celebrating joyful living every day. and dachshunds.
Bonjour! Last year, during the throes of another COVID winter and pregnancy, L'Husband and I celebrated Valentine's Day at home with romantic homemade mini pizzas followed by chocolate fondue for dessert. Today's post shares some photos of our meal and ideas for your very own fête à la pizza. We all know chocolate is traditional… Continue reading Romantic Pizza for Valentine’s Day
Bonjour! Today’s post reshares my recipe for Halloween candy bark, originally published in fall 2020. Enjoy! As summer slides into fall, leaves change color, and Halloween approaches, I start to anticipate all the fun planning, decorating, baking, and gift wrapping I get to do in the coming months. Not only is Halloween the official kickoff… Continue reading Recipe: Halloween Candy Bark (Repost)
Bonjour! The change of summer to autumn always has me looking forward to seeing the leaves change colors, decorating with pumpkins, and wearing flannel anything. Today’s post features a simple recipe for a tasty apple fritter cake with maple icing - just in time for fall! I love apple fritters and had fun tinkering this… Continue reading Recipe: Apple Fritter Cake with Maple Icing
Bonjour! In honor of the first day of spring (yay!), today's post shares a simple homeopathic recipe for soothing seasonal allergies: organic ginger-lemon-honey tea. Since they're predicting the 2022 allergy season will be a doozy, we'll all need some extra self-care. I'm planning ahead so a sore throat and runny nose won't diminish my usual… Continue reading Recipe: Ginger-Lemon-Honey Tea for Seasonal Allergies (Repost)
Bonjour! I started Joie de Vivre - a French phrase meaning “joy in living” - in 2019 so I could write about some of my favorite things, from food and travel to ways to incorporate simple pleasures to make everyday living more joyful. Over the years, my priorities and focus have evolved to include caring… Continue reading What Is Joyful Living?
Bonjour! New year, new me, and I’m excited to try some new recipes! Today's post shares my recipe for a mixed berry and yogurt parfait, perfect for breakfast, snack, or le dessert (mmm). Check out more of my recipes here (including some that are even a little healthy, FODMAP-friendly for IBS, and organic!) Since pregnancy… Continue reading Recipe: Berry Coulis-Greek Yogurt Parfait
Bonjour! I'm sharing this a week later than intended, but I was making rather merry at home last week while on staycation with L'Husband and Le Chien. Better late than never, right? Le wink. Something about the end of the year makes me nostalgic, from that back-to-school feeling that starts in September (even though I’m… Continue reading 2021 Blog Year in Review
Bonjour! We're officially in the throes of the holiday season, which has me hankering to decorate, bake, make chili, and wrap gifts. The holidays are a festive time but also a portent of the gray, cold winter to come (at least in the Midwest of the United States), which has me planning ahead to make… Continue reading A Cozy Hygge Night
Bonjour! As the holidays approach, I get Very Excited about the coming season of gift-giving, decorating, and extra treats (edible and otherwise). And, as per usual, I am limiting les excursions out and about due to the persistence of the pandemic and my own (mild to moderate) reentry anxiety (vaccine booster notwithstanding). So entertaining à… Continue reading Easy Holiday Appetizer: Honey Goat Cheese and Fancy Crackers
Bonjour! As I posted recently, I love to decorate my house, especially for the holidays. Just in time for Halloween, today's post shares a simple and tasty dessert inspired by the spookiest season. Hold on to your hats, because this dessert is easy, it's sweet, and it's fun! Les Ingrédients 1 box chocolate pudding mix1… Continue reading Recipe: Halloween “Dirt Cup” Dessert
Guten Tag! We're continuing the German takeover of Joie de Vivre to celebrate my love of all things deutsch, from Brotzeit to breakfast to Orangina. (And you can even find some German treats at Wal-Mart, le score!) Oktoberfest season is upon us, and what better way to usher in fall than with a German Oktoberfest-themed… Continue reading Oktoberfest Birthday for a Dachshund
