Recipe | Curry Corn soup

Hi guys! Hope you all had a great Christmas this year with family and loved ones.

Today I have another recipe for you! A few weeks ago, I already posted the recipe for a delicious broccoli soup, but today I wanted to share this really great recipe for a curry corn soup with you.

You will need..
- 400 grams of corn
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
- 2 tbs of curry powder
- Splash of cream
- Olive oil

Preparation 
Put a little oil into a pan and simmer the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add 1 litre of vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

Add the corn to the vegetable stock and boil for a minute and add the curry powder. Then blend everything together.

Add a splash of cream and stir this for a bit.

And you're done! Enjoy the soup with a piece of bread. Hmmm, yummy! :)

Hotspot | The Park // New York

During my absence from my blog, I visisted New York in the summer with my mom and brother. For lunch and dinner we visited a number of restaurants and other little places where we had great food, but there's one place I can still remember after all these months; The Park.

We stumbled upon this restaurant completely by accident. We were walking around because we were planning on eating at another restaurant which was full at that moment. Since there were plenty of free tables at The Park we decided to just give it a go.

The front of the building didn't seem that special, but once we stepped inside, I fell in love with it; it had an indoor garden! With real trees, birds flying around and a lot of fairy lights. I had to sit there! It looked really magical! Also, the staff was very friendly and even the manager came to check if everything was allright. Both my brother and I had a steak with fries and my mom had a pizza (if I remember correctly). We all liked it a lot! I even liked it so much, I completely forgot to take pictures (Oopsie!)

I would definitely recommend this place to all of you. If you find yourself in the neighbourhood, definitely go and check it out.

Adress: 118 10th Ave, New York 10011
Website: http://www.theparknyc.com/

DIY | Advent Calender

Happy first advent everyone! Hope you're having a lovely sunday! I had a pretty creative day, making my very own advent calendar. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, if I say so myself and I thought it would be nice to share this with you guys, because... well, I just love advent calendars so much! 

What you need:

- clothing hanger

- Twentyfour little gifts and/or candy

- Wrapping paper

- Ribbons

- Wrapping string

- Number tags 

I'm guessing this is quite straightforward, but I'll explain it anyways. 

I started with numbering the tags from '1' to '24' because there are just twentyfour days until Christmas when you open your first gift. Hooray! Then you just wrap your little gifts with wrapping paper. Use ribbons or wrapping strings to attach the tags on you presents. I thought it was a nice idea to save the biggest gift for the 24th day, just to start Christmas off with a bang! After you've attached all the tags, you tie a string on to the back of the gifts so you can hang it from the clothing hanger.

Now all you need to do is to find a nice spot to hang your advent calendar. I liked to hang it somewhere I can always see it, for that extra christmassy feel. 

Do you make your own calendars? Or would you rather just buy them? Let me know in the comments! :) 

Where to buy:

- White envelope with zilver hearts/ Søstrene Grene

- Brown envelopes / Søstrene Grene

- Red & White ribbons / Søstrene Grene

- Brown wrappingpaper / Søstrene Grene

- Clothing hanger / Søstrene Grene

- Red wrapping paper / Action

- Red wrapping string / Albert Heijn

DIY | Art behind glass

A little while ago, my mom brought me a beautiful gift from Egypt. A piece of papyrus with a depiction of the 'Tree of Life'. This lovely piece of art definitely needed a frame of its own. But instead of using a passe partout, I decided to change things up a little.

Oh and guys! Specially for this post, I stepped out of my comfortzone and tried something new; I made a video for it! First one ever! It's not really special and it's definitely not high end, I'm still learning. Bear with me! :)

What you'll need:

Two identical picture frames & the picture you want to be on display

(that's all!)

Step 1

Take away the backing board and passe partout of both picture frames.

Step 2

Take away the glass from only one of the frames

Step 3

After you've put your picture in the frame, you lay the glass from the other frame on top of it (instead of using the backing board)

Et voila! That's it. It's so simple!

Recipe | Delicious and healthy broccoli soup

Soup! Perfect as a starter, or just as a meal in itself. Recently, I started eating more soups because they warm me up now the days are getting colder and colder and they are delicious and healthy. So I jumped into the world of soups and noticed that you can make soup out of basically anything! I have always been a tomatosoup kind of girl, but I was so intrigued by the idea of making soup from broccoli that I decided to give it a go and it was delicious! 

You will need..

