How to use your weekend as a student

Often when student leave their elderly homes they tend to go back every once in a while to visit their parents and friends (or because they simply ran out of money and cannot afford buying groceries themselves!). But whatever the reason it is always fun. Parents are very likely to spoil their hard working child's somewhat more if they show up. Afraid they will have lived the true student life with only pasta, pizza and beer they will need to be refed. This is an excellent opportunity for me to choose the somewhat more expensive product I cannot afford on my student budget. Samphire, fresh pasta and prawns are just a few examples of ingredients I love cooking with but cannot buy on a daily basis. I have made a brief overview of what my meals look like during a weekend with friends and family. On Saturday there is a farmers market in my home town which my mom and me always buy all the fruits and veggies, furthermore we like to go on scavenger hunt to spot the latest offers.

Friday

Welcome home dinner; salmon with greens and fresh pasta

The salon was on offer so my friend and me decided it was fine to celebrate me return with a luxurious dinner. As I was always quite late (traveling takes me 3 hours) we did not want to spend that much time in the kitchen. Therefore we opted for some fresh pasta instead of making our own. We had a somewhat odd fusion of Italian pasta and Asian seasoning but it turned out to taste amazing. Blanching the veggies, boiling the pasta and grilling the salmon blushing pink only took 5 minutes. Plus the additional 5 minutes it took to cut the veggies this dinner was done in the blink of an eye!
Ingredients: 150 gram of broccoli, 125 grams of wild salmon, 100 grams of samphire, 75 grams of fettuchini, 75 gram of sugar snaps, 15 grams of dried seaweed, 1 teaspoon of Japanese chili pepper

Saturday

Breakfast; fresh loaf, a kick start of your day

Saturday is a always a custom to get some fresh bread from our local baker. So I wake up early and bicycle to the shop, always arriving as one of their first customers. The smell of freshly baked bread in the morning is hard to beat. Layered with some home-made spinach pesto/tapenade and smoked ham it is simply divine. I also like to add some veggies for a little crunch and some bite. I randomly pick whatever is in the fridge.
Ingredients: 2 wholegrain slices of bread, 2 slices of smoked ham, 50 grams of cucumber, 40 grams of lettuce, 30 grams of radish, 15 gram of fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons of spinach pesto

Lunch; summery salad

After having bought all the groceries it is time to chill and prepare a delicious salad with all kinds or fresh veggies which we bought at the local market. In luck because the Carpaccio was on sale I wanted to make a big bowl of goodness. Simply chopping up different kind of lettuce, some sweet bell peppers and fresh cucumber is an easy way to toss together a salad. A quick splash of balsamic crème and some seasoning always match excellent with particular flavour of beef.
Ingredients: 100 grams of mixed salad, 75 grams of carpaccio, 75 grams of cucumber, 60 grams of bell pepper, 15 grams of fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon of balsamic crème, 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper, 1 teaspoon of crumbled nori

Dinner

This evening I wanted to surprise my family with a home style roast. As chicken is one of their favourite foods to enjoy it was not hard to choose how to spoil them a little as well. Marinating a whole chicken with a mixed curry spice blend, a bit of olive oil and some honey drizzled on top it only needs to roast in the oven for an hour. Chop up the kohlrabi and spread it out on a baking tray. Place the chicken on top so the juices which will come out will be soaked up by the veggies, making them extra decadent. This allows you to focus on the remaining components of the dish. I always know what my mom has a few left-over slices of bread when there is a new one. Recycling these into bruschetta is an easy way to turn it into something very tasty. Cut it into nice, thick slices of seasoning with a bit of olive oil, chili and seasoning. Toast the bruschetta during the last 6 minutes of the chicken in the oven, preferably on a separate backing tray. Stir fry the remaining vegetables in a large cooking pan. Start with the onion and some extra curry. Add the zucchini, tomato and sugar snaps and fry for 5 minutes. Finally throw in the spinach and yogurt to mellow down the hot spices in the curry and garnish with a pinch of lemon pepper. You can dip you bread in the curry and use it like a spoon. Divide the chicken to everyone's liking and have a traditional weekend dinner like old times.

