Today’s French Fridays Post is a double-header featuring Butter & Rum Crepes, Fancy & Plain and Garbure from the Supermarket. The savory garbure is this week’s recipe choice. I’m tardy with the crepes. My crepe pan stayed behind in Colorado. Since my daughter, Melissa, visited me this week, she brought hers.

Missy last spent a week with me in June 2012, after Michael died. Our time together then was bittersweet as we closed a 26-year chapter of our lives. Since then she’s opened her own business, juggling her family’s lifestyle to accommodate this new schedule. In the past 20 months I’ve packed up, moved to Colorado and done some juggling of my own.

I can only imagine the hoops she jumped through to leave her girls, husband and work place to make that six-hour drive from Bishop to Cambria. But, she needed a break and I raised my hand. Last Saturday afternoon she happily arrived at my doorstep.

Butter & Rum Crepes, Fancy & Plain

Melissa’s Arrival last Saturday. Note that her outfit matches her car.

During her earlier visit she’d put together two French Fridays posts for me, over-baking the Hazelnut Biscotti but preparing darn good Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers. She had resigned herself to more mother-Dorie-daughter kitchen time so we got busy with the crepes soon after she arrived. I mixed together the batter, which included grated orange and lemon zest, dark rum and Grand Marnier, for an overnight in the fridge. Early the next morning Missy oiled her pan and made the first here’s-how-you-do-it-Mom crepe before handing the pan off to me. I batted .666. Pas mal.

Missy, making the first crepe. Because I was not going to include her in the photo, crediting her with this crepe, she inserted herself into the picture, singeing her hair tips.

For breakfast we just sprinkled powdered sugar on our crepes but Dorie suggests making a yummy honey-orange sauce (recipe here) for a pour-over or a lemon curd filling. Any topping/filling will do but with this batter sweet works over savory.

A Daily Early A.M. Jaunt on the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk

Now, the garbure. “Essentially this is a hearty vegetable soup made heartier with the addition of meat (pork, duck and beef sausage),” Dorie explains.

Hiking the Point Buchon Trail located near Montana de Oro State Park. When the tide is out (and, it was) you can explore the underwater caves.

We like the local mom/pop restaurants. Sunday breakfast at Cambria’s Creekside Gardens

Soups and stews, I love, and this garbure is no exception. Simmering, at least three hours, is the key to unlocking its flavors. The result is memorable. Here’s the recipe. Don’t be dismayed by the ingredient list. (A tip: if you don’t have Piment d’Espelette, use cayenne pepper.) With a baguette to sop up the broth, it’s a meal.

We ate the best Thai lunch at Noi’s, a tiny spot located on a side street in Los Osos

These women turn out delicious food in their little kitchen. I will never complain about my space again. Promise.

Choosing veggies for the garbure at the Los Osos farmer’s market

As many of you know, Mother-Daughter relationships are twicky. I didn’t raise a shrinking violet and I’m no soft touch so there are always detours to navigate around, through, up and over. Love is the easy part. What Life throws in our paths, not so easy. We’ve found what works for us, as you can see in these photos, is to always find the Laughter.

We ate our lunch, sitting inside on two of the three available stools, and watched the women navigate the kitchen. I loved my Red Curry.

Our favorite place for coffee, Top Dog in Morro Bay. Some java is especially necessary before walking into the book store located next door. (Please note that you can also get married at the bookstore. I did not do that.)

At the new&used bookstore, I gave Melissa an unlimited budget and she exceeded it.

We spent our last night having a few beers at Cambria’s Ale House, the locals’ pub (seven stools). Last week Lady Gaga spent a “pleasurable”, sake-filled evening there. She was here while filming a video at Hearst Castle.

French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s “Around my French Table, more than 300 recipes from my home to yours.” If you would like to look at our group link, go here. If you wish to know more about Lady Gaga’s visit to the Ale House, go here.

A gift from Missy. TO MOM: BECAUSE WHAT WE DO BEST IS LAUGH