9 Beautiful Edible Christmas Gift Ideas

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas?!

If you are still looking for ideas as far as Christmas gifts are concerned, this post might inspire you :) What about surprising this year a dear family member, friend or co-worker with a homemade edible gift? They are easy to make, and on top of that you can get all creative with the wrapping to make them look even more appealing, as they already are!

I always get excited when it comes to homemade gifts. Not only are they personal, people also tend to really appreciate them even more, knowing that you took your time to create all that by yourself!

Have a wonderful Christmas!!

Mini-Panettoni

2. Orange-Almond Macaroons

3. Torrone – Sicilian Almond Brittle

4. Chocolate Lollipops

5. Homemade Orange Marmalade

6. Rosemary-Lemon Sea Salt

7. Cantuccini -Tuscan Almond Biscotti

8. Soft Chocolate Caramels

9. Chocolate Bites With Pomegranate Seeds And Fresh Pistachios

Mains & Sides Recipes

Easy Spinach-Feta-Olive Tarte

For being an Italian, I’ve been making quite an above average amount of quiches and tarte in the past few years :) Granted, the way I make them, may not match 100% the way they make them in France.. but who says that we can’t experiment a little bit, or add an Italian touch to it..right?

Well, as a matter of fact, I can’t get enough of them! What makes these tasty treats so special is their versatility. You can literally use whatever type of veggie or any other ingredient, and turn them magically into these French beauties! Once you have tried to make your own crust, the so-called “pâte brisée”, trust me, you won’t even want to use a store-bought one anymore. That’s how easy it is to make! It consists of four ingredients only! Hard to beat, isn’t it?

Spinach and feta are the main ingredients here, topped with black olives that give the tarte the extra flavor. Honestly I don’t even like spinach that much. But prepared a certain way, it can easily make a big difference! Like this one here. It is exactly the combination of these three main ingredients that turn in into one of my – if not the favorite tarte – I’ve ever made! It’s almost like the spinach, feta and olives were made to blend together! And then the crunchiness of the homemade pâte brisée gives it that little extra something, that I can’t even describe with words! Oh, and the pine nuts! I almost forgot about them! Simply perfect!

Try it, and you will immediately know what I’m talking about ;)

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Recipes Soups & Salads

Creamy Green Asparagus Soup with Salmon

I can’t even think of how many kilos of asparagus I have already eaten during this year’s season. That’s exactly what happens when you like something so much, that is only available for a very limited amount of time. We still have a few more weeks to enjoy this tasty spring vegetable. And I am truly making the most out of it!

Several strata, frittata, pasta and risotto dishes later – all including green asparagus, of course – it was time to turn them into a soup. This is one of those recipes that is simple and quick to prepare. A perfect dish for those days or evenings when you don’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen. While the soup simmers on the stove, you can saute’ the salmon for a few minutes. Blend and serve. That’s it! Easy, isn’t it?

You will also notice that I use herb butter for this recipe. I basically add it to the soup and to the salmon. I love the flavor that it adds to this dish! I always make my own herb butter. It takes literally five minutes if you have a food processor or something similar. Even if you don’t, all you need to do is chop the herbs, etc. and mix everything with the softened butter. The biggest advantage is that you get to decide exactly which flavor you want! And you can make your own little portions and freeze them. If you want to give it a try, you can find a recipe here, and another one here. It’s worth it!!

May has been a really strange month so far. Within two weeks we had snow and summer temperatures. Which makes you feel like eating a hot soup one day, and a cold salad the very next day. However I think that there’s always room for a soup. Don’t you think so? Crème fraîche adds that extra freshness to this soup and it blends very well with the salmon. So, if you want to give it a try with this healthy and tasty dish, you need to hurry up, as long as the green veggie is still available :)

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Desserts & Drinks Recipes

Carrot Cake With Almonds And Lemon

Today it’s time to introduce you to another cake recipe out of my top favorite’s list! It reminds me of the gluten-free almond-ricotta cake that I posted not too long ago. They are both deliciously moist, and the ingredients stand out in a wonderful way.

Is there such thing as healthy cakes? If there is, this one would sort of fit into that category. And next time, if I get to replace the sugar with honey or any other alternative, it’d qualify even more for it!

Whenever I can, I try to keep the sugar quantities at a bare minimum. And it’s been working just fine!

I believe that no matter where we come from and how and what we are used to eat, cutting on sugar can only be beneficial in so many ways. It doesn’t necessarily have to affect the taste in a bad way at all! I think it’s quite the opposite. It’s a great opportunity for us to start enjoying the single ingredients that are part of that cake!

This recipe here is a good example. When I first baked it, I decided to use almost half of the sugar indicated in the original recipe. That makes the other ingredients stand out even more! The almonds and lemons add a wonderful taste to every single bite! While the carrots remind me more of the zucchini cake that I made some time ago. I could barely taste the vegetable itself. But they both add that moist texture that gives the cake that special touch that I wouldn’t wanna miss.

