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!

Best thing about tutoring at the Movenpick...

Grabbing a massive tub of Pinkberry afterwards. Purely for medicinal purposes of course.

Soup and Sick Days

After leaving school after 2 hours (that should be being carted home by C after my deputy took him out of a meeting) I slept all day and drearily work up to a barrage of texts from colleagues, one telling me the brilliant news that a boy I tutor is now passing! I wandered to the kitchen and whizzed the last of my broccoli, aubergine and tomato soup together. I made it the other night but had to stop after my blender exploded hot soup all over my hand.

Here's the recipe, make sure your blender is put together properly else your hand will be agony for days!

You need:
2 medium aubergines
6 or so tomatoes (I had them in my fridge and they needed using!)
Half a head of broccoli
2 cans of chopped tomatoes (use one of the cans to add the water)
1 chicken stock cube
A can of warm water

1) Chop your veggies and pop them in a large pan
2) Add the water, chopped tomatoes and the stock cube
3) Simmer until the aubergines are thoroughly cooked (about 20 mins)
4) Blend and serve.

It's a thick soup so if you want to add 2 cans of water for a thinner soup then do.

Enjoy

Photos From Recent Trips to Dubai and Oman

 So I decided Dubai was my favourite place in the Middle East...

Then Oman happened

Getting Over Excited.

With just over 2 weeks until my Nepal trip I went to Decathlon tonight after school to grab some kit (spending far too much in the process) in a fit of excitement I've half packed my bag and spent the last half hour wandering round my flat in my new approach shoes. Now I love Decathlon, I mean really love it. I worked in a very good kit shop and have tested some brilliant products from the best in the industry (free Millet jacket anyone?) but I love Decathlon's stuff. I know their shoes fit me like slippers and I know their fleeces are comfy, especially their new fitted women's ones! When my well worn, many year old Decathlon boots died (whilst I was working in the afore mentioned shop) I tried on every pair of boots (and there were some LOVELY boots!) but none of them fitted like my trusty Decathlon boots. But now I have some lovely approach shoes for the low level walking that's going to be done around Pokhara and Kathmandu! I'm now off to read my guide book and continue the excitement! I'll post my photos from my trip to Oman at some point! It was gorgeous. Really beautiful, and I want to live there!

Potato Crust Sundried Tomato Pesto and Parmesan Quiche

A moment of random inspiration occurred as I was deciding what to have for dinner this evening. I had loads of eggs to use and loads of potatoes. Normally in this situation I'd make rosties and poached eggs, however the eggs were a bit old for poached eggs, so the next obvious option was quiche. Why not join the rosti craving and quiche train of thought? The result was amazing.

You need:
For the base
4 potatoes, grated finely with all the water squeezed out
1 egg to join it together

For the filling
4 eggs beaten
A teaspoon of Sundried tomato pesto
Half a block of Parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

1) mix the potatoes and egg then cover the base and sides of a quiche tin(I used my trusty oval Pyrex dish)
2) bake in a hot oven (mine was 200 degrees Celsius)
3) mix the filling ingredients and when the potato crust has dried out (about 15mins) pour into the crust
4) bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.

I had mine with salad and plenty of salad cream, it was like being at my Grandma's in the summer when I was little, although we had cheese and ham quiche, not pesto and Parmesan!

Cold Busting Tomato and Ginger Soup

With tonnes of vitamin C and all the cold reliving benefits of ginger this soup was perfect for a rainy/sandy Kuwaity day. It took all of 10 mins to make and was a great way to use up my leftover tomatoes from last weeks shop (I buy them by the boxful!)

You need:
12 large tomatoes (I reckon chopped toms would do the trick if you don't have any fresh, maybe 2 cans?)
A large nob of ginger sliced
4 cups of hot chicken stock
A glug of soy sauce
1 small red chilli chopped

1) chop up the tomatoes, don't worry about taking the seeds out, it's all going in the blender!
2) throw everything in a large saucepan and simmer for 5 or so minutes, until the tomatoes are lightly cooked.
3) blend until smooth and serve

It's as easy as that. I'm going to be taking mine in a flask to school tomorrow!

Airports

I either love them or hate them. I'm sat in Kuwait airport waiting for my flight to Dubai (over due girly weekend) and whilst I love people watching normally it's just not doing it for me today. I'm going to blame it on lack of sleep or something. I'm looking forward to the hours and a half flight with emirates, that's always pleasant, however these cold airport seats are not doing it for me at all.

Two posts in a day.

You lucky things. It's purely because I've just bought Ludovico Einaudi's new album 'In a Time Lapse' it's his usual standard of genius. So I thought I'd recommend it's purchase. My current favourite is 'Waterways'.

Healthy Comfort Food

So my dinner tonight is this amazing avocado and lime pasta. It was ready in the time the pasta cooked, which after a 10 hour work day is very needed!
Here's the recipe.
1 1/2 cups of pasta (I made enough for my dinner tonight and tomorrow's lunch, busy teachers need to think ahead right?!)
1 ripe avocado
Juice of1 large lime (I used 4 tiny Egyptian limes since they're so cheap here)
3 tablespoons of low fat mayonnaise

So all you have to do is put the pasta on to cook.
Whilst the pasta's cooking mash the avocado, lime juice and mayo, pop it in the fridge to melge together (add some pepper if you fancy it)
When the pasta's cooked mix it all up together and eat.

Next time I'm going to try adding some coriander, see how that works.

Well then.

That was a long time between posts! I can't believe it's been Christmas and New Year since I last posted. I was home for Christmas, poorly for a couple of days and didn't see as many people as I wanted to but it was lovely. Christmas at Binge Farm was gorgeous and it was great to spend time with the Family. 
 back in Kuwait now, after an easy flight back. Slept all day yesterday (what is it about travelling that is so exhausting?!) and was in school this morning, rearranging the classroom. 3Red won't know what's hit them when they come back! Making some butter nut squash soup for the week ahead (in a vague attempt at being healthy and to try out the blender I got at the supermarket) and am going to actually make my own lunch rather than buy pizza from the canteen! Here's to New Years Resolutions and all that jazz! Any NYR's on the horizon? Mine's mainly to be healthier and to continue saving money (oh down payment for a holiday home you will be mine!!!) . 

Here's a recipe for you:

Garlicky Butternut Squash Soup

You need:
- 1 large Butternut Squash
- 1 bulb of Garlic (yes, an entire bulb)
- 2 red onions
- 1l of vegetable stock.

1) Slice the Butternut Squash lengthways and put skin down on a baking tray
2) Peel the bulb of garlic and scatter the cloves around the squash
3) Chop the onions into big chunks and place around the squash and garlic
4) Roast until the squash is tender (20-30 mins)
5) Separate the flesh and skin of the squash and put about 1/4 of the veg into a blender along with about a 1/4 of the liquid, blend until smooth and pop into a pan to keep warm. Repeat until you've blended all of the veg and stock together. 
6) Season and heat through.