Day 1, Dinner

In France in general, lunch is usually the bigger and more elaborate meal of the day, and most likely something cooked.  Dinner is more casual and lighter, often consisting of a mix of items or leftovers. 

The Appetizer:  Cashew nuts with cantaloupe

The aperitif (a pre-dinner drink):  Picon (Picon is a typical drink for the region of Alsace, in the mid-east of France.  It is mixed with beer, giving it a thicker, slightly sweet taste.  Very popular with the Leclerc family and one of my favorites!) 

Fresh Lettuce, beets, and cucumber freshly picked from the garden, with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Brown bread smeared with a pate of peppers, ewe’s cheese, parmesan, and onions (created by Celine, see below for the recipe)

An assortment of cheeses and meats.  Don't ask me to name all of them.  Almost every meal ends with at least the offer of cheese, a couple select slices of which will be eaten with a slice of bread.

Dessert: Candy bars, candied peanuts, and sugared dates   

Poivronade ou Dip de poivrons

2 peppers (orange or yellow as they will be less strong than red or green and therefore easy to digest)

1 onion

100 gr of parmesan cheese

100 gr of fresh ewe cheese 

1 or 2 potatoes (depending about the consistency wanted for the dip)

Provence Herbs (thyme, basil, origan,...)

Pepper and salt

One Cayenne pepper (or two depending on the spicy taste wanted)

Olive oil

In a pan, add a few spoons of olive oil. Add the slices of the two peppers and the onion and let them cook till they're very soft to cut.

In a pot add the two types of cheese to the cooked vegetables and stir everything till it's smooth.

Boil one or two potatoes and once they're easy to mash, add them to the previous preparation and mix everything.

Add some salt and pepper plus the Cayenne pepper and the Provence herbs.

Serve it cold on toasts or as a sauce for white meat like chicken.