspaper printer, most notably for the Detroit (Michigan) Free Press and various ethnic newspapers in Detroit. She was working for the Unique Press, which printed the Michigan Chronice, a black newspaper, when Rosa Parks sat down on the bus; the press was immediately stopped to cover the story. The daily Detroit newspapers were on strike at the time, letting the Michigan Chronicle scoop the story.

G4 – Daisy May Bardsley 

-daughter of Edward Charles Bardsley and Etta Pearl Carpenter -My grandmother worked as a newspaper printer Born: April 25, 1905 Died: April 14, 1984, buried in Arena Cemetery, Arena, Iowa County, Wisconsin 

G5 – Edward Charles Bardsley

-son of James Edward Bardsley and Anna C. Charlesworth 

Born: July 31, 1863 in Blue Mounds, Dane County, Wisconsin 

Died: July 32, 1949 in Black Earth, Dan County, Wisconsin 

G6 – James Edward Bardsley 

-son of William Stevenson Bardsley and Betty Harrison -Immigrant to the US Born: August 1, 1843 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, UK 

Died: April 16, 1892 in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin (Lived in Black Earth and Springfield, Wisconsin) 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

McFarland Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget - Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

McFarland Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget – Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget 

My Scottish and modern-day Northern Irish ancestors were most probably Presbyterians when they immigrated to the United States, the national faith of Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Wisconsin, they are a famous family for founding McFarland, Wisconsin outside Madison.

I found most of the information for this virtual genealogy project in cemetery records, which sometimes differ from county records, because burials often happen after the filing of death certificates.

G1 here refers to generation 1 and on back through history. 

G1 – Florence Paget 

-daughter of Laurent Paget and Ruth Pennington 

G2 – Ruth Pennington 

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle 

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle 

-daughter of Frank Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley 

G4 – Frank Sawle 

-son of William Stephen Sawle Sr and Jeanette Scott Hodgson 

born: 1901 

died: 1996 

G5: Jeanette Scottt Hodgson 

-daughter of Jonathan Hodgson and Elizabeth E. “Lizzie” McFarland born: 1866 died: 1948, Arena, Wisconsin, Dane County

G6 –Elizabeth E. “Lizzie” McFarland

-daughter of George A. McFarland and Janett Scott 

born: January 8, 1840 

died: May 30, 1840 

G7 – George A. McFarland 

-son of Robert McFarland and Elizabeth Sinclair -settler of McFarland, Wisconsin born: January 22, 1802 in Hopewell, New York died: October 6, 1884 in town of McFarland, Wisconsin Note: Obelisk Tombstone Inscription reads Born in the Town of Hopewell, New York 

G8 – Robert McFarland Sr 

-son of James McFarland and Elizabeth Cooke (cemetery note in Hopewell, New York) 

 born: 1773 or 1776

died: August 2, 1859 buried at South Kortright Cemetary, South Kortright, Delaware county, New York 

(Note: Married Elizabeth Sinclair (1784 – 1860) in 1800.

G9 – James McFarland 

-son of Robert McFarland and Jennet (or Jenette) Scott 

born: c. 1675 in Scotland or Northern Ireland 

died: 1751 in Donegal Township, Pennsylvania (information online from will) 

G10 – Robert McFarland Immigrant from Northern Ireland to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (from will) 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France Died: in Donegal Township, Pennsylvania

Hodgson Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget - Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

Hodgson Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget – Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget 

Among my Hodgson cousins there are many missionaries I was told by my great-aunt Winifred Sawle. She shared with me her sister’s genealogy of the Hodgson family when I was doing a family history project for my history class at Jane Addams Junior High School in Royal Oak, Michigan. 

I developed this genealogy for the Hodgson family using online public records. I am working on a mother lines project for both sides of my family. I am gathering facts at this point, but would love it if the older people in my family would write up their memories of the people they know to fill out the biographies.  

Genealogy morphs into oral history doing family memories. A great topic to discuss is how the family set up food systems for the family throughout history.  

