passionate baker

On a more serious note - it looks like Ireland is on its way to reopening. The government have released a roadmap for the reopening of the country and there’s a definite feeling of hope in the air! I’m a little skeptical about some of the projected dates, but it’s hard to squash out my pessimistic thoughts sometimes. Until things get back to some kind of normalcy, I’ll continue to lounge around the house in my comfiest clothes, hassling Boyfriend while he works, pretending that blogging about baking is my job. I must admit, it’s a very nice pretence. 

This month’s offering is below. I hope you find something useful to take away with you - be it a recipe, a new favourite YouTube show, or an itch to organize your favourite photos. I’ll be over here, revelling in my current lack of responsibilities. 

Enjoy!

Remember when we used to travel? Sigh. Until we can do it again, I’m sharing all my tips on travelling through Tuscany. My first post - An Ode to Florence - went online a couple weeks ago, and my post about San Gimignano is coming next week. Stay tuned!

Gilmore Girls is my comfort show of choice, and I finally got around to watching the last four episodes that went up on Netflix. Although they aren’t nearly as funny as the original seven seasons, I have to admit that I rather enjoyed them. 

In case you missed it: passionate baker turned 8 last week! 8 years old! It is so crazy to me that I’ve been occupying this corner of the internet for that long. I baked this Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting to celebrate, and honestly, it’s some of my finest work.

I totally regrew some vegetables this past month! After reading this Food52 article, I was determined to give it a go. Over the course of April, we grew some celery leaves (I swear, it’s showing promise of further growth) & managed to regrow several spring onions. I’d call that a success. 

During our lockdown period, I found myself - along with the rest of the country - itching to bake sourdough again. Yes, homemade sourdough is delicious & 100% worth the effort.. but I just couldn’t justify the amount of flour it eats up. Instead, I turned to Imen’s White Soda Bread and have yet to look back - it’s so delicious! 

I spent an embarrassing amount of time organizing and backing up all of my photos recently. Like, alllllll of them - old ones that were randomly scattered across the internet, ones my friends had, everything on my Google Photos, the whole lot. All in all, I’d say it took me the guts of a week, but now everything is so clean & wonderful!

My friend Síofra recently got me addicted to watching Claire Saffitz’s YouTube show ‘Gourmet Makes’. It is so cool! We are definitely going to try out her Gourmet Pop Tarts recipe, I can’t wait!

We’ve been on a real grilled cheese kick the last few weeks and I am loving the sounds of this French Onion Grilled Cheese. Can you think of anything more comforting? 

What are you reading lately? I recently found myself reaching for the old reliable, Harry Potter. The whole series is such a comfort read for me - it was wonderful to be able to lose myself in the wizarding world again. 

The newest addition to our cookbook family: the Dishoom Cookbook. We are huge Dishoom fans and I am already totally obsessed with this book - it is so beautiful! It also doesn’t hurt that the handful of recipes I’ve made so far have been ahh-mazing. 

It took a while, but I finally caved and joined in on the #1 lockdown hobby of the whole world: baking banana bread. I used this staple recipe by Joy the Baker & I’m not even ashamed to tell you we ate the whole loaf by ourselves within 2 days. Delicious!

I genuinely can’t believe that I made it this far into life without ever seeing Jurassic Park, but I’m glad that Boyfriend finally righted this blatant wrong - I loved it! The Dilophosaurus jump scare in the car got me so good!

An oldie but a goodie from this time two years ago: Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies. 

Hopefully things will be slightly better by the time I sit down to write next month’s post. I’m not looking forward to wearing jeans or make-up again any time soon, but I guess I’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there. Stay safe, friends!

My socially distanced love to you,

Vicki xo

RELATED  POSTS

2020: jan // feb // mar // apr

2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct // nov // dec

To this day, I stand by both my decision to start the blog and also that mighty fine ice cream recipe. 

Over the course of those eight years, my blog has developed into something much more for me than just a record of my baking. Sure, I do still think of this as a journal of sorts - a place where I come to store memories of past travels or recipes for exceptionally good cakes - but also as a sort of friendly space where I can come to clear my head & post about anything I see fit. Which, needless to say, has been extremely comforting during these strange Covid-19 times. 

Another thing that has developed over the course of those eight years: my baking skills. I am extremely proud of the cake I’m sharing here today, it’s one of my finest. 

In the spirit of Covid-19 baking, I thought it wise to keep this bake as simple as possible. This recipe makes a single layer, 7-inch round cake, finished off with generous swoops of chocolate fudge frosting. Thanks to the buttermilk, the sponge itself is wonderfully tangy, but also buttery, soft, and crumbly. The thickkk layer of chocolate fudge frosting is pure perfection - extra light & silky smooth. There aren’t many frostings I could eat by the spoonful without restraint, but this is definitely one of them; it is luscious. 

Thanks for reading along, friends. It means a lot that you keep showing up, making my recipes & using my travel guides. Here’s to another year of passionate baker! 

Vicki xo

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Print this recipe!

Makes one 7-inch cake, 8 generous slices | Recipe by passionate baker

Ingredients: 

for the cake:

190g plain flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

85g salted butter, at room temperature

185g caster sugar, sifted 

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, homemade 

¾ cup buttermilk

for the frosting:

85g unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

255g icing sugar, sifted

170g salted butter, at room temperature

45g full fat milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, homemade

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 190C. Grease & flour the base and sides of an 7-inch cake tin; set aside. 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder & bicarb. Whisk to combine; set aside. 

In a different medium bowl, beat together the butter & sugar until fluffy and pale in colour. Beat the egg & the egg yolk into the mixture one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, ensuring it is well combined. 

Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture & beat on low speed until just combined. Add all of the buttermilk & beat until just combined. Add the remaining flour & beat until just combined, using a spatula to finish mixing everything together. If you notice a slight separation of the ingredients, don’t worry, this is a very forgiving recipe. 

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown all over & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5-minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the cake cools, make the frosting. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (not touching) & cook until the chocolate has melted. Once melted, set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric whisk to combine the icing sugar, butter, milk, & vanilla. Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl & beat until the frosting is smooth & light brown in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. 

When the cake has cooled, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake. Alternatively, transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag & pipe a line along the sides of the cake. 

Slice cake into generous slices & enjoy wholeheartedly with a large cup of coffee. 

Notes: 

the frosting recipe will make more than you’ll need for this cake, but having extra frosting is never a bad thing. Simply store any leftovers in a sealed bag in the freezer. 

P R E V I O U S   B L O G   B I R T H D A Y   P O S T S : 

Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake, 6 years

Rhubarb Panna Cotta, 4 years

Before embarking on our journey, we decided that we wanted to thoroughly enjoy everything Italy has on offer (wine!), and for us that meant taking the slightly unconventional route of public transport. We just didn’t want the hassle of rental cars or maps or potential fines for driving through the wrong zones etc. The public transport in Tuscany is somewhat less than perfect, but as long as you plan everything out in advance - and allow for delays - I swear it is totally do-able. I’ll be adding a ‘Getting There’ section to each of these travel segments in case you have any questions. 

I’ve posted about my Florentine favourites before - you can read that post here - so this post is somewhat light on new recommendations, but some spots are so good they deserve a second mention. What follows is more like a handful of notes that I’d like to tack onto my previous post, including suggestions on where to eat & drink, & which museums to explore. 

