food – that lemon life

Look what quarantine made me do

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog. How are you all doing, my lovelies? All doing good? I hope you all had a lovely week and that you’re looking forward to the weekend. Today, I thought it would be nice to share another few short stories of and insights on life during quarantine. Thankfully, that horrific time has come to an end here at home in Austria a long time ago (should be over a month now), but whenever I slow down and reflect on those strange one and a half months of lockdowns, anonymity, unfamiliarity and distance, I notice that I was a different person before compared to who I am now. But let me explain.

To put it short, I did some things during quarantine and during the past three months that I probably would have never ever done if life was still normal. If I was still in London, if gigs were still happening and if our local cinema wasn’t singularly playing dumb, boring movies. Humans are a very adaptive and creative species, which I noticed by my own actions. Even my mum was surprised by most of the stuff I did. That’s how strange I was acting. And I know this must sound super dubious and weird, but actually it’s anything but, as most of the things I did happened in the kitchen. Not strange, but very very delicious.

I mean, as probably everyone stuck at home, I’ve been cooking a lot. And that’s saying a lot too, as I usually already cook about twice or even three times per week. But because of quarantine and because I needed to find a way to let my creative spirit run free and do something I’ve never done before and something that would keep me engaged and interested, I’ve been cooking even more. I just needed a bit of a challenge. Also, somehow I finally got to make and cook all the stuff I had been planning on for years, so that’s quite cool too.

My very first project was stinging nettle spinach. You’re probably thinking ‘what the hell is that’. Well, it’s that interesting green plant you can usually find on roadsides and in the woods in late spring. Oh, and the ‘fun’ part, once you touch it it stings like hell. You probably know what I mean by now. Here in Austria it’s pretty common to go into the woods and harvest some of it to cook with it – make spinach, tea, soup, whatever. And when I was still very young, I remember my mum once made me pureed spinach from nettles and I’ve been wanting to recreate that ever since. And thanks to quarantine, I finally got the chance. The stuff you do when you’ve reached another level of boredom. But actually, it was pretty cool to make and tasted amazing as well. I highly recommend it – here’s a recipe for you to try.

And speaking of staying local and being one with nature – the next thing I made was elderflower syrup, another long-planned project of mine. The amazing thing is, when we bought the property for our house, this big patch of land, it already included a few trees and a huge elderflower bush. So the syrup I made wasn’t just homemade but also homegrown. And yes, I’m pretty proud of that. Anyway, the process of making the syrup was super fun as well and oh my god the taste. It tastes so freaking good. I mean, I usually like building myself up and being my own biggest fan, but this time literally everyone I had try the syrup agreed that it is absolutely stunning. And with some frozen berries and a few mint leafs it makes for the perfect summer drink. You should definitely try it – here’s a recipe.

To stay with the summery theme, the last thing I recently made is perfect for anyone who loves frozen yoghurt and fruit, but doesn’t have a frozen yoghurt place in town (like me) – a yoghurt bark. Inspired by the amazing Jenna Joseph (thanks Jenna), I made the probably easiest icecream on earth. It really is just spreading out greek yoghurt and mixing and topping it with literally anything you like – chocolate, fruit, nuts, anything. There are no limits whatsoever. And once it’s frozen and you can break it all apart and enjoy it in the sun, it’s just the best thing ever – here’s a recipe for you.

And last but not least, the quarantine has also given my green thumb an intense push. I mean, I’ve always had a green thumb – my room is literally filled with plants, I currently own 17 – but before the quarantine, it was limited to indoor plants. But all of a sudden I’ve been helping my mum with the garden, repotting plants, checking on them on a daily basis. I think that’s actually what surprised my mum the most. And the cherry on top of all of this is definitely that I recently planted my very own lemon trees. I know, lemons and me, what a coincidence (ha). But, seriously, they are just the cutest and I call them my lemon babies and have been looking after them all day and all night. I know that the journey together with them will be a long one and that it’ll take years for them to grow tall and strong, but that’s what I’m here for. Also, I think they’re just so beautiful and elegant once they’re bigger, so it’s definitely worth the wait. They’ll hopefully be with me my whole life. For any of you who would like to plant their own lemon tree, here’s how.

