Beginning of November...

It is November! Can you believe it? I really can't.

We've had Christmas commercials on t.v. for two weeks already, two weeks! Half way through October they were already sneaking the odd one in here and there, and last Saturday it turned to full on Christmas advertisements. Suddenly the shops were full of charity cards and decorations. Before Halloween had even arrived. Golly gosh people, come on. I love Christmas as much as the next person (probably a little more) but mid October is really just pushing it a little. I think we need to start a petition begging the world to re-introduce the 'day after Thanksgiving' rule.

Anyway, all this to say: it's November.

I have officially made it through five weeks of my masters program. Yah, that's right. Pretty impressive, huh? I can honestly say that I think I have read more in the last five weeks than my whole life combined... okay, maybe that's not actually true. But, by the time this year is over I seriously think it may actually not just feel like it.

So, let me catch you up on what the first week of November has brought my way.

Sushi.

Yes, November has brought sushi. LSE is surrounded by Japanese restaurants. There are hundreds of them. So, one of my friends and I have decided to try them out. We went to a place that has pick n mix sushi. You just pick all the little bits you fancy and put them into your own tray. It's slightly deceptive because the tray is really big - so you feel like you surely haven't gotten enough food. But really, no one needs to fill the whole tray up with sushi. Anyway, point being: this provided a fabulous break from the library and was very good. I can't really remember the name of this place - it had some super generic name like 'Sushi and Bento Box'... anyway. We liked it, but thought we felt a bit like we were going to tip out of our chairs... but there are worse things, the sushi was good at least.

Starbucks Red cups.

They are officially here, along with the special Christmas drinks. Which, by the way, are ludicrously overpriced. I think it was 3.40 for a grande gingerbread latte. I know, right? (are you thinking 'why on earth does anybody need a sodding ginger bread latte' - well, I don't know why, okay? but they make them, and they are good). It's not a bloody meal for crying out loud, 3.40 is just too expensive! have they forgotten about the recession?!?

 And, the cheeky minks have decided to join forces with the highly commercialized (RED) charity. I'm not slating it, I'm sure it does some great work... but come on now. I know it's the time of giving and laadeeedaaaahhhh... but I just don't like the idea of Starbucks making me think it's okay to spend outrageous amounts on a coffee because 5p (yes, that's all, just 5p) is going to charity. I feel like that is what is happening here. Plus, they've got 'all our coffee is fair trade coffee' branded left right and center... once again, trying to make me feel guilty for thinking I'm being wripped off.

Maybe it's just me.

Let's be honest though. I probably hit up Starbucks at least three times a week anyway - so it's not as if all this is deterring me. The point is that I went to Starbucks this morning and discovered that they had their red cups in... and I felt happy, and when I saw that 5p was going to charity I did feel a little warm inside. Okay, I know... I couldn't help it though. I am a sucker.

LSE.
Yes, LSE is seriously happening to me in November. Essays are approaching, panic is setting in, hair is starting to fall out... no, no, that's not true. They aren't even going to count towards my final mark - they are just to get an idea of how I am getting on. But, nevertheless. You don't really want to come across as thick as plank, do you? Okay, point is not to moan - the point is to say that I've walked by this building  at least 30 times and never noticed this on the side of it! What is even happening? It looks like some strange cement alien monster landed into the side and got contorted into a strange formation. I am sure it's probably done by some famous architect or artist... but I only just noticed it today. Oh, also, just past that red phone booth is the entrance to the SU shop that stocks very yummy candy. I made the mistake of getting a couple pieces (yes yes, it actually was a couple pieces, not 400 hundred like when I go to Sweden). They are so good, and I am now officially addicted to them.

So, this is basically what November has brought into my life... oh, I am also loving X-Factor which is on every Saturday and Sunday night. Fred is doing such a good job of letting me watch it. So, if you think of me chances are I will either be eating candy/sushi, sitting in starbucks/the library/some form of public transportation and reading (always reading), or watching the x factor...

