Switzerland switzerland

I've been here for 4 months now, and I'm glad to say I feel at home!

It's fairly easy to navigate the city- and I think I might love it.

Especially now, at Christmas time. The streets are eerily quiet, and the city's submerged in fog. In fact (my family might get tired of hearing me say this) but when I'm outside I feel like I'm walking in a dream. Did I mention all the christmas lights? Whimsical.

My gorgeous friend from Lyon visited me for this first (extended) weekend of Christmas break, which was a great opportunity to spend time with the camera while exploring. 

Boréal Café

Lac Léman

Record Shop

Place bel-air 

We mostly spent time traipsing in the streets, but also went thrift shopping, record shopping, and to explore cafés and restaurants (yes, it was slightly expensive- but the mochaccino I'm drinking is worth it). 

Christmas is in two days, and as much as I love foggy weather, I am longing for snow. The snow is playing hooky. Where has it gone? It is not even in the nearby mountains, which is alarming given that my family going skiing in one week (actually, if I'm to be honest I'll admit I am sort of relieved- this means we can take walks instead (more photo opportunities!) and sit around in Chalets while I read my book).

xx

Forever by Judy Blume~ Book Review

Like last year, my family took two weeks of vacation for Halloween and traveled to the States. It was super fun to see my family and to re-connect with my American side.
Sadly, I think it was my last year trick-or-treating, because quite a few adults looked at me funny when I stood at the open door with my nine-year-old brother and tween cousins.
Anyway. One thing I always look forward to when going to the States is book shopping... There is no anglophone library or bookshop here in Lyon, which means I never get to browse around for new releases in the YA world.

I bought and read several books during those two weeks, and brought even more back home.

Today was a good day for reading. I got my wisdom teeth pulled out yesterday (yes, it was very painful, and the anesthesia made me feel quite foggy for a while there, but so far I seem to be surviving), and I read Forever by Judy Blume in less than 24 hours.

I heard wonderful reviews of that book, and I must say, it was not exactly what I expected.
It was definitely a great read. I was pulled into the story, and was definitely heartbroken when young Katherine and Micheal's relationship falls apart... I think it's a story that most people can relate to.

The only thing I did not adore was the pace and tone of Blume's writing. Am I the only one who feels that way? I don't remember her other books, such as Tiger Eyes or Are you there, God? it's me, Margaret containing so many ellipses.

Forever is a story about instant first-love, and first sexual encounters... and what happens when "true love", isn't, in fact, true love. It's a story about love, but also about moving on.  Even though the story is set in the 1970's, it feels as though it could have been set in the 2000's. I think the story is timeless.

It might not be a story for everyone out there, but if you're into teen romance, you should give it a try.

I give it 3.5/5 stars.

:)

How I Live Now- Movie Review

I just came back from the movie How I Live Now... And I'm already writing this review, because- well, because- it was simply amazing. So keep reading.

How I live Now

     Let's start with the background of this movie: it's adapted by Kevin Macdonald from Meg Rosoff's novel, How I Live Now.
Although I know the movie is a little bit different from Meg Rosoff's story, this is the description I found of the novel on Goodreads, if you're interested (if not, scroll down):

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

     I haven't read the book, to be honest, which is why I just bought it on Kindle.
The story is touching, and surreal- but all the while SO CLOSE TO REALITY. It illustrates what a World War III would look like. We often look at footage from World Wars I and II thinking, deep-down inside, that it's all in the past and part of history. But we don't stop to think that in that day it WAS the modern time, it WAS the present moment. This movie shows us how scary war really is, and most importantly that it's REAL and not just some chapter of history to be forgotten.

     Can we talk about the characters in this story?
They are brave, determined and so young! I fell in love with each and every main character. Well, more importantly, Daisy and Eddie. They are both so strong and sweet (even if for Daisy it may not show right away). And how they fall in love... how they fall in love... *sigh*
It made me fall in love. The falling-in-love process was portrayed so beautifully.
Not to mention how amazing the actors are: Daisy is played by Saoirse Ronan and Eddie by George MacKay. Can we just obsess over the beauty of these people? I mean, just look at them!

How I Live Now

Saoirse Ronan

George MacKay- I'm pretty sure that's what perfection looks like.

     The war separates Daisy and Eddie, which makes their relationship all the more powerful when they find each other again. They've both gone through unspeakably horrific events, which I won't spoil for you by naming, which makes their reunion heroic, and...tear-provoking.

     This is a story about relationships- not just the romance between Daisy and Eddie but also Daisy's relationship with her other cousins. It's a story about survival, about love, and about hate. It's about loss, and confusion, and how war changes a person.
It's about finding the meaning to life.