I hope you enjoy!

G E T T I N G   T H E R E

Here’s the thing about Florence: flying in from another country is kind of a pain, but getting there from another Italian city is a dream! These are the routes we’ve found to be the easiest over the years: 

fly into Bologna, get the local bus into the city centre, & take the Frecciarossa - high speed train - to Florence. Our deep-seeded love of Bologna weighs heavily on this route, but it isn’t always feasible due to flight times. 

fly into Milan Bergamo, get a bus into Milano Centrale station & take the Frecciarossa from there. We tend to avoid this option of late due to the sheer unpleasantness at Centrale station - pickpockets & general troublemakers etc - but sometimes needs must. 

fly into Pisa, walk/take a bus to the main train station & take a Frecciarossa from there. Perhaps the fasted route of the lot!

W H E R E   T O   S T A Y

Leonardo House  //  super cheap with an unbeatable location. Read more here. 

W H E R E   T O   E A T 

4leoni  //  I have no new words, just wow. I’ve said it before, but it literally gets better every time we visit. There are so many wonderful dishes - pear taleggio pasta! bistecca fiorentina! potatoes al forno! pecorino plates! the cheesecake! -  that you just can’t go wrong. A definite must visit. More here. 

Il Santino  //  we can no longer deny it: we love this tiny version of Il Santo Bevetore more than the main restaurant itself. The wine, the ambiance, the sharing platters - yes, yes, yes! Another must visit. More on both here.

W H E R E   T O   H A V E   C O F F E E   &   D R I N K S 

S Forno Panifico  //  owned by the Il Santo Bevetore crowd, this is a wonderful place for coffee and pastries. They only do filter coffee - with free refills - and the pastries are some of the best we’ve had in the city. Added bonus: everything is super cheap!

Gilli  //  never not good. The coffee is great & the pastries are amazing. We are especially addicted to their version of the sfoglia con crema - yum! Read more here. 

Caffe del Verone  //  our only new-to-us cafe of the trip. This one offers a great view of the Duomo. The drinks were a little bit out of our price range, so we settled for two ice cold glasses of sparkling water instead. 

Bulli & Balene  //  our no.1 choice for an Aperol Spritz or two! More on that here. 

M U S E U M S   &   A T T R A C T I O N S 

Palazzo Vecchio Museum  //  so unexpectedly great! We visited very early in the morning after a photo walk & loved every second! No idea what took us so long to visit, but glad we finally got around to it. The Room of 500 was worth the ticket price alone, never mind getting to visit the Medici apartments or see the views over the city. 

Loggia dei Lanzi  //  the home of my all time favourite sculpture, I simply cannot visit Florence without going to see it. You guessed it - more on that here. 

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I hope you found the above somewhat helpful, friends! I’ll be sharing the next leg of our journey - San Gimignano - early next month, so be sure to check back. 

Vicki xo

T R A V E L   I N   I T A L Y : 

Italian Adventures Part I: Florence

Italian Adventures Part II: Bologna

A L L   T R A V E L   P O S T S :

Each of the recipes listed below have standard ingredients that I’m almost positive you have lurking in the back of your kitchen cupboards. 

Happy lockdown baking! 

1. S E A   S A L T   C H O C O L A T E   C H I P   C O O K I E S

Cookies are always a good idea, but these cookies are an excellent idea. I like to make up a giant batch, scoop them into balls & freeze for later. As long as you keep the freezer supply well stocked, a freshly baked cookie is only ever 16ish minutes away - a knowledge that is such a comfort during these strange times. 

2. F R E E Z E R   P I E : R O A S T E D   P E C A N   A P P L E   P I E   W I T H   C I N N A M O N   C R U M B L E

If you’re anything like me, you have at least two lots of frozen dough, three bags of miscellaneous frozen fruit, and one bag of frozen buttery crumble topping. Combine the lot, add some roasted nuts + warming spices, & bake a pie!

3. C O R N F L A K E   C A K E

If you’re looking for something that’s especially good to snack on, look no further. Our most recent creation, these babies tick allllll of my boxes for a quality snack: sweet, salty, crunchy, and covered in chocolate. Need I say more? 

4. E A S Y   C I N N A M O N   R O L L S

Baking bread is a seriously good way to relax and there are few things more satisfying to pull out of the oven than freshly baked cinnamon rolls. The good news: the rolls are finished off with a simple glaze, so no need to stress about securing cream cheese for a frosting. 

5. S N O W   D A Y   C H O C O L A T E   C A K E

Admittedly, the corona-lockdown isn’t the same as being snowed in, but the sentiment of this recipe is the same. This simple cake requires few ingredients and is perfect for those times when you simply need a big slice of chocolate cake. 

6. B U T T E R M I L K   S K I L L E T   C A K E

This is perhaps the most versatile cake to ever have emerged from my kitchen. In the above recipe it’s finished off with roasted strawberries - which you can totally do with berries from your freezer, defrosted - but it would be just as delicious donned with a simple lemon glaze or chocolate frosting.

7. B L A C K B E R R Y   P I E   B A R S 

Pie bars are super comforting & can be made with whatever fruit you have on hand - fresh or frozen! Our favourite version to date is without a doubt this blackberry one, it’s the perfect amount of sweet and tartness. The wonderful news is that any leftovers freeze so. well.

8. R A S P B E R R Y   &   S E A   S A L T   B R O W N I E S 

This is my second favourite brownie recipe - my first being this one here - and it is perfect for times like these because it is super economical with its use of eggs. Frozen berries can be subbed in if you don’t have any fresh, or forgo the berries altogether for a simpler version!

9. C H O C O L A T E   V E G A N   B A N A N A   B R E A D

This is an extra good banana bread recipe for quarantine times because it is egg-free. Don’t let the v-word put you off: it can easily be un-vegan-ed with the use of regular milk! The quality of the banana bread remains superb, I swear. 

10. L E M O N   &   P O P P Y S E E D   P A N C A K E S

Boyfriend has been making a scaled back version of this recipe for years, but recently we decided to amp it up & give it a makeover. The recipe you see below is the culmination of our creative endeavors and honestly, the results are better than we could have hoped. 

See, there are three distinct layers to this insane snacking situation, each as important as the next. This is what we’re dealing with:  

a thickkkk layer of cornflakes mixed with butter, chocolate, and sweetener in the form of golden syrup

a generous dousing of cornflake crunch -  à la Christina Tosi - that sticks to the sweet layer below and provides the all-important salty aspect

a heavy handed pour of melted semi-sweet chocolate to bind the layers together and give us a contrasting texture to the ones beneath

To summarize, what we have on our hands here is a salty, sweet, crunchy, chocolate covered snack. Have you ever heard of anything as wonderful before now? Welcome to the Cornflake Cake Club, my friends. 

We like to keep our squares in a baggie in the freezer to keep them extra crunchy & less crumbly. They never freeze the whole way through, so they’re perfect every time! 

Print this recipe.

Makes one 9x9 inch tray; 16 generous squares | recipe by passionate baker; cornflake crunch recipe adapted from Christina Tosi

Ingredients: 

for the cornflake crunch: 

85g cornflakes, lightly crushed

20g milk powder (highly recommended, but optional; I wouldn’t go out especially for it)

20g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

65g salted butter, melted

for the cornflake cake: 

520g cornflakes, lightly crushed

195g butter, melted

150g dark chocolate, melted

90g golden syrup

for the chocolate layer:

200g semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Recipe:

for the cornflake crunch: 

Preheat the oven to 140C & line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 

Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl, ensuring everything is evenly coated. Spread the conflake mixture on the prepared baking sheet & bake for 20-minutes, until lightly golden and buttery. Set aside & leave to cool completely before use. 

