Dinner at Ewen and Clare's

Dammit! I've done them backwards again, this is the next day, down the pub and feeling rough.

Clare hard at work preparing deliciousness.

Our bartender extra-ordinaire.

Prawns, yumoo!

What concoction shall be our undoing?

Mr Socks was spooked by the newcomers.

Serious grown up stuff on Saturday night, with a couply dinner party. Honestly, I never thought I'd to see the day. Was really quite a larf, due in no small part to numerous, incredibly strong cocktails. Quite ill today, but totally worth it for the merriment that ensued. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I played wi (spelling?) baseball.

Only a few photos, as then battery died.

Love to all, hope you all had a lovely weekend too. Moving into the new flat next weekend, so will send pics through of the new place as soon as it's presentable (read: decorated with carefull place teapots and wall hangings. Might be a while, now that I think about it.)

Cloudy Times

Hey ho, well I have met my karmic come-upance this week. After ranting on about all the exciting things happening, Stu and I have been sent careening back towards earth today. He had a meeting with his CEO today and was told that, unfortunately due to 'restructuring within the company', he's being given his months notice. Back to (almost) square one it is then.

Sorry for blatantly short, mournful post, but I only just got the news and am feeling a little deflated.

Hope everyone's doing well out there in blogland. We'll be fine, but October plans have to be put on hold indefinitely.

Love.

Update

Ok, so I've started a new job, made many travel plans, and also found a new flat - moving in 2 weeks. So there've been a few developments in the last few weeks.

I'll have to keep this brief, because one of the joys of said new job is that I'm at the front desk in full view of the passing masses, as well as other staff (some of whom are great, others of whom I am slightly wary). New job is ok - a little on the conservative side in terms of things like dress code, etc - but I can (unlike my former hippy-coutured self) live with that. I do resent having to go out and spend some hard-won cash on new work clothes though - how boring is that?!

New flat, I'm very excited about this, unfortunately although it meets most of my requirements, I believe Stu's still a bit huffy about the fact that once again, we are bathless. We are also parking spot-less. So that's 2 down for him. Still - it has a massive second bedroom (hellloooo guests!), gas hob, NO electric crap shower - ie water pressure is back for good, loads of storage space for all our crap (though I have insisted on yet another cull before we move). It's also by the waters of Leith, just a short bus ride from that rather exciting part of town that veers dramatically between fine dining (ie Michelin star 'Kitchen'), cute bars and cafes, and transient crack whores. Bliss.

Travel plans - well firstly, Stu and I are planning a long weekend in the Lake District to herald our birthdays - they fall just a week or so apart, so we thought we'd cajole a few friends to come with us. We've rented a cottage - it has THE most hilarious you tube advert you've ever seen - lots of odd camera angles, unintentional blackouts and a handheld so wobbly, the makers of the Blair Witch Project would be furiously searching out an appropriate copywrite law to invoke. Still, it looks uber cute, and we're excited:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_I1jLFF-JE

Secondly, I'm off to A-dam at the end of April to catch up with the ladies - ie Buff Buff and H:Bomb (and maybe even the elusive Dave - who although by no means a lady, will become one of the honorary bitches for the weekend). So excited - and though tis for one night and one night only - I plan to make the absolute most of it! Any suggestions are welcome, because I do believe that the last time I was there (1999!), I sampled nought but beer, chips and other unsavoury items... All this made it rather difficult to remember much else ...

Thirdly - Stu and I are going to spend a week or so in Spain in June - guaranteed warmth and sunshine here I come!! We'll stay with Stu's parents in their home-away-from-home. Presumably there'll be more ex-pats than you can shake a stick at - but we'll have access to a car and can drive off in search of something a little more authentic - I envision private beaches, sangria and sun! Ok, so maybe authentic's not what I'm going for here - but don't hold it against me - I'm severely Vitamin D deficient right now.

Not our travel plans per se, but uber dooper excited about Beccy's impending move to this hemisphere in August. Yay Beccy well done you! Estonia - randomly brilliant.

October feels like a great time of year to take some time off and come back to Australia for a holiday - I can't quite believe I've been here for almost a year now! My my, how time flies.

Can't wait to see some of you then, and some of you maybe even before!

Love to all.

