Weekending

I love weekends. Love, love, love.

Lately, however, I feel like I haven't had a true weekend-- either I'm travelling for interviews (fun, but exhausting), or catching up on the work I missed/will miss because of interviews (not so exhausting, but considerably less fun.)

At any rate, this past weekend was true, beautiful weekend, and I loved it.

Like all good weekends, it started on Thursday night-- a trip Sugarland with Maddie and Lauren. We ended up skipping the famous frozen martinis (of Food Network fame!) and instead settled for coffee, gelato, and hours of good conversation. Amazing.

Saturday, I tackled my longest run since 2008-- 16 ginormous miles. I'll be honest-- it was hard. Really, really, surprisingly hard. For whatever reason, my running brain simply wasn't "on." Just six miles in, I started to get hot, antsy, and simply tired of running. I still got the miles in, but certainly never had the amazing, I-love-running! sort of feeling. It was a little disconcerting, seeing as I have a half next weekend, but I'm just pegging it as a bad-run fluke.

At any rate, Saturday's horrible run was completely redeemed on Sunday.

Why? Because I spent the majority of yesterday hiking through this:

And meandering by this:

And soaking in views like this:

All the while enjoying fantastic conversation with my lovely friend Hannah.

It had been a year and a half since Hannah and I had seen each other, and despite post cards and Skype Dates, it was absolutely amazing to catch up in person. Hanging Rock State Park is one of my favorite little nooks in North Carolina, and the fall foliage and crisp air were simply perfect.

While 16 mile run on Saturday + 6 mile hike on Sunday = sad, sad knees, it was totally, without question, worth it. 

Swiss Fondue (Neuchâteloise)

Let's talk fondue.

Prior to coming to Switzerland, I wasn't exactly a fondue person. Oh sure, I had eaten fondue before-- dinners at The Melting Pot, dipping bits of fruit or cake into melted chocolate. But I didn't really get fondue. For me, fondue was simply a quirky meal-- more of a grown-up way of playing with your food than an actual dinner.

Then I came to Switzerland.

In Switzerland, fondue is more than just a fun treat, but a common, delicious dinner. Since the founding of the Swiss Cheese Union (yes, this exists) in the 1800s, fondue has been the national dish of Switzerland. In addition to being a symbol of national pride, different regions of Switzerland have also put their unique spin on the dish--altering the cheese or wine used, or adding in new ingredients, like mushrooms or potatoes. In short? Swiss fondue is unique, delicious, and something definitely worth experiencing.

I'll be honest: as delicious as fondue is, this probably isn't the best time of year to post a recipe for hot melted cheese. As the weather turns warmer (and swim suit season draws nearer), recipes for fresh salads and cold smoothies seem far more appropriate. Nevertheless, Ben and I have been eating a lot of fondue lately, and considering that I'm about to leave the country of cheese in just over two (two!) weeks, I thought it was high time to post a recipe for fondue.

Although there are a lot of variations on Swiss fondue, this is my personal favorite: Fondue Neuchateloise, from the Neuchatel region of Switzerland. Enjoy!

Recipe
(adopted from....nowhere! I watched a Swiss lady make this, and took good notes.)

Ingredients
Equal parts Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese (about 1/2 a pound each, perhaps?)
1 cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons kirsch*
Black pepper, to taste**

*Kirsch is a cherry-flavored Swiss/German liquor. When I make fondue at home, I usually leave it out (it's a bit pricey), but it definitely adds a nice flavor.
**In addition to pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice, or parsley can also be nice.

Step 1: Grate the cheese and smash the garlic.

Step 2: Smear the garlic along the inside of a large fondue pot. Add the wine, and simmer on low heat.

wine and garlic.

Step 3: Slowly add the cheese, stirring continually. Be careful not to let the cheese boil.

melted cheese! mmm....!

Step 4: When the cheese is completely melted (this can take a while, so don't worry if you've still got some clumps!), add the cornstarch and kirsch. Increase the heat until cheese is barely bubbling, then add pepper and other spices (nutmeg, etc.) if desired. 

my personal favorite: neuchateloise fondue and a granny
smith apple. YUM. 

Step 5: Serve with fresh bread, small potatoes, or (my favorite) crisp apples. Enjoy! 

bon appetit!

Easter Weekend: Bicycles, Basil, and Productivity

My Easter weekend was unusual, to say the least. There was no egg-dying, no jelly bean eating, and no visit from the Easter Bunny. More importantly, there was no Sunday morning church*, no Easter Dinner at my Grandma's, and no time spent with my wonderful family.