Stuffed Tomato Tortillas

These are really good. They are my favourite new recipe. I seem to be making them on average once a week. They are so yummy and really easy - especially if you are having people over and want something that serves a lot of people and can largely be done before anyone arrives.

So, of course this is coming out of Jamie's America. My absolutely favourite new cookbook. This recipe serves four. So, here we go...

For the tomato sauce:

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced

1x400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 lime

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tortillas:

3 ripe avocados

2 limes

8 corn tortillas

1 fresh red chili, deseeded and finely sliced

small bunch of fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped

100g freshly grated Manchego or Cheddar cheese

150ml soured cream, plus extra to serve

a bottle of chili sauce

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Get a saucepan on a medium heat and add a couple lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic and gently fry for a couple of minutes until lightly golden. Add your tinned tomatoes, squeeze in the juice of your lime and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened.

While that is ticking away, halve, peel and stone your avocados, then chop the flesh and mash it with the juice of 1 lime and a pinch of salt and pepper. Take a baking tray and pour in some of your tomato sauce so that it coats the bottom. Divide the avocado mixture between your tortillas, and top with a sprinkling of chili, coriander and cheese. Roll them up, and arrange them snugly in your dish on top of the tomato sauce. Pour any leftover sauce on top, then spoon over your soured cream and any leftover cheese and chili.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden and crisp on top. Serve with fresh green salad, and have a bit more soured cream and some wedges of lime on the table, with a bottle of extra chili sauce if your fancy a bit more heat.

So, this sounds great - and it really is. I made them like this the first time. But, we kind of like our meat... so I decided to add chicken to it the next time I made it. So, I just cooked up the chicken and flavoured it up with some spices to make it nice and tasty (use whichever you fancy) and just added them into the tortillas. Next time I am going to use leftover meat from a roast chicken because that tends to be really tender and lovely... so I recommend that. But you can do it either way - with our without meat.

Final Verdict

Highly recommended.

Expense: 3/10

Difficulty Level: 2/10

Tastiness: 7/10

My thoughts on Freddy.

Freddy is such a funny boy.

This photo is just too funny to me. Who would have thought that he would ever be wearing ugg boots and carrying two floral bags to go to the shops?! He is so cute, right? (by the way, he chose those shoes and those bags himself... I didn't tell him to wear them)

Freddy is really wonderful.

I have been pretty tired lately - traveling to and from London, studying, and all the rest of it. By the time I get home, which some nights is 9pm, I am pretty knackered. There is a great potential for me to be grumpy. I get grumpy easily, especially when I am hungry and tired and frustrated after taking public transportation. But Freddy has been so great. He always has the house tidied, food ready, and a warm bath waiting for me when I get home. I know! He is so wonderful. I am one seriously lucky girl.

Freddy can cook, and he can cook well.

This might look strange, and seriously disconcerting to any vegetarians out there. But, it was really really tasty.

So, all this to say... my thoughts on Freddy are very positive, I like him a lot, and feel very blessed to have him in my life.

boo!

For Halloween we dressed up like characters from Clue. I was Scarlett (as you can see with my weapon: a candlestick), Fred was Reverend (they made him a reverend in England) Green (can you see his white religious neck thing?), our friend Harry was Mr. Plum, and our other friends were Miss Peacock and Colonel Mustard.We went to a party that helped raise money for Oxfam. I spent 25 pounds on a signed photo of Cameron Diaz. I really don't know why... I think I was taken over by the pure desire not to let someone outbid me, I think I should be kept away from auctions.

Onion Soup

Another quick food post. This is a great winter dish, perfect if your feeling a bit poorly and you need some warming up.

Ingredients:

Butter
Olive oil
sage leaves
6 cloves of garlic
5 red onions
3 large white onions
3 banana shallots
300g leeks
salt and pepper
2 litres of vegetable or chicken stock
some slices of bread
200g cheese (cheddar)
worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Put knob of butter, a couple of glugs of olive oil, a handful of sage leaves, and the garlic (crushed and peeled) into a large saucepan. Once the butter is melted and everything is starting to fry ,add the peeled and sliced onions, shallots and leeks. Stir everything around and add some salt and pepper. Place lid on the pan, slightly ajar, and leave to cook slowly for at least 50 mins. Remove lid for the last 20 mins. Stir occasionally.