Dinner at Old Penang

Friday night out to dinner with my favourite Eburgerians ladies (Milly and Tamara) at my new favourite restaurant (hooray for decent Malaysian/Thai food)! Milly was a tad poorly, because she'd just had her swine flu innoculation. One minute she was peppy, the next she was asleep at the table. Poor love, I know just how she feels!

Neighbours!

Mike, Tamara and Milly - roomies.

So adorable.

Getting cranky.

To the Pulsing 90s Beats...

Ahhhh, Sunday, and the weather's predictably crap. Nevermind, perfect excuse to stay in, catch up on some crap TV and some brilliant blogging.

Oooh - Ace of Base. Too awesome.

I realise it's been a while since I filled any of my lovely readers in on my current status.

Everyday for the last 3-4 months, I've been cold, colder than I ever thought I would/could/should be. Now, I know I don't live in the Arctic, per se, but some of us aren't built for it, we're just not. My skin is pasty, I can't remember the last time I had warm feet, our flat has uber shitty heating (storage heaters are useless), and I am SO sick of wearing the same jacket, day in and day out. Mind you, it's a love hate thing with the jacket. Actually I'm pretty much in awe of it's unfailing ability to keep me from keeling over. Never leave me jacket. Never.

Oh my god, the 90s dance feast is over, only to be replaced with Eye of the Tiger. Now I feel like my typing has a newly invigorated, driving purpose. Yeah! Wow, the lead singer's surpisingly uninspiring. That just ain't right.

I'm getting off track. Not such a bad thing really, I was complaining about the cold again, wasn't I? Gawd, bloody broken record.

Our shitty heating is one of a myriad of reasons Stu and I are on the hunt for a better flat - hopefully somewhere closer to the centre of Edinburgh. We're looking at the docks area (cause Stu loves his late night sailor trawls), or near Holyrood Park. We went to a viewing yesterday, and it was a complete waste of time. The flat was in a crack den of a building, the tiles in the bathroom were few and far between, there was sawdust all over the living room floor, and a sorry bit of chipboard that stood for a wardrobe. Bust. The letting agent was far from helpful. In actual fact he seemed resentful of our presence. So few agents actually do viewings on the weekend, or even during the week in the evening. We were curtly informed when we asked about viewing times, that MOST people take a day off work and view a bunch in one day. Oh, silly me. Fuckers.

So now the task has been set for Stu (who has the car, and relative working freedom) to view as many flats as he can this week during lunch, and report back to me with ample visuals. Not incredibly fussy, but I have a few necessities that will need to be addressed - gas hob, GCH, tasteful decor, etc. Mainly it's all about location, location, location.

As far as work's concerned, I'm coming up to my last week at my current job, and I've lined up another contract for myself in a property company (coincidence, I assure you) as the reception/admin assistant. Nothing to get excited about, certainly. But the work will be easy, the pay is marginally better than the job I've been doing, and the contract is for a minimum of 10 months, so a bit of stability is nice. I've got some other things in the pipelines - an interview on Monday, another interview I had with Scottish Govt a couple of weekes ago - they're taking they're sweet time making a decision.

Foreigner - hilarious.

Sorry, this is all very stream-of-conscious right now.

Still aiming to make a trip back to Australia in October, so looking forward to it. Fingers crossed no monumentally expensive disasters pop up in the mean time!

That's it for now. Thanks for listening.

Turkey Leg Soup

Ingrediants:
1 large turkey leg
1 can chick peas/lentils (preference) – if dried, soak overnight.
1 can chopped tomatoes
½ can coconut milk (milk, not cream)
Chicken stock (liquid, not cube – it’s all about the stock – make it yourself?)
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 leeks finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 bay leaves (optional)
Vegetables – finely chopped – add anything you like. I usually go for a combination of sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin/squash, etc etc.

Seasoning (to rub on turkey leg and extra add to soup):
2 tsps Sea salt
2 tsps Pepper
2 tsps each Cumin and coriander seeds (freshly ground is best)
3 tsps Tandoori curry powder (some may say lazy, I don’t care)

Combine spices and rub over turkey leg. Leave at least half of the spices to add to the soup later. Please note, any leftover spices are awesome rubbed into chicken, red meat (esp lamb), fish, whatever.