There was also no weekend trip, a bit of a departure from my past several weekends. Although a group of my friends headed south to Lugano, a charming town near the Swiss-Italian border, I opted to pass.

So what did I do this weekend?

 Read. Eat. Run. Analyze Data. Catch up on my massive to-do list. The next few weeks are going to be absolutely nuts (we've got visitors for about three weeks straight), and as boring as it may sound, I really just needed a weekend to catch up (and maybe even get ahead?) on life. I really do love being on the go-go-go, but sometimes I think we all need to stop, breathe, and recharge our batteries.

Some highlights from my (relaxing, recharging, rejuvenating) Easter weekend: 

• Perhaps the most dramatic happening: I was run over by a bicycle! In Lausanne, we have these things I've nicknamed "bug clouds." While running, every thirty feet or so, I'll come across a dense swarm of bugs. The swarms are about ten square feet, three feet off the ground, and often difficult to see until you're practically inside them. If you're not careful, you'll end up with bugs in your ears, bugs in you eyes, and a lovely painting of bugs splattered across your shirt.
  
   I've gotten decently good at avoiding the obstacles, but the kid biking on the other side of the running path clearly had not. He hit a bug cloud, sharply turned, and barreled into me with full speed, leaving my legs and arms a scraped and bloody mess. Fortunately, I wasn't actually injured (the Geneva Half Marathon is definitely still happening) but it certainly didn't make for a happy run.
  
  
• On Saturday, Ben and I took a lovely stroll by the lake. I got two scoops of my favorite ice cream, we listened to a couple songs by an outdoor band, and even spotted some local wild life! 

what, you didn't know camels and zebras are native to switzerland?
my best guess was some sort of circus, but I really have no idea
why these guys were hanging out in the parking lot by ouchy.

along with the camels and zebras: a cage of doves.

there was some sort of charity event going on on saturday-- for 1 CHF, you
could purchase a dyed egg to place in the egg mosaic. the proceeds went
to a local charity supporting the families of children with chronic illnesses. 

ben and I each bought a yellow egg. 

ben: take a picture of me by the flower clock. 

vanessa: that picture was boring. do something exciting, like....act like a
clock.... (I am so strange. I still can't figure out why he humors me...)

• We've been talking about it for a while, but Ben and I finally got our own little baby basil plants! I love fresh basil, and am already dreaming of fantastic summer pesto. 

re-potting the baby basil plants!

so excited for fresh basil! I added a little to my favorite tomato soup
on saturday, and it was fantastic!

our new baby basil plants, aka, pesto 1 and pesto 2 :)

• The weather's been fantastic lately. I'm a total warm-weather person (cold weather is only good for skiing and Christmas) and have been happily putting aside my sweaters and pulling out the flip-flops.

the only downside to the ever-warming weather? the lovely tulips
are starting to die :(

*I did, however, go to a lovely Good Friday service on Friday evening. The music was beautiful, even if I couldn't understand a bit of the French.  

Spinach and Gruyere Strata

spinach + egg + gruyere. what more do you need?

Whenever I see recipes that actually call for Gruyere, I'm always excited. You see, in the States, Gruyere is a treat. It's something that requires a special trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, and it's almost always outside of my grocery budget.

But in Switzerland? Gruyere is not only the cheapest cheese available, but is also found absolutely everywhere. Grocery stores, tiny markets, even gas stations all stock this nutty, semi-firm delicacy and I honestly can't get enough of it. Although I use Gruyere in pretty much everything-- grilled cheese, macaroni, scrambled eggs-- I've also been trying to take advantage of its availability and make several Gruyere-specific recipes. This strata is without a doubt one of my favorites.

Recipe
(adopted from this recipe)


Ingredients
6 cups stale bread, torn
3 tbs melted butter + 1 tbs softened butter
2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites
1.5 cups milk
2 tbs fresh sage, torn
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 cups Gruyere, grated
1 ounce Parmesan, grated
2.5 cups spinach
Salt and Pepper

mmm...stale bread!

Step 1: Using the softened butter, grease a medium-sized casserole dish

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the milk, sage, salt, pepper, melted butter, and garlic.

Step 3: Add the torn bread, spinach, and Gruyere. Make sure each piece of bread has fully absorbed the egg mixture.

whisk eggs, add bread, add spinach. 

Step 4:  Pour the egg-bread-spinach mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit on the counter for 1-2 hours (this is a great time to squeeze in a run!). At this point, you can also leave the strata overnight in the fridge. 

ready for the oven!

Step 5:  Bake until the top is brown and puffed and the strata is cooked through. In our crazy oven, this was about an hour, but the actual recipe calls for 45 minutes at 375 F.

bon appetit!

