A Few Good Things from the Weekend

Thankfully, the next weekend is already almost here, but here a few things from this past one that I found to be pretty darn great.

We went to our friends' (Sara & Christoph) place on Saturday to catch up on life and vacations and they planned that we should make dinner together. I feel like this is a long lost art between people that should be officially revived. Making dinner with friends is awesome. Not having them make it for you, but actually going to their place and contributing. While you all drink too much wine or beer or whatever and maybe overcook or undercook a dish or two... It's just so much better than trying to be the perfect hostess because it's so effing relaxed! Friends - take note. I'm putting you to work next time you come over for dinner! ;)

Instagrammed ingredients

On Sunday, we met up with other friends for our monthly brunch at a new location that, at first, I did not have high hopes for, but I was oh-so-pleased to be proved completely wrong. I get skeptical when people make reservations in the 'burbs, but I guess this wasn't really that far outside the city - it's reachable by tram - and dammit, if the location wasn't perfection for an almost warm, less-winter-more-spring day.

We went to the Hafenküche, which, while the website is abominable, the location, design, and food are fantastical (totally a real word ;). We got a big ol' platter of wurst, cheese, random mixed salads (egg, wurst, caprese, and the like), unlimited bread, and more for a very reasonable price of 12€ per person. And then we got to walk along the river together afterwards and spy into all the gorgeous fancy apartments that have been built up along it. (One day...!)

Die Hafenküche

Also on Sunday, Micha randomly pointed to a pack of raspberries he'd bought and said, "I thought you wanted to bake..." And since we all know he's not the biggest baked goods fan, I jump at any chance I get to bake and share it with someone. So I whipped up a batch of this raspberry buttermilk cake from Smitten Kitchen (my go-to, on-the-spot, crap-what-do-I-make-right-now?! source) and fell madly in love with the recipe. So simple. So yummy. So quick! Quick really being the name of the game here, but I love that I already had all the ingredients on hand (substituting lemon + milk for buttermilk like I always do, since buttermilk packs in Germany are ginormous) and I also love the fact that it wasn't too sweet.

Raspberry buttermilk mini bundt cakes

I put them in mini bundt forms that Micha's momma had just given me for Easter and they could not have been cuter. In fact, there are still two cakes hanging out in our fridge right now that I might just have to take out and devour before I go to bed...