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Angelina April 8, 2015 france

Upcoming Trip Plans to Paris: Tour du Patisserie

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I’m headed to Paris next week on what I’m calling my “Tour du Patisserie”. I’ve been to Paris a few times before, so I’ve “been there and done that” to some of the most famous attractions. My husband has never been, so we will be going to the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, but I have some other things in mind…

…It involves things like…

…This raspberry ispahan macaron creation from Pierre Herme…

picture source

Eating my *favorite* French cake… Le Fraisier! It is light sponge cake with yummy mousseline creme, with strawberries sandwiched inside… topped with a thin layer of marzipan and sometimes honey. It is so light and refreshing. My wedding cake was a frasier cake.

Fraisier Cake from Gerard Mulot, source

I want to try this rose ispahan croissant from Pierre Herme… I’ve read wonders about it… It is a buttery croissant glazed with rose-flavored almond cream, then drizzled with candied rose petals and filled with raspberry litchi pate. I’ve read even for those rose flavored dessert haters, this is like a bite of heaven!

Or perhaps trying this caramel eclair from Cafe Pouchkine…

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This caramel mille feuille (napoleon in English) from Hugo et Victor is mouthwatering… layers of crunchy caramelized pastry with a caramel creme in between.

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A tarte citron with a crunchy shell, smooth lemon curd, with meringue on top looks amazing from La Patisserie des Reves…

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And yes, of course, Laduree is on my list… I plan to visit more than once to try a bunch of different macaron flavors….

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Perhaps we’ll enjoy a sip of Chocolat Africain (aka the world’s best hot chocolate!) at Angelina’s… when my family and I first went to Paris years ago, we stumbled upon this shop which was just down the street from our hotel. We didn’t find out until years later that our local little pastry shop that we’d go to in the afternoons was world-famous! Ha!

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Maybe we will try a St. Honore from Arnaud Lehrer. The St Honore is a ring of puff pastry with pastry creme, then topped with pastry puffs that are filled with creme and dipped in either chocolate or sugar…

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I’ve never had a Paris Brest before, but it is supposed to be like nutella in a bite. It has praline cream layered in-between two crunchy but soft choux pastry sides with some chocolate in the center. Patisserie des Reves is supposed to make a fabulous one…

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I love the fresh fruit tarts… this tarte framboise pistache, aka raspberry pistachio tart from Pain du Sucre is supposed to be delicious…. It has fresh raspberries with a glaze, with a pistachio cake in the center.

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Alright, so I know, technically, that ice cream does not fall into the “patisserie” category. But I’m adding it to my “tour du patisserie” anyway. The three flavors below are supposed to be amazing. They are from world famous ice cream house, Berthillon, and I’m going to wait in line to try them!

Apparently the chocolat noir (dark chocolate) is amazing, but the caramel beurre sale (salted butter caramel) is to-die-for!

left, dark chocolate, right salted butter caramel source

What I’ve read though, is if the fresh wild strawberry (frais de bois) is in season, it is a must try. It is different than the regular strawberry flavor, it contains whole fresh strawberries and is apparently like no other ice cream.

fresh wild strawberry source

I also *love* croissants aux amandes (almond croissants)… even though most of them are made from day-old croissants. This one is from Laurent Duchene, and I don’t have a preference where I eat my croissants from! They are all delicious compared to the ones in America!

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But let’s face it, my favorite favorite thing in Paris is just a plain ol’ croissant. I have been searching for croissants in the US that are similar to those in Paris and have only been let down. The perfect croissant is buttery, light and airy, but crisp on the outside. It has the perfect little crunch, but then it is soft in the inside. While I usually go for the plain croissant, the pain du chocolat (chocolate croissant) is always delicious. The shelf life of a croissant is 4 hours. Thus, we are to only eat croissants before 10am when they are still fresh…

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Is there anything I should add to my “Tour du Patisserie” before I head off to Paris in 2 weeks??

Perhaps I need to add some pepcid and tums into my luggage, after seeing my list! I feel like a little piggy with this list, but I’ve read the best souvenir from Paris is the 5 pounds of pastry weight you gain. And as for the “diet”, I heard French women don’t diet, so I won’t either…

Images are not my own.

If you’ve missed a Paris trip post, catch them ALL RIGHT HERE !

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Angelina April 6, 2015 Beauty and Fashion

What to Pack for Vacation in Your Carry-On

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

I travel frequently and I thought I would share my guide about what to pack in your carry-on luggage bag.

I find that keeping these items in your carry-on makes you flight much more pleasant! This guide works for both domestic and international trips.

Nº 1 // Noise canceling headphones – I *highly* recommend noise canceling headphones, especially for your 12 hour flights. I have them both. I like the earbuds because they are less bulky (and the case is smaller too) and don’t mess up my hair. The over-the-ear noise canceling headphones work better than the earbuds, have nicer sound quality and are nicer for longer flights. Either way, it is up to you and your preference!

