There are many things we have to look forward to here in Zürich during the summer: the sun, a bustling atmosphere along the lake, pedal boats, hiking among wild flowers, picnics… and the Swedish Summer Smörgåsbord at Au Premier restaurant.

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As I have just passed another anniversary here in Zürich (4 years !), I’ll try not to go on and on about how much I am still in love with this city – during the hot, sunny summers, in the rain, in the snow, in the winter, spring, summer and fall…  But it’s true.  10 years with my husband and it’s like we just met, and 4 years in Zürich and it’s like I just moved here.  I never tire of the picturesque views of the mountains overlooking the lake (my reaction is still to grab my camera); and my eyes still grow wider when I turn the corner of a favorite charming street in the old town.

Best of all, while continuously rediscovering the same pleasures, there is so much to discover for the first time.  There is always something new and different here, be it a music festival, an art exhibit or a funny local holiday.  Or my favorite (but of course), while less frequent, are the sweet happenings.  Ladurée coming to town, Switzerland’s first Salon du Chocolat and a nougat shop, to name three delicious highlights.  And now here’s where you’ll most likely find me … at the new and most certainly improved Café Milchbar, which just (re)opened its doors on June 23rd.

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I love medieval villages.  (Murten/Morat, Gruyères, Stein am Rhein and Chur to name a few.)  The more crooked the structures, the more mismatched the bricks and stones and wooden beams, the more I’m fascinated.  Whether in Switzerland, France, Italy or Portugal, I roam up and down the roughly cobbled streets of these labyrinthine villages, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the imposing doors and the seemingly indestructible ironwork.  I could listen for hours to my husband (or his encyclopedic father) share historical tidbits, while I gaze up at the years engraved into the buildings going back well beyond the 15th century.  All I can say is, thank goodness for digital film.  Every blink of the eye is a photo opportunity.

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I still remember meeting Markus Mennig back in 2003 in New York City.  He was one in a group of friends who went to the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, and I was simply fascinated when he told me he was from Zermatt.  Little did I know then that not only would I be living in Switzerland myself one day, but I’d be eating at his family’s restaurant too. More importantly, after 8 years of hearing about it, I finally tasted their famous millefeuille… Read the rest of this story >>

It’s not that I’ve been keeping it a secret from you.  I simply never mentioned one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Zürich.  It’s where I have a monthly lunch date with a friend.  It’s where my mom asks to go for lunch as soon as she arrives at the airport here.  It’s where I take friends who are visiting, as well as my carnivorous husband.  It’s Hiltl, Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, since 1898.

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Many of you may have heard the buzz on the internet and certainly on Twitter about Food Blogger Connect (fbc) in London.  I had the pleasure of speaking at this dynamic, fun and informative conference, that brought food bloggers from the UK and around the world together to share ideas and learn from one another.  I presented with Jeanne of Cook Sister! and Jamie of Life’s a Feast on writing style and how to find your voice; and with Julia of A Slice of Cherry Pie about getting published and finding feature work.  Other talks that had me furiously taking notes were on dissecting my camera by Hilda of Saffron & Blueberry, and on achieving magazine cover-worthy photographs by talented stylists Meeta of What’s for Lunch, Honey? and Mowie of Mowielicious (who revealed “my many faces” on his fbc blog post).  All in all, it was a very successful event, put together by Bethany of Dirty Kitchen Secrets and her little elves.  Keep an eye on the fbc site for updates and blog posts by participants, and be sure to check out the video too.  If you attended fbc10, I’d love to hear what you thought.

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During my few days in Belize, I had more variations of the key lime pie than I can ever remember.  For one thing, I used to shy away from lemon or lime. Secondly, I live in Switzerland, not quite the Florida Keys.

As you may know, I am a huge fan of meringue. And I tend to gravitate toward any dessert that is made with soft, sweet meringue. There was no hesitation on my part at Ka’ana Boutique Resort in San Ignacio, where a lemon meringue pie was on the menu. Out came an oversize triangular slice of pie with tall meringue piled atop a tart crust and lemon filling, a diner classic (accompanied by a scoop of that bright pink dragon fruit gelato). Citrus and meringue showed up next at Elvi’s Kitchen, where Ms. Elvi is keeping her key lime pie recipe a top secret. But just up the road in San Pedro, another chef was busy in the kitchen perfecting his take on the dessert as well. And his recipe… is below.

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As much as I love discovering new restaurants and the thrill of hanging with the chef and being behind-the-scenes, I don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen.  I also want to get outside and explore.  To me, that means visiting the town – taking a stroll on Main Street, which oftentimes is the only street around.  That’s the way to get a feel for what the locals do during the day, where they hang out, how they dress, the dialect they use amongst themselves and of course,… what they eat.

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It certainly was a blast hanging out in the kitchen of La Ceiba restaurant in Belize.  When you have a chef as down-to-earth as Sean Kuylen and as passionate about cooking as he is, it seemed like it was a true pleasure for him too to have me by his side.  Between flipping flour tortillas on the griddle, he ran over to have me smell fresh herbs just collected from the garden.  After placing banana leaves on a row of plates as presentation, he quickly scurried over to lift the lid from a pot so I could breathe in the fantastic aromas of coconut milk and paprika.  But best of all was when we started talking about dessert.

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You just had a little photographic taste of my trip to Belize and are now raring to go with a list of must-do activities too.  But as many of you expressed in the comments, there’s something else you’re keen on reading about here.  What was I eating while in Belize?  It wasn’t all rice and beans, that’s for sure. So let’s head right into the kitchen!

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