The Monthly Village of the Week: Cotignac

So, as it turns out, more research goes into these 'Village of the Week' posts than I initially thought. Just in case anyone is sitting on the edge of their seat, waiting each week for a new village to grace pages of my blog, I've decided to make it a monthly thing; things are a bit hectic at the moment for me, but in the event that I do find the time to actually post one a week, the new title {that really makes no sense at all!} covers me either way.

View of Cotignac from the top of the road; The two Sentinelles at the top of the cliff.

Cotignac is situated within the 'heart of Provence' and is probably one of the most picturesque villages in the Var. The village itself is situated at the base of a small valley and sits nestled amongst trees at the foot of surrounding cliffs. The cliffs stand 80 metres high and at the top, there are two Medievil towers, The Sentinelles, which date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The short decent into the village is breath taking.

One of the two Sentinelles.

Hidden within the cliff walls are the famous Cotignac Grottes, dating back to before 1000 AD, although the actual date of their origin is unknown. There is a Provencal market on every Tuesday, and a local producers market every Friday - as well as Brocantes {Flea markets} and various other spectacles through out the year, mainly in the summer months.

Getting closer to the Grottes!

Cotignac village is a must to visit if you are coming to the Var. It is only a small village with no more than 2300 inhabitants. It is 10km from Aups and is surrounded by many other charming villages. There is not a lot of recorded history on Cotignac and that which there is, is actually very vague and hard to piece together - especially if you are not a historian or a geologist... and here's why! {It will all come together in the end, trust me}

The Grottes!

The date that Cotignac was originally founded is unknown, however, there was a large Jewish settlement in the 6th century. Up until 1000 AD, the Cassole River flowed over it's famous cliffs; as the main village sat at the base of the cliffs, the waterflow was diverted and now empties into the Argens River {a part of the French Riviera}. Most historical records of Cotignac start from about this time {1000 AD}. 

The cliffs are a truely unique sight and something that you would never expect to see in this part of the world. I was amazed the first time that I saw them and for a long time, nothing compared to them! They are made of Tufa stone, which is a type of Limestone that forms near a water source containing a high content of dissolved minerals. The facade of the cliff face is a mass of stalactites and stalagmites and it was the waterflow from the ancient river that contributed to forming these.

The strange rock formations

The Grottes, also known as Troglodytes are fascinating and not something that you are likely to forget in a hurry! They are small cave dwellings, dug out from the cliff face and are thought to have served as hiding places during times of turmoil and periods of invasion. There were enough caves to hide all of the inhabitants of the village, plus their herds and food for several months.

The Grottes

This is where the historical records become contradictive and honestly, damn confusing, as they are said to date from around 1000 AD {even though the actual cliff is much older}. Provence was at constant threat of raids from a group people known as the Sarrasins, or Muslims. From about 800 to 990 AD, they had camps all over the south and south-west and although there is no evidence or records of Sarrasin invasion at Cotignac, the village inhabitants were said to have huddled at the foot of the Grottes, ready to go into hiding.

In 1032 AD a castle was built and even so, it is unknown the population of Cotignac at this time.  A couple of centuries later, in 1266 AD, the Church Saint Pierre was built and is still standing today, which shows there were a significant amount of inhabitants to justify it's construction. There are no historical recordings of warfare during other religious wars that plagued France, nor the French Revolution, or the World Wars.

Get lost in little streets like this one!

While strolling through Cotignac, you can admire it's narrow streets and cobbled roads; medievil architecture and ever-flowing fountains, most of which are eau potable {drinkable water}. The weekly markets are held in the town square and are sheltered from the hot, summer sun by old plane trees. To be honest, if you have seen one Provencal market, you've seen them all. But dont get me wrong, a visit to Cotignac on a market day is worth it to experience the ambiance alone! If you are not fussed on crowds and would like to see the Grottes, it's best to go on a quieter weekday, or a Sunday.

One of the smaller squares in the village leading up to the Grottes.

