Getting to Know You : Marie of Les 3 Castafiores

Today I'd love to introduce you to: Marie

Marie writes a delightful blog called Les 3 Castafiores, totally stylish with a French twist. Marie and I have developed somewhat of a pen pal style friendship (via e-mail) after she related to one of my posts about Emma and her tantrums. The tantrum phase has passed (for the most part), but hopefully our friendship will last for a long time to come...

Tell us about yourself? ---- I'm Marie, a French mama living in America. I followed my Porto Rican husband to Boston,MA 4 years ago. I'm working full time and chasing my 2 years old son around the rest of the time And then if after all of that I have some time left for myself I love blogging, yoga and running. Why did you decide to start a blog? ---- Last year, about a month after I turned 30 and my son had turned 1, I was daydreaming about doing something creative for myself while being the least crafty person you've ever met... I had dreams about having a store one day but in the meantime, starting a blog seemed to be the perfect creative window I needed (and it was free !).

What do you most enjoy writing about? ---- Probably comparing France and the US, motherhood and also fashion and kids stuff Most of all, I love reading comments and exchanging with other bloggers.

What does your blog name mean? ----- I grew up with 2 younger sisters, and my dad used to call us 'les 3 Castafiores'. The original Castafiore was a character from the Tintin books we read growing up, she was a very loud and diva-ish Opera singer... I guess my sisters and I were pretty loud and crazy at times :)

Do your friends and family in France read your blog? ---- I hope so :)

How does life in France differ to that in Boston? ---- It's funny because I find people here to be very optimistic and positive but living a somehow intense lifestyle (work all the time, no vacation, no farniente, very competitive etc..), whereas in France life is more relaxed and laid-back but people would complain more easily...

What do you miss the most? ---- obviously my family, especially my sisters, and my friends but then I miss French bakeries in general, cheeses, lots of small French fashion/home decor brands, Europe in general, a more relaxed and laid-back lifestyle, everything seems so intense sometimes in the US. Oh and did I mention the 5 weeks vacation per year ?

What have you embraced about living in Boston? ----- Life here is pretty good and easy, we love the 4 seasons (despite the very snowy winter - beautiful at first, annoying after 3 months), the city is beautiful very European in a way which I love, people are very nice and friendly, everything is so convenient, service is great (especially after 3 years in Paris where service sucks)It’s pretty cold in Boston now, how do you cope? ----- I got a Snuggie, the leopard-print one, my new best friend to watch some reality TV on cold winter nights (mostly when hubby isn't around though, for some reason he doesn't share my love for either of them).

I'm sure Marie could make a Snuggie look good!

I hope you have enjoyed Getting to Know Marie, and as a special treat, she's allowed me to share her Secret Crepe Recipe with you: image

My secret crêpes recipe (ok, not really a secret, but it's a good one I promise)

You need :
250g flour
2 eggs
50cl milk
2 tbs melted butter
oil for the pan
salt
secret ingredient (totally worth it) : zest of an orange

and of course a crêpe pan (stating the obvious, I know)

So it goes like this :
Mix the flour with half of the milk
Add eggs, then melted butter and a pinch of salt
Add the rest of the milk and stir everything together until the pâte is smooth
Cover and let it stand for one hour (step that I always skip due to lack of patience)

Before starting to make the crêpes, add the orange zest
Put a little bit of oil in the pan and then pour a little bit of the liquid into the pan making sure it coats the surface evenly (move the pan in circular motion)
Cook for about 2 min until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with spatula, turn and cook the other side.

Serve hot with a side of melted butter, sugar, jam, honey and nutella and let everybody try their own combo. It's the best ! My fave is melted butter + sugar...trop bon !

Bises xx