My daughter Florence Paget made French leek and potato soup for winter and filmed herself doing it.
The following TikTok video captures the soup making process with narration:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTPhA5Yhg/
This soup tastes great with toasted or day-old baguette bread.
Bon Appetit!
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
Costco French Lunch from Costco at Sand City (Monterey) by Ruth Paget
My family ate a terrific French lunch today with products we bought at Costco in Sand City (near Monterey), California.
Our fall lunch included the following (prices quoted as of November 7, 2026):
-French onion soup (6 soups per container) - $11.99
-Quiche Lorraine (12 portions) - $23.48
-Frozen Toblerone Cake - $18.99
The deli department at Costco sells that I consider a bistro meal out that I can eat at home. I love having enough quiche Lorraine for a second meal.
These Costco products help keep French culture alive for our family.
Bon Appétit!
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 armchair travel and culture games
-writer of 2100+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
One of my favorite products at Costco (worth the membership for me) is the French Istara P’tit Basque sheep milk’s cheese at $18.69 per pound as of today. (November 2, 2026)
This round cheese with a basket shaped rind is festive for Thanksgiving, but I eat a slice of it or Brie with breakfast or with charcuterie as a light dinner.
The cheese is semi-hard and has a buttery taste. I like it with apple slices. P’tit Basque comes from France’s Southwestern corner and is part of the Basque Country that is made up of territory in modern-day France and Spain.
Information about the cheese follows:
https://www.thekitchn.com/costco-istara-ptit-basque-review-23490414
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 2000+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory blogs
Costco is selling 12 mini pots of Bonne Maman jam for $15.99 at its Sand City, California store near Monterey.
Two boxes would give two people enough jam for toast in the morning for the 24 days before Christmas.
The mini pots are individually wrapped to look like gifts.
They can be placed on a mantle or window sill and opened daily.
They are a thoughtful way to begin an Advent day.
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 2000+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
Cyberattacks on French Supermarkets Raise Freezer Temperatures reposted by Ruth Paget
This NBC News video I saw on TikTok is following the story about cyberattacks on French supermarkets that raised the temperatures in freezers:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTfeB5Sax/
CNN has also posted information on this issue:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTfeUkNyt/
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 2000+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
I though the price was very reasonable on the following French press coffee maker from Amazon:
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 2000+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
This green Le Creuset French Press coffee pot is pretty and useful.
I like Frenchbpresses coffee pots:
-you place your ground coffee in the bottom
-pour on hot water
-let coffee steep
-press down
-pour out your coffee
The following TikTok video shows the French Press in use:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTyQLLVVF/
Reposted by Ruth Paget
L-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 2000+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
The following TikTok video shows what to do if you cannot get reservations at the French Laundry in Napa Valley, California.
All the places mentioned have a link to Chef Thomas Keller of the French laundry including his Bouchon Bistto, kitchen garden, and caviar line.
The TikTok video follows:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPLJDEpKA/
Bon Appetit!
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
French Mushroom Recipe Ideas for Personal Chefs by Ruth Paget
I read The Mushroom Feast by Jane Grigson as a follow-up to my Wisconsin 2026 Dairyland Vacation. In addition to many cows, Wisconsin has many trees in its Northwoods that provide a perfect growing environment for mushrooms.
Mushrooms can also be found in the Santa Lucia Ridge in Monterey County providing local personal chefs with the raw materials to make easy and versatile sauces that go with many recipes.
Jane Grigson’s The Mushroom Feast (423 pages) contains many French recipes thanks to Grigson spending summer vacations in the Loire River region above Tours. (The Mushroom Feast is selling for .50 cents on Zkindle today - 10-2-2026)
Two of Grigson’s mushroom sauces can be used in many kinds of recipes. The first sauce I called a Duxelles Sauce, which I have made many times to serve with T-bone steaks and mashed potatoes.
This sauce is made with mushrooms (or stems and trimmings to be no-food waste), butter, oil, shallots or small onions, and flat leaf parsley that is sautéed together.
Grigson writes that Duxelles Sauce can be placed under a whole baked fish that is to be baked. She also writes that Duxelles Sauce can be mixed with béchamel sauce (butter, flour, and milk that is cooked till creamy) to stuff tomatoes or large mushrooms for baking.
The second very versatile sauce Grigson writes about is a Sauce Suprême used with poultry and fine fish. Sauce Suprême is made with béchamel sauce (butter, flour, and stock used instead of milk), mushrooms, and double cream. These items are cooked together with egg yolks added at the end to thicken the sauce.
The Duxelles Sauce and Sauce Suprême can be used with mashed potatoes and over toast for tasty snacks as well.
Mushrooms contain many nutrients that make them a very good vegetable to eat such as:
-Vitamins B2, B3, and B5
-Vitamin D
-Potassium
-Copper
-Selenium (helps support thyroid health)
-antioxidants
Jane Grigson’s The Mushroom Fest provides many mushroom recipes that provide great flavor and nutritional value that personal chefs can add to their product portfolio with a minimum outlay of money and time.
