Ingerland Ingerland Part 2: The Shopping

After the Bourough Market we decided to check out some shopping. Window shopping...certainly not things we could afford. We walked by the area where men get their fancy tailored suits made. We walked by Alexander McQueens store which was piled high with white flowers inside since it was only a few days after his death.
My favorite shopping area we went to on this day was Carnaby Street because its a bit more affordable and also has a lot of charachter. They even have an Irregular Choices!. If you aren't familiar - familiarize yourself. Adam talked me out of getting a pair of shoes. Too weird he thought. I was foolish enough to consider whether or not Ryan would like them and sought out the opinion of the only man around. Shoulda just bought em! We also went to a little place nearby called Kingly Court I think that had lots of vintage shops and boutiques and I was able to find myself a little blue vintage belt.


I can't remember what this corridor was called but it was shockingly lavish


!!!


Is this the look for this summer?


I made some friends. I forgot their names.


Adam is already fast friends with these guys apparently.


Also dropped in on the queen. She was home. We had tea and wore funny hats. She should consider painting that place. Looks a little drab with all that London rain falling on it all the time.


We also strolled by the Clink which is the oldest men's prison in London but is now a museum. That's where the phrase "to be in the clink" comes from!

Coast to Côte Week 7

Pang and I were a bit behind this week, sars!



Pang: The weather has been relatively mild so all of the snow is finally melting. We started moving into our new place this week and it's been so stressful! Our new apartment comes with rooftop access that is currently doubling as a pond...I'm thinking about giving Remy a bath in it...just kidding! All of the runoff has taken it's toll on the aged gutter also. It's corroded and falling apart, adding more water to the rooftop. At this instance, the light hit perfectly on the dripping water and I was able to capture the sparkling droplets.

Me: During the second week of my vacation I had the pleasure of staying with Pascal, who is a gym teacher at Donzelot, and his wife Isabelle. On the second day of my stay with them they let me loose on Bordeaux for a couple of hours by myself. This is a picture of the little man who sits on the back of a giant tortoise situated in the middle of Place de la Victoire. For some reason I am not finding hardly anything on the internet about this statue even though its in a well known Place, so I can't tell you who designed it. I thought this would be a nice representation of Bordeaux, which I found to be the pretties city I have visiting in France so far, because of the grapes the little man is holding and because of the dreary colors of the photo. In other words - Bordeaux is known for wine and rain, and I got my fill of both! This Place is located at the very end of Rue de St. Catherine which is the Rue of all Rues for shopping in Bordeaux.

Ingerland Ingerland Part 1: The Market

Well the break is over and it's time to get back to work. ugh. But I do have some pictures to share!
The first part of my trip was spent in England with Adam and Lizzie and they had everything planned so well. We stayed at Lizzie's house the first night after getting a drink in town and eating some pizza by the riverfront in London.



The first morning they took me to the Borough Market which was wonderful! Full of fresh veggies, fruits, cheese (cheddar!), baked goods, humus, pesto, curry, mulled wine and cider, alcohol stands, olive stands, mushroom pate (which I bought and loved, looking for a recipe to reproduce it myself), fresh pasta, huge stuffed mushrooms, and lots and lots of tasting! I wish I could go to this market all the time and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone going to London. Here are a few pictures I snapped. I was pretty occupied with tasting so I didnt take too many pictures, plus I'm a firm believer that you have to experience things yourself and not through the lens of a camera all the time.


Im always reading blogs in Portland where they rave about duck eggs but I have never tried one. I'm told they are even more fatty then regular eggs.


Heart shaped bread for V day


Thought of Pee Pang when I saw these


We got two of these brownies to share between the 3 of us because they are so rich. We only managed to eat 2/3 of one. That rich.

Down a side street next to the market was a huge cheese place called Neal's Yard Dairy where we went to get me some proper cheddar and cheddar we found! This place was sooo cool. You could just point to what you wanted and they would slice you off a hunk to try. Adam and I overindulged a bit.


