It's been two months since we moved from France to California. I have so many small, good things to show and store here that I don't know where to start, and that's the reason why I waited so long before updating this blog. I was really busy with work, true, but most of all, I felt overwhelmed. California has lots of treasures to offer, big and small, and arriving here stirred wonderful feelings in me, as well as an unexpected, joyous brand of childhood nostalgia. It feels like I am where I belong. Until age seven, I grew up in a semi-rural residential area near Nantes, France, where the tranquil "lotissements" of single family homes were surrounded by nature. That's probably why all the grassy areas here, and the birds, and the big oaks, and the quiet streets, and the smell of freshly cut grass, and the little yellow flowers that can tell you whether you like butter or not, and the sound of lawnmowers, and the sight of children on bicycles, all connect me so vividly to the little girl that still lives in me. The palm trees connect me to something else entirely, something that makes me want to drink pina-coladas with no shoes on. Well, being an adult has its upsides too.
Anyway, I thought I'll start this new page in the life of this blog (and mine) with quiche (always a good choice). A few days ago, I made my first quiche since moving into our new American home, and it felt wonderful. It was a broccoli and asparagus quiche, which I made almost from scratch (I have to admit that the crust was from Trader Joe's. But since then, I've bought flour and I intend to do some more serious cooking and baking, including learning how to make cupcakes). This is what it looked like on our messy dinner table:

And this what it looked like from up close:

It doesn't look quite as good as it tasted.
The greatest reward was that my duckie loved it. He said he'd eat broccoli and asparagus (which he used to find gross) any day as long as they are hidden in that precise fashion, under a thick layer of cheese. Et bah ça, c'est pas tombé dans l'oreille d'une sourde! I want to put as much veggies as possible in that duck of mine. And now he's eating lettuce too, and with dressing on it. I am so ecstatic and grateful. So please, almighty Spaghetti Monster, let me stay here. I'll honor you weekly with inventive pasta recipes, I promise.