Crepes!

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Chef Nathaniel cooked his last meal here – cookie dough crepes for breakfast. He said he looked at a standard recipe for cookies and melded it with his crepe recipe.

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Our grandson has unlimited patience when cooking, a trait I envy. He buttered the pan, poured the batter, swirled it quickly to cover the bottom, and placed chocolate chips by hand. When the crepe was cooked, he folded it in half by pulling one edge over with his bare hand! He folded it in half again with his hand and only then used the spatula to put it in the dish.

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He put the dish in the oven to keep the crepes warm until we were ready to eat. Being a simple homemaker, I would have put the dish on the table. Not the chef! He plated the crepes and drizzled chocolate sauce on top, shown in the first photo. I haven’t decided yet if they were as good as they looked or better. I think I’ll rate them much better.

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We did other things during the week that I didn’t write about. The most important for Nathaniel was touring the campus of Johnson and Wales University in downtown Charlotte. He made the appointment himself, planning this trip with GP (Grandpa), and had the enthusiastic approval of his culinary arts teacher. For his junior year in high school, he has academic classes in the morning and vocational training in the afternoon. The woman at the university went over his academic record, recommending subjects for him to take next year. She discussed steps for applying to the school and getting financial aid. Both John and Nathaniel were impressed with the campus. Being in an urban setting, it was more vertical than horizontal. About half the students are there for culinary arts. The dorm rooms seemed spacious compared to David’s at Concordia, and the kitchens were impressive. They saw students cooking thick, juicy streaks and were given samples of candy being made in another kitchen.

While the fellows were Johnson and Waling, I spent several hours with former neighbor Amy. Amy left the house next door and moved to Charlotte to be near her daughter and grandchildren. I hadn’t seen her since she moved eight months ago. She looked younger than before! She talked happily about her new friends in the neighborhood, connecting with a high school classmate, getting roped into reunion activities, and enjoying her relatives. Her condo renovations and decorations were finished, and the place was fantastic. She has more floor space now than she did in the log house next door to us.

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We spent a day at Biltmore, the largest private home in the United States built by George Vanderbilt. The family has not lived there since the 50s, but it is kept up meticulously, with cut flowers in many of the rooms on the tour. There was one thing in the gift shop that really appealed to Nathaniel. He wears a suit to school almost every day, so formal clothing is a real interest for him. He tried on the top hat and would have bought it if he had the tuxedo and money to match.

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Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

38 thoughts on “Crepes!”

    1. Those crepes were really something. Wish we could have shared them with you. We’ve seen Biltmore at Christmas and when the tulips were blooming, but this in-between season was fun, too. Probably because no flowers were blooming outside, we appreciated all the fresh flower arrangements inside the mansion.

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  7. Nathaniel is a blessing to you and to your tummies. For a 17 year old, it is wonderful that he has a passion he is willing to pursue, unlike some other children of his generation and he loves to visit with his grandparents, all alone without his parents, which shows the amount of love he has for you all. He is a well brought up child.
    The Vanderbilt museum, would it belong to that newsreader on CNN- Anderson Cooper or his family ?
    Loved Nathaniel in his topcoat- hope he gets admission to the college near you.
    Susie

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    1. Nathaniel has been 17 years old for 10 days. Yes, he is enthusiastic. We used to be with him a lot before we moved, and he is particularly close to John. I don’t think the Vanderbilt mansion is connected to Anderson Cooper. The descendants who still run the estate are named Cecil (last name).

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      1. A happy belated birthday to Nathaniel. It is lovely to have grand children who love to visit their grandparents.
        My children used to be close to their grandparents when they were littler but now as they have grown older, I think they find them a little out of date.:)
        Susie

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  9. I’ll take half a dozen crepes for breakfast – and another 6 for dessert. 😀

    That university sounds like it’ll be a dream come true for Nathaniel!

    Aaand another lovely week gone by!

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    3. We began our family balloon game when the boys were little. Nathaniel’s arms now reach almost halfway across the room, so very few get by him. We laugh more when we do this than at any other time. Wish we could invite everyone to play.

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    1. John ate his crepes in 60 seconds. I made mine last five minutes. Sometimes I wonder why he bothers to eat. You can’t possibly taste anything when you swallow it whole. He won’t read this, but if he did, he’d laugh.

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    1. I hadn’t stopped to think that three hours away would be good. It certainly beats 15!! We have seen lavish homes of rich people on display, but the sheer enormity of Biltmore is almost overwhelming. The guests we have taken there often dream aloud of living in the mansion. I decided if I lived there, I’d be working in the kitchen, playing the organ, or looking after children. Being rich is alien to me!

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  14. I am so happy to have tracked you down as a nominee *by SUSIESHY45* of my Blog-aholic Award.
    Congratulations and well done. Now I am able to also follow you and see what you have to share. Happy Blogging Blog-aholic

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