Some ideas to consider when thinking about a food system are included in the following blog by the World Food Program.  https://www.wfp.org/food-systems  I am also proving a link to some detailed yet useful information from the National Institues of Health to consider about a family food system: 

 https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/nutrientrecommendations.aspx

G1 refers to generation 1.

 

G1 – Florence Paget

-daughter of Laurent Paget and Ruth Pennington 

G2 – Ruth Pennington

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle 

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle 

-daughter of Frank Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley 

G4 – Frank Sawle 

-son of William Stephen Sawle Sr and Jeanette Scott Hodgson 

born: 1901 

died: 1996, Arena, Wisconsin, Iowa County 

G5 – Jeanette Scott Hodgson 

-daughter of Jonathon Hodgson and Elizabeth E “Lizzie” McFarland 

born: 1866 

died: 1948, Arena, Wisconsin, Iowa County 

G6: Jonathan Hodgson 

-son of Richard Charles Hodgson III and Jane Dixon Wright 

born: July 4, 1837

died: November 23, 1901 

G7: Richard Charles Hodgson III 

Immigrant to the United States in October 1845.

Born: 1797 

Died: 1881, Arena, Wisconsin, Iowa County 

Born in Barmston, East Riding of Yorkshire, Unitary Authority, East Riding of Yorkshire, England (Mentioned as Thornton, England in obituary) The obituary online also states that he was a Baptist who converted to Adventism) 

Ruth Paget note:  The Adventist Diet is important for the Sawle and Hodgson families and may be responsible for the longevity of Richard Charles Hodgson.  Information about this diet follows:

https://www.seventhdayadventistdiet.com/

Spouse: Jane Dixon Wright 

Born: 1800 

Died: 1875 

The following Clan Hodgson website brings “all things Hodgson” together:

https://www.thehodgsonclan.com/hodgson-origins

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Sawle Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget: Virtual Genealogy Project by Ruth Paget

Sawle Family Ancestors of Ruth and Florence Paget by Ruth Paget 

I used online public records in the United States to put together this virtual genealogy project on my Sawle ancestors from Cornwall, England. The Sawles were famous as ship captains of Celtic origin.

G1 refers to generation 1. David Sawle wrote a genealogy of the family in England, which I will add to this first step of information gathering. 

G1 – Florence Paget 

-daughter of Laurent Paget and Ruth Pennington 

G2 – Ruth Pennington 

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Pennington 

G3 – Beatrice May Sawle 

-daughter of Frank Sawle and Daisy May Bardsley  

G4 – Frank Henry Sawle 

-son of William Stephen Sawle Sr and Jeanette Scott Hodgson 

Born: 1901 

Died: 1996 

G5 – William Stephen Sawle Sr 

-son of Captain Stephen Sawle and Margaret Dunn Rowe 

Born: 1858

Died: 1955 

G6 – Captain Stephen Sawle 

Immigrant to the United States. Entered the United States at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Settler of Arena, Wisconsin

Born: 1830, Porscatho, England 

Died: 1910, Arena, Wisconsin, Iowa County 

Spouse: Margaret Dunn Rowe 

Born: 1835, Tregony, Cornwall, England 

Married: January 29, 1857 in Cuby, Cornwall 

Died: March 1, 1909 in Arena, Wisconsin, Iowa County 

Margaret Dunn Rowe lived in Veryn, Cornwall and Gerrans, Cornwall before coming to the US with Captain Stephen Sawle. They entered the US at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

I will consult David Sawle’s genealogy for further information about the Sawle family in England. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Pizza Stone Economics by Ruth Paget

Pizza Stone Economics by Ruth Paget 

One kitchen item that my family uses all the time and is very happy with is a pizza stone for baking frozen pizza. 

I have to admit that when my daughter Florence Paget bought the pizza stone I was not convinced of its worth. 

However, even after our first time using it, I noted that the crust on frozen pizza was crisp and crunchy and not spongy and soggy like it is when you just place the pizza on oven racks for baking. I also noted that when we used the pizza stone that the cheese on the frozen pizza was well melted, the tomato sauce was hot, and toppings like mushrooms were hot and soft. 

