Cinnamon-sugar spiced pumpkin muffins

There is something to be said for getting your day started early, or so I’m told anyway. I don’t really do mornings all that well. However, since I couldn’t sleep this morning, I decided I might as well get up, seeing as it was clearly a morning for muffins. Pumpkin muffins, to be precise.

One of the many things I love about the autumn is the flavors – it is the season for pumpkin everything in my mind. I have been stock piling my pumpkin stash, reluctant to use it all up to soon since it isn’t readily available here. Sure I can roast an actual pumpkin and purée it, but that doesn’t really allow for on a whim pumpkin treats. With Thanksgiving right around the corner and my stash still in good supply, I decided it was definitely time for more pumpkin goodies.

So pumpkin muffins it was. I did a quick search and scanned the first recipe I came across. It would do, with a few alterations.*

The result was delicious and perfect with some freshly brewed coffee. The whole apartment smelled heavenly – a great way to drag my husband out of bed on a rainy morning and make an early start bearable.

Cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I use type 65 which is close to all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 heaped teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Pain d’epics spices (a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger, cardamom, & star anise).
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/3 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar plus
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon (to top)
• Pecans

Heat oven to 190°C (about 375°F). I use a non-stick muffin pan, so just spray it with a bit of oil to prevent sticking. No need for muffin liners.

Stir or whisk together the dry ingredients, reserving 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbs sugar.

Whisk together the eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, mashed banana, and pumpkin. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups (each about 3/4 full or until you fill 12 cups). Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture and top with a pecan.

Bake on 190°C (about 375°F) for 20 minutes and revel in the delightful scent that fills your home. Enjoy!

*Note: The original recipe called for oil and 1 1/2 cups sugar, less baking soda, different spices and no nuts. I like to make muffins healthier and these did not disappoint. The banana adds moisture and sweetness, eliminating the need for oil and most of the sugar. 

Parc Monceau

My favorite park and one of my favorite places in Paris to take a stroll. Its lovely in autumn with the leaves changing – and every other time of year too.

Autour de Midi…et minuit

On Saturday evening we decided to try out another jazz club. Its becoming a bit of a weekend ritual it seems – no complaints from me! There are certainly plenty of jazz clubs in Paris to try.  We headed over to Montmarte to Autour de Midi…et minuit to hear Stephane SEVA Quartet.

The venue was a cozy little cave. It was definitely an intimate little venue so pretty much everyone who found a seat had a good view. The band played a mixture of music – from Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles, along with Calude Nougaro and Fats Waller. The band definitely enjoyed themselves and even had a guest singer join them for a few songs in the second and third sets.

I’m not sure we’ve found our ‘place’ yet, but Autour de Midi is definitely worth a visit. With live music on Tuesdays through Saturday, I’m sure we’ll head back sometime.

Unfriendly Parisians? Au contraire!

Many people think that the French, Parisians in particular, are unfriendly, or dare I say snobby. This was something I never particularly found to be the case, but after having lived in Paris for nearly a year now, I feel like this is something I can better comment on.

I don’t find Parisians unfriendly at all – in fact, I find that most people are friendly. Yes, there are customer service differences, but that is a more of a cultural difference than a personality issue. I first started to think about this when I noticed how overtly friendly people are when I’m walking Lily (our very popular puppy). And I’m not talking, smile and pass politely friendly. I’m talking start up a conversation, ooh and ahhh, and make all sort of noises that are only excusable when referencing two things – babies and puppies. And to a ridiculous extent. Walking has become quite difficult now with her as we can hardly make it 5 feet before being stopped. I have to say that walking an adorable puppy certainly has forced me to have more conversations with random people (aside from the boulanger, boucher, etc.). And people are genuinely nice. Not only do they try to spoil her with chicken, entire pieces of pork and fine French cheese, they stop, chat, say congratulations, wish me luck, a ‘bonne promenade’ and ‘bonne journée. Granted the later is can be a polite social convention, but still. People stop. They have hearts that melt when they see something cute. In addition, they have expanded my knowledge of french adjectives immensely. 