- 500 grams of broccoli (florets + stems)

- 2 potatos

- 1 onion

- 1 litre of vegetable stock

- Cream

- Few leaves of fresh basil

- Bits of bacon (if you're feeling cheeky)

Preparation

Chop up the onion, potato and the broccoli. 

Bring the vegetable stock to the boil and add the broccoli, potatos and onion. Let this simmer for about 12 minutes.  

Blend everything together untill it has a smooth texture. 

I like to serve the soup with a few fresh leaves of basil and a few bits of bacon

And you're done! Enjoy your healthy soup!

Do you like eating soup? Tell me what your favorite is in the comments.

An autumnal walk

So... my last blog entry was about how I loved it that spring was finally there (oops!), and all of a sudden, autumn has arrived already! A lot has happened since the last time I wrote; I finally graduated from university (YAY!) and I went to Paris and New York. 

Right now I'm giving myself some time to figure out what I want, and what better way to think, than to have an autumnal walk in the woods.

I think that every season has something that makes me happy, but I truely believe that autumn is my absolute favorite season. I love the colours, the smells and the way it makes me feel cosy. It inspires me to do things and get creative!  

What is your favorite season? Do you also share my love for autumn? I'd love to read about it in the comments.

I ♡ SPRING!

SPRING'S FINALLY HERE!!!

Oohh how I love spring. It's my favourite season, the birds sing, flowers bloom and my mood gets an instant power boost! 

Over the past few months, I felt quite poopy. There wasn't any progress going on in my life and I felt like I was living in this big grey blur. But now the flowers are blooming and the temperature rises, I feel like I can take on the world again. I'm always amazed by how such a small change in season can make me feel brand new again, every single year. It's sparks me to be more active, more creative and to go out more! 

So, guys! What are we waiting for? Let's go out and do the things we want to do, because.. IT'S SPRING!!

YESS! LET'S DO THIS!! 

DIY | Colourful Coasters!

Hi guys! It has been sooooo long since my last DIY. So I thought the time was right to do one again! Yay!

This time I'll show you how to make some really cool and colourful yet very simple coasters. 

What you'll need:

- Acrylic paint

- Cork coasters

- Masking tape

- Scissors

Step 1

Start of with thinking of any kind of shape you like. Weave the masking tape onto a hard surface. For instance your desk or a cutting board. Onto this masking tape, draw the shape you'd like to appear on the coasters. Then cut out this shape. 

Step 2

Stick your shape onto the coaster. If you like, you can do the same for the other side of the coaster, in order for it to have two identical sides. But you're free to choose ofcourse :)

Be careful! Make sure you know what parts of the shape you want to be coloured in and which parts you want to stay blank. For this coaster I decided to only colour in the outer edges so that the rectangular shape stays blank. For the other coaster, I applied masking tape onto the whole coaster, and then cut away the parts I wanted to be coloured in. *Looking at it now, it looks a lot like the Xbox logo.. right? :) *

Step 3
Start painting the open surfaces. I recommend using acrylic paint since it's waterproof, so you don't have to worry about unexpected paint stains on your table. :)
Let the first layer of paint dry and apply a second (or maybe even third) layer. Repeat this step for the other side of the coaster.

Step 4

After the paint has dried completely, gently pull of the masking tape. And there you have it, some pretty but very simple to make coasters! 

Follow me on Bloglovin'

I'm stressed out!

Remember number 13 on my list of 25 things you didn't know about me? Yeah, that exact thing is annoying the *bleep* out of me! I'm having trouble sleeping for the last couple of nights because I just keep on overthinking everything I still need to do and problems I'm facing at the moment. Right now there's just a lot going on in my life

First I couldn't sleep because we had trouble finding a new place to live. We kept on getting rejected for apartments because we're still students and we don't have a lot of money to pay on rent. And in my opinion, these landlords are demanding way too high incomes for a relatively low rent. So I got a little stressed out about that, since we are forced to leave our current home at the 2nd of March. It's getting demolished... 

BUT THEN! We finally found an apartement! We got lucky though, because also this landlord was doubting us for our income, but in the end he made up his mind and chose US to rent his appartment! Yay! I was so ecstatic! However, me being me, this resulted in sleepless nights because I wished I could move in immediately. In my head, the entire apartment is already furnished and decorated and looks so pretty! 

Unfortunately, this happiness was soon to be interrupted by the organization from which we rent our current home. We're facing some issues which is beyond our responsibility, and they are not helping us whatsoever. Worse even, they're trying to make their problems ours. It makes me so mad! Yet again a reason for me to stay awake the entire night. Ugh! 

