une nuit en France

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I have a new post for you today :-) Last weekend I prepared a classic French dinner for my family and it was so much fun! I am currently taking French in school and every year my French teacher requires us to complete a culture project where we have various activities that we could do. Since my freshman year, I have always wanted to do the French dinner but I was either too lazy or too scared to take on this challenge. But, this year I thought I was up to the challenge, emphasis on the "thought." Who knew it would've been so much work to complete a three-course meal and dessert!? Anyways, I was able to get some pictures in so let me show you what my challenge consisted of. Allons-y!

Starting off with the table settings! I took my inspiration from what a traditional French bistro would look like. Unfortunately, I was unable to find plaid-printed napkins and floral china, but in the end I was pretty pleased with how the simple, yet classy table looked. I found these GORGEOUS orangey-yellow tulips from my local grocery store and these Yorkshire glass "vases" that I found really helped bring a rustic feel into the setting. Oh and tip for you! If you ever need some white china at the last minute, Walmart is your friend! Each plate was only 88 CENTS! What a steal! With these adorable polka-dotted candles and my great-grandmother's silverware, the table was all set for the best part, the food! Oh and I cannot forget my choice of music for this fine evening, the Cœur de Pirate Radio on Pandora was the perfect touch for this French dinner!

For the appetizer, I decided to do a wine and cheese board. Although I was unable to drink the wine, I thought it would be nice for my parents and grandparents to enjoy some Sauvignon Blanc before the meal! For the cheeses, I found some Brie and Camembert and you wouldn't think that these cheeses would taste appetizing according to the smell, but they actually tasted really good when paired with the crusty baguette and grapes! It was a perfect start to the meal!

As a side dish, my teacher suggested that I make Potato Au Gratin, or what the Americans call "Scalloped Potatoes." If you ask me, I think the French way sounds so much prettier, but then again, when does the French language not sound pretty? When making this dish, I was so surprised at how much butter and cream was called for in the recipe. This dish is definitely not for those that count their calories! But how could you resist such an ooey-gooey, delectable dish like this? It tasted as good as it looked! According to my grandma, it was her favorite part of the meal, and that certainly means a lot!

Ahh, now for the best part of the meal, the main dish! Personally, this was my favorite part of the meal and if it wasn't so rich and creamy, I would probably eat it everyday! At first, I thought Chicken Cordon Bleu was going to be an easy dish, but once again, I was wrong. Creating this dish really brought out my fear of raw meat, which I did not think I had, but with my plastic gloves on, I was able to fight through! In the end, this dish was absolutely delicious! Usually a classic Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe calls for the chicken to be covered in bread crumbs, but the one that I used only called for a flour and paprika mix, which to be honest, tasted a lot better than it would have with the bread crumbs. I highly recommend this recipe, especially if you're not a chef like I am!

my dad was able to capture me flipping my first crêpe, and it was a success!

For dessert, it wouldn't be a classic French dinner if crêpes weren't involved! I got this recipe when my French teacher had the class make some in celebration of Mardi Gras, and these are the absolute best! I was also able to get my first try at flipping a crêpe in the pan, and if you couldn't tell I was pretty excited when I didn't fail haha! When making crêpes, there are so many options of fillings and toppings, but for this night, I went with a vanilla cream filling and topped it with some fresh berries and powdered sugar! These were delicious and the perfect ending to the night!

there may be a smile on my face, but on the inside I was crying from exhaustion

At the end of the night, there was only one word on my mind (well, actually two): SO TIRED! I have to give credit to those that do this all the time, I have no idea how you guys do it. Overall, I was really pleased with how the night went. The food was delicious and I'm pretty proud of myself with what I was able to create. I highly suggest that you all do this. It doesn't necessarily have to be a French dinner and these specific foods, but anything really! Just going out of your bubble and experiencing new things is so incredible and so much fun! After having one French dinner under my belt, I cannot wait to try other foods and trust me, you guys will be the first to hear of it! Maybe a sushi night is something I can do next? Hmm... the possibilities are endless! Au revoir mes amis!

Until next time...