Kati | black.white.vivid.

WANDER STORIES | FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH AMSTERDAM AND (ITS) COFFEE

08/13/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 7 Comments

The fresh smell of coffee soon wafted through the apartment, the smell that separates night from day. – Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki

I still remember my first trip to Amsterdam. I must have been 16 or so, maybe even younger. My dad and I went on a motorcycle trip from his town in Northern Germany to Amsterdam. I’m not sure how long the trip lasted but I still vividly recall sitting on the back of his motorcycle thinking this was the coolest thing ever. Until we arrived in Amsterdam. Because my dad preferred to stay in a hotel outside the city. So we had to drive to the city centre fully equipped. Leather jacket and pants, helmet and all the weight that comes with it. Considering that at the tender age of 15/16 I was tall, thin and lanky, leather clothes didn’t look very cool on me. Needless to say, I felt slightly embarrassed walking the streets of hip and trendy Amsterdam with an hideous outfit and my dad by my side. …

CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES (CONG YOU BING)

08/08/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 7 Comments

I’m writing this in pain. Pain from my wisdom tooth extraction I had end of last week. Pain from the construction work going on in our building because the management is replacing the lift and this somehow only can be done by using an air hammer of some sort for 6 hours straight. As construction work and tooth pain isn’t enough. Our newest addition to the family, the three-legged cat named ‘Monkey’ was recently introduced to the whole flat and our other two cats. Since then he’s been meowing and howling and yowling non stop. I understand he is afraid and scared but yap, my nerves are raw. I can only now imagine what it means to have a baby, though the comparison to tooth pain and construction work is slightly (read very) unfair….

SPANISH PEACH AND TOMATO GAZPACHO (CHILLED SUMMER SOUP)

08/02/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 9 Comments

She’s mad but she’s magic. There is no lie in her fire. – Charles Bukowski

The summer heat is overwhelming. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I welcomed the warmer days with open arms? Just a few weeks later and I already dream of stormy nights and chilly mornings. Though the sunshine feels soothing for the soul. I wouldn’t want to miss out on the extra slice of happiness. Because that’s what brighter days and longer evenings do, right? They conjure a smile on your face. You are more cheerful than on gloomy days. More energised and full of ideas. At least that’s how I feel on most days and then again I have days when I simply want to stay in bed. Because that’s what happens when there are sunny days week after week. You get to a point when all that brightness just doesn’t disperse that gloomy feeling inside you….

WANDER STORIES | MOSCOW FOOD & TRAVEL GUIDE

07/27/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 4 Comments

Her Time
She has been feeling it for awhile – that sense of awaking. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her – she will nurture it and let it grow. She won’t let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core – this is her time. She will not only climb mountains – she will move them too.”
― Lang Leav

I put this post off for as long as possible. I edited all the photos, I noted the places, I set up this post with all the links. And yet, it took me 3 weeks to start writing. I find it hard to grasp Moscow. It’s vibe and people and culture. Though, it should be familiar to me. I was born in the former GDR and the country’s relationship to Russia was strong. My parents and family used to tell me about their adventurous trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They talked about their beauty and pomp and glory. But they also remembered Moscow as a lively city with an amazing bar scene. For them travelling to Russia was like a dream come true. It was one of the only countries they were allowed to visit, though not everyone went or was allowed or could afford it like my mum.
…

VEGAN FRENCH TOAST WITH CROATIAN WALNUT BREAD

07/25/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 7 Comments

I love the mellow vibes of summer in Istanbul. The city becomes a whole new place and so does our apartment. I can’t remember I felt the same last year but this summer has been good for my heart and soul. I travelled a lot the first few weeks but now I’m home for a while and I enjoy every second of it. Usually I like to get out of the city every few and sometimes even every other week but not at the moment. I feel content at home and I’m glad I get to spend some time with my kitchen, my books, my cats and our neighborhoods. This sounds nerdy but I’m quite proud of myself for finally being able to sit still and relax for once….

SPICED TURKISH COFFEE POPSICLES

07/21/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 10 Comments

I hope you are not totally sick of popsicles yet. This summer they seem to be everywhere and anywhere. I’m still very excited about these frozen treats because it’s actually my first time I made popsicles. I got the molds on my recent trip to Amsterdam and after deliberating for days which flavour I wanted to try out first, I put them back into my cupboard. Does that sometimes happen to you, too? You are overwhelmed with choices and instead of picking one and going ahead, you kind of give up. And end up doing nothing.

Not buying sandals that you desperately need. Not deciding where to have dinner until every restaurant is booked out. Also, not picking a name for your new cat so you keep calling it “cat”. And not making popsicles even though you just bought new popsicle molds. Luckily the summer heat changed my mind. So I made Spiced Turkish Coffee popsicles….

CROATIAN WALNUT SWIRL BREAD (POVITICA)

07/17/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 11 Comments

Okay, now seriously. I kind of feel bad. Because I really wanted to be a good blogger. I didn’t want to start yet again another post where I somewhat apologise for being absent for too long. So before I flew to Amsterdam a week ago I scheduled a very busy day of cooking and shooting and baking and shooting. With the aim to stick to my blog schedule. I wanted to post two new recipes while I was gone. I posted none like you might have guessed by now. Also, I didn’t post anything on Instagram for a week. Ooopsie. Can I still write “Life happened” or has this been overused lately? Not by me but in general. I feel like a lot of bloggers and Instagrammers are taking the summer off and enjoying time outside with their family and friends. I don’t blame them. That’s what I did in Amsterdam. Until……

TURKISH KISIR (BULGUR SALAD)

07/08/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 11 Comments

It’s July and summer is finally taking over Istanbul. It’s been a cold and long winter and an even unhappier spring – weather-wise. My cats started to shed fur only now. I mean that’s a clear sign that it’s been way to cold the past few weeks to get rid of their winter coziness. Okay, now they are probably suffering a little bit because temperatures have gone up straight to over 30 °C /85 °F. But they seem to enjoy the sun. I myself am a much happier person too when it’s sunny outside. After having lived in Hong Kong and Cairo where there are more sunny days than in Europe, I got really used to it. In Egypt we only had 3-5 rain days a year. Fair enough, at one point I really missed those rainy cozy days. But missing bad weather didn’t feel as miserable as missing sunny weather….

RUSSIAN INSPIRED RYE BREAD SANDWICH

07/04/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 8 Comments

I’m finally back to cooking and writing after some wonderful but challenging weeks abroad. Two weeks ago my trip started with a short weekend in Zagreb where I held my very first food photography workshop. I’m still in a little bubble and so happy with how it went. The feedback from the participants was amazing and I really enjoyed teaching. The workshop itself was only 2 hours long and in front of 30 food bloggers. Though the time was almost too short and the group slightly too big, I have taken so many learnings back home. It’s always great to talk to people directly and see their responses as to sitting at home and coming up with questions people might ask or want to know more about….

ARABIC GREEN TABOULEH SALAD

06/25/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 8 Comments

Yap, I’m slightly obsessed with Middle Eastern flavours these days. From Oriental Rice Porridge to Middle Eastern Pasta with Yoghurt and now Arabic Green Tabouleh Salad. As we finally have beautiful produce appearing on the markets in Istanbul again, I want to make full use of it. You might have also noticed that I did not name my recipes by country but rather regions. It’s because recipe like Tabouleh are from the Levant region and not like most people think from Israel or Lebanon. Levant more or less covers parts or the whole states of Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey. So it’s difficult to specify the exact origin of Tabouleh….