Breakfast at Tiffany..er..Migros

Ok, so I have been missing in action for really long now! It wasn't planned to be so. Let me be honest here..September was more holiday, and less work. There were a couple of days I had taken off work, but they were amongst the laziest days I can think of! I did try out a few dishes I've never tried before, and failed. And as they say, If you can't get it right the first time, then order pizza! And so we did :). Not once but 4 times in the last month - that again I think is another record!

Well, to give myself some credit, I haven't been all that lazy. There are a few recipes lined up and you'll see them soon!
For now, I will show the simple breakfast at Migros that we sometimes go for on weekends. And I like it 1) for it's simplicity and 2) for the rustic fresh baked breads that are available. Sure I pick up a gipfeli - the Swiss cousin of the croissant, but it is the other breads that I tend to like more. As is true in most cases - the uglier the bread looks, the healthier it is for you. The harder it is, the lesser the butter in its ingredients - and that means I can happily smear it on while eating!
So here is that breakfast - 2 kinds of bread, some butter and honey, a cup of fruit, and of course coffee.
DH* got a little romantic, and placed a rose on my table..aww..so sweet.

*DH = Darling Husband :) Share

San Marzano tomatoes

How do you make your tomato sauce for your pasta? Is it out of a jar? Do you use canned tomatoes? Or just about any kind of fresh tomatoes? I guess all of it is fine - these are the options I usually use when making pasta. But today I almost jumped when at Migros - our local grocery store, I saw San Marzano tomatoes, and what's more - they even had those cute cherry San Marzano tomatoes! The bulb in my head just went 'Ting' to tell me 'Tis the season for these precious things! Go grab a basket or two!'

Ok, so what's this deal about a variety of tomatoes after all? San Marzano is the region in Italy where this variety grows and are often touted as the 'world's sauciest tomatoes'. These are very long, meaty and plum tomatoes with very few seeds and a lot of flesh - and they have an excellent flavour. Depending on where you live, you'd find them to be a bit more expensive that the usual variety since they grow only in one region in Italy for a limited period. They are available canned as well, and yes, a bit more pricey than the regular canned variety. Also since there are a lot of imitations - make sure you check for the logo to be sure you are buying the real deal.

Now is the season when they are so easily available fresh. Try it out for making your pasta sauce - And let me know how you like it! I am going to make mine now :) Share

Happy Swiss National Day!

Happy Swiss National Day you all! For those not from this part of the world, 1st of August is what 4th of July is to America, or 15th of August to the Indians. Also known as Schweizer Bundesfeier(German) or Fête nationale(French) or Swiss National Day to us lesser mortals with poor language skills!

I would not bore you with the history or speeches..the latter always making me shout Run!! Run away! But just for a bit of trivia, this was the day in 1291 when Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden - 3 Alpine cantons swore the oath of confederation, an act which later came to be regarded as the foundation of Switzerland.
It is a national holiday, but alas, this year it happens to fall on a Saturday, so no extra holiday. Tough luck!



As for the celebrations, there are some fireworks in some cantons, but in most villages and towns, people light a fire, and enjoy Bratwurst, Büürli and beer - which is basically sausage, bread and beer :-)

One thing I really like is that around this time of the year, you can find the swiss flag almost anywhere - right from mugs, T-shirts and fondue pots to eggs, bread, even cheese and meat!
I picked up this bread which is specially made for the 1st of August, and has cute little Swiss flags, along with a '+', again from the flag - simply called Swiss national day bread. Nice, isn't it. Have fun again y'all Share