Guten Tag! It’s time for another German takeover (the good kind… too soon?) here at Joie de Vivre. Thanks to a long-standing friendship with one of meine Lieblingsfreundin, Christiane, I love German food and culture, including a Brotzeit spread for dinner and making my own Orangina. And since I'm not travelling much (i.e., at all… Continue reading German Breakfast Box
Bonjour! I love to bake from scratch (sometimes), but I also like to take the semi-homemade route (most of the time). Today’s post shares a recipe for almond Danish using pre-made almond paste and puff pastry... because making paste and pastry from scratch is a lot of work (le sigh) and perfectly tasty ingredients already… Continue reading Recipe: Semi-Homemade Almond Danish
Bonjour! It’s starting to feel like spring in Vermont, and I’m eagerly anticipating warmer weather, more sunshine, and a visit to le lac (and my COVID-19 vaccine). Today's post shares some pictures from a campfire picnic on the shores of Lake Champlain in South Hero, Vermont, a fun way to get outside with family and… Continue reading Campfire Beach Picnic on South Hero, Vermont
Bonjour! It's been awhile since I baked, and I'm ready to get back in the kitchen and have some fun. As St. Patrick's Day approaches, I'm feeling inspired to try my hand at Irish soda bread. I tried this traditional in Ireland when I visited in 2017 (and met Winnie!). The bread should pair nicely… Continue reading Recipe: Irish Soda Quick Bread
Bonjour! Happy Festivus! The holidays season is upon us. My family celebrates Christmas, and every year we kick off the celebration the day after Thanksgiving by making a big batch of chili and watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. ("Don't throw me down, Clark!") Today's post shares my secret family recipe for chili, a dish I… Continue reading Recipe: Christmas Chili
Bonjour! As summer slides into fall, leaves change color, and Halloween approaches, I start to anticipate all the fun planning, decorating, baking, and gift wrapping I get to do in the coming months. Not only is Halloween the official kickoff of the holiday saison, it's a great excuse to eat lots of candy corn and… Continue reading Recipe: Halloween Candy Bark
Bonjour! One way I try to manage inflammation in my gut, due to IBS, and skin, due to rosacea, is through a low-gluten or gluten-free diet. Based on the results of a blood test, I do not have celiac disease, so I can eat some gluten. But because I frequently experience stomach upset or hot… Continue reading A Day Without Gluten
Bonjour! Sometimes, one just feels like baking and eating an entire try of brownies, perhaps when it's gray and chilly and blustery. Perhaps when the United States is mere weeks away from a contentious presidential election. Perhaps when the coronavirus pandemic, voter suppression, census shenanigans, and Supreme Court tomfoolery crush our souls (le sigh). I… Continue reading Recipe: Gluten-Free Brownie Muffins
Bonjour! As the weather turns chilly, gray, and rainy, the scarves and wool socks come out. Le Chien resists wearing his coat and attempts to flee when he sees it (le sigh). And I start I to crave comfort food, which for me tends toward warm or carby delights like biscuits. Or meatloaf. Or chili.… Continue reading Recipe: Greek Green Beans
Bonjour! Happy October! Fall has officially arrived in Vermont, which means it's time to make an annual batch of applesauce, mmm. Today's post shares how I simplify what can be a laborious (peeling, coring, chopping so many apples. So. Many. Apples.) and time-consuming (simmering the sauce for hours on the stove) process. My secret weapons?… Continue reading Recipe: Slow Cooker Applesauce with Secret Ingredient
Bonjour! My love for French language and culture often inspires me to create a taste of France chez moi. I was lucky about to visit Paris in 2006, after I graduated from the University of Alabama, and still dream of visiting again one day (le sigh). In the meantime, I find ways to recreate elements… Continue reading Le French Picnic Chez Moi
Bonjour! This is an easy, breezy post on what will hopefully be an easy, breezy summer Thursday. It’s been a long summer in the middle of a very long year, and we all need a little break. What better to accompany a break from work or chores or news or pandemic worries (le sigh) than… Continue reading Recipe: Easy Summer Mocktail
