Showing posts with label 08/2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 08/2013. Show all posts

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Capsule wardrobe #105 - late summer

Inspired by touches of red...



Capsule pieces: Jacquard trousers (shopping info to come) and chocolate sleeveless top
Shoes: chocolate ballet flats
Accessories: Hermès 'Coupons Indiens' 90 Carré, clic-clac H enamel bracelet in bourgogne and 35 Birkin in ebene.
Scarf tying method: Cowboy knot



 


Capsule pieces: Trousers (as above) with a 3/4 sleeve Twist top
Shoes: chocolate ballet flats
Accessories: as above
Scarf tying method: Asymmetrical wrap. 




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Sunday, August 25, 2013

Quiche recipe

Hope you enjoy the recipe for my favorite quiche!



for the pastry

250 gr flour (9 oz)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp herbes de Provence or dried thyme (optional)
125 gr unsalted butter, cold and cut into little cubes (4.5 oz)
50 gr (2oz) grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg yolk (or two small ones)
cold milk

30 cm (12") buttered tart/pie dish

Combine dry ingredients and place into a food processor. Then add the butter and Parmesan cheese, and process until mixture becomes crumbly. Add the egg yolk and just enough milk so that a smooth dough ball forms. Roll out the dough (I place it into an open cut freezer bag, it makes rolling it out so much easier) and line the buttered tart dish.



Refrigerate for a couple of hours (I often leave it in the fridge overnight, it cuts down on preparation time on the actual day).

Prick the pastry shell several times with a fork and bake in a preheated oven (180˚celsius - 350˚FH) for approx 15 minutes (until light golden) Take out off the oven and let cool.



In the meantime, prepare the filling:

• 5-6 leeks
• 4-5 medim to large size mild onions
• 250 ml (8.5 oz) cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence or dried thyme (optional)
• 70 gr (2.5oz) grated cheese (Emmenthal, Gruyere or similar)


Wash and dry the leeks, discard the top part and cut them into 1 cm wide chunks


Peel the onions and cut them into medium half slices


Put a large frying pan over medium heat, coat with olive oil. Once the oil gets hot, fry the onions until they become translucent (about 8 minutes), add the leeks and continue to fry until the vegetables start to take some light golden color. Add salt and/or pepper to your liking and remove from heat.




Pour the onion and leek mix into the pre baked pie shell.


Place the cream and eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly until combined. Stir in the dried herbs,


 ..and pour the mix evenly over the vegetables.



Sprinkle the grated cheese on top



Place in preheated oven (180 Celsius/350F) and bake for approx 40 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes. The quiche can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. The flavors will develop further over the next day, so you can prepare it also a day in advance. Store overnight in the fridge, and reheat in a moderate oven (preheated to 150˚ celsius - 300˚FH) for about 20 minutes.

 

Bon appétit!



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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Capsule wardrobe #105 - Berlin inspiration

Himmel über Berlin (the skies above Berlin)...



My sky blue 'Cuirs du Desert' reminds me so much of the happy time we had there






Capsule pieces: white jeans and sleeveless v-neck top Shoes: turquoise sandals
Accessories: Hermès 'Cuirs du Desert' 90 Carré, clic-clac H enamel bracelet in bleu indiens and MM Picotin in sanguine. 





Edited to include a style request:

Gorgeous as always...curious...how would you have tied this scarf to highlight more of the orange? (as a necklace)
I think the Anneau rings are so versatile!
Have a spectacular weekend as we dip into the last days of summer~
Barbara A

Many thanks for the challenge, dear Barbara.

First, choose your favourite orange part of the scarf (I've circled mine in orange). Then fold your carré into a rectangular strip as indicated by the opaque bar.

My orange part turned out to be in the centre of the strip, so I only used two round rings instead of three (the third ring would have partly covered the orange), and placed them on either side (positions indicated by the 'X's below).  
I then secured the ends with a shawl ring in the basic slide.




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Monday, August 19, 2013

Berlin travelogue - part IV

Berlin tip #13 - The wall museum

Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing point during the cold war era. The original guard house (the one pictured below is a reconstruction) can be seen in the 'Mauer Museum' (Wall museum) next door, along with a comprehensive chronicle of Berlin's political and historical events during the years of the division.


It's presentation of the many different ways people escaped from the East to the West makes the museum an interesting place to visit with children too. Among the many original escape tools and implements are cars with modified petrol tanks allowing a person to hide within, self made chair-lifts, a miniature submarine, hot air balloons and many more.


Mauer Museum/Wall museum (open daily from 9am to 10pm)
Friedrichstraße 43-45,
10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg 
Tel: +49 (0) 30 253 725 0
www.mauermuseum.de


Berlin tip #14 -East Side Gallery

In the city center, the course of the former wall is marked with double rows of cobblestones, and in some parts it has been left standing. The longest remaining stretch runs for 1.3 km along the river Spree near Mühlenstrasse. In 1990, more than a hundred artists from across the world were invited to cover it with their paintings, transforming it into a huge open air gallery.


One of the East Side Gallery's most iconic artworks, the famous 'fraternal kiss' between Brezhnev and Honnecker in 1979


The other side of the wall is covered in huge photographs, showing borders across the world which divide nations, religions, and political systems to this day.



Capsule pieces: white jeans and tank top, black long cascade wrap 
Shoes: sand espadrille wedges
Accessories: Hermès 'La Femme aux Semelles de Vent' 90 Carré worn as belt, clic H enamel bracelet in marron glacé and a 35 Kelly in etoupe
Scarf tying method: Fold the scarf in the basic bias fold and tie it around the waistband of your jeans. 


A 'Trabi' car driving through the wall into freedom (the number plate marks the date the wall came down)

 

East Side Gallery
Mühlenstraße (near Oberbaumbrücke)
10243  Berlin
www.eastsidegallery.com


Berlin tip #15 -Hotel de Rome



The 'Hotel de Rome' has Berlin's most beautiful rooftop terrace, which makes it a perfect place to come for a drink on a summer evening. The views over the city are breathtaking and the lounge breezy and modern.


The downstairs bar and the Paroli restaurant are equally worth a visit, the food and service are excellent, and the decor is beautiful.

 Outdoor dining at the Paroli

pink flower arrangements on Wednesday night

The bar and velvet room


Capsule pieces: white jeans and printed silk tunic
Shoes: Oran sandals
Accessories: Hermès clic H enamel bracelet in marron glacé, Lift pendant in horn and a 35 Kelly in etoupe


white flower arrangements on Friday night
 

Dinner at Paroli Restaurant

 

Hotel de Rome
Behrenstraße 37
10117 Berlin (Mitte)
Tel: +40 (0) 30 460 60 90
www.hotelderome.com

Paroli Restaurant at the Hotel de Rome
www.hotelderomedining.com 


End of the travelogue ~ Auf Wiedersehen Berlin!