In the main street, high on a building, you will find some Cariatides. These are statues of what are meant to be young women. They date back to 1623 and were meant to be a sign of a persons wealth. They are barely mentioned in the tourist books and if you weren't looking for them, you would never know that they are even there. So, whilst on your stroll down the Grand Rue... dont forget to look up!

The town square is framed by an abundance of restaurants, cafes and boutique shops. A popular dish to eat in the summer is Aioli which consists of salted cod, a boiled carrot, a boiled potato, a boiled beetroot, a hard boiled egg and of course, garlic mayonaise. Mmmm! It's worth trying at least once, just so that you can say that you have!

I actually wrote this post a month ago, but because my photos of Cotignac were over five years old, I took a trip to the village to take some new pics. Gabe was at creche, so I was able to wander the small, winding streets at ease and undisturbed with my own thoughts to keep me company. I spent about three hours there and commenced my walk from the Sentinelles, slowly decending down to the town square where I had a coffee and then walked on to the Grottes. There is a 'Route Touristique' that leads you past the old oil mill and up to the base of the Grottes. You can litterally stand at the foot of them, even touch them. Looking directly up at the rock formations gives you a completey different perception and is definitely worth the walk. This time though, it was even better because I knew the history of them, it made the experience even more enjoyable for me and I felt like I had taken a visit to the day spa when I got back in my car. I hope you get to see them one day.

Sipping Lavender - Lavender Summer Drinks

Ok, so it's no secret that I've gone a little bonkers with lavender! I picked only 5 bunches and have them hanging upside down, drying in my kitchen; but seriously, you should smell my house - as soon as I open the front door, I am knocked over by the aromatic scent of my little lavender buds and taken away to my happy place... for a few seconds anyway until I hear The Boy scream, 'Mummy' or he throws something at me to bring me back down to reality.

So in search of inner peace and tranquility, I realised, mid-toddler-tantrum, that the only way I'm ever going to achieve that, is by consuming it - internally.

On numerous occasions, I've read that you can make herbal tea, or infusions/tisanes, with just about anything. One of my neighbours makes one with mint, thyme, lemon and rosemary - basically anything she can find in her garden {although, to be honest, I didn't really like this; I felt as though I should be seasoning a leg of lamb with the ingredients in my cup, rather than drinking them}. Anyway, I thought that I'd try one with lavender.

Lavender Tisane

• 1 - 2 tbs fresh lavender flowers or 1 1/2 tsp of dried lavender flowers
• 200ml boiling water

• Place lavender flowers in a tea infuser and let steep for about 5 minutes. Namaste.

{For some really cool tea infusers, check out this site. I liked the Robot and the Deep Tea Diver!}

Traditionally, a Tisane is a drink made from steeping herbs and spices in hot water and does not contain any caffeine. It's a great way to up your daily water/fluid intake and also get a few added benefits from the herbs & spices!

Lavender & Mint Iced Tea

• 3 tea bags - English breakfast
• 4 tbs fresh lavender flowers or 3 - 4 tsp dried lavender flowers
• 8 sprigs of mint - leaves removed
• 4 tbs honey
• 1 litre boiling water
• Ice 

• Place tea bags, lavender flowers and mint leaves in a large jug, add boiling water and stir in honey; cover and set aside to cool. Once cool, add ice and serve. 

Lavender & Blueberry Punch

• 4 tbs fresh lavender
• 500ml  blueberry juice
• 500ml of lemonade
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Ice
• Blueberries - to garnish

• Heat blueberry juice in a saucepan and add lavender flowers. Leave on a low heat for 15 mintues; do not boil. Strain and set aside to cool.
• Pour lemon juice into jug and add lemonade.
• Once blueberry juice mix has cooled, add to jug with lots of ice.
• Add some blueberries before your child eats them all!

