Mozzarella-filled burgers

Kay from Kayotic Kitchen posted this recipe the other day and of course, I immediately wanted to try it out. They were a little difficult to eat, but oh so delicious.

It’s okay to…

… do a silly little dance anytime you feel like it

… play music so old the recording is crackling

… laugh out loud while reading something funny (a good book, blog, magazine, whatever), no matter what looks it’ll get you

… care very little about brand names

… eat something utterly unhealthy but delicious every once in a while

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Thought for the Weekend

Something to keep in mind.

Spring

Everything’s blossoming. I spent an evening in a park near the city centre taking pictures of trees and flowers. My allergies are not too happy about the fact that spring is finally here, but I’m loving the sunshine and flowers nevertheless.

It’s okay to…

… give something your full attention and your 100%, whether others do it or not.

… organise a BBQ in March, cold evenings be damned.

… allow yourself to feel bad for a while

… and then decide to feel better and take steps to achieve this.

… turn the volume up and dance.

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Thought for the Weekend

On the topic of being wrong and failure, I can only recommend this post.

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Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies

My boyfriend bought me this adorable cookie cutter in form of the Cologne Cathedral, and of course I had to try it out. I made these incredibly cookies, though I added a little vanilla aroma to the dough and can only highly recommend it. Next time, maybe I’ll try adding a little mint.

Locks on a Bridge

The tradition of love padlocks has long reached Cologne, and every time I go back, I find myself surprised by the amount added since my last visit. Here’s some impressions of the bridge.

 

What do you think of this custom? Know any similar ones? Me, I’m pretty amused and a little puzzled, but it makes for nice photo-material, so I’m not complaining.

It’s okay to…

… think differently

… say what you mean, even if it isn’t conform to public opinion (and especially then!)

… travel alone

… go to bed really early and just sleep

… close your eyes and just breathe

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A Thought for the Weekend

So enjoy the little things, because if you wait for the big ones, you’ll waste a lot of time that you could otherwise be happy.

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Foodtastic: Sloppy Joe Slider

How incredibly delicious does this look? Design*Sponge shares the recipe here.

Image Source: See link above.

Carnival in Cologne

The Cologne Carnival is a carnival that takes place every year in Cologne, Germany. Traditionally, the "fifth season" (carnival season) is declared open at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of November. The Carnival spirit is then temporarily suspended during the Advent and Christmas period, and picks up again in earnest in the New Year. The time of merrymaking in the streets is officially declared open at downtown square Alter Markt on the Thursday before the beginning of Lent. Street carnival, a week-long street festival, also called "the crazy days", takes place between the Fat Thursday (Weiberfastnacht) and ends on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch). The highlight of the carnival is Rose Monday (Rosenmontag), two days before Ash Wednesday. All through these days, Cologne folks go out masqueraded. The typical greeting during the festival is Kölle Alaaf!, a Kölsch phrase which can be translated as "Cologne above all!"

Wikipedia

His glasses say: I like you.

Carnival in Cologne is a big deal. It’s surrounded by tradition and depending on who you ask, it’s ranges from very political all the way to an excuse to drink, with layers and layers of fun and happiness in between.

It’s okay to…

- have breakfast after noon for whatever reason, including sleeping in and just not bothering

- dream of being a kick-ass pirate ninja assassin, no matter what people say

- grin widely at grumpy strangers, especially if it makes them smile back

- be confident in your abilities, even when everyone around you seems to doubt themselves – maybe especially then

- love with all your heart without being afraid of getting hurt

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Thought of the Day

Isn’t this just a lovely thought? And it looks like they’re wearing roller skates, to me, which makes it all the more awesome.

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It’s okay to…

- curl up with a book and not answer e-mails, phone or requests by family members and friends for an afternoon / evening / night / weekend.

- fall head over heels in love with a song and listen to it for hours on repeat.

- dislike something everyone else seems to love.

- spend money on something you really want, even if it has little to no practical value.

- put on cute rubber boots and jump into puddles after it rained, no matter what your age.

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Thought of the Day

This, so much.

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Cucumber Crisps

Well, this one’s not exactly a recipe and it certainly can’t be called cooking, but it’s something I like to make myself when I get a craving for something to munch on, a snack, preferably crisps. A bowl of cucumber slices, either salted or with chilli sauce, will usually satisfy that craving as effectively as a bowl of crisps would, and it’s considerably healthier, so I like to call it a win.

