I'm Dreaming of a White Dinner

8:22pm, Friday.

Anothah suppah!

This time, haha, it's all white. White swordfish, white corn, white aioli, white wine. I mixed it up a little and put out a brown cloth napkin, though. 

To indulge in a winter wondermeal, complete the following ridiculously complicated steps:

1. Buy a frozen swordfish steak from Trader Joe's. (That's right, I live in Seattle and I buy frozen fish at a chain called Joe's. Don't worry, I'm working on a fishmonger-FOR-REALZ-CALLED-LEIF hookup at the market. More on this later.)

2. Drizzle on some olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil, bake in pre-heated oven at 350 for about 15 mins, or until opaque.

3. While you're waiting, heat up some white corn. (It could also maybe, possibly have been frozen.) If you're feeling frisky, spruce it up with a pat of fatty butter. (Tonight I was not feeling frisky, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a huge serving of chocolate for dessert to make up for it.)

4. Also while you're waiting, mix up about 2 tablespoons mayo, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, and some salt'n'peppah to make an easy aioli.

5. Pour some wine, stuff yo' face. Save the dishes for another day.

[AHA! The candle, the candle is GREEN.] 

Now it is necessary for me to make my nightly tea. And eat some more chocolate.

-kK le Nacht Owl

Long Live the Empire!

12:42am, Friday.


There's never a bad time to let your inner geek-itude come shining through. Tonight I made a special trip all the way to a gallery far, far away from my douillet apartment to mingle here:

Yes, a Stars Wars expo. The Ltd. Art gallery hosted an event affectionately known as "These Are the Droids You Are Looking For," a sort of steampunk-y edition of our favorite (anti-) heroes. They really need to make these things open bar (who charges for a glass of two-buck-Chuck!?). Get these shy sci-fi dudes loosened up to give them the nerve to talk to ze ladies. Well, not that there was a huge female:male ratio, but still, free alcohol never hurt an art gallery opening.


I WISH I'd gotten a shot of Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers, those outfits looked like they had seen some serious action, I am not even joking. I can only hope I'm that dedicated to foraging a decent cup of coffee every morning.

If Willis had been there, she'd have used The Force to make me take a photo with these dudes:

...and you know? I totally would have dived right into the fray, cuz, that's right, YOU GO GRRRL.


-kK le Nacht Robo-Owl

Tarot for Tea

11:21pm, Wednesday.


I'm having a nice cuppa as I snuggle in bed with my little iPad library book ("Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," by Stieg Larsson) and noticed my tea was trying to tell me something:

[Zoomed in: "All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: Chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire." -Aristotle, 384 BC-322 BC]


I can't decide if this is annoying or profound. 


I also wonder if nuggets like this hit one's philosophical gray matter differently in the light of day than they do late night. If I had read this in the morning instead of at midnight, would it have affected me differently? Would I be wasting blog space on it, or just gone "huh" and tossed the used bag in the trash without even bothering to take a picture? I think I do a different kind of thinking at night. Or maybe I just notice my same thoughts differently, depending on the amount of daylight.


Or maybe I need to stop drinking wise-ass mugs of tea.


-kK le Slowly De-caffeinating Nacht Owl

Xmas playlist: Otis

1:42am, Wednesday.


Nothing to combat some Tuesday bluesday vibes like a little meatloaf sammy from the deli and some Otis Redding on the computer radio.


He can sing to me about anything any-friggin-time, but his White Christmas is pretty fantastic. (If the player isn't working, click here for a direct Grooveshark playblast, or click here and download the song from my Google page. I really gotta get better at this computer code thing. gah.)


And little by little, I'm getting organized and even-more-douillet-y, come with me and take a look:

I'm experimenting with windowsills-(and chairs!)-for-bookshelves, but let's face it, knowing me I'm just going to treat any apartment I live in like it's a ready-made library and have books piled everywhere, even if I have 10,001 bookcases crammed in each room. 