Happy Cooking!
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 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
My weekly digital ad from Raley’s Nob Hill in Salinas, California calls what I call clementines in French “Mandarins.”
The Cuties brand mandarins are a good deal for all the Vitamin C, an antioxidant, in them.
The mandarins are on sale to Raley’s Nob Hill members for $3.99 for a 2-pound bag.
You can sign up to be a store member online or in the store.
A nice and inexpensive winter salad can be made with the following ingredients:
-mandarins
-apples
-pears
-bananas
-raisins that have been rehydrated in hot water or tea
-shredded coconut (optional)
-lemon juice
I call this salad a cold fighter.
Reposted by Ruth Paget
-author Eating Soup with Chopstivks, 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
Wine Harvest Meals like the Paulées in Burgundy, France happen all around the world’s wine regions.
Several local wine harvest meals are taking place in the Santa Lucia Highlands.
Ticket information about these wine harvest meals follows:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/1a0f90ee736e046b
Cheers!
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+ Cental Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
5 French Casserole Recipe Ideas for Personal Chefs by Ruth Paget
Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book is a weighty cookbook reference book (607 pages) with many European recipes that make excellent use of seasonal produce when flavor should be at its peak and the harvest abundance should keep prices low.
Five French casseroles that Grigson provides recipes for are easy and satisfying dishes that personal chefs at all skill levels can prepare:
*artichoke gratin
-This dish is made in a casserole dish with cooked artichoke bottoms and pulp from the base of the leaves mixed with quartered hard-boiled eggs.
-Mornay sauce (béchamel sauce with grated gruyère cheese mixed in) is poured over the eggs and artichokes.
-Cream is poured over the mornay sauce and bread crumbs are sprinkled on top of the casserole.
-Bake until bubbly.
*Variation 1 on artichoke gratin
-Use mushrooms instead of artichokes to make the casserole.
*Variation 2 on artichoke gratin
-Use spinach instead of artichokes to make this casserole. (Layer the spinach in the bottom of the casserole dish)
*Asparagus Fricassé
-This dish is made with cubed chicken, turkey, veal, or lamb; cooked asparagus, young peas, and béchamel sauce. Bake until bubbly.
*Variation 1 on asparagus fricassee
-Use cubed ham in the recipe and sprinkled bread crumbs on top. Bake until bubbly
Leftovers for all these casserole heat up nicely the next day.
These French casseroles are great market day dinner selections that allow cooks to make use of seasonal produce for flavor and lower purchase price due to harvest abundance.
Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book is organized in alphabetical order by vegetable name, making it easy to look for familiar and exotic recipes with market purchases in hand.
Happy Cooking!
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
Savory Fruit Ideas for Personal Chefs by Ruth Paget
I re-read Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book with more than 400 recipes for both sweet and savory dishes as follow-up reading to my Wisconsin 2026 Dairyland Vacation.
Wisconsin shares the same fall bumper crops with California, and I was looking up savory fruit recipes for apples, pears, plums, and cherries in Grigson’s go-to fruit recipe book featuring mostly European dishes, especially those of France.
Stand-out recipes that help deal with a surfeit of fruit follow:
*For apples
*Cauchoise Salad with Avocado Cream
-This dish comes from the Pays de Caux (chalk country) north of Rouen, France in Normandy where my husband Laurent went to business school.
-This salad is made with a topping of celery, potatoes, apples, lemon juice, walnuts, and cubes of smoked country ham that is served over lettuce. The dressing is based on vinegar and oil with avocado blended in.
*Normandy Pork with Apples and Cream
-This dish is made with pork tenderloin, onions, Calvados (apple brandy), cider, beef stock, and double cream mixed in once the pork is cooked.
-The dish is garnished with sautéed, sliced apples
*For Pears
*Pickled pears to served with ham, salt pork, or duck -For this dish, you pickle pears in a solution of sugar, vinegar, water, cloves, all spice, and cinnamon sticks
*For Plums
*Pork in the Vosges Style
-This dish calls for yellow mirabelle plums and 3 cooking vessels.
-First, you brown the pork in a Dutch oven and cook it with 2 cups of white wine either stovetop or in the oven.
-Then, you sauté chopped onions slightly in one pan and simmer the mirabelle plums in water in another pan
-When the pork is done cooking, you place the onions on a serving platter with the pork on top of the onions. Next, you place the plums around the pork with the mirabelle cooking juices spooned over the pork.
*For Cherries
*Pickled cherries can be served as part of an hors d’oeuvres tray to go with sparkling wines and kirs made with sweet white wines.
-These cherries are preserved in a solution made up of white wine vinegar, brown sugar, cloves, juniper berries, lemon peel, and cinnamon sticks
Note: The French routinely use surplus fruit to make brandies, eau-de-vie for drinking or cooking (calvados-apple brandy, Poire-Williams – pear brandy, mirabelle – yellow plum brandy, and kirsch – cherry brandy)
Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book mostly provides recipes for sweet dishes, but her savory fruit recipes not only taste good, but they can save you money when they arrive in fall. (I am assuming that abundant supply keeps the price down.)