Once cooled, set aside 1/3 cup for the topping. 

for the cornflake cake: 

Line a 9x9-inch brownie tin with parchment paper, leaving the edges hanging over the sides; set aside. Place the lightly crushed cornflakes in a large bowl; set aside. 

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the butter, chocolate, and golden syrup. Pour over the cornflakes and stir together until everything is evenly coated. 

Transfer the cornflake mixture to the prepared brownie tin & use an offset spatula to squish it firmly down and into the corners - we want it to be sturdy. 

Evenly spread the cornflake crunch mixture over the top of the cornflake layer, lightly pressing down so it adheres to the chocolate. 

Next, the chocolate layer. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the cake & use an offset spatula to spread it evenly around, trying not to disturb the cornflake crunch layer beneath. 

Sprinkle the reserved cornflake crunch across the top of the chocolate layer. 

Place in the fridge for at least two hours before lifting out of the brownie tin & slicing into 16 squares. 

I gotta say, having this little space to escape to whenever I feel anxious or overwhelmed or even just bored is so lovely. During the course of these weird times, I’ve come to realize how wonderfully comforting it is to write and share and distract myself. Thanks for being a part of that, friends - it means a lot. 

The list below is slightly lengthier than normal, but I’ve kept it frivolous and lighthearted, promise. Hopefully you find something useful to take away with you - be it a recipe, a cleaning hack, or a movie recommendation. We’ll be here, listening to Bob on vinyl & drinking coffee. 

Enjoy!

What have you been cooking up during your time in lockdown? We’ve been making a lot of really comforting dishes lately: veggie risotto, slow cooked beef chili, gumbo, BBQ short ribs etc. Comfort eating is one of our finest skills. 

I’ve started to feel like Martha Stewart in jail, and I’ve become Queen of the Freezer during my time here. Anything that doesn’t have an immediate purpose is quickly getting prepped, neatly packed up, and frozen for future use. For tips on blanching & freezing veg, I found this very helpful. 

Related: I have become a pro at shopping for exactly what we’ll need, and this Martha Steward guide helped me on my way. 

Something I’ve found really helpful has been making a very very long list of everything in the house that I’ve been meaning to do but never get around to. It looks kind of like this list, but is much more in depth. It basically means I don’t feel like a total waster on those days when I just binge-watch TV all day long. One of the biggest revelations on my Covid-19 induced clean: bicarbonate of soda. I have never seen my tea cups so clean. 

Last week I shared a Roasted Pecan Apple Pie with Cinnamon Crumble that was made with frozen pie dough from Christmas and frozen crumble from Thanksgiving. Freezer Pie is so in right now, want to bake along?  

In case you missed it: I shared a post about our time in Lyon before all this madness kicked off. It’s a short recap of the very best places we discovered on our trip. Happy #armchairtraveling! 

Might I suggest this Blood Orange Old Fashioned to help you get through this strange time? Boyfriend dreamed up the recipe & I am eternally grateful. 

Our movie count has definitely gone up during lockdown. We’ve watched everything from Just Like Heaven to Hush to American Pie & The Lion King. No judgement please, quarantine makes people crazy.

The hardest part of this whole social distancing thing for me is not being able to hug my family. This time last year I was on a girls trip with my mom & sister in Galway and I’m living for the days when we’ll be allowed to socialize again. 

Last week I shared my very first photo of my face on my Instagram and I am still shook that I actually mustered up the courage to do it. I want this blog - and  as an extension of that, my Instagram - to be like my journal, that I can go over in years to come & remember, and I think having photos of my actual self & my loved ones is an important part of that. 

I finally have the time to tackle some of the books that have literally sat on my shelf gathering dust for the best part of 7-years. A particular favourite: The Help. 

There are two major bonuses of self-isolating. 1: my skin is loving the fact that I’m not wearing make up everyday. It feels healthy, happy, and dare I say it - luminous. 2: being locked up in a house all day with Boyfriend is actually so lovely; it’s fun, exciting, and easy. Thank you, Rob, for keeping me safe & happy. 

This month last year I was talking about a whole rake of different things than I am today, namely explorations in sourdough & planning a trip through Italy. Read about it here: Monthly Musings, April 2019. 

That pretty much sums things up on our end. Until next month, friends. Stay safe!

My (socially distanced) love to you, 

Vicki xo

RELATED  POSTS

2020: jan // feb // mar

2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct // nov // dec

One of the benefits of our new quarantine lifestyle has been clearing out the freezer. See, at any given time throughout the year our freezer is stocked with: at least two disks of pie dough, three bags of miscellaneous fruit, one bag of buttery crumble topping, a bag of cookie dough balls, and a couple bags of extra buttercream or frosting. In an ideal world, those items alone would constitute as a well stocked freezer. In a quarantine world, these treats take up space that could otherwise be used to store vegetables, meats, or leftovers. You get the picture. 

Join me in making a freezer pie, won’t you? Whatever fillings you have stored in there - berries! cherries! stone fruits! - a pie is a pie is a pie. As long as the dough is flaky / the filling is sweetened & spiced / the topping is buttery, the end result will always be amazing. 

And you get to clear out a little corner of your freezer, amen. 

Happy Baking!

Print this recipe!

Makes 1 8-inch skillet pie | recipe by passionate baker

Ingredients:

for the pie dough:

340g plain flour

255g salted butter, very cold & cut into small cubes

4-6 tablespoons of ice water

for the crumble topping:

125g plain flour

45g jumbo oats

100g light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

115g salted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon cinnamon

3/4 cup roasted pecans, chopped

for the filling: 

350-400g apples, peeled, cored, & sliced 

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 1/2 tablespoon caster sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 250C. 

First, make the pie dough. In a large bowl, working quickly to add the butter to the flour & toss around. Use your fingers to press each cube of butter into a flat sheet, tossing the butter throughout to make sure each piece is covered. If at any time the butter seems warm, refrigerate the bowl briefly. Sprinkle about 4 tablespoons of ice water into the bowl & use a gentle hand to stir together until just combined. You’ve added enough water to the mixture if you can pick up a handful of the dough & easily squeeze it together without it falling apart, but without it being all sticky. Split the dough into two disks, each wrapped in cling film & leave to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using. Extra chilled dough = extra flaky pastry. 

Once the dough has chilled, remove one of the disks from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a roughly 12-inch circle that is about ¼-inch thick. Carefully press the dough into your skillet / pie dish & crimp the edges however you like. Cover the entire dough with a sheet of tin foil, fill the foil with baking beans, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the sides are slightly puffed & lightly golden brown. When ready, remove from the oven & gently lift off the tin foil. Leave to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. Using your fingertips, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl until crumbs start to form - making sure to keep some of the bigger clumps in tact for extra buttery bits. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Now, the filling. In a large bowl, gently stir together all of the ingredients with a wooden spoon, ensuring that everything is coated evenly.

Fill the par-baked dough with the filling & cover with the prepared crumble. Bake for 30-minutes, or until the juices are bubbling & the crumble is a deep golden brown. Leave to cool slightly & serve warm with whipped cream.