And with that, we’ve already reached the end of today’s post and the stories of all the stuff I did during quarantine and the past three months. Overall, I think that quarantine was one of the hardest periods of time I and most people had to go through, but looking at what good came out of it, I’d say that it didn’t just have bad sides, but some positive ones as well. Speaking of that, I’d absolutely love to hear about all the cool you stuff did during quarantine to keep yourself busy – even if it’s creating the most beautiful island on Animal Crossing (I envy you) – so please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and opinions down below. And apart from that I hope reading about my stories brought you a bit of inspiration and happiness. And yeah, as always, I wish you all a lovely weekend and thanks for reading. x

Let’s get cooking

Hola everyone.

Today I’d like to talk about something I myself am and probably the whole population (at least I hope so) is very passionate about. Food and cooking.

I just love cooking. And food. I mean, of course. It’s food. How can you not love food? But according to other people, cooking and food are two completely different and separate things. And I in some points have to agree. And this may come as a shock now, but sometimes I truly enjoy the cooking part more than the eating one. Super crazy, I know. But I just love it so freaking much.

But actually I think the whole cooking aspect and the huge interest for food pretty much lie in my genes. My mum is a professional health manager, dietologist and vegan nutritionist. And it was always normal for us to cook meals at home. So it was always normal for me to think about food and the ways you can work with it and turn it into amazing, super delicious meals. That’s the most fascinating aspect of cooking. For example, you take a plain potato and just by boiling it and then frying it in butter in a pan you can turn it into one of the tastiest pieces of food ever. I mean, who doesn’t love fried potatoes with ketchup? Everyone. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The possibilities in cooking are literally endless and that’s what I love so much about it. It’s so creative.

I actually know quite a lot of people who don’t cook themselves and it shocks and surprises me every single time. Because cooking is such a big part of my life and such a big hobby of mine. It’s something I do to calm down. I forget everything around me. And it makes me so happy. I even have my own Spotify playlist just for when I’m cooking. I think that says it all, right?

But of course I understand that some people just don’t get so often in touch with food as I do. And most of the time those people actually want to cook and want to learn how to do it. An here comes my tip for everyone who wants to start cooking – find yourself someone, preferably a cook of course, who inspires you. That special person was Jamie Oliver for me. Besides my mum and my grandma, of course. But Jamie is and always has been my biggest idol when it comes to cooking. I still have no idea how he does it, but somehow this guy can take a plain carrot and peas and turn them into the most beautiful dish you will ever lay your eyes upon. I mean, even just a bowl full of cabbage looks mouthwatering beautiful in his books. Plain cabbage. Seriously? Jamie, please teach me your ways. And besides that, all of his recipes are just so damn inspiring and creative and tasty. Whenever I’m looking for a nice meal to cook, I usually just search for something on this website, because he and his recipes never let me down. And judging from all the videos and articles I’ve seen from him, he seems like the nicest person ever. And his kitchens in his TV shows are always literally kitchen goals. I know they are sets, but I have no doubt that his kitchen at home looks just as amazing or even better.

Okay, so that’s that. But in order to not just repeat myself in a post I’ve already written, I thought, as I’ve been cooking quite a lot in the past months, I’d share my favorite meals with you guys. Let’s go.