Much of the unfriendly stereotype comes from people visiting who don’t speak any French. I can empathize – my first few times in Paris I didn’t know any French. My French is still limited and I knew absolutely none upon moving here, but even in my trips to Paris before, made an effort to at least learn ‘Bonjour’ and ‘parlez-vous anglais?’, and ‘merci’. In fact, pretty much anywhere I travel, I make an effort to learn those three phrases. Picture this – you are in your home town and a stranger walks up to you and asks you a question in a foreign language. A typical person in the US or in the UK would be annoyed. I have heard many Americans say ‘this is America, speak English’ (despite the ever-changing demographics). And certainly an English grumble or two about speaking English, especially when it concerns Americans! I’m you’re saying, ‘No, never,’ but think about it. Of course we expect people to speak ‘our’ language. If not, then we certainly expect them to at least try, with a polite ‘excuse me..’. So I’m not in the least surprised that a French person seems a bit irritated or isn’t overtly friendly when you walk up to them and speak English. Even a simple Bonjour does wonders. I find that the more French I at least attempt, the more people seem genuinely helpful. This could bring me to a bit of a rant on tourists who expect the place their visiting to be like home, but I’ll save that for another time. After 7 years living in the UK, I actually think the French are friendlier than the English. Perhaps some of my English friends would object, but many other expats have expressed similar sentiments. 

My french is still a work in progress. I can sort of have a normal conversation, usually can understand the gist of what someone is saying, but my responses are still a bit limited, and I’m not yet confident enough in my grammar choices. Even so, people will try to talk to me. Many who also speak English are very willing to speak a mix of French and English with me, some even helping me.

This is not to say that I don’t feel slightly out of place in some shops – perhaps not as ‘put together’ as some Parisian women. But that is me. The same thing would happen if I walked into any higher end boutique in jeans and a t-shirt, I would probably immediately be passed off as not being a potential customer. I am not saying that it is right, but we make snap evaluations all the time – it is human nature. That being said, people in most shops here are friendly and very willing to help, but also aren’t pushy. Nothing makes me walk out of a store quicker than a pushy salesperson. And outside Paris, in the South and other areas we have traveled, people are even nicer.

So make an effort, say Bonjour. I’m willing to bet most people will be much happier to help you. I’m sure there are some who may disagree with me, but perhaps you aren’t making an effort, or you just encountered rude people – they exist everywhere!

Sometimes you just need pancakes

After a much earlier than usual start this morning, I woke up and decided I would start the day with fresh banana bread. It was that sort of morning. Only to find that when I went into the kitchen this morning, I no longer had the very ripe bananas I had been saving for this purpose. Husband strikes again – every now and again he goes on a cleaning/reorganizing streak and potentially the kitchen is the victim. While this is lovely, I occasionally loose things or can no longer find things as a result. Such was the fate of my bananas. Luckily, we had gone to the market this weekend, and I had a bowl of apples begging to be used. Apple pancakes it was.

I haven’t actually made apple pancakes in years, but with Joe off to London early this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Some days you just need pancakes.

This was a fairly experimental recipe, and a divergence from the pancakes I usually make, but it was just the sort of mood I was in. And I’m pleased to say it turned out delightfully. I fit denser than my typical pancakes, but delicious and indulgent. Next time I might separate the egg and whip the white separately so it is light and fluffy.

Apple cinnamon pancakes

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 c. flour (I use Type 65)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp lavender honey
• 2-3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla seeds (I used dried seeds, but you could use vanilla extract or open a vanilla pod, or omit entirely)
• 1-2 tsps rum*
• 1-2 drops lemon extract
• 2 apples, grated

*A slightly unorthodox ingredient, but I had a few tablespoons of rum begging to be used after I made vanilla extract recently with a few of the vanilla pods we brought back from Bora Bora for the purpose). I’m looking forward to using it in my holiday baking.

Beat the egg with the yogurt, milk, honey. lemon and rum. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture. The mixture will likely be fairly dense, but will loosen nicely once you add the grated apple. It doesn’t look so pretty, but it will be.

 

Cook in a non-stick pan over medium heat, flipping when the edges start to firm up.