Now if you'll excuse me, I have some dancing-in-my-pjs to do. Hit it, Otis!


Hyphenetically,
-kK le Nacht-Dancing-Owl

Oddballities and LOLs: The Walken

10:16pm, Monday.


In case you didn't know, I have a (healthy) obsession with Monsieur Walken. He plays quirky, crazy roles in movies, he can dance, and most importantly, he can yell "More Cowbell" with a perfect poker face. He is Awesome Oddballity personified, I bow to the master. In fact, there should be sites devoted to Walken "facts," just like there are for Chuck Norris. (Go ahead, click on it. Just be prepared with a clean pair of underwear.)


Anyway, in the spirit of winter and Christmas and the fabulousness of LOLing, Willis (will my sister ever be known by her real name ever again??) found me the perfect image:

Rahaha. RAHAHAHAHAHA!


Thus we have The Walken, just about to ask me to tango through the trees.


-kK le Nacht Oddballity

Book It!: "Blood Work"

9:12pm, Saturday.


Thus begins a new series at Douillet Corner, in honor of night owl habits.


 A while back I had an apocalyptic moment wherein I was convinced I would run out out of good books to read and not be able to find anything of quality amongst all the latest crap on the bookshelves. 


But then an old professor of mine wrote that her new book had just been published, so I went out for a copy right away. Then, on this same professor's blog, I read a guest post by another author whose book sounded AWESOME, so I trounced out to get that. And so it went, a newspaper article here, a random recommendation there...I mentally slapped myself and hauled my whiny butt to the library to get everything that sounded good.


I decided to make a list of everything I've been reading for the past few months in case any one else has been apoplectic about reading material. Obviously there's not a lot of chick lit on these pages, but even if you're not a typical SF/F fan, there will be plenty to choose from if you're looking for a good bedtime story.


In honor of my long ago mental slap, let's start with "Blood Work" by Holly Tucker. Holly was one of my French professors at Vanderbilt, and she is the coolest geek I know. Seriously, check out her blog Wonders and Marvels: A Community for Curious Minds Who Love History, Odd Stories and Good Reads sometime. 


With topics like "What Was Cleopatra Like As A Mother," "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football," and "What Romans Used for Toilet Paper," it's a fabulous, entertaining combo of history, medicine, science and science fiction, all wrapped up in a package of amazing writing.

Anyway, "Blood Work" is about the history of blood transfusions in 17th century France, with a little historical murder mystery thrown in. She's such a good writer that a topic normally relegated to a medical journal article is instead an enthralling, and of course BLOODY, novel that will keep you tearing through the pages late into the night.


Bloodtastically,
-kK le Nacht Owl

Punday Night

10:04pm, Friday.


I wasn't going to post tonight, nothing really caught my fancy for a photopportunity. But as I was reading myself supposedly to sleep, I came across something that literally made me do my best Robert Redford double take.


"Lord of Light," by Robert Zelazny--yes, another sci fi tale, this time one of humans playing gods and battling for the right to control scientific achievement. Not a particularly awesome book, which I didn't exactly realize until I'd almost finished, but oh well, it was worth it for the one second it took to lighten my mood.


There's a bit scene featuring an epileptic man called The Shan. One million brownie points (and maybe a few actual brownies) to whoever can guess the very serious, literary plot line punchline.

"Then the fit hit the Shan."


I'm just going to check myself into the nearest Punday Night happy hour and scour my brain cells.


-kK le Nacht Owl, sighing out.
(That's right, you didn't think I'd let the Shan get the last pun, eh!)

All hail kale

6:24pm, Thursday.


Suppah-time!

That would be some kale soup with sweet potatoes, onions, garlic and a bit of white corn. The only spices I have at the mo' are salt, pepper and cumin, which does the trick nicely.