Pasta with tomato sauce and tuna
- This is literally my go-to comfort food and I usually cook it at least every two weeks if not even more often. Also it’s pretty easy too. Just grab your favorite noodles and favorite tomato sauce, elevate them and make them tasty and there you have it – super fast and easy comfort food for all you pasta lovers out there.
Mashed potatoes with pretty much anything
- This is the kind of meal that I immediately associate with my home. Mashed potatoes is the meal my mum raised me with, because she never wanted to feed me those typical baby food glasses. So she just made her own. And since then her mashed potatoes are the best mashed potatoes I will ever eat in my entire life. Nothing can beat the love of a mother.
Ramen or Pho
- Here comes the asian aspect of my culinary favorites list. I actually had my first Ramen last summer, in Brighton at the local Wagamamas. It was a seafood ramen and the moment I tasted it, my life changed. Since then I’ve been on the mission of finding the best ramen / pho in the world. Right now my favorite is the bowl you get at the popular restaurant called Monsieur Vuong in Berlin. It’s freaking amazing. If you ever get to Berlin, you need to check by this awesome restaurant.
An amazing salad
- Since I’ve been living on my own here, I’ve discovered my special love for a good salad. The important part is the dressing. If the dressing is good, I could eat tons and tons of salad. Like caesars dressing. Oh my god. So good. So yeah, I’m one of those people who actually love eating salads. But not for the healthy aspect, but because I could just bury myself in a good salad. Oh and of course the more colorful and freaky the salad is and the more various ingredients are in it, like fruit or nuts, the better.
Any kind of rustic stews
- Yeah, I love stews. Comfort food right there and then. I mean, what’s easier than chopping vegetables, putting them into a pot of soup and just waiting for them to cook? That’s pretty easy. Seriously. And it’s literally one of my favorite dishes to cook in winter when it’s cold and rainy outside and I know that I can later curl up on the sofa with a nice, hot bowl of stew. What a dream.
Pasta, pasta and more pasta
- I’ve already mentioned one of my favorite pasta dishes, but let’s be honest. It’s pasta. How could you not love pasta? And what else should I say? It’s pasta. It even tastes freaking amazing just by adding butter to it.

So, there you go guys. That’s my love for cooking and some of my favorite dishes. Honestly, I could go on and on and on with babbling about food and my most beloved meals, but I think it’s better to stop now. And I mean, I haven’t even started about my love for baking and desserts. God. Desserts. But I guess I’ll have to save this for another day, another post. Until then I hope you enjoyed this little one here. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below so we can all talk about who much we love food. How amazing does that sound? That would be my favorite discussion ever. And yeah, besides that I wish you all an amazing week and, as always, thanks for reading. x

Paris

Hola everyone.

I’m baaaack. Yeeeeeey. And oh my god guys, I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing Paris was. God, I love this city so much.

First of all, the architecture is so freaking beautiful. I mean, the whole city feels like a huge museum. There are so many sightseeing points and even when there’s no palace, historic building or gallery near you, all of the residential buildings are literally breathtaking. The whole city is so romantic, you can really feel it in the atmosphere. And we had the cutest apartment ever. Seriously. It was one of three rooms in a huge building that all belong to one big apartment complex. It felt like we were actually living in Paris, in our own little, cute flat. We had to climb the coolest and narrowest spiral staircase ever to get to our own room. And the most amazing part was the little french balcony we had. I immediately fell in love with it. And I can tell you, having breakfast in the middle of Paris on the cutest balcony ever while looking over the city and watching other people starting their day while the sun is shining in your face is literally the best way to start your own day. I miss the balcony, I really do.

Apart from that I seriously, overly fell in love with the city. It’s beautiful, cute, historic, really damn elegant and it just glows. If I had to describe it in one word, I’d probably say decadent. The whole city is pure decadence. Every day we would walk around long after midnight, strolling around the city and looking at the buildings glistening in the city lights. I can’t decide when Paris is more beautiful – at daytime or at night. It’s such a tough decision. And I think I took like about 800 pictures, most of them are photographs of buildings. Paris really drew me into the whole street photography stuff and I just let myself fall into it. So please excuse the massive amount of pictures (right down below).

But what did we do? Actually, I think we had the perfect mix of everything. We pretty much walked around the whole day, we didn’t even buy a card for the metro. I think mum is still a little bit “mad” at me for dragging her around all day and night. But hey, this way we literally saw everything. We visited museums, of course took a look at the most important sights like the eiffel tower – which I absolutely love -, we went shopping, enjoyed the amazing food, sat in bistros and watched people walk by and live their lives and just spent time in Paris, basically. Oh and we drove to Giverny for one day to visit Monet’s garden and house, you know the famous painter. He’s one of my faves and when I found out that you could actually walk through the garden where he painted his famous works, I just had to put it on our to-do-list.