And on top of that, isn’t it great to be able to have a sweet tooth and not even feel bad about it while munching on something that is not that unhealthy, as it easily could be? ;)

Have a wonderful Easter my friends :)

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Desserts & Drinks Recipes

Mediterranean Flavored Overnight Oats

Hi there! It feels so good to be back blogging! I have been missing it so much! The past weeks have been crazy and super busy. We just recently got back from Italy after spending a few days in Calabria. As expected, we got to spend many hours sitting by the fireplace, grilling bread and artichokes (the way we do in Sicily). Eating ricotta cheese – still warm – coming straight from the farmer..

As much as I enjoy and love all that, I still can’t wait for spring to come! In Southern Italy there was already some spring in the air. The first blossoms covering the almond and peach trees were a true feast for the eyes! After coming back to Germany the timing couldn’t have been better to start talking pictures again! The markets are filling up with beautiful flowers. The days are getting longer. And the colors and light do make a difference!

The idea of this recipe started a while back. It was the time I used to take either a sandwich to work for breakfast, or I’d stop by the bakery to buy a croissant or pain au chocolat. As much as I love croissants, and with chocolate even more, the dilemma was, that literally one hour later (if, at all!), I was hungry again. I didn’t get anywhere close to lunchtime with a full stomach.

So, I started thinking about more filling alternatives, when I came up with smoothies! Actually, a specific kind of smoothie made with overnight oats. Given the fact that in the past few years I started developing some kind of intolerance to milk, or whatever that might be – when it comes to drinking larger amounts – I started looking for alternatives. The range goes from almond milk, to oat, soy, rice and coconut milk. After experimenting a bit, I came to the conclusion that almond milk and oat milk work best for me, especially in terms of taste. Then mixed with banana, strawberries, peanut or almond butter, to name a few.. It quickly turned into my best breakfast ever! I alternate, some days a more liquid and drinkable version, on other days a little thicker, served in a bowl. Either way, it’s quick and tasty.. and beyond! I can now go about four hours long without craving any (unhealthy) snacks or similar, trying to make it through the morning in the office.

Despite how much I love and enjoy my breakfast, it was time to try out slightly different ingredients. Especially on Sundays when the time slows down a little bit, it’s the best time to invest a few minutes longer in the kitchen. So I came up with this recipe here! It’s packed with ingredients that remind me of the Mediterranean. Whether it’s the blood oranges from Sicily, the homemade ricotta cheese, lavender honey, almonds or pistachios.. So many wonderful flavors, all in one bowl!

Let’s get started!

[yumprint-recipe id=’68’]Have a wonderful sunny day!

Breads & Sandwiches Desserts & Drinks Recipes

Braided Chocolate Brioche

The past few weeks have been so busy! That just shows that no matter how much planning I do, at the end, things might still turn out completely different. However, when those busy times include blogging or traveling and exploring new places, than I’m all for it! Unfortunately it’s not always the pleasant things in life that get in the way though..

But, as far as the traveling part is concerned, we went to France over Thanksgiving. Just across the border to visit the region of Alsace. If you have never been there before, I highly recommend it! Colmar is one of the little towns in that area. It is so precious! Even more during the Christmas season with the beautiful decorations. And then the food.. Oh my.. Restaurants and bistros serving delicious menus at almost every corner. There should be a rule for travels to France (and Italy..). Something like “If you can’t spend at least one week there, then don’t go.” Why? Well, when you catch yourself having a three-course lunch and then you leave the restaurant completely full, saying “Tonight I’ll definitely skip dinner!” And then, about 4 hours later you find yourself sitting in another bistro checking out the menu, looking for – of course – something small and light.. Just to find the weekly special three-course menu card.. And picking just that, without hesitating. Forgetting instantly the previous big lunch, including how full you really (still) are..

I mean, why do they do that?? Can’t they just simply offer one dish only?! That is why spending only two days in France can be dangerous. Trying to squeeze in way too much food into one day.. I’ve been there before.

As you might have already noticed, I love brioche! And whatever falls into that category. So, after sharing with you my family’s braided Easter bread, followed by the beautiful flower shaped brioche, and the softest brioche ever, now it’s time for a different recipe. This time with chocolate! And that’s not the only difference. This one here is not the typical soft brioche. The texture is completely different. I’d say a little crunchy, with a wonderfully intense flavor. It must be the mix of chocolate with a generous amount of butter, that turns these braided buns into something magical, and so addictive! No kidding.

As I made so many, I decided to freeze them right after baking. The freezer sounded like the safest place to me. Otherwise I’d have eaten them all, just to feel guilty afterwards about the out-of-control amounts of butter that I’d have eaten.

Btw, I have a little advice for you. Just recently I ended up trashing my homemade pizza twice within a few days. That really hurt. I mean, I make pizza dough almost weekly, so I couldn’t understand why the dough looked and felt so different. Basically it didn’t rise, at all. I blamed it on the yeast. A second attempt followed, with a new package of fresh yeast. Same result. OK, so at that point I knew that this couldn’t be the problem . Then I remembered what my aunt told me. She always turns the oven on at the lowest setting, for a very few minutes only, until it gets barely warm. Then she places the bowl with the dough inside to rise. My kitchen must have been particularly cold that week, because as soon as I tried the oven version, the dough rose perfectly, warm and quickly. You may want to try to do the same ;) It really works!

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Mains & Sides Recipes

Squash-Chard Quiche

Hello everyone! Guess what today’s recipe is about?

Squash! Of course. This is their season. So we need to make the most out of it. At least that’s how I feel.

My experience with squash and pumpkins is that they have a lot of potential to turn pretty much anyone into big fans. Well, it surely got me. Quite incredible, that back in the days I rarely ate those.

After making pumpkin ravioli with brown butter-sage-pancetta sauce, now this is the turn of a quiche. You know, there is something about quiche. I have never made so many before, like in the past year or two. I slowly developed my own way of preparing it, while keeping it quick and simple. And it quickly turned into one of my main work-lunch-recipes. For several reasons. It’s easy to make and serves well as a light dinner together with a salad. The leftovers (quite a bit!) end up in the freezer. Which is enough for at least four lunch-boxes for work :)

Whatever can make my life easier during the week, is worth a try! And this is one of them. Another thing that I’ve been trying to work on, is my weekly meal plan. I’ve been meaning to do that for a while. And now I can proudly say that I have finally made my very first plan!

Let me tell you, once I got the list ready, it felt like a big relief. Basically I set up a plan for the upcoming week, followed by a grocery shopping list. That should help preventing that desperate super-last-minute-evening-shopping. And I already notice the difference.

One of the main benefits is that it helps me get an overview in advance of the time that it’ll take me to prepare the meals. That’s the best way to avoid those moments when I plan to spend only half an hour cooking, and then I end up leaving the kitchen two hours later. Ever been there?? ;)

OK, so that being said, it’s already Saturday. Let me get started with next week’s meal plan!

Do you also plan ahead? Would love to hear how it’s been working for you!

Happy weekend!

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Pasta Recipes

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter-Sage-Pancetta Sauce

Advertisement // Yes! We made ravioli. F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!

I have been looking forward to that moment for a while now. I’ve been wanting to make them with my parents or brother. Whoever was available. But when everyone lives in a different city, it’s a little hard to find the perfect weekend for such a project.

Well, project might sound like quite a bit of work. Which actually, was not the case. However, we did spend a few hours making the pasta, but mainly because I had to squeeze in the photo shoot :) I mean, as much as I love quick recipes, honestly, this here is not the quickest one, as you can imagine. But let me tell you.. These ravioli are worth the time and effort.

Oh boy, I had almost forgotten how challenging it can be to cook and take pictures while there is more people involved than just me. Nevertheless, my parents did a great job, and were as patient as they could be.. Which is quite a big deal, when we end up eating lunch much later than usual.. :)

It was fun to make homemade pasta all together. While one took care of rolling the dough through the pasta machine, the other one took care of the rest. Everybody had his own task. Granted, it does make it a lot easier using a pasta maker. One of the reasons is that the dough is usually quite firm, which can turn into quite a workout using a rolling pin. As far as I can remember my family has always used a Marcato pasta maker. Whether it’s for making lasagne, tagliatelle or similar. Even as a little kid, I remember doing my part on those Sundays when we used to make homemade pasta. My mom was in charge of kneading the dough, while I was enjoying turning the handle :)

The bottom line is, this recipe passed the strict jury’s test. My brother, who joined us one day later, was blown away by the taste! Besides the very simple pumpkin-parmesan filling, and of course the delicious homemade pancetta, I’d say that the brown butter contributed in a fantastic way! Have you ever tried making brown butter? If not, you really need to try this! What initially might look like burned butter, is the best liquid butter you might have ever eaten! What makes it so wonderful is the nutty flavor that almost magically comes out..

Happy Sunday and buon appetito!

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Breads & Sandwiches Recipes

Savory Zucchini Bread

I can’t believe September is already over. And at the same time I couldn’t be happier! It’s been a long month, especially at work.

Trying to squeeze in cooking plans for my blog has been tougher than usual. But despite the long work days, it always feels good to dedicate some time to my blog during the weekends. There is just something about getting creative, and letting your mind wander…

The weather lately has been beautiful! As if it tried to make it up for skipping summer this year. The weekend I made this zucchini bread felt like a goodbye-summer-weekend. Which inspired me to shoot one more time outside – one last time for this season.