Notes:

the second disk of dough can be stored in the freezer for a future pie adventure -  it can be such a lifesaver. 

this recipe makes more crumble than you’ll need, but again: crumble freezes beautifully.

These drinks were Boyfriend’s creation; he has a real knack for working blood oranges into everything this time of year. A good Old Fashioned is our poison of choice after those extra long days - of which there have been plenty recently. This version is simply perfect: strong, sweet, smooth, seasonal. Thank you, Boyfriend, for letting me share your recipe & for making this whole “social distancing” situation a little easier. 

Print this recipe!

Makes 1 cocktail | recipe by passionate baker

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

juice of 1/4 blood orange

splash of soda water

50ml bourbon, divided (we used Jim Beam)

ice

wedge of blood orange, for serving

Recipe:

In a glass, muddle together the sugar, blood orange juice, & the soda water until the sugar has dissolved. 

Pour 30ml bourbon into the glass & mix well. 

Add ice cubes, and pour the remaining bourbon over the ice. Mix again to thoroughly combine. 

In fairness, I found it incredibly frustrating when I was planning our trip to Lyon that many of the blogs I normally hit up for foodie recommendations had zero posts about the so-called French capital of food. I hope this guide helps you from feeling the same. 

We visited the week before Christmas and loved our time in the city. It was welcoming and beautifully quaint. We visited the Christmas markets, where we drank gluhwein while eating Nutella smeared waffles, and went sightseeing in the mildest meaning of the word. It was perfect.

Recommendations on where to stay / to have pastries / to eat dinner / to drink / and what to do are listed below. Enjoy!

W H E R E   T O   S T A Y

Mercure Beaux-Art Hotel Lyon  //  we found that this hotel was just a 5-minute walk to nearly everywhere we wanted to visit in the city. The location was perfect, our room was lovely, the staff were friendly. Would stay again. 

W H E R E   T O   G E T   P A S T R I E S   /   S N A C K S

Le Pain des Jacobins // run, don’t walk to this bakery: they make the best pastries going. We tried out loads of places for croissants etc & these guys wiped everyone else off the list. I repeat: run, don’t walk! A must visit. 

Maison Pozzoli // a close second to the pastries at Le Pain des Jacobins, and that’s saying a lot. Also a very good place for a sandwich - we grabbed one to go before heading to the airport. 

W H E R E   T O   E A T   D I N N E R

Daniel et Denise St. Jean // our introduction into the world of the ‘bouchons’ began at this traditional restaurant tucked into Lyon’s charming old town. We loved everything, of course, but the creme brulee we shared for dessert is what I remember most. 

Bouchon des Cordeliers // the most inventive menu of the trip! A particular highlight was an amazing beef cheek pumpkin risotto that was so melt-in-your-mouth good that it was probably worth going there for that alone. Added bonus: the house wine in the bouchon’s is generally quite cheap and the one we sampled here was wonderful. 

Cafe Comptoir Abel // the best dinner of our trip. The traditional style of the restaurant, the authentic air to the place, the simplicity of the menu, everything. We had steak frites with potato gratin, and a portion of saint-marcellin for dessert and loved every. single. bite. Oh - the steak frites comes with a big plate of fried rice! Boyfriend was mystified and enthralled. A must visit.

W H E R E   T O   D R I N K 

Les Fleurs du Malt // an excellent place for beer! Boyfriend discovered this on our first night in Lyon and we went back every night after. Added bonus: they play heads or tails for a 2for1 pint deal, so you might spend less than you’d planned!

Bar Le Florian // wonderful cocktails. From the outside, I would agree: not very appealing. From the inside: it’s like a totally different building! Dark, romantic, intimate, cozy. The Old Fashioned was so good we asked the lovely bartender for his recipe. A must visit. 

W H A T   T O   D O

Musée Cinema & Miniature // the museum that just kept on giving. We loved every single aspect of it - the set designs, the movie props (Gizmo! Jurassic Park! Poe from Wonder Boys!), and the miniatures on the top floors. Honestly, this is unlike any other museum I’ve ever heard of. A must visit. 

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière // a very beautiful way to spend an hour. Take the funicular up the hillside - which in itself is always a fun experience - and be awed by the beauty of the basilica, outside & in. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to sit in the back admiring the interior while the church choir sing. Don’t miss: the spectacular view over the city from behind the church!

Explore Croix-Rousse // the more bohemian side of the city. Worth a wander around just because it’s so different from the typical french boulevards - winding streets, quirky artwork dotted around, steps upon steps, and another amazing view over the city. 

E L S E W H E R E   I N   F R A N C E :

A Wander Guide: Paris

A L L   T R A V E L   P O S T S :

Paris, France  //  Amsterdam, Holland   //  Copenhagen, Denmark  // London, UK i - ii - iii  //  Cork, Ireland  //  Edinburgh, Scotland  //  Westport, Ireland  //  Barcelona, Spain  //  Vienna, Austria  //  Florence, Italy  //  Bologna, Italy  //  Galway, Ireland  //  Kilkenny Ireland  //  Berlin, Germany  //  Munich, Germany  //  Bremen, Germany

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Last year I shared how to make my Blood Orange Bundt Cake with you, and this year we’re upping our skills & learning to make Blood Orange Choux au Craquelin... Which is basically a fancy name for a choux bun topped with a sweet layer of cookie dough for added crunch. I’ve fancied ours up a bit by incorporating last week’s Blood Orange Cream into the fillings & drizzling the finished product with a quick chocolate ganache. 

They sound impressive, look impressive, taste impressive, and most importantly: they are super simple to make. Let’s bake together, shall we?

The baked choux au craquelin come out of the oven risen & deeply golden brown. A little poke in the side with a chopstick does wonders for letting out additional steam. 

When they’ve cooled completely, use a sharp knife to cup the tops off - about 3/4 of the way up. A few little crumbies will fall off the craquelin tops & that’s okay. Keep these little craquelin tops to the side for later. 

This is where the Blood Orange Cream we made last week comes into play. 

Using a piping bag, squirt a generous layer of the blood orange cream into the bottom of each choux. This layer will act as the shelf for our whipped cream, so it needs to go right up to jussst under the cut. 

Any blood orange cream that didn’t get piped into the bottom of the choux buns gets laced through a big ole’ bowl of whipped cream. We use what little piping know-how we have to pipe two swirls of the cream onto each choux. They’re generous swirls, but it’s really a more is more situation. 

Warning: you’ll want to eat the entire bowl of whipped cream before piping it into the choux, but please try to be strong for the sake of the finished product. 

Each of the choux buns gets reunited with their top halves. 

It’s best to give each a little squish to make sure there’s no sliding accidents in the near future. 

The choux au craquelin were quite frankly good enough at the last stage, but let’s go that last mile & add something decorative in the form of a quick dark chocolate ganache. Everyone knows chocolate & orange go hand in hand, duh. 

I topped mine off with a light sprinkle of dried rose petals - a very thoughtful gift from Boyfriend’s mom - because I was feeling a little extra. 

Happy baking, friends!

Print this recipe.

