A Weekend Hiking in the Alps

Our second weekend in Nice, the university professor here took us hiking in the southern part of the French alps, near the Vallée des Merveilles (which we were supposed to visit, but unable to because of the snow that followed us up and down the mountains). After we returned to the bottom of the mountain, however, we wandered around the picturesque small village of Saorge (pictured above). As we walked on the paths of the mountainside there, I stumbled upon so many edible items (fruits, herbs, flowers, etc.) growing wildly. I tried to photograph as many of them as I could but some of them ended up getting loss in the mass of green (wild figs, for example), so enjoy the ones that didn't turn out tottally indistinguishable. I even managed to pocket some fresh thyme which I used the next morning in my eggs!

Here are the blackberries we picked from these tiny tree-type things that were very close to the ground. They were smaller than the typical American blackberry but perfectly ripe and delicious!

Here's the handful of wild thyme I stuffed into my pocket. I used a tiny bit in my eggs the next day and it was so fragrant and woodsy that the flavor penetrated the whole dish. I should have made Ina Garten's herbed-baked eggs, SO delicious!

Our guide told me these are rose berries or rose buds (my French isn't really that good...). I'm not sure what relation they have to flowering roses, though. I tasted one and it was incredibly tart, but I our guide told me they are often used to make a jam, which I can imagine being good. I looked around for a recipe, but couldn't find one. If anyone has more information about these little guys and what they're used for, I'd love to know!
*I now know these are rose hips. Thank you, Jen!!!

This photo is not the greatest, but YOU try photographing everything while your group keeps going without you! Here is one of the most common things ever in this corner of France: lavender. I see it everywhere here, used for everything from cleaning to freshening up stinky places (like your garbage bin, for example).

Finally, these are the raspberries we encoutnered on the trail, still on the vine. The darkness is the perfect indicator of ripeness and I managed to have several that were juuust right.

My First Week in France

So far, living in Nice has been amazing. The apartment my university found for me is only a few meters from the beach, so I've been going there quite often, especially at night where the water is tranquille and the people are always...colorful. My classes don't really start for another two weeks, so I've been enjoying my free time, doing as much as I can, taking it all with une bouche ouverte.

This is a picture from the first lunch I "made" in my new apartment. Even though summer's essentially over, the tomatoes here are still sweet and delicious.

When I was walking around in Vieux Nice, I stopped to get some gelato and was amazed at the variety of flavors they offered. What did I end up chosing? Salted Butter Caramel. SO heavenly.

After a meeting at the university one day, I stopped for a quick lunch of Quiche Florentine. The crust was so flaky and perfect and it was served piping hot.

This was a ridiculously ambitious sandwich I made for myself one night for dinner when I was starving. It consists of baguette (DUH!), tuna fish (in olive oil, of course), sauteed mushrooms and shallots, swiss cheese, sliced tomatoes, and slices of hard-boiled eggs. When I tried to combine these two halves it was the biggest (but most delicious) mess ever.

I've encountered this type of cookie a few times since I've been here. It has a yummy chocolate filling and I love how cookies like this are not RIDICULOUSLY sweet (so you don't feel bad eating more of them). At first I thought this guy was some sort of super hero but then I realized the cookies are called the Little Prince cookies, and now I love them even more.

And finally, THIS is why I'm sure I picked the right country to study abroad in.

As soon as I can, I'll post some pictures from a trip this past weekend into the French Alps and some wild fruits and herbs I encountered.

so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu

I leave for France tomorrow and last Friday I had some friends over to have one last hoorah before I'm out the door. Of course, I had been planning the menu for weeks because to me the food really sets the tone for the party. For this night, I wanted the food to be relaxed but delicous. Even though it was a very small get together, it was a sort of mixed bag of guests: family, friends, coworkers from my summer job, etc. so I wanted to create a menu that would be customizable to different tastes, but full-flavored from every angle.

I settled on simple chicken served with three different sauces, a cheese plate, and a variety of salads that all had different flavor bases. It was probably the most interesting meal I've ever put together, considering how many different flavors I tried to incorporate in one spread. With the help of my mother (for the first time she was helping me in the kitchen...), the cooking took only a couple hours and I could kick back, relax, and say goodbye with all my favorite people.

Bobby Flay's Simple Garlic Oregano Grilled Chicken

Basil Pesto, Bobby Flay's Sweet and Sour Sauce, Mango Avocado Salsa

A Chow Life's Roasted Corn, Tomato, and Feta Salad

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Goat Cheese

Megan's Zucchini, Cheddar, and (Turkey) Bacon Cakes


Cheese Plate of White & Multi-Grain Baguette, Fresh Mozzarella, Boursin, Fresh Basil, Tomatoes, and Avocado

Fresh Berry Salad with Sliced Almonds and Fresh Mint

David Lebovitz's Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream

Bittersweet Goodbyes

I'll just state from the get-go, the point of this post is not to post a phenomenal recipe that I'm encouraging everyone to go try tomorrow. This time, I just want to share some photos (taken by Sadiqeh) of a lovely evening where me and some friends said goodbye to Jero. As usual, saying goodbye to someone you actually like that you only see every couple years is hard. Then again, this year was a bit easier, considering living in Nice will make me that much closer to Jero (who lives in Rotterdam) . For dinner we made pistachio and garlic crusted salmon, a delicious salad, and simple three-cheese tortellini in a butter sauce.

We got this salmon, pre-crusted from Whole Foods with pistachios and garlic. When we got home, I added a coating of sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper and olive oil before putting it in the oven.



My favorite part of the meal was probably this fresh, colorful salad that Sadiqeh constructed. It was a bunch of fresh baby spinach, topped with tiny orange tomatoes (what are these anyway? baby heirloom?), avocado slices, and strawberry slices, with a dressing of balsamic vinaigrette.

Trust me, saying goodbye is much easier when there is delicious food involved. No, you know what? Actually, ANYTHING is easier when there is delicious food involved!