The only thing I missed with these was chunks of apples – next time I think I will go back to cutting the apple into chunks, or at least one of them because I like the texture. Grating them not only smells heavenly, but keeps them nice and moist.

 

I enjoyed this with a hot cup of Mariage Frères Paris Breakfast tea. One of my favorites and a lovely way to start the day.

A little Sunday indulgence and experimentation

Baguettes in France are part of daily life – everyone stops on their way home for a fresh baguette. You will of course see many a person walking around with a fresh baguette with a bite missing from the top. Its a custom we grown to love. Nothing compares to a bite from a fresh baguette, hot out of the oven. I love taking visitors to our boulangerie and having them sample a hot, fresh, baguette. Steamy on soft on the inside with a light, crispy crust. Perfection. The look on their face and sounds of enjoyment say it all. “Wow. Its just so much better than at home” they all say. I didn’t have an obsession with bread until we moved here – in fact could hardly eat it. That has certainly changed.

My husband has been begging me to try to make baguette pretty much since we moved to Paris. I have argued that there is no need while we practically live above a wonderful boulangerie with delicious baguettes. However, as we get closer to having to leave this incredible city, a place we have called home for almost a year, his argument holds more weight. He is determined that we perfect the baguette before we go so it will be one less thing to miss – and while we still have the gold standard for comparison, of course.

So, I agreed. Especially as it was a Sunday and our boulangerie had been closed since Friday since it was a holiday here. Yes, there are other boulangeries in our quatier but we still prefer ours, and this seemed like as good of an opportunity as any. So we embarked on our first baguette make endeavor. Now, making a baguette isn’t particular difficult, but making a good baguette takes practice, and making a great one is an art. We searched for a few recipes and read suggestions from previous ‘best baguette’ in Paris winners. (Yes, there is a competition each year among with blind taste tests. This is serious stuff.) And came up with our recipe and method.

We decided to make an evening of it and had planned a meal around the eagerly anticipated baguette. Two of my favorite things are oysters and champagne – either together or separately is fine by me!). As it is the season for oysters now (months ending in ‘r,’ we are told) and the markets are abundant with them, we decided it was about time. Joe bravely shucked them (only sustaining a minor injury, I might add) and grabbed a bottle of champagne from the cave. Yet another benefit to living in France. Having a ‘cave’ (cellar) and being only an hour and a half drive to Champagne to stock up and fill said cave with exquisite and inexpensive Champagne. Who could complain?

During our summer holiday in the South of France we had lunch at a wonderful little restaurant overlooking the water recommended by a friend (same lovely friend who brought a bottle of Hospices de Beaune Pommard). This little gem was Chez Hortense in Cap-Ferret . I still haven’t gotten around to writing about all of our adventures in the south, but will at some point, promise.

The mussels at Chez Hortense are legendary and the secret recipe is protected. Seeing this as a challenge, as we enjoyed the lovely and very rich mussels, Joe and I kept track of what we tasted in order to attempt to recreate the pleasure at home. While we have our list, I decided to do a bit of a search, sure others had tried to recreate the recipe. Which they had, of course.  And what better to go with fresh baguette than some delicious moules?

For the moules, we started with a couple recipes that I found online, all very similar, and all of which we knew were definitely on the right track based on the ingredients. The ingredient list however, was much shorter than we thought, but I decided to start simple and we could later add ingredients in subsequent attempts. Chez Hortense blends everything together so no one element is particularly identifiable, and it gives the whole sauce a more homogenous texture and flavor. Our attempt was delicious, and while less rich than those at Chez Hortense, I preferred them. That being said, I’m sure I will make a few tweaks the next time.

• 2 liters of mussels
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 2 slices of jambon de Bayonne (like proscuitto), finely chopped
• 1 tbs. butter (I used butter with sea-salt)
• 2 tsp. bread crumbs
• 1 glass dry white wine preferable Bordeaux blanc sec (for steaming the mussels)

After cleaning the mussels thoroughly and removing any potentially dead ones, set them aside. Sauté the jambon and crushed garlic (I used a garlic press) in the butter with the breadcrumbs (about 5 minutes). You can add the chopped parsley here or wait until later if you like it fresher. Set aside. Steam the mussels in the white wine in a large pot until they are open (5-10 minutes). Once they are cooked, add the sauce and add the parsley if you haven’t already. Serve immediately, preferably with some hot baguette to sop up the lovely juices. Simple and delicious. I will probably make a few adjustments the next time in attempt to recreate those at Chez Hortense, but these were absolutely delicious as is and much lighter than the original so other than a personal challenge, I don’t really have a reason change a thing!

