Epic Eats!

Hey guys!
I want to share a couple of awesome recipes with you. One of which is one of my absolute fave home cooked meals.
For as long as I can remember my grandma has made a thing called Bacon Pudding. Some people have heard of it, some haven't but as far as I was aware growing up, it was something only my Grandma and Great Granny could make. It was the food we asked for when she asked what special meal we wanted for birthdays, and always makes me think of Great Granny.
This is not a healthy meal by far, but its good old fashioned cheap and tasty food.

Best dinner in ages!

Hey folks.

Happy 2011!
Its a bit late, but I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and have had a good start to 2011. I know I had a good time, it has really helped to have a couple of weeks break from everything to sort my head out. I'm determined to start 2011 with a whole new me!
I don't really make resolutions - I never manage to complete them, and I'm always disappointed in myself, so instead of 3 or 4 resolutions, this year I just have one - To have no regrets.
I want to get to this point next year, look back on 2011 and, no matter what has happened through the year, to be happy that I did the best I could in everything.

I don't know how that will turn out, but I've started off well. I've already made a start on uni work that isn't due in for ages, and I've started eating a little more healthier - well, sort of. I mean I've been cooking proper food recently rather than just reheating freezer/processed food. I'm going to a recruitment day on Tuesday so that I can hopefully get a part-time job, I'm looking after myself more and my friends are taking me shopping for some clothes so that I can actually feel like I look good.

So, enough about that, onto the main reason I'm writing this post. I've just eaten the yummiest meal I swear I've ever made.
Last night I made bolognese, and though it was nice, I didn't really fancy it again tonight. I had a huge bag of onions in the fridge just waiting to be used up, so I decided to make a soup. I really only had one option - French Onion Soup.
I used Delia's recipe with a few very minor changes. I used red onions, instant beef stock, and I skipped a stage or two. I'll write the rough recipe below.
I figured after that I'd probably want something sweet, and I have a pile of apples on the table and some bananas which if I don't use up soon they'll have to be baked into something or they'll be unusable.
I decided on baked fruit. I'd never really tried it and I have a pretty sweet tooth so I looked through my cupboard for something extra. This is what I found:

I have a jar of chocolate mincemeat which mum gave me to turn into mince pies but I never got around to making, and a jar of choc-o-toff sauce that I bought from the Christmas markets.

Half-Term Madness.

Quite a bit has happened since I last blogged. Mainly stuff to do with uni, and me meeting my new flatmate (who is awesome btw), had an awesome flat-warming party and also I seem to have managed to both gain a boyfriend and then lose him again. Bit of a mix of good and bad.
This week has been really horrible though. Everyone else seems to get a reading week but we always end up with exams. I've had three big exams, which has meant no fun - just revision. I had my last exam today - I'm so happy they're over.

Not that all the exams were horrible. I had one on Wednesday that I got 95% on. 95!!! Thats like half a question wrong. I was very impressed, especially after the day before was horrible.
Tuesday's exam was Pharmacology. I find the subject interesting, but I'm not very anamoured with the lectures and this exam was a timed essay - the one kind of exam I really hate. The question was split into six things and we had to choose 4 to write about. I think I managed to write one fairly well, but the other three were pure guesswork. I came out of the exam nearly in tears it was that bad and I feel horrible - especially since I've looked over my notes and realised I know a helluva lot more than I put down.
My last exam was a good one again - Multiple Choice Questions, and I was confident about 80% of the test. We'll see how I did when I get the results.

After the exam we made the decision to go to starbucks. I am so glad we did - THE RED CUPS ARE BACK!!!!
This has basically made my week so much better. I love the red cups.
Everyone seems to have one thing which puts them into the christmas mood. For one friend its when the christmas coca-cola adverts come on tv, another its the christmas lights switch-on but for me, it is the day starbucks bring out those red take-out cups, decorate everything with snowflakes and I take my first sip of yummy gingerbread latte.
So it is now the run-up to christmas for me. I will start considering christmas gifts and deciding which family I want to spend christmas day with (thats a whole new blog post).

It's bonfire night tonght, which means lots of fireworks and smoke. We're going to a public display close by, unfortunately without my flatmate as she's scared of fireworks :(
After the display we're thinking of going for a few drinks which may or may not turn into a girls' night out.
Tomorrow is my friend's 21st birthday aswell - he's having a house party and after the week I've ended up having, I'll be planning on getting very messy :p I think he said something about drinking so much he doesn't want anyone able to walk home.

So, here's to me hopefully being able to live through my hangover come Sunday lol.

xxClairexx

The return!

Marmalade says hi!

Hey folks, I'm back!
Im sorry for disappearing for such a long time, there isn't really any excuse but I'm gonna try hard to post regularly from now on. Feel free to shout all you want, I deserve it.
A lot has happened since I last posted, I'll update you but I'll do it slowly, over a few posts if thats ok.

Firstly, here's the update on the uni stuff. I finished my first year of uni, but I didn't pass some modules so had to do some resit work over the summer. I was working my butt off trying to get everything in on time, and I think I managed it, but I still haven't got the results yet. They're due this week, and I'm getting really impatient - I'm supposed to start again next week!
Due to the results being released so late, I haven't been able to take part in the US exchange trip I was hoping for. I would've been a month or so late to start so, when I had a chat with my tutor, we decided it was best for me to stay here and work on passing - without the extra stress it would bring.

So in anticipation of starting Uni next week, I've moved into my new student digs for this year. So much moving around ... I'll end up confused where I live by the end of my degree!
At the moment it feels like I'm the only one here. I think I moved in before the big rush, and I haven't met the girl I'll be sharing with yet. Hopefully she'll move in this weekend. I hope we get on ok.

I still have a bit of unpacking to do, so I'll leave you with that for now, but I'll post again either later today or in the next couple of days.

xxClairexx

21 Today!

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IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!


I turn 21 today! (well technically it is today anyway, since its about 2am on the 17th here)

I'm having a party tonight, so no doubt I will post about that and how it goes. Especially since it is a fancy dress party and I plan on getting very drunk so I don't realise how stupid I look :-p
For now though, I'm heading to bed. I have a very busy day tomorrow and need sleep!!!

TTFN

xxClairexx