Quick Eats: Chicken & Avocado Eggrolls

Does anyone {in Australia} remember the chain of restaurants called Chili's? Where I lived and more importantly, at the time, Chili's and good old Lone Star, were two of the coolest restaurants around. If you didn't like Chinese or Italian food, they were the only restaurants around. I stuffed myself on numerous occasions with friends, and it was the place to go on a first date. Mind you, at that time, if I did end up at Chili's on a first date, it was probably also the last. But that had nothing to do with the food; it was just... me. But, that's another story for another time, because today, I'm talk'n Eggrolls.

Chili's, in their later years before they {sadly} closed down, used to do an entrée called Avocado Eggrolls. They were served with either ranch or honey-mustard dressing and they were unbelievable!!

I've tried several times to make them over the years, but never quite got them right... until now. I made this for Gabe and I tonight, and ended up with about 15 large eggrolls.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet spring roll wrappers / filo pastry or brick pastry - for this recipe, spring roll wrappers would be best, but as I didn't have any, I used brick.
• 250g chicken breast, diced
• 2 large avocados, diced
• 12 - 15 sundried tomatoes, sliced - soaked in garlic and oil, preferrably without ilalian herbs
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 100 - 150g red kidney beans
• 10 - 15 jalapeno peppers, chopped -  more if you like it hotter
• 3 tbs chopped parsely
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 litre oil {of your choice} for deep frying, when I cook any kind of Asian food, I usually use sesame oil - although this dish is not an Asian one, but I think that it makes the coating taste nicer. I'm not a great chef, but that is my personal opinion.
• 1 egg white - for sealing rolls
•  Ranch or honey mustard dressing for dipping

Directions:

• Lightly fry the chicken and onions until cooked through but not brown.
• In a bowl, mix avocado, tomatoes, kidney beans, peppers, parsley and lemon juice.
• Add cooked chicken and onion. Mix well.

• Spoon 1 - 2 tbs in each spring roll wrapper and roll, sealing the end with a brush of the egg white.

 

• Heat oil {until you can hear that it is hot; that may sound odd, but this is how I usually tell that it is ready}. 
• Carefully place each eggroll in hot oil for no more than 20 seconds. Ensure that your eggrolls are well sealed before placing in oil otherwise the avocado mix will cause violent spitting, or if you are really fucking unlucky, an explosion. 
• Dab off excess oil with some paper towel and serve warm with your choice of dressing.  
• Enjoy!! 

Lay It Out In Lavender

As Rosemary is to the Spirit,

So Lavender is to the Soul

-William Shakespeare, Winter's Tale

And truer words were never spoken! Since moving to France, July quickly became my favourite month of the year! Apart from the toasty, 38 degree days; afternoon storms; shallow, light evening skies covered in a blanket of stars and the endless throng of daily fairs, festivals and feasts to partake in... July, is lavender time.

And, do. I. love. lavender time! Lavender is a truely amazing herb; it has so many health benefits - both physical and emotional, and it's uses are endless! Lavender essential oil can be used in the treatment of acne, burns, aching muscles, cuts, earaches, headache, insomnia, depression, anxiety and menstrual cramps. It truely is a wonder-herb! For more information, check out this website - it's my 'go-to' website when I have an queries about essential oils.

Now, it's one thing to own a bottle of lavender essential oil, it is something else to see where it actually comes from, and there is nothing like driving along an endless, gray road and suddenly coming up and over a hill,  to be engulfed by a field of deep, rich, vibrant colour! 

Depending on what time of the year though, will determine which colour will carry you away because there are several stages of colour, before we get to the purple!

March through to July you can see wheat fields in every stage of growth from fresh, flowing green, to dry, mellow yellow, or beige - ready to be cut.  By this time, sunflowers have also made an appearance.

April, May and June is poppy time. I adore poppies and always pick a few to press between the pages of an old book. They are extremely fragile and pretty much wilt and die within a few mintues of picking them, as they are wild - not like the sturdy ones that you can buy in florists. Because of their silk-like petals, they dont really withstand the heat, so, by late June, they have mostly all but died off.

