Great Days Start with Brunch

This Sunday, we woke up to the sun gleaming. The only thing to do on a day like that is to have a hearty brunch and head out to catch those rays you missed while at work. I made scrambled eggs with salmon. It's usually a christmas morning tradition in my family but I can never resist to wait a whole year to eat this again.

Perfect with Glistening Dijon Mustard Seeds

 Breakfast of Royalty!

Venturing to the Animal Park near Jonction in my Elephant Scarf from Next

 My work clothes are ever more finding their way into my weekend wardrobe 

 A sweet and very calm doe in her lovely enclosure (which she shared with her Stag boyfriend)

 My hunky man who I passed on my cold to, sorry I made your nose all red.

We ended the day with a trip to the cinema to see the Hunger Games.  I didn't have the highest expectations but once it had started I was gripping my seat till the end, and can't wait for the sequel. 

For those who would like to make a tasty luxurious brunch:

4 eggs

1 heaped teaspoon of Dijon Mustard

3 slices of thinly sliced Smoked Salmon

A nob of butter

Salt & Pepper

Put a nob of butter in a small pot.  While this melts to bubbly niceness, whisk the eggs briskly in a bowl with a fork adding the teaspoon of mustard and making sure the seeds are equally dispersed throughout the mixture.  Pour the eggs into the pan and stir often.  Cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes and add the Salmon.  Keep stirring for one more minute.  Be sure not to overcook the eggs as you want them to be creamy in consistency.  Take off the heat when still moist and prepare your toast or salad, the eggs will carry on cooking.  Serve with a glass of orange juice for maximum satisfaction.

International Office

The perks of working in an international organization are the little surprises my colleagues bring back from their travels.  My colleague who frequently travels to and from Japan kindly brought members of his team these green-tea flavoured KitKats,  can't wait to try it.  Cool gifts like these need to be saved for special moments.

Some Basler Läckerli from my hometown which I will bring in for my colleagues to try today

Breaded Weekend Fish

Feeling particularly British this weekend, I decided to make home-made breaded fish.  This is a very simple, partially messy but hugely satisfying dish. 

To achieve crispy yet cloudy soft fish, you will need:

2 Filets of Plaice or any other white fish you wish to devour

1 Egg

30 g or 1/4 Cup of Flour

30 g of Breadcrumbs

Salt & Pepper

Sunflower or Olive Oil

Unpack the fish filets and dry both sides from moisture with paper towels. Prepare a plate with flour (with a sprinkling of salt and pepper to season) and a separate plate for the breadcrumbs.  I made my breadcrumbs by dicing them over and over on a cutting board, but a food processor would speed up the process ten-fold. In a bowl, beat the egg.  To bread the filets, first, coat them in flour, then egg then the bread crumbs and pop them in a hot pan with sunflower oil for about 3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy or longer if you have larger filets.  I served with peas mashed with a handful of chopped mint leaves and some good ol' mash. Voilà

I must admit, we ate this dish cuddled up with blankets while watching telly

Spring Shine

Being in an office all day has it's gloomy points, sometimes I have a strong desire to be be a florist, taxi driver or a chef. I imagine the daily routine in such professions could be brightened by being able to observe people interact with each other out in the world. 

Here are some of the things I have cherished while at home on my short holiday:

My mother's engagement ring on a butterfly tray my father's father has brought back from Brazil on one of his trips as a captain

Playing my old piano at my dad's.  Current song I play over and over: Fire by Augustana

Bright spring buds

Being able to step outside whenever I like... And wear what I like

All flowers, especially those which grow in unconventional places

Something New

I decided to treat myself to a brand sparkling new Nikon D3100. Never before have I used a DSLR camera but I can tell you now,  I am in love. 

I had 2.5 extra holiday days stored up from 2011 which I needed to use up before the end of March so on Wednesday afternoon, I was on a train to Basel.  (Un)Luckily, I had caught a cold, so I spent these precious free days indulging in baths, fruit juices and following Muffin around with my camera.