Nº 2 // Hair brush – 12 hours is a long time for your hair to look bad, especially in the dry environment . You are guaranteed to get sleepyhead after trying to snooze sitting straight up.

Nº 3 // Camera – you need to put your camera in your carry-on so it does not get lost or stolen in your checked bag. I have a GoPro camera and I cannot sing enough praise about it for a travel camera especially if you like to hike/do adventurous things. It is waterproof, you can take it surfing, snorkeling, swimming, hiking, biking.

Nº 4 // Hand cream – It’s really dry in the airplane. You will be wanting hand cream.

Nº 5 // Lip Balm – Your lips will get dry on the airplane.

Nº 6 // a Pen – You will need to fill out some customs papers at some point. Bring a pen!

Nº 7 // Granola bar – This is nice to have because you never know when you’ll need some sustenance. I am loving the Kind bars right now.

Nº 8 // Water bottle – I usually just buy one in the airport, that way if I’m desperate for space on the way home I can toss it. However, you can also bring your own!

Nº 9 // iPad – The iPad has everything I need… books, movies, music, and a notepad to jot down thoughts. I read my travel books on this on the way to the location I’m headed to.

Nº 10 // Keys – Don’t forget your house and car keys! Get this bluetooth key finder keychain if you tend to lose your keys like me!

Nº 11 // Make up bag – Trust me, you’ll want to do some touching on before landing so keep your make up organized in a chic make up bag.

Nº 12 // Hand sanitizer – Airplanes are full of germs. You’ll feel better after using this, even if you washed your hands in the loo.

Nº 13 // Charging Essentials For your Electronics! – I recommend a portable power battery pack so that way your phone or smart device won’t die on long plane! Also, when you get to your hotel room you will probably only have about two plugs and so many things to charge. We use this USB multi port charger – it has two USB ports that charge faster, and is foldable and compact for travel and has UK and EU adapters as well! It is the best.

Nº 14 // Ear plugs – You will wish you had these when the screaming baby or chatty neighbor sits behind you on your twelve hour flight!

Nº 15 // Mint gum – Gum helps your ears pop in ascent/descent and gives you some fresh breath!

Nº 16 // Munchies – You will need something to munch on, as I’m sure you’ll either get hungry or bored. I like to bring dried fruit or popcorn as they fill the munchie need but don’t fill you with tons of extra calories.

Nº 17 // Blanket scarf – The temperature of the airplane varies too much. A blanket scarf is nice for those temperature fluctuations.

Nº 18 // Evian water spray – This Evian water spray is so nice and refreshing during a long flight!!

Nº 19 // Passport and wallet – If there’s one thing you *must* bring on international travel it is your passport. If you’re traveling overseas, you will want an anti RFID theft one because apparently over there in crowded spaces/subways/buses they will use little scanners and steal your credit card information from your chip credit card.

Nº 20 // Travel size perfume – You’ll want to reapply your perfume just before you get off of your flight.

Nº 21 // Travel bag – You need a bag big enough to fit all of this stuff in that fits under the seat in front of you! My FAVORITE bag is this expandable longchamp bag – I have both sizes this larger one and this smaller one. However I LOVE this non-expandable version too and actually will use it as my purse on travel!

Nº 22 // Eye mask – You will want this for when the person next to you leaves their reading light on the whole flight. I like this silk one or my favorite one here.

Nº 23 // Toothbrush and toothpaste – So, 10 hours into your international flight, it is now suddenly morning time where you land and you realized you haven’t brushed your teeth in approx 24 hours. You’ll be glad you brought this!

Nº 24 // Slipper socks – I always take off my shoes while sitting in my chair on international travel and put slipper socks on over my regular socks. It keeps my toes warm… just make sure you put on your shoes before you start walking around the plane. You could take these foldable ballet flats which are super comfy and then you can wear them on your trip. They are so nice because they fold up perfectly into your carry on!

Nº 25 // Carry-on Suitcase – I personally travel an older version of this Tumi International Bag. My Father used to travel all of the time (seriously, 500k miles!) and the Tumi bag has survived! I seriously cannot sing enough praise about Tumi bags. They are expensive but worth the money. If you are mainly a domestic traveler, then this Tumi Domestic Carry On bag is GREAT as well ( have that one too!). The Rimowa Bags are extremely popular as well, but I don’t use them so I can’t give a review. Don’t know the difference between International and Domestic Bags? The international bags are slightly smaller and fit within the regulations of the European airlines!

Nº 26 // Jet Lag Mask – Since I’ve created this list, a brand new beauty mask came out this year and I cannot sing enough praises about it! It’s called the Jet Lag Mask and it is seriously FANTASTIC. Like if you had to buy one beauty thing to travel with it is this mask! It makes your dehydrated sorry looking airplane skin look amazing! It seriously did wonders to my face. The great part is you don’t have to rinse it off – you just wipe off the excess after 10 minutes.