The crisp crust makes it easy to use a wooden pizza peel to slide the pizza off the pizza off the pizza stone and feel like a Neapolitan doing it. A crisp crust also makes it easy to use a roller pizza cutter. 

Eating frozen pizza cuts down meal costs. For years my family has eaten frozen vegetable pizza once a week. If you save even $5 a week on a weekly pizza night that turns into $260 saved in a year. (52 weeks x $5) 

The $260 saved can be used for holiday meals or invested in things like a family vacation and college expenses. This money does not pay for everything, but it helps. It can certainly pay for valet parking, if you go to Disneyland or a bus trip there for a high school graduation trip. 

A big added savings is using less energy to cook the pizza. I have noticed that pizza stones cook frozen pizza faster. I lower the temperature by 50 degrees F sometimes and can cook pizza at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, because the pizza stone retains heat and warms the entire oven. 

Energy costs are variable due to energy price changes, but if you save even $50 in a year cooking pizza at home, you can add that money to the frozen pizza savings of $260 to save a total of $310. 

My daughter Florence Paget bought a large pizza stone for $75, but you can buy them on Amazon and other cookware outlets for about $50 now. 

If your family eats frozen pizza on a weekly basis, the pizza stone will pay for itself in one year at either $75 or $50. It is also a good buy for flavor. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Napoleon: A Life reviewed by Ruth Paget

Napoleon: A Life Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

Readers interested in the history that created modern France might enjoy the biography Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts (869 pages in Kindle version). 

Napoleon fought 70 battles and won 63 Roberts writes. Despite losing the decisive battle at Waterloo, the values of the French Revolution had become entrenched among the citizens of France no matter who later led the nation. 

Roberts enlivens the chronology of battles by writing about the generals who led them, many of whom later held positions of power when Napoleon declared himself emperor.  

Roberts writes about Napoleon’s military genius strategy of breaking up a large army into smaller units that could: 

-take advantage of terrain and microclimates 

-take advantage of battle victories that could break enemy lines into smaller units

-transmit communications quicker than larger units to obtain strategic objectives. 

I especially liked Roberts’ discussion of Napoleonic reforms that still exist in modern-day France such as: 

-the Légion d’Honneur, which French citizens from all levels of society could obtain 

-the Code Napoleon, the French legal code that France still uses as well as the state of Louisiana in the United States 

-the Lycée Français, or French high school, that also operates overseas as exclusive private schools notably in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco 

Roberts makes his biography of Napoleon read like a novel when he writes about Napoleon installing his relatives on thrones only to betray him and his mother who saves money in case relatives on thrones lose them so they have bread. 

Americans interested in Napoleon’s family might be interested to learn that his brother Joseph, the King of Spain, emigrated to the United States and lived in Bordentown, New Jersey. (See my blog on Bordentown, New Jersey for information about this town.) 

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts is a very readable biography about a turbulent time in French history that francophiles and military leaders alike might enjoy reading. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

UChicago list of ethnic restaurants promotes business reposted by Ruth Paget

The linguistics department at the University of Chicago put together a list of ethnic restaurants in Chicago for its students that promotes business in general.  

Other cities and towns might be interested in making a similar list.

The website follows:

https://linguistics.uchicago.edu/notes-access-interesting-food-chicago

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

First QR Code Donation today by Ruth Paget

I made my first donation today using a QR code to Youth for Understanding exchange program for its scholarship fund.

To use a QR code, you open the camera function on your phone and aim it at the square code.  Guidelines surround the code.  You snap a photo.  An oblong bar will appear on your screen.  Tap the bar and you will be taken to your donation page.

Once there, you can see the monetary goal and amount raised so far as well as credit card information.

Once you donate, you can request a receipt.

I liked not having to type a long web address and liked having the donation going in immediately.

For information about YFU, check out their website.

https://yfuusa.org

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Virtual Genealogy Project (Pennington Family) for Ruth Paget by Ruth Paget

Virtual Genealogy Project (Pennington Family) for Ruth Paget and Florence Paget by Ruth Paget 

One of the skills I learned while studying for an MLIS in Library and Information Science at San José State University in California was how to do genealogical research using public records such as newspaper obituaries and death notices. 

