…or so they say
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Just one reason I’m very much looking forward to heading off to my home country next week. Although it’s fair to say they look like little angels but are at the age where in person they resemble little devils.
Other reaons I love going to New Zealand;
My period is three days late (very unusual for me) I think I might be having Christ’s baby – immaculate conception is the only explanation in this case (more’s the pity). Season’s greetings!
About half an hour after i posted last night i yet again lost power. This time it almost broke me. Thankfully I had already heated my bed by way of electric blanket so I just had another early night. Not a happy one though. With a friend coming for dinner tonight and my boiler misbehaving still, I was somewhat nervous. The plan was to stay here as long as we had power. I’m happy to say – we still got it – woohoo. To be honest though I’ve gone a bit nervy as regards the state of my electric I’m now constantly managing my expectations and planning for the worst. It’s an unhappy state. In other news, this is my last full weekend at home before I fly to the other side of the world for some family, sunshine and relaxation…must do some tidying and cleaning…
So my power is back on after over 24 hours without it, however when I walked in this evening I noticed the lights were dimmer than previously and that my heating wasn’t working. I’ve just called the power people after a quick google re the boiler and it turns out I’m not going mad, but rather the voltage re supplied is less than normal (about 30% less) which is why my boiler is not firing and why my lights are dim and indeed why my electric blanket is not heating up much. And so the drama continues. It’s now two weeks before I fly to summer in NZ, lets hope I don’t succumb to hypothermia before I get to go.
So I’ve been watching the The Event and today I was thinking, what’s with the writers of this thing? These aliens supposedly don’t ever age but they all appear to be a certain age. And if the lead lady alien is the mum of the other alien guy then he must have been young at some stage but now they look about the same age. This would imply that he has aged but she has not. It just doesnt add up. Why do I watch these things?
I have succumbed and purchased a new dress for the christmas do. I considered wearing the same one I wore last year (at a different company), but ASOS 20% discount swayed me with this very reasonably priced LBD. Look out Paris, here I come (but wearing biker boots, not killer heels).
Psoriasis outbreak – tick
Inability to feel properly rested even after 8-10 hours sleep – tick
Horribly debilitating migraine lasting over a day – tick
Difficulty concentrating on specific tasks for longer than 10 minutes at a time – tick
My most recent ex had a thing about my hair – he liked it long. I, however, like to experiment. Problem was, he didnt like even the slightest change (and made it pretty clear), for example getting a fringe, so I tended to have it pretty much the same for the entire three years we were together.
For the past year though I’ve been single and feel free from the weight of anyone elses opinion. I’ve made the most of it, here is my year in hair:
Had some leftover refried beans and chilli sauce from the tortilla parcels I made last night. The following is the best lunch I’ve had in ages;
- Homemade refried beans (fried red kidney beans with chilli and garlic, pureed)
- egg
- tinned tomatoes with extra hot pickled halopenos and onion (simmered into a thickish sauce)
- tortilla
- creme fraiche and grated cheddar
Add a few tablespoons of chilli sauce to leftover refried beans (about half a tin’s worth). Heat in microwave while frying the egg. When the egg is fried sufficiently underneath, move it to the side of the pan and slip the tortilla into the pan. Using a spatula, slide the egg onto the tortilla and pour the hot refried beans and chilli mixture over the egg and tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and cook for a further minute until tortilla is browned on the under side.
Slide the tortilla and it’s topping onto a plate and dollop teaspoons of creme fraiche over the top. Fold the tortilla over the mixture and serve with coriander if you have some.
And in non food related news; I’m off to Dublin for a couple of days this week for work. The client is a high end hotel chain, so I’m rather looking forward to a loverly room and dinner in the posho restaurant. A few weeks after that I’m off to Paris for our work Christmas do (eurostar, dinner and a night in a hotel), which promises to be a completely mental 24 hours! Capping it off and the event I’m looking forward to the most; Flying out to New Zealand on the 17th of December. Hooray for holidays and here’s hoping for an infinitely better christmas than last year (the worst ever!). Cheers!
Yup, it’s no surprise i’ve gained a few kilos. Giving up smoking and being skint has driven me to the kitchen in a big way. Everyone knows that cooking from scratch is cheaper than buying ready made stuff and a hell of a lot nicer, but it’s not just saving money by buying basic ingredients, it’s also keeping me occupied doing something I really enjoy. I love my kitchen, in fact it’s probably the biggest reason I’m staying on here for another year despite a rent increase. I’ve never been blessed with so much worktop space and cupboard space as I am here, its a delight to spend time in.
So tonight folks, it’s a choice between three recipes I found whilst flippping through my ’500 greatest ever vegetarian recipes’ cookbook. As always (aside from the pasta recipe) I won’t following these recipes while cooking, they were more for inspiration. Pictures below are from the cookbook.
First up is Gnocchi – I’ve never made my own pasta so this one is a bit of a gamble, not only because I think it’s tricky to get right but also because I’ll be required to follow the instructions on the pasta part (not my strong suit). If I go with this one I’ll be serving with butter and sage sauce, which I’ve never made before – but how hard can it be?
The next among my choices and possibly the easiest recipe is Potato and sweet corn chowder. This looks the simplest, but it’s not much of a challenge. Additionally it’s hard to make a small portion so I would end up eating it for three meals in a row which might get quite tedious.
The final choice is Tortilla parcels. It’s no coincidence that not only is it possibly the fattiest dish but also possibly the tastiest…mmmm beans, mmm chilli, mmm fried wheat product.
All of these will be served with chilled white wine and X factor.
It’s been a long and tiring week and I can’t think of anyhting I’d like to do more tonight than a bit of cooking and spend some time on my own relaxing.