Nº 27 // A Travel Pillow – On a really long flight it is nice to have an extra pillow besides the one they give you. There is this one that has 3000 reviews on Amazon, this one that is more like a scarf/wrap/pillow. My most recent trip I got these blocks that blow up – they seemed stupid at first but I LOVED them so much I am never going on an international flight again without them.

Shop the post below!

Miss any of my Paris Posts?? Check them out here!

Headed to Paris or London? Check out my What to Pack to Paris and London post here.

What to Pack for your Vacation in Your Carry-On

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Angelina March 12, 2015 Beauty and Fashion

Packing List: What to Pack to Paris

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

I travel to Paris and London frequently and I am sharing with you a guide about what to wear to these cities.

I usually go to Paris and London in the Spring or Fall, but I have been there in the Summer too.

With that in mind, I have shared some of my favorite pieces that you can layer easily.

I always fit all of my clothes onto a carry-on bag. I’ve heard horror stories of lost checked bags on international trips – especially stories of this happening in Paris because France frequently goes on strike!

Imagine going to the most fashionable city without clothes! The horror!

Tops and Tees

Nº 1 // A Breton Striped Tee– You have to wear a striped tee in France!

Nº 2 //A white and grey t-shirt – A white tee and grey tee go with everything.

Nº 3 // A Nice Blouse – You need a blouse that you can wear to a nice restaurant.

Nº 4 // Chambray Shirt – I like this shirt because it goes with everything and is fashionable.

Nº 5 // Sleeveless Shirt – It is nice to pack a sleeveless shirt or tank top because that way you are prepared for unexpected (or expected!) warm weather! Sometimes the museum can become very hot too.

Outerwear and Dresses

Nº 6 // A Black Blazer – This is essential as you can dress this blazer up or down.

Nº 7 // Long Sweater Cardigan – A long sweater cardigan is great for layering and on the airplane and for cooler days.

Nº 8 // A Little Black Dress – A LBD is a wardrobe staple and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Nº 9 // The Trench Coat – You need a trench coat that will keep you dry in Europe! It frequently rains there for all seasons, except the middle of Summer.

Jeans and Pants

Nº 10 // Jeans – The Europeans love skinny jeans.

Nº 11 // Black Skinny Jeans– You can’t go wrong with a pair of black skinny jeans. They are nice because you can dress then up or down as well.

Shoes

Nº 12 // Ballerina Flat – The ballerina flat is a must-wear in Paris.

Nº 13 // Black Booties – Black booties and boots never go out of style, especially in Europe!

Nº 14 // Mules and Loafers- If you are going to London or Paris in the warmer months, I suggest wearing some slip on mules or loafers instead of bringing booties.

Nº 15 // Retro Cool Sneaker – I have been wearing these Converse Chuck Taylors to Europe for years and every time I go, Europeans ask me where I got my shoes. *smirk, they think I’m cool*

Accessories

Nº 16 // A Scarf – You must bring one scarf with you for the plane and then buy all other scarves in Paris.

Nº 17 // A Cross bodybag – A small cross body shoulder bag is perfect for your slim camera, passport, wallet, travel umbrella, and lip gloss. Honestly though, buy a bag in Paris when you’re there.

Nº 18 // a Necklace– Accessorize your outfit with a necklace. I recommend a simple necklace as the big bold necklaces are not fashionable there. The scarf instead is worn as a statement necklace.

Nº 19 // Travel Umbrella – Who knows when it’s going to rain.

Nº 20 // A watch – I find that when I go to Europe I wear a watch compared to when I am back in the US. I usually use my cell phone in the USA, but as I frequently don’t carry my phone there, I actually wear a watch to tell the time.

Nº 21 // Sunglasses – I always wear a pair of chic sunglasses to Europe. You will find yourself walking around outside a lot (8-10 miles per day!) and you will find some sunglasses very helpful!

Shop my picks here:

What to Pack to Paris 2015 2016 by Peonies and Orange Blossoms.

If you are headed overseas, be sure to check out my guide to what to pack in your carry-on bag for the airplane flight!SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

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Angelina November 8, 2014 france

Dreaming of E Dehillerin in Paris

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As I start to think about all of the holiday baking that lies ahead, I find myself daydreaming about my trip to Paris next Spring.

Yes! I’m headed to Paris! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I am so very excited to head to my favorite city in the whole world. The last time I was there was in 2003. Practically pre-internet days, especially in Europe. This time though, I am armed with the knowledge of the internet and have added many little shops to my to do list that I previously didn’t know about!

One store I’m particularly excited to go to is E. Dehillerin in Paris. It’s a store that famously sold Julia Child her copper pans. The name is pronounced “Uh-duh-il’rin”

*the* store pic source

The shop is the oldest cooking shop in Paris… over 200 years old! They are famous for their large bounty of products from Mauviel copper to knives to pans to every type of mold ever needed!

They have things like… a butter curler! TSA doesn’t approve but I do!

