Sunday, April 20, 2014

It's Goat Season?





At the poultry counter today at our local outdoor market, I spotted a new choice for Easter dinner.  Goat. 

There with the turkey, chicken, quail and guinea hen were several half goats;  ribs and legs.  The meat was light and slightly pink.  The bones were thin and looked a bit flexible.  Probably a young goat. 

I was intrigued by this but I couldn't justify buying it because we already had our Easter dinner planned and organized.  But, I asked the butcher if he'd have the lamb next Sunday.  He replied that he didn't know.  It's goat season around Easter but he didn't know how long it would last.  I'd never thought of a season for meat.  Vegetables and fruit, certainly.  I do know that goats have a season for producing milk.  It is now "goat season" for goat milk and goat cheese.  Goat cheese is a favorite in my household along with goat yogurt. 

I realized that turkey is seasonal in France. It is in the market around Christmas and New Year's.  Not in November.  No pilgrims on the Champs Elysee. 

When I got home, I looked up recipes for goat in my American cookbooks.  The butcher told me that it should be cooked like a rabbit, not roasted.  But, my cookbooks say I can buy a boneless leg and stuff it with herbs, tie it and roast it or I can broil the ribs. 

Let's hope that goat season isn't over until I can get back to the market next Sunday and get it. 

Monday, April 14, 2014

A Visit

My sister is the one wearing the cute shoes.  I am always in "sensible shoes" when sightseeing. 

This is a photo taken by Terry of "The Spinster Sisters", a nickname we got in college because we always lived together and are very close.  We're both long married, but we still like this nickname.  He meant to take our faces but he hasn't quite mastered the iPHONE camera yet.

We got together last week in Paris (can't tell from the picture) and it was non-stop.  Fun, activities, laughing, talking.  All the things that "girls" like to do.  We shopped a bit, walked a lot, saw a lot of things; some of them new, even to me.  The weather was fabulous, which made it much easier to do things outside. 

At the end of it all, we have many happy memories of this great week.