A librarian’s rite of passage prank is to have a newbie open a tightly coiled microfiche film container and put it into a reader only to have it fly half way across the library, because you failed to “firmly hold the microfiche on one side” while feeding it through the reader. 

The second rite of passage is recoiling the microfiche and trying to find the needle in the haystack obituary for an approximate death date of “sometime in 1898.” Once you find the obituary, you have to tightly recoil the microfiche to fit in a small tubular canister without letting it fly across the library again. 

Library staff like to remind librarians “only librarians with a master’s degree can do the genealogical work. That’s not in our job description.” 

Since I have graduated from library school, many genealogical records have been uploaded to the internet, most notably to ancestry.com. Genealogical research appears to have moved into phase 2.0 with many records appearing in search engines like Google.  

I recently did a virtual project test on my English Pennington ancestors. The first names of my ancestors reflect religious dissent through generations of Baptists, Quakers, Puritans, Church of England members (Episcopalians in the US), and maybe even some Masons. 

I was happy with the results of my online search and recorded the results below. G before a number means “generation.” 

G16 - Florence Paget

-daughter of Ruth (Pennington) Paget and Laurent Paget

G15 – Ruth Paget – Maiden Name: Pennington

-daughter of Clarence Pennington and Beatrice May Sawle 

Born: Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan 

G14 – Clarence Pennington 

-son of Frederick McKinley Pennington and Rose Nora Belle Thomas 

Born: Lee County, Pennington Gap, Virginia 

Died: Lee County, Pennington Gap, Virginia 

G13 - Frederick McKinley Pennington 

-son of Charles W. Pennington and Nancy Arminta Clark 

Born: 1896, Virginia 

Died: 1958, Virginia 

G12 – Charles W. Pennington

-son of Greenberry Pennington and Letitia Robbins 

Born: 1862, Lee County, Virginia 

Died: 1932, Lee County, Virginai 

G11 – Greenberry Pennington 

-son of Charles Daniel Pennington and Dianah Parsons 

Born: 1826, Lee County, Virginia 

Died: 1894, Lee County, Virginia 

G10 – Charles Daniel Pennington 

-son of Micajeh Pennington Jr and Nancy Baker

Born: 1804, Lee County, Virginia 

Died: 1876, Lee County, Virginia 

G9 – Micajeh M Pennington Jr 

-son of Micaajeh Pennington Sr and Rachel Jones

Born: 1763, Wilkes County, North Carolina 

Died: 1850, Harlan County, Kentucky  

G8 – Captain Micajeh M Pennington Sr 

-son of Benajeh Pennington Sr and Elizabeth Humphrey 

Born: 1743, North Carolina 

Died: 1815, Wilkes County, North Carolina 

G7 –Benajeh Pennington Sr

 -son of Epharaim Pennington IV and Joanna Davis 

Born: 1723, Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina 

Died: about 1794, Wilkes County, North Carolina 

G6 - Ephraim Pennington IV 

-son of Ephraim Pennington III and Mary, a Delaware Native American 

Born: about 1689 in Morristown, Middlesex, New Jersey 

Died: about 1750 in Rowan, Bladen, North Carolina 

G5 – Ephraim Pennington III 

-son of Ephraim Pennington II and Mary Brockett

Born: about 1668, Newark, Essex, New Jersey 

Died: about 1694, Morris, New Jersey

G4 – Ephraim Pennington II 

-son of Ephraim Pennington I and Mary (no name given) 

Born: about 1645, New Haven, Connecticut 

Died: 1693, Newark, Essex, New Jersey 

G3 – Ephraim Pennington I 

-Founding family of Newark, New Jersey

-son of William Pennington and Marie Wilson

Born: about 1629, Muncaster Parish, Cumberland, England 

Died: About 1660, New Haven, Connecticut 

G2 – William Ephraim Pennington

-son of John Pennington Esquire and Ellen Leigh 

Born: before 1595, Wigen, Lancashire, England 

Died: About 1652, Muncaster, Cumberland,, England 

G1 – John Pennington Esquire 

-Born July 5, 1573, Hawkshead, Lancashire, England

-Died: About 1652 in England 

Note: Legal names may differ from baptismal names. 