Just to compare: salt & vinegar crisps (my favourites!) have 525 calories and 33 grams of fat per 100g. Cucumber has about 16 calories and about 1 gram of fat for 100g and the chilli sauce? 145 calories and no fat per 100g, and I don’t even put that much of it over the cucumber. Yay for healthy alternatives, though psst, I’ll admit that sometimes? Cucumber can’t beat a bag of crisps ;)

Best of 30 in 30

My four favourite outfits of the 30 in 30 challenge. I had a great time doing this challenge, but I’m also happy that it’s over now; dressing for the challenge every day took more effort than I usually put into my outfits, but it also taught me that planning an outfit beforehand (especially before I go shower) is immensely helpful. If I have to run around in a towel to find something to wear, I’ll end up in jeans and t-shirt.

I like that it challenged me to put the effort into my clothing, into thinking about what I wear and how to combine items, and I like that it reminded me of some items I had hidden in my closet. I’ve noticed again that I value comfort a lot. Quite possibly more than style. All in all, I’d probably do this again. It was good fun.

28/30

Another outfit that I don’t have very much to say about. It’s simple, comfy… pairing black shoes with brown tights was certainly not my smartest idea, but I broke it up with the white socks, so I think I can be spared the flocking?

This is also the last 30 in 30 outfit that I took a picture of, even though I did remix for 30 days. Stay tuned for a sort of “best of” post.

Window Shopping

 

How cute is this owl necklace? By miniblings.

Isn’t this dress lovely? By yanhuatang.

 

I love the breathy softness of this cardigan and scarf by Zara.

25/30

Day two of the conference, considerably less fancy than day one. Also, please excuse this picture but oh dear was I tired. Early mornings are not my thing, so the image quality isn’t quite what I’d like for it to be. I did really like the combination of this dress with a dress shirt underneath it, something I didn’t think would actually look good. A pleasant surprise, and something I’ll definitely try again when 30 in 30 is over.

24/30

Lookit, I’m wearing colours. Though actually, I’ll have to admit to stuffing the scarf in my bag as soon as I arrived at my destination, because I was scared of the two colours so close together. Oh my. This outfit was for a conference on the constitutional and judicial perspectives of European integration in the Netherlands and Germany. Very interesting, I loved it.

Window Shopping: Zara Shoe Edition

Zara has gorgeous shoes. Yes, admittedly- I have never bought a pair of shoes from Zara, so I can’t speak about quality, and I most likely wouldn’t buy any of these based purely on the height of the heel, but oh. A girl can dream look at pretty shoes online, right? Right? Good.

Fiesta	Bootee
Peep-Toe	Plateau Sandals
Knotted Peep-Toe	Open Heel
Roman Wedge	Marine

I’m especially in love with the last one, the Marine / Sailor Sandal. I wonder if it’d look as gorgeous on my feet as it does online. Maybe a visit to Zara is in order sometime soon…

23/30

There isn’t much to be said about this outfit. It’s quick, easy… My boyfriend gave me this scarf a while ago and I love that it adds an instant touch of colour and pattern to an otherwise very neutral outfit.

22/30

Some days are just hard to dress for. This was one of them: It was -2°C outside, so I needed something warm. I had a work-related meeting after class, so I needed something nice-ish and after that I had dance class, so I needed something not too warm that wouldn’t limit my freedom of movement.

This outfit did all that (I took off the knee-high socks, the boots and the cardigan for dancing, leaving me in tights, skirt and a sleeveless shirt) and managed to integrate the last two pieces of my thirty that I hadn’t worn yet – the black skirt and the red top. Multitasking outfits = win.

21/30

Outfits 19 and 20 fell victim to work and sickness (I spent Day 19 in bed entirely and Day 20 in pajamas and workclothes alternatively, so…) but here’s Outfit 21. I love the dress – comfy, warm, wonderful.

18/30

There’s the necklace again. And the jeans, and shoes, and shirt. I found out I dress in phases – a couple of days of the same skirt, a couple days of the same pants, a couple days of this or that. Usually the same bottoms, often paired with the same shoes.