Once onions etc... are soft and silky add the stock and simmer for 20 mins. Preheat oven. Toast bread. Season soup to your taste. Then add the soup to individual bowls. Place the toast over the top (so it acts like a lid). Place grated or sliced cheese on top. Sprinkle on some worcestershire sauce. Place in oven till cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Taste  7/10
Difficulty 3/10 (alot of chopping and takes a while till its ready to eat)
Price 2/10 (onions are cheap)

Slow down...

Each day that I go to the train station I pass by these trees. Most days I am in a rush and on my bike so just zoom right by. But the other day I was walking by. I always notice these trees - they are coming straight out of the side walk and have increasingly been changing colours the last few weeks. I finally had the time to take their picture.

As I was taking the picture so many autumnal coloured things started passing by. Someone walked by in a bright orange jacket and this yellow cab was waiting at the stoplight. Jackets and cabs around here are normally black...

You notice all kinds of nice things when you slow down, and get off your bike.

Freddy's (jenny's favourite) oriental salmon

This is a recipe I've adapted from my mother, so perhaps it should be called her salmon. But I think Ive improvised the recipe enough to call it my own. Over the summer we would eat this at least once a week (sometimes twice... if jenny could convince me, she loves it!!!).

Ingredients:

Salmon filets (1 for each person... but the rest of the recipe is based on two people)

2 lemons

soy sauce

honey

fresh ginger (the end of the your thumbs worth)

dried or fresh chili peppers

fresh coriander or coriander seeds (whatever you can find)

1 avocado

sweet chili sauce

basmati rice (or any rice you want... but lets be honest basmati is the best)

frozen or fresh peas and sweet corn (loose, not corn on the cob)

First we make a marinade for the salmon. Very simple. Just add the juice of one lemon, and equal amount of soy sauce and a table spoon of honey to a bowl and mix around. Then add the ginger (finely grated... we use a parmesan grater). Chilis... well thats up to you, depending on how spicy you like it. A bunch of fresh coriander. If you are using seeds make sure to grind them up with a pestle and mortar. Add the salmon filets. Obviously the longer you marinade them the better they taste... but lets be realistic 20 mins is fine.

Once the salmon is soaking up those amazing flavours I would start with the rice. Add a cup of rice (for the europeans c. one decilitre) to a non-stick saucepan. Cover with cold water so that there is a cm above the rice (for the americans that is 1/2 of an inch). Put on medium heat with the lid on the saucepan. It will be done in thirty to forty mins.

Turn oven to 200C. Peel avocado and de-seed. Mash with fork or small potato masher. Add the juice of half a lemon. Then add a table spoon of sweet chili sauce. Mix together. This is the gaucamole that we eat with the salmon.

Once the rice looks like it has 15 mins or so left put the salmon in tin foil packets. Add the marinade to the packets as well. Put in oven for 15 mins. Boil some water in a sauce pan.

5 mintues before the everything will be done. Add peas and sweet corn to boiling water. Then it gets kinda hectic because everything will be done simultaneously. Drain the sweet corn peas, add the rice to them and mix. Place salmon on top and enjoy with the gaucamole.

enjoy!

price 4/10 (good salmon can be expensive)

difficulty 3/10 (easy peasy)

tastiness 8/10 (delish)

Baked Potato with Chili

Ok another quick food post. I know baked potatoes aren't perhaps the most exciting food but it is the last in a progression of food dishes we do. So normally we start by making spaghetti bolognaise and then that turns into chili and then we have a little bit of chili left normally and a great way to use it is to add it to a potato.

Ingredients:

Potato (big ones)

Chili

Cheese

Turn oven to 200+C. Puncture potato with a fork several times. Place in oven for at least 1hr. I never really know how long to put them in, but once the skin has gone a nice golden brown and the inside is mushy, you know they are ready. Heat up left over chili. Place chili over baked potato. Add cheese (butter and sour cream are also good additions). Eat.

