Cooking in Temporary Accommodations

After a break from food blogging while negotiating our move from Houston to Switzerland, it is time to resurrect this blog!  Since arriving at our temporary apartment in Zurich and making the startling discovery that our "equipped" kitchen is not equipped with a suitable oven safe pan, all of our subsequent meals have been stove-top only.  (I did give in and buy a decent kitchen knife and a vegetable peeler--the other necessities lacking from our kitchen.)  I am more than ready for my personal batterie de cuisine to begin arriving from the States in the first of our shipments to arrive this Friday.  

So far, my husband and I have adored Swiss food.  As you might expect, we have become addicted to the chocolate, the cheese, and the delicious yogurt.  We have also gotten into the habit of drinking a big bottle of sparkling water every night, initially because it just seemed like the "European" thing to do.

Probably the BEST Swiss food we have tried is the bread called "Zopf."  Braided into a loaf that resembles Challah, it is a rich, tender white bread.  Along with County Line restaurant's white bread, and setting aside the French baguette, which is in its own category, Zopf is a contender for my favorite white bread of all time.

Other food discoveries have included that the "Paprika" flavor of Leger potato chips (available at Migros) tastes very similar to barbecue-flavored potato chips back home.  Also, you can buy American-style hamburger buns.  Mustard and mayonnaise often come in tubes.  

Off the top of my head, here is a list of dinners that I can remember cooking over the last two weeks:

• Sautéed (in butter!) chicken with zucchini and risotto
• Gruyere cheeseburgers with caramelized onions & sautéed mushrooms
• Thai chicken stir-fry with broccoli (twice)
• Fried chicken nuggets with cream gravy and mashed potatoes
• Lentils and rice
• Bolognese sauce over spaghetti
• Pork roast with potatoes & glazed carrots
• Pork hash
• Potato and Leek soup with cervelas (Swiss sausage) & cheese
• Brussels sprouts (I can't remember what we ate these with!)

Over the next several days, we will be moving from temporary housing into our "real" apartment, so I will only be cooking to use up bits of remaining ingredients.  Then, on Sunday, we will celebrate a belated Thanksgiving with a feast-for-two in our new apartment.  Next week, cooking projects will begin again in earnest, with the Christmas baking season and my first Buche de Noel not far behind!