Fruit lovers and personal chefs can find many creative ways to deal with seasonal fruit for immediate consumption and to preserve for the winter months in Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book. Restaurants and personal chefs might be interested in offering pickled fruit products as add-on products using the recipes in Grigson’s book as well.
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
Good Deal on Roasting Chicken at Raley’s Nob Hill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
I received a digital coupon for Foster Farms Whole Fryer chicken at .$.97 cents per pound today as a Raley Nob Hill member.
That is a good price.
A simple dish you can make with this is lemon - garlic chicken stuffed with used lemon rinds, garlic, and thyme. Potatoes can go around the chicken that sits on a bed of chopped onion with a cup of olive oil and lemon juice drizzled over everything.
I use a covered metal Granite baking pan to hold these items and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
This tastes great with a good Pilsner like Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic.
You can boil the carcass with onions, carrots, and celery and skim the surface to make a good broth you can freeze in ice cube trays and eventually store in a ziploc bag to add to soups.
Note: I always think of the town of Menton in France’s southeastern corner when I make this dish. Menton is the lemon capital of France.
Note: You can sign up to get the members app online or in-store.
Happy Cooking!
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
Fish Ideas for Personal Chefs by Ruth Paget
I read Jane Grigson’s Fish Book (563 pages organized by 52 species of edible fish with an index) as a follow-up to my Wisconsin 2026 Dairyland Vacation.
Grigson mostly deals with ocean fish, but her techniques and sauces work with freshwater fish too, which abound in Wisconsin’s rivers like the Wisconsin River and the Fox River and bordering Great Lakes.
When I was a child growing up in Detroit (Michigan), my mother took me on driving vacations from Detroit that led us through Gary (Indiana) and Chicago (Illinois) on the way to the relatives’ homes outside Madison, Wisconsin.
My grandparents had a cabin on the Wisconsin River, which runs to the Mississippi River, where we ate bass filets fried in bacon grease with hand-mashed potatoes. A side of canned green beans rounded out the North Woods meal. This is one of my favorite Wisconsin memories.
Grigson’s fish book provides recipes from around the world that work with fish from any US state. Her seasoned butters, sauces, and mayonnaise toppings provide easy, great variety for poached or fried fish:
-anise butter made with licorice-flavored pastis and butter that you can just melt on fish and sides like rice pilaf
-orange butter made with bitter Seville orange juice. This butter lightens fried fish and adds perkiness to pilafs and peas
-sauce au cidre gets is equally perky flavor from dry apple cider
-Pernod remoulade is a mayonnaise made with licorice-flavored Pernod mayonnaise
Four stand-out recipes that personal chefs might be interested in include:
-clam farcies (stuffed clams) made with a mixture of mushrooms, bacon, parsley, and chopped clams served on clam half shells
-cod with mushrooms made by frying cod and serving it with sautéed mushrooms on top.
-mullet baked with licorice-flavored fennel and pastis
-mullet Charente style, which is sautéed and then baked briefly with tomatoes, parsley, garlic, dry white wine, and Parmesan cheese
Fish lovers, personal chefs, and lovers of French food can all find delicious recipes to try in Jane Grigson’s Fish Book, which remains a classic recipe book.
Happy Cooking!
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
$2.49 per pound for fresh pork loin at Raley’s Nob Hill in Salinas, California for Raley’s Members reposted by Ruth Paget
I received a digital coupon today for Raley’s Nob Hill members for ogress pork loin roast sold at $2.49 per pound for Raley’s members.
You can sign up for the membership app online or apply in the store.
A good recipe for roast pork loin is made with prunes like they make it in France’s Touraine region.
I have posted a recipe for roast pork loin with prunes below from the Pardon Your French website:
https://www.pardonyourfrench.com/braised-pork-loin-with-prunes-porc-aux-pruneaux/
The recipe is easy to put together. I like to drink Sauvignon Blanc with this dish to offset the sweetness in the prunes.
This is a nice recipe for a personal chef to know how to make.
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 Centet
-creator of French travel and culture games
-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
-
In my weekly Raley’s Nob Hill members email I saw that thighs and drumsticks are $1.47 per pound today(9-16-2026).
Nob Hill in Dalinas, California carries these items while supplies last. You can sign up for the membership app online or sign up for the Raley’s member program in the store.
One recipe that you can make with these items is coq au vin - video follows:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/09/coq-au-vin-made-and-filmed-by-florence.html?m=1
You can also make French mustard chicken with thighs and drumsticks:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/09/french-mustard-chicken-made-and-filmed.html?m=1
Bon Appeti!
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 travel 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
My daughter Florence Paget made French Mustard Chicken with Dijon mustard (poulet à la moutarde) recently.
This French pantry specialty makes a grand lunch approachable for everyone who would like a taste of French culture.
Florence’s TikTok video follows:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTU9BQJuq/
Bon appetit!
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