photo credit: curebybacon.wordpress.com

photo credit: lesfoodies.

A dish that has actually originated from Languedoc and Provence, however it is found all throughout the Southwest. Brandade de morue is greatly appreciated by fish lovers! It is a mix of potatoes, olive oil, and cod fish. Find the recipe here.

3. Cannelés Bordelais
After living in Bordeaux, I can wholeheartedly tell you that cannelés are a huge hit. It is a simple vanilla and rum pastry that creates a little piece of dessert heaven. You will only find the best of the best in Bordeaux itself (the most delicious cannelés are at the Sunday markets!) Find the recipe here.

4. Cassoulet

photo credit: allies.fr

Mathieu LOVES cassoulet. It originates from his area of Toulouse, as well as Carcassonne (both are cities worth visiting). A variety of meats can be used in cassoulet such as goose, duck, pork, or beef. As long as it's cooked with white beans you are good to go! Find the recipe here.

 5. Poulet Basquaise

photo credit: actualities.brithotel.fr

6. Les Cèpes

photo credit: foie-gras-godard.fr

The best place to find les cèpes, a type of mushroom, are in the Dordogne region and the Lot-et-Garonne region. They can be cooked in olive oil with some salt to taste and voilà, they're done! Unfortunately for anyone not visiting the country, there is no way to make this one.

7. Magret de Canard

photo credit: dianeyoon.wordpress.com

Duck is such a big part of the Southwestern food culture. You will see duck farms EVERYWHERE. If this is a food that sparks your appetite, then it is the best region of France to find it. Magret is a filet coming from the chest of the duck, cooked fairly rare. Find how to cook the duck breast here.

8. Pain Perdu

photo credit: hervecuisine.com

Pain Perdu translates to "lost bread." Why? Because the stale bread, once lost and alone, has now found its way to our stomachs again! The French do not cook "french toast," like we do. It is not meant to be doused in syrup, nor smothered in Nutella. However, adding a little ice cream on the side is acceptable (and delectable!). This dish should be eaten as DESSERT in the Southwest; so if you are out to find pain perdu for breakfast, you better expect some crazy looks! Find the recipe here.

9. Pot Au Feu

photo credit: matvpratique.com

photo credit: seriouseats.com

There is no better place to go than the Southwest of France if you are looking for foie gras. It is a a delicacy of the country, who is the top producer in the world. Foie gras is better known as duck liver, and can be cooked or made into a pâté. It begins with the feeding of the duck, so your best bet is to head to France to find this one!

11.Tourin

photo credit: chefdamien.750g.com

Tourin is simply known as garlic soup, and is another easy, do-it-yourself French plate. I'm considering making this one myself because it is making me über hungry. Find the recipe here.

12. Tourtière Aux Pommes

Not too long ago, Mathieu and I had honey-baked camembert. Personally, I detest this cheese for the mere fact that it's uncomfortably soft and smelly. However, when it was baked it was phenom. So I thought okay I'm going to go even more French on this one and try honey-baked brie. It was so good I could kiss myself.


Ingredients:

• 1 wheel of brie (8 oz works) or something smaller like we did since there were two of us
• 1 puff pastry package (you'll probably only use half of it, so maybe pick up 2 brie if you're feeling crazy)
• Any type of sweet topping you prefer: honey, raspberry preserves, blueberry preserves, apricot..on and on. For my recipe I used honey and it was so good, but I've had raspberry before and it was great also. Just remember that if it's for a party, not everyone likes those specific fruits so you can't go wrong with honey.
• Large pan
• 2 apples
• 1 baguette or crackers

Directions:

1. Coat the top of the brie with the topping that you have chosen. It is really at your own discretion. The honey I used was crystalized so I made it that it would eventually melt out evenly.
2. Cover the brie in the puff pastry with one single layer. Make sure all holes are covered because the brie will fill your pan like lava.
3. Cook for 25 minutes in pre-heated oven at 420 degrees.
4. Slice up apples and baguette for dipping.
5. Let the brie cool for 5 minutes and then add the apples and baguette slices/crackers to the tray for serving.