I enjoyed gathering this information and liked finding all the family groups that I am related to by marriage as well. You have to verify what you find out about your family online, but it does give you material to start with when researching your family history.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Sherlock Holmes Pub in Carmel, California by Ruth Paget

The Sherlock Holmes Pub in Carmel, California is closed now, but I used to love going there for British Pub fare and a Newcastle Brown Ale.  

Thank you Monterey County Weekly for retrieving this fun article about “my local” out of the archives.  The review follows:

https://www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_news/carmel-s-sherlock-holmes-pub-mixes-british-and-american-classics/article_618a214d-352a-5f95-999f-307c9f027e3a.amp.html

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Au Jus: The Beef and Veal Society Game Created by Ruth Paget

Au Jus: The Beef and Veal Society Game Created by Ruth Paget 

One of the simplest sauce you can make for any type of meal is an au jus sauce, which is the cooking liquid. I add crushed shallot or garlic, sea salt, and chopped parsley to this and spoon it over the meat and buttered mashed potatoes and vegetables like green beans. I like simple preparations. 

I mostly cook pork chops, T-bone steaks, lamb shank, and now that I am older hamburgers for events like July 4th. The secret to cooking these items is knowing the weight and the internal temperature for the doneness you would like. In this game, you will learn some basic buying and cooking skills that will make your beef and veal purchases the best value for your money. 

Game Objectives: 

1-Describe meat cut by name 

2-Memorize cooking temperatures for desired doneness 

3-Identify where cuts come from using an animal map 

4-Reward: Learn to grill hamburgers 

Materials Needed: 

-The book Meat Illustrated: A Foolproof Guide by Cook’s Illustrated

-Index cards 

-pen 

-tracing paper 

-notebook paper 

-square stove top grill 

-metal spatula

-meat thermometer 

-your favorite fixings for hamburger 

Game 1: Describe Meat Cut by Name 

On an index card, write the main meat cut name and the subcategory name on the front. On the back of the card, note in your own words where the cut comes from on the cow or calf. You will use the following meat cut vocabulary for this game: 

*chuck 

-chuck-eye roast 

-chuck-eye steak 

-top-blade roast 

-blade steak 

-flat-iron steak 

-bone chuck roast 

*Rib

-first-cut standing rib roast

-second cut standing rib roast 

-rib steak 

-double-cut bone-in rib steak 

-rib-eye steak 

*Short Loin 

-top loin roast 

-boneless strip steak 

-porterhouse steak 

*Tenderloin 

-whole beef tenderloin 

-center-cut beef tenderloin roast 

-filet mignon 

*Sirloin -top sirloin roast -top sirloin steak -tri-tip roast -flap meat 

*Round 

-top round roast

-bottom round roast 

-boneless eye 

– round roast 

*Brisket 

-flat-cut brisket 

-point-cut brisket 

*Plate 

-skirt steak 

-beef plate ribs 

*Flank 

-flank steak 

*Short Ribs 

-English-style short ribs 

-Flanken-style short ribs 

*Shanks and oxtails 

-beef shanks 

-oxtails 

*Veal 

-shoulder roast 

-veal rib chops 

-veal cutlets 

-veal shanks 

Quiz yourself on the cut names and how to describe them till you know them. This list is long, but offers hours of free entertainment. 

Game 2: Memorize Cooking Temperature for Desired Doneness 

Page 11 in Meat Illustrated lists the cooking time temperatures while cooking and after resting to let cooking juices distribute evenly throughout the meat. There are only 10 items to memorize here, but they will make you feel more confident about cooking meat. 

Write the doneness levels down on the front of the index cards for cooking temperature and resting temperature. On the back of the cards, note the temperature for the various levels. 

