{"id":44361,"date":"2026-08-28T15:12:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lafemmemimi.com\/?p=44361"},"modified":"2026-08-28T15:18:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:18:41","slug":"good-food-good-mood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lafemmemimi.com\/en\/blog\/good-food-good-mood\/","title":{"rendered":"Good food Good mood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If someone had told me when I was fifteen that one day I would actually enjoy cooking, and even find it relaxing\u2026 I wouldn\u2019t have believed them. In fact, I might have even thrown a slipper at them. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food is joy. People are much nicer when they get a good meal \u2014 and even nicer when they cook something themselves and it actually tastes good. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking isn\u2019t rocket science. There\u2019s nothing complicated about it. You just have to do everything properly and, at the same time, think about nothing else but the food. Watch the whole process, see how everything comes together, and before you know it, it\u2019s ready. And, on top of that, it\u2019s delicious!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I absolutely love relaxing while I cook. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, and it\u2019s important. Of course, we all have our own way of doing it. I, for example, need to sit quietly and drink a whole litre of black tea first \u2014 sometimes with honey, sometimes without! :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I\u2019d have two soft-boiled eggs, a slice of bread with butter, and finish with an Americano, no milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when time allows, I absolutely love long, slow breakfasts\u2026 the kind that start in the morning and can happily continue all the way until noon. :-))))<\/p>\n\n\n

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This is what breakfast looks like when I can afford to take my time and eat until noon. I\u2019m a Taurus, so I naturally love staying in bed for as long as possible\u2026 :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But normally, I start working at 8 a.m. I begin with administrative things, and I personally check every order that comes through the e-shop and communicate with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While doing all that, I have my soft-boiled eggs, with a little fresh herb \u2014 whatever happens to be in my fridge at the moment: parsley, coriander, mint, spring onion\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I make my eggs exactly according to an old recipe. There\u2019s really no need to invent anything new or change a perfectly good method:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I boil the water, pour the boiling water into a cup, put two eggs into the cup (I take them out of the fridge a little earlier and, just to be safe, rinse them with lukewarm water so they don\u2019t crack in the boiling water), set a timer for exactly 7 minutes, then take them out and put them into cold water so they peel more easily\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Done! Perfect every time. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not really a fan of dairy because milk doesn\u2019t agree with me. But because I\u2019m going through menopause, I try to have yoghurt from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I buy a small Greek yoghurt, add some dried fruit and nuts, and have it for breakfast about three times a week. I\u2019ve actually got used to it now\u2026 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love tea. I love coffee too, but nowhere near as much as tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although my dental hygienist is definitely not a big fan of my tea obsession. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n

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What I love most are Sunday breakfasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, the kids are home, sleeping until noon because they were out partying somewhere until late the night before. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then they finally get up around 12, absolutely starving and ready to eat just about anything. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n

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Food is joy, and setting the table is part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it really isn\u2019t difficult to make a beautiful table. Use all the things you love! There are no rules when it comes to table setting. Use your imagination, be spontaneous, and most importantly \u2014 enjoy it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Before I start cooking, I set the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never know in advance what the table will look like that day, because I always do it spontaneously and simply adapt to the moment \u2014 what we are going to eat, what I happen to have at hand, and even what the weather is like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, setting the table is part of the pleasure. There is no plan, no strict rules \u2014 I just see what feels right that day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Here you can see a feast for more than six people\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You simply can\u2019t prepare a proper feast for six people in ten minutes. Although, of course, you could always make mussels in white wine and serve them with a baguette. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love celebrations. They are very much a part of Vietnamese culture \u2014 we celebrate almost everything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And my little tip: write down everything you are planning to cook. Create your own menu, your own little dinner card. It makes the whole process so much easier, from the very beginning all the way to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And somehow, having it all written down makes the whole feast feel even more special. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n

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You\u2019re probably wondering what my fridge looks like\u2026 :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love fresh food, so I usually buy only enough for a maximum of three days. We always empty the fridge before filling it up with new food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fridge packed full of things actually scares me a little. First of all, I lose track of what\u2019s in there, and secondly, we simply can\u2019t eat everything while it\u2019s still fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in the end, about 30% of it usually ends up in the bin\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I much prefer a fridge where I can actually see everything inside. Less food, less waste, and much more enjoyment of what we have. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n

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Picnics are our love language. \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we had to choose between a weekend picnic somewhere in nature and a Sunday lunch in a restaurant, the vote would always end with the picnic winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our favourite picnic menu is, without a doubt, schnitzels \u2014 I make them with turkey breast \u2014 and sushi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For picnics, I prefer to make the sushi vegetarian, so there\u2019s less risk of anything going bad, and honestly, it\u2019s also much easier to eat outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything somehow tastes better when you\u2019re sitting on a blanket in nature. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n

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Making sushi is not rocket science either, and there\u2019s really nothing complicated about it \u2014 especially when it\u2019s vegetarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our favourite vegetable combinations are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

carrot + cucumber
cucumber + egg
egg + avocado
avocado + carrot :-))))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get yourself a small rice cooker. You can use it not only for rice, but also for other things, like steaming vegetables and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019ve ever rolled your own cigarettes, you can definitely roll your own sushi too. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n

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And when we travel, we always combine the two: a picnic somewhere out in the wild during the day, and dinner at a local restaurant in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also fascinated by local food and ingredients. Especially in countries like France and Italy, I could easily spend hours wandering around their supermarkets and local markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, exploring food is just as much a part of travelling as exploring the places themselves. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n

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Picnic in Brittany. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides oysters, they also have amazing prawns and mussels\u2026 the perfect ingredients for a seaside picnic. \ud83e\uddaa<\/p>\n\n\n

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And this is me at our country house. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I try to cook Czech food there, but I have to admit\u2026 I\u2019m not very good at it. I simply don\u2019t have it in me, so I can\u2019t make it exactly the way my mother-in-law and father-in-law were used to having it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I adapt. I make things like roasted potatoes with some kind of meat, and luckily, they seem to enjoy it. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe one day I\u2019ll make sv\u00ed\u010dkov\u00e1<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll sit down, switch my brain off, and follow the recipe exactly, step by step. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n

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At the country house, grilling is one of life\u2019s simple pleasures. Meat cooked over charcoal just smells and tastes completely different!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the best part? It\u2019s ready in no time, with very little cleaning up afterwards. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of our favourite things to grill is chicken thighs marinated with thyme, garlic, a little soy sauce and white pepper. I serve them with new potatoes \u2014 lightly boiled beforehand \u2014 and tomatoes, which I put straight on the grill as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or pork belly on the grill. For that one, I recommend marinating it the night before so the flavours have plenty of time to develop and the meat tastes even better.<\/p>\n\n\n

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It took me a long time to learn how to drink wine with food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until I was 37, I would have tea with my meals\u2026 hahaha! :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now I have to say \u2014 it\u2019s wonderful. A glass of good wine belongs with a good meal, and somehow, good wine on its own just isn\u2019t quite the same\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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And here we are, at the end of my little journey through food\u2026 and now I\u2019m hungry! :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheers to you and your loved ones. I wish you many beautiful moments, happy gatherings, and wonderful memories made around the table. \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope this Love Letter has entertained you, inspired you, and \u2014 after reading it \u2014 left you just as hungry as I am. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MiMi & Co.<\/p>\n\n\n

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P.S. I\u2019m working from home today. I did 45 minutes of yoga and ran myself a nice bath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan was to enjoy a coffee in the bath while writing this Love Letter\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in reality, either the coffee ends up in the bathtub, or the computer does. :-)))<\/p>\n\n\n

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