Ingredients: 200 grams of chicken( a half chicken), 150 grams of kohlrabi, 100 grams of bruschetta. 100 grams of spinach, 75 grams of zucchini, 60 grams of sugar snaps, 50 grams of tomato, 40 grams of onion, 40 ml of plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons of curry madras, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of honey,1 teaspoon of lemon pepper

Sunday
Breakfast; a scrambled Sunday

Eggs on toast is something I always look forward to. So every Sunday, when you have a bit some time on your hands than your average, I let my mom and brother decide how they want their eggs prepared. My famous scramble is still a favourite. Toast the bread so it is hot and crispy, spread the sliced meat like a protective layer over the sandwich. If the place the scramble directly on top the bread will turn soggy. scramble the eggs carefully, add some sesame for a little crunch and some wakame for a touch of saltiness. Finish with a few bits of green if you like and garnish with fresh herbs.

Ingredients: 2 slices of multiseed wholegrain bread, 3 egg whites, 2 slices of smoked beef, 50 grams of cucumber, 40 grams of lettuce, 15 grams of fresh cilantro,1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon of wakame

Lunch; living luxurious

Some extra proteins never hurt. That is why I choose to make yet another delicious lunch salad when my mom asks me what I want. Because there were no fresh prawns on sale I turn to the freezer where I have some back-up seafood in case of emergency (really, this was necessary yummy). Because they had to defrost for quite some time I have become really hungry, so a simple salad, the same like yesterday, will do. Instead of cilantro I now opt for basil to give it another welcoming flavour.
Ingredients: 100 grams of mixed lettuce, 75 grams of prawns, 70 grams of zucchini, 70 grams of red bell pepper, 15 grams of fresh basil,1 tablespoon of spicy weed

Dinner; a final feast

Because I still needed to pack my stuff for the next morning I did not want to make a mess so using as little pans as possible I made a another surprising fusion dish; German meets Italian. Spaetzle are a German kind of egg pasta, serving this with scharzerwalder smoked pork pieces (left-overs from a roast prepared earlier), a mushroom sauce and veggies seemed like one of the best ways to spoil my brother some extra. He had been absent during the rest of the weekend so it only seemed natural. The pasta cooks the same way like Italian pasta, however it tends to soak up a lot of moisture so you don't need that much a person. Boil the pasta for 8 minutes while you prepare you sauce. Start by Finely slicing and onion and sautéing it until is caramelizes. Add the mushrooms and turn up the heat. Once the mushrooms have turned golden add the seasoning, lemon juice, lemon zest, cooking crème and let it come to a simmer. Add the egg to bind the sauce and chop the romanesco. This will give it a surprising texture and funny shapes in your meal. Lastly add the pasta and some freshly chopped parsley.

Ingredients: 150 gram of romanesco, 100 grams of mushroom, 75 grams of spaetzle, 75 grams of pork belly (left over cuts), 50 ml of low-fat cooking crème, 40 grams of onion, 1 egg, 1 lemon, 15 grams of fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs mix, 1 teaspoon of sea salt

Monday

Breakfast; round royalty

Because I need to catch a very early train a quick and simple breakfast is a must. Due to sweet cravings and having bought way too many fruits I decide it will be a bagel with a plain strawberry spread. Chop the bagel in half so you can layer it on both sides with a couple of big spoons of a home-made strawberry spread. Toast the bagel so it is warm and crunchy and prepare the dip by mixing some fresh, mushed strawberries with a thick yogurt, some cinnamon and crushed anise seeds. I personally love this combination as the spices themselves add an extra element of sweetness to the spread. Switching between savoury and sweet breakfasts is something I do quite often. It all depends on which mood I am and how much time I have on my hands. But unfortunately school is calling again so I have to get back by train with all of my luggage already looking forward to what next weekend will have in store.

oIngredients: 1 sesame Bagel, 125 grams of strawberries, 50 ml of Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of anise seeds