Ah couscous, the one dish that reminds me of Al Maghreb. A popular dish in North Africa, couscous consists of little balls of durum wheat semolina. It is believed to have been cooked by Berbers as early as 238 to 149 BC. Today, the popularity of couscous has made it’s way to France. Although instant couscous takes a few minutes to make, the best way to make traditional couscous is steaming it in a couscousiere. You can add different ingredients including zucchini, pumpkin, lentils, and carrots. Pair it with a tagine and a spoon of stew poured on top, you’ll…
I have been waiting to bake Madeleines ever since I bought the molds last week. These scalloped spongy cakes go great with tea or coffee. I also love them cause they are so versatile that both adults and kids alike can enjoy them. The French tea cakes originated in the town of Commercy which is located in eastern France. Rumor has it that the name came from a maid called Madeleine Paulmier who worked for the Duke of Lorraine in the late 18th century. When Louis XV got a hold of the recipe, it became popular in Versailles. The tea cake…
Making bread for the first time was a long process. It took approximately 5 hours to make two loaves of bread. A big and important part of the process is kneading the dough. If you can’t knead the dough, you will never make the bread. This was my second time kneading dough and thankfully it was quick and easy. The first time I kneaded dough, I was following a video of Julia Child. However, the instructional video didn’t work out for me. I took longer than I was supposed to in kneading the dough and just gave up making anything.…
What a cold night this was. The great thing about Paris is that you don’t have to sacrifice being outside for staying warm. With the heaters above the tables, you can sit outside even during the winter. We decided to stop by Café de la Régence. Many say it’s good place to stop by after visiting the Louvre. We didn’t visit the Louvre but we just needed somewhere to warm up and drink hot chocolate. The hot chocolate here was so cute as it was in the shape of a flower as seen below. If I remember correctly, the hot…
The perfect way to spend a snow day indoors? Setting up a bed and breakfast with a good book. After New York City was warned of the bomb cyclone snow storm, I knew indoors was the place to be. I set up the perfect breakfast along with a great cultural book. I recently purchased Lagom by Linnea Dunne, a book about living the Swedish balanced life. I’m a regular follower of Swedish bloggers and I always think there is something different yet appealing about their lives. Whether it’s their meet-ups or their interior decor, the Swedes always make their life…