Come July, the lavender is in full bloom and a lavender field is something that you will definitely want to see at least once in your life time - if not for the endless ocean of purple alone, but for the devine scent, wafting through the air!

As I make quite a few things which contain lavender, my landlords were kind enough to let me have the lavender that they grow, as it lines the driveway - so today, I started picking it. I picked one bush and that gave me 5 {medium sized} bunches of lavender which I am going to dry and use in my heat-bags, soaps and body scrubs/salts. 

{Note to Self: Pick lavender later in the evening, as to not be surrounded by bees, wasps and other flying bugs. All seem to be of the unified opinion that I taste good!}

As for the medicinal uses of lavender, I have to say that I am defintely a believer! For the last two days, I had been suffering from a terrible migraine. Last night after dinner, Gabe and I took an evening stroll and we picked a few stems of lavender. We sat by the pool for about half an hour soaking our feet and making shapes out of the clouds. Every now and then, I'd smell a sprig of lavender. I rolled the flowers between my fingers, releasing a burst of strong, lavender scent. I rubbed it on my temples and my chest. By the time we went back inside for some ice-cream, my migraine had disappeared. Was it the fresh air or the lavender, or a combination of them both? Two hours earlier I was in the foetal position on the couch waiting for an excessive dosage of neurofen to kick in but half an hour outside with some lavender and I was walking on air. If you're not a believer in natural remedies, lavender alone is defintely worth looking into.

I'm going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes, from one of my favourite movies, and they are words that we should all live by...

 "There's a few things that I've learned in life;

always throw salt over your left shoulder;

 keep rosemary by your garden gate;

plant lavender for luck...

 and fall in love whenever you can" 

- Sally Owens, Practical Magic
{written by Alice Hoffman}

Easy Entrées: Goat Cheese & Honey Roasted Walnut Salad

Goat Cheese & Honey Roasted Walnut Salad - high in protien, calcium and folic acid!

Summer time is salad-eating-time and this one is a real treat, espeically if you are a fan of goat cheese. The first time I came to France, I hated the stuff. In my opinion, it smelt like vomit. And no one likes that smell.

Over time, I acquired a taste for it - goat cheese, not vomit - and now, actually really love {mild} goat cheese, especially in salads. In saying that though, when at a market, I still have to hold my breath when walking past the Corsican cheeses because they really do take that cheesey-puke-smell to an entirely different level of pungency!

This salad has a lovely consistency; soft, creamy goat cheese; sweet, crunchy walnuts and fresh, leafy greens! It's a winner!

If you really dont like the thought of eating goat cheese and dont think that you can stomach it, I really urge you to try a mild one and if it really isn't palatable for you, the goat cheese could be substituted for feta cheese or mozerella - anything really as long as it's white!

Ingredients for the salad:

• 200g mesclun - I like this mix because it is exactly that, a mix of mache, rocket, arugula & oakleaf.
• 1 goat cheese - about 80 - 100g
• 100 - 150g natural walnuts, shells removed
• 1/4 cup of honey

For the Vinaigrette:

•  3/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of balsamique vinegar
• 1 tbs seeded mustard

Directions:

1. Place mesclun in a salad bowl and chop goat cheese into cubes. Add to mesclun and set aside.
2. In smaller bowl, combine oil, vinegar and mustard. Mix well and set aside.
3. Heat a small frying pan and add honey and walnuts. Cook until slightly brown and add to mesclun and walnut mix along with any left over, warm honey. 
4. Stir in vinaigrette dressing and serve while walnuts are still warm.

Voila! Quick, delicious, little mess, little time; Easy!

Easy Entrées: Tomato Basil Salad with Sweet Vinaigrette

Tomato Basil Salad with Sweet Vinaigrette - there seems to be a craze with serving food in mason jars at the moment. I too jumped on the bandwagon, just  for this one, but to be honest, they're not very practical. They're heavy and they're breakable but they do look pretty!