     The music in this film is wonderful. There's all types of music: lyrical, hard-rock, upbeat and fun... they really suit the story and were well chosen (heading over to iTunes to buy the soundtrack right now!)

     I'd have to say the most beautiful part of this film was the ending. It was tender, touching, and simply perfect. I cried. I think it was the most beautiful end to a movie I've ever seen. I can't wait to find out how it ends in the book. Please watch the movie, you'll understand.

I give How I Live Now five stars.

Here's the trailer:

Sunday is a baking day

Hey guys!
Just wanted to post some pics of what I baked last weekend.
To me, a perfect Sunday afternoon means getting together with friends and baking while listening to all styles of music.

We listened to metal while baking these absolutely divine Maple Pecan Shortbread Squares...

...And to hits from the 80's while baking these totally scrumptious vanilla cupcakes.

Oh, and by the way, one of the friends I was baking with owns this totally awesome baking blog. Please check it out (warning: her food is very tempting):

Don't you just love baking?

THE Cinnamon Roll Cake

Here's a riddle: What tastes like a cinnamon roll, is less time consuming to prepare and totally knock-your-socks -off delicious?
A cinnamon roll cake!

This weekend, we had old friends from Paris visiting. On Sunday, a request was made for an "American breakfast". My mom and I took charge. Along with pancakes, an omelette, and toast, we were thinking "what is another special thing we could serve?"
What came to mind was the classic and scrumptious cinnamon roll... the problem was, cinnamon rolls take a long time to make and bake.
I dashed to Pinterest and found this recipe. It is definitely a keeper!


This cake was sooooooo yummy... incredibly, fantabulously moist and buttery.
It smelled WONDERFUL while baking and, oh, it just has one of the gooey-est cinnamon swirls. My God, THE CINNAMON SWIRLS!
And the glaze, the glaze... YUM. That's all you need to know.
We cut the glaze measurements in half, because we didn't have the appropriate cake pan (ours was less wide), and there was less surface to cover with the glaze.

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

Ingredients:

For the cake:
3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 c granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 and 1/2 c milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter

For the cinnamon filling:
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

For the glaze:
2 c powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

To make the cake:
1. Grease a 9"x13" cake pan Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 °C  (350 °F).
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, flour, and baking powder.
4. Add milk, eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
5. Slowly add the melted butter and whisk until everything is smooth.
6. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Set aside.

 

To make the filling:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until creamy.
2. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. (It will look crumbly at first but keep beating, it will come together.)
3. Spread the filling over the cake batter, leaving at least 1 inch of space from the edge of the pan. Swirl gently with a off-set icing spatula or a rubber spatula.
4. Bake the cake for 28 to 32 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the cake part comes out clean.
5. Cool the cake for 15 minutes. Pour the glaze over the cake and spread evenly.

 

To make the glaze:
1. Sift the powdered sugar over a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add vanilla and milk and whisk together until smooth and drizzling consistency. Spread over still warm cake.
3. Keeps covered in room temperature for up to 3 days.
4. Enjoy!

My Vegetarian Thanksgiving

This Saturday, we had a slightly early Thanksgiving with our friends.
It was a much anticipated afternoon... Thanksgiving is very special to me, because in spite of living in France where very few people celebrate it, WE do, which reaffirms my identity as an American all the more!

It was an afternoon of good food, good conversation and good people, as Thanksgiving should be.
Interestingly enough, my mom and I only made one of the dishes from my Thanksgiving Meal Ideas post... every recipe we used was new to us. But I am NOT exaggerating when I say that every single thing we ate was absolutely delicious.
Not even one dish was in the slightest way mediocre.


Have you ever wondered what a vegetarian eats at Thanksgiving? Well here's your answer.
(Links to the recipes are at the bottom of this post)

Pear and Fennel Salad

Squash, Spinach and Onion tart

Yummy Mashed Potatoes...

... and Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Gravy to pour over it!

Rosemary Roasted Carrots

 Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

"The Best Vegetarian Stuffing Ever" (The title of this recipe is not misleading: it really is the best I've ever had! Too bad I didn't take a picture of it from the inside. )

For dessert, we served Paradise Pumpkin Pie (a three layer pumpkin pie! Oh my!)!

 This is my bro and I before our feast started :P

Somewhere in this wild world we call the internet, I found this cute and free downloadable banner to print... It went perfectly on our wall! 

Now if you're interested in making any of these recipes, here's where you'll find them:

Pear and Fennel Salad
Mixed Baby Greens, Delicata Squash, and Caramelized Onion Tart
Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy
Rosemary Roasted Carrots
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
The Best Vegetarian Stuffing Ever
Paradise Pumpkin Pie


What are you going to make this Thanksgiving?