In case you feel like replicating my genius, pour yourself a big ole glass of vino, then:


1. Caramelize a whole chopped Vidalia onion and about 2 spoonfuls of minced garlic in a pat of awesome butter. (No cheap-assing it when it comes to being fatty.)
2. Add 2 chopped sweet potatoes, cook until semi-soft.
3. Pour in 2 quarts vegetable broth (I like super-soupy soup, but you can cut back if you like it thicker).
4. Add sea salt, pepper and cumin to taste.
5. Let mixture get hot, almost boiling, then add kale and white corn.
6. Let simmer for about 30 mins.
7. While you're waiting, bake up a batch of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.
8. Stuff yo face!


I had a 10 oz bag of kale from Trader Joe's, so this pot will feed me for about a month! But everybody knows soup is even better as leftovers. Plus sometimes I freeze some of the broth to sip on when I get sick later in the winter. 


Bon appétit!
-kK le Nacht Owl

PB&kK

12:34am, Wednesday.


After 5 long days of standing on my feet all day helping people pick out winter fleeces and ski jackets, tonight is my Friday. I'm all cozied into bed with my ebook ("Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson, and no I don't care that it was written for a slightly younger audience, so was Harry Potter dammit!), but I'm sorry, I need some noms STAT.

Some crunchy, oily peanut butter and a crisp gala should do the trick. YUM.


Now 'scuse me, speaking of peanut butter I think there's some chocolate around here somewhere.


-kK le midNacht snack Owl

Do Swedish people actually shop at Ikea?

11:08pm, Friday.

In honor of my first ever Ikea purchase, it's a double whammy photo op night.

Somehow, I went from this...

...to this! 

(Resto Hardware coffeetable and Trader Joe's wine sold separately.)

I'm convinced that what must have happened is I passed out, a kK from parallel universe who is good with tools came over, fixed it all up, then I awoke to the futon miracle.

I know, I know, Ikea is supposed to be the simplest stuff to self-construct, but man you KNOW me, I am CHALLENGED. And yet, VOILA, I can now lounge in beddinge comfort while I dip my rye crisps in hummus and watch the latest Castle on hulu. 

-kK le Nacht Owl, bidding you a totally excellent adieu.

Home sweet douillet

3:04am, Thursday.

I came home today and found this just waiting to be photographed:

(It's my new mat right by the door in the hallway so I have a place to put dirty shoes.)

Then I snuggled my feet into my douillet house slippers and made myself breakfast-for-dinner. And wine for dessert.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-kK le Nacht Owl, out.

Library douillet

6:22pm, Monday.


Internet woo! In my own hizz-ouse. 


Another monumental installation, another monumental just-the-right-amount-of-divey burrito takeaway dinner on the living room floor.


On the way home from my mexi-run, my little library branch caught my eye:

Couldn't resist, it's such an awesome place! And apparently I'm going to meet my future husband there. ;-)


kK le Nacht Owl, out.

Well well well, look what the Kat dragged in...

6:38pm, Saturday


It was one of those mornings when I woke up on the semi-belligernt side of the bed and didn't feel like doing anything I was "supposed" to do, like, oh, I don't know, UNPACK MY BOXES that have been sitting there for a week. 


So it was a day of sloth, wherein I never got out of my 'jams and just stayed in bed with my books ("Quicksilver" by Neal Stephenson and the final Jaz Parks novel by Jennifer Rardin, in case you're curious) unless I felt like getting up for more food. Which I promptly brought back to eat in bed.

Alright, so what if I felt like making a batch of rice krispie treats and eating the entire thing all day long instead of real food? It went quite nicely with a strong cuppa joe, which might or might not have had a generous splash (or 3) of Jameson.


Yes, it was one of "those" days, where wallowing in a pouty funk long enough eventually makes you laugh again by the end of the night.

Thursday Morning.

A reflection on a Thursday morning.

