Gozo the rural sister of Malta

April 30, 2015

Crystal clear waters during this season with a visibility of 50 meters. Looking through the Azure Window at Gozo's west coast.

What a stellar horse waiting for his human friend. He didn't move at all fixing his eyes on his keeper! — What a stellar horse waiting for his human friend. He didn't move at all fixing his eyes on his keeper!

Salt fields cover the entire shore line here, it looks so pretty.

Empty romantic streets and lots of vineyards, Fields that provide everything for the Gozitan and those ever present cactus keeping the fields clear of visitors. Gozo is a sleeping beauty ideal for mountain bike tours and long reading hours. once there lived giant women who helped built the Gigantes temple. Obese figures without heads were found. Today the Gozitan is of normal height. I saw no giants anywhere. I fell in love with Gozo.

This is Europe's 3rd largest cupola tying the place with Mosta on Malta. All white. I had to set my camera on the floor and still I could't manage with 24 mm to get it all on the photo. — This is Europe's 3rd largest cupola tying the place with Mosta on Malta. All white. I had to set my camera on the floor and still I could't manage with 24 mm to get it all on the photo.

Empty Met Museum of New York

April 28, 2015

What do you say when one of your close friends invites you to wander through one of the world's most famous museums before opening hours? You say yes. Within seconds. Then you spend the next week not being able to sleep at night. When the day of the tour finally arrived, I walked through the museum left speechless and as if for the very first time. I wish you could all experience the Met while empty, but for now these pictures will have to suffice.

Malta in color

April 26, 2015

The Luzzu (pronounced lutsu) is the Maltese Fisher boat — The Luzzu (pronounced *lutsu*) is the Maltese Fisher boat

Oh my, so much history and the kindest of all people! 5600 year old Megalith temples and Valetta, the capital city founded in 1566 more than 120 years before NYC! Visiting Malta for only 4 days is not enough at all. The coast of Malta is my favorite, I always love the shoreline, where the sea meets the land and how people make use of that. We didn't visit all of the 365 churches, but thought that St. John is the most amazingly decorated cathedral we have ever seen.

Carlo, our driver and guide, made us read the signs in the streets and writings on cars and it was his special joy to hear us fail. I have never come across a language so different yet so similar, something between Arabic and Italian, with influences form English and Portuguese. Yes, and then they have all of the additional letters and silent letters ....

He is a local hero able to open doors for us when we wanted to see special locations just with a nod of his head. Carlo will tell the most fascinating stories about Malta but when it comes to have lunch he will show you his biggest smile and will opt out. He is the only Maltese allergic to fish! So offer him steak and he is in.

We stayed at the Xara Palace Relais and Chateau and enjoyed the walks through he medieval city of Mdina, say: I-mdina!
Those colorful doors and matching windows, I couldn't resist taking pictures every other step.

Red letter pillars and Frisco-like streets

Mdina is the coolest I think, almost car free! Only residents can have a tiny car as the streets are narrow and winding.

The 13 Redin Towersand one on Comino span in sight of each other around the coast line and so in case of an unexpected attack or pirates hiding behind Comino before they hoped to surprise Malta, the people would be prepared to defend themselves and they did so very successfully.

Ħaġar Qim (pronounced: Hascharkim) the stone-age people built their temple facing the sun to announce summer and winter solstice. Not much more can be said about their rituals, still fascinating. At this time of year Malta is covered with flowers in all colors. So pretty!

Shades of blue at the Blue Grotto, lined with purple and orange corals

Spring in DC

April 23, 2015

I guess to say that I like to travel would be quite the understatement. But, for me it's not really how far away from home I travel, but more to capture specific moments of everyday beauty. It sounds cheesy, but it's more the experience and the people I'm with that matter beyond the actual destination. Perhaps you could say it's the act of traveling that fascinates me. Why else would anyone sit on a bus for 9 hours in one day just to spend 6 hours wandering the streets of Washington, DC trying to find leftover cherry blossom trees. It's ironic that the feeling of being uprooted through a change in location makes me feel more at peace, but I think these pictures might convince you that a trip to Washington (view my guide on what to do here) during spring is just as necessary as having cupcakes at Baked and Wired in Georgetown. Join me for up-to-date adventures over on instagram.

P.S. I've included links to my hat and some other spring favorites at the end of this post and as always in our shop tab.

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12 Chairs Cafe

April 21, 2015

This semester of college, I made it my mission to stop being lazy and get out of my Manhattan comfort zone to explore Brooklyn in all its hipster glory. So far I haven't been disappointed once and I've actually managed to take the subway to Williamsburg every single weekend to try a new cafe, bakery or restaurant. I know this sounds cheesy, but in many ways just making that effort to explore new areas of this vibrant city I'm lucky enough to call home and keep putting myself out there and meeting new creatives has changed my view on life and encouraged me to become happier, more passionate and more content with everything I have.

As soon as I walked through the door of 12 Chairs Cafe with my dear friend Sam, I was struck by how grateful I am to be in a city that values design, good food and passionate entrepreneurs so much. 12 Chairs had incredible Mediterranean inspired food (including some of the best hummus I've had in NYC thus far) along with a passion for locally sourced ingredients and attention to detail. You can tell they love what they do with heart and soul the moment you taste the food, leaving me inspired to keep improving the quality of my own food and photography in turn.

Sunday Snapshots - Spring

April 19, 2015

As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.
'I slept in the earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.
'In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But oh! met with scorn.'
William Blake

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6:25-27

I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;
I am the memory of a moment of happiness;
I am the last gift of the living to the dead;
I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

But I look up high to see only the light,
And never look down to see my shadow.
This is wisdom which man must learn.
Khalil Gibran

Spring is a miraculous experience.
The whole world comes alive after the winter
in which it seemed that everything was dead.

The world comes filled with color
and the scent of delicious greenery.
The world that seemed so dull
and cold has come alive once again.
Little did we know that beneath the cold hard ground
the plants and trees were preparing for rebirth.
Spring gives us hope
for rejuvenation in our own lives as well.
Spring is a time to renew the excitement
and zest for life that lives inside.
by familyfriend Poems

Vegan Vietnamese Springrolls

April 18, 2015

This Thursday was the most gorgeous day of the year so far, here in Vienna. The sun was set in a soft blue sky without any clouds, the fresh green on the leaves was so bright and promising. The sun came through the leaves and the play of shadows and lights was mesmerizing.
I am still in STREET FOOD mode and things I can eat with my hands, so I did some research, ventured through all my cook books and found incredible good recipes. To make it my own I wanted to make it pure vegan and here is my version of a healthy - easy - everyone can do it - recipe with only a few ingredients which won't leave you desperate when you go shopping for them.

These are some of the ingredients you need. See how easy it is to roll them. To be honest I don't make them that often and I am pretty slow at rolling my spring rolls. One of my cookbooks tells the story behind their famous spring rolls noting they sell 80 000 rolls a year and they are rolled mainly by one single woman ...

The biggest mistake you can make is leave the rice paper too long in the water and it tears, leave it too short and it won't bend and break. Keep a wet cloth underneath is much better than rolling them on the work surface, the cloth prevents the paper from slipping and absorbs the water best.

Keep a bowl of warm water in front of your tea towel, the instruction on the package said cold water, but that doesn't work. Wet one sheet at the time until it becomes slippery and soft approx. 3 minutes and carefully lift it out. By the time you get more experienced you can wet the next sheet while you roll the first one.

Place the vermicelli (only as much as fits in the palm of your hand), carrots, onions, cilantro and sugar peas, on the lower part of the paper. Place a mint leave or 3 small ones on the upper part (that is for decoration), fold in both sides to the middle so they touch each other and roll the piece as tight as you can before the paper tears up to the top. That makes them 8-9 cm long.

This way you can be really creative with the mint leaves, they will shine through the final roll of your paper and you can make them look all individual! I decided to take a really big leave as you can see and because I love the taste of mint in this dish.

When you are done rolling them you can take a piece of kitchen paper towel, rinse it and wring it out, put it over the ready plate or spring rolls and wrap it with plastic foil. This way the spring rolls keep soft until you serve them and up to 3 hours. The spring roll does not taste that interesting, the sauce will spice it and give it the right flavors. I recommend to make double the sauce as it easily keeps in the fridge for days if you do not use it all.

Print recipe
Preparation time : 45 min

You need

Springrolls

12 round sheets of rice paper (200g)
1oo g | 5 cups cooked rice vermicelli
1 cup spring onions in slices
2 cups julienne carrots ( thin slices of carrots)
2 cups of julienne sugar peas, best if cut length wise
12 mint leaves
1 cup cilantro leaves

Dipping sauce: mix all in a bowl

4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp of lime juice
½ tbsp of fresh chili in small pieces

Weekend in Boston

April 16, 2015

Last weekend I ventured up to Boston for the first time in 10 years. It was my first time traveling through the US by greyhound bus, and I have to admit it felt quintessentially American. The only thing I remember about my last trip to Boston was a crippling ear infection, a high fever and my mom trying to find medicine for me in the middle of the night. Needless to say this trip was a breath of fresh air in comparison. I love how calm Boston is in comparison to New York, especially the Beacon Hill area, with its little cobble stone streets and brick townhouses. Acorn street (pictured above) was unbelievably picturesque. I loved the Boston Public Library and was impressed by the pieces at the Museum of Fine Arts. My favorite place to eat was definitely Tatte Bakery with their refreshing salads and incredible pastries (get the chocolate rose and the almond plum tarts). We spent a lot of time at Harvard with friends experiencing campus life for the first time and exploring the beautiful, historic campus.

Certified Red Beet Burger

April 11, 2015

I was eating out quite a bit lately, two times Japanese and somehow the spices and aromas made me crave for something more substantial and down to earth and lets say JUNK FOOD was on my mind and I searched all my new cook books and got really inspired for a big challenge.

