Cheap in Paris

[geordy]

I did make my soup yesterday...used pretty much the ingredients though not the technique of the Canadian recipie...I forget the bay leaf..I do that a lot!..and added some marjoram along with thyme..and simmered all together pretty much until the bone was clean and it was soup!! ;D

But wound up going out for an impromptu meeting with a friend for meatball subs!

It'll be dinner tonite and several times this coming week! Cooler temps this weekend ..50's F....as opposed to the record breaking 92 F.earlier last week! So it seemed a good time to make it!

Guess we are a yellow crowd!

[gertie]

I found a way of using up the soup my family loves more than I would have suspected as we didn't really like the commercial veggie burgers the one time we tried them. I wouldn't have found it had a friend not demonstrated the technique to me. Toss the leftovers into your food processor, withholding the liquid, and process just until broken down but not pureed as you want some texture. Also process some onion, garlic, fresh herbs or hot peppers of your choice and mix with the processed peas. Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, just enough so it holds together a bit. It will not form up quite as well as hamburger, but should form reasonably. Figuring about 1/3 of mix per burger, so six burgers from around two cups. Friend suggested form patty, sprinkle with a mixture of flour and herbs, pat it in, shake off excess often works better than trying to roll it in flour, and that worked fine for me. I also used the spatula to lower them into the pan, where we had about 1/2 inch of grease heated to the point a drop of water sizzles over medium high heat. We fried them until browning on each side. They usually hold together much better once one side is fried but are still just a bit more delicate than hamburger, if you want to grill them, my friend said use one of those baskets for fish and it works great. Anyway, I served them like hamburgers with some great whole multi grain buns I got from a new bakery half an hour south of here and we loved them. I was quite shocked how well they were received as my husband especially really loves his beefy burgers. Anyway, it was something different when I got kind of carried away and made a huge vat of soup.

[sevendates]

most of people think (and they're right) that shopping in Paris is expensive like Gallerie Lafayette, drugstore publicis...
But I have french friends and they've told me about the places to go to shop cheap!! First don't go to "famous" groceries or boutiques, inside Paris everithing in way more expensive!!
One thing I have to admit: I went to a place where I got a french manicure for 10€ ! inside Paris!!!
I just discovered great places to make good deals about 30 minutes from the city center: "La vallée shopping" at Val d'Europe (near Disneyland) dozens of "luxury" shops selling around 30% cheaper.
Roissy en Brie's famous discount pharmacy selling lots of famous brands of french cosmetics like Avène, La Roche Posay, Bioherm, Vichy, Nuxe, Caudalie, Bioderma and also Neutrogena, Aveeno, Nivea, John Frieda... at prices that make people come from all across the region (even Paris). all that by the train!!!

Make friends with french people so they could share their tips to save money, go out and have fun for free!!! and also show us how adorable they are.

[Jody]

I wonder if they are less expensive than Cite Pharmacie on Rue Bonaparte. I find teir cosemeticprices fantastic as compared to American prices for the same items?

[sunshine817]

Sevendates is a spammer.

[geordy]

I was going to reply to the Oct. Get together thread, agreeing with Annette that that no one here is an"outsider" after their first post....except for spammers and others hoping to use us solely to promote their own commercial ventures!!

[sevendates]

I am so not a spammer I just thought it was a forum to share good tips but obviously not that much. they are cheaper than city pharma and pharmacy bonaparte, just got a call from my friend who live there!! any other question!!

[Penny]

The post from sevendates is not Spam.

Maybe a little too enthusiastic especially with the message in bold. And the message does sound a lot like advertising but everyone has a different writing style. (Me being the Queen of run-on sentences.)

But again not Spam.

It lacks the one thing that precludes it from being so.

A link to a site which could probably infect your hard drive with a virus.

But this message is no different than a member asking a suggestion for/or recommending their favorite place for a baguette, hot chocolate, macrons, ice cream, flea markets, etc.

Most of us do post links. We just assume they are safe.

[luckyluc]

Penny I agree, the post is a bit strange for a first post, but it is not spam. That is why I did not delete it.

I do hope that Sevendates will take a moment to introduce herself in the Who's who in Our Paris thread.

[PariS]

Here's another bargain for cheap eats in Paris (this is from My Little Paris)--has anyone eaten here?