Most mornings are quite the same for me. My alarm goes off at 6:15. Surprisingly I'm usually already awake by then. But, as I love good coziness, it is rarely ever easy for me to get out of the flannel or break from my boy within the 30 minutes of my obnoxious wake-up call. I, most days, make the attempt to run a brush through my hair a couple times, brossez les dents, wash my face, take my vitamins, and always put on warm (and cute)socks. My current favorites are these. Some days I feel motivated to have a relaxing cup of tea and change out of my pajamas into something more suitable for work. But when you're a baker, generally anything you're not too attached to is just suitable enough.

This morning all of those things happened. (minus the changing out of pajamas) But when I got to work, ready to mix flours and butters in a bowl and pop their results into the oven, I had the nicest feeling come over me. I wasn't in a rush. I didn' t have anywhere else to be all day. Anxieties didn't creep up upon me because I had an 11 o clock appointment and 6 different errands to complete before lunchtime. No, today I realized I don't need any planned distractions from where I am in my life. Today, I took my time and enjoyed most everything I did. Today didn't feel like work, like life sometimes does. I didn't set goals for myself or expect to accomplish an endless to do list. I took time and had lunch. I took time and talked to people. I did what felt right almost every minute. And that's probably what brought me back to reflection and writing this post right now. So, I'm not so sure who I am suppose to thank for the opportunities in my life that have lead to this day.... but thank you. It might have been an isolated gift or maybe the start of something new. But either way, thank you. Even if I don't know who you really is.

Chai-town

5:02pm, Wednesday.


Just came in from out of the pouring rain to enjoy a nice hot chai at my favorite cafe. Although I heart me a good coffee shop, I really can't wait for my internet installation on Monday so I don't have to leave the house if I don't want to!


But anyway, before it started raining I just had a moment of "OMG I can't believe I live in beautiful Seattle" and felt compelled to snap an image of what I was looking at when the awe struck:

Now back to working my way down to the bottom of my cuppa, and maybe a run to the grocery for a few baking items so I can make cookies or something. (That might be a bit ambitious, but anything's possible ha!)


-kK le Nacht Owl

Will that coffee be for here or shop-away?

2:48pm, Sunday.


HA! So I spent a full day shopping, and you KNOW how I feel about shopping even for ONE MINUTE. <shudders> 


But it was fine because here is yet another reason to heart this rainy city:

That's right, they have coffee cup holders built into their shopping carts! bwaahahahahaaa!


-kK

Oh. Hells. Yeah.

 8:36, Saturday night.

So it's a bit early for me to be getting in bed (I'm pretty sure I'm in bed before even you!) but as you know it has been a HELL of a month and today is the first day I am in my own apartment, all in my own space! The rest of the living room and kitchen and bathroom look like tornado sites, but I feel like Scarlett O'Hara: Tomorrow is another day, one in which I will organize my lifetime supply of accumulations. But tonight is for decompressing. I've eaten my chile relleno burrito takeaway, washed away the move-grime under the hot spray of my new shower, and I've completed my all important douillet corner:

I was so obsessed with this all day long it only seemed natural to take a photo of the final product. As you could probably predict without physical evidence, I have my glass of wine and badass-chick-kicking-demon-butt novel at the ready, the obscene amount of pillows waiting to prop me up to enjoy both. 

-kK le Nacht Owl

What a day.

Ok, I'm 0 for 2. Its 5:49 PM and give me some slack because its the first moment I've stopped all day. And you know what? Part of the reason I like to make rules is to break them.

Anywho, I had a grand baking workshop today with new and old students who left me so grateful with who I am and what I do. One lady admitted her envy of my baking and teaching job and I had to stop for a moment and think, yep, I'm so lucky. I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing. How many people get to say that??

But, I'm sorry I don't have anything too profound to say or write, and before I make a fool of myself and my writing, I'm just going to leave it at that. Just checking in, just saying hi. Me lay down now.

Bienvenue from le Nite Owl

12:32am, Saturday.


