TRÈS ASHLEY

Bonjour et bienvenue

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“Julia Child said, “I see every recipe as a little short story.” What an inspiration she was! She had a zest for life! As the French say, joie de vivre! This blog is for anyone who cares about food, cooking, and friendship.

Blogging is like having a weekly lunch with girlfriends and writing about what we talk about. Well, I don’t know anyone who has time for a weekly lunch with their friends like they do in the show Sex in the City! The book club my friends and I created, The Julia Child Book Club, meets seasonally. This gives us time to read and decide what to bring to the table. Our conversations gradually build into some lively and simulating discussion (sometimes encouraged by some really great wine or champagne)! We go back and forth to the books and food but also our own relationships and our own life.

The other thing I love is I’m broadening my literary knowledge and expanding my culinary skills. Someone might pick out a book I would never have thought to read, or a cuisine I’ve never thought to try. It gets me thinking outside the (lunch) box. But, more than anything it’s about enjoying the company of friends. Women need that! It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of the same old recipes and routines. It’s also good for your children to see you get creative in the kitchen too! Who knows? You could inspire them to try something different!

As a working mom I find I need little outlets that remind me of who I am. For me I find a little daily Pilates can center me, a once a week ballet class can make me a better wife and mother, and looking forward to The Julia Child Book Club is just the icing on the cake! It provides me with a creative cooking outlet and gets me reading! We all need something to look forward to. I used to look forward to travel. Now with two small children, two jobs, and a rotten economy, this is just not possible! Cooking can be meditative, and reading an escape.

I think reading a good book can provide the same kind of nourishment as eating a good meal. And, when you can share a good book and a meal with family and friends, you are nourishing your mind, body, and soul.

Food and books have always been a passion of mine. But, there’s something about sharing it with friends that makes it even better! Our Julia Child Book Club is small (no more than 8) so that everyone can entertain comfortably. It’s very causal and relaxed! As a teacher, I knew I did not want it to feel like the classroom. There are no planned questions. We might not always like or even finish the book but, like I said it’s very relaxed! We are connected through our love for cooking and reading. We drink, talk, and enjoy each others company before we have to go back to work and our daily routine.

I’ve always had a fascination with Julia Child. She is our patron chef! That’s why it’s called “The Julia Child Book Club”!! Julia Child said, “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” These are words to live by.

If you like to cook and read I hope this will inspire you to get your friends together once in a while to learn from each other, eat a fabulous meal, but most importantly…laugh!

As Julia always said at the end of The French Chef cooking show, Bon Appetit! If you like this idea might I suggest starting with Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously and Julia Child’s My Life in France, then you and your girlfriends could go see the movie together next month.

Looking for more ideas? Here is what The Julia Child Book Club has read so far: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry (French Cuisine), There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell (healthy), Eat, Pray, Love (Italian), Wicked (spooky), My Sister’s Keeper (New England), Julia Child’s My Life in France (French), The Secret Life of Bees (southern), The Widow Clicquot and Abundance (French country).