Makes 12 cream puffs | recipe by passionate baker

INGREDIENTS:

for the craquelin:

50g salted butter, at room temperature 

60g plain flour 

60g light brown sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, homemade

for the choux dough:

63g full-fat milk

63g water

55g salted butter, cubed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, homemade

1/2 tablespoon caster sugar

83g plain flour

120g eggs, lightly beaten

1 quantity blood orange cream, homemade 

for the whipped cream:

180g cream, cold

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, homemade

125g blood orange cream

for the chocolate drizzle: 

33g dark chocolate, finely chopped

70g cream

dried rose petals for serving, optional

RECIPE:

to make the craquelin:

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl & mix together until uniform and smooth. Place between two sheets of parchment paper & roll out to 1/8-inch in thickness. 

Use a 2-inch circular cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles. Place the circles into the freezer until ready to use. 

to make the choux: 

Preheat the oven to 180˚C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using the same cookie cutter as you did for the craquelin, trace 12 circles on the baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each. Flip the baking sheet over so the drawings are on the underneath. Set aside. 

Fit a large piping bag with a large round piping tip. Set aside. 

In a medium pot, combine the milk, water, butter, vanilla extract, and sugar. Place the mixture over a medium heat & stir continuously until the butter has melted & the mixture has begun to boil. Remove the pot from the heat & add the flour all at once, mixing quickly with a wooden spoon into a thick paste.

Return to the heat, and, stirring constantly, cook the mixture for 2 minutes to help dry it out - there will be a fine layer on the bottom of the pot when it’s ready. Transfer choux dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment & mix on medium speed for 1 minute to help cool down.

With the mixture running on low, slowly stream in the eggs. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes, or until the egg is fully incorporated. The batter is ready when you dip the paddle into the mixture and it forms a v before breaking off.

Transfer the choux to the prepared piping bag & pipe out 12 circles onto the parchment. Flatten down with any points of dough with a damp fingertip. 

Remove the craquelin from the freezer & carefully place each on top of a mound of choux. 

Bake the puffs for 35 minutes at 180˚C, then turn the oven to 160˚C, and bake for a further 10 minutes, until deeply golden in colour. Remove from the oven and poke a small hole in the side of each - I used a chopstick. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. 

to make the whipped cream:

In a medium bowl, use an electric whisk to mix together the cream & vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Use a spatula to fold through the blood orange cream. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Set aside. 

to make the chocolate drizzle: 

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl; set aside. 

In a small pot, heat the cream on the hob until simmering - do not let come to a boil. 

Pour the cream over the chocolate & leave to sit for 2 minutes, before stirring together until smooth. Set aside. 

to assemble: 

Transfer what’s left of the blood orange cream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Using a sharp knife, cut the tops off the cream puffs, about three quarters of the way up. Do not discard the tops. 

Pipe a layer of blood orange cream into about the bottom third of the cream puff, then top with two swirls of the blood orange whipped cream. Top with the lid of the choux earlier cut off, like a hat. 

Top the puffs with a spoonful of the chocolate drizzle & top each with a couple of rose petals. 

Our musings for the month ahead are below. It would seem I have largely food related thoughts this time round, but I suppose that’s good news for a food blogger.

I hope you enjoy, friendos!

I had a mild excursion into the world of pickling last month! I whipped up a couple jars of pickled cucumber (not the recipe I used but somewhat similar) & a cute jar of spicy chili relish. The cucumbers are particularly great - they’re perfect with sandwiches or curries or with nothing at all straight out of the fridge. 

It’s been roughly two months too long since I left the country. We’re holding off on booking anything just yet - what with the Coronavirus madness, etc - but it looks like our next trip will be to visit my dear friend Ariadna in Poland; I can’t wait!

I've been meaning to visit Bread 41 bakery here in Dublin for well over a year & I finally managed it last month. Friends, it was better than anything I ever could have dreamed of. The breads are luscious, the pastries are flaky & buttery, everything is so so delicious. 

It’s the second most wonderful time of the year: blood orange season! I posted the recipe for this Blood Orange Cream last week, and you’ll need to make that in order to make the amazing new recipe that’s coming atcha next week. What are you waiting for?

Related: Boyfriend is a natural born blood orange cocktail maker. Last year he whipped up a tequila concoction, and this year he has perfected the blood orange old fashioned - he’s truly a wonder. Should we get him to do a guest blog post?

I’ll leave this here just in case this was something you were wondering about after seeing the Oscars, too: A Timeline of Leonardo DiCaprio and Camila Morrone’s Relationship. 

Somewhat related: we’re still trying to catch up on all the Oscar nominated films BUT I gotta say, one of my absolute faves that got little to no recognition this year was Richard Jewell. We’re big Clint fans around here - how could you not be?

Related part ii: watching Parasite made me hungry for the steak & noodle dish Ram-Don. I’ve added all of the ingredients to our shopping list for next week & I can hardly wait! 

I made a big ole pot of this Jammy Tomato Sauce last month & we devoured every drop. I left out the anchovies but otherwise kept it the exact same & wow, it is so good! 

This time two years ago, I was in Amsterdam with one of my best friends -you can read about our travels here. There’s a lot of new travel content hitting the blog in the near future, be sure to check back soon for some trusty recommendations! In the meantime, check out the travel index in case you missed anything. 

What’s on your reading list for this month? I’ve just finished Call Me By Your Name and I. am. obsessed. It feels so real and so special that I can already see it becoming one of those books I read again & again. 

An oldie but a goodie: Rhubarb & Orange Financier. If only Boyfriend liked rhubarb as much as me, sigh. We can dream. 

I hope you have a wonderful month! 

My love to you, 

Vicki xo

RELATED  POSTS

2020: jan // feb 

2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct // nov // dec

Another: what on earth would I use that for? Well, she’s pretty versatile! You can serve it chilled with some lightly whipped cream for a stand alone dessert, eat it straight from the fridge with a spoon, lace it through yogurt or spread on lightly toasted bread. Or, you can wait until next week for my new recipe. It’ll be worth the wait! 

Or, make one batch now and another next week. I get you. 

Chat soon!

Print this recipe!

Makes 2 cups cream | Recipe by passionate baker 

Ingredients

1/2 cup blood orange juice (about 2.5 oranges worth)

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

3 large eggs 

1 large egg yolk 

3/4 cup caster sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, homemade 

225g salted butter, cubed into 1 tablespoon pieces 

Recipe

Bring a pot of water to a simmer.

In a heatproof bowl combine the blood orange juice, lemon juice, the eggs + yolk, and the sugar. Be sure to whisk together the ingredients immediately to stop the sugar cooking the eggs. Place the bowl over the simmering water - making sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water - & cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture hits 180°F/82°C on a thermometer, about 18-minutes. The mixture should be thick enough to leave a trail through the cream. 

Remove the bowl from the heat &  set aside. Whisking occasionally, let the mixture cool to 140°F/60°C. If there are some traces of cooked egg yolk in the cream, strain it through a sieve into a clean bowl. 

When the cream is ready, use an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) to combine the butter into the mix one cube at a time, combining thoroughly before adding the next cube. The cream should be pale & quite thick by the time you are finished. 

After our long weekend of taking it extremely easy on ourselves, we’re going to continue the theme & buckle down in our cozy clothes for the rest of the afternoon. Boyfriend is making popcorn, we have the Braveheart blu-ray ready to go, and a plentiful supply of chocolate & coke at the ready. I hope that your Sunday is treating you just as well.