What I also loved is the amount of art and culture that is packed into the city. Literature, art, music, photography, fashion – all in one single place. It’s crazy. And all the famous people who lived there, like Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald or Picasso. You can really sense the history while walking the streets of Paris and even more so when visiting the most amazing places like the historic bookshop Shakespeare & Company or the Café de Flore. That’s one of the things I enjoyed most on our trip. Every few minutes mum and I basically had to stop and google things we just came across to know more about the city and it’s fascinating history.

Oh, and another really mind-blowing thing happened. Now that I can’t decry it because it already happened, I can finally tell you that me and my mum seriously got our tattoo appointments in Paris. Yes, I know, how freaking crazy is that? I still can’t believe it, no joke. Let me tell you the little story of how we got an appointment that actually would have never been one. A few weeks before our trip I stumbled across the artist Carin Silver who works at a tattoo studio in Paris called Les Maux Bleus. You can probably guess what happened afterwards. I actually had the wish of getting a new tattoo done for quite a while now and when I saw that Carin even specialized in doing exactly what I dreamed of – flower bouquets and thin lines – I completely went crazy. Unfortunately I had to wait quite a while for a reply and after some mails the studio told me that she was completely full the week we would visit Paris. And yes, I was sad. Really sad. So, after a few days we were already in Paris, at 11 pm at night, right in front of the eiffel tower. Did you know that it sparkles at night for 5 minutes? It’s so damn beautiful. Anyways, after sharing that amazing moment, mum and me realized that my phone was blinking, meaning that I had received a text. It was a mail. From Carin. Telling us that she had found literally the perfect appointment for us both. I couldn’t believe my eyes. And I still can’t. I now have the most beautiful flower bouquet on my right arm and I couldn’t be happier with it. But I’ll tell you more about the appointment in one of my next posts.

So yeah guys, that was my trip to Paris together with my mum. Actually I took so many pictures and we had so many adventures, I think I’ll split the whole week in Paris in a few different posts. That’s why I thought I’d limit this post to a summary of the whole week and leave the rest for the pictures. I hope you enjoy them and this post. Oh and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. And until then I wish you all an amazing weekend and, as always, thanks for reading. x

The country I love

Hola everyone.

Long time, no see. But hey, here I am, back at it again with some nice stories about my recent trip to the UK and of course the best pics. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.

The trip itself was actually a gift for my stepdad for christmas. Mum had bought him tickets for The Open in the UK, which is like the biggest golf tournament there. And as the UK is pretty much my favorite country on this planet, I just stuck to them and added myself on the people-going-to-the-UK-list. No UK trip without me. Nope.

Although the trip wasn’t that long, just four days, I think we saw quite a lot. On the first day we visited Manchester, than we drove to Blackpool and on the last day, while my parents were watching the golf tournament, I drove to Liverpool.

Manchester

As already mentioned, Manchester was the first city we visited. Our plane actually landed there and I told my parents that I would love to take a stroll around the city, so we just stayed there for the whole day and then drove to Blackpool where our hotel was in the evening. And I have to say, it was magnificent. I mean, I never expected it to be anything else but amazing, but I was really surprised by how “hipster” it was. All those old buildings with cool pubs and cafés and shops, street art everywhere, a town hall that looked a little bit like how I would imagine the real life version of Hogwarts and, of course, really cool people. For me, the whole city just screamed HIPSTER. And I loved that. After we had walked around a bit and me and my mum had done a little shopping, we walked back to our car and agreed that mum and I would have to visit this city again. It was just too cool not to see it again. Oh and the last plus, they actually have like two Wagamama restaurants there. Their food is something I’ve been craving since I had my first seafood ramen there last year in Brighton. Of course we went to eat there. Of course I loved it.

