Grief

Grief's a funny thing. You can be fine, getting on happily and then suddenly it hits you. Like a wave that just topples over you, sending you tumbling, unable to breathe, struggling to come up to the surface, and then it's gone. As quickly as it arrived. Gone, in an instant. And life just carries on. You finish your dinner and get on with the next job on your to do list. 

                                  

Easy chicken liver pâté

This is the easiest pâté ever, and my first pâté making attempt. 

You need:

3 cloves of garlic

500g chicken livers, trimmed

3 tablespoons of butter

50ml double cream

Method: 

Melt the butter in a large pan 

Cook the livers and garlic in the butter, the livers will be brown outside and pinkish inside

When the livers are cooked put the contents of the pan in the food processor with the cream and whizz until smooth. 

Put in ramekins and refrigerate over night.

That's it! Simple as that!

My favourite snack

Weight watchers bruschetta! Sister made it over the Summer and its my favourite go to snack.

To make it you need:
Crusty bread of some sort,
Cherry toms (I used 4 for this), sliced
A clove of garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1) Toast the bread
2) Rub one side of the bread with the clove of garlic (chop the garlic clove in half to make life easier)
3) Spread the toms on the toast then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Yes, it's that easy!

Back in the UK

I will post photos of my trip to Nepal as soon as I'm back in Kuwait. But I wanted to post about why I'm back in the Uk. My wonderful, wonderful friend Mikey died last week. And it's the saddest news. He was my confidant, my comedy and my inspiration. His outlook on life was the kick in the ass I needed to move to Luxembourg, and then to Kuwait (although he didn't approve of me moving to Kuwait, thought it might be a bit dangerous.)
He was my supplier of music, lazy cups of tea, too much red wine and pets that I really couldn't deal with.

Looking through photos there are barely any of us together, which makes me sad. But there are lots that I know he was responsible for.

So here's to my wonderful, pain in the arse friend who I missed when we weren't in the same country never mind now.

We found this song one afternoon when it was freezing cold and I'd had to get out of my house. We spent the entire day watching films and trying to find new music, and this one was our favourite. It also prompted a vast interest in wearing waistcoats. But that's another story.

http://www.fromthebasement.tv/artists/andrew-bird/performances/tenuousness

Enjoy the video, it was our favourite from that day, and it would get sent randomly.

End of Term 2

I can't believe that it's the end of term 2 already. What a term, lots of brilliant things have happened. To celebrate the end of term 2 the girls and I have booked to go to see Florence and the Machine in Dubai on the 10th May. Beach party at the Atlantis? Oh yes please.

Going to Nepal tomorrow night, cannot wait for it. Mountains and a lake will put everything into perspective and make everything better. (Males that turn out to be not quite what you hoped coupled with very sad news is not an ideal situation.)

I'll update with photos when I get back.

Saturday Lunch

Bread fresh from the oven, huge slab of Brie and a tomato, olive oil and balsamic salad. Perfect.

Rain and thunder over the Arabian Gulf

Sat on my little balcony waiting for my snicker doodle brownies to cook is the perfect spot to get rained on. I wish my iPad could capture how stormy the sky looks!