Opening the 3rd day in Paris!

Check back often, I am blogging their day.

Opening their third day in Paris at Notre Dame.

Want to tag Beth Bettencourt Lechler?  

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Beth, Kathy, Chee, Alex, Pam T. at a park in Paris.

Want to tag Alex Feiertag?  

Yes · No

Wine and cheese break...they do that a lot.
Jumping at the Louvre.

French pastry with Chee and Beth.

Jumping at the Louvre.

Arrived and loose in Paris (day 2)

The ladies are doing lunch after their arrival in Paris.  They have send us pictures which are on my Facebook but this blog site is bucking and bulling this morning.  They like their little hotel tucked away on a Paris street.  I had stayed there before on occasion and thought it was quaint, not expensive for Paris, and very clean. Not the Ritz, but pleasurable.  After lunch they are off exploring.

Alex, Pam T., Chee, and our Beth.

The sisters in Paris~

Back in the real world: Breakfast for guests.

Avenue Des Champs Elysees where all the good stuff lives.

Pam in the Paris hotel room just off the beaten path. Below: Our Beth in Paris.

Pam in the little Paris hotel room.

Our Beth in Paris.  

End of the day...where are the other two?

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Arrived and loose in Paris~

The ladies are doing lunch after their arrival in Paris.  They have send us pictures which are on my Facebook but this blog site is bucking and bulling this morning.  They like their little hotel tucked away on a Paris street.  I had stayed there before on occasion and thought it was quaint, not expensive for Paris, and very clean. Not the Ritz, but pleasurable.  After lunch they are off exploring.

Alex, Pam T., Chee, and our Beth.

PAM IN THE LITTLE Paris hotel.

Beth checking her phone and organizing for the all day exploring.

Today we started our girls trip to Paris and Italy. We arrived in Charlotte on time only to find out that during our 7 hour trip to Paris the video system was down. If you are a light sleeper this made for an extra long flight. In my boredom I turned behind me to talk to Pam and Beth. The flight attendant said we were too loud so I had to go back to my seat.  Pam and Beth fell asleep right away so I decided to  open the hatch and reach for my backpack. Unfortunately my can of Hershey nut mix fell on Pam and woke her up. . The lid was missing so Pam T lent me her mini flashlight. After creating a laser show on the plane I never found the lid so I had to eat all of the chocolates. I still don't know why the flight attendant did not like me.

Our chauffeur arrived on time at the airport and was very good at driving while turning completely around to make eye contact with us.This did not help my motion sickness. Note to self--- only ask questions at stop lights.

We arrived in the beautiful city of Paris with not much sleep. So we decided to cram as much in as we could. A couple cappuccinos and glasses of wine got us through the day. Beth is a trooper since she takes at least two steps to our one. We did 29,000 steps and she did probably close to 100,000. Pam and Alex were great at navigating us through the subway. We had to learn not to hesitate or you get squished by the doors. Fortunately a hefty guy pulled the door open so Pam T and I could slide through. We have now come up with a safety plan if one of us goes missing.. Oh and always carry lots of hand sanitizer.

We visited the Arc de  Triompage and got a lot of panoramic pictures. It was breathtaking. We also visited the Eiffel Tower but with the terrorism alert the park was fenced off and we could not get very close. The Euro cup is going on in Paris so there are a lot of roudy soccer wannabes walking around in their soccer shirts chanting for their team. They are friendly and seem harmless. Well time for bed and hoping to get a few more hours in.

Kathy F.

And NOW Air France is on strike and that is their flight to Rome.

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The Lechler five+ Pam Taylor head for Paris and Italy today

About time...

Are there anymore straight flights to Paris?  Cincinnati used to have two a day.  Now there seems to be none.

 

 The ladies are off for a great adventure which you can follow here.  I know it is more interesting for family, but these women are in for some fun.  Alex, the first in line just finished her first year of med school and is tired.  She needs this last fling and she will enjoy it.  Pam Taylor, the second in line is an honorary Lechler.  She is a joy to have around.  Then there is Kathy, the mother of Alex, a hard worker herself who needs and enjoys a break.  The short girl is a Columbus Lechler and we are so happy to have her married to Mike.  She too deserves this trip.  Next is our Pam.  Love that girl who is organized and helpful and kind.  And, Chee (Mary Susan), the sweet girl who is up for the fun ahead.  Notice they all dressed at home, but they look like they planned this look--maybe the Olympic team going to Brazil??  Have fun ladies and we will track your every move. Oh, guess what?  They have found a way to pass the time at the airport.

Want to tag Alex Feiertag?  

Yes · No

Alex, Pam and Pam Taylor (the others are under the table!)

They had better board while they can!

Pam Taylor and Pam Lechler Isfort.

Pining for peonies

When we first moved to this wonderful place that we waited 15 years to get, there was a lovely row of peonies but when we started construction and the pool and this and that, they sadly faded away.  Beth brought me a beautiful bouquet the other day and they just keep getting prettier and more blowsy.  Not in a coarse untidy way, but in a full bloom, happy way.  Love them and want to restart a nice selection.  Andy went to Oakland Park (his second home in the spring) and they sold him several nice plants without labels because someone had taken them off and so they did not know what color they will be; but I don't care, I love them all. Matt was here and planted them for us, but we are getting more. Yea!

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And then there is kale from Andy's gardens...waiting to crisp in a hot oven with olive oil, salt and pepper.                                   