I can't wait to move into our new apartment guys! I want all these problems to be over and just start with a new, pretty apartment. And get some sleep during the nights :)

Do you also have sleepless nights when something is going on in you're life? Or are you able to relax every night no matter what? If so, tell me your secret! Please! :D

busy, Busy, BUSY!

Hi guys! Some of you may have noticed that for the last few weeks I've been posting blogs on a daily basis, even though I used to post only on wednesday and sunday in the past. I had enough time to do this since I had a 'winter break' from uni and I just had a lot of free time.

This is sadly going to change from now on. Uni is starting again and I have to take up writing my bachelor thesis. And that's not all. My boyfriend and I found a new place to live! We're going to live in The Hague and it's a more permanent living space, instead of the anti-squatting houses I got used to over the past 4 years. I'm so excited to move there that I've actually had trouble sleeping the past couple of nights!

So, from now on, my days will be filled with writing, homework and packing my (ridiculous large collection of) stuff! I'll go back to my old routine when it comes to blogging; which means I'll post every wednesday and sunday.

I hope you all understand my decision. 

Byee x

25 Things you didn't know about me!

1. I don't like peanutbutter Yuck!


2. I'm afraid of swimming in lakes, oceans, seas.. whatever. If it's not a pool (or a bathtub), I'm not swimming in it. 


3. I'm obsessed with Loekie, the stuffed animal I got when I was born. He's the one thing I'd take if my house was to be on fire. 


4. Birds scare the hell out of me.


5. I'm also scared of needles.


6. I think flowers don't make a great gift. I mean.. they die. 


7. As a little kid, I looked like a boy because one day I decided to cut my own hair. 


8. I also ran away a lot. I climbed over fences and everything. What can a say.. a true adventurer maybe? 


9. I suffer from hypodontia... yes I'm missing a pair of teeth :'( Got fake ones though, don't be scared! 


10. I also suffer from lordosis (bad back)


11. I'm not a big fan of ice cream, it's too cold!


12. I have to eat a piece of candy after every meal. As a kind of dessert! 


13. I never really stress about stuff, but when I do, it's always at night!


14. I hardly wear make-up. Sometimes only a little mascara.  


15. I can't stand messy houses. It makes me itchy. 


16. Normally I'm quite friendly and relaxed, but as soon as I get in a car, I turn into a screaming, short-tempered maniac. 


17. Which is maybe why I don't like driving cars that much. 


18. I suck at reading books. It can take me ages to finish a book. 


19. Actually, I suck at reading in general. I always end up sleeping somehow. 


20. I really like studying though. When I was little, I created my own homework. Yes, I think I'm an alien.


21. I don't like going out to party. 


22. Which is maybe why I've never been drunk before.


23. I only have short-term hobbies. Drawing, crocheting, painting.. whatever it is. After a few months I just have enough of it and I go on to the next hobby. 


24. I love the smell of gasoline. 


25. I'm the worst in watching movies. I want to know how the movie ends before watching it. Same with books, I always read the last page before I begin reading. 

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Things you can do for free in Vienna

Vienna is a great city to explore, but you don't necessarily have to spend money to do this. There are so many sights and things to see which will give you a great look at Vienna without paying for something. So here is my list of things you can do for free in Vienna! 

St. Stephans Cathredral

One of the most impressive cathedrals in Vienna is St. Stephens Cathedral. It may be one of my favorite cathedrals until now, and especially at night it's lit up so beautifully! It's breathtaking. The best part of this all, you can visit this beauty for free! Ofcourse, when you pay a little you're able to get access to parts of the church which you won't have otherwise. But still, you can get a pretty good look at the interior of this beautiful cathedral without spending a dime!

Gardens of Schloss Schönbrunn

If you're interested in going to Vienna, you may have heard or read about Schloss Schönbrunn, a beautiful palace for emperor Leopold I and later Maria Theresa. This palace is a beauty from both the in- and outside which you can see buy buying a ticket. However, you don't have to buy a ticket for the gardens around the palace!

'Unfortunately' it snowed when we were there, so the gardens were covered in a thick layer of snow, but if you can believe the advertisements, these gardens are supposed to be gorgeous! 

  

Gardens of Belvedere

The same story goes for the gardens at Belvedere palace.. all covered in a thick layer of snow. Nevertheless, I had a great time there! For free! Of course you need to pay to see the palace and it's art, but the gardens have free access. 

Hundertwasserhaus

If you're into modern art, but not willing to spend a lot of money, you might consider visiting the Hundertwasserhaus. This apartment building was designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and has such a quirky exterior. I've never seen something like it before. All the colors and organic form were new for me, well.. for an apartment building that is. 