Floor to ceiling cheese wheels.


Vegetarian Rennet!


Cute little tags eh?


Giant eye wash? Haha...We think this was to keep the cheese moist.

Cool little tid-bit I learned from Adam (I learned over the weekend that he is basically an encyclopedia) that cheese that has mold inside like blue cheeses, Gorgonzola, that type, are pierced with long rods to let the mold get into the middle.


That's what these holes are!


And here in a cross section you can see where the rods were!

Part 2 Soon!

Coast to Côte Week 6

Pang (on the right this week): This picture pretty much sums up my emotions from the past week. I felt like a caged bird trapped indoors because of the snow nature had dumped on us. Shepherdstown is still digging itself out. Kids have not been in school for a week and I can't remember what this place looks like before all this white stuff. I really do love snow, but I guess I wasn't prepared to have all of this...I honestly don't think anyone was. I hope Spring comes soon.

Lacey: I spent the weekend in England visiting Adam and Lizzie. They had planned out a weekend that they thought would suit me and they got it absolutely right. We spent Saturday in London seeing the sights and visiting Caraby street and Kingly Court (where I bought a cute little vintage belt) and then Sunday we spent the entire day in Brighton (which is on the coast) winding through the Lanes (tiny streets filled with shops, closet sized streets in some places) and eating a traditional afternoon tea service, complete with tea treats, sammies, and scones. Right outside the Grand (where we had our tea) was this pier. Its called the West Pier, and it used to be this old fancy pier but it got burnt down. The town raised a bunch of money to rebuild it but it all fell through and was something of a scandal. Now it just sits on the coast, slightly downshore from Palace Pier which is decked out with lights, donut stands, and rides. The sun peaked out of the clouds for a brief second so we literally ran down the pebble beach so I could snap a few shots.

Potato, Quinoa and Spinach Omelette topped with Gruyere

So this is not one of the recipes I said I was going to be posting but it was something I made for lunch yesterday that turned out quite nice. The idea came from a little lunch party I attended a week or so back. Therese and Paula invited me to join in on an outing to Panzole to go the weekend market and afterward we went over to Anne's house where she made us a lovely lunch, part of which included a simple potato omelette.



I made a few alterations to Anne's omelette but it was still quite simple.

Potato Omelette for One (or two! you could split it and have a nice salad on the side!)
2 eggs, beaten well
2 small russet potatoes, sliced thin
large handful of spinach, stacked, rolled and sliced thin
Herbs de Provence
1/8 to 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
olive oil

1. Heat oil in a large skillet and then add the potatoes. Throw in some Herbs de Provence and a little salt. Cook, stirring often so they don't get too brown on one side. When they start to turn brown and crispy put a lid on the pan and let them cook a bit more (this keeps them from turning into dry chips). Taste a slice and make sure they are cooked through, then put them on a plate to wait.
2. Throw the spinach in the pan with a little oil and flash wilt them - meaning they are in the pan for less than a minute! Stir them up and let them soak up a little olive oil and get wilted, then throw them on the plate with the potatoes.
3. In a nonstick pan or a oiled/buttered one, throw in your well beaten eggs and let it start to cook. As its starting to set dash a little salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence on top. When the bottom seems to have firmed a bit add your toppings. I did quinoa, then spinach, then potatoes. Cook the omelette until the top is cooked to your liking.
4. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Gruyere. Fold the omelette over and cut it in half. Serve right away!

Coast to Côte Week 5

Apparently We have food on the brain


Pang: Right before the big storm hit over the weekend, J and I ran some errands in Charlestown. We stopped at DISH, to check out their new bakery section...because, you know, I love cupcakes! They have the baked goods area tucked into a corner at the front of the restuarant, so when you first walked in, the smell of fresh baked bread hits you right in the face. All of the pinks and the light browns caught my eyes and I loved the tone of the walls and the light hitting just right from the big storefront window.