It’s that light that I’m going to miss during the upcoming dark and cloudy months. There is something special about that shade from the leaves of a plant that reflects on the table, don’t you think so? It reminds me of the summers in Italy, or anywhere in Southern Europe. I guess, whatever works for creating that atmosphere. Even if the country is called Germany, and the photo has been taken on the balcony, right? ;))

Anyway, going back to the recipe of this bread, I had already baked a similar one here. This is one of those recipes that you would love to have right there, when you have little time or you simply don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

And not only.. Whenever you wonder what to do with the leftover veggies and similar before they turn bad, get creative and turn them into this bread! All you need to do is pour all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and all the liquid ones in a second one. Then mix them together like you would do when you make muffins. Bake. Ready!

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Easy-peasy, isn’t it?

Breads & Sandwiches Calabria Food & More Italy Recipes

About Frese, a Southern Italian wedding and a countryside photoshoot

Our stay in Calabria, in Southern Italy went by so fast. Way too fast. This time it wasn’t an ordinary vacation. There were two big events. Well, actually three. We missed the first one. It was all about weddings! Considering that I have only been to a very few weddings in Italy so far, this summer I really made it up for all the previous ones.

Being invited to my cousin’s big day is one thing. Having my brother getting married only three days later is a totally different story.. This must have been the first year that I lost weight instead of gaining a few extra pounds with all that food. Being involved with wedding preparations is truly no joke. I had no idea how exhausting it would be. And I wasn’t even the bride! I’m pretty sure that it can be quite challenging for every couple around the globe, with or without wedding planner. And now imagine all of that with a generous portion of Southern Italian temperament. Oh my.. My sister-in-law’s family described it as something similar to the movie “My big fat Greek wedding”. Granted, they are German. Needless to say how big the culture shock must have been for them. But, in a very positive way ;-)

We can’t deny that everything works a little different in the South. When people say that something is ready to be picked up tomorrow, it doesn’t always necessarily mean tomorrow. Things work a little slower there. There is only one solution to survive: Equip yourself with tons of patience and even more flexibility to improvise and let things just happen without freaking out, and take it with lots of humor when you see the whole family “supporting” the planning by adding – each single one of them – their ideas and opinions (after all, we all mean it in a good way..). And last but not least: take a deep breath. OK, maybe a couple more.

My sister-in-law and my brother wanted a real Mediterranean wedding. And that’s exactly what they got. Part of the decoration were pots with herbs, lemon trees outside of the over 500 year old church, and one of the stars was probably the so cutely decorated FIAT 500 Oldtimer driving through the tiny roads of the old village! And look at that table decoration.. the tiny limoncello bottle and the clay roses. So beautiful! I don’t how many hours it took my crafty aunt to prepare that. On top, all homemade!

When the day arrived, oh let me tell you, what-a-relief for everyone!

After all, everything turned out great! And every previous effort was so, so worth it! Everybody loved it. We had lots of amazing food and even more fun dancing and enjoying everyone’s company, including our family who came over from Sicily that we had not seen in a while.

I was so curious to see what my husband’s impression would have been of how we celebrate in our village – from an American perspective – and furthermore, without any knowledge of the Italian language. In other words: he had a blast! Despite feeling quite overwhelmed after being introduced to so many family members, kissing everyone at least three times each single one that day (yes, men and women), trying to remember their names and how they are related to each other (he got lucky that there were barely ninety guests, only)…

Once we reached the restaurant my “interpreter services” were no longer needed. It didn’t take long and he ended up giving himself an Italian nickname that everybody could easily remember and pronounce, and he got a lot of new buddies who adopted him immediately into the family. Lots of gestures, glasses of local homemade liquors and wine, and traditional dances later, he pretty much earned and deserved the Italian citizenship like never before ;-)

The first thing on my list after the big celebrations was my photoshoot in the countryside, that I had been looking forward so much! After spending so many months shooting at home, it felt so refreshing and inspiring taking pictures outside surrounded by olive trees, vineyards, figs, almond trees and much more.

My first outdoor photo shoot in Calabria was this one, recording my aunt making traditional maccheroni. Last year in November I dedicated a whole post to our wonderful olive harvest experience. And now, for this third shooting I chose frese.

Frese are twice baked breads. Before you can eat them, you need to move them quickly under running water. After absorbing the water they will turn quite soft. All it takes to prepare this quick snack is a few slices of tomatoes, olive oil, a pinch of salt and oregano. Ready! Easy, isn’t it? They are being sold everywhere, and you can find them in everyone’s household. At least in our region. As far as I know they are also very common in Puglia. So, you can imagine that people usually don’t make them at home, if you can buy them everywhere for little money. We usually bring as many as possible to Germany and eat them with caution..trying to make them last as long as possible. Being a dry bread, it makes it easy to store for long periods of time. And once we have eaten them all up, why crave for them until the next Italian trip, if we can make them at home whenever we feel like it, right? They are so easy to make! The only thing that takes a little more time is waiting for the dough to rest and the baking part. That’s all.