Bonjour! This past Saturday morning, I woke up with the urge to bake. No, quarantine is not getting to me - I am a lifelong baker and have been helping L'Husband learn to bake. Maybe it was the drizzly, gray morning, surely invigorated by the tantalizing vanilla scent of fresh baked goods. Maybe it was… Continue reading Recipe: Gluten-Free Quick Bread
Bonjour! I've spent a lot of time at home over the last four months and had the pleasure of spending extra time with L'Husband and Le Chien. We are adjusting to our new home in Vermont and working from home in our home office spaces. Despite the uncertainty and stress of the pandemic, we are… Continue reading Quarantine Scenes: Baking
Bonjour! I wrote my first post on helping during the pandemic a couple of months ago. Things were still new, scary, and overwhelming, and I thought it was important to focus on positive ways to help in the community: stay home, donate, support local businesses, and find reliable information. This post re-shares what we can… Continue reading How Do I Help? Update
Bonjour! Though it's the middle of June, spring has barely arrived in Vermont, and pollen is everywhere. My nose is dripping, my throat is scratchy and sore, and my eyes are bloodshot and itchy, zut alors. I used to just pop a Claritin or Sudafed and drag myself through the rest of my day in… Continue reading Recipe: Ginger-Lemon-Honey Tea for Seasonal Allergies
Bonjour! This post celebrates Joie de Vivre’s first anniversary. I started this blog one year ago this week, just shy of my 35th birthday. To celebrate, Joie de Vivre has a fresh look. I updated some style, design, and layout elements and created dedicated pages for food, travel, joyful living, and work. I'm also experimenting… Continue reading Happy First Anniversary, Joie de Vivre!
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #9 introduces Christiane Scheller, 36, the Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Scherzinger Pumpen in Furtwangen, Germany. Chris writes, “I was responsible for all marketing activities including the organisation of trade shows and events, print media, online marketing, and corporate communication strategies.” She… Continue reading How I Work #9: Christiane in Germany
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #8 introduces Ryan Green, 36, a Field Curriculum Consultant for Medtronic based in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a member of product launch core teams and leads global training and education. For fun, Ryan loves to run and read, and also tipple the odd gin… Continue reading How I Work #8: Ryan in Alabama
Welcome to another installment of How I Work! How I Work #7 introduces Ayanna Coleman, 32, who currently lives in Tokyo and runs her own business efficiency and marketing consultancy, Quill Shift. Ayanna writes, “I’m a business efficiency and marketing consultant. I work with new entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits who know their passion and… Continue reading How I Work #7: Ayanna in Tokyo
"I took your idea and I made it better." - Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation Bonjour! For a recent Oktoberfest shindig with Ma Famille, I decided to experiment with a new applesauce recipe. I've made applesauce in a Dutch oven on the stove, but never before in the slow cooker, and never before with a… Continue reading Recipe: Slow Cooker Applesauce with Secret Ingredient
"I don't mean to brag, but I have irritable bowel syndrome." - Jeremy Jamm, Parks & Recreation Bonjour! During the past five years since my irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) diagnosis, I have experimented with ways to manage my persistent mal à l'estomac through diet. While my gastroenterologist at the time prescribed an omeprazole to treat… Continue reading Low-FODMAP Diet for IBS
"I’d say I'm about one cookie away from being happy." - Snoopy Bonjour! Baking and cooking are two activities that enhance my personal joie de vivre. Since I became a dog mom, I have always wanted to experiment with baking dog treats, but have been too skeptical to try. In fact, Le Chien's favorite word… Continue reading Recipe: Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Bonjour! Welcome to Joie de Vivre! I am excited to write my first post and share a little bit about myself with you. My name is Katie Chamberlain and I love to write, travel, cook, and organize. I am also an ardent linguist and Francophile. Despite my nerd-like tendencies (I have a law degree and… Continue reading Welcome to Joie de Vivre!
Joie de Vivre 