Lignano

One of the great things about living in Munich is that you have very short distances to many different countries, like Italy. When I was a child, my parents often went to Italy together with me and my brother. It was always a lot of pizza, pasta and gelato... and my family has decided to go there from tomorrow on until Monday, this time together with my little sister. I think it has been at least 15 years since I've been there the last time.

Photo:agenziamarina

I'm looking forward to seeing everything again, hope they have internet connection so that I can show you how it looks like.

Kram,

Isabell

Rhubarb syrup and lilies of the valley

Don't worry I didn't use lilies of the valley for my rhubarb syrup, even if I like the scent very much, but I also know that this would be a short pleasure as they are really poisonous. :) I found a recipe in the coconutandvanilla.com blog, which I wanted to try myself too.

For 1.5 -2 l of syrup you need:

• approx. 1.3-1.5 kg rhubarb
• 900 g sugar
• 500 ml water
• juice of 1 lime

Rinse off the rhubarb throughly and trim the ends. Cut it into small pieces and stir together with the sugar in a large saucepan and leave it for approx. 1 hour.

Add water and lime juice, bring rhubarb mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb has broken down, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a

jelly bag, or a very fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract the juice. Bring the syrup to boil once more and pour into hot jars and seal. 

And of course my lilies of the valley and the syringa I got from my parent's garden which I also wanted to show you. Can you image the nice scent in our living room?

Kram,

Isabell

New Coffeemaker

One of my presents was this very nice coffeemaker, which I've already used during my birthday celebration and this morning. It's good to start the morning with a good coffee, then it's not so bad to go to work. :)

I also got this sugar as a present from a friend of mine, as you know I'm like packings and I like this one very much:

Have a good start of the day!

♥

Isabell

Birthday celebration

I've been celebrating my birthday this weekend and I've invited my family. Usually we can celebrate it outside or at least spend some time outside, but it was 10°C and I've even made a fire in the fireplace. I like my birthday, not so much the fact that I take the centre stage on this day, but the fact that I have all the persons I love around me. For my birthday I also use my grandma's tableware every year and it feels so good to see it and celebrate with it, it feels like that she was there too in a way.

Here you see these very old glasses and the brazen candle holders, as well as her plates with the blue decor.

Camenbert, lingonberries and corn salad as a starter:

Have a nice day!

Kram,

Isabell

Natural hand care

When the weather is cold outside my hands often feel dry and I have a hand balm near my computer at work, ready to be used. But I remember a simple tip from my German grandmother: She always used olive oil and sugar and made a peeling out of it. So therefore I'm going to try that now:

Take 2 cups of brown sugar and add 2 table spoons of sea salt, olive oil and if you don't like the smell of olive oil some drops of an essential oil like lemon balm oil.

Photo: welt.de

Mix it all together and use it like a hand peeling, rinse it off. It's also a very nice present, if you want to give something self-made as a present. In addition to the natural hand care I also like these very much:

Photo: compagniedeprovence

Kram,

Isabell

Wake up

I don't have an alarm clock to wake me up every morning, I use my mobil phone. The problem is that when you are still drowsy, it happens to me quite often that my mobil phone falls down, so I was actually looking for an alarm clock on the internet, when I came along this:

Photo: cdn.shopify.com

It's called "Alarm Dock" and it's a wooden dock suitable for the iPhone and the best thing: you can even pull your iPhone connector through the Alarm Dock to charge it. Because that's the second thing that happens (not as often as the mobil phone crash test) is that I forgot to charge my mobil. I think it's a nice idea and looks like the alarm clocks from the seventies.

So have a good start of the day!

Kram,

Isabell

Back to Berlin!

We're going to Berlin in July, Tim and I just booked our flights. I look so much forward to being there, this is one of the best cities I know and being there together with Tim is just the best thing I can imagine. I've already had a look at different hotels, and there is a new hotel called "Monbijou Hotel" which I find very nice, it reminds me of these very old manor houses in Great Britain and it looks very cozy, doesn't it?

Photo:booking.com

Photo:booking.com

Photo:booking.com

Photo:booking.com

Haven't decided yet whether to choose this one or Hotel 38, which is very nice too!
I'll let you know ;)

Isabell

Whit Monday - Waffles Day

Today is another day off from work because it's Whit Monday. So I started my day with some waffles, which I bought from the pastry shop just across the street. You know I love to bake and to cook, but sometimes it's very good to just have it done by someone else, especially on a holiday.

I'll go and pick up my parents from the airport later and bring them some waffles too. ( I bought a lot of them, so this is going to be a Waffles day :))

Have a nice Whit Day!

♥

Kram,

Isabell

Insight t-shirt

One of my favorite clothing brands is Insight. I like their style very much, here you see me wearing a t-shirt from Insight with a Peace sign saying "I wish I was an anarchy symbol". The t-shirts have a loose fit, which I like very much and are very different from other brands I know. The clothing is very art- inspired and stylish. 

