Sunday, March 17, 2013

When asked why I moved to Berlin, I jokingly said "Because it's not Paris." Truth be told, I love Paris. Despite some bad experiences I've had in the past, I love the energy and the character Paris has. This need to always look good in the public eye. To eat mountains of cheese and never get fat. To know your neighborhood baker by first name. It's just something I find both comforting and charming.


Les Galeries Lafayette is one of my favorite department stores. Despite the fact that I can't afford anything and the people that work there probably know that, I love to go in and be in the center of all the buzz. Especially during Christmas season, you get to see the beautiful window displays!


Then there's Le Bon Marché. I am of course more partial to their food gallery, but I love to look at House and Kitchen Ware in any department store. Here's a cute array of designer cups I found (above).


The area around La Basilique du Sacré Coeur was of course ringing with sleigh bells as well, with its own mini Christmas Market. I however was too distracted by the sights of the city.

Speaking of sights . . .


The last image is an outdoor market in Versailles, where I went to visit a friend. I tried some of the best bread and cheese there. I also brought back a jar of organic honey infused with chestnuts! Très magnifique!


Lastly, cake time at the Musée d'Orsay! I guess that sums up my time there in December. Of course, it won't be my last. I've met some amazing people and plan to go back!

À la prochaine (until next time)!

Flashback Paris

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

How are you?

I am doing well. It's quite cold in Berlin right now, and I have my bag of frozen peas sitting in the front yard. Oh Spring, please come soon.

In other news, Oliver decided recently that he was going to make puff pastry from scratch. Did he succeed? Why yes, he did!


The only thing I didn't like was how much butter there was in the recipe. I knew there would be a lot of butter, but this was too much! I could barely eat a whole one.


Speaking of firsts, here are a few more:

1. My First "Swimming Pool" Cocktail



We were at an Irish Pub and I decided what the hell, let's get a cocktail (I usually go for cheaper drinks, but we still had yet to celebrate my newly acquired job). Tastes similar to a piña colada. It lasted me the whole night.

2. My First Try at Dumplings


I love dumplings, but have not had any since I came to Berlin (I have not seen them anywhere for some reason). Because I've been trying to avoid gluten products and also have a knack for transforming food into vegan delights, I made vegan and gluten free dumplings! They were YUM! I swapped ground meat for these Soy Protein flakes and added boy choy, carrots, onions, and mushrooms. The dough was just corn flour (the gluten free flour we had was corn so I just used that), corn starch, oil, and water. I really recommend going gluten free for the dumpling dough actually, because it gives it a nice texture.

3. My First Wasabi Cheese



That green roll of cheese right thar be the Wasabi cheese. I found it at Galeria Kaufhof in Alexander Platz and decided it had to come home with me. It's definitely a spicy one! I had it with some scrambled eggs (which was mixed with leftover dumpling filling) and a light salad. Quite a filling breakfast!

I don't know if anyone noticed but I also changed the banner. I'm finally pretty satisfied with it! Well, now I need to go make some apple compote, so until next time! Ciao! 

Hallo Leute! (Hello People!)