Give me more peN.Ne

My current obsession: penne arrabiata! I just cannot get enough of this simple, yet delicious pasta with a tomato/chili sauce (and garlic!). I had this three times (in the same restaurant) last week! I also like ordering it because the name is fun / a challenge to pronounce. Can you roll your r's?

But more importantly, do say penne properly: pen-neh. If you just say pen-eh, it means something rather different (hint: male body part)...!

Give me more peN.Ne

My current obsession: penne arrabiata! I just cannot get enough of this simple, yet delicious pasta with a tomato/chili sauce (and garlic!). I had this three times (in the same restaurant) last week! I also like ordering it because the name is fun / a challenge to pronounce. Can you roll your r's?

But more importantly, do say penne properly: pen-neh. If you just say pen-eh, it means something rather different (hint: male body part)...!

Pretty spring pasta

I had the prettiest lunch today. Look at this flower pasta! It's perfect for spring and it tasted wonderful, too. For a split second it even made me want to make my own pasta (do you?)... but nahh I'm too lazy.

I was equally impressed with the peppermint tea. They brought me a pot of hot water and... a bunch of leaves. I was a bit sceptical but it worked!

Pretty spring pasta

I had the prettiest lunch today. Look at this flower pasta! It's perfect for spring and it tasted wonderful, too. For a split second it even made me want to make my own pasta (do you?)... but nahh I'm too lazy.

I was equally impressed with the peppermint tea. They brought me a pot of hot water and... a bunch of leaves. I was a bit sceptical but it worked!

Croque Monsieur

It's only a toasted cheese and ham sandwich. But calling it a Croque Monsieur turns it into something a bit more chic (think cafés and Paris)! And you know what, it tasted so good (even if it was slightly over-toasted). Do you make this at home? (The key is to use Gruyère, it seems.)

Croque Monsieur

It's only a toasted cheese and ham sandwich. But calling it a Croque Monsieur turns it into something a bit more chic (think cafés and Paris)! And you know what, it tasted so good (even if it was slightly over-toasted). Do you make this at home? (The key is to use Gruyère, it seems.)

Asian with a twist of French

I haven't done a food post in ages... so I thought I'd show you one of my all-time favourites: Vietnamese cuisine! Ahhhh... when I was pregnant I couldn't get enough of their curries! This is a restaurant I usually go to for dinner but this time it was lunch with a friend.

Jasmine tea... lots of it.

I usually prefer summer rolls but on the lunch menu they were only offering vegetable spring rolls. They were good, too. 

Then the 'usual' chicken curry with rice. Oh, see the carrot in the corner? Do you think that is supposed to be a butterfly? 

Vietnamese coffee. I don't even drink coffee normally so it's a bit strange that I like this: a double espresso with lots of condensed milk. I like to pour it over crushed ice. It's very sweet... this was basically dessert. My friend had never seen this before and she was quite fascinated! 

I need to branch out, though, and order something other than chicken curry next time. What are your favourite Vietnamese dishes?

P.S. When I think of Vietnam, what comes to mind is L'Amant (The Lover) by Marguerite Duras, the story of a young French girl and her Chinese lover... It is one of my favourite books.

Maybe you are familiar with the film...? 

Asian with a twist of French

I haven't done a food post in ages... so I thought I'd show you one of my all-time favourites: Vietnamese cuisine! Ahhhh... when I was pregnant I couldn't get enough of their curries! This is a restaurant I usually go to for dinner but this time it was lunch with a friend.

Jasmine tea... lots of it.

I usually prefer summer rolls but on the lunch menu they were only offering vegetable spring rolls. They were good, too. 

Then the 'usual' chicken curry with rice. Oh, see the carrot in the corner? Do you think that is supposed to be a butterfly? 

Vietnamese coffee. I don't even drink coffee normally so it's a bit strange that I like this: a double espresso with lots of condensed milk. I like to pour it over crushed ice. It's very sweet... this was basically dessert. My friend had never seen this before and she was quite fascinated! 

I need to branch out, though, and order something other than chicken curry next time. What are your favourite Vietnamese dishes?

P.S. When I think of Vietnam, what comes to mind is L'Amant (The Lover) by Marguerite Duras, the story of a young French girl and her Chinese lover... It is one of my favourite books.

Maybe you are familiar with the film...? 

French calories don't count

I love going out for a lazy lunch over the weekend (especially when I don't have to drive so I can have a glass of bubbly!). I was in the mood for some French goodness.

Starting off with a glass of crémant (a sparkling wine like champagne but from a different region) which slowed me down quite nicely... and some sparkling water (but I do not like Badoit. We should have ordered a Perrier)... The camel coat you see here is this one from Zara.

Bread, of course.

I had a delicious fish soup, served with grated cheese and rouille. It's one of my all-time favourites. It's filling and perfect in the colder months. 

This is what my husband ordered.

I knew I would be too full for dessert if I had a main course so after the soup I went straight for the tarte tatin. Clever me :-) This 'upside down' apple pie never disappoints.

Needless to say, I felt I had to burn off a few calories after that lunch so we went for a walk and enjoyed the beautiful colours of the season. 

French calories don't count

I love going out for a lazy lunch over the weekend (especially when I don't have to drive so I can have a glass of bubbly!). I was in the mood for some French goodness.

Starting off with a glass of crémant (a sparkling wine like champagne but from a different region) which slowed me down quite nicely... and some sparkling water (but I do not like Badoit. We should have ordered a Perrier)... The camel coat you see here is this one from Zara.

Bread, of course.

I had a delicious fish soup, served with grated cheese and rouille. It's one of my all-time favourites. It's filling and perfect in the colder months. 

This is what my husband ordered.

I knew I would be too full for dessert if I had a main course so after the soup I went straight for the tarte tatin. Clever me :-) This 'upside down' apple pie never disappoints.

Needless to say, I felt I had to burn off a few calories after that lunch so we went for a walk and enjoyed the beautiful colours of the season. 

Going Turkish in Zara

Am I the only one who gets upset when there are too many chunks of apple (and not much else) in a fruit salad (ordered in a restaurant)? Well, I was pleasantly surprised when my Turkish yogurt with fruit and honey turned out to be as delicious as it looks here. Not a slice of apple in sight.

I don't normally go to Turkish restaurants but it's worth going back just for the bread! I'm not sure what it's called but it had sesame seeds in it. I had this with butter and honey (it was breakfast/brunch, after all).

My husband ordered the kind of thing that I'm not too keen on eating myself. But he liked it - he said it was typical and it reminded him of his holidays (as a single man) in Turkey - so I thought it was worth showing you the photo! 

And just to throw in another fashion obsession that I'm currently having, here is a look at the military jacket (almost like a cardigan, actually) in navy blue that I got from Zara. 

Going Turkish in Zara

Am I the only one who gets upset when there are too many chunks of apple (and not much else) in a fruit salad (ordered in a restaurant)? Well, I was pleasantly surprised when my Turkish yogurt with fruit and honey turned out to be as delicious as it looks here. Not a slice of apple in sight.

I don't normally go to Turkish restaurants but it's worth going back just for the bread! I'm not sure what it's called but it had sesame seeds in it. I had this with butter and honey (it was breakfast/brunch, after all).

My husband ordered the kind of thing that I'm not too keen on eating myself. But he liked it - he said it was typical and it reminded him of his holidays (as a single man) in Turkey - so I thought it was worth showing you the photo! 

And just to throw in another fashion obsession that I'm currently having, here is a look at the military jacket (almost like a cardigan, actually) in navy blue that I got from Zara. 

A happy Monday!

My week is off to a good start! Yoga first thing in the morning, followed by lunch with a friend. It's actually sunny today! It has warmed up considerably (the last few weeks have been seriously cold) and we sat outside, enjoying the sunshine. My lunch today was a yummy avocado-mozzarella-potato salad with bread and a coke.

Followed by strawberries and vanilla ice cream!

What were / are your lunch plans today?

A happy Monday!

My week is off to a good start! Yoga first thing in the morning, followed by lunch with a friend. It's actually sunny today! It has warmed up considerably (the last few weeks have been seriously cold) and we sat outside, enjoying the sunshine. My lunch today was a yummy avocado-mozzarella-potato salad with bread and a coke.

Followed by strawberries and vanilla ice cream!

What were / are your lunch plans today?

La tarte tropézienne

Have you ever heard of La Tarte Tropézienne? If you're ever in the south of France you should stop by their boulangerie / patisserie / salon de thé. 

It is also the name of their famous cake. I wanted to try it so I got the smallest one (they called it the bébé - the baby!). It was too sweet for me.

But some people love this stuff... that's why they also sell huge ones (on the left). 

They make everyone's favourite macarons, too. Don't they look good? With all the move-related stress we've had in the past few weeks, I'm so ready to go back for a short holiday!

P.S. We finally got internet in our new home! It's far from perfect - think: cable spaghetti - but I couldn't wait for the hi-tech solution that my husband's planning, I just had to get online. It was torture, not having proper access and I missed blogging. Thank you for coming to visit and comment, even when I couldn't return the favour. It will take me a while to get back into it because I'm still busy with the house but I look forward to visiting your blogs again! 

La tarte tropézienne

Have you ever heard of La Tarte Tropézienne? If you're ever in the south of France you should stop by their boulangerie / patisserie / salon de thé. 

It is also the name of their famous cake. I wanted to try it so I got the smallest one (they called it the bébé - the baby!). It was too sweet for me.

But some people love this stuff... that's why they also sell huge ones (on the left). 

They make everyone's favourite macarons, too. Don't they look good? With all the move-related stress we've had in the past few weeks, I'm so ready to go back for a short holiday!

P.S. We finally got internet in our new home! It's far from perfect - think: cable spaghetti - but I couldn't wait for the hi-tech solution that my husband's planning, I just had to get online. It was torture, not having proper access and I missed blogging. Thank you for coming to visit and comment, even when I couldn't return the favour. It will take me a while to get back into it because I'm still busy with the house but I look forward to visiting your blogs again!