The jeans short I'm wearing is from Billabong and also one of my favorite items from my wardrobe. I hope that the weather will be better so that I can wear it soon. :)

Kram,

Isabell

Asparagus

It's friday and one of my favorite things to do on friday is to go to the fruit and vegetable stands they have all over Munich or to go to a market after work to buy some fresh fruits, cheese, vegetables,  ... my choice was asparagus today, as I like it very much and I've invited friends to dinner today.

The best thing I know together with asparagus is sauce hollandaise. I think it's the worst thing you can eat if you count calories but it's worth every calorie! I have also bought some potatoes and ham from the market which you can see on the picture, too.

Have a lovely friday evening!

Isabell

Lights at home

I come home very late these days and the first thing I always do in summer is to turn on some of the small lights when it starts to get dark outside and I light some tea lights. During winter it's the candles I like the most, but during summer it's better with lamps, it's often simply too hot for candles. And as it is still 24°C outside at the moment I'm not really in a mood for candles.

I'll have something to eat now and then just watch a movie and go to bed, I am so tired!

Have a good evening!

Isabell

Homesick

I'm looking for wedding locations in Sweden at the moment and I can't help the feeling of getting homesick. It's been since Christmas that I haven't been there so it's almost a half year. I do fell at home here in Germany too, of course, it's where I grew up, but the older I get the more I feel bad when coming back to Germany. I've already thought about it so many times in my life, why it's like that, even here. But there is a simple example: the day before I flew to Sweden I had to get into Munich City Center to get a few things, people where aggressive, stressed, pushed you through the shops with their elbows and I was so happy to be back home. This wasn't the way I had expected a calm and nice Christmas shopping... Then I came to Copenhagen and the moment I landed and went into the city with my friends, people didn't seem to be stressed at all, they stood there with their Christmas beers and just had a really good time and it was the same in Malmoe. It was there that I started to have a real Christmas Peace.

But at least i can celebrate my wedding there :), I found a really nice place which I wanted to show you. It's a roasting house, that also has an apartment which you can lent:

Photo: kafferosteriet

Photo: kafferosteriet

Photo: kafferosteriet

Photo: kafferosteriet

Photo: kafferosteriet

I'll go there this summer to have a look at it...

Isabell

♥

Sommar med Ernst 2013

As you know I like the Swedish TV Series "Jul med Ernst" (Christmas with Ernst) and "Sommar med Ernst" (Summer with Ernst), and they have just started the new 2013 summer project in a hotel called Kohlswa Herrgard. I'm really looking forward to seeing it on Swedish online tv in july and august. The host Ernst Kirchsteiger has a special way to present this series, it's very cozy- In winter he returns to the places he renovates during summer, to decorate them and celebrate Christmas there. These are some pictures from the last season (2012) of "Sommar med Ernst":

Kram,

Isabell

♥

Rhubarb compote

It's finally rhubarb season! I'm trying to eat the fruits and vegetable that have season, because then you can get them fresh and from the farmer's markets. Many people I know don't like rhubarb because it can taste quite sour, but I like to add it to something really sweet like ice cream, yogurt, rice pudding or custard. It gives the sweetness a good balance.

Today I made a rhubarb compote. It's great because you can preserve it and even have it during wintertime and it's really easy to make, trust me.

Here is what you need:

1 3/4 pounds rhubarb

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

1/2 - 1 cup of water

Trim the ends of the rhubarb and peel off any stringy covering before use. Cut it into 3/4-inch pieces (about 6 cups) and stir together with the sugar in a large saucepan and add the water, only the bottom of the saucepan should be covered with water. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, spread open, and scrape out the vanilla seeds from the inside. Add scraped seeds and vanilla bean pod to the saucepan.

Bring rhubarb mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb has broken down but some whole pieces remain, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Let sauce cool completely and remove the vanilla bean pod before serving over ice cream, yogurt, or custard.

Kram,

Isabell

♥

Happy Mother’s Day Greetings

My Mum is in Sweden right now so I'm sending her my "Happy Mother's Day" greeting via this blog! All the other years this has been a sunny day with 25 °C, but today it's still raining, like the last days here in Munich and the weather is not better in Sweden. So it's a perfect day for a nice cup of tea and if you invite your Mum to tea today, this is a very nice way to tell her how much you care for her:

Photo: marthastewart

So a big "heart" for my Mum and my Mother-in-law, who are always there for me.

Kram,

Isabell

Rain and Boeuf Bourguignon

Since yesterday it hasn't stopped raining for a second, I like the sound of rain. But of course only if you're inside :). When I went to the grocery today after work I wanted to cook something that you can put into the oven and that is warm, because it's really cold with the rain right now.

So what I made for dinner today was Boeuf Bourguignon, a French dish that is really easy to cook and is a perfect meal for such a nasty weather.

