festive feasting days

Christmas time is feasting time. I think that’s the same in every family! I love the food and being close to my loved ones, especially now that I live in China and things like an average supermarket really excite me because of all the stuff I can’t buy in Beijing! It does feels like you are in a constant move from plate to plate, mindlessly stuffing everything inside you… but this is no time to feel guilty! For these days I make an exception to my usual eating habits and have whatever I like. Come new year we will all be sweating in the gym again, trying to get rid of our Christmas pounds but that’s ok. Christmas is feel good time.

Almost forgotten…

Just found these pictures on my external hard drive! They were taken around the same time last year with my lovelies Kerstin from Mademoiselleroy and Van Ahn from Chopstick panorama when we went to a market in London… kinda can’t remember which one it was… was it Borough Market?

Anyways. It made me miss London a bit and especially all my friends who I left behind when I moved to China. I found many great new friends in Beijing too but it’s sad that you can’t have them all around you at all times.

In this regard a big hug to my friends in London – I miss you! <3

xxx

DIY: Bird food tree ornaments

We have always had flocks of birds around the house during winter because of our extensive feeding opportunities. We just love watching them come by, see them return every year and hear them sing. While the humans eat Christmas cookies inside why not share some love with the birds? Get out your cookie cutters and make some bird treats! This is a cute idea to not only do some good for the animals during the cold season but also decorate the empty trees outside.

What you will need:

- Coconut fat or beef tallow (if you are using tallow add about 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil)
- Bird food
- Cookie cutters
- Cutting board
- Toothpicks
- Cord

And here is how it works:

1. Put the cookie cutters onto a cutting board. 

2. Heat the coconut fat a little so that it becomes softer and workable (not too liquid though!).

3. Add the bird food to the fat and mix it well. Don’t use too much food or the cookies might crumble afterwards. 

4. Fill the mixture into the cookie cutters and poke a whole big enough for the cord with the toothpick. Make sure it’s big enough so that you can fit the cord through the whole comfortably. It is very hard to make the whole once they are hard because they will break easily. 

5. Put the cookies onto a big cutting board and leave them outside (in case it’s not freezing) for a couple of hours (best overnight). Once they are hard enough you can push them out of the cutters and pull the cord through to make little hangers. We put a little Christmas tree outside on the balcony and decorated it with the ornaments and a garland made of peanuts and dried & fresh apple slices.

Now you only have to lay low and wait for the first little bird to come pick on it! :)

   

sunday brunch

Aloha!

Brrrrr – it’s getting coooold outside! These are still some pictures from another sunday morning at Breakfast Cafe with my lovely Sara (who I miss incredibly!) from warmer times. I went for the avocado and bacon bloomer this time - awesomest! Although the guys on the next table made me pretty jelous – pancake, banana and bacon with maple sirup? Sounds so wrong and so good. Next time.

BTW. I was wondering – you know that I am working in an office atm, however they are not too strict on the dresscode (aka I don’t have to wear costumes and pencil skirts). So I was wondering if anyone has any tips for good blogs etc to get some inspiration for good work outfits? And would you like to see what I wear?

Let me know in the comments, cheers!
xxx

Ines

truly great days start with bacon

 

And truly great posts do too. Although this one might be the exeption because I really don’t have any time to write all the stuff that I want to – so much has happened these past few weeks! For example… I have a job! But all that will come in a lengthy post, possibly tomorrow. Now I am off to a friends house party and I am doing a photo shoot for a friends band tomorrow.

So for now I leave you with a few impressions of yet another breakfast club breakfast, this time in shoreditch with my dear friend Sara. She has left London now and got back to Sweden and I miss her a lot! Sometimes you just meet the best people too late, but the time few weeks that we got to hang out were great. Come back soon honey, London misses you!

xxx

Ines

a healthy breakfast

 

You like breakfast but you never have the time for something healthy? Well I don’t know about you but that’s how I feel quite often. But now that spring has sprung and summer is not far away, I really need to start thinking more about my diet.

I came up with this really tasty combo this morning as I looked into the fridge and couldn’t decide what to have. I must say I love salmon and creamcheese bagels but they are not really something you could call “healthy”.