Have you ever been out there alone and tried to accomplish something that almost everyone advices as the hardest in its league? When it comes to food photography Ice-cream, Lasagna and Burgers are the trickiest and yet I had to try it and YESSSSS ! it is .... not a ride in the park.

Why it is a challenge? Because it must look right ! The patty must be shiny the salad crisp and fresh the sauce dripping .... I have only two hands and here comes the impossible. It is all about timing:

Once the patty is done it must cool, because the salad hates to be hot, the sauce must be dripping the cheese melting the tower may not topple ... you can imagine I guess!

Here is my STREET FOOD I would crave and I wish more recipes would be out there. I tried to make a Burger, that looks like one and yet is 100% Organic, vegan, fresh and yummy. I never eat at fast food restaurants for the simple reason that I don't like the idea of not cooking nor can I imagine that one can actually eat well when the cost is so low. I am still happy that they exist, not everyone is as fortunate as I am and can afford to grab the organic versus the sale item. But once in my life I did and I remember the craving for the fast food so well when I was pregnant with Sophie and my poor husband was forced to get me something I thought I could not survive without. The funny thing is that this craving never came back and when I was pregnant with our son, it was oranges and sour tastes. Totally normal I thought eating 10 oranges a day ...

I admitted already to my broccoli phase and my red beet phase, ... which seems to be prolonged I suppose. Each time we eat out and they offer a veggie Burger, I need to try it and most of the time the patty is so soggy and the taste is off, the vegetable is of a creamy consistence and not my thing. Again this one has passed the test and was devoured by my husband in a minute even though it was already cold. Even the sauce passed my son's critical eye and tongue who still thinks that no meat is not a meal.

The patty and the cocktail sauce I made are entirely vegan and the bun has an egg in it but hopefully one day I will be able to bake one without. The bun is actually a recipe from a cookbook but you can easily find one online or go and buy them in the store. I suppose you don't want to spend a day in the kitchen making yourself a simple BURGER ? If you are interested, I can give you a simple one like the one I used.

Print recipe
YOU NEED

Patty

400 grams red beets, peeled and shredded
1 tbsp garlic
100 gr oats, the large type
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 tbsp tamari sauce
salt, I used smoked salt
chili
3 stems basil, cut in small

Cashew Cocktail sauce

2 cups soaked cashews
2 tbsp olive oil
peel and juice of one organic lemon
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 ½ agave syrup
6 tbsp water
½ -1 tsp salt
grey pepper

+
5 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcester shire sauce

Additional for assembling

fresh green salad
yellow bell peers cut in rings
slices of vegan cheese
onions or white cabbage cut in slices
burger buns, self made or bought
Potato chips

The patty is a colorful red something, no name has been invented but please use gloves and an apron, mix it all together and let it rest while you make the sauce and prepare the other steps.

The sauce is made in a powerful blender, I use a blendtec bought at the Cuisinarum on speed 4.

For the sauce:
The cashews can be soaked over night in cold water or for an hour in hot water, that will do the same trick, rinse them and put them in the blender. Add all the other ingredients except the salt and vinegar, the amount depends on weather you like it tasty or rather blend. Taste to your liking. The amount of water the sauce demands can vary a bit so add if you think it is not saucy enough. A bit of a feel for it and you cannot go wrong. Vegan cooking allows creativity and forgives individual approaches. When you are done with the basic sauce you can use as well for a salad dressing, take 4 heaped tbsp of the cashew cream - save the rest for later - and add the ketchup and the Worcester shire sauce, mix well and set aside.

In a pan heat some olive oil on medium heat, form patties with two spoons or with your hands from the red beet mix. Cook on both sides until slightly brown. Here raw will still be safe and well done is not ruined. That is what meat lovers say when it comes to define the grade of meat cooking.

Rare – Medium – Ruined

Everything is great !

Cut the burgers in half assemble the burger with what ever you like best, even a slice of vegan cheese.
Mine is a bun - salad - sauce - red beet patty - cabbage - cheese - salad - sauce - bun – Yumm !!!

Caffe Propaganda

April 9, 2015

Waking up in Rome felt different than I had expected. I've wanted to visit for such a long time that I could barely believe it was happening while I was really there. The city seemed almost mythical to me with architecture from copious centuries interspersed throughout the city.

As per usual, when I feel out of place, I inevitably have to return to comfort foods, and by that I mean any type of carbohydrate you could possibly picture, but to make it easier for you to picture dear reader, I took pictures of my meal of course, because I love you so very dearly. When we walked into Caffe Propaganda (which is literally in view of the Collosseum, and it doesn't get much more Roman than that honestly) I felt transported back to New York, more specifically Williamsburg in Brooklyn, I mean let's face it, this place isn't remotely Roman apart from their excellent food. In keeping with virtually every single meal I had in Rome, I had to have Cacio e Pepe pasta, but let's be honest, you can't really go wrong when in Rome.

Find them here the next time you're in Rome and craving a restaurant void of tourists:

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