Price 1/10 (cheap as chips!)

Difficulty 2/10 (bc the oven takes a long time so you have to plan ahead)

Tastiness 7/10

One last thing. There will be some of you who are tempted to put it into the microwave. No! and I refer you to this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ycSY7tHSdU

enjoy

Jenny's favourite cheesecake

Hi Everyone,

Made a cheesecake last week from Jamie's new book where he travels around america. Jenny reckons its the best cheesecake she has ever eaten. It is pretty delicious and isn't as stodgy as normal cheesecake, and there is still a piece left in our fridge (most of it disappeared when I was away in Genoa).

Ingredients:

350g digestive biscuits

120g unsalted butter, melted

900g light or low-fat cream cheese, softened (important that its light or low fat)

150g caster sugar

5 large eggs

juice of 6 limes (c. 125 ml)

finely grated zest of lime

for meringue topping

3 large egg whites

110g caster sugar

40g desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 160C and grease 24cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Put biscuits into a food processor and whiz until they are fine crumbs. Mix in melted butter. Spread biscuit mixture around the base of greased tin and press it with your hands to pack it down. Place the tin on a baking sheet and op it into the fridge while you make the filling.

Whiz the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Then gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Pour in the lime juice and whiz again until just combined (mixture might be quite thin, but thats the way its supposed to be). Tip it over your chilled biscuit base, spread it evenly and bake for 45 to 55 minutes (you want the cheesecake to have a slight loose wobble). Remove from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Turn the oven up to 220C.

To make the meringue topping, put your egg whites into a clean bowl and beat until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar and beat until thick and glossy. Finally, fold in the coconut. Spoon meringue mixture on to the middle of the cooled cheesecake and spread it to the edges. Bake in oven for 5 mins (until meringue is golden and crisp).

Let it cool down, then place it in the fridge for a few hours to chill before serving. We also added whipped cream to the top (I agree this is pretty decadent... but it was good!).

Verdict

Price 5/10 (0 being cheap and 10 being expensive)

Difficulty 5/10 (0 being easy and 10 being difficult)

Tastiness 10/10 (0 being disgusting and 10 being tasty)

enjoy

Come on a walk with me...

So my Thursday started off in Notting Hill... and I woke up early to try to get some reading done before my class (on the Begriffsgeschichte and German linguistic philosophers - fascinating, right?) So coffee was definitely needed. I felt a bit sleepy and kind of mumbled out my order. Next thing I knew I was getting some sort of 'wet' latte... I had no idea what that meant, but I certainly didn't ask for my latte wet! I really was panicking and worrying that I was only going to get 1 shot of espresso instead of 2... oh the misery would be unbearable. Luckily, I got on wiki as quick as I could and found out it just means less foam. Phew... I still got my 2 shots, but I thought my coffee cup made me look like a pretty picky coffee drinker.

I headed off to class and spent a painful 2 hours discussing philosophy and there were all sorts of words I didn't understand because I didn't get enough reading done for the class, and all sorts of things were in German.

Anyway, I thought a bit of photography along the way to the tube would help relieve my mind of all that confusion...

So, here are the things and places I pass on my way to the tube after class.

My class is just around the corner there.

The gate at the end leads onto campus (where the photo is taken) from the main road. It is so noisy and busy out there - with buses, cars, and loads of people. Then you come through the gate and it is so quiet.

Just walking along...

Lots of little restaurants... none of which I have tried yet.

The starbucks I normally go to.

Fruit and veg stands just before I reach Holborn station.

A night in Notting Hill...

I spent Wednesday night in Notting Hill at my friend's house. We ate Indian food, watched Gossip Girl & Trinity, and got an early night. It was lovely. I got to wake up and only be 20 min from LSE as opposed to 2 hours away... which was pretty fabulous, and meant I didn't have to get the bus at 7am. Ah... heaven, right?

The view out the front window in the morning.

Walking past antique shops on the way to the tube.

Glorious... sunshine in the morning.

The rice I got with my dinner: for some reason they thought it was a good idea to put fluorescent food colouring in it? Ah, of course, because that is the epitome of chic.

