freitag favorites + weekend escape

This morning we are leaving the snow globe that is Zurich and heading up to the Engadin Valley.  We have been up to St. Moritz and Celerina several times now including once last winter to relax, watch bobsledding, and do some sledding.

This weekend we will have three full days to relax, enjoy the snow and small towns, and get in our share of winter sports. I also hope to ski a few half days as well, at least if I can get over my silly fear of having forgotten how to ski, not to mention skiing alone. I am also looking forward to more time just hanging out with a good book, tea, and my knitting needles. Look for highlights on Instagram (two from last year’s trip at left) and Facebook and, until then, I leave with you a few of my interesting reads and finds from this week.

• chips & salsa // Bon Appétit outlines the secret to great baked nachos. Luckily for me, Martin is already an expert on nacho architecture and they are on the easy dinner menu frequently. Unluckily for us, the Super Bowl didn’t begin here until 12 am Sunday so snacks and watching live were not on the menu.
• skiing for foodies // Another Bon Appétit article exploring the food experiences around Zermatt only accessible by trail. Who is going to come and ski/hike. eat, and explore with me? I have some certain current Wisconsin residents in mind.
• online home & lifestyle magazines // If you enjoy thoughtfully designed homes and style, or if you are still missing Domino magazine from a few years ago like I am, then I highly recommend that you check out the online publications Lonny, Rue, or Matchbook. They are quite well done and are a fun diversion from the news, email, Facebook, and Pinterest.
• hasidic fashion // You might be surprised that this topic of conversation comes up pretty often in our household. Our bus ride to church passes through a known Jewish neighborhood and we frequently expound on the amazing top hats, furs, and styles of the Hasidim we pass by. This NYT article is very insightful and also helped clue me to in to women have exactly the same non-stylish haircut (i.e. sheitel wig covering their natural hair). One thing still to be explained: Why is driving old Toyota Previas still so popular in that neighborhood? I saw 5 parked in a row last week.

I wish you all a nice weekend and happy Sabbath.