Before we get too cozy, please enjoy these thoughts that’ve been knocking around my head lately:

Being a tourist in our home city was actually rather glorious. We got to walk around with totally new eyes, trying all those places we never had time to visit before. We stayed in lovely hotels, we ate everywhere our not-so-little stomachs desired, and we went cocktail taste-testing. All of this is to say: I’m thinking of doing up a quick Dublin post. Or maybe a series of posts. Whatcha think?

A really quick shout-out to Boyfriend for being super amazing & getting one of his scripts optioned - I’m so proud of you. Congrats, Rob! To see the short: Sit Beside Me. 

Last month we watched Coco & I found myself loving the idea behind the Day of the Dead. I never really knew much about it before, but by the time the film ended I was fully convinced that we should celebrate it too. What a lovely belief. 

Thanks to my dad, I have 100% rekindled my love affair with jigsaws. They are so soothing! I just finished off a 1000-piece beauty that depicts the Italian village of Riomaggiore. Needless to say, my yearning for Italy grew exponentially. If you’d like to join in: Bologna / Florence. 

It’s Oscar season! Boyfriend & I are trying to catch up with as many nominated films as we can before the big day next week. We always stay up to watch it (1am our time), eating popcorn & Maltesers, judging the outfits, and inevitably complaining about something or other - such a blast! 

In case you missed it: my Berlin City Guide went live last month! It’s extra jam-packed with literally every single place I love in Berlin. Breakfast, snacks, coffee, drinks, dinner, cocktails, you name it - it’s all in there! 

We’ve decided to embrace the Molly Yeh way of life and introduce Pizza Fridays into our routine. Making the dough from scratch is something I’m finding very rewarding - I’ve been using Jim Lahey’s dough recipe until now -  and with all of the different topping options I feel like this is something that we won’t get sick of for a while. I’ve purchased The Pizza Bible cookbook to help fine tune my skillz. 

What are you reading this month? I just read The Outsiders & adored it. It’s been sitting on my bookshelf for years, and I’m kicking myself that I only got around to reading it now. Hoping to see the movie soon.

We’re in the run up to a general election here in Ireland & all the campaign stuff is going way over my head. I did, however, find this quiz helpful when deciding what matters to me in a candidate: 2020 Political Quiz. 

A cookbook I am loving lately: Super Simple, by Half Baked Harvest. Every single recipe we’ve made from it has been a huge hit - I can’t wait to tuck into the desserts section!

An oldie but a goodie, cookie edition: Smoked Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

Let’s catch up again next month, okay? I better run, Mel is calling my name!

My love to you, 

Vicki xo

RELATED  POSTS

2020: jan

2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct // nov // dec

First things first: Berlin is quite a large city & is separated into several different districts. This guide focuses largely on my favourite district: Mitte. Literally the German word for ‘middle’, Mitte is ideally located & has a large array of restaurants, bars, attractions etc. It’s super easy to walk between most of the places on this list, but there are a lot of public transport options readily available for those few places further afield. 

Below is a comprehensive list of everything you might need for 4 days in the city: where to stay / where to have coffee / where to brunch / where to eat dinner / where to stop for beer / where to go for cocktails / paid attractions / free attractions. It’s a whopper of a guide & it’s filled with pretty much everywhere I know & love in the city. 

GUIDE AT A GLANCE

STAY Monbijou Berlin  |  Leonardo Hotel Berlin Mitte COFFEE Distrikt  |  Father Carpenter  |  Five Elephant  |  Cafe Neundrei  |  The Barn BRUNCH Silo  |  Factory Girl  |  Father Carpenter  |  House of Small Wonder  |  Commonground DINNER Zur Letzen Instanz  |  Lokal  |  Zur Gerichtslaube  |  The Bird  |  Chicago Williams BBQ  |  Chicken Buzz BEER Zum Nussbaum  |  Hofbrau  |  Weihenstephaner  WINE & COCKTAILS The Coven  |  Muret La Barba  |  Commonground  |  Monbijou PAID ATTRACTIONS  Pergamon Museum  |  River Cruise FREE ATTRACTIONS Nikolaiviertel   |  Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe  |  Reichstag Dome  |  East Side Gallery  |  Neue Wache  |  Riverside drinking

If any of the above sounds like something you might want to know more about, scroll on down for a detailed version. Happy traveling!

WHERE TO STAY

Monbijou Berlin //  the most adorable boutique hotel! Upon an early arrival at the hotel we were upgraded to a suite with a view of the Berliner Dom, so I have only great things to say about the place. The staff are lovely and helpful, the hotel is beautifully furnished, and the location is smack bam in the middle of everything - it is the ideal base for making your way around! Added bonus: there’s a beautiful rooftop terrace!

Leonardo Hotel Berlin Mitte  //  for the more budget conscious traveler, this is another really great hotel! The location is perfect - just a little way down the river from the Monbijou - the staff are lovely & their triple rooms are extra spacious.

WHERE TO HAVE COFFEE & PASTRIES

Father Carpenter  //  my favourite coffee place in Berlin, located in the most beautiful courtyard area. If you need a pastry/cake to go with your coffee: the croissants are extra flaky & they make a mean espresso cheesecake. See also: where to brunch, below. 

Café Neundrei  //  an adorable little cafe with a cute neon sign outside, right next to the Monbijou hotel. The coffee was delicious, the croissants were so buttery, the place was so cute - we went back every morning!

The Barn  //  a Berlin institution, & it’s easy to see why: the coffee is so smooth & luscious. A definite must visit. Don’t miss: a really very good PB&J sandwich cookie. 

Five Elephant  //  pretty great coffee, and their signature cheesecake ain’t bad either! Be sure to get there early, as the lightly spiced bake sells out pretty early. 

Distrikt  //  worn leather couches, wooden touches, exposed brick walls etc, a cute little cafe that has a well-earned hipster vibe. The coffee is strong, perfect for the long day of tourist-ing ahead, and they offer a limited but good brunch menu! 

WHERE TO BRUNCH

Silo  //  amazing cafe on the east side! The offering here is some of the most delicious & adventurous I’ve seen in the city. I devoured an ‘nduja baked egg dish with labneh & a side of crusty sourdough that I still dream of to this day. Added bonus: their iced coffees really hit the spot, & their mimosas are perfection. Warning: be prepared to wait - we waited 30 minutes for a table, but there were others waiting for over an hour & a half!

Factory Girl  //  a close second to Silo. A real hipster kind of place - but where in Berlin isn’t? - with an amazing menu. I branched out & went for their Pueblo sandwich, which was stuffed with avocado, tomatoes, halloumi and bacon; it was ridiculously good. The portions are massive, and it’s surprisingly great value for Berlin. 

Father Carpenter  //  come for the coffee, stay for the brunch! Boyfriend had a fancy baked french toast dish, which was honestly a work of art, and I opted for the pork eggs benedict, which I ate every single bite of. Added bonus: the staff are super lovely and their iced coffees are so refreshing! See also: where to have coffee, above. 

House of Small Wonder  //  an accidental, quirky find that was really quite solid. The menu is slightly random - we ordered: eggs SSU with a side of potato gratin / croissant baked french toast / taco fried rice - but we all adored what we got. Don’t miss: they serve iced earl grey tea & it’s every bit as good as it sounds. Added bonus: HoSW has an extremely instagram-able entrance way, just sayin’. 