Me: While in France I have been indulging in one of their specialties (a bit too often at times), which is of course Cheese! This little beauty has been catching my eye for months but I just hadn't gotten around to trying it. Now with Valentines Day at the end of the week (not hugely celebrated here but I do see some hearts here and there) it seemed like a good time to try it. Unfortunately, I bought it right at the beginning of a string of cloudy days, and as nothing makes me happier than a lovely afternoon light to photograph with, I waited. And waited. And waited. Until finally the day came. After taking a handful of shots (I was impatient to try it you see) I happily cut a few slices and prepared some nice bread. My heart nearly broke. The Neufchatel had gone bad during its week in the fridge! The unappealing ammonia smell and the sharp chemically taste pretty much ruined my day. Neadless to say that the next time I spend my hard earned Euros on a Neufchatel heart, it will be eaten toute suite!

Cheerio Marshmallow Treats

Before I came to france I fell upon vegan marshmallows at the Common Market and bought myself a little bag and brought them with me. While cleaning out my pantry and fridge this week (I'm traveling next week!) I came upon the bag of mallows tucked in the back of the pantry where I had forgotten them and decided to use them.



Vegan Mallow Cheerio Treats
1/3 cup veggie spread (or butter if you prefer)
1 bag mallows
a splash of vanilla (just because I love it)
5-6 cups of Cheerios or whatever cereal you like

1. Melt the veg spread or butter in a heavy bottom pan. Add the mallows and stir until they melt and all the lumps disappear.
2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, then add the cereal a cup or so at a time until you cant get them coated anymore.
3. In a lightly oiled cake pan or casserole, press the mixture into the pan with a piece of wax paper until it is evenly spread.
4. Let cool for a few hours and slice and serve.


I should say that the Marshmallows made by Dandies were excellent. Melted just like mallows and taste amazing!

Also I wanted to address the fact that I haven't been posting many recipes. Aside from the desserts I eat, I have turned into a fruit and veg addict lately. When I eat out I tend to stray a bit but at home I have been really on top of getting a balanced diet and I haven't been posting about it for fear that no one will want to hear about it.



Here is an example of things I have been eating lately. Grilled cheese with a mix of goat cheese and cheddar (cheddar did you say? Oh yes I found some expensive cheddar but its not quite what I was hoping for but still good) pesto, sprouts (mix of alfalfa, leek, and lentil) and cucumber. Salad with spinach, red cabbage, pom seeds, sunflower seeds, grapes, dried strawberries, and golden raisins, and a banana for dessert.
Boring? I have never felt better honestly. The teachers at work like to tease me because they say that I am ALWAYS eating (which is true, I eat 4 or 5 smalls meals a day now) but then they peek into my tuperware and see only salads and pita chips and cheese and dried apricots and then they aren't so miffed as to why I dont weigh 500 pounds.
Anyhow, I have plans for the future for more exciting meals so look out for: Black Bean and Butternut Squash soup, Nutella Pound Cake, Orange Cranberry Sauce over toasted Quinoa, Homemade Gnocchi, and Veg Enchiladas with Black Bean Salad in the nearish future.

Coast to Côte Week 4

Week 4 of our project - seems like even as far away as we are our visions seem to be pretty in sync!

Pang: Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to have assisted a local photographer with her photoshoots on location. We shot at an old farm house that belonged to her husband's family and his mom was an antique dealer/collector, so as you could imagine, this beautiful old house, was filled with lots of ornate furnitures. I was at awe when I first walked into the house and started snapping photographs right away. In the foyer of this house hung a crystal chandelier that I fell in love with. The natural light was extra bright from the snow outside so I stood right underneath it and focused on the lowest part of the chandelier.

Me: Believe it or not it snowed buckets the whole morning of the day I took this picture and then it all melted a few hours later. The sun peaked out for a few minutes during my walk and I snapped a few pictures before the clouds rolled back in. I really cant wait for spring to come and for the riverside and the botanical gardens to bloom again.