0 PASTORAL LANDSCAPES

Now that we have mountain bikes, we try to go out for rides at least three times a week in order to be fit, to clean our heads and free our souls from the stress of modern life...Generally, we do 1h30 rides around the countryside that surrounds our village and go in the direction of Compesières/La Croix-de-Rozon which are very close to the French border and the Salève mountain. The landscapes in that area are simply stunning. It is such a pastoral and peaceful place!I hope you'll enjoy the pictures I took last Saturday afternoon...

0 SWISS NATIONAL DAY - FÊTE NATIONALE

On the 1st of August, Switzerland will celebrate it's National Day. It is considered a holiday and most people have a day off (it is just like a Sunday) in order to relax, commemorate our independence and have fun...This day is celebrated solely in the municipalities, at a local level, with a multitude of parades (not military), speeches, bonfires, fireworks, music, gymnastic shows and group performances of the Swiss national anthem. People will also organize big feasts and picnics.On this occasion, I thought that you might be interested in checking out my Swiss recipes as well as the links I have pointed out for you. Maybe you'll want to bake...

0 MALLOWS - THE DARING BAKERS

As it incredible as it might seem, it is once again that very special time of the month when all Daring Bakers worldwide are invited to share their creations with the rest of the planet as well as ramble about the latest baking trial and it's successful or unfortunate outcome...The July Daring Bakers' challenge is hosted by Nicole at "Sweet Tooth" (Philippines) who chose "Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies" and "Milan Cookies" from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.At first glance, both recipes didn't impress me much as I was expecting a totally different challenge. I was really looking forward to baking something summery, refreshing...

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #216

This week, Samantha Black & Mr Tigger at "Life From a Cat’s Perspective" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #216...To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.The really great thing about cats is their endless variety.One can pick a cat to fit almost any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood.But under the fur; whatever color it may be,there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls.~ Eric Gurney...

0 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

A flower offered of itselfAnd eloquently spokeOf GodsIn languages of rainbowsPerfumesAnd silent secrets...~ Phillip Pulfrey...

0 SULTAN'S DELIGHT - HUNKAR BEGENDI

Authentic food from the Middle-East really attracts me to the highest point. The aromatic, deep, rich, elegant and refined Arab cuisine of this region of the world intrigues me as it reflects the mysterious, bountiful and exotic cultures that originated it...As Claudia Roden's gorgeous cookbook "Arabesque" has ignited my interest for Middle-Eastern gastronomy, I now feel the urge to expand my cookery book collection in that direction. So when I came across the reviews of Greg Malouf's "Turquoise - A Chef's Travel In Turkey" on the net, I knew that I had to add it to my ongrowing (yet still frustratingly small) selection of cookbook.My very thoughful...