Ingredients of a good weekend, with recipes

Top, ingredients to make cheese & mint brownies; bottom, to prepare salmon panna cotta. I told you I would have shared the recipes and here I am, but must admit... something went wrong with the cake. And it's totally me, not the recipe! In fact, check the original source, doesn't it look delicious and great?! Mine was pretty... but tasted funny, how embarrassing is that? While the panna cotta was a hit, idiot-proof, apparently! ;)

Anyway, salmon panna cotta, serves 6-8:

3 gelatine leaves

340 g salmon

1 bunch of chive

600 ml sour cream

salt and pepper

Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water. In the meantime, mince the salmon and the chive. Pour the sour cream in a pot, add salmon, half of the chive. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and add the gelatine, stirring till the gelatin melts. Divide the mix into 6-8 glasses and let cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Before serving, garnish with chive and small pieces of salmon.

A simple meal

Shrimp bruschetta and creme brulee, at Il Porticciolo, Lazise (VR), Italy. Add a lake view and your perfect June night is served... 

uh, wait, don't forget a glass (or two) of prosecco!

Collections for the weekend

Flowers, desserts and globes.

Sweets as sampled for you ;) at Paul Bert, Paris: Italian amaretto, fruit compote, chocolate mousse, ile flottante, and creme brulee... oh my, I want them ALL now!

Brunch every day!

On Sunday a friend came by and brought homemade waffles*!

Can I eat brunch every day, pretty please? 

*since I didn't have syrup, I made a cream with ricotta and mixed berries and a sauce with honey and brandy. Not bad! ;)

Weekend in Triptychs

Now, that's a good life!

I spent the weekend on a foggy lake, enjoying the sweet company, heartwarming words and delicious home cooking of my dear friend. Six photographs to tell a story, a very happy one. Uh, the star of the second triptych is Momo, isn't she cute?

Craving now

A week into my yeast-deprived diet, all I want is a club sandwich, thick, rich and greasy

Boo-hoo! :)

Party ideas: bubble candy nails

After having seen many bubble nail kits on magazines and websites, last Sunday, I decided to play with nail polish and sugar sprinkles... while I was having a drink, I must admit. How did I do it? Easy: apply nail polish (light colors work better to me, but any color would do) one finger at a time and sprinkle small, colorful confectionery on it.
Perfect for a party outfit, don't you think? 

Weekend in review

Not quite a wild weekend...

But I'd say a tasty one, with s'mores (to be honest, it looks better than it tastes), a steaming cup of pumpkin soup (d e l i c i o u s), and a trip to Ikea with photos taken from the car (that's Ponte Pietra, Verona... and no, I wasn't the driver hehe).

How to make a soup

Can you repeat the ingredients, please?

And, that's celery, you said? Very finely chopped, indeed.

As soon as the temperature goes below 70F... I'm cold and start making soups like a maniac.

There's nothing like a soup, when it comes to comfort food, don't you think? Potato and spinach soup is on top of my list right now. What's your favorite?

Views of October

Bars' backyards with patches of sky above your head; chai latte and a slice of something yummy; red and brown walls.

Paris, around the table

I am back and ready to share my Parisian adventures!

Top, exceptionally good dinner at Café Constant, near Champ de Mars, an intimate restaurant that serves tasty and well-executed dishes and delicious desserts. Bottom, a classic - moules et frites in Montmartre... OK, maybe not the most quiet and authentic place where you can have dinner in Paris, but we were hungry and it worked out.

Next, people and places...

A kicking party

Four friends and a fire... ahhh, the magic that you can do!

OK, if you then add a Bloody Mary, the success is guaranteed! ;)

And look, we have tried to make s'mores! OH BOY, they were sticky but good: whole wheat graham crackers, dark chocolate (to compensate the marshmallow!!!) and randomly flavored marshmallows.
I hope you are having a happy weekend, in its simplicity.

Roasted marshmallow for experts

I am not talking about the obvious version marshmallow on a stick over the fire. Nooo, this is Marshmallow 513, the advanced class! And this is the formula, according to *S’amore Gourmet S’mores:

graham cracker

marshmallow

chocolate

graham cracker

But the business can get much more sophisticated with the Built it! option.

Ahahah I love the idea... but I wouldn't try it, I can't be trusted around torches and flames!

Have a sweet weekend guys!

The little things

Sometimes the little things are what make the difference.

A window table at Urban Vintage, my favorite coffee shop; their A M A Z I N G red velvet cheesecake; and the most whimsical zine, "i will feast on your whore heart" by M.K. Reed. Yes, life can be as simple as that, sometimes.

What are the little things in your life?

What lambs think about Easter

What are you going to eat during the weekend? I am going to the green market today to get inspired.

Lobster day

Do you have obsessions? I certainly do not... hehe

My latest is lobster, sooo delicious! Now I see lobsters everywhere. Look at that Brooklyn house, is it a perfect match for my roll? :)
What's your obsession?

World Party Day musts

A party is not a party without...

cocktails and appetizers

garlands

balloons

music and disco balls!

The amazing people at BIG THINGS, The Adventure School and Kitiya Palaskas partnered to throw the ultimate synchronized world-wide celebration for WORLD PARTY DAY on April 3 2012! Visit their websites for tutorials, DIY party ideas and more fun stuff! I really wanted to make a How-to pinata tutorial... but that did not happen. Anyway, I am ready to party, are you?


PS in the second photo, 'strangers' an installation-performance by Amalia Pica

My fridge, a common space

This is my entry for "The Things Found Series", another Art House Co-op project.

 

In my refrigerator you can find: broccoli, string beans, yogurt, pickled ginger (yumm, love it), soy sauce, milk and candies... looks quite healthy, right? Just because the roasted boar wrapped in bacon was on another shelf! hahahah

Here you can check my previous entry "Self-portrait with food" for their project  "The Meal".

First day of Spring

What a day, so many colors and flavors!

 

Today I had two free macaroons, generously offered by François Chocolate Bar and Mad-Mac “The Authentic French Macarons” for Macaron Day NYC 2012. Then I lost myself in bubbles in Central Park -- I could watch them for hours! At dinner, I had Grimaldi's pizza for the first time in my life, good call to end the day! Now I am listening to Nina Simone and I am so ready for bed.

I hope you had a wonderful day.

PS do you like my rainbow nail polish? Only on one hand, too lazy to do both :P

Had a happy pi(e) day?!?

Yesterday I found out, by chance, that March 14th (3.14 that is) is National Pi(e) day.

A pretty obscure and nerdy thing, I guess, to celebrate the mathematical constant pi (π), which leads to pie.

OK, either you are completely lost or amused by the whole thing... of course I found it amusing :D

And this is how I have celebrated, with an apple crumble pie straight form the Green market!