What you need:

• Wholemeal Buns
• Salmon
• Reduced Fat Creamcheese
• Lettuce
• Red Onion
• Lemonjuice
• Dill, Black Pepper and Salt (I prefer Korean sea salt but any salt will do ;) )

First slice the buns in half and place them face down on the grills on the toaster. The rest is obvious; spread some creamcheese on them and a layer of lettuce, top it with salmon and a few onion slices. I sprinkled dill, black pepper and sea salt on them but you can obviously use whichever herbs and spices you like. I’d recommend a few dashes of lemon juice on the salmon but I didn’t have any and it’s still delicious without.

Preparing these takes maximum 10 mins so no excuses for healthy breakfasts! :D

xxx

                                                                                                    

Du liebst Frühstück aber verlässt das Haus immer in Eile und hast nie Zeit was gesundes zu machen? Naja ich weiß ja nicht wie es euch geht aber so geht’s mir fast immer. Aber jetzt da der Frühling da ist und der Sommer quasi vor der Tür steht muss ich mir langsam ein paar Gedanken über meine Ernährung machen.

Als ich heute morgen dann in den Kühlschrank geschaut habe kam das dabei raus; man muss dazu sagen dass ich Lachs-Frischkäse-Bagels liebe, aber die kann man wohl schlecht als besonders “gesund” bezeichnen.

Was man braucht:

• Vollkorn Brötchen
• Lachs
• Halbfett Frischkäse
• Kopfsalat
• Rote Zwiebel
• Zitronensaft
• Dill, schwarzer Pfeffer und Salz (Ich bevorzuge Koreanisches See Salz aber Tafelsalz tuts naürlich auch ;) )

Die Brötchen halbieren und dann Oberseite nach unten auf dem Rost über dem Toaster grillen. Der Rest ist auch offensichtlich; Frischkäse drauf, ein bisschen Salat, Lachs und ein paar Zwiebelstreifen zum Schluss. Ich mag es gerne mit Dill, schwarzem Pfeffer und Seesalz aber man kann natürlich je nach belieben Kräuter und Gewürze drauf hauen. Ich würde empfehlen noch ein paar Spritzer Zitronensaft über den Lachs zu träufeln aber ich hatte keinen da und es hat trotzdem toll geschmeckt.

Die Zubereitung dauert maximal 10 min also gibt’s in Zukunft keine Entschuldigung mehr! :D

Guten Appetit! ;)

xxx

spring feeling

Hello Lovelies! How was your weekend?

I was out and about with Kerstin again yesterday; Brick Lane strolls are kind of becoming our sunday ritual. First we went to the boxpark (which I totally ignored up until now) and munched a frozen yogurt in the sunshine – bloody expensive but oh so yummy. You’ve got to spoil yourself every now and then, right?

After that we just strolled along Brick Lane for a while, I had my favourite Japanese food again and just enjoyed the buzz in the streets before retreating to the next best patch of green to catch the last rays of sunlight. How much I’ve missed sitting on the gras and enjoying the faboulus weather. It’s supposed to stay like this the whole week, I love it!

If you life in London you’ve got to get used to the sight of foxes everywhere, they are so used to humans, they’ve lost any fear and are getting bolder every day. So it might just happen that one of these cheeky creatures crosses the road right next to you or even queues for the ATM.

Have a good week everyone!
xxx

Na ihr Süßen? Wie war euer Wochenende?
Ich war ja gestern mal wieder mit Kerstin unterwegs; langsam wird Sonntags Brick Lane schon zum Ritual für uns. Wir waren zuerst im Boxpark (den ich bis dato komplett ignoriert hatte) und haben uns einen Frozen Joghurt in der Sonne schmecken lassen – verdammt teuer aber auch verdammt lecker die Dinger. Man gönnt sich ja sonst nichts.

Danach sind wir ein bisschen über die Brick Lane geschlendert, ich hab mir mal wieder mein Lieblingsessen beim Japaner geholt und dann zum chillen auf die Wiese. Wie sehr ich das vermisst hab; einfach mal wieder im Gras zu sitzen und das gute Wetter zu genießen. Es soll angeblich die ganze Woche so schön bleiben, herrlich!

An den Anblick von Füchsen muss man sich übrigens in London gewöhnen, die sind hier so angepasst, die zeigen keinerlei Scheu gegenüber Menschen und laufen auch schon mal direkt neben einem über die Straße oder stellen sich auch schon mal in die Schlange zum Geldabheben.

Wünsche euch eine schöne Woche!
xxx