In the beginning, there was only the kitchen sink. The first step was getting a fridge so we could store food. Without any way to cook, we were limited to cold sandwiches and salads. Eventually, we acquired a stove. With only the top of the washer to prep on, we were finally able cook at home.

After our things arrived a few months later and we put up some shelves, we could finally get back or at least get close to the kind of cooking we were use to. Russ was able to get a new sourdough starter going. After learning the French system of flour types and a few attempts, he was able to succeed in making sourdough bread. Even I’ve begun to dip my toes into incorporating sourdough starter in my cooking. Before we were incredibly dependent on our slow cooker. Here we’re giving an IKEA Dutch oven a go. How did we not have this in our kitchen before? I’ve been lightly exploring French cuisine and it’s somehow helped me improve other foods I already know how to make, like taking a French twist on a Filipino classic called adobo. Still working on it, but I’ve already tasted how good it can really be.

Pizza is pretty versatile, easy to make, easy to eat, an excellent way to use up leftovers, and is one of our favorite go-to meals. Our pizzas have been evolving a little here too, partly because the oven is a little smaller than what we’ve been used to. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, pizza has been rather centering as we get use to life in France. Even though there is a plethora of pizzeria choices in Paris, there’s nothing quite like home-made.