This week marks the beginning of a grand adventure for my husband and I. Much to our delight, we are leaving the Texas heat behind for a week in Paris and a road trip thereafter to Austria and the Dolomites. Paris is an especially meaningful place for the two of us, given that it is the city where our relationship began. Subsequently, every trip back is a sweet reminder of our first days together. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures, a trip to the Musee Picasso, picnics in the park, and a cooking class or two. To get in the spirit, we’ve had French music playing in the house and I’ve pulled some of my favorite Paris-based books and movies, from A Moveable Feast to Midnight in Paris (and Ratatouille…let’s be honest.)

Pinterest: Photography by C.D.K.

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Since I was a little girl I’ve had a soft spot for sweets. As I have grown up, this temptation never wavered, perhaps only getting worse, I’m afraid. Some of my favorite sugar-coated memories include popping into tiny sweet shops as a study abroad student in Florence, trying homemade lemon tarts topped with fresh berries, or biting into my first raspberry macaron in Paris. Needless to say, sweets make me happy and I love when people find ways to make them extra special. As I was scanning my Instagram feed one day I stumbled upon the most beautiful, whimsical cakes crafted by English baker, Genevieve Frosch. One of her cakes was included in a November 2016 American Vogue spread with author and Vogue writer, Plum Sykes. These are no ordinary gâteaux, mind you. Frosch has a decadent decorating flair that incorporates all kinds of delectable motifs, from fresh flower petals to sugared gum drops, wild berries, fallen leaves, jammy preserves, and stone fruits like apricots and cherries. Most all of her cakes are multi-layered and imperfect, polished and playful, the combination of which makes them utterly irresistible, in my opinion. I had the pleasure of interviewing Genevieve and loved learning more about her process – keep reading to meet the charming baker extraordinaire.

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Do you have a favorite flower? I have gone through many over the years, from white daisies with sunshine centers to eggshell-colored peonies and tissue-thin ranunculus. In the past few years, however, my loyalty has lied with lilacs. I’m enamored by the floral symbology of lilacs, their intoxicating fragrance, and their beautiful, trembling buds. According to Greek mythology, the story of the lilac begins with an attractive nymph named Syringa, who turned herself into the aromatic bush in order to escape the zealous chasing of Pan, the god of the forests and fields. Lilacs bloom with each returning spring, living short, yet vibrant lives. In parts of the Mediterranean such as Greece and Cyprus, lilacs are purportedly called paschalia, and are frequently associated with Easter. I love the lilac’s delicate buds and all the things they stand for: youthful innocence, love’s first emotions, purity, protection, confidence. My husband and I loved lilacs so much that they became the focal flower at our early spring wedding.

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“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” ­– Seneca

Often, when I can find free time, I like to venture to my local library. There is something about retreating to this quiet space, surrounded by books, wisdom, and the smell of ink on paper that makes me genuinely content, happy even. I look forward to those rare weekends when there is nothing to do but follow this intrinsic, inner pull and spend a morning or afternoon lost amidst the dusty shelves and weathered spines.
On a recent trip, I stumbled upon a tiny tome by J.K. Rowling called Very Good Lives. I love books that are short enough they can be absorbed in one sitting, and this book is one of them. Very Good Lives is actually the published book-form of the commencement speech Rowling gave to Harvard’s 2008 graduating class. In it, she speaks of two themes: how to embrace failure and the importance of imagination.

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Since my very first trip to Paris I have come to associate the city with a feeling of discovery. Every time I’m there I find something new. An oyster bar on a cobbled street, a new friend from somewhere afar, a feeling of cultural enlightenment. This depth of discovery is what brings me back to Paris time and time again.

The first time I discovered an Aperol Spritz I was sitting at Cafe de Flore in St. Germain. Years before, my now-husband and I met a wonderful lady from Malibu while sipping old fashioned’s in the bar of Le Meurice. Fast forward a few years later and we found ourselves sitting together with our new friend at a corner table outside of Cafe de Flore, drinking zesty Aperol Spritz’s in the fading afternoon light. Since then, this drink has become my go-to summer cocktail.

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My family and I had the pleasure of being featured in Garden & Gun magazine for the August/September 2017 Issue. We gathered around our old water cistern-turned-dining-venue at the family ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas for a proper wine and cheese celebration as the summer sun faded to the west. The magazine is a favorite of both mine and my family so it was a real treat to be featured in its glossy pages. Enjoy the lovely photographs by Kate LeSueur and read the full story in the August/September issue.

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“I want to remember us this way – late September sun streaming through the window, bread loaves and golden bunches of grapes on the table, spoonfuls of hot soup rising to our lips, filling us with what endures.” – Peter Pereira, from “A Pot of Red Lentils”

I’ve just finished reading Nicole Gulotta’s latest book called Eat This Poem, and my was it lovely. This is a short read (just shy of 200 pages) filled with poems by the likes of Mary Oliver and Peter Pereira, plus Gulotta’s own stories and recipes, all of which are stitched together in delightful prose. I love how she explains food and poetry as kindred spirits, where food fills the stomach and poetry fills the soul. I couldn’t agree more.

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