Mmmm... curry.

Currently addicted...

So, I'm currently addicted to a few things:

1. Blogs - of all sorts and sizes. Mine, yours, anyone's that i can find. As a sort of small and painless way to distract my self from reading anything of monumental importance... you know, that might actually help me pass my masters.

2. Paddington station fast-food joints - I'll divulge a little secret, today I had 6 chicken nuggets from mcdonalds and a donut from krispy kreme and a lemonade (which, by the way, can I say I was very upset to have paid 2.35 for a small cup of lemonade that came out of a carton! uh... have you not heard of freshly squeezed??). Anyway. This new addiction to fast-food at Paddington is not only bad for my wallet, but also my waistline. I'm having dinner in 2 hours when I get home... these snacks seriously need to stop.

3. Fires - not in a scary pyromaniac sort of way, but in the fireplace in my living room sort of way. In the way that it is currently the only source of heat in my poorly insulated little flat. The room seems dead when we don't have one going. Yes, officially no night is complete without a fire. Poor Fred: he is designated wood chopper (he might tire of this trend quicker than I will).

Those are all my current addictions... I will keep you posted as more develop.

Beautiful courgette carbonara...

We have decided to start a little collection of the recipes we are cooking. This is for a couple reasons. First of all, sometimes we go through a cooking drought - we can't think or remember anything we can cook or anything we like to eat (so we are left eating soup and salad or takeaway...). This way, we'll be able to look back through things we've eaten - and remember if we liked them or not, and how easy they were to cook. Also, maybe we will be able to inspire you to try to make something new. If so, that would be pretty special.

So this is the first of our cooking entries. We hope you enjoy it.

I (Jenny) really do not cook that often. I am certainly getting better... Fred actually mentioned today that I've cooked more in the last month than in the last four years. While I think that is a slight exaggeration, there surely is a grain of truth within that claim. So, bare with me, I am just starting to get the hang of this cooking thing.

We were given a courgette. That is how this recipe started. A courgette from our very own garden and picked by our very own 85 year old landlord (sweet, right?). So, we thought we should try to make something with it.

We found this recipe in 'Jamie at home' a great little book that takes you through various recipes for different ingredients you might have in your garden (ie. courgettes) - or if you don't have a garden then in your local grocery store!

It was really easy to make, pretty darn cheap (you probably have a lot of the ingredients already), and got rave reviews from both the critics on the first attempt of making it - which means it's pretty fool proof. Oh, and we halved the recipe - as there are only 2 of us (and as presented bellow it serves 4), and it made plenty of food for us.

Ingredients

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 medium green & yellow courgettes (we used 1 large green one and that was plenty)

500g penne

4 large eggs

100ml double cream

2 good handfulls of parmesan

olive oil

12 thick slices of pancetta or streaky bacon

a small bunch of fresh thyme (we used dried)

Directions

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger courgettes lengthways. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the courgettes at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller courgettes can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to packet instructions.

To make your creamy cabonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly and put to one side.

Heat a very large frying pan, add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Add the courgette slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the courgettes become coated with all the lovely bacon-flavoured oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

It's very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the courgettes, bacon and lovely flavours, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you'll scramble the eggs.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straight away. While your tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Serve immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

Final Verdict

Highly recommended.

Expense: 2/10

Difficulty Level: 3/10

Tastiness: 7/10

p.s. the photo is a bit wonky because the battery on the camera was dead and so I ate most of it before it charged enough to take a photo.

oh, and if you are left scratching your head and wondering what a courgette is - it translates to zucchini in America.

Friday...

Mmmmm...

I love, love, these little caramel wafer bad boys. They are so good. You've got to dip them in a hot drink and they get all warm and gooey on the inside. De-lic-ious.

I've started listening to the audio version of the Economist. It's so great for the long journeys into London... it's no effort and you get clued up on all the current events.

I fell asleep while listening to it yesterday on the bus, and in my dream I kept thinking that the person I was talking to was so rude and wouldn't let me get a word in...

Autumn is here.

This is the view out our front window.