summer days




yesterday it rained as if the world was going to end. but in the evening the sun came out again and i went to a farewell barbecue saying goodbye to a good friend, who is leaving town. he has been living in nuremberg while i was in munich and now that i'm back in nuremberg he's moving to munich. that's what you call bad timing, i guess.

when i was walking home in the dark i was very much in thoughts. i was thinking about how this town would be poorer and that i would miss being able to call him, drink a beer and talk just like that. but then i figured visiting munich once in a while wouldn't be a bad thing and was something that i had lost sight of anyways. the air was quite chill but all the people were sitting outside on their balconies, candles lit, laughing. at this moment i realised, that i am exactly where i want to be. life felt easy and so did i.

 a cake for midsummer


i made this cake for the first time last year and it turned out so nice that it has become one of my regulars. 

when the berry season was at its peak i drove to a pick-your-own farm and plucked loads of dark red strawberries. they were joined by peaches and some blueberries and became this (very early) cake for midsummer. 

you can find the recipe by nigel slater here!

 a little break...


after some weeks filled with worked through nights and weekends, i'm finally coming up for some air. not having time for going out, for sunbaths, for swims, for reading and so on seems to have become more of a rule than an exception and i know i have to change that.

for this weekend however some very nice things are planned. i meet up with an old friend of mine, who lives in peru. i haven't seen her in years and am glad that she spends a little bit of her summer here in germany. also on the list: some time at the swimming pool and a little sewing project i want to do for my sister.

here's some music i enjoy. it sounds like warm and hazy summer evenings.

and i really like the paintings by amanda michele. she uses watercolours a lot - in her very unique own way.

have a nice weekend!
s.

 3 windows






i went to the market after school yesterday to buy some ice cream and flowers. the air was so hot, you could barely breathe. the pavement was glowing, everything was moving slower and time seemed to stand still. i suddenly felt like walking across an italian plaza - that same gloomy mood italian afternoons are made of had taken over that nuremberg summer day and left me with holiday daydreams floating around in my head.

 elderflower cordial










i've been waiting one whole year to try and make my own elderflower cordial (and it turned out to be much more simple than i thought).

here's what i did. you'll need...

1 organic lemon
1 organic orange (if you like)
1 kg sugar
20 g citric acid
25 elderflower blossoms

first rinse off the lemon and orange with hot water and dice them into medium sized slices.

bring 1 litre of water, sugar and citric acid to a boil. after the sugar has dissolved let cook for additional 5 minutes.

now carefully trim the stems away from the elderflower blossoms - don't wash them!

place the blossoms and the lemon/orange slices in two big clean jars (i used two 750 ml jars). pour the hot syrup into the jars and stir gently to blend it all together. store in a dark place for 3-4 days, stirring the cordial once daily.

strain the blossoms and slices from the cordial. bring the cordial to a boil once more until it's hot and pour it into sterilized bottles. store the elderflower cordial in a cool dry place for up to one year. once opened, you have to store the bottles in the refrigerator.

mix one (or two) finger-width of cordial with ice cold sparkling water and add the juice of half a lemon! hope you enjoy this summer drink as much as i do!