Commonground  //  great brunch, okay-ish service. I feasted on a poached egg with whipped goats cheese & mushrooms dish, which was really very good, and if the service were better I’d probably go back again. See also: where to have cocktails, below. 

WHERE TO EAT DINNER

Zur Letzen Instanz  //  hands down our favourite restaurant in Berlin. It dates from 1621, and Napoleon ate there - need I say more? The place is so traditional & the food is so amazing that I literally smile whenever I think of it. We can vouch for the giant pork knuckle, the pork meatballs and the fried potatoes with bacon. It’s hearty, but it is so worth the meat sweats. Don’t miss: the pork knuckle & fried potato side. 

Lokal  //  the restaurant of my dreams. One extra large room with big windows, wild flowers on the tables, low lighting with loads of candles, rustic wooden tables.. you get the picture. An extremely inventive menu with a huge focus on seasonal food. We ordered: roast fawn, with a side of potato gratin / beef tenderloin / deep fried pork brain with scallops, roe, and pork crackling. For dessert we shared tomato & basil ice cream with foam of condensed milk. Everything was impeccable. 

Zur Gerichtslaube  //  a charming, traditional restaurant in the Nikolaiviertel. We were seated in an elegant old room with beautiful vintage windows. Added bonus: the schnitzel was good & crispy! 

The Bird  //  a really very good burger place, with really quite terrible service. We loved everything about the food we ordered - the burgers are juicy double patties, the wings are good & seriously spicy, the fries are great, the beer is ice cold - but none of that matters because the attitudes of the staff truly marred our experience there; such a shame. 

Chicago Williams BBQ  //  conveniently close to Leonardo Hotel Mitte. A casual American style BBQ place with communal tables and overloaded trays of food. We devoured the BBQ ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, BBQ chicken & huge sides of coleslaw + gravy mash. 

Chicken Buzz  //  a chicken place with an Asian twang & a great menu. The chicken broth, skewers, burgers etc were all delicious, but the real show-stealer was a side of fried chicken skin! I know it sounds weird, but I swear it is divine. Added bonus: this is for the budget conscious among us - it’s great value!

WHERE TO DRINK BEER

Zum Nussbaum  //  our favourite place for beer in the city! Located in the Nikolaiviertel, stopping in for a drink was like stepping back in time - the place hasn’t changed at all since it opened! There was a casual, old school kind of set up that we loved. Note: we didn’t get a chance to eat here, but apparently it’s great for food. 

Hofbrau Berlin  //  our deep seeded love of Hofbrau knows no bounds, so of course we sought it out in Berlin. Centrally located near Alexanderplatz, this is almost an exact replica of the famous beer hall in Munich. The beer is great & the pretzels are salty, what more could you want? Added bonus: there’s a branded photoautomat inside that’s equal parts fun to use & an adorable keepsake.   

Weihenstephaner Berlin  //  one of our favourite beers ever. We enjoyed a couple of delicious 1/2 litres & feasted on some traditional German food here - currywurst / pretzels / grilled sausages / saurkraut - & all of the above was ruined slightly by the extremely rude staff; you’ve been warned. 

WHERE TO GO FOR WINE & COCKTAILS

The Coven  //  the best cocktail bar we’ve ever been to, ever. Literally across the road from the Monbijou, we stopped in one night because the place was hopping and loved it so much we went back every night after! The staff are super lovely & the cocktails are such good value - not to mention delicious! We sampled more than a few of their old fashioned & margarita cocktails, both of which were perfect every. single. time.

Muret La Barba  //  a cute little Italian wine bar with bottles upon bottles lining the walls. We actually broke the rules & opted for a couple of Aperol spritzes during our visit, but I’ll definitely pop back in for a glass of wine next time!

Commonground  //  much better for cocktails than for brunch! A very easy-going, casual hipster vibe at night. We sampled several drinks - margarita, berry daiquiri, Aperol spritz, red wine sangria, and a gin contraption - & all were delicious. See also: where to brunch, above. 

Roof Terrace @ Monbijou Hotel  //  I’m a sucker for a good roof terrace, and this one is perfect! There are big shady canopies covering huge sofas for lounging all over. The views are pretty great - the TV Tower in one direction & the Dom in the other. Generally speaking, just a really good place to have a drink. 

PAID ATTRACTIONS

Pergamon Museum  //  forever my favourite museum, possibly anywhere. The Pergamon Altar is so large that it honestly makes you forget that you’re already inside a building, and the Ishtar Gate into Babylon is just so gawp-worthy. If you visit only one paid attraction during your time in the city, please let it be this one. 

River Cruise  //  conveniently starting/ending across the way from Leonardo Hotel Mitte, this is a lovely way to spend an hour: cruising along the river listening to a guide point out the main sights. Added bonus: there’s a bar service on board, so we were able to indulge in a beer while we learned - win win!

FREE ATTRACTIONS

Nikolaiviertel  //  the old quarter of the city. Honestly, wandering through the olden time streets is like nothing else in Berlin. Definitely worth a visit. Don’t miss: a beer in Zum Nussbaum and dinner in Zur Gerichtslaube.

Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe  //  a huge open air memorial right in the city centre. An extremely disorienting & powerful experience no matter how many times you see it.

Reichstag Dome  //  free to visit, but pre-booking is required. The vastness of the building never fails to amaze me, & visiting the Dome is a great way to see the city from above.

East Side Gallery  //  a long strip of murals painted directly onto the remnants of the Berlin Wall. 

Neue Wache  //  my favourite memorial in the city, for the victims of war & dictatorship. So simple and yet so effective.

Drink along the riverbank  //  a very Berlin thing to do. Buy some beer in a local newsagent, ask them to open it, & walk along the Spree to find a nice spot to sit. Alternatively, stop at one of the bars along the river - we stopped at Ampelmann one day for a few glasses of rosé. 

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY: 

A Guide to Munich, Germany

Exploring Bremen, Germany

ALL TRAVEL POSTS: 

Our musings for the month ahead are below. They’re largely based on restaurant & travel recommendations... would you really expect anything less? 

Enjoy!

Boyfriend’s birthday is on NYE, and since we’ve been together I’ve actually found myself rather enjoying the day! This past one was especially perfect: croissants, favourite films, an early walk along the seafront, a cocktail or two, dinner out with his parents, & midnight celebrations with his siblings. Bliss!

I’d like to try more new restaurants this year. I recently visited Uno Mas with a friend & resolved to get my butt into town more often to explore new places to eat. This past weekend Boyfriend & I hit up Krewe - a creole restaurant! - and it was beyond delicious. Jealous?

Related: I’ve found the handiest website to help keep track of restaurants in Dublin - All The Food. It has the low-down on basically every single restaurant in the city & it is so helpful!

We were in Lyon for four days back before the Christmas rush & it was everything we dreamed it would be. We ate every single thing that crossed our paths, and we drank many delicious things. Our favourite thing about this city was that we didn’t seem to run into many other tourists. That, and the Museum of Cinema Miniatures, which blew us both away. 

I’m heading off for a quick 1-day jaunt into the country with my mom & sister later this month. We’re hitting up Killashee Hotel in Kildare for a girly night & I am so excited - the place looks stunning! I’ll undoubtedly be sharing snaps on my stories, so be sure to follow along on Instagram if you fancy a sneak peek. 

