Friday, July 21, 2017

11 Favorite Things

11 things I am loving at the moment ;-)


1.  These Matcha Blueberry Chia Pancakes.  Lovely to look at, and even more awesome for eating.  Super easy to make, be warned, you might get hooked upon trying them once.  And the especially exciting part, they are grain/gluten free, dairy free and sugar free!! 

You can find the recipe for here.




2. Non fiction books.  Several of the following at the very top of my reading list (lying in wait for once I reach New Hampshire, where I will unquestionably be delving into some major reading alongside of the job searching).










3.  Gilmore Girls.  I have been on a major binge-watching streak of this one.  Yes, in each episode there tends to be some unnecessary boring details and long winded, not especially exciting dialogue but in general, I love this show.  The charming small town where everyone is interwoven in some way.  The relationships between everyone.  The cute little diner and shops.  Engaging, romantic and fun to watch.



This looks EXACTLY like the main center of Keene, NH.  The town I went to college in.  Possibly part of why I love this show ;-) flickers of nostalgia whenever watching.


4.  Writing.  Lots and lots of it.  That hasn't changed.  And I don't think it will anytime soon, or more likely, ever ;-p




5.  Coziness.  Loving these images, the atmosphere and concept.  My next home, wherever that is, will evoke feelings such as these.  I want it to look and feel somewhat akin to these images.


Hopefully it'll even look like that too ;-)






6.  Pomegranates.  Man oh man, am I hooked on these babies.  With a small sprinkling of dark chocolate chips, SO delish.  Slightly tart, juicy, oh my gosh.  I could eat a bowl of this every single day.  Addicted.



7.  Autumn.  I know, I know, majorly jumping the gun on this one with easily two more months to go before this awesome season sets in.  However, I LOVE autumn.  Everything about it.  The slightly brisk (but not too cold) temperatures.  The emergence of boots...scarves...sweaters...cute coats.  Cardboard cups of warm beverages a requisite in hand.  The explosion of color on the trees (thank god I will finally be back in New England for that this year.  How I have missed this.  No where else are the colors quite so vivid and jaw dropping). 

I love the crunch of leaves underfoot.  The plethora of all things pumpkin flavored suddenly on offering in cafes and restaurants.  Coziness ushered in with the slightly chillier weather.  To me, there is romance in the air of autumn.  A feeling of excitement, anticipation and new beginnings.  Autumn is like my new year ;-).  That feeling of starting something new (I think that comes from the start of school being at this time).  I just love it.

My only gripe about autumn?  Its too short.  Lasting like 6 weeks and that's it.  Major bummer.  I would love for autumn to be just 3-4 weeks longer than it is.  Otherwise though, major swoon-worthy season.











8.  Love.  Yes, its a topic I have been fascinated by for years and still very much am.  So many interesting aspects of this one.  A nearly endless one really.  And not just with regards to romantic love but platonic love as well as familial. 

For instance, why do we fall for one person and not another?  Why does one good marriage last but another one that's also pretty good doesn't?  Are there some people we can/will never forget?  And if so, why is that?  Why is it that we love some people and not others?  (For example, you might have two very good friends with whom you have been close about the same length of time.  Yet, for no explicable reason, may feel more strongly for one-in terms of loving and caring feelings than the other.  Even though you like them both equally and feel quite close to both). 

Does real love last over time (whether or not you see one another regularly)?  For some, it seems to endure strongly.  While for others, it fades.  Again, what decides this?  And if/when it fades, does it mean you never loved that person to begin with?  Why is it that some connections (romantic or platonic) are just more poignant than others?  (Even though you may love those varying connections fairly equally, though in different ways).  The list could go on and on :-D

I LOVE ;-) this topic.

Want a list of the best books on these topics?  Essentially the list that upon reading offers a semblance of a crash course in relationships of varying kinds (dating, friendships, family, how to connect better with people, etc)?  Here you go!