Blackpool

To be honest, I don’t really know what to say about Blackpool. I guess Blackpool is what you would call the Vegas or the Ballermann of England. There are thousands of game stores, things like rollercoasters and a giant ferris wheel and hundreds of people being distracted by the whole entertainment show that is going on down at the piers and the beach. Too much for me, honestly. For me that was like the ugly part of the UK. At first, mostly, because on our second evening we walked a little further up North next to the beach and got to the more laid back, chilled and quiet area of the city, which was and looked a lot nicer to me. So I guess we just had to look for the right part of the city. But except for all the party stuff that’s going on in Blackpool, I really enjoyed going for a little shopping stroll there (more to come in my next haul post) and, of course, the beach. I looooove the beach and the sea. Really. I think living right next to the beach is one of the coolest things ever. No wonder I can see myself spending my later life in Brighton.

Liverpool

Another great city, another reason for me the love the UK. As I said a few passages before, I actually visited Liverpool completely on my own. I got there by train and, honestly, just the train ride was so freaking amazing, I was so happy. I think the countryside of the UK is something really special. Everything is so green and glowy. You can seriously see the life. And after the ride, it just got better and better. I think Liverpool is especially cool, as it looks so modern and new. Not to mention the piers and the waterfront, which make it so unique and cute. I enjoyed it so much, just walking around the city, taking pictures and sitting at the pier, listening to the waves and breathing in the fresh sea air. After going to Liverpool, I had the idea of visiting the UK next time by driving from one city to the next by train and just visiting city after city for a week or so. Because it is so easy. You could start right in the North and then visit city after city by train and end the whole trip in London or so. This way even the train rides are a supercool event. I’d really love to do this.

So yeah, there you go guys. That’s my little trip to the UK. I really hope you enjoyed it and all of my pics. I extremely enjoyed visiting the UK again, it just feels so home-like for me. And I can’t wait to get back – what a surprise. If any of you guys have questions or want to know more or just have anything to say, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below. And until then, I wish you all an amazing weekend and, as always, thanks for reading. x

My heaven – the kitchen

Hola everyone.

Today I’d like to talk about something very exciting. About one of my biggest and favorite hobbies, actually. The art of turning ordinary ingredients like potatoes, cheese or salad into something magical. That’s right, I’m talking about cooking.

I know what you’re all thinking right now. I’m 21 and live alone, of course I need to know how to cook. Nobody wants to live off just pasta with tomato sauce, right? But for me it goes far beyond just making lunch for myself. The funny thing is, nobody really ever pushed me into the whole cooking thing, I was never dragged into the kitchen. I mean, my mum spends her day at work telling people about eating healthy and learning about food and stuff, but she always says that I somehow developed this love for food and cooking all on my own.

One aspect that clearly is one reason for this hobby is the fact that I’m a single child. When I was younger and got home from school, of course there was usually always something ready cooked for me. But as I grew older, the times changed and I had to take care of my meals myself. And since then I just fell in love with cooking more and more and today the kitchen is a sacred place for me and I usually cook two or three times per week.

When it comes to my cooking style I’d say my heart beats for pretty down-to-earth and mediterranean food and spices, but I’m also a huge fan of the asian cuisine (god, I love ramen / pho). And besides that I also love to bake, chocolate brownies are something like my go-to-dessert. It’s chocolatey and fudgy, what more could you wish for?

As none of my family eats meat (I only eat fish), I usually stick to vegetarian meals, but to be honest, the meat is not missing at all. I know how some people might say that vegetarian dishes are boring or that they miss the meat, but honestly, if you know how to handle your ingredients, veggies and fruit, a green salad with some nice toppings and an incredible dressing can create fireworks in your taste buds.

Idolwise I’d say that Jamie Oliver is my favorite cook out there. I often use his recipes – though I always try to give all of my dishes my own special twist and personal stamp – and let’s be honest, he’s a god when it comes to cooking. His shows are amazing, everything looks just mouth-watering (even a plain carrot – please tell me your tricks Jamie) and let’s not forget his awesome books. I also love him for the fact that he always tries to adopt current food trends and wants to make the world a better place for us all by teaching people how to cook and eat better.