This will be the first in a series of posts, Easy Entrées - that not only look good AND taste good, but are also healthy and simple to make!

A lot of them are pretty basic. Some may not even deserve an entire post dedicated to them and some, like this one, are so simple that even a buffoon could throw them together but the point of them is to make something to eat that is made with REAL food and real ingredients.

Eating is a huge part of the French culture and lot of the French eat only seasonal foods; that is, tomatoes, strawberries and melons {for example} in the spring and summer months; pumkin, leek, and turnips in the autumn and winter months.

Once at a market, I was laughed away because I wanted to buy a pumpkin - in spring and another time, I wanted to buy Pink Lady apples and was told they are not harvested until late September or early October {and I always thought that apples and oranges were summer fruits}. But, in saying that, you can buy tomatoes all year round and they are a summer fruit.

Now, I dont want to sound like a food-snob, but I am very fussy about my tomatoes. Along with a few other fruits and legumes, I will not eat non-organic tomatoes. Not particularly because of the chemicals that they are pumped full of, or the fact that they are picked green and in turn ripened with a gas - but, I prefer organic tomatoes because they taste how a tomato should taste. Real... and oddly enough, like a tomato. With that said, I dont eat fresh tomatoes from October to June so by April they are something that I really crave and come late June, early July, I can barely wait to pick the first ones of the season.

I'm not one of those people that eat mostly organic food, despite the fact that Gabe's dad is an organic farmer. We eat organic because it's there; it's what Mathieu does for a living and he really does grow some beautiful produce. To be honest, I really think that eating organic and having an organic lifestyle is a priviledge for the well-to-do because in reality, the average family could not afford to eat and live 100% organic 100% of the time. When I meet people who say they eat only organic, I have to literally dig my fingernails into the palm of my hand to prevent myself from doing a HUGE eye-roll {with a scoff} in their face. Also, I like to indulge in a Double Cheeseburger every now and then and, I'm not ashamed to admit that. Sometimes, when I'm feeling really courageous, I like to drive past organic shops drinking a 2 litre bottle of Coke Zero. Rebel, I know it! And an idiot too... but back to the recipe!

It's early July now, the middle of Summer. The days are hot and dry... and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen so I am taking every opportunity I can to eat as many as I can.

With no further ado, this is what you'll need to make a basic Tomato Basil Salad...

For the tomato salad:

• 6 ripe tomatoes ~ diced or sliced, which ever you prefer.
• 3 stalks of Basil ~ leaves removed & chopped finely, keep a few baby basil leaves aside
• Salt, pepper to taste.

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1 - 2 garlic cloves
• 1 - 2 tbs fresh parsley - I'm not a huge fan of parsley, but it's good in this!
• 2/3 cup olive oil - Vigin, extra virgin - however you like it.
• 1/3 cup balsamique vinegar
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tbs apple juice - you could use orange, lemon, lime or rasberry juice.

Directions:

1. Place diced tomatoes and basil in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a blender, mince the garlic and parsely leaves. Add oil, vinegar, honey and juice. Blend for a couple of minutes until it is mixed thoroughly. Taste. If you like it sweeter, add more honey.
3. Pour over tomato salad and toss. Add baby basil leaves and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
4. Eat with some crusty bread and enjoy!

{Sometimes, I mix it up a bit and add a handful of feta or goat cheese and some black olives. I like to live on the edge!}
.

Frenchify Me: The Story Behind It!

What's In A Name?

I think that even as adults,  we all have moments where we might question our worth, ourselves and who we are. I know this feeling well, because it is something that I have done for pretty much most of my life.

Frenchify is a word that I would use to make light of everything that I was not, and that life in France was not. When ever I used to struggle with something and it would get me down, I used to wish that I could make myself fit in and as time passed with each new journal entry, I eventually started referring to it as Frenchifying myself.