I'm your average 20 something on a student budget so any sort of fun that's free is my kind of fun. It's a good idea if your here in France to look out for festivals and tastings because #1 it's a cool cultural experience, and #2 well it's cheap. Bordeaux's Fête le Chocolat in Jardin Botanique is happening this weekend and I was NOT about to miss out on a chocolate tasting.
You get to see a glimpse of the chocolate world. There were workshops for kids, demonstrations, artwork, and degustations all in three small rooms. It was much smaller than I had expected, but it was free chocolate so I wasn't complaining ya know?
The artwork all revolved around aviation. I felt like I was in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory and could take a bite out of everything around me. Unfortunately, that would would be rather frowned upon, eating someone's airplane.
Some of the vendors were extremely creative with their chocolate. This right here is lipstick. I'm not sure if you are really suppose to use it that way, but I know the second that would touch my lips, it would be the end of it.
A children's workshop was available, and it was so adorable. They were taught how to decorate the chocolate, and they got to take home their creation for Easter! I was loving their outfits, and they looked like they had a great time.
The live demonstration was also really interesting. You will be able to see how much effort the chocolatiers put into their work. The man was crafting a chocolate tree, yes, a chocolate tree. Easy eh? He was like the Jackie Chan of chocolate.
Although the whole point of this is for the vendors to sell their products, I didn't end up buying any of it. However, people were leaving with bags full of goodies. You get to vote for the best, all while donating money to charity for handicapped children (Yes of course I donated!)
Overall the Fête le Chocolat in Bordeaux is worth going to. It's yummy, it's free, and it's time to kill on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

My Nutella obsession began in 2012 when I first lived in Europe. I've become quite the scientist, getting really crafty with how I use the addictive spread. Here I am to give you guys a simple recipe, a gift if you will.

If you are a vegetarian, vegan, non-red-meat-eater, gluten allergic, or lactose-intolerant person living in France then good luck, it's not easy Cali livin' over here. Almost every French restaurant entrée includes the following: duck, beef, fish, or lamb. However, their heavy Arabic culture makes eating-out a little easier for us.

Güveç Poulet

Several Arabic people have migrated to Europe, especially in the last few decades. From Turkish, to Algerian they offer a wide range of dishes for vegetarians and vegans. In France you will find several restaurants and take-out places owned by the Arabs. I'm a non-red meat eater personally, and for whatever reason you will rarely find chicken on the menu in France, but find a Turkish restaurant and you are set.

Restaurant Ottoman, Bordeaux

Mathieu is a meat eating manly man, so he was somewhat reluctant to come to a restaurant like this with me. When he saw the Turkish ottoman seats from outside he said "so we're sitting on the floor?" Well no, not technically..we're sitting on ottomans.

Moussaka

Unfortunately, most French people do not understand this lifestyle of eating. Especially me, who is not a vegetarian, yet does not eat red meat. It's a very very large culture gap. They view animal products as a source of healthy food and nothing further. It is far more common in America to zone in on the health factors of meat as well as animal cruelty.

hummus!

In the four short months that I lived in Rome, I learned a lot, I ate a lot, and I partied well..quite a lot. It's a city that has my whole heart. Rome is every girl's European fantasy. It's the ultimate picture of Mediterranean lifestyle, from the accordions playing outside, to the lovers in the streets, to the smell of freshly rolled dough seeping from the windows, I literally, literally ate it all up.

4. Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara coeli
If you can get your butt up the 'stairway to heaven,' then you have to visit. There is so much history that dates all the way back to 574. The interior artwork is unbelievable and ranges from Michelangelo to Donatello to other famous names. For whatever reason the tiny raised floor tombs (people were quite short back then) put me in a trance. You can see the shape of the person and it is so morbid and yet beautiful that I love it. Also, the chandelier you see here are mesmerizing, me and my OCD have counted over 40.

I've become numb to this whole grey sky and rain thing in Bordeaux. Today however, there was sun shining through my window. I practically danced my way out of bed and got ready to meet up with Nicole. A perfect day to channel my inner French girl and expand my waistline at the Bordeaux markets.