getting organized

it's frightening how fast time flies by... already, the first quarter of the year is gone. a good point to stop and reassess all the plans i had for my home this year.

well, my windows have already been cleaned. some of my winter wardrobe went to the cellar to make room for flimsy summer dresses. the heavy boots and coats have been stashed away. the balcony is (almost) spring ready (well it's clean, for a starts. i will have to take care of a few fresh flowers and maybe a new fig tree, since it seems this one hasn't really survived the heavy winter with the many days of minus temperatures...).

there are still a few things i've been been able to see to, though. and, as my rather impatient personality (confession!) goes, it makes me nervous to still have so many open posts... but list-making helps, once-again.

1. paint all the walls (a proper white, obviously, since i'm not completely crazy and, most of all, rather afraid of my villanous renter) (note: the fact that they're not as impeccable as i want them to makes me so unbelievable giddy, you'd think i have a minor neurosis... which i totally don't have. obviously. and also: maybe i'm insane to even think about painting them myself?)

2. get a new couch and / or reupholster (actually have it reupholstered) a vintage couch that's currently still hiding in my parents' undergrounds.

3. find a huge bookshelf to finally have a home for my many, many beloved books and, when bookshelf is up, color code the books. now, who doesn't like a color coded bookshelf?

4. order proper curtains for the dining room side of the flat. i'm thinking maybe charcoal grey, greige or taupe?

6. buy a new ceiling lamp for my bedroom. been having one on mind for three years now but i have a constant nagging fear that this one will not be on stock, anymore, waiting there just for me?

7. think of a new wardrobe / closet solution (currently there's a hanger for some of my favorite clothes, openly displayed. let's be frank: it's nice but it always looks a bit untidy, too, on not-so-good-days).

8. declutter the bathroom (translation for: getting rid of thousands of unncessary cosmetic samples) buy new towels and a new soap dispenser (not molton brown again, maybe aesop?)

9. get a proper ironing board (because i finally need to be grown up and a real domestic goddess - which includes the existence of ironed clothes, weather i like it or not *not*).

10. think about reorganising the cellar space, which includes storing things in specific boxes and shoe cupboards.

tbc (i fear...). xo

picture source: desire to inspire

berry love

this berry bowl in ceramic, that is inspired by the cardboard crates you often get at the farmer's markets, has been on my watchlist for quite some time now. when we were in london a few weeks back, i spotted one at anthropologie and am since very smitten with it. it is so fun to use! for example to neatly store fruit in your fridge (i've used it for strawberries a few times) or to have sweets and candy (like gummibears) on display on your living room table.

a nice pair

this is currently on my wishlist: a nice set of napkins from anthropologie and glitzy bracelets from shourouk. some fresh color for the home and some arm candy. aren't those two a good pair? love for a happy evening. xo

quinoa pesto salad

i whipped up this dish for my usual bunch of girl-friends who came to watch the start of the new germany's next topmodel (a tv show i've grown to love over the years, i admit) season a few weeks back. i guessed there were going to be a lot of sweets involved during the watching. so i deduced a healthy and light start would be more than welcome. since wheat-free was the condition, i opted once more for quinoa. always a good glutenfree ingredient to add substance.

apart from this dish, the inescapable candy after and the obvious fun we were having cheering for (and, occasionally booing at) our favorite model candidates, we also turned my living room spontaneously into a nail-salon. each girl with a different shade and glitter effect. 

it sure felt a bit girly (we used to do mani parties when i was a teenager...). but for some things, one (girl) never grows too old...

quinoa qith cilantro pesto & greens

ingredients:

1 large cup of tricolor quinoa (or just any other plain quinoa), cooked according to directions

1 bunch thai broccoli, blanched for about 3 minutes in salted water

500 g green beans, dito broccoli

1 firm tofu (i used a deepfried one, since i love it's texture), diced

ingredients for the pesto:

2 bunches fresh cilantro leaves, washed

handful mint leaves, washed

handful thai basil leaves, washed

1 piece green jalapeno

3 garlic cloves

2 drops harissa or sriracha hot sauce

1 tsp. acacia honey

2 limes, the juice

1/2 cup olive oil

salt

to serve:

2 limes, cut into quarters

soy sauce

sriracha hot sauce

directions: 

cook the quinoa according to directions, then put aside to cool off a little. in the meantime, blanch the thai broccoli and beans for a few minutes only, drain and cool in ice cold water. cut the veggies into stripes. 

combine all the pesto ingredients in a food blender and blend well until you have a rather smooth, green pesto paste. taste, and season with more salt if necessary (i'm alsways surprised to find that pesto needs a genereous amount of salt). now add the pesto to the almost cooled to room temperature quinoa, and combine well. you see: the pesto makes up for the lack of a typical 'salad sauce'. scatter the greens and the tofu on top and serve, with some more lemon on top, soy sauce (for those who like to add a bit more salt) and som hot sauce to spice things up individually

jalapeno buckwheat bowl

my flat really needed thorough cleaning. the currently warmer temperatures made this possible. i cleaned all windows (really a lot of glass there, with the aquarium windows on both sides of the flat), made the balcony spring ready and cleaned the oven (yuck). now you can eat off the floor. i like it that way (yep, i'm a maniac like that).

in between cleaning i needed a serious energy boost, and took to what's in the fridge: a few tomatoes, some basil, a lemon, garlic and a green jalapeno. and as a base i used buckwheat, that i always have on hand.

ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat, cooked according to directions

500 g cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green jalapeno, chopped

maldon sea salt

2 crushed pepper corns

bunch of basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1 lemon, juice

olive oil

directions:

preheat the oven to 220 degrees. wash the tomatoes and place in an oven-proof bowl. add the garlic, jalapenos, a generous pinch of salt, the pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. place in the oven and roast for about 15 minutes. if necessary, stir occasionally. in the meantime cook the buckwheat according to directions. sprinkle with olive oil and let cool slightly. combine the buckwheat, tomatoes, lemon juice and basil. if necessary add another pinch of salt on top.

trust in love

not much more to say.

cottage cheese pancakes

this dinner is probably not the healthiest of sorts... maybe not even the strawberries help, much less the cottage cheese. but i still like to think the cottage cheese is a bit (...) healthy.

and if not, it still makes the pancakes really spongy and nice. and anyways, after a week of no food at all while being sick, i think this might just be a fine now. recipe here for all those who are sinners like me (cough).

i'm going to watch my brother on tv tonight! i am so excited. i'll have to tell you about it soon!
xo

simple avocado sandwich

it took so long since my last post... i was sick for over a week. really sick, like i haven't been in years. but it was bearable, since i was so well cared for... my parents visited every few hours during the day, to make sure i had everything i needed (from home-made chicken stock to coke) and my boyfriend came on most evenings to pay me company. despite the fact that i was probably highly contagious! it gave me a very warm, cherished feeling. i felt loved. that probably helped me to get better sooner.

i can now eat most things again - and i'm sure you can imagine my happiness. today, i had to go home in my lunch break to pick up a few things. normally, i never do that. it just consumes so much time. but there, at home, in the bright sunshine, i celebrated my regained health and joie de vivre with a simple avocado sandwich that i ate on the balcony. those were a few blissful minutes of solitude and joy.

avocado sandwich

ingredients:

1 avocado, halved, pitted and cut into thin slices

1 cuore di bue tomato, cut into slices

1 piece of bread

goat's cream cheese

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

generous pinch of herbed salt

directions: 

half the bread loaf, spread some goat's cream cheese on it and place the tomato and avocado slices on top. sprinkle with lemon juice and salt.

citrus fennel salad

i've been sick since sunday, and, ironically, it seems to be food poisoning. ironically, because there isn't much i love more than food, good food! honestly, it is hard not to pity myself in my current status. i can't really move a lot and i had to see the doctor's for infusions yesterday and today. but it's slowly getting better. slowly! but whatefs, it just goes to show that a home-cooked meal can't be beaten and is always the saver option...  right? no need to be angry with the good things. and though i'm not really hungry at the moment i still want to share this crunchy citrus fennel celery stalk salad i made some time ago.

