GlobeTrotteuse

Now is my little family together again. My daughter arrived yesterday and it feels so wonderful to have almost 4 weeks in front of us. As every year I cook extra healthy and low carb food in order to enable us , girls, to loose some kilos. Today I tried a fantastic cheesecake based on ricotta cheese, zucchini and eggs and without any carbs. I sprinkled the cheesecake with some pancetta but for a vegetarian version I would use roasted pine nuts. Really delicious dish which I stole from a wonderful blog. The recipe can be found here.

Yesterday we cleaned our house for the entire day. My husband cleaned the terraces, which became so fresh after he rinsed them with water. I had a help of a local lady to clean the inside of the house. We cleaned all windows, polished the wood furnitures with a special treatment, washed whatever was washable, exchanged bedlinen, towels and filled vases with fresh flowers. The cleaning itself is like a detox for my mind and I always feel so liberated after the cleaning. Later I collected some of the dry lavender flowers and put them in jars which I placed in each bathroom. I also lighted some lavender candles which I always buy in our local shop. So the smell and the tired muscles made my sleep very deep this night. And what a morning to wake up to the freshness of a super clean house....

As I mentioned earlier, today it was al fresco dining on our terrace. Just my husband and I. Tomorrow we will be out for dinner together with our friends. Monday is already reserved for the last preparation and on Tuesday is Macky here. Summer has never been better.....

Just came back from the market and happy to be back on our colline. The Apt market was crowded today like never before. The end of July an August are the most touristic months in Provence and this is why we leave our home only if necessary. So fruits, vegetables, fish and bread is purchased and we can relax at the pool side again. Next week will my daughter arrive and we are looking so much to have her here for almost one month.

Today it was time for an excursion again. We went to Mont Ventoux which is the highest point in Vaucluse with altitude 1912m. It is a popular spot for biking and along the roads there are many men and women in all ages trying to reach this top. On the way down we drove 70km/h and we were passed by several cyclists. This is no without danger and each year there are unfortunately many accidents. However, this is a natural beauty for all senses....

An excellent soup. I roasted small tasty tomatoes (cut in half) together with some gloves of garlic (skin on), olive oil and salt in oven for 30min at 175°C. Then I removed the skin from the garlic and mixed everything together in a mixer. I also added a spoon of tomato paste and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Then I strained the soup through a colander. I did not added any bouillon or water, just kept it as is. Together with that I served a creme mixture of a soft goat cheese and greek yoghurt. The combination of the sweet roasted tomatoes and the goat cheese is really delicious. I enjoyed the soup cold but you can eat it warm as well. I also drizzled litlle of olive oil on top of the soup and sprinkled over a few pine nuts and some basil leaves. This soup will definitely stay on my menu. The next time I invite my friends for dinner I will serve it as a starter.

Today it is France national day, in France, it is formally called La Fête National. You remember well from the school that this is the day which celebrates the storming of the Bastille 1789. We have had a quit day without seeing any differences to other days but in the villages and cities there are and will be many festivities. We will watch the fireworks from our terrace later tonight. Tomorrow it is working day even for us as our french teacher will come.

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Now when the tomatoes are in season I often serve a tomato salsa to grilled fish or poultry. It serves both as a salad and a sauce and it is very healthy. You can make it spicy by adding chili flakes or even better fresh chili. The recipe is simple, but it is important to let the salsa rest some hours in the fridge in order to allow  the ingredients come together.

....and the ambition to cook is slowing down. Simple food is on the menu. The fresh ingredients are so delicious so they do not need much treatment. We are enjoying the days at the pool side with books, french lessons and our latest enjoyment is to listen to audio books. Unfortunately, the cicadas are so loud that we need to wait until the evening when they get silent :)

It is hot in Provence 30+°C and without rain the last 4 weeks. This is the Provencal summer which has two sides. On one side it is pleasant with sunny days, bathing and warm nights. While the other side is related to the drought, fires and water shortage. Every day we glance to the sky and hoping for rain but  the sky is blue and without a single cloud. When it comes to the food, the best method is to open the fridge and to compose your plate of the things you can find there. This is what I did today....a piece of melon, goat cheese, basil, avocado and some drizzle of good olive oil.

These two stray cats are our daily guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As soon as we open the windows in the morning they are there waiting to be served. They always keep a distance to you and do not allow you to touch them as they are truly vagabonds.

.....it gives so much pleasure and inspiration that I can not described it enough with words. Emerveillez vous....

I have not paid attention, first after I have found small fallen berries on the ground, that our old mulberry tree produces, very sweet and tasty berries. It is a really beautiful product of mother nature, both the trees and the berries.....

The strong wind "Mistral" which disturbed us the two last days is gone and the hot weather arrived. Our pool has reached the temperature of 27°C which makes it is very pleasant for taking a swim. We enjoyed the Sunday with some gardening, watering, swimming and resting at the pool side with books and sudoku. When the weather is hot we eat only light lunch and have some fish or chicken for dinner. The tomato season has just started and there is an incredible selection of different varieties of tomatoes on the market. I made a salad of them and served it together with goat cheese. This is my preferred type of summer food. I eat tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Provence they taste rather fruit than vegetable. In the evening we always drink tisane (herbal tea), it is a kind of ritual, tasty and healthy :) We also lighted up an oil lamp and a lot of candles....and I wonder if I would be brave enough and spend a whole night outside, sleeping in pool house. Not sure, the night belongs to the animals and I am not sure whoever crosses our plot during the nights.....

After having returned home we were busy with watering lavender bushes, arranging and cleaning our terraces, shopping etc. On our way home we lost our luggage so we had a lot of communication before the luggage was delivered to our home.

I always find a great inspiration in Sweden. Every time I return from Sweden i want to change the interior of our house, try new dishes, change my dresses and on and on. This time I brought with me a little of the freshness of the Swedish summer design, few napkins and cushions and what effect it makes.

We are back home after almost two weeks in Sweden. After some time in the country side I really appreciate the city life again. Just strolling around, shopping, drinking coffee at one of all those cozy cafes. We spent the Midsummer in the Stockholm's archipelago which is one of the MUST BEFORE YOU DIE, more swedish it couldn't be. Then I enjoyed my time in Stockholm, visiting Jessica, my hairdresser, making a facial treatment, manicure and pedicure. This time I tried a manicure wit UV-treatment which make the polish more resistant and they promise it should keep up to 4 weeks...really wonderful. So here are some moments from this wonderful time.