Nectarine and Peach Salad

It's good to be connected.

...... and one day you will be chatting virtually with friends that you haven't seen for fifteen years or more. If you are lucky probably even exchanging photos and happy memories of your long lost childhood. Laughing ridiculously in front of your computer, alone. You keep abreast each other by twitting up or hanging out in FB.

The next thing you know things get even better in being connected, you discover new friends never in your wildest imagination will cross your path. And these reel friends become real. Your friendship with them gets deeper, for they are genuine people. Next thing you know, you meet up, have lunch. And things get even better, you chat, you laugh but you are no longer alone.

Here's a glimpse to that colorful afternoon spent with my blogging friends Haze, Makis and Cathy. I'll be sending some of this delectable Nectarine and Peach Salad over at charming Susan the Well Seasoned Cook our host for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, that event created by Kalyn now in the hands of Haalo of Cook Almost Anything.

From top left to right, table set up, red wine by Makis, a slice of decadent chocolate cake, my wire whisk still unwashed, pile of left-over rosemary pork barbeque and what's left of my famous rice artichokes salad.

Express Peach and Nectarine Salad
Ingredients:
3 yellow peaches
3 yellow nectarines
about 250 g of mache salad
about15 pieces of cherry tomatoes
one small block of feta cheese

vinaigrette sauce
3 tablespoons of olive oil
some salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

Peel the nectarines and peaches. Cut them into bitesize pieces. In a salad bowl, toss the tomatoes, peaches, nectarine, feta and mache salad with the vinaigrette sauce.

There is always a beautiful rainbow after the rain

The wind has finally slowed down, and the rain has stopped from falling. The typhoon is gone but leaving behind an unforgettable and painful experience to everyone. Lives were taken, some people are still missing, houses damaged, certain areas are still underwater but people's morale has never been so high. For the calamity has brought out the best in everyone. Help from all over the world pour out from different walks of life and it was really admirable!

I was extremely happy to get reassuring news from all my friends that they were fine although most were still fragile sharing their near death experiences. Kudos to my goodfriend and her staff for spearheding our own little outreach activity few days ago in one of the striken calamity area in Manila. Clothes, medicines, goods and some hot soup were distributed. Again we would like to extend our gratitude to all the donors and to all the people who contributed in their own little way in helping out the victims.

To my friend, I may not be there but thank you for making me a part of this.

When it rains it pours....

When an awful something unexpectedly strikes us it is only human to feel miserable and devastated. I remember when I was a kid, everytime I was intensely happy I was always scared that something negative would happen anytime. As if somehow I feel subconsciously that I have no right to be enourmously joyful or else...

Two weeks ago, I was happy as a clam in a butter sauce; there was our unforgettable London trip and then the radiant wedding of my sister in law. Everything was doing well, until last Saturday when I received the phone call of my sister telling me about the recent catastrophe that hit Philippines. A strong typhoon striked and left lots of families homeless and the death toll still continues to rise. My family was luckily spared but there lots of others that are suffering. They need our love and prayers.

I will be back with my regular blogging in a few days. Please bear with me.

London, here and there

I'm finally back from our one week London trip. I must admit that I was a bit skeptic on having a great weather there and was sad to leave the beautiful sun here in Provence. But much to my surprise we had a fantastic sunny blue sky during our London escapade while a gloomy wetty weather was unexpectedly waiting for us here in France.

Meanwhile hope you all enjoy this bunch of photos I took from my "still broken camera" to keep everyone entertained this weekend. As I told you last time that our vacation was sort of "last minute'ly" decided and purchased nothing was prepared which is not very me when it comes to travelling and vacation :-).

I have heard so many times about London and its attractions and I was really looking forward in enjoying them all and of course to have my picture taken in front of it! What I didn't expect was how beautiful and charming this city is. We took a low-cost plane between Marseille and London and arrived there around midnight. We rented a flat in a lovely 17th century Mansion few blocks from Gloucester Underground station. It was immaculately clean with a small kitchen and a balcony. And to top it all we had a chamber maid that' was like a magician in cleaning up all the mess behind us every single day we were there. I told hubby that I want one when will be back in France. :-)

With the short time we had we didn't waste a single moment to visit each of them running here in there with our baby pushchair. My daughter was really behaved during the entire trip and she loved museums! Hahahaha! Anyways London is not London without seeing Westminster Abbey, London Eye, the British Museum, Picadilly Circus and the Tower Bridge. I enjoyed the "yeoman guide" that were garbed in red costumes and tells theatrically all the juicy gossips of the royalties. I almost had a fight in the tower when was told I couldn't bring my daughter's baby puschair but having heard all those stories of heads chopped off and people tortured in that part of the castle I immediately listened to them. After all history repeats itself.