I think I will be picking up a madeleine pan here so that I may start my madeleine baking journey next year. I think I’ve mastered the macaron. On to something new…

madeleine pan from France j’adore… source

Don’t you just want to take all of this home?

love this copper Coq source
A copper tatin mold for the perfect tarte tatin

from their website

I will also need to pick up a few of these little pans so that I can bake the remaining recipes in Laduree’s Sweet book…

tart molds, loaf pans, financier molds! source

Maybe some silicone molds… At least I know these could go on the plane!

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E. Dehillerin is at 18 rue Coquillère, 75001 Paris … which is only a 10 minute walk from where we’ll be staying. How convenient!

I thought this blog post here had a nice tour of the store.

Have you been to E. Dehillerin in Paris? What did you buy?! Leave me a comment, I have some planning to do!

If you’ve missed a Paris post, catch them ALL RIGHT HERE on my new Paris Trip Round-Up!

Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com

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Angelina August 8, 2014 California

San Francisco Gingerbread Houses

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

This Spring I was visiting San Francisco and took a few pictures of some of the wonderful houses.

I thought I would share them with you today.

Now this house under construction below was pretty. I initially thought the window trim was bright blue which I thought was a neat idea… but then I realized it was painter’s tape. I still think bright blue would be a great idea!

San Francisco Houses

I enjoy all of the little gingerbread details

This house is just classic San Francisco style.

Wow! Look at this house below! So pretty! Notice the bay on the far left side of the picture…

If you stand at the corner where that white Prius is above and look down, this is what you see: The Golden Gate! Wow!

Another fabulous house!

I really liked the trees in front of the house on the right.

I like the wisteria on the house on the left…

This was the front door to one of the houses. What a rare thing to have a little yard with your front door. Also like the neoclassical details of the porch!

This house reminded me of France…

And to end today’s post, another classic San Francisco style house!

What do you like about the Victorian architecture in San Francisco?

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Angelina July 31, 2014 Pacific Northwest

Salt & Straw Ice Creamery Review

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

Ever since watching one of my favorite tv shows, Unique Sweets, I have wanted to visit Salt & Straw Ice Creamery. Only problem was that they are only located in Portland, Oregon!!

On my Northwest Summer trip that I recently got back from, I stopped by Salt & Straw. First off, what a clever name. Like how ice cream used to be made: with salt and straw!

There was a long line out the door but it seemed to move pretty quickly. They let you sample several flavors, which is mainly why it takes so long.

image from huffington post

What’s so special about Salt & Straw’s ice cream?! Their unique flavors!

They have flavors like: Coconut with salted caramel bars. Pear with blue cheese. Coffee and bourbon. Cucumber and raspberry sorbet.

inside the store image source

We tried a total of three flavors.

almond brittle with salted ganache

Grandma Malek’s Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache

I felt like I was a eating a candy bar with ice cream inside. The salted ganache was interesting. It helped overcome with sweetness of the almond brittle and the ice cream. But I couldn’t finish it all. (Usually I can finish ice cream no-problemo… don’t know if this is a plus or a minus!).

Sea Salt Ice cream with caramel ribbon

Sea Salt Ice Cream with Caramel Ribbon

This ice cream actually tasted like sea salt. The caramel is not salted. The ice cream has a very nice smooth texture. While the flavor combination was good, I felt like I was eating a savory dessert, which isn’t quite what I was looking for.

Birthday cakes and blackberries

Birthday Cakes and Blackberries

This one was my favorite. It was a frosting flavored ice cream with chunks of what seemed like sugar cookies in the ice cream, with blackberry swirls inside. Loved the blackberry swirls. This ice cream was very very sweet. I think either I need a smaller portion OR less cookie swirled inside.

Final Words

I felt like a lot of these ice cream flavors were more savory in nature. Like more of an after dinner dessert. They weren’t as refreshing as other mid-afternoon ice creams because of the saltiness and then also the extreme sweetness. I hate to say it, but sometimes I just like plain ol’ mint chocolate chip or vanilla. There’s a reason why they are bestsellers in America. I think next time I will actually go for their “Double Fold Singing Dog Vanilla”. I would give them another try and recommend at least trying them once.

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Angelina May 28, 2014 California

A French Pastry shop in LA

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Bottega Louie

This is my review of Bottega Louie, a French pastry shop and cafe located in downtown L.A. here in Southern California!

French Patisserie

Now I LOVE French pastries. We drove to Strasbourg, France from Germany (not too far away) just to eat a real French croissant and some real French pastries.

Frequently I am let down by the American attempts at French patisserie making. This has led me to try to make my own.

At Bottega Louie, I was not let down!

This is what greets you at the entrance:

Bottega Louie macarons

bottega louie macarons

Here is a look at some of their pretty cakes…

On one side of the wall, they have all of their gifts wrapped up in beautiful packaging.

It’s like I stepped into a real French patisserie in Paris!

Who wouldn’t love to receive one of these boxes as a gift?!

The architecture is French, naturally. And I love it.

French counter

A look inside their pastry case…

French pastries at Bottega Louie

Look at all of these mouth-watering pastries! How do you choose one? You can’t!