You need:

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 slices of bacon
3 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
2-3 cups red wine (Bordeaux)
2 -3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
200 gr white mushrooms 

4-5 big shallots

Pasta (Tagliatelle) or potatoes are great together with this dish

Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (approx. 360°F)  and cut the bacon into cubes. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large fireproof casserole and steak the bacon cubes until they get brown. As soon as they are brown, remove them from the casserole and steak the pieces of beef a a few at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is  covered, then the tomato paste, the thyme, bay leaf, salt and peppar and finally the bacon. Bring to simmer and cover. Place the casserole in the oven for approx. 1 hour. Peel the shallots and cut them into pieces, cut the mushrooms and add to the casserole after it has been in the oven for 1 hour. Let Simmer over low heat for about another 40 to 50 minutes until the onions  and the meat cubes are perfectly tender, the meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

 Bon appetite!

Isabell

The perfect wedding place in Munich...

... I finally found it! Do you remember my post about the Calm wedding? I was looking for a place outside and now I finally found a restaurant in Munich that has a garden with old apple trees and dandelions growing in the grass. Tim and I went there today, it was so lovely with all the trees blossoming, you see the garden on this picture:

Do you know this feeling when you just feel that this is just the place you dreamt of? Tim likes it very much too, but I guess he's happy when I'm happy. :)

If it should be raining they also have this room inside which reminds me of the of a great hall where all the knights used to sit and eat, which is also cute and I don't know a woman who doesn't want to be a princess (or a damsel :)) on her wedding day...

Kram,

Isabell

Summer coziness

For me in life there are 2 forms of coziness - winter coziness and summer coziness. Winter coziness is one of the best things I know- for me it's the feeling you have when you come to a warm room from the very cold outside. You light some candles and have some tea on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and you watch the snow falling down thick and soft.

But summer coziness is special, too. You have these long days when it's getting dark at 10 pm, you go to the fruit stand and buy some strawberries, pick some things and go to have a barbecue and you watch the stars. We often do that during summer we just pack some things to eat and some blankets on or bikes and we stay outside until you can see the stars. And the best thing is that it's still warm when you cycle home.

Picture: Ikea

Tomorrow is a bank holiday here in Germany, so I will have time to watch the stars tonight.

Kram,

Isabell

Mini Octoberfest

There is currently a mini Octoberfest at the same place where Munich's Octoberfest takes place every year and it's called "Frühlingsfest"(Spring festival), with 2 small beer tents and a lot of fairground rides and old carousels, so I finally managed to take a picture for my blog and changed the profile picture, this is the original picture:

I hope you like it :)

Isabell

How the Ballerinas from Alfred Eisenstadt look like...

I was so curious about how the Ballerinas would look like in the bedroom, that I went to buy a frame today and I'm so happy about the result and I couldn't wait to show you:

The candle holder on the left side is from my Dad, he made it in school when he was 10 years old. I would like to have a second one, one size smaller or taller and I finally found a shop that has a similar one but of course it's not identical. But I'll have to wait until summer, because this shop is in Sweden... maybe one of my Dad's classmates sold his. :) 

Kram,

Isabell

Pillow cases from Bali

I found 2 very nice pillow cases in Bali and I've finally managed to leave work a little bit earlier today to buy two new pillows, as I only had odd sizes and of course only one of each size :). So this is the result:

I like it very much and the best thing is that the cases have 2 sides, on the other side it's white with grey flowers so this will be great for many bed linens.

Kram,

Isabell

Ramsons leaves soup

Another great thing about May and Spring is all the fantastic food you can get. As the ramsons season is very short and this soup is such a delicious and easy dish, hurry up and try it! :) I got these ramsons leaves from my parents' garden but you can get it in greengroceries, too.

This is all you need: 

2 small shallots, approx. 3 hands full of ramsons leaves, 150 gr creme fraiche or sour cream, 0.5 l stock

Start with the shallots, peel them and cut into cubes and sweat in a pan with a little bit of oil or butter, if you like your soup to be thicker add 1/2- 1 teaspoon of flour be careful not to burn it. Cut the ramsons leaves in small stripes and add to the pan, add the stock. if you have used the flour make sure to lift the pan away from the oven when filling in the stock, to avoid lumps in the soup. let cook for approx. 5 minutes. Add the creme fraiche and use a hand blender for the soup:

And the result: 

Hope you will like it as much as I do, but be sure not to have a meeting with a customer the same day because it really smells like garlic. :)

Kram,

Isabell

First of May

It is so wonderful to have a day off from work in the middle of the week. We had a late breakfast and then we took our bikes to cycle to Isar (Munich's river). This is one of the great things about Munich, even though it's a city you have a lot of recreation areas with trees, parks and grassland. But Isar is definitely the best one, you can even go swimming in the river during summer or have a barbecue there. When we came back we had an ice cream in the little park that is in the courtyard, I just want to show you how nice it is when the cherry tree blossoms :

You know I love Christmas, but this part of the year is special too. Looking forward to picking the ripe cherries in a few weeks :)

Have a good first of May!

Isabell