Method:
Brown the turkey leg in a pan or in your soup pot if it has a heavy base.
Once browned, remove turkey leg and add leeks and garlic to the pan.
Add remaining spices to leeks once softened.
Sit turkey leg on top of leeks and add remaining diced veggies and copped tomatoes.
Add enough stock and coconut milk to cover.
Bring the soup to the boil, and then turn down to a medium heat to simmer for a couple of hours (add water/stock as the levels drop in the pot).
After two hours (leave longer if necessary, no harm done), remove the turkey leg. The meat should be tender and falling off the bone. Wait until it’s cooled, then shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Add the lentils/chick peas (drained and rinsed if canned) and the shredded turkey back into the soup and simmer for an additional 30 mins.

Serve with chopped coriander (or parsley) and a dollops of greek yoghurt or crème fraiche (and maybe a squeeze of lime)

NB:
Everytime I make soup, the recipe differs. Don’t be afraid to experiment – the principle always remains the same: Good stock + time = good soup.

Peebly Conditions

A few days before Christmas, Stu stumbled across a bargain - a night at Peebles Hydro (one of your more refined, spa-type establishments). Brilliant move all round, though as is customary with any trip undertaken by us, there were a minor hiccup:

Stu forgot to bring any shoes that weren't of the trainer (sneaker - see what living with Stu has done to me - I can't even say doona anymore, so derisive is he) variety. So that was a problem, because the rather posh dining room had a strict dress code after 7pm. We called concierge and explained our predicament. The man on the desk suggested Stu come down and try on their 'emergency' pair of shoes (size 10 - Stu's an 8). Apart from the obvious humiliation involved in having to wear what were effectively lost property shoes to a classy restaurant, they looked ridiculously clown-like. Fortunately our kindly concierge realised this, and told Stu not to worry about the dress code shoe-stipulation. They must have expected that on a night when the rooms were going half price, that a whole lot of plebs would be descending on their luxurious surrounds, and that standards would inevitably nose dive. Enter us.

Classy enough to bring our own picnic lunch to hotel, weather too shitty to eat said lunch out on the lawns, so we bunkered down in our room for cheeses, pickles and crakers. And an obligatory bottle of champers, Pats. Gym, pool, sauna, spa, etc etc. Then a gorgeous (massive) meal in the restuarant (we were in good company with the shoe situation, and were not shunned as a result). Finished the night off with a soak in the bath. So good, you forget how good. Just my luck to now live in a country where having a bath is not tantamount to Planeticide (like it?), and to live in a flat with no bath.


The view as we wound our way south to the lovely little town of Peebles. Damn was it cold. Not as cold as it had been in previous weeks, but still enough of a chill to make you crave hot tea and open fires.


One cold sheep on a windswept field. Poor sheep, I really feel for them in this kind of weather. I mean, it's not even bright and 'crisp', it's just plain unpleasant. I was happy to be in a car, speeding along - awful, selfish human being that I am, I still felt the guilt.

At least she had some mates to rally around. Sheep are pretty stupid though, um, collective body warmth anyone? Duh.

In the cocktail lounge before dinner at Peebles Hydro. Stu doing his best 'double-ard bastard impression'. Egads, we are both so pale.

Where you going?

The front entrance. I saw this and immediately thought of John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire. Actually, pretty much any Irving novel. Anyone with me?

Afore-mentioned tennis courts. Too few rackets, too much snow was the general concensus. Pity.

Tasty But Tardy - Vegematarians look away!

Mmmm, roast chicken. Classic favourite. You actually can't go wrong, it always tastes brilliant. Lemon, garlic, thyme and parsely up the bum, rub salty peppery deliciousness into skin, and away you go!

Made a mushroom gravy, including lashings of white wine, stock, bay leaves, more thyme, etc etc. Gravy makes everything good.

Roasted veggies, esp shallots and new potatoes. Weeeeeeeee

Don't forget the peas. I cannot eat/cook/look at/think about peas without thinking about The Simpsons. With a knife.

The finished product. Notice excessive amounts of mushroom gravy. Ain't no other way I tells ya.

One of the all-time best soups in the world. No process shots I'm afraid, it's finished product or nothing. Turkey, lentil and vegetable soup, with a tomato-curry flavoured broth. It's so chunky, it's pretty much a stew. Winter staple.

There is absolutely nothing better than making a huge batch of this on the weekend, then knowing that no matter how long and tedious your day turns out to be, you have this deliciousness waiting for you at home.

It should be noted that I actually took these shots for the blog a good few months ago, was going to add more - but hey - I can always edit and add later, when I can be arsed.