And now to the baguette…

(Yields: 2 baguettes)

• 375 g flour (Type 55)
• 5 g fresh yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 215 g warm water (37ºC)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and mix for 2 minutes in a mixer. Add the flour and the salt and mix with the dough hook until a ball is formed. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 3 hours). While we were waiting for it to rise, we nipped out to the jazz club. When it has risen, use a rubber spatula and turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in half using a pasty cutter. Take one half and form a rectangle. Fold the bottom up to the middle and then fold over again. Turn the dough over and using your hand make a valley all the way down the baguette then pinch the sides up over the valley and turn the baguette over. While you do this, roll it a bit to create the baguette shape. We followed this basic method .

You can use a baguette mold, or fold baking paper to create a divide for each baguette, as we did. We also put a cast iron skillet with a glass of water in the oven while the baguettes were cooking, as most commercial ovens use steam to make baguettes. This was recommended by a winner of the best baguette in Paris to help the bread fully rise and delaying the formation of the curst, allowing for a thinner crust.

Overall, this as a really good first effort. The baguette was a little denser than I would have liked, but the flavor and texture were good. Definitely a respectable first baguette. Next time I think I will use a slightly different method, sticking with the same recipe and see how it goes. Until then, I’ll be in search of techniques for perfecting my baguette.

Related articles

• How Do You Like Your Baguette? (twentyfourseveninfrance.com)

An afternoon with Ella

I’m always saying I want to go listen to jazz at one of the many clubs around Paris but never seem

to get there. This weekend I was determined as there was an Ella Fitzgerald event at a club not too far from us. Normally all of the events I want to go to are in the evenings and I end up forgetting about them. This one however was in the afternoon as an event for Halloween weekend.

The venue itself was nothing to speak of – a quiet little hole in the wall, which got me very excited as soon as we entered as for me, that is a potential mark of something great to come. There were hardly any seats when we arrived, 5 minutes after the planned start, although the show didn’t start until about 10 minutes later.

The band, comprising a piano, bass and drums, kicked it off. The singer, a endearing middle-aged woman with a less sultry voice than I had hoped for,
joined after a song. As it turns out, the guy on the piano was her 19 year old son. Surprisingly, there were lots of families with children there. It’s nice to see that the children could sit and enjoy some jazz alongside their parents. There was even a little French boy and his sister, both about 4 years old, who we’re singing along and seemed to know all of the words. Pretty impressive, and adorable. I guess they were Ella fans!

It wasn’t the best jazz we’ve listened to and certainly not that straight to your core, forget everything else and get lost in the music type of jazz, but it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. We will definitely be doing this more often, especially now as the weather has turned colder, which in my opinion makes it jazz season. I’m not sure why exactly, but I seem to associate it with the warmth of winter indoors and that pre-holiday spirit. Or maybe it’s just Louie. Nonetheless, jazz has been playing non- stop in our home lately, and I’m sure it will continue straight on through the holidays.

Related articles

• Ella Fitzgerald: My First Encounter With The Great Lady of Song (howardcableblog.com)
• Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie (timesflowstemmed.com)
• Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (blackisreallybeautiful.wordpress.com)

Salon du Chocolat

An entire convention center filled with chocolate and other sweet delicacies. Could a girl ask for anything more? We started seeing the signs around our neighborhood over the past few weeks and knew this was an event we couldn’t miss. So on Friday ‘dragged ourselves out’ and went to the Salon du Chocolat. Certainly a good way to spend an otherwise rainy afternoon/evening.

