Thinking about the warm weather, and coming back to cold weather has been on my mind lately. I try not to let the weather bring me down, but sometimes it’s hard! Something I thought about the other day is that weather is humbling for me. Weather and mother nature are greater than our expectations of it. Wind can make fun of me when it pushes me forward or gets me eating my own hair. The breeze welcomes me to relax into it. When it rains sometimes I imagine that clouds are just giant sprinklers and I can run through them. Whatever it may be like outside, it’s bigger than me and I’m okay with that.
- I loved being able to have the windows open in the morning and breathing in fresh air.
Stepping outside and feeling warmth on my skin.
- Brötchen for breakfast.
My parents frequent the several German bakeries in their area and always bring home things that are nostalgic for me.
- Hopefully soon I’ll be back over in Germany walking to the bakery and bringing home some freshly baked rolls!
- Over the break I also tried some local bee pollen.
This had such a curious taste, and I can’t really explain it but I’m not complaining.
- I had to buy another bar because little Matilda ate the entire bar one night!
By some miracle she did not get sick at all! That whole bar is twice the amount that is toxic for her, and I don’t know how she managed to eat something that is almost as long as her. She’s a supa freak! [Supa freak, supa freakayyy! Ow!]
- Chilled oatmeal, incognito chopped dates, diced apple, Greek yogurt, honey, bee pollen, and…
- Toasted hemp seeds with sea salt-yum.
- We went to a place where you could browse through a long list of beers.
I am all about options, and I chose a pear cider. This was so yummy, and tasted like an “older kid’s” version of pear juice in a box.
- Followed by the one blurry picture before my camera died.
- Threw together a random lunch
Raw red Russian kale with dressing, leftover yellow split pea soup, and…
- During the week I made a batch of refried beans and coconut-sesame seed rice.
The coconut-sesame seed rice recipe is from my “Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners” book, and I’ll give you a brief description so maybe you can give it a try! Cook some basmati rice with ghee and salt. Then when the rice is done cooking, heat up some ghee in a small pan and fry equal amounts of shredded coconut and sesame seeds till they’re lightly browned. Mix in with the cooked rice, salt to taste, and garnish with cilantro. I’ve posted about this recipe before. It’s so simple and incredibly flavorful!
- Guess who joined us halfway through the week!
Emily was staying a few hours away from us for a few days, and then she decided she was ready for girl time!
- Ohh the beach, how I love you!
- One of the days after soaking in some sun I wanted to share, in my humble opinion, one of the best ice creams.
- Mmm vanilla island coconut ice cream
This is going to sound corny, but this really is coconut bliss.
- And they all agreed!
Apparently Coconut Bliss has come out with four new flavors, and one of them is on my radar–ginger cookie caramel!
- During my break I wanted to take on a culinary challenge.
I had bookmarked Marni’s White, Red, and Green Italian Braid recipe awhile ago, and I thought this was a good time to finally make it!
- Mix it well!
- My fillings of choice: homemade pesto, tomato sauce, (all marinated) roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, mozzarella, and goat cheese.
- No parchment paper made this step a bit tricky.
- But the challenge was completed!
- Delicious! You could make this bread on a free night and have slices throughout the week when you’re on-the-go.
- We also spent some time strolling along and people watching.
- Found charming streets
- A hideaway perhaps?
- A special dinner was in order–to celebrate my mother’s recent promotion.
She’s such an intelligent woman and is so dedicated to what she does! Hearing her stories from work and her benevolent attitude towards the people that work for her makes me proud.
- My mom had fun taking pictures of us girls goofing off, and I’m pretty sure she was being silly behind the camera too.
- Coconut curry bursting with tofu, pineapples, and vegetables.
I hadn’t gone out for Thai food in such a long time! I requested that they also add some grated ginger, and much to my delight I saw AND tasted that they actually did. I’m never afraid to make special requests. If you’re polite about it then why not? I was left feeling satisfied and with yummy leftovers.
- There was a special dinner the next night as well.
I steamed a bundle of asparagus and sprinkled on sea salt, drizzling of lemon juice, and a pat of butter. For the mushrooms I sautéed onions and garlic, then I turned down the heat and threw in the mushrooms with some salt and herbes de provence. Once the mushrooms softened I turned the heat down to low and mixed in a splash of balsamic, a few spoonfuls of goat cheese and Greek yogurt, and some cracked peppercorns. Let it simmer for a bit so the flavors blend together. Now the mashed potatoes were just a basic recipe but there was a special ingredient: black truffle salt. I served that with a pat of butter as well.
- Filled with lots of love…
- For my friends and family!
- We were sad to leave and so was Lone Duck.
- But I hope they come down with me again soon!
- I love my friends with all my heart.
Spending the week with them in paradise was wonderful. I live with Emily right now, and we just have such a great understanding and appreciation for each other. I always feel funny just calling her my roommate because she is so much more than that to me. She is someone that I can stand in flamingo stance with while talking about our thoughts on life and the world around us. Sway is also one of the coolest ladies that I’ve ever met. She lives further up north so I don’t get to see her that often, but it’s always really nice when we do. We’ll have the same thoughts or do the same things as each other and it can be really freaky sometimes, but I love it! Actually, there was a week where I was eating lots of roasted beets and grilled goat cheese sandwiches, and when I told her that she told me that she had been making them too! It’s so awesome to be so connected with someone. These ladies are so easy to be around, and I can’t think of a time where we felt like making a fuss towards each other. I bet that the people they encounter in their lives can’t help but feel touched and graced by their presence. Both of them are so special and thinking about them and that they are in my life brings me peace.
I think we all have those special people in ours lives that seem to complete us.
My dad made a five-vegetable curry. I didn’t get to take a picture of it though! Our friends also made some gnocchi and a yummy sauce! It was a tomato sauce that was slightly sweet and zesty. We brought food and of course my doggy, Matilda! She had no idea that she would be making a friend. After dinner we went to go see Tango Undressed performed by some dancers of the Miami Contemporary Dance Company. I wasn’t crazy about it, but it did make me want to take up dance again. It’s incredible how the human body can move. After the show we went back to our friends’ place to have coffee and cookies. They actually had vegan cookies as well. It was funny actually because they told me those cookies are for me. Then I saw them put more cookies out on a dish and I asked, “what’s wrong with those?” They thought I was vegan! It was so funny. Anyway, here are some pictures.
“What’s going on?”
Matilda’s new friend, Simba!
This was incredible! Do you guys like the new placemats?
We also got 
These followed after dinner along with coffee. What a nice way to end a Sunday.