Besides Jamie I also completely adore Heston Blumenthal. He’s one of those guys who aren’t afraid to experiment a little with food and turn an ordinary dish into a whole new adventure and experience. I really wish to once be able to visit his restaurant “The Fat Duck” in Bray, but I guess it’s quite expensive and I clearly don’t live in England, so I can just hope I’ll someday get my chance. Until then I’ll just stick to his amazing shows on TV.

For me, personally, food and cooking is so much more than putting something into your stomach. It’s somewhat a way of life and a way of treating yourself, your body, soul, your family, friends and whoever gets to eat some of your meals. It’s a away of relaxing and calming down, forgetting everything else around me. And when I really put an effort into a meal and get to put something magical on the plate, that’s when I’m completely happy.

So yeah, that’s my story about my love for food and cooking. Do any of you love it as much as I do? And what’s your favorite meal? I’d really love to hear your stories. And until then I hope you all had an amazing weekend and start of the week and are all doing well. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading. x

My weekend with mum and Merry Christmas

Hola everyone.

Christmas is just around the corner. Can you believe it? Because I certainly can’t, to be honest. The days just went by so quickly, it’s crazy. And as I told you last week, I still have one thing to do – tell you about my weekend with mum here in Berlin when she visited me.

First of all I have to say that it was really really amazing. I loved spending time with her, it was like a small holiday. So what did we do? On the first evening we just spent some quality time at home. Actually I picked her up from the airport when she got here in the evening. And then we just got home in my apartment and chatted. The next day, after work, we went to have dinner in a vietnamese restaurant, which was freaking amazing. And then we visited my favorite place in the city, a huge book – and a lot of other stuff – store. Until midnight and I’m not even kidding. And yes, people seriously still buy books on a Friday night.

On Saturday we went a little shopping and then went to the cinema to see the oh so beautiful movie “About Ray”, which I already told you about in my last post. What a great movie, holy moly. And then we just strolled around in town, visited a supercute cat café and again went for dinner – Mexican this time. Oh and then we walked to a really nice christmas market where I drank probably the best punch (the christmasy beverage, not what you are thinking) I’ve ever had.

And then the last day had already come. So we tried to make the most of it and went for a little brunch and then visited the famous flea market at the mauerpark. If any of you guys ever get the chance to go to Berlin, please please please visit this market. It’s like most Berlin thing you’ll see. For real. And then it was already time to bring my mum back to the airport.

So yeah, that was our weekend. Doesn’t sound like much, but it was really packed and really awesome. I loved every single moment.

Guys, I’d still like to talk about some other stuff. I know you’ve all probably heard about the terrorist attack here in Berlin. And yes, I’m alright. Actually before my dad had called me, I didn’t even know anything about it. After all those nice days with mum that really brought me back to earth, right to the ground. I was extremely shocked. I mean, terror isn’t something new, not this year (2016, we really need to talk). But being in like the same city, just a few miles away from the place of the attack is different. Too different for me to process it completely. I’m extremely sad for all the people who were affected by the attack and can just hope that next year will be better. I mean, we are all humans, we live on such a beautiful planet, why can’t we all just live in peace?

But christmas is coming, so let’s concentrate on the nice things, right? Anyways, I just wanted to thank you guys for being here and for reading my blog. You make me so happy, every single day of my life. I started this blog because I wanted to try it. I was curious. And I liked the idea of sharing the things I love and happiness with the world, with all of you. And I’ve loved it ever since. More and more every day. And let me tell you, 2017 is going to be a good year, a big one. I have a lot of things planned, a lot of them are just about to happen, so stay tuned. I hope you’re as excited as me. And until then, I wish you all the most amazing christmas and a beautiful time with your loved ones. Oh and if you want to, I’d be really excited to hear what you are all doing this christmas. I’m actually flying home today and I’m soooo excited, oh my god. So, I’ll “see” you all next week. Happy holidays and merry christmas. And as always, thanks for reading. x hohoho

Ps: Snow is actually falling on my blog, how freaking cute is that? Oh my god