The Grand Finale

Per Nana~

When Tricia signed us up for "French Fridays with Dorie", I knew nothing
 about the world of blogging. Four and a half years ago I had no idea what a
 blog was.I was skeptical about this - cooking and posting for other people to
 see my results. However, it didn't take me long to get in the swing of things 
and I have loved the experience it has brought me. 

Each week Tricia and I did our own cooking, sharing ideas and thoughts about the

 week's recipe and had a lot of laughs at our disasters.  A few times we even worked 

on a recipe together (really, how many eclairs does a family really need ?)

Many times we shared our results, especially when she was still living next door. 

Back then I knew if I made the full recipe there were plenty of taste testers to 

help me out. Once the boys left for college and Tricia moved away, I had to 

start cutting the recipes in half for the two of us. 

After our wonderful trip to Seattle, where we met so many Doristas face to face, 
we realized it was like meeting old friends.  A great time for all and I know we
 all felt the friendships immediately. As for meeting Dorie and her husband
 Michael,it was quite a thrill. They are so nice, so gracious and the both make 
you feel so very special. If you were fortunate enough to go to one of Dorie's 
book signings, Dorie remembered you and made you feel welcome.

These are the special moments that make us all Doristas.

This is a sad time for all, posting for the last time in FFWD, but I know we 

will continue to keep in touch and be friends. 

A special thank you to Mary and Betsy for all their hard work keeping this journey

 going. For Trevor, whose interesting blog is filled with humor, thank you for your 

work designing the Dorista tote bag, our diploma, etc- I am sending you a big hug.  

Thank you Alice, for your wonderful idea of a Christmas Card exchange, which is 

something that Jim and I look forward to each year.  To Laurie W. for organizing 

this whole project. And a thank you to all our Dorista friends, past and present, 

who have left comments, posted results and otherwise shared their lives as well as

 their recipe results with this group on French Fridays.

For my final recipe I decided to show my true French colors and
 prepare crepes, something I think would make my mother proud.

 They were delicious and I don't know why I don't make them more often. 
Yes, I do remember - they are fattening :)

Per Tricia~

I echo my mother's sentiments about our involvement and our gratitude.

She said it beautifully.

 One additional and key thank you that I must share is to send a huge 

THANK YOU 

to my Mother- for agreeing to go on this (and many other....) adventures, 

for always being game to try something new, for not being afraid to fail and

 even post pictures of a kitchen disaster on the internet. For agreeing to learn

 how to take photos and get them posted to a blog. For making sure I knew we 

had a "weird" ingredient coming up and either running reconnaissance to
 Wegman's or even ordering it weeks ahead of time from Amazon. 

For preparing perfect little blue tupperwares of "mise en place" for me when you 
know I likely did not have the ingredient, or the time, that week. For being patient 
when I explained "we'll be posting late tonight Mom -it's still Friday" on more
 than one occasion. For believing in the good of people, even when the "internet"
 gets such a bad wrap for establishing relationships. For being known as "Nana", 
with the greatest endearment, by so many people who are not her grandchildren. 

And for continuing to teach me discipline, perseverance and commitment by 
example - not just by word. I could not have done it without you and 
 on this fun little lark has turned into the adventure of a lifetime, filled with 
priceless memories that expanded to include family and friends. 
Thank you. 

And so I will end where I began. 

While I am the first to admit some of the recipes during this time have been a blur,

 I can still vividly recall our first recipe - Marie-Helene's Apple Cake.  Excited for

 this new adventure, we took a trip to our local "Sur la Table" to find the requisite 
8 inch springform pan...like kids buying school supplies for a new school year. 

 We have since learned that you make due with whatever is on hand and adapt

 accordingly. You see, we didn't just learn recipes. We learned to trust -  trust in
 ourselves, in others, and in the outcome being perfectly ok no matter what
 happened. The fact that the cake was so delicious gave us a lovely introduction 
to "Around My French Table" . While we don't publish the recipes as a rule,

 since this is one that Dorie has posted on the web I am happy to share it now. 

Just follow the link  below and enjoy ~ 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/marie-helenes-apple-cake-361150

Happy French Friday ~