A Little Bit of Texas for A Homesick Texan

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I guess I have left you all in suspense long enough.  I told you that when we finally arrived home from our very delayed flight from Malaga, we received a nice surprise.  Here is how it went down.

A dear neighbor of mine from Houston was coming to Paris on the day we left for Spain (I hate it when that happens) and was leaving early Monday morning.  She was to come over to our apartment when we returned on Sunday night, but as that time approached 11:00, I was afraid she wouldn’t come.  Never underestimate the fortitude of a Texas woman!  She did indeed come over, and look what she brought!

These are a few of my favorite things....

It was the Texas mother lode!  I didn’t realize how much chicken broth I used until I had to make it from a powder each time.  How did she ever carry four boxes?  And take a look at those bags of precious pecans!  I never met a dessert I didn’t think could be improved by a handful of pecans, and now I have many a handful!  Just in time for pecan pie at Thanksgiving, too.  The Hot Tamales were for Martha, although I admit I have thrown back a few.  And the Arm and Hammer toothpaste reminded my mouth what clean teeth are supposed to taste like.  I think Mark must have asked her for the potpourri of candy, as he is The Candy Man around here.  It makes me so happy just seeing these things in my pantry.  Life is sweet when friends surprise you with tastes of home.  But wait–there’s more!

This friend also brought me her daughter, who is starting pastry school at ……the Cordon Bleu!!!!  She hasn’t found an apartment yet so we asked her to please stay with us for as long as she needs to.  She is a doll, and best of all, Martha has been a big fan for several years, so she is thrilled to have her here.  “Mademoiselle Cordon Bleu”  promises that soon she will be bringing home plastic containers of The Lesson Of The Day-how sweet is that?  I am already peppering her with questions about what the school is like.  Maybe I”ll get enough scoop for a blog post- or at least enough treats for some blog photos!  We are hoping she doesn’t find an apartment anytime soon.

Mark was in Houston until just hours before our departure for Spain, and while he was there another sweet friend gave him a few more Texas treats for me!  The red pot is a candle that smells just like a Christmas greenery, which will be sadly missing from Chez Mai Paris.  We will definitely light that baby up, but not until after Thanksgiving.

Tacos and beans- sounds like supper!

Finally,  “Mom Cordon Bleu” also brought me a package wrapped in my beloved blue and white paper from Blue Willow Bookshop.  I think I got teary-eyed before I even opened it to find a copy of Lisa Fain’s new cookbook, The Homesick Texan.  I have followed her blog, The Homesick Texan, for a year or so and have bookmarked many recipes along the way.  I was  sorry to miss her signing at Blue Willow, and my friends there were so sweet to have Lisa sign a copy  for me (“From one Homesick Texan to another”), and then to write little notes in it themselves.  It is so nice to be reminded of home and all the love that resides there.

food porn for the deprived

Unfortunately, I don’t think Paris is on Lisa’s book tour, but if it were, I would ask her to bring me some chilis, because those Spinach and Sour Cream Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa sure look good.

Eat some Tex-Mex for me this week, friends, and I’ll think of y’all when I bite into that chocolate eclair that somehow followed me home from the patisserie on the corner!