My blog, Frenchify Me, is something that I had been wanting to do and make work for a long time. Starting a new life here, in France, was a huge decision and one that I didn't entirely think through. I came here with my head in a bubble and very unrealistic ideas of what I thought life would be like. That bubble was about to explode!

Before I lived in France, I thought of it as a small, croissant-shaped country somewhere in Europe with the Eiffel Tower as it's only claim to fame. The France that existed in my mind, was a very special place.

In my France, women wore nothing but Chanel and walked white, fluffy poodles along old streets lined with Cherry Blossoms. The men - all sporting Salvador Dali moustaches - wore blue & white striped tops, berets and carried baguettes and journals under their arms.

The younger crowd shared blissful moments sipping coffee in quaint, hidden cafés that overlooked some glorious, French monument. There were accordian players on every corner and people were in love everywhere or having passionate affairs in the rain that changed them forever.

 

This lovely image that I had painted for myself, may still be true about Paris... but not where I ended up.

When Mathieu pulled up in front the farm all those years ago and yelled out, 'We're here'... my montage of glistening, whimsical images shattered on the dirt in front of me, leaving nothing but a dirt cloud and dusty shoes. I stared at the huge mountain of metal scraps next to a line of tractors and old car parts wondering where all the pretty poodles had gone. Instead of accordians playing, all I could hear were goats and sheep... which explained the smell. Chanel was a French fairytale, berets a myth and no one took romantic strolls in the rain.

I didn't realise at that moment just how hard reality was going to crash down around me. I could never have imagined some of the forces that I was going to come up against and it didn't occur to me that I would question things that I had never even given a second thought about. Communication would be one of my greatest problems. I would struggle with everything; the language, the culture - accepting it and being accepted by it; I felt very alone and as though I had gone from having everything to having nothing. I started to leave behind the person that I used to be and the problem was, I didn't know who to be, or how to be.

I wanted a little space where I could figure things out. A space that I could call my own and where it did not matter that I didn't speak French or have brown hair and brown eyes. I wanted a space where I could not only combine my love of writing and photography, along with anything else that took my fancy but where I could vent all of my anger and frustrations about France, the French and all of the quirks that came hand in hand with them. With that, the idea for a blog was born... but what to call it?!

I stood out more than ever and for the first time in my life, hated it. I wished more than anything, that I could just blend into the crowd. But, at 183cm tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, I towered over every crowd and did anything but blend in. I considered changing my hair colour so many times, but whenever I fled to the pharmacy to buy a hair dye, my superficial-self would rear her ugly head and my vision would become impaired by creams, solutions and tablets for wrinkles, cellulite, belly-flab, weight loss, muscle tone, and skin colour. I would leave there doubting myself even more, but in other ways.

I never would have expected in my most horrific nightmares that my looks, or my voice would slip me into an unspoken catergory that is only barely tolerated. I was a foreigner in the south of France and there was nothing Francaise about me. I wanted a magic wand that I could wave and make all of those problems disappear; I wanted to Frenchify myself.

Frenchify Me didn't become a real blog until much later but, the name always stuck with me. Eventually, I grew to love France and all of it's quirks and wanted to include them in my blog, so the idea for the blog has evolved over time, as have I. Living here is a huge part of the person that I have become. I have done a lot of growing up, although, most of the time, I still feel like I am 25 - and, I still have a lot of growing to do... but, I'm ok with that.

When I read back over my journal entries from those early years, I wish so much that I could just go back and tell myself to just be 'me' and to be proud of it. I wish that I had celebrated all of those things that made me stand out; my hair & eye colour, my height, my accent, my voice, the fact that I smile too much, hum too much. Who wants to be like everybody else? Who wants to blend into a crowd and become a facelss shadow? Not me. Not now. These days, I do everything to make sure that I DO stand out and I dont make apologies for that. I still care what people think {to a certain degree}, I'm not strong in that sense, but I wont apologise for being myself anymore. I dont think anyone should. I hope my son grows up knowing that too.

* All images for this post were found on Pinterest. Search, Paris illustrations.