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Truffled Twice-Baked Potatoes

This weekend was exactly what we both needed. Due to my parent’s cancelled flight we ended up spending a relaxing weekend exploring Geneva, relaxing on the couch with two wonderful movies (The Intouchables and In A World), running, and cooking. Tonight’s dinner was inspired by my father as he requested a traditional steakhouse dinner for his birthday celebration which was supposed to take place tonight in Geneva. Our grocery shopping for the dinner was already completed when we heard about their first of four cancelled flights. Never ones to let food go bad, Bo and I took time to create our own variation of a steak house dinner tonight including a bottle of 2005 Bordeaux wine, a t-bone steak which will keep me fed all week due to it’s massive size and a new potato creation, truffled twice-baked potatoes.

Truffled Twice-Baked Potatoes

I’d never admit it to Bo or the meat man but the potatoes were my favorite part of dinner tonight. Take my advice and make this recipe sooner versus later. Don’t let it get lost in the hundreds of other recipes you pin on Pinterest. Pin it, add the ingredients to this week’s shopping list, open a bottle of wine, and make it for dinner this week whether for just yourself or a crowd. The recipe is easy to double or triple and takes just a few minutes of hands on preparation time.

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon butter

1 russet potato

5 chives, minced

2 tablespoons 2% Fage Yogurt

1.5 tablespoons truffle butter

salt & pepper

1/8 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425.

Scrub the potatoes under running water. Dry well and then pierce the potato multiple times with a fork.

Place directly on the middle or top rack of the oven for one hour and fifteen minutes, or until cooked through.

Sautee the finely chopped onion in a frying pan with a teaspoon of butter until softened.

Remove from heat and place in a dish for later.

Remove from the oven and cut in half, lengthwise.

Use a spoon to scoop the insides out into a bowl.

Combine potato insides with truffle butter, onions, chives, Fage, salt & pepper in the bowl. Mix well.

Once mixed well spoon the mixture back into the two potato skins. Top with grated Gruyere cheese.

Place back in oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and start to form a light crust.

ENJOY!

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ashleyd /

Un mariage joyeux!

It has been such an incredible yet relaxing Geneva day!

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My parents were supposed to arrive in Geneva yesterday but due to the weather on the East Coast this week their flights have been rebooked and cancelled 3 times so far.  This means that we suddenly have a relaxing weekend in Geneva with no plans other than a wedding celebration we enjoyed this morning!

I was up and running along Lac Leman by 7:45 this morning, enjoying amazing views of the sun rising above Mt. Blanc and the Alps. The temperature was a perfect, crisp 35 degrees this morning which made me feel like I could run forever. The eight miles flew by and before I knew it I was back home.

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I quickly showered and got dressed as Bo and I had the pleasure of attending our first Geneva wedding ceremony this morning. Our dear friends Sarah and Renaud got married this morning in a civil ceremony in front of 40 friends and family members at the Office de l’etat civil in Geneva.

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The civil wedding was held in a gorgeous room complete with tapestries, a beautifully detailed large wooden table and decorated walls. It was far different than an equivalent courthouse wedding in most United States cities.

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We greeted the new couple with bubbles and rice as they exited the building with their son Ugo in their arms. Sarah wore a gorgeous sari which she found in London two weeks ago. 

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Following the ceremony we headed to their favorite restaurant, Le Crise, for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

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It was such a fun morning but after my run this morning the two glasses of champagne went straight to my head! By 2pm all I wanted was a nap!

I couldn’t decide what to wear this morning as I tend to wear a lot of black during the winter months versus bright colors. A black wrap dress seemed too serious for such a fun occasion and my other dresses felt to work professional. I found this Banana Republic Gemma wrap dress in London two weeks ago and am already in love! It is so comfortable and versatile as it can be dressed up with fun jewelry, makeup and heels or made more casual for either work or a summer evening.

Banana Republic wrap dress

I hope you all have a great weekend! Bo and I are going on a date night tonight in Geneva at a restaurant that we’ve yet to experience, Restaurant La Cigogne.

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ashleyd /

Chocolate or Cheese?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bo and I were able to spend the day together as we participated in a cross cultural training which is a service offered for expatriates via our relocation company. While the course is intended to be taken during the first month or two in a new city it was still very relevant and helpful for each of us.

The course was split into different parts including a section which focused on Switzerland. While we’ve lived here for 7 months neither of us have had the opportunity or time to learn about the culture from an expert.  I thought it’d be fun to share with you all a few of the things we learned during the session!

  • The Swiss people are known to be very risk adverse, perfectionists and the law is held in the highest esteem due to their true democracy versus representative democracy.
  • Switzerland was founded in 1291.
  • Switzerland is the only country in the world to have a square flag!
  • The population of Switzerland is approximately 8 million which is 300,000 less than the 5 boroughs of New York City!
  • There are 4 official languages in Switzerland – French, German, Italian and Romansh. Romansh is only spoken by .05% of the total population and is a romance language descending from Vulgar latin.
  • Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, or states. The last canton, Jura, was created in 1979!
  • Geneva has been a canton since 1815
  • The population of Geneva is approximately 195,000 people which makes it the 2nd largest city in Switzerland, behind Zurich.
  • Switzerland does not have an official state religion however the most common religions are Catholic (39%) , Swiss Reformed Church (28%) and other Christian religions (6%). 21% of citizens claim that they are not affiliated with any religion.
  • The unemployment rate of Switzerland is 2.7% versus 7.1% in the United States.
  • According to the World Economic Forum Switzerland has the world’s highest life expectancy: 84.7 years for women and 80.5 for men!
  • Martina Hingis and Roger Federer are both Swiss!

 

Question: If you could only take one Swiss delicacy with you on a deserted island which would you choose? Chocolate or Cheese? I would DEFINITELY choose cheese!

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