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Vive La France

I have been in love with everything French since sixth grade despite my first French teacher's attempts to make all her students dislike the subject immensely. Madame Gishe (pronounce "Geesh")  did not treat us as the sauve debonaire newly-minted middle schoolers that we were. To her we were more like second graders who could be controlled with the help of M&Ms. If we "behaved", we would each receive two (yes, two) M&Ms at the end of the period.  Being the clever sixth graders that we were, it quickly became apparent that this system of rewards was in need of repair. As a class we agreed to present our most angelic side to Madame Gishe and thus convince her that we could help pass out the M&Ms at the end of class. After all, there were a lot of us, and surely she had other tasks to perform. It took her a while to realize how quickly we were decimating her supply, and for those few lovely weeks she actually convinced several of my fellow students that French class was actually pretty great. But Madame Gishe eventually discovered our ploy. Quelle horreur! The fun was over, and so for the rest of the year I quietly kept my love of the language to myself.

I continued to study French through high school and on into college. It's not a very practical language, mind you, but I was on a mission that had started in sixth grade. You see, the first time I saw a picture of the Eiffel Tower in my textbook, I knew I was destined for Paris. Like a sixth grader's need for more than just two M&Ms, I NEEDED to see the Eiffel Tower in person. And now, thirty years later, I still remember that fateful day. I was in the Tuileries and completely unaware of how close I was to the Eiffel Tower. It was a beatiful early Spring day, and I was enjoying my first Croque Monsieur while watching all of the chic Parisians stroll around the park. When I turned around, the view literally took my breath away. Magnifique was hardly enough to describe what I was looking at. Enduring Madame Gishe was worth it for this little slice of heaven.


It's been a very long time since I have been to France, but I still still love all things French. Every time I go to get my hair cut near the Pike Place Market, I stop by Le Panier pour un cafe et coissant because it is literally like stepping into a french patisserie. I shudder at all the folks who pass it by and opt for Starbucks a few doors down. My children both opted to study Spanish, and although this makes sense in a practical way, there is a part of me that yearns to pass down my love for all things French.

So imagine my surprise and glee when my good friend Nancy gave  me a set of coupe champagne glasses for my birthday. Yes, champagne grapes come from the Champagne region of France, but it wasn't the French connection that amused me so much as the history lesson that Nancy presented with them. The coupe glass, which originally was the glass of choice for champage, was originally molded from Marie Antoinette's left breast, and she wanted her court to toast her health by drinnking from glasses shaped like her bosom. At least this is the legend that was reported by Joseph Erdos of The Huffington Post. But he goes on to report that as great an image as this legend produces, the glass was truly invented in 1663 in England and was one of the first glasses invented specifically for drinking champagne. Do not be dismayed, however, because history does show that Marie Antoinette had porcelain bowls molded from her breast that were designed for drinking milk. The bowls were part of the make-believe games she played with her ladies-in-waiting where they would dress up as milkmaids and frolic about, milking and churning butter all day long in Marie's little hamlet where she often escaped life at nearby Versailles. Just imagine spending your day tomorrow like this; your blood pressure just dropped, didn't it?  To her credit, however, the back-to-nature queen did help convince noblewomen to breast-feed their babies instead of relying on wet nurses. Alas, this fact did not save her life, but I think it's worth a toast.

Marie's "Jattes Tetons" milk bowls

Now that you know all of the history behind the coupe glass, let me offer a special champage drink because it is, after all, Oscar season. If you're like me, you are no doubt contemplating just which of your many evening gowns to wear as you view the awards from the comfort of your own living room. It is, after all, such a long way to travel to the red carpet. Why not stay at home and enjoy the festivities with a special drink and a unique popcorn mix? Should you have some coupe glasses lying around, see if you are able to drink from them without snickering just a little bit, and be sure to make a toast to Marie. Chin, Chin!

Limoncello Sparkle
1 oz. limoncello
1/2 oz. cointreau
Champagne
lemon peel garnish

Combine the limoncello and cointreau in a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a champagne coupe or flute. Top with champagne and add the lemon peel. How do you get such a great little twist? A channel knife is the tool of choice. Remember how exciting it was the first time you peeled an orange into one long peel? Well, now you can have that same thrill with lemons and limes and wow your cocktail party guests at the same time.





Chili-Lime Popcorn (adapted from Martha Stewart)

1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 to 3 T melted butter

Topping:
1 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t coarse salt
1 T finely grated lime zest
1/2 lime

Pop the corn using whatever method you choose.
I, personally, love my WhirleyPop (thank you, Deborah!) that pops the kernels marvelously every time on the stove.
Stir together spices, salt, and zest in a small bowl. Once the popcorn is popped, sprinkle the spice mixture and the melted butter into the popcorn. Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture and toss to coat.


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