French pastries

This is what I came home with… a box of macarons…

They wrap it up in pretty packaging which I think is a must for a macaron. They technically aren’t cookies, they are little pastries. Little pastries need cute little boxes! One thing I love about the French is how much is put into the presentation of things. Here we just throw things into an ugly plain white bag.

macaron box

Here are the flavors I tried…

macarons

Raspberry macaron – the inside tasted like a raspberry gel. it was quite yummy.
Pistachio macaron – I think mine are better. shhh!
Chocolate orange- good.
Salted caramel – good. But I like my salted caramel ones better.
White chocolate cherry – HEAVENLY. Wow.

I like the Laduree recipe better for macarons as the Laduree recipe has a more almond taste.

Now, I will say I put the leftovers in the refrigerator and I think that Bottega Louie’s macarons tasted better the NEXT day. I think they were probably made fresh and macarons shouldn’t be eaten for at least 24-48 hours after they were made.

Next up… the raspberry blueberry fruit tart. It was GOOD. How could it not be?

fruit tart at bottega louie

Now onto my FAVORITE French dessert OF ALL TIME….

Le Frasier!! If a pastry shop can make an excellent Frasier then they will always win me over. I love Frasier cake so much, it was even my wedding cake (which is pictured on the header of my blog!)

Let’s take a look, do you see the little fleck of gold leaf on the top? A little crumble of pistachio, strawberries, chantilly cream, honey, and a soft light cake.

Le Frasier at Bottega Louie

The verdict: MAGNIFIQUE! The Frasier was so good. I can rave about it for days. It was simply divine. You need to try one. I wish I were eating one now.

A last look in the pastry case…

French pastries

Now, I did not have the opportunity to eat at the cafe. The line was too long. Instead we got some sandwiches to go. I had the caprese sandwich/baguette. It was really good. Their bread was perfectly done. I did not get to try a croissant. I will need to go back and try one. If they can make a good croissant, then I will be super impressed as I have yet to have one that rivals Paris.

My final review:

Macarons not my favorite but they were pretty good. Their other pastries were really really good. Their sandwiches were really really good. I highly recommend going to Bottega Louie when you are missing Paris.

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Angelina May 1, 2014 Germany

European Flower Window Boxes!

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European Flower Window Boxes

If you’ve ever been to Germany, Switzerland, or Austria you will have noticed something… many of the houses and buildings have window boxes full of beautiful flowers. Other European countries have mastered the window box, but not quite like those living in the Alpine region!

They are also called balcony flowers, as seen below on the balconies:

European Flower Window Boxes - Peonies and Orange Blossoms

in Tirol, Austria

Aren’t they beautiful? I took all of these pictures on my trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in 2013.

the world’s largest cuckoo clock!

The flowers in the boxes are typically geraniums and ivy.

There are several types of “balcony geraniums”. The ones below are part of the “minicascade” type of geraniums. They trail about 2 feet and bloom like crazy.

Balcony Geraniums in European Window Boxes - Peonies and Orange Blossoms

in Austria

The ones featured below appear to be part of the “midcascade” type. They are a little bit fluffier than the ones above!

in Strasbourg, France

The ones below are part of the Balcon series. They are large, up to 4 feet! As you can see, they create huge masses of color!

isn’t this house super cute? It is in Bavaria.

I love how every little window gets a planter box! It takes a house from drab to fab!

Bavaria

Red is the favorite color, but sometimes people plant other colors. Pink is below!

in Triberg, Germany

The great part about these balcony geraniums is that they survive the heat of Summer when others can’t.

in Austria

I wish more houses in America would have planter boxes in front of every window!

in Germany

I love the double layer of flowers on this building below

The hotel we stayed at in Austria even had balcony flowers for every room! I still can’t believe I visited this place!

Balcony Geraniums in European Window Boxes at the Internalpen Hotel in Austria- Peonies and Orange Blossoms

Interalpen Hotel, Austria

I found this pretty house on houzz, which is a modern interpretation of French Provencal style. I love that it incorporates everything that I love… French style, German window boxes, European working shutters, AND it is single story!

You can’t find these special geraniums at every nursery. You have to do a special search for them. Look for “balcon geraniums”, “cascade geraniums”, or “alpine geraniums”

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Angelina March 26, 2014 California

Tartine Bakery: A Review

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

A San Francisco French Bakery Review

I love French pastries. I love them so much, I used to beg my dad to bring home a smooshed croissant from Paris when he had to go there for business trips! There is nothing like a real French croissant.

So, I decided that I needed to go to to Tartine Bakery located in the Mission District in San Francisco.

Why?

Zagat gives it a 27/30 and says “it’s the best croissant ever”. The NY times declares it “the best croissant on the West Coast”. Well, San Francisco is much closer to me than Paris!

Those are some big expectations to live up to.

1. First up, the frangipane croissant (basically, an almond croissant).
Was it good? Yes, really good. It was oversized (I suppose that’s fitting for a croissant in America!). The filling was good. BUT it was overdone! Yep, too brown. They shouldn’t have served them as they were overdone, but they sold them anyway because they can.