The only sunrise I want to see is the one for which I'm still awake after a long night of vampiring. Darkness falls and that's when I wake up! There's something about being awake during the wee sma's, when you feel like you're one of a few to witness the world at an intriguing peace. It's not always quiet at night, you know things are going on, but it's stealthy. If you want to tune in you have to sharpen your extra senses. You can be awake and not be bombarded with the noisy masses telling you what to do and how to think. It's easier to harness your inner douillet, curled up with a small night light and a warm blanket as you sip your wine and turn those pages.  

As Steph wrote earlier, this blog has come about because we want to share our worlds with each other, from aurora to gloaming and beyond. She will take a picture sometime before noon, and I will take one sometime after 6 pm, no consulting beforehand to sway each other's chosen image.

If I had my druthers I would sleep from 6am-3pm (what, I need my beauty sleep! Fine, I'll get up at 2, sheesh.), get up for some vitamin d, and get my cozy on around the time Steph has already been asleep for about 5 hours.    

[Side note: Wouldn't it be cool to work the graveyard shift in an actual graveyard!? YES. What exactly would one do for a graveyard at that time, anyway?]

So sit back, relax, and enjoy some wacky West coast posts from the two wanna-be Frenchies in their respective gray sky havens. You'll see Monterey by day, Seattle by night. Unless, of course, I happen to finish a six hour SyFy channel marathon the very moment the sun decides to peek out over the Sound and I catch morning in all its glory.

kK le Nacht Owl, signing out. 

Benvenue a Douillet!

12:09 pm, a friday.

Welcome to this space everyone. I am currently typing my first entry, breaking the rules by about 9 minutes. (more on that later) But, you know what, thats part of what this blog is all about.

Katheryn (my delightful and fabulous co-blogger) and I met as depressed and over emotional New Yorkers seeking refuge in any way that we could. And that any which way would turn out to be Paris. We fled the good ol US of A in 2009, with our savage American excuse for etiquette, neurotic new york mannerisms, and a bundle full of excitement eager to see something other than a computer screen and solstice via the bottom of yet another bottle of wine (Katheryn) or a jar of peanut butter (Steph). Hell, we all have our debatably unhealthy ways to cope with life. And being the dreamers that we were, and still are, we fled to France to teach English to little French beret wearing brats the way any normal, sane ex New Yorker would.

And fled we did. We landed in Paris with unrecognizable French and no idea about what we were actually getting ourselves in to. We had the highest highs and the highest lows. We did the typical and the not so typical. We drank miniature coffees that lasted for not so miniature time slots. We bought juicers to counter balance our meat intake. Some of us dated falafel stand workers while others joined drinking groups with a running problem. In case you haven’t guessed it yet, we're a little quirky. Long story short, we became one anothers everything in France and became extremely close pals. Fast forward two years later, in an excuse to be creative and keep up with one anothers crazy ways, we decided to create a blog dedicated to, well, a lot of things. Our sameness: the desire for everything cozy, good and comforting food, happiness, struggles of life's highs and the lows, and the zest for life that France showed to us. After all, we had promised each other we would never let each other forget what we had there. And then there were our differences: KK loves night, and I love the morn. So thats where we end; at the beginning. The beginning of our documentations. The documentations that will first and foremost be two friends sharing with one another our thoughts, our scenes, and whatever snip its we deem right to share with one another. We're just letting you see too.

The name douillet is cozy en francais, and we felt coziness and France as the strongest things that bind us. We left the rules pretty loose. I... (did I forget to introduce myself?! Well, my name is Steph) will write, photograph, or share whatever it is that I want to share before 12pm and KK will share after 5pm. But that really doesn't matter since I already broke that rule. (sorry KK) Photos, recipes, words..... the documentation of us sharing whatever we want to share, unedited and real. Hopefully real enough to inspire ourselves and each other the way Paris did not that long ago. I hope all of you enjoy our quirkiness and aren't too offended at our honesty. So sit back with a cup of tea and let douillet ensue.