birthday pies

fouad is another year older!
and he's got the pie to prove it.
there's a tasty pie place down the street,
and they baked him up a birthday sweet treat.
absolutely delicious!
(can you tell fouad's excited?)


i gave fouad his presents in the container store
equivalent of a mcdonald's happy meal,
but instead of mazes and clown faces
it was just a beautiful teal color.
fouad opened it early just cause.


a few more surprises awaited,
including a coupon, gift card and game.
my mama also got him quirkle cubes.
(quirkle is now a frequently used word in the apt)


i hope he had an amazing day and
i can't wait till next year!

lentils, lentils, everywhere

here's what i cooked/ate yesterday.
lentil soup can go a far way apparently;
i've used it in wraps with hummus,
fried it up and tricked it out,
and here are my latest creations:


lentil quesadilla:
basically i spread some lentil soup, red onion,
grated cheese and hot sauce on a tortilla,
sandwiched it between another and fried that sucker up!
with a side of sour cream and bbq sauce
and a salad to boot, this one is surely a winner.


lentil soup with egg on top:
fried some eggs, threw some more hot sauce on,
and then ate them together like some delicious lasagna.
this dish is the protein packer, and i'll need it often
considering my reestablished work out routine.
long live lentil soup!

backtrack: one month!

wow.
can't believe it's been one full month since my mom visited!
time to update.


we toured potsdam, spent obligatory time with the host family,
and wandered the berlin streets in the last days of collld.
i oftentimes fell asleep on her bed,
stole breakfast from her hotel's breakfast buffet
(pictured above),
went to work and never went 'home' !!!


we also ate an excessive amount
including this pile of meat dinner from schögls
whatever we didn't finish we packed up
and ate later in her hotel room
after stealing plates and silverware from the hotel kitchen.


my mama knows how much i love almdudler.
also that's the last i'll see of my winter jacket for awhile
(she took it with her with the assumption the weather would soon be nice)
((she was wrong!))


i just think she's so cute.


it was a great trip overall and i miss her a lot!
i've kept myself busy since,
but i'll be seeing her again soon enough :)

packwiches

these things are piling up in my host family's fridge.
i've been eating them for the past 6 months, but lately
i've felt like barfing at the thought of them.

imagine a normal sandwich,
but much, much blander,
with the texture of a sponge
and about ten times unhealthier.

i will from this time on refer to them as packwiches
and perhaps coin the term and start a superior line!

the best meal of my life

the dinner at le jules verne in the eiffel tower
was the best meal i will probably ever eat in my life.
i thought it best to at least mention it here:

ENTRÉES / STARTERS


HOMARD de nos cótes en rémoulade, salade de pommes sauvages
French lobster in remoulade, wild apple in salad


ENDIVES de pleine terre, jambon/truffe/comté
Baked chicory, ham/truffle/comte cheese

POISSON & VIANDE / FISH & MEAT


Blanc de TURBOT á la plancha façon Dugléré
Pan-searen turbot, Duglere-style


Noisettes de CHEVREUIL aux poivres róties en cocotte, garniture d'hiver, sauce grand veneur
Medallions of venison with peppers, roasted in a casserole, winter vegetables, grand veneur sauce

DESSERTS


Fin Palet FRAISES DES BOIS/CITRON VERT, jus passion/mangue
Wild strawberry/green lemon shortbread, passion fruit/mango sauce


L'ÉCROU AU CHOCOLAT et praliné croustillant, glace noisette
Tower bolt, dark chocolate praliné, hazelnut ice cream

--
the tower bolt was my favorite (it was deliciously silky), closely followed by the venison medallions (i like bloody meat now!), but all of it was incredible. the company was great too, of course :)