Crisp and delicious from the oven.  Good as chips, good on salads or on top of casseroles.

Dad's Blue Chair Season

My dad had a blue chair that suited him to a tee. When he died I brought it to my house and used it for years; low to the ground and a slanted seat, it is truly a comfort.  After many years and seasons Joe, Kathy's husband, built me a new one exactly like the one that was falling apart and I use it all summer and the guys bring it into the kitchen for the winter.  I love it still. My dad would have taken comfort in this for he loved me and he enjoyed the chair.

I am recovered from the party over Memorial
Day and am making the dish that was one son's favorite: black bean and couscous salad.  It is a good recipe that can be made well ahead and is better with age. It is also not time consuming.  Although one party is over there is much to think about.  Beth and the Cincy women leave a week from tomorrow for Paris and Italy.  And, today is JD's last day of high school; our youngest grandson. Joe and Glenda are coming up to spend a few days with us next week.
Life is good, but busy.

recipe on Allrecipes.com       black bean and couscous (with corn) salad

Hello June~

June is lovely and plants are doing their best to please us at this time of year.  I keep taking pictures of these pleasures to remind me, in the dead of winter, what this place will look like in the spring.  Our Knock-Out roses have come back after resting an entire season.  I guess one winter was too hard on them, but they have been trimmed and are back to their glorious offerings.

Needless to say, I am not cooking this week.  I can hardly stand to look into the frig because it is so stuffed.  I forgot to tell the guests to select what they would like to take home and now we have all of these left overs.  I must say the ham from Giant Eagle was especially good this time and has lent itself to some tasty treats for those who are still eating after the Memorial Day week end party.

The weather was perfect, hot, but over cast so that we could spend the entire day outside.  We had an outdoor station with a couple of offerings and the grill which got a work out at the end of the day.  But, the majority of food was inside (to be carried outside) to keep it fresh and tasty.  We had five different sliders and that worked so well--a taste, but not meant to fill one up.

July 4th is the next party, but let's enjoy the in-between for now.

                                                                              

                                      

This morning. June 1st.

We're ready~

ust Buzzing Along

 

We are ready for the thundering herd of friends and family arriving at 1:00 tomorrow.  Today there were six workers here preparing for this party.  The party is for two graduates, one of whom cannot get to his own party thanks to the Army Ranger School.  He will be with us in our thoughts and toasts.  We have an exciting announcement as well later in the day.  There is an obscene amount of food waiting to be displayed and two servers who have worked with us before. I's say we are ready.

Beth and the Cincinnati Lechler women leave on the 10th for Paris and Italy. Beth deserves this break, she works so hard pleasing others. I know she will enjoy the company and the energetic women who will be urging her on to enjoy and use every moment of the trip.

The next party is July 4th here at Many Branches and that will be for JD Lechler.

I wonder how many dishes I will forget to serve this time.  One Thanksgiving there were seven dishes that never made it to the table. I simply forgot them and didn't miss them.  I do love the do ahead items so that I can be a part of the party  rather than being tied to the kitchen.

Almost party time~

Sunday the 29th is the big spring graduation and feast party.  AND, I have help on the day so that my guests won't have to be working with me all day and into the evening.  The Smith duo is coming to the rescue AGAIN.  I try to get them for all the big events and they are so good and fun to be around.

I have never seen the flowers do so well so early on; it must be the rain.  This is Nate's passion flower and it is glorious already.  Andy has tomatoes on the vine which he is very pleased to show all who come.  We have heads of broccoli so there will be several salads at this party. The kale is taking over so I will have to send some south with the Cincinnati gang.  I expect there will be over twenty coming from Cincinnati and we welcome them with open arms.

I have been cooking up a storm and one dish I am eager to try is black bean and couscous salad.  I am figuring on five salads.  The black bean salad has corn and so many colorful things, I think it will be a hit. Much of the menu, however, is macho since the two graduates are men.  So far I have done: two cheesecakes which we will top with homemade raspberry syrup and fresh fruit; lasagna roll ups; brat and mixed bean soup; chicken and noodles; chili;buffalo chicken for sliders; spiral cut ham roasted with a special topping; chicken meatballs, baby ribblets in BQ sauce;Pam is bringing six pies; an Asian rice dish;there will be a large cheese tray; a large pasta salad, and, a tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese offering; a crab loaf; Brussel sprouts fixed two ways; and there will be those famous roast beef sliders and Ina Garten's ham, cheese and grainy mustard in puff pastry.  I may have left something out, but you get the picture of plenty.   Oh yes, mac and cheese with pepperoni; and marinated pork medallion sliders.  We may have to rolls the guests down the driveway when they leave for home.
A busy day casserole:
I spend a lot of time staring into my pantry(s) I picked Andy's first crop of broccoli today and wanted to use it right away for lunch and dinner. I spotted  a bag of Trader Joe's brown rice medley and started putting things together for a casserole. This rice and broccoli dish is so simple I hesitate saying what is in it because... I used a can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup, a cup of mayo, some hot sauce, a shot of Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce,and  a bit of broth to loosen it up. I buttered the baking dish and put in the cooked rice and the blanched broccoli and spooned on the soup mixture topping it all off with a layer of shredded cheese.  Popped it in a 350 oven for 30 minutes and Andy tied in to it before leaving for classes at OSU. So far Andy, Brooks, Christian and I have eaten this delight and we all approve. (You could put in some sour cream in the soup mix, but I didn't have time and we didn't miss it.)