September photo a day challenge

I decided to join in once again. An eventful month is coming up, so let's see what my camera is going to snap!
In case you want to play yourself and need more information on the current challenge you find it here.

DAY 1 - YOU, NOW

Agua Fresca with Peach, Lemon and Mint

Slice a lemon and a peach. Put them in a jar filled with fresh water and ice cubes. Add some sprigs of mint. Stir well and let the water absorb the subtle flavours of the fruit. 1/2 hour is fine. Serve chilled.

When I lived in Spain we used to drink a lot of scented Agua Fresca on summer days. It's very refreshing.  You should also try it with orange or melon. So good!

straight from the garden to my oven

And yes, there is a difference in taste between homegrown and bought in the shop! This yellow zucchino proved it. In its perfect state of ripeness, with only a few hours between garden and oven,  seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, it made for a simple and most delicious dinner.

The origin of this bright vegetable: Mr Simonsen's amazing showgardens where we spent an afternoon to gather inspiration for our own garden. My next project will probably be a small kitchen garden!

Shanghai/Capetown inspired dinner

Shanghai: mint/rice noodle rolls
Capetown: mood and temperature


Cook rice noodles, spread on Nori sheets, add fresh mint leaves.  Roll and cool down.
For the dip sauce mix white vinegar, salt, sugar and hot chilli paste.
Serve chilled and enjoy the summer night!

garden games

summer impressions

Dippelsdorfer Teich

Kunstschmiede Zschiesche, Pillnitz

Kollektion Kamo, Gaustritz

Marcolini Garden, Moritzburg

Dresden Loschwitz

Marcolini Haus, Moritzburg

Red stripes

I took the photos at Kollektion Kamo, Gaustritz/ Dresden

liqueur de noix in four stages...

A short progress report and some photos of my liqueur de noix experiment:

Right now it looks like poison and smells like furniture polish.  Do you have any wood furniture you would like to have treated with a sugar/alcohol/noix solution?

Green smoothie fever

I've recently been hooked on the green smoothie fever, all thanks to Victoria Boutenko and her two books "Green for life" and "Green Smoothie".  Here is my own little introduction to the power juice and detox wonder:

Green smoothies typically contain at least 1 cup of water, leafy green vegetables and fruit, and often small amounts of secret power foods. The green smoothie can be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner because it is so wholesome and filling. It supplies the body with everything it needs ( = energy, minerals, and water) in it's purest form. Therefore it is the perfect detox food.

How to make a green smoothie:

First of all you need a blender, but not just any blender!! You need a blender with at least 1000watts, otherwise your smoothie won't be smooth. I have a "Vitamix" but any brand should do the trick.
To get started you could find recipes in Vicoria Boutenko's books or her website, randomly on the internet or you start experimenting straightaway using my list of ingredients.

greens:

• swiss chard
• collard greens
• parsley
• kale
• romaine lettuce
• carrot green
• beetroot green
• spinach

fruit:

• banana
• apple
• orange
• coconut
• pineapple
• mango
• melon
• strawberries
• raspberries
• blueberries
• dates or agave syrup for additional sweetness

power foods:

• chia seeds and psyllium seeds (rich in minerals and amino acids and for a pudding-like consistency)
• ground flaxseed (nutty flavour and creamy consistency)
• aloe vera juice
• wheatgrass juice
• coconut water

My current favourite recipe is:
1 bunch of swiss chards
1 apple
1 banana
1 cup of coconut water
1 cup of water

(On the left side of the photo with chia seeds, on the right side without).

I'd love to know which recipe is your favourite!

I love to see Dresden with the eyes of a tourist

Making Scones

Another recipe from the famous Rose Bakery in Paris! For quite a while I have fancied Rose's maple syrup scones. When my daughter and our friend Lenka felt like trying out some new recipes for a tea party I seized my opportunity and suggested the scones. Equipped with the BREAKFAST-LUNCH-TEA cookbook and all the necessary ingredients and tools, making scones for the first time went very smooth.

Rose Carrarini doesn't exaggerate saying that these scones smell like heaven when they just come out of the oven! They are soft and light and warm and taste great with any topping (even tomato paste, as I discovered the next day).

Maple syrup scones


260g (1 3/4 cups) plain flour
80g (1/2 cup) wholewheat flour
13g (1/2 cup) rolled oats
1 very heaped tablespoon baking powder
1 very heaped tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
160g (3/4 cup) butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
4 tablespoons maple syrup
about 4 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a baking tray with butter.

Sift the plain and wholewheat flours into a bowl and mix in the oats, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Add the butter and rub in wit your fingers until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs.

In another bowl, mix together the syrup and 4 tablespoons milk.

Make a well in the middle of the flours and oats and pour in the syrup and milk mixture. Use a fork to work it into the dry ingredients. Finish by hand: just lightly bring everything together to form a firm but softish dough. It must not be sticky at all.

On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough into a solid shape about 3 cm thick. Using a 5cm cutter (or a shot glass) cut the dough into rounds and place them on a greased baking tray.

Glaze the tops with the beaten egg, and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.

Enjoy!

Contemporary Art - Homegrown

Every year for 2 months the Ostrale invites national and international artists  to take part in a remarkable event at a historical site. The Hans-Erlwein-slaughterhouse offers 15.000 m² exhibition space and an outdoor area more than three times larger. You hardly encounter other visitors and especially a grey sky adds to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, that creeps upon me in the old halls.

With the issue "homegrown" the OSTRALE/ 012 is dedicated to the self-cultivated or self-grown and is principally asking for localizing creative impetuses in a spatial, temporal and cultural context.

Focus of attention is the relationship between tradition and innovation.

There were  works that really stood out to me. I will just post a very small selection.

Heinz Bert Dreckmann, City

Fabian von Spreckelsen, Trophy Marlin, Elephant and Deer

Sybille Walenciak, work in progress

Nikola Dicke, Tapisserie

Maria Trialoni, Retrospective Re-statements

Michael Wahrenberg, Die Türe zum Erfolg

See you at OSTRALE/ 013!