It's time for the monthly round-up of things I've learned...so here goes. It's been quite a month.

xoxo,
E

This morning, we woke up in a mostly bare tiny condo on East North Street. Tonight, we'll go to bed in a mostly bare but lovely four-bedroom home in Greer.

I am excited beyond belief to have all this glorious space, natural light, a giant backyard and walk-in closet, and a kitchen that fits more than one person at a time. But I'm still a little sad to say goodbye to my "dollhouse."

I couldn't, under any circumstances, be labeled a "pink" girl. I do love Lilly Pulitzer, but one look at my closet reveals a lot of blue, green, and blue/green-aqua-turquoise type blends. But the spring weather these past few weeks has got me in a pink mood, and while I realized I don't have much in the way of pink clothes, I do have some pink products I swear by that you should know about.
 
Wherever you are, I hope you're enjoying spring!

xoxo,
E

Again, while we haven't been cooking much of anything new or exciting to share with you lately, we did attempt to use up a couple of cups of pasta and a few shallots in the pantry and some chicken in the freezer. The result was this chicken and mushroom pasta in white-wine sauce.

It was a delicious and easy meal, although we did make some substitutes. We were out of garlic so we used shallots, and we were out of chicken broth so we just added more wine, giving it a really good tangy sauce flavor. We kind of threw this together on a whim, but it pleasantly surprised us both, making a great easy meal for a stormy Monday. The next time, when we actually have all the ingredients it calls for, I would make this with lots of garlic, and possibly throw in some other veggies such as asparagus or green beans to add variety. Regardless, we'll definitely make it again.
 
Moving and closing dates are looming closer, so be patient with me as I try (often unsuccessfully) to keep up with the blog. I promise, once I'm let loose to decorate the new house, you'll be inundated with before-and-after content and be begging me to stop.

xoxo,
E & B

Well, that didn't last long. After approximately five months back in America, I am done with this and I want to go back to France. Now.

But since that isn't an option, I did what I've done my entire life: read my way to new places. The travel nonfiction genre is back and better than ever. If you're feeling a little stuck where you are, check out one of these great reads.

xoxo,
E

Blogging has been a little lax lately, because, well, cooking and reading and all the fun things have fallen by the wayside as we begin the monumental task of packing up all our earthly belongings in preparation of moving. But in a burst of healthfulness, we did decide to make this vegetarian curry - with great results. Although it had no meat, even B gobbled it up (truth be told, he likes it more than me).
 
Once you put all the spices in, it's basically just a series of "dump and let simmer" for the remaining ingredients. And it only uses one pot, which is nice. And as per normal, the heat level can be customized to your comfort level - but as you know, we like it hot. If you're looking to lighten up in anticipation of the summer months ahead, try this. You won't be sorry.
 
xoxo,
E & B
 
P.S. Don't be put off by the long ingredient list. A lot of it is spices. The rest is vegetables. It's not that hard.

I like to think I'm immune to most advertising. The latest gadget? No, thank you. Half the time I don't fully know how to operate the ones I've got. A new car? Hell no. We're counting down the days until we can pay off the two that we already have. Occasionally a well-timed McAllister's commercial during football season has influenced our lunch plans, but that's about it.

But there's more.

It's that time of the month again - article time!
 
And my much-anticipated, long-awaited food story article is up and running. I had the most fun with this one. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it (and interviewing, and test-tasting for it!). If you live in South Carolina, or if you're open to online ordering, definitely check out each of the companies I featured. I promise, you will not regret this.
 
Also included in my repertoire this month are articles in Greenville Business Magazine on Upstate companies who do business with China, and Hispanic-owned businesses. These were difficult for me to interview because apparently I don't hear well, and it's even harder for me to hear and understand anyone with a strong accent...aka, about 9/10 of my sources for these two. So take a minute to check my articles out.

xoxo,
E