Scatter Post

The past few days, I've been in total scatter brain mode. My mind keeps darting from one project to another, and it's honestly left me in a bit of a (happy, excited, exhausted) jumble.

Here's what's been on my crazy-scatted mind:

• Running.  How could it not, given that my friend Amy ran the Annecy Marathon on Sunday and the stellar performance in Boston on Monday? Lately, I've been in a total running groove and to be honest, it's been fantastic. I'm super excited for the Geneva Half Marathon and to add some more races to my schedule.

finally warm enough to run in shorts :)

• Research. Is. Exploding. In what felt like a millisecond, I went from feeling like I had no data whatsoever to being up to my ears in numbers, graphs, and images. On the one hand, it's crazy-awesome-exciting to realize that my hours upon hours in lab are really starting to come together. On the other, it's sort of hard to stay afloat. What can I say? When it rains, it pours

lots and lots and lots of microscoping...

• The Mega-Veggie Scramble.  I'm not coordinated enough to make an omelette, but I love mixing massive amounts of veggies into ordinary scrambled eggs. Add in a little garlic and some gruyere cheese and voila! Delicious dinner in ten minutes. Fantastic. 

colorful, protein-packed perfection. 

• Spring.  It's here, folks. In full, beautiful force. Love it, love it, love it

love spring flowers :)

• Switzerland. Two months. Two months! Two months until I bid farewell to this amazing, amazing country and head back to the wonderful U S of A. It seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane, fresh-faced and exciting, searching for an apartment and trying to remember everyone's name in lab. While part of me is definitely excited to return home-- I definitely miss my family, friends, and Mexican food-- I'm also not quite sure I'm ready to leave. What can I say? I'm in love with this place. 

the gorgeous gruyere region. full disclosure: my amazing friend daniella
took this photo, not me. 

• Blogging. I've always enjoyed this little blog, but lately it's been extra fun. I've been thinking about some design and layout changes and I'm super excited...stay tuned!

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my ultimate comfort foods. Growing up, I usually snacked on gold old Campbell's, but with with a little extra effort, this simple dinner can be really, really delicious.

almost-from-scratch tomato soup. 

When I first decided to make tomato soup, I really wanted to make it from scratch-- you know, using actual tomatos. I looked through countless from-scratch recipes, but nothing was really sticking out. It's not exactly tomato season, and the shipped-from-9-million-miles-away grocery store tomatoes just aren't that appealing. I finally settled on this recipe, and I absolutely loved it. No, it's not really from scratch, but that's okay: it's pretty fast, ridiculously delicious, and makes for a perfectly warming meal.

Recipe
(adopted from this recipe; serves one pretty hungry Vanessa and one ravenous Ben.)

Ingredients
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1-2 cups jarred roasted red peppers
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice*
1 teaspoon dried basil (if you have fresh, that would definitely be better!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt & Papper to taste

Step 1: In a large saucepan, bring the crushed tomatos and broth to a simmer.

Step 2: Meanwhile, puree roasted peppers and garlic. If you're using a spiffy immersion blended, like me, I highly recommend pre-dicing the peppers. Otherwise, you'll end up with pepper all over the walls, the sink, and in your hair. Not that I know from experience or anything...

Step 3: Add the pepper mixture to the tomato and stock mixture. Add lemon juice, basil, and oregano. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes, then serve. 

bon appetit!

in addition to grilled cheese, I like to add in a side of sauteed spinach. 

ben: this soup is delicious!

ben: please stop taking photos for your blog while I'm
eating dinner....

*The original recipe calls for three tablespoons lemon juice. This is way, way, way too much, unless you're going for tomato-lemon soup.

Ben's Swiss Macaroni and Cheese

Although I tend to blog a lot about my cooking adventures, it's only fair to mention that a good portion (maybe even the majority?) of the dinners I eat were cooked by Ben. 

Ben's Mac n' Cheese is definitely one of my favorites.  It's a perfect balance between the strong, nutty flavor of Gruyere and the creamy texture of a childhood favorite.

creamy, cheesy, and super delicious :)             

Recipe

(adapted from, in Ben's words, "a bunch of different places")

Ingredients
500 g elbow noodles

300 g gruyere cheese, grated
3 cups milk

50 g butter

4 tbs. flour

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

the ingredients. 

a  small mountain of freshly shredded gruyere- you could smell it as
soon as you walked in :)

Step 1:  Using medium-low heat, prepare a roux* with the butter and flour in a saucepan.  Slowly add milk and cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese has melted and the mixture has thickened into a sauce. 

melting butter.

chef ben!