After I got our tickets and went inside, I started looking at the map. Two whole floors of deliciousness. Where to start? We have up on the map and decided we would just wonder about tasking chocolate from all over the world. Everyone was keen for you to have a taste. In addition to many chocolatiers and patisseries from Paris and all over the world, there was Chocolate Bailey’s and even a chocolate mousse bar. In heaven yet? Leave it to Ladurée though to have the most beautiful eye catching display with a giant crystal-like carrousel surrounded by wonderful treats.

After about the fist 30 min, Joe was starting to reach capacity, but not me. There were so many delicious things to try and I was on a guest to find something different and interesting, along with some stocking stuffers. A few of the highlights – chocolate champagne corks, filled with champagne that burst delightfully in your mouth, to-die-for eclairs – chocolate, and my favorite, caramel de beurre salé, chocolate ‘capsules’ like those you would put in your coffee machine, as well as wonderful savory macarons (Blue cheese, honey and goat cheese, tomato and basil, foie gras and fig, chive and garlic, and caramelized onion, to name a few). Is your mouth watering yet?

Perhaps most impressive was the chocolate fashion show. Yes, you read that right. Chocolate. Fashion. Show. The ‘outfits’ were incredible. The whole place came even more alive as the models strut down the runway wearing truly impressive chocolate creations. How they didn’t melt, I’m not sure.

I did eventually reach capacity for chocolate – the chocolate mousse did me in, which I didn’t think was possible. We also discovered something that will likely become a tradition in our home, Praluline, a delicious buttery brioche with candied rose almonds and hazelnuts. There was the beginnings of a long queue for something delicious looking in the ovens, so we decided we would wait and see what it was. Oh was it worth it. Hot from the oven, we got one of the last ones. It is sweet, but not too sweet, and just melted in your mouth.  Heaven. We are thinking of making it a Christmas morning tradition. We enjoyed it for the rest of the weekend and were even a bit sad to see the last bit go, it was that good.

It was certainly a delicious Friday evening, even if I am still in a bit of a food coma. But that may partially be to the fact that the rest of the weekend turned into a bit of a foodie one for us. More to come on that! If there is a Salon du Chocolat near you, I highly recommend it!

Related articles

• Celebrities wear chocolate creations in Salon du Chocolat fashion show (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)

Bourgogne

Last weekend we decided to take an impromptu trip to Bourgogne. Joe is determined to make it to most of the major wine regions before we have to move back to London. So far we have visited the Loire, Champagne, Bordeaux, Côtes du Rhône, and Provence – and now have a lovely selection of wines from those regions. This trip we explored Bourgogne (Burgundy) and Beaujolais, and it was incredible. Ok, well Bourgogne mostly, Beaujolais was less exciting as the wines are very light and far less interesting than those of Bourgogne. The landscape was absolutely stunning. As much as I love autumn in Paris, autumn in Bourgogne offered some serious competition. The rolling hills covered in vines, painting the landscape in warm oranges, yellows, and reds, with a wonderful contrast agains the blue sky and still green grass. 

The villages were charming, brimming with vignerons. We drove through some of the most unassuming, seemingly sleepy villages, which happen to produce some of the most prestigious wines in the region (starting around $100 a bottle), and yet you would never know it.  While those vineyards weren’t on our list of ones to visit, may others with incredible wine were. While we’ve certainly had some Bourgogne’s before, I didn’t realize until recently just how much I loved them. Recently, a very generous friend brought a bottle of 2007 Hospices de Beaune Pommard Premier Cru over for dinner (I was making boeuf bourguignon, after all). It was delightful, as was dinner. Typical of a good Bourgogne, it was delicate and elegant, but fruity and flavorful and wonderfully interesting. What we didn’t know however, was that unlike other wines, we couldn’t just identify it by where it was made and the year. Founded in 1443 by Nicolas Roulin, Hospices de Beaune was a hospital, largely funded by its annual wine auction. The grapes came from vineyards that were donated over the years to support the hospital. Today it is the most famous wine auction in the region and sets the price for each vintage. Wines are auctioned by the barrel to winemakers, who then take the barrels and make the wine how they would like – making each wine different. So without knowing who made our 2007 Pommard Premier Cru, it becomes nearly impossible to track down.