   
9.  Oh She Glows Cookbook.  Stumbled across this at the library the other day and checked it out on a whim.  LOVE so many of these recipes, wow.  Healthy, mostly vegan and shockingly easy to make.  Nearly all of which look really appealing both for making and eating.  I made a few of them and was so pleased with how yummy they turned out.  I highly recommend checking out her cookbook or her blog here.






My "Get Glowing Power Muffins" were inspired by one of her recipes!  Get the recipe for these filling, chock-full-of-get-glowing-ingredients, lightly sweet, easy to throw together muffins here. 


10.  Friends.  The real ones.  The ones who see and know all sides of you, your great qualities and your difficult ones, and think so highly of you, loving you in spite of it all.  The ones who are loyal and steadfast.  The friends who are thoughtful and considerate.  The ones who are brave enough both to apologize and forgive.  Who are open minded, non judgemental and accepting.  Friends who inspire and challenge you.  The ones you can reveal your heart to.  The friends you can laugh with.  And talk with for hours and hours, or, just hang out and be quiet with.  Best.  Thing.  Ever.






11.  Macarons.  My god.  I used to hate these, finding their texture disgusting.  Thinking macarons were gross until literally about a month ago.  Now?  Obsessed.  Especially with chocolate or pistachio flavored ones.  The cookie shell must be somewhat cakey and moist.  And the cream inside should be smooth.  So delicious, just, wow.  Totally smitten with these light as air cookies. 






Sunday, July 16, 2017

Weekly Wanderings

Hi all,

The photos from my recent weekly wanderings around Frankfurt ;-)





My recipe for carrot cake pancakes!  Grain/gluten free, dairy free and sugar free.  Super easy to make, and so yummy.  Be warned, you might get hooked after one sampling. 

To make them, here is the recipe.









How cool is this painting??  Just on the side of a random building.



Jetting off to...ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!!  (The first place I ever spent time in Europe, back in 2008.  Lighting the fire inside of me and, I feel, leading to my eventual move here four years ago).

As you can see above....we were excited :-D





Favorite mural in Frankfurt, reminding me of the photo shoot my friend, Dali did of being out and about in the city a couple summers ago.  To rewind briefly for a moment, a handful of the photos from that shoot ;-)






For the full photo shoot we did, here is the link :-D

And the link to our other photo shoot, in the small food market hall of Frankfurt.

And Dali, the photographer, here is the link to his travel blog.  More than worthy of a check out!  The tagline: travel adventures of an office mouse.  You can read about his ventures through Italy, Prague, and more.  His writing witty, engaging and fun.






Sugar Mama, my favorite cafĂ© in Frankfurt.  They have the BEST fruit crumble.  An awesome tuna sandwich.  Their brownies are moist and fudgy.  Their cookies chewy and delish.  Their carrot cake, to die for.  And the atmosphere, when not too crowded, is cozy and inviting.

For loads of photos and a full review of Sugar Mama, click here to read mine.



Rubbing the boars nose during my recent adventures in Florence, Italy (and Siena) with Judith.  Supposedly if you rub his nose, it means you'll return to Florence someday.  I have done so on each trip there, and keep continuing to return.  So there must be something to it ;-)

Such an AWESOME trip.  Gosh, Siena is so romantic, narrow and cobbled, magical, just stunning.  And Florence, well, its always been a favorite of mine, so returning once more and wandering the streets I know was just the best.

For LOADS of photos, food recommendations funny travel stories and more, all from Italy last week with Judith, here is the link to part one.  And the link to part two.



Get Glowing Power Muffins.  I know they look questionable.  Almost like birdseed in the shape of muffins, eh?  But was shocked to find they taste awesome.  Surprisingly moist and sweet.  Filling.  SO healthy.  Easy to make.  Really good.

Find the recipe here.



And, another recent pancake variation.  Blueberry Lavender Poppyseed.  DELISH!!!  Grain/gluten free, dairy free and sugar free.  Likely to become another favorite brunching dish once you've given it a go.  Having to regularly contain myself from eating them daily haha.

Here is how to make them.