2. A gougere
This gougere was oversized, as big as a softball. It was okay. Gougeres taste best hot out of the oven. They should’ve rewarmed it before they sold it. It is rare to have a bakery sell them though. I’m biased, I like mine better! I would pass on this if you were to go there (unless they were straight from the oven!)

3. Pain au chocolat
Nothing special about this, other than the fact that it was huge. It was also over baked. You can see the super dark brown on this. Overdone!

So far, we are 0/3. I’m not impressed like I feel like I should be. Why is everyone so ga-ga about this place?
I didn’t try a plain croissant. Why? Because they were even more brown than my pain au chocolat! I knew they wouldn’t be what I was looking for.

4. A Buttermilk Currant Scone
Ok. Now this is worth raving about! It was really really good. It had the consistency of a true English scones. I loved it! It would go really good with some afternoon tea. You need to try this! I see why people talk about their scones!

currant scone!

5. Lemon poppyseed bread
I forgot to take a picture. We literally had one bite and threw it away. It was so sickeningly sweet and fatty I literally couldn’t eat it. It was bad, just….bad.

There were some other goodies that caught my eye but since it was 10am, I couldn’t order everything!

Lemon meringue cake…

lemon meringue

Chcolate hazelnut tart and frangipane tart

Lemon tarts….

these look really good

Ok, one more picture!

Verdict: It was good, but not a 27/30 on the zagat and definitely not the best croissant ever. Their ovens seemed to be running hot that day, so all of the delicate puff pastry dough was overbaked and therefore not as good. They should’ve just thrown those batches out and served ones cooked at proper temp. The scone was really good though.

I heard they apparently have excellent bread that sells out before it’s even made, so I may be back for that.

But for now, I will stick to eating croissants only while in France.

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Angelina March 17, 2014 travel

Celebrate Spring with Keukenhof Gardens

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Keukenhof Gardens, also known as “the Garden of Europe” is starting it’s annual tulip festival today.

And here’s what we’re missing…

Isn’t it absolutely beautiful? It’s on my bucket list. I just had to share it with you, just in case you’ve never heard of this place!

Every year 7 million bulbs are planted. And we get to enjoy the result with none of the work!

The gardens are on 32 hectares!

The tulip festival runs every year from mid-March until mid-May. I would guess the first two weeks in April are probably the best time to go.

It’s so beautiful it almost looks fake.

I just want to go running through the field.

This is an aerial shot of on the fields that Keukenhof gardens uses to grow their tulips!

Does it feel like Spring now?

… sure feels like Spring to me.

Is Keukenhof Gardens now on your bucket list too?

Keukenhof Gardens is located in Holland. It’s just a “short” flight over to Amsterdam. It’s outside of Amsterdam, not too far away.

For more information, visit the official website

Note: none of these pictures are mine, I just found them on the google search. If they are yours, contact me to receive credit or to have them removed.

I’ve linked up with The Scoop!, Tablescape Thursday, Wow us Wednesdays!, Open House Party, Feathered Nest Fridays, Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been, life of the party, the style sisters, Favorite Things Blog Hop, and What’s it Wednesdays. Be sure to check out all of these fabulous blogging parties! A big thank you to all of the wonderful hosts!

Written by Orange Blossom at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com

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Angelina March 15, 2014 france

Europain… aka a whole expo in Paris on baking!

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Due to my insomnia one night… I got sucked into the internet planning my future trip to Paris and ran into EUROPAIN.

What is Europain? It is a world bakery, pastry, ice cream, chocolate and confectionery trade show. Aka, something I need to go to. NOW. This event took place from March 8-12 this year.

Why do I want to go? Because… this.

and this…

The whole industry shows up. And shows off.

This is *the* place they hold all of those competitions. I had no idea it was a whole expo too!

ooh laa laaa

And they make things like these, I don’t know what they are put appear to be full of lemony chocolately berry goodness!

How CUTE are these chocolates?! Or are they cakes?! Who cares they are cute!

this may be the cutest confection I’ve ever seen.

In addition to the competitions, bakeries show off new things with SAMPLES!

Here is hall 5. That means there are at least FOUR OTHER HALLS in this place!

See, it’s an expo! I NEED a pass!!! Je voudrais un billet a Europain! Bustin’ out the French! (I never actually took French, this is just what I’ve picked up over the years, Je voudrais un billet a metro is a phrase I had to learn!)

It is an expo, so we can learn about the 7 trends for 2014 for this industry. One of them includes breaking down the barriers between baking/pastry making and the consumer. The consumer wants to watch it be made and then eat it all at the same time!

apparently this is what future bakeries should look like!

They also have industrial equipment. This one is making lots of caramel. I always get mesmerized watching these machines work.

This one imprints chocolate.

This one makes all different shapes of edible goodies! WHOA!

They also have new products. Like praline powder… so desserts with praline chocolate will be more accessible. GOOD! I loooove praline!