We made Beaune our base and stayed in a cute little hotel that was more than happy to accommodate Lily. Nothing fancy, but centrally located and close to a wonderful local wine bar. While this region didn’t boast some of the best food we’ve eaten on our trips through France, it does of course offer very delicious escargot and boeuf bourguignon, and some of the finest wine France has to offer. You also can’t forget Creme de Cassis for a lovely Kir with Bourgogne Aligoté as well as Dijon Mustard.

There are so many lovely areas to walk and explore the countryside. We were lucky at had lovely warm weather, with a very slight crisp autumn breeze. Tastings work similar to other regions in that some of the Domaines have hours in which you can pop by and others you need a rendez-vous. The winemakers are more than happy to have you taste their wine and visit their cellars (most of which is at no charge, I might add), offering sometimes even around 10 wines for you to taste. Some of the larger places, like Château de Pommard, will charge for a visit, including a 45-minute tour of the estate and cellars, followed by tasting.

We visited 10 winemakers this trip, and tasted some truly incredible wines. Some of our favorites came from Cave Saint Nicolas, Château de Pommard, Micel Sarrazin et Fils, and Domaine Michel Juillet, all of which had wines in the Guide Hachette des Vins 2013 or 2014 (details below). Maybe one day I will get to writing about each of them. Bon degustation!

Cave Saint Nicolas, 19, rue de Mazeray, 21190 MERSAULT (Bourgogne blanc Cuvée des Forgets, Meursault Les Tillets (minerally blanc), Meursault les Clousots (fruity blanc), Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les, Serpentieres).

Michel Sarrazin et Fils, 26 rue de Charnailles, JAMBLES 71640 GIVRY (Bourgogne Aligoté , Givry La Cadole, Givry Blanc “Les Grognots”, Givry 1er Cru Blanc, Givry 1er Cru Rouge “Champs Lalot”, and Mercurey le Perriére)

Domaine Michel Juillot, 59 Grand Rue 71640 MERCUREY (Mercurey rouge 2011, Mercurey 1er Cru “Clos des Barraults” blanc 2009, Mercurey 1er Cru “En Sazenay” blanc 2008, Mercurey “Vignes de Maillonge” rouge 2011)

Chateau de Pommard, 15, rue Marey-Monge 21630 POMMARD (Nuits-Saint-George 2011, Givry 2010, and Pernand-Vergelesses 2008)

 

A Halloween to remember

I’m not typically a huge fan of Halloween. I’m not one for being scared (I leave the room if there is something scary on TV and will not even dare to watch scary movies). I’m also not really one for dressing up in any sort of costume or any of the shenanigans that go along with it. However one year, 10 years ago to be exact, I made an exception. I had a date. A first date. To a Halloween party of sorts. So it was not the sort of thing one could go without a costume to. Anyone who has been to Franklin Street for Halloween knows what I’m talking about. Aside from when I was a child, that was probably the longest I had ever spent contemplating a costume. My parents happen to be visiting and I dragged them out to help me find something to wear that I wouldn’t look like a total idiot in and at least feel slightly comfortable in despite being completely out of my comfort zone. I didn’t even decide what I would actually go with until minutes before I had to leave.

So despite not typically being ‘into’ he whole Halloween thing, I find myself looking forward to it and wanting to do something to mark the occasion. Why? Because 10 years ago, I went on a first date with a guy who didn’t care about making a fool of himself on Halloween. A guy who had the guts to show up at my door wearing a giant Afro wig, aviators, a ridiculous shirt only done up about half way, and can what only be described as plaid women’s pants (trousers, to clarify for my UK friends). I can only guess he was going for some sort of 70s character. I couldn’t help but laughed as I stood on my balcony taking in the spectacle down in the courtyard below me. I fell for him right then and there.

It was a pretty long drive from Winston-Salem to Chapel Hill, which could have made for a fairly disastrous first date. But if that had been the case, I might not have bothered even remembering it now.

That was a Halloween that changed my life. I had met my best friend, and the love of my life, and fallen for him right then and there. I only wish I had a photo from the evening. I’m sure someone has one somewhere.

Happy Halloween!