Step 2:  Meanwhile, cook the noodles as directed on the package. Put the cooked noodles in a large casserole dish. 

Step 3: Add the sauce mixture to the noodles, mixing well.

ready for the oven. 

Step 4: Bake for 30 minutes**, or until slightly crispy on top. For added crispiness  (always a plus in my book!), add a little extra shredded cheese on top prior to baking. 

bon appetite!

since this mac n' cheese isn't exactly a healthy dinner option, I paired
it with a spinach, carrot, and bell pepper salad. 

* Do you know what a roux is? Prior to Ben making this, I certainly didn't! Just so you know: a roux is a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces. Good to know!
**I've mentioned this before, but there's no way to set a temperature on our oven. My guess would be around 350 F, though. 

End of the Season: Saas Fee

This past weekend, I, along with heaps of friends from the EPFL, I headed to Saas Fee for the last ski trip of the season.

from the top of the mountain: peaks poking through the clouds. 

The trip was hosted by ACIDE (Association du Corps Intermediaire de l'EPFL) , the EPFL's research scientist organization. ACIDE is an advocacy organization for anyone conducting research at the EPFL that is not a class-taking student or a faculty member-- in other words, all PhD students, post-docs, and visiting research scientists. At the EPFL, the ACIDE is super active and is one of the reason's PhD students at the EPFL get so many fantastic job perks.

In addition to advocating for EPFL scientists in general, ACIDE also host several fantastic trips. Although I missed out on some of their fall excursions, I definitely jumped on board for their spring ski trip to the gorgeous Saas Fee.

The Highlights:

• Spring Skiing! Woo hoo! Warm and sunny slopes (we definitely needed sunscreen!) , fewer crowds, and a great atmosphere. Yes, yes, and yes.
  
• Smooth snow and steep slopes. Saas Fee had heaps of groomed black runs, which I absolutely love. This is probably a downside for those that like lumps, bumps, and powder, but these trails were right up my alley. I keep telling myself that I'll one day conquer my fear of moguls, but for now, I'll stick to the smooth and steep :)
  
• Everything was taken care of. I've mentioned this before, but sometimes it's nice to go on a trip planned by somebody else. We paid one flat fee, and proceeded to have our transportation, lodging, lift tickets, and food all taken care of. Although there are definitely downsides (see below) to trips like this, it certainly is relaxing.
  
• So. many. friends! Nearly all the PhD students and fellowship students from my lab came along, as well as friends from across the EPFL. There was always somebody to ski with, eat with, or play a silly game (I learned a pretty fantastic one on the bus ride back) with. 

The Not-So-Highlights:

• The "chalet."  On past Swiss ski excursions, I've had the opportunity to stay in some really gorgeous chalets. This was not one of them. It kind of reminded me of a really, really run-down dorm room-- several halls of small rooms, lots of metal bunk beds, and a large, utilitarian kitchen. There was also no hot water, a rather unpleasant surprise after a long day on the slopes. It was a bit dark, cold, and dank, and was quickly christened "The Prison" by many of the folks from my lab.
  
• Slushy snow. Along with warm and sunny spring weather comes heavy and slushy snow. While this wasn't so much of a problem near the top of the mountain, cutting and turning near the bottom was considerably more difficult.
  
• My sore, sore arms. It always amazes me that every time I come back from a weekend of skiing my arms are sore. Sure, my calves and thighs were a little tight, but my arms? Absolutely killing me. Lugging skis and boots around = excellent upper body work out.
  
• The end. I suppose this is better filed under "bittersweet" than "not-so-highlight", but this was the last ski trip of the season. It's been a fantastic, fantastic season (see here, here, here,  and here!) and I am so grateful for having the opportunity to ski my way through the gorgeous Alps!

snowboarders stopping to rest after a great run. I wish
it were as easy to sit down in skis!

our enormous and fantastic ski group!

confession: I know a lot of folks don't, but I personally love groomed runs.

vidya, tearing up the slopes. 

stopping to admire the incredible views. 

mountains + ben. two of my favorite things :) 

marcela, guiseppe, and amy- after a looong day on the slopes!

the adorable town of saas fee. 

chocolat de la maison, or the house hot chocolate. rich, thick, and super-
chocolatey. the container on the right holds homemade white chocolate
whipped cream. delish!  

so many skis! although most of the people on our trip snowboarded, it
seems that switzerland as a whole is still dominated by skiers. 

yep, I'm pretty sure I could live here forever...

white snow, blue skies. 

woo hoo! the lack of bumps meant that I was much,
much more confident on steeper and more challenging
terrain.