Oh how I love October!

Hey guuuuuuuuuuuuuys :)

If I have not made it clear enough in my previous posts, let me re-iterate that I LOVE FALL.

These fall days are full of ecstacy.
I wanted to share with you a few things I did this weekend (I meant to post this yesterday but there were complications, sorry about that).

First off, on Saturday there was a zombie parade in my neighborhood. It was impressive. The costumes were quite realistic, and, I'm not exaggerating, scary.
It was the perfect excuse for me to take a break between the long hours of homework and studying that were eating up my afternoon.
The French aren't much of Halloween celebrators, so this really was a fun surprise.
Unfortunately, I grabbed my camera too late, and only managed to get one good picture. Here it is:

Second of all, I've been reading this graphic novel called Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. It's one of those books which you cannot put down, and leaves you feeling smarter than before.
Have you read it? I definitely recommend it if not.

And last but not least, (definitely not least) I wanted to tell you that I'M GOING TO THE STATES ON FRIDAY!!!!!
YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH!
I'm so exited! (Can you tell?)

I'm going to Bethesda, Maryland, to see my mom's side of the family which I haven't seen in over a year (can't wait!), and I'm also going to spend lots of time in Washington DC doing all the fun stuff: museums, restaurant and bakery testing, shopping...
OH and I get to go trick-or-treating! This is honestly the biggest thrill for me I think. I've always felt that I missed out BIG-TIME on this because I don't live in the States.

I may not have the chance to post anything before I leave, because I have many things to organize before my departure if I don't want to return from the States and be completely behind on schoolwork.

Don't worry, I did plan several posts that I'm excited to share with you which are scheduled for when I'm gone.

I hope you have a wonderful week everybody :)

TGIF!

My lovely readers!
I am so GLAD to be here writing for you after such a stressful week. You can't even imagine.
It's Friday! Thank goodness! I SURVIVED A WEEK OF SCHOOL!
Last Thursday I wrote a post explaining my dissatisfying class situation. I'd tried changing classes because I wasn't content with mine... In fact, I was in crisis. I had no friends, and several teachers that I'm not fond of.
The school did not accept my request to change classes.

And I'm grateful for that. Because a week later, everything seems less scary. That is the truth. I've met really nice people. I've made friends. Come to think of it, it's almost insulting to them how badly I wanted to change classes that first day.

To summarize my week, it was mostly fine, if not good. I've come to understand how BUSY this year is going to be for me.
My teachers have crammed so much information into each hour of class about the projects for the year and what they will mean for my future.
For example, in December, like all 9th graders in France, I will be attending a "stage", which is a week in the enterprise of my choice to observe how business works.
It could be anywhere from a bakery to a police station.
By the end of November I need to know where my stage will take place: this means deciding where I want to go, sending my CV and a request letter, and being confirmed.
I'm still not completely sure, but because I want to be a journalist I'm thinking a stage in the press.

Anyway, on a total other note, I wanted to announce a few changes to my blog. With my recent blogoversary, I decided I need to promote my blog a little and make it a more elaborate.
The first change you will notice is my new "Moi" picture:

The second change you will notice is the "About Moi" page. What do you think?

Also, (I still haven't done this but plan to this weekend) I am going to make a facebook page for The Veggie Polyglotographer.

For some reason, I was opposed to it the whole time I've been blogging. But I know it's a great tool for blog traffic and connecting with others. So I'm pretty excited about this!

Let me know in the comments if you have a fb page for your blog, and I'll definitely follow. :)

I hope you all have a relaxing friday night, and a weekend filled with fun!

Paris, me voici!

It is late and I should finish packing but I just wanted to tell you all that tomorrow at seven thirty I will be on a train to Paris. This means I won't be on the Internet for ten days.

There will be so much to catch up on!
Once I'm back home, I'll share pictures and write about my time in Paris.
I'll be doing Yoga (I've signed up for a week of unlimited yoga classes), which I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY excited about, I'll be swimming, seeing old friends... and exploring of course.
There are also several vegetarian restaurants that I've heard about and want to try.

I've written a few posts that will come out automatically so you won't be too bored in my absence ;)
So bye-bye for now!

