Recent Posts

On what love is.

On what love is.

Last night my son woke up and cried. He rarely does so it must have been all the impressions from the playground or just a bad dream. (Can they possibly have bad dreams already?) I took him to bed with me. All snuggled up against…

Are you you ? Diving deep.

Are you you ? Diving deep.

This is a question I would love to discuss with my friend Patrick Aigner from Sunnyside Café in Coburg. Check this place out whenever you are in Coburg/Germany –  it is magically special. As a book lover I think it is great that you are…

How to: Blueberries, Spinach and lots of cheese on a Sandwich? Yes!

How to: Blueberries, Spinach and lots of cheese on a Sandwich? Yes!

This sandwich was just a creation of things I had left in my refrigerator and some of it was about to turn bad. Also it includes everything I love to eat! Especially blueberries!  It is comforting (yes to cheese!!) and has this nice flavor to it. So stop counting the calories and add some more cheese will you? Plus it is quick to make!

Here is the recipe: 

Baguette (slice in half)

Cheese, a lot! (I used Gruyère and Goat cheese)

Fresh arugula or spinach

1 cup of fresh blueberries (or even more. Can be used as jam for the next couple of days while you keep it in the fridge)

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tbs sugar

 

How to: 

  • Take a small saucepan and combine blueberries, vinegar and sugar and cook on medium heat. It just needs a slow boil. Mix it all up in saucepan. Let it slowly  boil for 5 minutes. Done!

 

  • Now spread blueberries onto the sliced baguette, add cheese, then the spinach or arugula and then of course more cheese!! Add some pepper and then top with other slice of bread and put it all in a grill. (I used a panini maker)

Enjoy!

The Book Review: “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott

The Book Review: “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott

“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” –  E.L. Doctorow I love to write. English is not my first language but reading a lot…

On Missing my Family

On Missing my Family

“Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I miss you until we meet again.” – Jean-Joseph Henry [my husband says this all the time so it is kind of his quote] I think it is normal to be homesick. Especially if…

Five Things.

Five Things.

This heat in Connecticut these past couple of days was just insane. I don’t like it at all – constantly sweating and this humidity that does not let one breathe. I am exited for the change of season, fall, cooler weather, Halloween all this good stuff. I will miss the long hot summer days of course when it gets really cold but hey… these days were just insane and not comfortable anymore. This summer was definitely one for the books! We have been traveling since July 11th to Martinique/France, the U.S. and Canada. But as I said, it is time for a change. Change is good, wanted  and needed.

Here are some things we currently love:

  • What we drink: Well, being married to a Frenchi this is usually easy – Red Wine. I am totally into Médoc these days. Then again, gallons of water with lemon and cucumber. For my son: Water mixed with apple juice – his all-time favorite!
  • Working out and practicing : Me:  yoga and meditation every morning after I wake up.No excuses! And consistently practicing how to improve my writing. My son: Practices Yoga with me. So cute. He tries.
  • What we eat:  Me: Salads and healthy vegetable stuff; usually Tomato and mozzarella salad whenever  it is so hot outside. My son: Anything pasta or rice – mostly plain – he does not want anything added. (WTH?) Then again, I made my own pasta the other day which turned out great and we enjoyed it with Gruyère on top. So simple, so good!  [I will share the recipe soon]
  • Traveling/Thinking: A big dream came true. We finally bought land in Canada so I am looking forward to starting the projects there as soon as possible. Also, I am excited about the ton of traveling and writing about it all I will be doing. Canada, Congo… our journey continuous….

Have a great weekend.

 

The Book Review: “Where the Wild Things are” by Maurice Sendak.

The Book Review: “Where the Wild Things are” by Maurice Sendak.

“Then from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat, so he gave up being king of the wild things.”  – Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are [“Wo die Wilden Kerle wohnen” – the German translation of the book]  I heard about…

On doing the single parenting thing for a while

On doing the single parenting thing for a while

The last couple of days were just crazy. I knew my husband is about to leave and everything was just crammed into each hour of the day. Now he left and I am alone with my son trying to get everything done and still grow…

How to: Salmon, Spinach and poached eggs for brunch

How to: Salmon, Spinach and poached eggs for brunch

I made this brunch for my husband and I a couple of days ago and it was really awesome. It is pretty healthy and quick to make and put together. The best part about it is it kept us fueled until late in the afternoon which is great.

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

15 ounce salmon filet already seasoned (I bought the Salmon at Trader Joe’s which is where I buy fruit, veggies and bread if I am not at Wholefoods) – [You can take the girl out of Germany but you cannot take Germany out of the girl]

1 onion

4 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley

4 large handful of fresh spinach (or frozen)

4 eggs –  one for me, three for him 🙂

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper and fresh garlic to taste

How to:

Put some oil in the pan and let the salon filet steam slowly on medium heat for 10 minutes or so. Then turn salmon to the other side and let again steam for 10 minutes until cooked all the way through.

Cut the onion in small pieces and heat up in oil until onion turns slightly brown. Then add spinach. I only had frozen spinach at home for my recipe which turned out great. Just add salt, pepper and garlic to it. Also a bit of milk to make it creamier. Cook on medium heat.

While all this is cooking prepare the eggs. Have you ever poached an egg? Well for this recipe it was my first try and they turned out great. All you need to do is to fill a saucepan with water and add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Heat water until it begins to simmer. Now stir the water so a whirlpool starts to form, and crack the egg into the middle. The water movement will cause the egg to wrap into a ball. Leave the egg in the water until the white has cooked fully. This usually takes around 2-3 minutes, however if you like the yolk not that runny leave it in slightly longer.

Now place everything nicely on the plate. I put the salmon at the bottom; put the spinach on and the poached egg on top.

Enjoy.

On Why reading to your child is important

On Why reading to your child is important

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” – Albert Einstein I wrote an article on reading where I described my son’s favorite book and my passion for reading…