As simple as this bread might appear, it is the best snack you can imagine. If you love tomatoes and olive oil, you need to try it! It’s the simplicity that makes it so special. You have only a very few good ingredients, and you will taste each single one of them.

I grew up with these frese. As a kid my grandma and my aunt used to make them for us in the afternoon as merenda (afternoon snack), during our summer holidays in Italy. Now we eat them also in the evenings for dinner.

I could go on and on telling you more stories about Italy, and upload even more photos. However, I didn’t even get a chance of taking all the pictures that I would have loved to take, due to the stress and running around doing a million things at once. There were so many moments that deserved a nice snapshot. For instance when our cousins showed up loaded with boxes of eggplants, zucchini, figs and prickly pears, bell peppers and many more goodies from the countryside..or my cousins from Sicily when they brought two large boxes filled with the biggest and sweetest grapes I had ever seen and eaten!

I already miss the family, the good food and the amazing hospitality that comes with it.. See you soon, my dear Calabria!

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Desserts & Drinks Recipes

Almond-Ricotta-Lemon Cake ~ Gluten-Free

Today I got something really special for you. I know, I might have said that a few times before in my previous posts. But this one is really, and I mean REALLY one of my most favorite cakes!

I am a person who gets easily tired of eating the same things over and over again. I like diversity. For me in order to cook something often, I must seriously love it. And this cake is one of them. I don’t know how many times I baked it already. And many more times to follow.. Guaranteed!

There are so many wonderful flavors packed in this cake, that perfectly represent the Mediterranean! Now imagine almonds, ricotta cheese, lemons.. What more can you ask for?? On top of that, the ricotta adds that extra moist touch.. The eggs surely do their part. Indeed, it doesn’t even need baking powder! Nor any flour, which makes it a tasty treat for those who are gluten intolerant.

I have tried this recipe with store-bought (peeled) ground almonds. But after grinding the almonds myself (leaving the peel on), I never went back! If you have a powerful blender I’d highly recommend trying it. You can decide if you want them a little crunchy, or turn them into the finest almond flour instead!

And one more thing, if you want an even more intense and roasted flavor, bake the almonds or roast them in a pan for a few minutes before grinding them. That way you’ll get the maximum flavor out of those nuts!

Enough talking! Now let me share this recipe with you :)

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Recipes Soups & Salads

Grilled Peach Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella

Hi there! Are you ready for more fruit and more colors??

As much as we anxiously wait for the summer over here, now that it is here (I mean, at least calendar-wise..), I feel like I need to enjoy every culinary aspect of it, as long as it lasts.

I am not a big fruit eater throughout the year. Especially during fall and winter, I am clueless – with the exception of oranges and pomegranates. Plane bananas, apples and pears don’t get me too excited. So right now, we probably have the biggest selection of fruit, don’t we?

I start off the day with a tasty and even more VERY filling smoothie, packed with lots of fruit, overnight oats, peanut or almond butter and oat or almond milk. It seems to be the only breakfast to keep me full and happy for at least four hours! Especially during the week when I’m at work.

Besides these yummy smoothies, this is the time to try out also different fruity recipes! You agree?

Last year I posted this recipe, with grilled peaches and ricotta, which is more a dessert kinda recipe. The one that I am sharing with you today can be served as a salad, even more on a hot summer day!

I particularly love the way the flavors bond. The sweetness of the peaches, tossed with honey and the light saltiness of the buffalo mozzarella, sprinkled with mint leaves and olive oil that add an extra pinch of freshness. And last but not least the crunchiness that comes with the chopped pistachios!

You know, when I made this I was thinking that as much as all these ingredients represent the flavors of the Mediterranean, I have never seen anyone in my family put something like this together. My grandma in Sicily was the only one who went as far as mixing olive oil with oranges and turned them into a salad. People in the south can be quite traditional. They tend to stick to the dishes that they know and don’t really experiment much. Nothing wrong with that. Actually, that must be the reason why they are so exceptionally good at making what they are used to!

Nevertheless, I enjoy the family recipes as well as experimenting and combining ‘new’ flavors. Which can turn into a challenging mission at times, when I make something ‘new’ back home..trying to get them as excited as I am :)

Hope I could inspire you to try this out! ;)

Buon appetito!

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Desserts & Drinks Recipes

Strawberry-Thyme Lemonade

Hi everyone!

So, I was wondering.. is there such thing like a summer blues??

Every summer season in Germany is pretty exciting. I mean all the news talk about the weather, every single day. Tracking each little sun ray and high temperatures, wondering whether the summer will come, when it will come, how long it will last.. Phew. Exhausting at times. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a place with a real summer?? Where you don’t have to check the forecast each single day in order to decide what to wear, and so on? Wishful thinking. Incl. a little vent..