And, I had to include this picture. It’s a cow made of bread.

So, in summary, Europain looks AWESOME! It is in Paris every year in March.

But how do we get tickets?! Ummmm, well, sorry to disappoint. You have to be a member of the industry. Or a student at a baking school. Yet ANOTHER reason why I am trying to convince my Husband and Dad to take French baking classes with me in San Francisco!

For more information, visit their official website

To drool over more photos, VISIT THEIR FLICKR!

The photos in this post were taken from Europain’s facebook page.

I’ve linked up with The Scoop!, Tablescape Thursday, Wow us Wednesdays!, Open House Party, Feathered Nest Fridays, Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been, life of the party, the style sisters, Favorite Things Blog Hop, and What’s it Wednesdays. Be sure to check out all of these fabulous blogging parties! A big thank you to all of the wonderful hosts!

Written by Orange Blossom at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com

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Angelina February 7, 2014 California

San Francisco French Pastry Shop: Craftsman and Wolves

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About 1-2 weeks ago my husband and I were watching a show on tv called “Unique Sweets” . They had a whole episode dedicated to chocolate shops in San Francisco.

As we sat there drooling, we decided we could go check it out! Here’s the report:

The shop is called “Craftsman and Wolves”.

picture from official website

They have a whole bunch of goodies in the cabinet. The far right contains the baked pastries. The left is the refrigerated cakes.

We chose several items.

#1. The Chocolate, Caramel, and Vietnamese Cinnamon Cube Cake.

This was what was featured on the show. And rightly so! It is divine! The outside is actually spray-painted with chocolate, that’s why it looks so perfect!

A look at the inside of this cube cake… it is a nice fluffy chocolate on the outside. The middle has a layer with cinnamon. And the bottom is this yummy crunchy caramel crust. My only complaint is that the crust isn’t big enough! It needed to go all the way to the outside.

#2. Next up, the Caramelized Hazelnut Financier. It was GOOD. I mean, you could eat like 5 of these.

If you don’t know, a “Financier” is a type of “Petit Gâteau”. It is a type of little French cake and it is made with almond flour. It isn’t quite as sweet as the traditional American cake. It is most similar to the pound cake.

Here’s how you say “financier”: fy-nan-see-eh
Here’s how you say “petit gâteau”: puh-teet gah-toe

Hazelnut Financier

#3. Hot salted sipping caramel with buttery croissant bites.

Wow. This was seriously delicious. It’s like a hot chocolate, but hot… caramel. I’ve never had one before. It was just… good. It was a small espresso shot size, not too overpowering with sweetness.

Okay. Well there ya go. Now I just need to figure out how to make my own hot sipping caramel.

Or… I could just go visit the bakery again.

My one and only complaint: parking is nearly impossible to find. If you can walk, bike, or take a bus to the Mission District in SF, it’s probably a lot easier!

Now visit Craftsman and Wolves Instagram and look at some of their pretty pictures!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, and life of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 26, 2014 Hawaii

Hawaii Inspiration Travel Pictures

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

A quick look at paradise… aka Hawaii

It’s the middle of Winter…

… and I’m dreaming of paradise. Although I must confess living in Southern California is hardly experiencing Winter! All the pictures in the post I have taken myself!

So grab a hot cup of tea and let’s pretend we’re there…

Molokini

Maui

Wailea Beach, Maui

Pool at the Four Seasons Lanai

Lanai

Honu, aka Green Sea Turtle, at Turtle Beach in Oahu

Waimea Canyon in Oahu, where Lost was filmed

Wailea Beach

Lanai

Hawaiian Sunset

Don’t you wish you were there?

I wished so much that I bought a plane ticket! Headed there in two months!!! Off to the island of Kauai, I have never been there before.

If you have been to Kauai before, I would appreciate suggestions of your favorite things to do in the comment box!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, andlife of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and ThursdayFavorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 15, 2014 travel

A Downton Abbey Castle

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A Downton Abbey Castle… Inverarary Castle

Since I’ve recently been thinking about all things Downton Abbey, I’m sharing with you about my trip to Inverarary Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

If you haven’t seen my post about Downton Abbey fashion… make sure to go here

This castle was featured in the Christmas Special from Season 3.

The fellas on the show at the fictional “Duneagle” castle.

Here are some of my pictures from June 2012. I had no idea the show had just filmed there a few weeks prior. Needless to say, I was very surprised to see it on TV!

Inverarary Castle is located in Scotland near the town of Inverarary in the county of Argyll. It sits on Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch of Scotland.

Inverarary Castle location is the red dot.

What’s that I see down there?

driving up to the castle, looking across Loch Fyne

The town of Inverarary is small and quaint. There is a woolen mill, a church, a jail, and a little hotel. We ate lunch in the hotel.

image from here

Pictures of Inveraray

clockwise upper left, the town next door, a sign to the castle, the Duke’s black sheep, a view of the Castle’s backyard, and a soldier statue that a seagull was sitting on.