citrus' vibrant colors are the best way to transition your food from winter to spring. just add a little orange or lemon - and voilà, sunshine in your house.

for me, lemon is the best ingredient in a salad dressing. and unsurprisingly, it's a good match with the acerbic taste of raw fennel bulbs and celery stalks.

ingredients:
2 fennel bulbs, washed and cut into thin, longish slices *
3 long celery stalks, washed and cut into slices *

1 lemon, juice
1 drop harissa or sriracha hot sauce
1 drop mild acacia honey
fleur de sel
freshly ground black pepper
argan oil

1 orange, peeled and cut into slices

1 grapefruit, peeled and cut into slices

* keep the green top leaves separate, to sprinkle on top

combine the greens with the dressing ingredients. mix the lemon juice with the other dressing ingredients: salt, pepper, honey, harissa, argan oil, and add over the fennel quickly (as it will prevent it from turning brown). arrange the lemon slices on top. sprinkle the top leaves over the salad.

sweet life

my instagram says that's what's been happening in my life lately (from top to bottom, left to right) // 1. since we're going to london next week (i can't wait) i got this wallpaper london city guide for inspiration. though there certainly are a few spots that are already on my must go to again list (and this list is already pretty long...). // 2. did you know ladurée makes XL maccarons? it always feels a little decadent to me to buy a whole box of maccarons just for myself... but with this version, my craving doesn't need to be unmet. // 3. a beautiful flower arrangement in the shape of a skull in the navyboot window really surprised me. // 4. the best tuna (fished by hand, no less), with a pale-pink whiteish meat and soft salty taste is the best one i've discovered in a long time. i'm planning on serving it as a starter, in the tin box as it is, only with a few drops of fresh lime juice and fleur de sel on top and with a baguette on the side. perfection.

// 5. a pair of pointy, ultra-shiny silver flats i got in the zara sale. they can be used as a weapon... watch out! // 6. a silver pullover i got two years ago at h&m and still love - even though everyone says i look like a knight in it. what the heck! life is too short to look like a grey mouse. // 7. a very old pair of rugged to excess blue jeans. i feel slightly too old for them now, and at the same time a bit cheeky while wearing them. // 8. a few silver bracelets, all with a certain meaning to me. like, the one with the turquoise stones is from our last holiday in st.tropez.

batata harra

i've always loved arab inspired meals. so much so, that as a kid i celebrated one of my teenage birthdays with a 1001 nights themed bash at home. my closest girlfriends were invited for a lavish (home-cooked) dinner, complete with samovars full of sweet mint tea, plates and plates of home-made mezze and flatbreads. we spread out the cushions to sit on the floor while some belly dance music was playing in the background. it sure was one of the nights to remember.

if you know anything about mezze, then you've probably heard of batata harra. batata harra is the most essential mezze dish. no mezze night without batata harra! the lemony crunchiness of them is so good. it's so good i want to eat them when i'm alone, so that i don't have to share them with anyone. though i agree that a mezze are generally more fun when in company... so i'd recommend you make them for a social dinner night, and for a lonely tv night (because they're also good eaten cold). so there will be no tears later. smart, eh?

batata harra - arab fried potatoe cubes with lemon and coriander
ingredients:
4 -5 large potatoes, peeled, cut into cubes and patted dry
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves, minced
generous pinch fleur de sel
1/2 tbsp. ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp. turmeric
1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 lemon, juice

directions:
fry the potato cubes in the olive oil until crunchy (this will likely take 20 to 30 minutes, be patient and make sure to reduce the heat to low so as not to burn them). then, add the garlic, coriander leaves and seeds, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt and continue to fry for half a minute. take from the flame and pour the lemon juice over the potatoes. serve tepid.