So, what did we learn to do pretty well over here? Carpe diem. Exactly. That also explains the flexibility of people switching from coats and umbrellas to laying halfway naked in the park and change from fall to summer mode within 24h. Guess what? I did exactly the same thing!

It got hot last weekend. So, I couldn’t miss that chance! You gotta take it as long it lasts.

I thought, finally some lemonade weather! Granted, I got carried away that day. I carried a bunch of fruit home from the market. More than two people could ever eat. I blended a whole large watermelon and turned it into cold refreshing juice. I made pasta salad for lunch, because no one would have ever survived a hot risotto in this already way too overheated apartment. And on top of all that, I made a lot of lemonade! And I even enjoyed the hot and sweaty photo shoot on the balcony.. YES! I was more than ready to enjoy the next 24h lasting summer! And absolutely no one can blame me for not being flexible. :)

I love those colors! And those ice cubes.. Don’t they look pretty? All you need to do is place slices of strawberries and/or lemon, thyme sprigs, or even edible flowers into an ice cube tray. Fill it half way full with water (or previously boiled and cooled water for clearer ice). Then freeze. Take out of the freezer and add additional water until full. Freeze again. Ready! It will get everyone’s attention. Guaranteed!

And the taste of this lemonade is as inviting! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)

Happy summer!

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Photo Galleries Travel

Cruising around the beautiful Mediterranean – Part Two

Welcome back everyone to part II of our Mediterranean cruise adventure!

After sharing with you our experience in Mallorca and Southern France, let’s go to the next port of call La Spezia, Italy. Yes! I finally made it there! That day several organized tours were going to Florence, Tuscany. I personally think that it’s too much of a drive. Tuscany has so much to offer, that you are simply better off planning an entire vacation in that region.
While La Spezia, located in Northern Italy, is only a few minutes away from one of the most beautiful coastlines that the country has to offer: Cinque Terre, which means “five lands”. All five villages can be easily explored by train. If you want to see them all, you can hop on and off at each station, which are literally 2-3 minutes away from each other. Again, given our tight timeline, we decided to visit only one, Vernazza. They say that it’s the most beautiful one. We didn’t get a chance to compare it to the other villages, but I can tell you that we LOVED it!! I mean, don’t the pictures speak for themselves?

So happy, we visited in May! It was already overcrowded with tourists. I don’t even want to know how packed it must be in the summer. We were able to escape the crowds for a while, when we walked up the mountain on the hiking trail to Monterosso (one of the neighboring villages). No time to take the whole hike for about 1,5 hours, but it was gratifying enough to reach a certain spot only 10-15 minutes away, to get that famous panoramic view on the little bay with its colorful houses. Precious! Should you ever go there, it’s a must see! Don’t miss it!!

The next morning we hit Civitavecchia, about 1-1,5 hours north of Rome. The eternal city in one day. Challenging. We’d have still taken our chance, if I didn’t feel sick that day..:( I guess it just wasn’t meant to happen. That’s a good reason to go back one day soon for longer than a day! In the meantime it was nice to relax on board while most passengers were ashore.

The very next day we arrived in Olbia, on the Island of Sardinia. And once again, I felt like “Finally, I made it here!” Over so many years I’ve been looking at those stunning pictures with that crystal clear water that looked like the Caribbean.. Olbia as a port of call is a little tricky if you want to explore other places on your own. I couldn’t find any information on public transportation to the popular coast “Costa Smeralda”. We only found buses going to Palau, and from there by ferry to the archipelago of La Maddalena. Very tempting, but quite critical, time wise. So we took a chance and decided to start off with the shuttle from the pier to downtown Olbia. As soon as we got off the bus there was a little booth with a girl distributing flyers for bus trips to Costa Smeralda, incl. three stops. The bus driver would drop us of, and there we would be on our own exploring the villages. We liked the idea and went for it!

It didn’t take long for the bus driver to realize that I was the only Italian taking this tour. Shortly after he asked me if I’d mind sitting in the front with the microphone.. As he spoke only Italian, he thought it’d be a great chance to share some insights about the Island & Co. with us. I thought that was hilarious! Especially because it’s not the first time that I end up “working” as an interpreter during my vacation :) So, I guess, why not?! At a certain point, I got so involved with that task, that I sometimes almost forgot that I was a tourist like all the others on the bus, and not an employee of the tour company ;))
The driver went out of his way. He even added extra stops. The trip lasted longer than planned and we could get some insights on the beautiful island.
The northern coast of Sardinia is simply WOW! So much beauty in one place! The water.. Oh those colors!! The only thing you don’t want to do in Porto Cervo and surroundings is shopping . As long as you don’t have an unlimited credit card..

Happy and satisfied with lots of positive impressions, we got back on board, looking forward to our dinner :)

I was particularly looking forward to the following and last day at sea. But all the excitement vanished when the wind got stronger and the waves higher. After waking up countless times during the night, feeling like one of those waves would sooner or later kick me out of the bed.. The next morning it didn’t get any better. The boat looked kinda empty. Sea sickness bags were spread all over the boat. And the few people we ran into looked pale, suffering from motion sickness. Honestly, I didn’t look any better. Although luckily it never goes beyond nausea. Several teas and acupressure self-help methods later, I got to enjoy at least the second half of the day. Well, that’s part of cruising. It can be smooth, or more like a rollercoaster, trying to balance your way while moving forward.

Anyhow, I am already looking forward to the next cruise! When, I don’t know. But I’d love to check out other cruise lines and different itineraries. Despite the very good experience that we made with this one, I still prefer a more international atmosphere.

Bottom line: Taking a cruise is not everyone’s favorite way of traveling. Not everybody enjoys crowds of people, that you can’t always escape from, nor the huge restaurants or buffets where you might have to stand in line to get your food, nor waiting in even more lines to make it out of the boat when tendering, or taking a chance of getting seasick, or having only very limited time at each port of call, being forced to make it back on board timely..

Nevertheless, I personally would do it again. It allows me to see a lot of places, even countries within a short period of time, while (un)packing my suitcase only once. I can travel on a budget, if I choose to. A cruise can easily turn into a very expensive vacation, depending on the cabin that you pick. Of course it’s nice to have a balcony, but the question is: do you really need one? Depending on the itinerary that you have; let’s say you hit a port (almost) every day, including long hours ashore, you will be out the whole day. You will only spend the night in your cabin. So why pay double as much or even more for a balcony? Let alone pay more for a window with obstructed view, where you might see people walking right outside, forcing you to pull the curtains most of the time..
As long as you are not planning to spend hours at the bar each night drinking cocktails etc., you won’t even need to buy an additional drink package. The free drinks on board should be more than enough.
There is so much food to eat. Nonstop. On top of the crazy amounts of dishes served all day long, you can find specialty restaurants, maybe gourmet, sushi or steak restaurants. It’s a nice getaway, even more to escape the crowds. But with all that great food served everywhere, it’s solely up to you if you want to spend additional money on “different” kind of food.

Trips booked on board can be very pricey! Depending on the route, you can discover the different places on your own. Planning ahead, which means checking public transportation, train schedules, or rental cars can make you save a whole lot of money.
Then there are so many other board activities, workshops, spa treatments..you name it, that require additional fees. Everything is cashless on board, while your board card will be charged. Which means that if you don’t keep track of your expenses, you’ll get a nice surprise at the end of the cruise when you go pay your bill. Cruise lines will nickel and dime you to death. But only if you let them.

We had a wonderful time. Enjoyed every bit of it. Without breaking our bank account.

Oh my, I just realized how long my post turned out! I hope you could find some useful tips for cruising on a budget, and even more: lots of inspiration for visiting the wonderful Mediterranean!

Recipes Spreads & Pestos Starters & Tapas

Antipasti or maybe tapas?

Oh these colors.. and flavors..

I haven’t made an antipasti platter in a while. Or shall I say, tapas platter? We ate it more as tapas than starters. It was so filling that after all that yumminess, no way in the world I could have eaten a main dish.

I didn’t want to keep everything Italian. A little Spanish touch with the chorizo, and a little Arabic with the hummus.. That’s exactly what I was looking for!

So basically throughout the whole mental planning that I went through before I turned it into practice, my ideas were pretty clear. I knew what I wanted to place on that plate. However once I started putting everything together, things turned slightly different..

I started off with the hummus. Chickpeas? Check. Lemon? Check. Tahini? Tahini?!? I completely forgot to buy tahini! So, a 2nd grocery store tour started, and a 3rd one followed. Why did no one sell it?? I had to come up with an emergency solution that I have been trying to avoid from the beginning. I ended up making the sesame paste myself.. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just that my past experience was not good. I used unhulled sesame seeds which turned it into a real bitter paste. So I did not expect anything good coming out of this. And then, guess what? The result blew us away! It was the tastiest hummus I had ever made so far! It tasted different and it had its own special nutty note. The bitterness didn’t even stand out that much this time. Maybe toasting the seeds before putting them in the food processor helped. Honestly, I don’t know.

Anyway, long story short: In case you don’t want to buy it or you simply can’t find it, try to make it yourself at home! All I did was roast and blend the sesame seeds with the same method that I used with the almond butter. I also added some canola oil (that was the most neutral oil I had at home) to make it more creamy.

When you get a chance try to sprinkle some mint pesto and roasted pine nuts on top. I really like that combination!

And then, once you have everything ready, serve them all on a large tray or those typical terracotta tapas bowls, together with green and black olives, prosciutto, salami & Co., artichokes, and much more.

The list of ingredients I could have added to this platter is endless. Ranging from grilled green asparagus to dried tomatoes and falafel etc. It can easily turn into a filling meal, way beyond simple starters! No matter how you want to call them, it’s the perfect idea for a nice evening with family and friends, or for a comfy evening at home with a good glass of wine..

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Cruising around the beautiful Mediterranean – Part One

What a month!! I have been out of the blogosphere for the past few weeks. Now I am back home. Back to blogging. With both feet on the ground.

The vacation is over. And the cruise, too. Our last day on board made me wonder how I managed to work on a cruise ship back in the days.. No matter the strength of the wind. Maybe I was so busy working that I had no time to think about it too much..nor to get sick..

But despite the last pretty rocky day, walking around like drunk without drinking, rigorously with my sea-bands around my wrists (which didn’t help that much this time), while feeling like being inside of a washing machine during the spin cycle… And yes, despite all of this, it was an awesome trip! Crazy? Not at all. All the beauty we have seen and visited made it so worth it!

We decided to spend a few days on the Island of Mallorca before hopping on the cruise. May is a really good month to travel. Well, at least it is for the Mediterranean area. The weather is mild, and the big crowds of tourists haven’t reached the hotels and coasts yet. Perfect conditions to enjoy a nice stay!

This was my second time on the Island. I must be a big exception in Germany, given the fact that Mallorca is the no. 1 vacation spot for Germans. We booked our trip pretty last-minute (as usual..). So I didn’t really get a chance to plan everything ahead, incl. which places to visit, etc. But I’m glad that we still managed to see some really nice villages. Especially Cala Figuera, a stunning little fisherman’s village, that I will never forget!

A few days later it was time to drive back to Palma, where our boat was already waiting at the pier. We chose AIDA, a German cruise line. Simply because we liked the itinerary of this cruise. I recommend it though only for German speaking travelers, as the main language on board is German, including announcements, activities, daily programs, and much more.

Our goal was to avoid a cruise that stops at a different port every single day. That is another reason why we chose this itinerary. Besides Palma de Mallorca, being the departure and arrival port, we had four more stops and two days at sea. Should you ever consider going on a cruise and you are not familiar with it yet, I’d highly recommend choosing one that spends at least one day at sea. There is enough to do and sea on board, no matter which cruise line. It definitely won’t get boring! Hitting a different port every day can be quite exhausting. Imagine being out the whole day, no matter whether you booked a tour or you are going by yourself, trying to see as much as possible..

Talking about excursions.. We did everything on our own. First of all because I enjoy it to be flexible. I want to be able to decide where to stop, what to see, to take a break whenever I feel like it, and I’d like to shop where I want to. It might not always be the case, but my experience is that during these organized tours by the cruise lines, they take the passengers to certain stores, where they get encouraged to shop. I never liked that. Not even when I was part of the crew.

However, it depends on the countries. In certain places, where public transportation might be a hassle or non existent, an organized tour could be the only and best option to go for.

Our first stop was in Southern France, in the cute little village of Villefranche-sur-mère. The port is way too small for the large boats. So we tendered instead of docking. It is very easy to get out of there by train, thanks to the short distances. We took the train to Monaco (Monte-Carlo) first, which is only a 15 minutes train ride away. Assuming there is no strike and the trains run, which happens quite frequently in France. We got lucky. The strike was scheduled for the very next day!
I like Monaco. Even people watching can be interesting and amusing at times, being the hot spot for the rich and richer out there. But that’s not the reason why I enjoy visiting. It’s mostly the coastline with its stunning views that I love. However, had I remembered that only two weeks later the Formula 1 was going to take place right there, I’d have probably picked a different place to visit. Most views were obstracted. Fences, tribunes, tires and sponsor signs everywhere. I bet Formula 1 fans would have enjoyed that view..

A few hours later we were back on the train. Before we reached Villefranche, we stopped in Èze. A local bus took us from the train station to the wonderful small medieval village in the mountains. We explored the narrow streets and steps going up and down with the tiny little craft shops, and even more the stunning views over the coast.

While one of the biggest advantages of a cruise is that you get to see so many different places and countries within a few days, it automatically comes with the disadvantage of lacking time. We would have loved to spend more time in Èze, to see the wonderful garden with the breathtaking views and to visit the perfume factory’s stores. But we had to make it back to the ship.

What I experienced a few years ago, while I was cruising with a friend of mine, taught me a lesson. For good. We enjoyed our trip (two hours away from the port!) so much, that we ran out of time. Which resulted in a little unexpected ‘fame’ on board, on our very first day. The cruise personnel called us on our cellphones, wondering where we were, as they were ready to leave. I still remember running like crazy along the huge port. Everybody was looking out of their balconies. They had to pull out again the gangway. How embarrassing! And once on board the captain announced that the two last stranded passengers where finally there.. Oh boy. Long story short: We got really lucky! Therefore, keep checking the time, and plan ahead (train schedules, etc.) if you’re considering visiting anything on your own. And don’t underestimate the distances!

OK, that’s it for today! Stay tuned! More Mediterranean cruise stories coming up soon.. :)