notes to self

This is a great option for a low-carb dinner at home. Unless you count the breadcrumbs. For reference, 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs typically contain around 15 grams of carbohydrates. Ingredients: 3 tbsp sunflower oil 3 tbsp breadcrumbs 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 3 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 2 cod fillets Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). In a bowl, mix the sunflower oil, breadcrumbs, parsley, and lemon zest until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cod fillets on a sheet of aluminum foil. Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the fillets, pressing it down gently with your fingers. Bake for about 9 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Garnish with parsley sprigs and optional fried onions before serving.

It didn’t happen when I climbed the ancient ruins of Petra last December. Instead, it happened in a Zurich restaurant back in 2013. My phone took a dramatic free fall from the dining table, hit the floor, and bounced right into the heavy steel legs of the table. I’ve just sent it back to have the shattered glass button repaired. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting to see how committed the Porsche Design team is to keeping their clients happy.

I think we can all agree that  pannekoeken  is the Dutch word for pancakes. Growing up on an island once colonized by the Dutch, I don’t speak the language, but this is at least one delicious legacy I can benefit from. Unlike American pancakes,  pannekoeken  are closer to crêpes. They are thin, light, and versatile. With this simple recipe, you can make my favorite  pannekoeken , which I think are even better than American pancakes and French crêpes. Ingredients: 200 ml milk 100 g flour 50 g melted butter 1 egg Instructions: Mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, then ladle in some batter and swirl to coat the surface. Cook until golden on one side, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat until you’ve made about 8 beautiful, delicious  pannekoeken . Serve with Nutella, molasses, fruit jam, or your favorite spread. Pair it with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea with extra bergamot, perfect for chilly weather. En...

I just got back from a Polish dinner at  Jolka Polka , a newly opened Polish restaurant in Zurich. Honestly, my visit was partly to see how their pierogies, made by actual Poles, compared to the ones I make. I took this competition seriously.  Jolka Polka offered two kinds of pierogies: boiled and fried, with two filling options—potato and cheese or meat. A plate of nine boiled pierogies was priced at CHF 19, while the fried ones cost CHF 23. Appearance-wise, I think my pierogies were more aesthetically pleasing. Growing up in Indonesia, we have something similar called  pastel  or  jalangkote , which gave me a lot of practice in pinching dough to seal it. Or maybe I just like pinching things too much.  As for the taste? It was fine. Potato and cottage cheese don’t differ much whether mixed in a home kitchen or a restaurant. For dessert, I tried their Polish-style apple cake, which was quite intriguing. It had a layer of apple purée at the bottom and a tira...

Let us pretend that we have to get rid of the Christmas weight and be slenderer in this new year. What is better trick than replacing the carbs with vegetables? Because being vegetarian for me is kind of boring, I pan-seared the Salmon for the love of that rich fatty acid which suppose to make me live healthier and longer on this earth. Ingredients Fillet 2 cm fresh ginger, finely grated 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 skinless salmon fillet (assuming you are cooking for two) lime wedges Stir-fry 2 small bok choy or your favourite green leaves vegetable 1 bunch of scallions 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tbsp sesame oil salt and pepper fried onion Marinate the fillet with ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil evenly before cook for 3 minutes on each side in a heavy-bottom skillet. Cut the bok choy lengthwise into quarters. Cut the scallions into thick diagonal slices. Heat the sunflower and sesame oil in a wok, add the vegetables and stir fry for 3 min...

May our dreams come true, but more importantly, I hope we are loved in return and find happiness in everything we do. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device