Shoppingstreet
And ofcourse, you can go windowshopping in the shoppingstreet; Kärntnerstrasse. It's always nice to see how shops differ from you own country and there's always a little street entertainment.

If you've ever been to Vienna, what did you do for free? Let me know in the comments!

Follow me on Bloglovin'

5 reasons to love Vienna

Pots of tea
As a person with a serious tea addiction, I'm so happy with the Viennese (Austrian) way of serving tea; pots of tea! Instead of just getting one cup of tea which I'm used to in the Netherlands, I got pots of tea in Vienna, out of which I could get three cups of tea! Great move Vienna! You've just won my heart!

Sacher-torte

If you've read my last posts about Vienna, you might know that I kind of fell in love with Sacher-torte. I ate it every single day during my stay! (Sorry, not sorry!) The chocolate and apricot jam cake is working its gravitational pull on me big time *sigh*. I'm such a sucker for chocolate. Franz Sacher, I love you for inventing this cake!

Friendly people

It might sound a little corny, but the people in Vienna are really friendly! We got waved off from the airport in the Netherlands by a woman who clearly didn't like travelling people, but we were welcomed by the lovely people in Vienna with a bright smile. Everywhere we went there were people willing to help us and in the restaurants the staff helped us with our german. 

Impressive buildings

I love the way how Vienna looks so very majestic. All the buildings are so great and impressive, as if they're little palaces on their own. Even the regular apartmentbuildings are decorated with beautiful baroque ornaments. I wish I could live in a building like that. 

It's history

Vienna has such a rich history! When you walk through the city, you can see it all around you. I could practically hear the music of Strauss and Mozart troughout the city and the beautiful palaces of Schönbrunn and Belvedere brought me back in time within seconds!

Have you every been to Vienna? What are your reasons to love Vienna? Let me know in the comments!

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Hotspot | Café Sacher // Vienna

One of the things I wanted to do in Vienna was to eat the original Sacher-torte at Café Sacher. And so we did! First we went there on a sunday, but there was an actual waiting line outside of the café, and even though I really like cake, my need wasn't big enough to wait in the cold! So we decided to wait. 

The next day, after eating at Figlmüller (yes, the restaurant with the enormous schnitzel I couldn't finish), we decided to go for a little evening walk. Again, we passed café Sacher, but this time there was no waiting line, in fact, it wasn't busy at all! So we took our chance and stepped in (because there's always space for desert, right?) 

A table was offered to us and we got the menu, of course we didn't have to think about what we should take. We both ordered a piece of the original Sacher-torte and tea which was specially put together for Café Sacher. 

GUYS! Guys! It was DE-LI-CIOUS! Maybe the best Sacher-torte I ate during my stay in Vienna. I think I could eat a whole cake if I wanted to, but you know how it is.. we've got to think about our weight (I was trying to lose some)!

If you're ever in Vienna, definitely check out this place. It's not that expensive. This piece of Sacher-torte was €5,30 and the tea was €4,90. Not that bad right? Also, the cafe is opened every day from 8 am until 12 am. So you can eat there whenever you feel like it!

Adress: Philharmonikerstrasse 4, Vienna

Website: http://www.sacher.com/

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Things you can do for free in Bratislava

A few days ago, you could read about my thoughts on Bratislava. We visited Bratislava on a monday, the day that all the musea are closed, but still we managed to have fun there. Without spending any money! (Well.. except for getting something to eat ofcourse). So what did we do in the hours we spend there? 

The historical city center
Bratislava has a beautiful old city center! Definitely worth checking this out when you're there. It has many old buildings, and when we got there, there was a little snow, so that it all the more like a fairytale-ish city center. I especially liked the city center when it got a little dark. It looked so cosy and cute!

The view from castle 'Hrad'
WOW! Just.. wow! Wat a stunning view we had from the hill on which castle 'Hrad' is located. We could see the entire city of Bratislava!

Visit multiple churches
Bratislava has many little churches you can check out while you're walking through the city. I especially liked the church of St. Elizabeth a.k.a 'Blue Church'.

The view from the UFO bridge
There is an enormous bridge crossing the Danube river, which will give you an amazing view over the river! Also, above the bridge is the UFO tower. This tower will give you access to an even more stunning view from a height of 95 metres! But you'll have to pay €6,-. So even you don't want to spend a lot of money, the bridge is fine, too!

Have you ever been to Bratislava? If so, what did you do there? 

Follow me on Bloglovin'