Fall is in the air...
(and on the ground and in the kitchen!)
October 20th 2021
So, it’s October. I love the cooler nights and bright days (not so much the dark mornings tho…). What am I up to? Well, I’m running a half-marathon in 10 days (eeeeeeek!). That’s about all I can think about right now (which is a good thing, school continues to be… a lot). This will be my first (and maybe last LOL) half-marathon and because it's virtual my goal is to finish in a reasonable time and not be injured. Fingers crossed.
As I have each year, I'm raising funds for The Toronto Humane Society. Want to contribute to my (modest) fundraising goal?
As well as school and training, I’m working on the next chapter of French Food for Everyone which will be le dîner (dinner) chapter. Fingers crossed I can pull off a pre-Christmas on-sale date (stay tuned for pre-sale information!). In the meantime, it’s a delicious way to meal plan…
Enjoy this month’s delicious links!
giveaway!
This month, thanks to the folks at Raincoast Books, I’m giving away a copy of Dorie Greenspan’s latest, Baking with Dorie (you can read a bit about it here) to a lucky reader, anywhere in the world!
Winner will be chosen at random on October 31st after 6pm EDT and notified by email within 2 days. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email otherwise another winner will be chosen.
take a cooking class with me!
I’ve got ONE more online baking class coming up in support of Community Food Centre’s The Big Social this coming Saturday, October 23rd at 3.30pm EDT. For a small donation, come along and bake the Apple Snacking Cake from French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks)! Anyone, anywhere is welcome (though Canadians will receive a tax receipt for their donation). Read more and register here!
I’ve also got a few classes coming up with Context Travel - leading up to and after the holidays. Some of the classes in the new year would make great holiday gifts!
Join me to learn how to make French-themed treats for your Holiday Cookie Swap, delectable nibbles for your Heure de l’Apéro, classic French treats like Éclairs and Profiteroles and the iconic Galette des Rois - all this and more!
Click here for links to register and use discount code MMICHELS20 for 20% off registration for new customers!
you might have missed
I shared some tips to helping reduce food waste in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme here.
This recipe for Orange Financiers really took off on my blog last week! SO many people made it and loved it!
FINALLY used up all my pumpkin purée - the last 3/4 cup went to this Double Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf!
I also shared some pumpkin recipes (including Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting) over on the newsletter for paid subscribers last week. Want in on the bonus recipes?
links you might like
eat
Stanley Tucci’s passion was acting. Now it’s food. via The New York Times. A look at Tucci’s latest book “Taste, My Life Through Food” which is on my “to read” list. His story is fascinating.
Who called the carbonara police? via Taste. What do you think about traditional Italian recipes like Bolognese and carbonara being “rethought by creative recipe writers”?
live
How I knew I needed to quit Instagram via The New York Times (possible paywall). Anyone else thought about quitting or just me (multiple times a week)? “I realized that whenever I was on social media, I was chasing a goal that was impossible to reach.” Yup. So much.
How has social media affected mental health during the pandemic? via Medical News Today. (can you sense a theme here?). This is a really thorough look at the way social media impacts our mental health (from misinformation to “imposter syndrome” there are so many ways it impacts us negatively).
Defending a teacher’s right to disconnect via Edutopia. “Technology is compromising the health and well-being of teachers, blurring the already-indistinct boundaries between work and home and leading to an unsustainable “always on” mentality.” Not just teachers, either.
travel
This book landed on my desk recently and I’ve been dipping in and out. Stay tuned for a full review but in the meantime it’s my “travel” pick for this month!
“an unputdownable guide that marries our endless appetite for travel with our insatiable interest in food.”
Read more and order your copy here.
write
(coverage of French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after-school snacks)!
Goûter: After-school snacking, French-style: Featured on Dorie Greenspan’s newsletter!
A fabulous review by The Good Life France.
French cooking with Mardi Michels: Interview on French Views
A big feature, a GIVEAWAY and a bonus recipe over on Laura Bradbury’s “Grapevine” newsletter!
what we’re watching
On the Verge. I love Julie Delpy. Didn’t LOVE this but couldn’t stop watching. Kind of like Sex and the City meets Friends…. One of the most fascinating things was watching the pandemic creep into the storyline.
Nine Perfect Strangers. Blasted through this series in a couple of days when I was off sick from work. Disturbing. Funny. A bit creepy. “Nine stressed city dwellers visit a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation.”
The Chestnut Man. “A young woman is found brutally murdered in a playground and one of her hands is missing. Above her hangs a small man made of chestnuts.” Yup “Nordic Noir” done well. A bit gruesome but compelling.
White Lotus. “Set in a tropical resort, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.” This was SO MUCH more than this. I kind of loved this and hated it at the same time. A sharp commentary on the state of (American) society today. Nothing much happens but SO much is said in not so many words.
The Guilty. “A demoted police officer assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.” Most of the characters in this film don’t appear on screen (action takes place in the 911 call dispatch centre). Very well done with a neat twist.
The Billion Dollar Code. “In 1990s Berlin, an artist and a hacker invented a new way to see the world. Years later, they reunite to sue Google for patent infringement on it.” Who knew Google Earth was around back then? This was SO interesting.
buy my books
rent our holiday home in south-west France!
Our charming house in Nérac, halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse in the heart of Gascony is available to rent if you're able to travel there!
Thanks for reading! Stay safe!
Mardi xo