Approaching the castle… It started construction in 1746. The castle was completed 43 years later. In 1877 there as a fire. It resulted in a third floor addition and conical roofs on the corner towers.

The Duke of Argyll, who is the seat of the Clan Campbell, and his family currently reside here today. The 9th Duke of Argyll married a daughter of Queen Victoria, HRH Princess Louise.

I waited a long time to get this shot with no one in it!

The photos below are from the official Inverarary Castle website. There were no photos allowed inside.

One of the things I liked about this castle was how they displayed their weapons here in the Armoury Hall. All 4 sides of the wall are covered in arms.

The dining room. If you look closely you’ll notice a ship made of gold. The chandelier is Waterford. The paintings were done by the same painter who painted for the Prince of Wales.

A bedroom with the family’s tartan I believe. Love this bed! However, this bed apparently is ghostly. A young Irish harpist was murdered in the 1600s. The bed was moved from that castle to this one. The boy’s ghost was so attached to his pretty bed that he travelled with it. When a member of the family is about to die, it is said harp music is heard coming from the room.

The beautiful drawing room! It is decorated with Parisian tapestries from the 1780s.

The estate sits on 60,000 acres. As you can imagine, just like Downton Abbey, running one of these estates is costly. The Duke of Argyll has had to market his estate. We actually met the Duke of Argyll in the basement bookstore where he was signing books. You can even rent the castle out for weddings!

A helicopter view of the property. It is a very pretty place to visit in Scotland!

For more information, visit here.

That’s all, folks!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, and life of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina December 24, 2013 California

Christmas at Disneyland!

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

…And you’re surfing the internet.

For the final post of the 25 days of Christmas I am taking you on a tour of Christmas at Disneyland!

Many people celebrate Christmas Day at Disneyland. Now you can enjoy some of the decorations from the comfort of your own home.

Christmas at Disneyland…

Front entrance all decked out…

The Christmas tree inside the park. Did you know that the ornaments on the bottom are actually much larger than the ornaments at the top. This trick makes the tree appear taller than it really is!

I always enjoy the florals here… always festive.

Each shop on Main Street, USA had its own special themed garland.

Also, almost every land had its own special land specific Christmas decorations. This is in New Orleans Square.

From Halloween to Christmas the Haunted Mansion has a special “Nightmare before Christmas” theme!

In Critter Country, the wreaths had bee hives and ornaments that were made to appear as if they were dipped in honey. After all, Winnie the Pooh put these up!

Brer Rabbits tree is falling out of the building

In the back area of the park they have a whole Christmas themed area that is not only quiet, but pretty too.

They have a cabin decorated inside and out.

They also have a petting zoo with goats (on the other side). I was surprised to see the baby cow again! She has grown a lot.

Here is the baby cow from last year… she has grown! Last year she just sat like this, but this year she kept her butt to us and mooed the whole time. Very cute!

Frontierland…

Over by “It’s a Small World”, every light pole had a country themed wreath.

In Toon Town, the Christmas tree and decorations appear… well, cartoonish.

Now off to California Adventure park!

The trolley had garland on it.

The big tree in California Adventure

I like this tree better

In Hollywoodland, the decorations are 1930s/1940s inspired

In Carsland, the decorations are cars-inspired.

This one is inspired by the hippy VW van…

peace

Tires and filters make up the garland

Mater’s tree…

the GI Joe tree, red, white and blue….

If you look closely at the “snowflakes” above… they are actually made from wrenches!

A construction cone tree…

Get your kicks…

on Route 66

This is the car’s body shop decorations…

Hubcap tree

Okay… off to A Bug’s Land. The lights, candy cane, and Santa pencil are really BIG because when you enter a Bug’s Land you become the size of an ant.

Paradise Pier has a Latin Christmas themed area…

Paradise Pier’s tree. Can you spot the hidden Mickeys?

And then giant presents were scattered along the walkway. I think they are used for the nighttime show.

I would also like to point out the beautiful pink roses that are STILL BLOOMING in Winter! Ahhh yes, the beauty of Southern California.

This cracked me up. These ducks were just sitting there on the concrete. As if that is the most comfortable place to sit! ha!

Ok, run back to the other park!

You have to watch the Christmas parade.

One of the many floats…

If you missed the parade, it airs on Christmas Day on national tv. Did you know that they actually film that parade in mid-November.

It cracks me up… the day they filmed it this year it was almost 90 degrees! If you watch the parade like I did last year… people were wearing scarves. I am pretty sure those were handed out as props and that people were probably sweating since it’s usually warm mid-November. I guess we will see!

I hope you enjoyed this little trip to Disneyland.

I also hope that you have enjoyed my 25 days of Christmas. I had a fun time blogging about Christmas. It was a bit exhausting; having a new post every day is very time consuming.

Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year!

(all pictures in this post aside from the Christmas banner were taken by me and are property of mine. Do not use without permission).

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A Downton Abbey Castle… Inverarary Castle

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Christmas at Disneyland!

Christmas at Disneyland…

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