Birthday

Hi guys and gals :)
On Saturday I turned fourteen. That is 5 113.3 days, or 7 363 282.73 minutes, or 441 796 964 seconds. Wow.
People have been asking me "how does it feel? Is it weird?" and the truth is I pretty much feel the same... I'm still trying to get used to saying "I'm 14". It feels so mature!
My thirteenth year just flew by. I feel like it was only yesterday that I was at my favorite cupcake shop celebrating with my friends. It's like I haven't had enough time being 13!  I guess it's a good sign I feel that way. It proves it's a good life.
And I'm totally looking forward to the 363 days of being fourteen ahead of me. I'm not sure what turning 14 means exactly but I promised myself one thing: I will fill my (free) time only with what makes me happy: yoga, books, friends, my family, running, dancing, guitar, baking, cooking, writing... There is so much to do all the time!
I am definitely not one of those people who doesn't know what to do with themselves and ends up being bored easily. This might sound narcissistic, but I think it's one of my best qualities.


Now enough about me. I'd like to make a BIG, FAT shout out to my dear, lovely mother. She is the one who went through all the suffering in that hospital fourteen years ago. She is the one who has always been my biggest supporter, helper, friend, and inspiration. She should be the one getting all the presents right now!
Mom, I feel so lucky to have YOU everyday by my side. I hope you know how much I admire you and to which point I think you are wonderful. Smart, strong, lively, beautiful, cheerful, groovy... the list goes on! I could not wish for a better mother. I love you!


This is us!

Easter Brunch

How was your Easter? Mine was awesome. You'll never guess what my family and I did.
We... we...

Oh. It's in the title.

So we had an Easter brunch. Lots of chocolate eggs involved. ;)
We made scones for the first time, and oh my, were they good. How did they disappear so fast?

Scones

 

We added chocolate chips to one batch, and they were super-yummy, but I think I like them plain better. We got the recipe from Joy of Baking.

We also made this lemon-blueberry yogurt cake, but without the lemon, and not just blueberries but also raspberries and blackberries. We got this recipe from smitten kitchen. And I'm proud, because our cake looked almost just like the cake in the picture from smitten kitchen.

Berry Yogurt Cake

 

It was delightfully moist and light. It could have used a little more sugar, according to my dad, but that's one of the things I liked about this cake: not being too sweet. It goes perfectly with a sunny day and a nice mug of tea.
What did you do for Easter?

Fresh strawberries

On another note, I'd like to share a recent discovery with you. The other day, as I was looking for a definition of malted milk, I typed it into google and clicked on malted-milk.com. Instead of getting my definition, this music started playing out of nowhere! Well, out of the speakers actually. Malted milk is a band! I feel like it was destiny or something, because they're a really good band. They're french guys from Nantes and they know how to groove. Check them out!

A Brunch to welcome Spring

 

 

Yesterday my mom invited a bunch of friends over for brunch. I had the fun of art directing the serving table and making part of the food.

Here is what we served:

 

First I baked a carrot cake.  Let me take a moment to talk about the greatness of this cake. It is perfection. There is no other way of putting it. It's a little longer to make than other cakes because of the washing, peeling and grating of the carrots first, but it's totally worth it! It's made with olive oil, not butter, and that must be what makes it so moist, fruity, and chewy on the outside. It is the same recipe my mom's been using for the last ten years. It's our all time favorite. The recipe calls for pecans or walnuts (I used pecans) and it is covered in mascarpone icing.

 

 

 

Then I baked three-berry muffins: blueberry, blackberry and raspberry,

 

and a french onion tart (caramelized onions and thyme over a "pâte brisée").

I have to say, I was pretty proud of myself for producing those three things! Especially the carrot cake and the onion tart.

 

The brunch was a great success. We also served mini vegetable brochettes (cherry tomatoes, peppers and cucumber),

 

a fruit salad,

 

an egg salad,

 

 and finally, to top it off, a green salad, an abundant bread basket, a bottle of the market's fresh apple juice, and the dessert one of our friends brought (an "amandine aux framboises." Basically it's a buttery ground-almond based cake baked with fruits inside. Yum.) This is what the serving table looked like:

Isn't the stand the muffins are sitting on adorable? I got it at Ikea. When I spotted it from the other end of the room crowded with shoppers I was like I. WANT. THIS. It was cheap as hell!

That onion tart was THE BEST TART YOU EVER TASTED. It smelled fabulous, looked fabulous, and most importantly, tasted (more than) fabulous! I'll have to post the recipe soon. I am still not over that tart!

The presence of salads and all the fresh fruit and veg made this a fantastic spring brunch. It matched the spring-like atmosphere perfectly. The sun pouring down onto our balcony was just lovely.

The weather here in Lyon has been beautiful these days. I hope the weather stays this way and doesn't get all wintery again. An early spring is all I really want right now, truthfully. It is so uplifting. :)

 

Another fun brunch idea is a yogurt bar. Imagine three or four different types of yogurt available and all sorts of toppings: fresh berries, chopped bananas, peaches... Nuts, granola, chocolate chips... Doesn't that sound appealing? Maybe I'll try that next time. What do you think?