Sunday 28 July 2013

Shirred eggs on a beautiful Sunday morning

*Today, I will be interrupting my consecutive posts on my family trip to Europe with a post on food.*

Breakfast is a happy occasion for me because my stomach really looks forward to it after the night's fast. 

Mummy recently told me a story involving my tiny toddler self and a sugar plum. Apparently I was happily (and violently) sucking on it and she had wanted to remove it to peel off more skin and prevent me from swollowing the entire fruit, and I screamed in protest. Guess my deadly sin is really gluttony. 

Stories aside, I put together a quick and easy breakfast of shirred eggs on this beautiful Sunday morning and thought of sharing it (anything involving ramekins and oven baked eggs make me salivate). 

First, chop up two tomatoes and an onion into cubes while heating up a mix of olive oil and butter on the stove. Then cook the chopped veggies till soft. Add chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste. 

Next, oil the ramekins and pour the cooked items, filling about 1/3 of the pots. Crack a egg into each ramekin and pour a little more of the cooked mixture in. 

Shove ramekins into oven till eggs are done (about 15 minutes). 

Eat with toasted bread. Yum tums. 


Sunday 21 July 2013

Eating in Grenoble

Switzerland is an expensive country so we were glad to drive across to Grenoble for two days. In stark contrast to the working culture in Europe where the border between work and play is clearly delineated, the parents had arranged a business meeting there during our vacation.

We arrived in Grenoble, hungry and on a Sunday, to mostly closed shutters. Thankfully, some restaurants and shops along the main tourist street were opened for the day. So we popped into an eatery across the Notre Dame for a hearty meal and some wine.

Baked potatoes with salmon
Beef!
As compared to where we came from, we ate really well in France as food was more affordable. We stocked up on fresh strawberries and cherries, crusty bread and yummy cheese. Ahhh...such indulgences are hard to replicate back home. And even if we manage to, eating such fresh produce is pricey and unsustainable in Singapore.

There was a bakery near the city centre that I ran into on three different occasions (over a period of just two days!) to grab some freshly baked bread and tarts. Grenoble is famous for the production of walnuts and the tarte aux noix (walnut tart) was divine! 
Breakfast from our spree at the supermarket
Tarte au citron, tarte aux poires, the most amazing tarte aux noix and a chocolate cake 
Our last meal before heading back across the border was at a creperie. While we were not in Brittany, where the humble crepe originated from, it was a great meal. I loved the buttered apples and salted caramel crepe, which we had for dessert. My sister who is an extremely picky eater loved the meal and kept asking for crepes over the next few days!

Hamburger steak galette
Buttered apples and salted caramel. Oh, be still my heart!

Family vacations

Family vacations are great times to reconnect with the ones that are near and dear. Despite living together in crowded little Singapore, I tend to spend less quality time with my family. 

Mayhaps it is because the introvert in me craves for private moments. There have been times when I desperately desire to move out and be on my own but there is always a feeling of homesickness that pervades the soul during long periods abroad. 

Our time driving around Switzerland and France, sharing moments over food was a dream. It doesn't hurt that the country is gorgeous (despite the hefty price tags). 

Sunday 14 July 2013

FĂȘte de la Musique weekend in Geneva

I had the good fortune of escaping the haze situation in Singapore for slightly more than a week when we flew to Europe for my brother's graduation. Despite the butt numbing-ly long flight times in between my blanketed-in-haze country and Europe, I would choose to return to that part of the world in a heartbeat. I fell in love with the continent, the gorgeous landscape and fresh smell of grass in the air, and the culture and architecture when I first went over for French immersion in Montpellier, and then for a semester exchange programme in Leeds during my undergraduate days.

We were lucky that our arrival in Geneva coincided with Fete de la Musique (or the Festival of Music) weekend. Although fatigue was kicking in as we battled the effects of a red eye flight filled with moody babies, we joined the throngs enjoying music at every corner in the old town. It was a nostalgic experience as the last time I was in Europe during the festival was 5 years ago in Montpellier! Ahh, such memories.

These guys were really popular!
A little violinist came out to play
Strings playing in a cathedral
On a completely unrelated note, I have started using items usually found in the kitchen on my hair. I have had enough of expensive products that contain chemicals and have turned to using coconut oil and apple cider vinegar on my scalp, and to restore vibrancy to my increasingly brittle hair. And it is working! I love how soft my hair feels after using those ingredients.