Quiz yourself till you know the information. 

Game 3: Describe where the meat cuts come from on an animal map 

Use the tracing paper to outline the cow map in Meat Illustrated. Use a number to note where the main cuts come from. On notebook paper, write down the numbers. Use the map you drew on tracing paper to identify cuts and location and note them. Use the book’s animal map as an answer key. 

Quiz yourself till you know the information. 

Game 4: Reward: Grill Hamburgers according to the directions in Meat Illustrated 

Enjoy your burger and be ready for July 4th and summer picnics. 

(Note: My family orders sirloin burgers from Omaha Steaks.  They come individually wrapped in easy-to-open packaging.  They sell hot dogs, pork chops, chicken, and seafood, too.  Omaha Steaks are a novel holiday gift.)

Happy grilling! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Greek Grape Leaf Recipes and Nutrient Profile reposted by Ruth Paget

The 5 Ways to Cook with Grape Leaves blog that follows looks great:

https://blog.markethallfoods.com/inside-market-hall/5-ways-to-cook-with-grape-leaves

Sautéed Greek grape leaves with lemon juice and olive oil are called Horta.  A blog recipe for them follows:

https://foragerchef.com/horta/

Department of Agriculture Information on how to prepare fresh grape leaves:

https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-08/266942.pdf

Grape leaves’ nutrient profile follows:

https://foodstruct.com/food/grape-leaves

You might want to check this information with some other sources.  I used this site, because I liked the visual presentation of information.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Organic Spinach and Blue Cheese Salad at the Stillwater Bar and Grill at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Organic Spinach and Blue Cheese Salad at Stillwater Bar and Grill in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget  

My husband Laurent, daughter Florence Paget, and I decided to eat Sunday lunch at the newly re-opened Lodge at Pebble Beach, California. 

Our restaurant choice was the Stillwater Bar and Grill, which has large windows that look out over the Pacific and the 18th (5-par) hole on the golf course. The Stillwater serves American food with a great selection of seafood. 

What I really wanted on the fall day we went, though, was a salad. 

Monterey County grows delicious organic produce, so I celebrated fall with a “feel-good” salad as people in Detroit where I grew up were wont to say about the Greek salads we consumed in abundance during winter months to stay healthy. Stillwater’s “feel-good” salad is the California Coastal Spinach Salad is a lacto-ovo vegetarian’s dream. (Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat eggs and dairy in addition to produce.) 

This vitamin-rich salad contains: 

-baby spinach 

-frisée lettuce 

-magenta-colored endive 

-corn kernals 

-red grape halves

-cherry tomato halves

 -small cucumber slices 

-chunks of avocado 

-chunks of Port Reyes blue cheese

-toasted and sliced almonds 

The blue cheese dressing ties all these rather sweet ingredients together and adds additional protein and calcium to the blue cheese that is already in the salad. Blue cheese also contains iodine and selenium, which provide several health benefits as well.

Along with this delicious salad, I ate grilled baguette slices that had been stuffed with slices of Brie cheese and mushroom slices. The baguette slices were buttered, and the grilling gave them a golden, crunchy crust. The Brie cheese inside the baguette melted around the mushrooms, making each bite an oozing bite of deliciousness. 

Laurent and Florence both ate a seared sole fillet with baby vegetables and drank a Tiefenbrunner pinot grigio from Italy’s northeastern Alto-Adige region, which borders Austria. (This region has also been called the Sud Tyrol.) Both Laurent and Florence said the fish and wine together were a nice way to begin celebrating the holidays. 

For dessert, Florence and Laurent shared the Valrhona chocolate cake. I ate the toasted walnut cake that was loaded with caramelized milk whip and came with candied walnuts that were flavored with lavender. The desserts completed the meal and made me skip dinner. 

The meal was just wonderful and filling. 

The Stillwater Bar and Grill in Pebble Beach, California is a nice spot for weekend lunches with family (several came in while we were there) and gatherings for the holidays. The Lodge has private rooms and catering facilities for large events as well. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France