On our gastronmic escapade however we went beyond "fish and chips" and "potato jacket" menus. We tried several restaurants and one of my favorite was an authentic Thai Restaurant were both ambiance and food was really amazing. The chicken pandan really melted on my mouth and one of these days I will try to do this Thai dish. After enjoying some freshly made vegetable gyoza's at Japan Center on the second day I suggested hubby we try eating at Wagamama for some Ramen. But I was disappointed with their Ramen: the noodles were overcooked, the soup was not really boiling hot and I tasted some Ramen far better when I was in Japan. But my favorite of all was "fooding" at Camden market. The ambiance is vibrant and dynamic with different food stalls freshly made right in front of you for a not so hefty price. I had one dozen of freshly made donuts, a slice of dulche de leche tart, blueberry muffins and what else ahhh I had some Bagels that were really heavenly good!!

Sigh, some good things never last. Till here and I will be back with my regular blogging activities next week. Tomorrow is my sister-in-law's wedding where I am supposed to sing so you imagine my feelings right at this moment. I'll be sharing again some photos next week it's a promise and probably a youtube video of me singing ;-)

Banoffee in Verrine and a short Break

Well after long years of service my camera is broken ...snif, snif

maybe it's just a message from up there telling me that I needed a short pause from blogging ;-)

Well friends I'll be in a short break probably somewhere in London, somewhere in Rome, somewhere in Greece...I don't know yet. That's the fun of this trip nothing is prepared LOL See you all soon!!

Banoffee in Verrine
I call this recipe of mine an express one!

Ingredients:
150 g of Speculoos or any biscuit of your choice (like graham)
50 g of melted butter
3 bananas
some lemon juice
4 tablespoons of Dulche de leche
30 cl of very cold fresh cream
3 tablespoons of icing sugar
some grated chocolate for decoration

Procedure: Crush your biscuits and pour the melted butter. Mix well. Spoon this as the first layer of your banoffee in your verrine glasses. Peel and cut your bananas to avoid discoloration add some lemon juice. Add them on your verrine glasses. Put the a layer of dulche de leche over the bananas. In a bowl, whisk your fresh cream and make a chantilly. Add the sugar little by little. Put this as a last layer on your glasses. Decorate with some grated chocolate on top.

Cold Minestrone

My Mom Lied to us!!

Eat stringbeans and you'll grow intelligent but hey I still consider myself poor in Math. How about some carrots that she claims will make us grow taller, hello I still need to put some inches to be seen by others. Or her famous tomatoes that'll make our cheeks pinkish, that I discovered during teen age years that a blush-on can do the trick.

I don't remember how many casserole of lies she fabricated only to convince us to eat vegetables after all children have always aversion for them. The truth is, if not for those lies I would have never known vegetables: its' tastiness, its' nutrients, its' versatility and how it could be economical.

I am sending a bowl of this Cold Minestrone soup to talented Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook, the creator and the host of My Legume Love Affair # 15.


Cold Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:
250 g of any pasta (macaroni, tortillini)
300 g of white kidney beans
2 zucchini
2 carrots
1 onion
8 pieces of basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
some olive oil
salt and pepper

Procedure:
Soak the beans in cold water for twelve hours. Clean the zucchini and cut them. Wash and cut the rest of the vegetables in bite size pieces. Crush the garlic and chopped finely the basil leaves. Warm some olive oil in a casserole and sauté briefly all the vegetables except the zucchini and the beans. Then add the beans, the basil leaves and the garlic, pour afterwards about one and a half liter of water. Let it boil, then lower the fire and let it simmer for about an hour. Ten minutes before the final part of the cooking, add the zucchini,the pasta, salt and pepper. Finish cooking, then let it cool, serve with ice.