"Enough is enough! You've been waiting for good weather long enough, so now that it's here, you don't want to hear any more about those heavy, saucy, stick-to-your-ribs foods. Summer will be fresh, and summer will be raw! Why not taste some deliciously healthy dishes, sip a cool drink, and experiment with some summery fresh flavors on the terrace of a restaurant in the heart of the Village Saint-Paul in the Marais.

Located in a quiet courtyard, CRU (meaning "raw") is a happy place, specializing in raw, healthy foods which are delightfully tasty and delicately prepared. The best time to eat there is early dinner, from 6 to 8.30 pm, when you can enjoy a fish carpaccio à la lemongrass or a crunchy vegetable tartare, served with a seasonal glass of wine.

Feels like summer.

CRU,
7 rue Charlemagne, Paris 4th, Metro Saint-Paul
Open Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday brunch on the patio
Early dinner from 6 à 8:30, 1 glass of the wine of the month + one dish : 6€
Tel : [phone] "

[sunshine817]

This is an old thread, but thought I'd add on the latest generation.

Maggi and Knorr-Swiss have come out with a new way to have bouillon. They're not organic, but they don't have MSG, either.

Maggi's is called Coeur de Bouillon, and Knorr's is Marmite de Bouillon -- they're highly concentrated stock in a gelatin-like form. They come in a little plastic cup with a peel-off foil lid.

The Maggi flavors are much cleaner and more intense than the Knorr...and they make really delicious bouillons. I now keep the Maggi chicken and Legumes de Soleil (a tomato-based veggie bouillon) on hand all the time and add them to most of my cooking liquids now.

They're a little more than the powdered stuff, and since they're like gelatin, would have to go in your checked luggage, but they're really, really good.

[Happygoin]

Now she tells me...

I just came home with a suitcase full of the regular old garden variety poulet and vegetable boullion cubes...will add to list for next time.

[sunshine817]

Sorry, I'm blaming the flu. I did a lot of half-baked things that week.

[kerouac]

I consider those gelatin packages to be just a gimmick, but I confess that I have not found a reason to try them yet.

[sunshine817]

I thought so, too, but I really don't care for the powdered ones, so I figured for 2 euros, it was worth a shot. (I'll try one, and if I hate it, I'm not out much when I throw them away!)

The first one I used was the legumes de soleil in a stew I made with some roast lamb. The depth of flavor in the sauce was outstanding, and I've been similarly pleased with other things.

Even when we were passing the flu around a couple of weeks ago, I made some broth with the chicken...and it was very tasty, and not just the salt-lick that the cube bouillons produce.

Even for simple things -- put a tub into the water in which you're boiling rice -- you'll be amazed at how much nicer the flavor is.

[geordy]

Thanks Sunshine..I'll be looking for them when I do my grocery shopping(to bring home!) in two weeks! Any other easy to transport(and mostly legal ) items you've discovered would be appreciated!

PS: I'll be skipping the instant mash this time! Hint to self: things on French commercials look better than they are too!

[sunshine817]

real Herbes de Provence...

Only HdP bought in a tourist shop has lavender in the mix.

The stuff the rest of us buy at the supermarket doesn't have it...and it's *so* much better and *so* much more versatile.

[Happygoin]

I remember you telling me this, Amy. And btw, that Ras al Hanout that I bought at that little spice store is unbelievable!

The ingredients are written in Arabic. I had thoughts of trying to replicate it with my own spices. I can struggle through French, but I'm afraid my Arabic is a bit um...lacking. Okay...completely lacking .

[Anne]

Happy, I have some Ducros ras el hanout. Ingredients are in decreasing order : grey pepper, powdered garlic, ginger, mustard seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, hot pepper, paprika, clove.
This is standard, industrial stuff, you can find much better - or also much worse, in spice shops or market stalls.

Geordy, if you buy herbes de Provence, make sure to buy Label Rouge ones. The easiest ones to find in most supermarkets are Ducros', in a bigger glass jar than the other spices (including their own, non-Label rouge hdp). Label Rouge guarantees that the mix is the traditional one re. both the type of herbs and their relative percentage in the mix, that the herbs come from Provence indeed instead of being imported, and that they have essential oils contents which will guarantee a strong flavour.

Anyway, whenever you have a choice re. food products, always buy Label Rouge, it's an official quality label which guanatees both the way the product is produced and the way it will taste.

[jo]

That is a great tip, Anne. Merci!

Jo