I’m kind of obsessing over the thought of making a family tree at the moment. I’ll update you on my progress as I go, but I know looking back into my family will bring us to some interesting places across Europe - namely to Germany & Poland during the war. I can’t wait to get stuck in!

On Sunday I baked my first thing of the decade: Christina Tosi’s Crack Pie. I just wanted to make sure the very first thing I baked this decade was going to be delicious, and really, has Crack Pie ever let anyone down? 

I can definitely see these Herbed Garlic Butter Naan in our near future. Just looking at the recipe has my stomach grumbling!

What we’re listening to on repeat: the soundtrack from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. We are obsessed. My favourite track is the ad for Tanya Tanning Butter - it’s so good, you might even burn a little. 

I’ve been doing a good bit of book culling recently. Anything that I wouldn’t read again (or do read again but realize I don’t quite love anymore) gets donated to the charity shop. And anything that I do love/intend to read again gets to keep its place on my shelf. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green is a novel that wholly deserves its place on the shelf. 

An oldie but a goodie: Banana & Chocolate Chip Baked French Toast. I was thinking about making a new recipe for baked french toast with some of the panettone I was gifted at Christmas. Watch this space!

Thanks for reading along, friends. I hope you have a most wonderful month! 

Hugs, 

Vicki xo

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2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct // nov // dec

I’m heading out tonight for my first festive tradition of the year: dinner with a gal pal from work. We go into town, to the same restaurant every year, and the familiarity of this little tradition kind of welcomes in December for me. I love having an excuse to meet up with friends this time of year. 

The musings for the month ahead are below. It’s largely a festive list, filled with homemade gift ideas, wrapping thoughts, Christmas movie lists, and a festive bake or two. It’s lighthearted & I think that’s exactly what we need on these busy December days.

Enjoy!

I threw my first ever Thanksgiving dinner! Sure, there were no Americans in attendance, but the 4 Irish people that were ate so well! I’ve learned the secret to the big day: it’s alllll about the sides. We made turkey with white wine gravy, Parker House rolls, brussels sprouts with bacon, kale & caramelized onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, and candied sweet potatoes. It was so much fun! 

It’s high time we started to think about our homemade holiday gifting ideas. Obviously, we’ve all made up a batch of vanilla extract for our loved ones, but let’s branch out a bit more, shall we? Also on my gifting list this year: homemade cranberry sauce, holiday flavoured simple syrups, and herb salt.

Related: this year’s gifts are going to be adorned with dried orange slices. My mom put the idea into my head the other week & I just can’t shake it out. Imagine how cute they’ll look!

I recently treated myself to this gorgeous tablecloth. I am so in love with it that I’ve since gone back & bought it in a festive green colour. It’s perfect for holiday dinner parties!

Tis’ the season for curling up on the couch to watch festive films! I’ve already compiled a mental list of everything I want to fit into the month ahead, but what’s on your list? I want to make sure we don’t miss any of the classics!

Our love for Al Pacino was reignited recently after we saw The Irishman, and we’ve decided to take a look back at some of his greatest films. So far we’ve indulged in: Panic in Needle Park, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, & the first Godfather. We are far from finished & the interest is still going strong - we have yet to find a film we don’t love!

As much as I like the idea of joining a book club, I’d honestly be too afraid to get involved in a discussion. I’d only really be there for the wine & snacks. Thank goodness for online book clubs! I’m following along with @theslowtravelerbookclub & loving it - there’s no pressure! Last month we read Three Women, & this month we’re reading My Sister, the Serial Killer. It’s fun getting to read & enjoy books that I wouldn’t normally come across. Why don’t you join along?

I am definitely going to find a way to work this Pear Panna Cotta Cake into my December baking list. It looks so beautiful.

An oldie but a goodie, December edition: Christmas Linzer Cookies. It’s been years since I made these & let’s be real - I love a good excuse to dig out my cookie cutters! 

An oldie but a goodie, December edition, part two: Cranberry & White Chocolate Granola. December only comes around once a year & it’s so hard to choose only one festive recipe to share, so I thought we’d go wild and have two. 

Thanks for reading along, friends! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year! 

Hugs, 

Vicki xo

PS, Boyfriend & I are off to Lyon next week! If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be posting to my stories on Instagram. 

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2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct // nov

This time last year I fan-girled over new cookbooks, talked about my favourite book of the moment, shared our new favourite dinner, and reiterated how good my latest recipe was. Looking below, not a whole lot has changed over the last year, and honestly, I find more than a little bit of comfort in that knowledge. If you’d like to read last year’s post, click here.

I hope this fine Monday evening finds you on the couch in your comfy pants, addictive book in hand. We’ll be over here, entertaining Boyfriend’s brother for dinner, living our best life. We’re making a homemade pasta dish for dinner, serving a rustic honey & apple crumble for dessert, and savoring a couple of glasses of red wine along the way. This is what long autumnal nights are made for, right?

Please enjoy the random collection of thoughts & musings below.

November is such a busy birthday month in my family - both my sister & mother have birthdays the day after each other. To make this year extra busy, my sister graduated from college in the same week - with a first! We celebrated with drinks & a fancy lunch out at Coppinger Row. We’re so proud of you, Kid!

Boyfriend did us real proud last month by having not just one, but two of his short films shown in the Horrorthon Film Festival at the IFI here in Dublin. Two! I’m always pretty proud of him, but this was especially wonderful to boast about to others. Congrats, Boyfriend!

In case you missed it: Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars hit the blog a couple of weeks back. It’s basically a pumpkin pie layered between a brown butter shortbread base & a thick layer of crumble. Whatchu waiting for?

I’ve finally put the finishing touches on our Berlin Travel Guide! Be sure to check back next week to catch all the deets. Related: Munich City Guide / Exploring Bremen, Germany.

Hummingbird High’s cookbook Weeknight Baking is finally out! I pre-ordered it way back in August & I was beyond excited when it arrived. I’ve already made the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake & the Overnight Cinnamon Rolls; both of which were amazzzingg.

We booked flights to Lyon! We’re heading off in mid-December for a long weekend of Christmas market-ing and I can’t wait! It’s been two years since we visited a Christmas market & I am long overdue my fill of gluhwein. Related: Vienna in December.

I’m toying with the idea of throwing a small Thanksgiving dinner party. There’ll be no Americans in attendance... but I love the excuse of throwing a dinner party. Am I losing it? These will definitely be on the menu if I do: Herb & Parmesan Cheese Sticks.

This month’s book recommendation: LESS. Boyfriend read it first; he lingered over every word & laughed at every second page. I got so curious that I had to read it before he returned it to the library & I fell for it just as hard! It is amazing.

My new culinary obsession: homemade pasta. It’s literally a breeze to make with my trusty new pasta roller & it never fails to impress guests at dinner parties! This is the recipe I’ve been using & I am in love.

Boyfriend & I went to see a really great photography exhibition recently called View of Ireland: Collecting Photography. It offered a fascinating insight into Ireland through the ages and we would definitely recommend it if you’re in the area!

I have found the most perfect grey nail polish: Rubble, by CND. You are welcome.  

Can we talk about how great Scorsese’s latest film - The Irishman - is quickly? We decided to go to the cinema to see it & loved every second! Honestly, the 3.5 hour epic went by in a flash, and we were so enthralled from the get-go that we’re already looking forward to watching it again on Netflix.

Thanks for reading along friends, I hope you have a wonderful month!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

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2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct