Surprise...I am home!

This time last year I had visited a total of one country in 25 years, other than the one I call home of course, now I have visited at least 25 countries in less than 365 days and have finally (or sadly, I’m still a little torn) ticked off the last country for this trip, Canada.

Some  of you would know that I have family in Canada and after years of hearing how they live their life, the people they share their lives with and of course the foods that they ate, seeing these things was a big priority before ending my trip.   I was meant to arrive to sunshine so I could get some use out of my shorts and thongs before heading to another winter but instead after Canada’s worst winter in living memory I turned up to inches of snow, thanks guys! I had little on the tourist agenda with this trip but we managed to fit in a few things here and there.

First up was a trip to visit the extended family farm and lakehouse in a small town about 2 hours out of Regina.  This time any other year the ice would be off the lake and ready for me to relax and do some fishing, instead I couldn’t even get in the cabin to check it out haha.  It was pretty awesome to see the lake covered with ice and the cabin snowed in.  We stayed at the farm where my introduction to some much loved food begun.  First was the local pub for wings night, by gosh these people love their wings. I couldn’t bring myself to order some as the thought of bones is a big turn off but I did try one! Tick it’s done, no more wings haha.  One other thing I was sceptical about was a dill pickle but I told myself I have eaten snails so I can eat a deep fried dill pickle, even though I didn’t really know what it was haha.  Turns out that not knowing that a pickle is a cucumber is not acceptable in Canada.  Honestly it just tasted like deep fried something but I am not sure I will be jumping out of my skin to try another one, it’s a bit weird.  Next on the list was beef jerkey, now this stuff is disgusting! I had to ask so nicely if I could spit this out, trust me people snails taste much nicer than this stuff.  Sometimes I realise I must sound like I am so dumb, first not knowing what a pickle is and then finding out there are skunks in Canada!! But seriously how many of you out there knew that there are skunks in Canada?!  The hunt was on to find a skunk and it wasn’t that hard either, we found 5 in one night just scampering along the side of the road. 

 

Back to Regina we headed where I visited the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and happened to arrive on a graduating day. The RCMP is the national police service but is different to the ‘normal’ police.   I am not really too sure of the difference to be honest except they wear different uniforms haha, it was great to see none the less.  There was a couple of junk food types things that I wanted to try so it was off to the supermarket we went to get some dill pickle chips, some root beer and smores.   The chips were not too bad, they didn’t taste anything like the dill pickle I had had the week before but the real winner was the smores.  Get yourself some biscuits, a marshmallow and some chocolate and you are ready to go.  First was to melt the marshmallow on the fire then squish it together between the chocolate and biscuits, heavenly. I need to have these again!

 

My time in Canada was quickly coming to an end so last on the tourist agenda was to visit a small quirky tourist town about an hour away called Moose Jaw.  Moose Jaw is home to an elaborate underground tunnel network, now a major attraction for visiting tourists.  We opted for the more theatrical experience becoming ‘bootleggers’ in the Chicago Connection tour telling the story of the Al Capone era.  It was very interesting but a little awkward as we were the only two on the tour! Being a tourist town I picked myself up some pure maple syrup as who can go to Canada without trying maple syrup although a few weeks have passed and I am yet to open it!  It has made the long journey home though so sooner or later I will get my pancake making skills back on and report back. One thing I was keen to see in Canada was a moose, unfortunately the wildlife wasn’t really playing the game so I managed to find myself a larger more exciting moose that was willing to pose for a picture with me, I’ll take what I can get!  

 

Before I knew it, the snow had melted, the floods were starting and I was back on a plane and on my way to LA.  The end was so near that I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do.  I had a few things in mind but I was staying in Santa Monica so I spent a lot of time roaming around the beach and trying to get a little sun.  I checked out a few sights such as the Baywatch beach, the Santa Monica pier where parts of Forrest Gump was filmed and managed to fit in some shopping time.  My first night arrived and it felt like the moment my stomach saw water it needed to eat seafood so off I went to a pub and had myself some fish and chips.  I am not a big fan of cod I have come to find but this was so fresh and cooked really well so it was certainly an enjoyable meal for my first night.  With another wander down by the beach it was then off to bed for an early night and more exploring in Santa Monica the following day including Venice Beach which was a big letdown.

 

Who could come to LA without going to Hollywood?  I had the intention of getting around myself but I was seriously delusional when I realised how difficult it is with only a bus network for public transport in such a busy town, you spend more time in traffic than at the places you were visiting. I soon realised why the tourist industry booms there with the high demand for tour guides.  I succumbed to the pressure of being too lazy to deal with it myself and booked a tour including the major sights such as Hollywood Blvd, the end of route 66, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, the farmers market and many more.  We also did a lot of driving by ‘famous’ peoples house which in my opinion was a waste of time as all you see is a fence or a bunch of trees, some people loved it taking so many pictures (I am sure they wouldn’t remember which picture belonged to which celebrity) but it seems hard to get a tour that does not include this ‘must see’ part of town.  Much to my disappointment I did not see anything Kardashian, do not judge me on my disappointment, I think this is the only house that may have interested me!    I did however stumble across the cheesecake factory beside the farmers market and for all of you Big Bang Theory fans out there I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to eat there.  One thing I have come to like about America is their love for turkey, I was extremely pleased to demolish a turkey burger but I was so full afterwards I couldn’t even fit in some cheesecake, but I did purchase a slice for an afternoon snack.  A full 7 hour day and I was back at the hostel and starting to get myself ready for the big journey home.

 

As most of you know I am now back in the land of Oz after a long 27 hour flight.  Very few people knew when I was coming home and I managed to pull off a fairly good surprise on Saturday night when I turned up to a dinner my friends were not expecting to see me at! It was very rewarding to see their surprised faces, something I would love to do again but I am not sure anything I say will be trusted for the next little while.  Would you believe it feels like I left 5 minutes ago yet while being away it felt like I had been away for 5 years!  I have however already had a few little snacks I have been craving such as bakers delight bread and pizza shapes but I am yet to get myself a caramello koala! Next on the list is job hunting but over the next few weeks I am spending some time with family and friends getting myself organised, unpacked and settled back into my house.  I have no doubt it wont be long before I am back to update you on the foods I just couldn't wait to devourer but until then, keep smiling :)

The long anticipated New York City

I have been so excited for months leading up to my trip to New York that I have done more research on the places I wanted to see than I have done for the rest of my trip put together.  I generally go in with an attitude of ‘winging it’ but there was so much to do and see and with a list as long as my arm I arrived armed with books, plans, pre-booked tickets and god knows what else.  After my arrival and sorting out the ‘nowhere to stay drama’ I was so exhausted that I could barely bring myself to find something to eat let alone keep my eyes open so it was off to bed early without doing any exploring.

Determined to see and do as much as possible I was up and ready to tackle central park.  First on the agenda was sorting out my breakfast, luckily there was a cafe in the hostel which made things so much easier.  I couldn’t help myself but join the American craze and have a bagel with cream cheese, not eating a lot of bread I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but gosh I was more than pleasantly surprised as the bagel had a savoury french onion flavour, a surprise from the sweeter breakfast foods I have eaten on my travels.  I enjoyed it so much that a bagel and yoghurt with muesli or granola as they call it here very quickly became my morning ritual.
As I was staying within two blocks of Central Park on the upper west side I decided I would walk through the park heading towards midtown.  When I first entered the park I was a little disappointed as there didn’t really seem like much going on except the daily runners that were out doing their exercise.  The further south I headed the more interesting it became and my opinion quickly changed.  I soon began to see why you can go to Central Park and spend the day people watching.  In the three hours it took for me wander from one end to the other I saw the major landmarks including the Imagine mosaic that is dedicated to the memory of Beatles member John Lennon, the Bandshell which was housing a group of school kids putting on a performance and the woolman ice skating rink to name a few.  I even stumbled across a wedding ceremony which had a number of people watching to see what was going on.  The day continued down through midtown via Fifth Avenue checking out the expensive shopping, certainly no buying, towards the Rockefeller Center.  I was happy to sit outside in the sun all afternoon and watch the ice skating rink attached to the front of the building but I had already decided before arriving that I would go up to the ‘top of the rock’.  I had tossed up a number of times if I should go up to the Empire State Building (which is currently the tallest building) instead but I am very glad I settled with top of the rock as you get the one thing that the Empire State Building cannot offer, which is seeing the building itself.  The views from the top were simply breathtaking.  Even though I had just walked from one end of Central Park to the other seeing it from a whole different perspective gave it a whole new appreciation.  I could not believe how big it was, I could honestly go up there every day to appreciate the view, if of course I didn’t have to fork out the cash each time! 
My final stop for the day was Time Square, just a short walk away.  This is somewhere I really wanted to see at night or at dusk so I decided to head off to grab some dinner in the meantime.  I must admit I found it rather difficult to find restaurant/pub type places in the centre of town.  I am sure I was not looking in the right places but it felt like if I wasn’t prepared to eat from either a corner hotdog cart or a takeaway place such as Maccas the options were limited to say the least. I found an Irish pub that I decided was good enough and settled for a turkey burger with some fries.  It was certainly not the most amazing thing I have ever eaten but it was a meal so no real complaints. After declining dessert I headed back out onto the streets to see ‘the crossroads of the world’ and it certainly feels like this with the amount of people that are crawling the streets but the advertisements that are lighting up the street really are a must see in the city.

Day two arrived and I was starting to settle into being alone and doing my thing so out the door I went after my bagel and yoghurt to tick off more of my growing list.  First stop was the world trade centre memorial site or ground zero as it’s often called.  I wasn’t too sure what to expect as it is an ongoing construction to the memorial site but I was there early and luckily didn’t have to wait too long to enter the site which houses two amazing fountains or waterfall type memorials that are located where the two towers were previously.  Beside the site the re-construction of the new towers is well under way which are planned to be 107 floors I believe, they are set further apart from the previous two buildings and will certainly be a major site for the city.  A very interesting site to visit and again I would recommend the trip if you get the chance.  I set off towards Hudson River and further south to see the lady that all must see, the Statue of Liberty.  It is quite a view from Battery Park but I jumped on the Staten Island ferry which is an hour round trip to get a better look.  Not only does this give you quite a view of lady liberty but the view of the city itself is certainly something. After landing back in Manhattan I decided to head off into mid town to see Grand Central Terminal and enjoy some lunch in the often talked about dining concourse under the main level.  It turned out to be a food court and the food was not as great as what I read about.  The most impressive thing was the desserts and bakeries lined with delicious sweets that I had to take the opportunity to have a piece of traditional New York cheesecake, a killer piece of cheesecake too I might add.  Out the door I was again with little of the afternoon left before I was off to the Hockey in New Jersey but a few more stops to see including the New York Public Library, the Chrystler bulding, Macys and Madison Square Garden.  Ticking off more than I expected I was on my way via train out of the city.  Not really knowing where I was going I managed to follow the sea of red when I arrived to the stadium, only two blocks from the station.  Having little knowledge on the rules of the sport I cannot explain just how much I enjoyed the game, I would love to go back again.  The supporters and atmosphere certainly had a lot to do with that and their ongoing heckling that I couldn’t help but laugh at really did make the experience even more amazing.  My admiration for anyone that plays this sport has increased dramatically, it is astonishing how they are not only playing a game but they are on ice skates, I for sure would have snapped an ankle, a knee or some other type of injury before I even got stick to puck.  It couldn’t be an experience without having some unhealthy fried food now could it, so chicken and fries it was.  I couldn’t bring myself to try out the ‘buffalo wings’ just yet!

Time to wear off all that cheesecake and fried food and I set off downtown to tackle the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was a beautiful sunny day and as I headed across the busy footbridge taking in the views of the city skyline.  Once I made it to the other side, which was much quicker than I thought, I headed down towards the water to check out the view.  To my amazement the view from here was even more amazing, I think this was my favourite part of the trip.  Being there on a Sunday was a blessing in disguise as there was a massive food market on for lunch.  The perfect opportunity to try another traditional dish and it was time for brisket.  The line for this stall was longer than the 30 other stalls put together so it seemed like this was the place to try it. It was a very tender meat but gosh the Americans love their meat in comparison to the tiny teaspoon of coleslaw I got vs what seemed like a huge amount of meat.  I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine for another few hours watching the kids playing and taking in the view before heading back uptown.  I decided to continue my walking and before I knew it I was already at the bottom of Central Park that I decided to keep on going, according to google maps I walked a good 13-14kms.  Lets hope that worked off the cheesecake and fried crap from the day before!

The next day the amount of walking and sightseeing caught up with me and I was so exhausted I didn’t really know what to do with myself.  I had the intention to head to the Bronx Zoo, apparently one of the most amazing and largest, but ended up in Central Park for the day.  It was a beautiful day of about 26c degrees so I spent the day on the lawn having myself some lunch and some people watching. I decided to head to the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) to check out the steps where Blair Whaldorf ruled her roost from but the entire building was under construction so it was a big letdown.  Back to the park I headed for the remainder of the afternoon listening to orchestra’s playing before walking back home.  On the way I found myself a little pizza shop where I couldn’t help but try out some pizza, something that New Yorkers are famous for getting on the run.  Honestly I still miss Australian pizza with a number of toppings instead of this one topping and cheese business but it was tasty nonetheless.

My final day was here before I knew it. I had been building myself to the NBA game all week that I didn’t know what to do with myself for the entire day.  I decided I would check off the few things were still on my list as places I wouldn’t mind seeing.  First stop was the Chelsea Markets, a very cool food concourse set up in the old National Biscuit Company factory.  It is nowhere near as big as I imagined but the market is very unique and has some high quality food.  I especially liked the glass walls into the bakeries where you can watch the talent making the delicious goodies.  Next stop was Wall Street to see the hustle and bustle including the New York Stock Exchange and famous bull staute before heading to Brooklyn for the afternoon to spend some time in the botanical gardens.  The gardens were amazing and lucky for me entry is free on a Tuesday so I spent a lot of time wandering there.  I can see how the gardens will be lovely when everything starts to green up and leaf up so to speak in the Spring.  On to the main event and basketball here I come.  I was that excited to see the basketball, I have been looking forward to it for so long but I was sadly disappointed with the game.  The atmosphere was a little dull and the crowd certainly not a sell out. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing but I’ll give you all the hot tip, if you have to choose between hockey and basketball, watch the basketball on tv and go and see the crazy fans that make the hockey more exciting.

I have now ventured to snowy Canada where we are technically in spring but the snow doesn’t look like melting anytime soon, much to the disgust of my family here!   I have no doubt I will be back in touch soon with some tips on the most delicious maple syrup!  Until then, as always, keep smiling :)

Closing the chapter on Edinburgh

Can you believe that my 6 months in Scotland is over people!  It feels like I have been waiting for this day for about 4 months, yet I am surprisingly sad that I am leaving.  I have had itchy feet to get out and about, not to mention get back home but I am honestly shocked that its now been and gone.  My travel buddy departed before me, after 3+ years of being inseparable we have now ‘broken up’ so to speak.  A very sad day but I had so much to do in the week before I also left that I am not too sure that it’s really sunk in yet.
Since I last checked in I have actually had a lot of things going on, one weekend in particular was jam packed. We started our weekend with a Friday night trip to a Céilidh, a traditional Scottish dance night with folk music, similar to barn yard dancing I suppose.  I was not sure what to expect as I am very protective of my personal space and was anxious about people wanting to dance with me.  I enjoyed the night a lot more than I imagined and we turned out to be a hit with the locals, I don’t think we sat a single dance out.  The following day a family friend from the Scottish Borders made the trip up to good old Edinburgh and we spent the day eating and drinking our way through the pubs on Rose Street.  A good way to spend a Saturday as it was raining and snowing all day outside.  The following day my travel buddy’s Aunty & Uncle were also up from London for a visit so I made the journey out in the weather once more.  We did some fun touristy things including Hollyrood Palace, the queen’s official Scottish residence and Dynamic Earth, kind of like a science works type place.  It was actually very interesting, one section even had a large chunk of ice placed in the middle of the room! It was a lovely weekend catching up with everybody. 

As my last week fast approached, the packing begun and cleaning was rather, slow so to procrastinate I started to try and use up as much as possible in the pantry.  One thing I will most definitely be having more of when I go home is Salmon.  It was in our fridge constantly in Scotland and I always try and come up with something different to have with it as I am still working on the right flavours. I decided to make a sweet potato salad and roasted cherry tomatoes and I was pleasantly surprised that both went very well. Would recommend giving it a go!
Treating myself after a meal seems to happen more often than not these days so I am not too sure it can be a treat at the moment but nonetheless Easter was here and who can so no to chocolate at that time of year. One thing I claimed to dislike in the past was Cadbury crème eggs. Well that’s now all changed! I used to be disappointed every time I ate them as it wasn’t caramel until this year I finally accepted that they do not taste like that and then I fell in love.  Oops, I should have went on hoping to find caramel when I ate them but my Easter treats are possibly going to develop into an addiction in the coming years.

 

With work now wrapped up I was in my final week and catching up with people for dinners.  First was an Indian restaurant set up in the old town.  It has raving reviews on Trip Advisor and I can see why.  It is Indian with a twist as it’s served in tapas sized dishes.  We were able to share about 6 of the dishes and all were delicious, I don’t think I can name a favourite but by gosh the garlic naan was good.  If you are ever in Edinburgh, check out Mother Indian Cafe! My final day arrived and after finally sorting out a little drama as my shipping boxes never got picked up by the courier, it was off for my final meal.  Sticking to the tapa theme of the week, we headed off to Tapa, a Spanish restaurant.  Another sharing meal and the clear winner of these dishes was the chorizo, a delicious last meal.  I couldn’t leave Scotland without having one final sticky toffee pudding.  After testing so many I think it’s only fair that I am allowed to criticise the lack of sauce and the sugar granules in the sauce.  Not the best one I have had, but hey it was a Spanish restaurant I guess!

 

I am now in New York and have been busily exploring. After a ridiculous drama on my arrival I have everything sorted and so far have enjoyed the city. For now it is off to bed for me as I am exhausted after the serious walking I have been doing (according to google maps I did about 13-14kms today!) but I will be back very soon with all the excitement of the Big Apple. Until then, as always, take care and keep smiling x

Battle of the puddings

So I have come to the realisation that birthday week, or weeks in my case, is now well and truly over and it’s time to start eating a little better before I give myself the excuse to eat more rubbish, eg Easter!  But before you get a blog of healthy suggestions and meals I have been eating (well hopefully, let see how well that goes) here is another round of delicious treats.

You may recall at Christmas I mentioned that I made sticky date pudding for our Christmas lunch dessert and promised to make it again with photos to come, well what better excuse than to make myself a belated birthday ‘cake’!  I cannot explain how amazingly successful this recipe is, I think it’s impossible to screw it up and it is just the most delicious yet light pudding, a nice surprise as often puddings are so dense.   The recipe is as simple as boiling the dates, adding some bi-carb soda and letting them cool before blending smooth.  While the dates are doing their thing you just need to cream the butter and sugar before adding eggs, and finally fold in the flour and date mixture.  I also make a butterscotch sauce to serve which I could just eat on its own spoonful after spoonful, it’s so delightful.

 

Little did I know I would be getting my chance to compare my pudding later in the week.  I was invited along to a food club where the group, made up by a number of Aussie and Kiwis, meet once a month and basically try out a new restaurant in Edinburgh. It was a fun thing to get out and about and meet some new people but it will sadly be my one and only appearance as I will be off before the next one.  Who can say no to dessert when you see sticky toffee pudding on the menu served with ice-cream, yum yum.  Kudos to the restaurant for making their presentation much better than mine haha but, they were both delicious, perhaps I shouldn’t compare as I am a touch bias.  I think the restaurant wins one the basis that it was served with ice cream.

The fun weekend continued with amazing weather.  I feel like it’s the first time I have seen some decent sun in months so I had to take advantage of it by spending as time outside as possible.  The botanical gardens are only a short walk away from our house so I wandered over for a Saturday afternoon and ended up at some local parks watching some very basic standard rugby.  But to sit outside on the grass and actually feel the sun warming me up (even though I was wearing a scarf, gloves and jacket) was a very welcome change. Saturday certainly impressed and Sunday was just as good so I decided to head on out to walk up Calton Hill, a smaller ‘hill’ than Arthur’s Seat but has some really cool monuments to look at.

Unfortunately the great weather came to an end and this week has been rain and snow.  You all know how much I love watching snow out the window, but having to walk to work and attempt to stay on my feet and not break a bone was a challenge.  I have always refused to be ‘that girl’ who walks to work in stockings but wearing runners and bring a change to work, sadly I gave in to that and wore what I like to call my loser shoes but did manage to stay upright.  The good weather last weekend made me crave some delicious fish and chips by the beach, so I decided to give my own batter a go with a simple flour, milk and water.  Another success but needs a little tweaking, probably would be a winner with some calamari which I will try again one day I am sure.

 

The countdown is now on for my time in Scotland to end, less than a month and I am off.  I am very much looking forward to catching up with a family friend who is travelling up from the Scottish Borders to visit and have a girls weekend.  Hope you all have amazing weekends and that the sun is shining somewhere. Take care xx

Happy Birthday to Me!

It’s official, the year of 25 is over. I cannot believe that I am now on the other side of my ‘mid-twenties'..a little scary I must admit..but before I launch into my birthday weekend I must first tell you about another celebration.  For the first time in I can’t remember how many years, I decided to celebrate Shrove/Pancake Tuesday.  Even though I do not participate in Lent, it very quickly become apparent that A LOT of people celebrate Shrove Tuesday in Scotland, so I thought why not get on board.  Still eating sugar like it’s going out of fashion (which by the way seriously has to stop in the coming weeks, yes I’m giving myself another week!) I made a chocolate pancake topped with some oreo biscuits and butterscotch sauce.  Possibly the easiest sauce to make with some butter, brown sugar and cream all melted together, heavenly. 

 

The end of the week couldn’t come quicker and before I knew it, I was at the airport and on my way to London.  This is my last planned trip before leaving the UK so there were a few things I wanted to tick of my list along with enjoying the hustle and bustle that the city has to offer.   After dropping my things at the hostel I made my way into the city with the first thing on the agenda being to get myself some tickets to a west end performance that night.  It was meant to be when I arrived and there were two tickets left to Stomp that night so I purchased them without any hesitation. With my night planned I headed to Covent Garden markets to grab some lunch and watch the word go by.  There were a number of street performers and the weather was lovely so I sat outside to have tasty pizza before going to meet my travel buddy who travelled to London later that day.  We took a stroll through St James Park and past Buckingham Palace enjoying the sunshine.  One other place I simply couldn’t leave London without seeing is the world famous Harrods department store.  A very pretty building but I can imagine that it would look so much better at night all lit up but the inside is amazing.  So much to see and if my bank balance allowed it so much to try as there was a massive food court with the most delicious looking chocolates, macaroons and fresh seafood to name a few.  Time to head back to Leicester Square for a pre-musical cider and a snack after my late lunch. The show started at 8pm and I really wasn’t too sure what to expect, I knew that the concept of the show was to create music with ordinary objects such as rubbish bins or shopping trolleys.  I was however expecting some type of storyline that tied the whole show together so I was a little disappointed when that didn’t happen, but wow it was a very talented bunch and there were some amazing parts of the show.   After an early start and exhausting day I was happy to head back to the hostel and do some socialising which turned into facebooking haha.

Birthday morning! Happy Chloe day haha.  With no real plans in the morning we decided to set off to check out Abbey Road and I am so glad we did. It was so funny watching people trying to cross the road with cars and buses having to wait getting annoyed and honking their horns. It was certainly a fun way to pass the time but there was no way I was going there without getting my photo taken.  Thank goodness there was a small break in the traffic and we pounced before anyone else got the chance.  We continued on into Camden with a small little pit stop at Lords cricket ground for a photo (there is no way I was spending much time at a cricket ground on my birthday!) and then found a lovely little cafe to have some lunch, I decided on a crab and avocado pate served with sourdough which was very enjoyable. Off to the markets to find me some birthday cake before heading to the most exciting part of my trip, the Harry Potter studios.  Lets just say the best part of my red velvet cupcake was the icing!

 

Harry Potter here I come, I was that excited anyone would have thought that it was the first time I had been let out of a house or something! I was warned that you need about 3 hours to work your way through the entire studios but wow, when they allow 3 hours that is going quickly and taking in about half of the stuff.  I could not believe how overwhelming everything was.  There was so much to see, so much to take in and so many things to read! There is so much I could write about but the things that I loved the most were the outdoor props such as the knight bus and number 4 private drive, the Grand Hall (I could not believe they actually built this entire room with the grand doors, it was MASSIVE) but most of all Diagon Alley.  It was easily my favourite part of the entire tour.  Such an amazing experience I totally loved it and was so glad I made the trip down to see it.

 

My final day in London, I had nothing else I really wanted to do, so I headed into town to wander around Westminster.   I somehow ended up on my way to St James’s park when I realised it was so close to 11am that I could see changing of the guards at horse guards parade which I hadn’t yet seen.  It was a little bit of a letdown haha but certainly passed some of my morning.  There was one other place I wanted to go back to and this was Hummus Bros.  I had been there once before and thought it was very good, but I was pretty sick at the time so I didn’t take any pictures or make any real reference to it so I thought why not head there again.  I decided on chicken with a side of tabouleh and to be honest it was a little too much hummus and if I didn’t have the tabouleh to break it up it was have been a struggle to eat.  It’s a great concept though and something unique that you don’t see every day.  My last little wander around and I managed to run right into the biggest toy store in London, Hamelys! I was def up for checking that out and when I entered the 5 story building I discovered a level dedicated to Lego.  It was so amazing with Lego figurines everywhere including life size telephone booths and the royal family!

 

Back in Edinburgh now and things are starting to wind down here with about 5 weeks to go before I head to the USA and Canada.  I have a lot to organise so I really should get on that, but hopefully in the coming weeks I have a few plans to share with you and some exciting things coming up.  Until then, take care xx

Sugar, Soccer, Sunderland & Scrolls

Well it’s been 9 months since I left Australia, but I have finally done it!  Yep I have finally ticked off going to an EPL soccer game.  Seriously, why has this taken me 9 months! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to organise a day trip to Sunderland to watch Sunderland V Arsenal but after organising it last weekend it seems as though this week went at snail’s pace.

I am not sure how exactly this happened, perhaps it was all the excitement for the game on the weekend but gosh my sugar intake this week has exceeded my whole sugar intake for the year so far!  It started out with a little chocolate Easter egg and then bam, the next thing I knew it was the middle of the week and I was baking! Refusing to leave the house to give myself this sugar fit, I raided the pantry to find a little flour, cocoa and brown sugar.  Well I could work with this, a little recipe searching and I was making a chocolate self saucing pudding.  A very simple dessert that took minutes to mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, eggs, milk & butter before covering it with more sugar and cocoa and boiling water and pop in the oven. Half an hour or so later, out comes chocolate goodness with a gooey centre and crusty top.  The only thing I would have changed was adding some ice cream on the side!

 

Still on my sugar high, the weekend finally rolled around and we were off to Sunderland.  Well only just as we did only make the train with about a minute to spare before they closed the doors.  There was some running to the platform, but the important thing is that we made it there!  I was warned before going to Sunderland that there is nothing to do there and we should spend as little extra time there as possible, I can see what they were talking about as it is really just an industrial town with lots of old old buildings then a huge much newer stadium randomly chucked in the middle.  It was a great stadium though and I was shocked at how close we were to the pitch, I could almost reach out and touch the players.  The Sunderland fans were much tamer than I expected but the atmosphere was still electric especially in the second half as the desperation to get a goal intensified.  Arsenal came out winners with a 1-0 victory, I am still not sure if I am going to support them, I’m not really a fan of there away strip haha.  It was a really great day and another big tick off my list of things to do before I go home.  After the game we headed back into Newcastle before we caught a later train back to Edinburgh. We found a pub not too far from the station to have a bite to eat, turns out it was a good choice by us as it was a sports club with more games on the big screen and a lot of supporters headed there after the game.  Since I had already eaten a bunch of rubbish this week, I decided why not continue and have some nachos. I honestly think it’s the best nachos I have had in a long time, the salsa was so fresh and clearly homemade as well as the guacamole being spot on.  Good impression Newcastle!  I wish we had more of a chance to look around Newcastle as I hear it is a beautiful town but we headed back on the train to Edinburgh for the night.

 

Today I have spent the day just pottering around the house and have actually been in the kitchen baking some snacks.  I wanted to give something new a try and I stumbled across a recipe for savoury scrolls so I gave it a whirl.  Similar to a scone like recipe I suppose I made the dough and kneaded away until I had a reasonably smooth mixture and then rolled out with a make shift rolling pin, aka a glass, topped with some cheese, bacon and tomato paste then rolled it up, cut into 12 little scrolls and popped them into the oven. 20 minutes later and out came some very successful looking scrolls.  They were not quite as light as I would have liked them but still tasted good.  Apparently this wasn’t enough to satisfy my scroll craving so with some spare pastry lying around I also made some sweet chilli, spinach and cheese pin wheels.  Very tasty and you can never go wrong with anything that involves puff pastry!

 

Time now to maybe clean up the mess I have made and prepare myself for another week at work before heading to London next Saturday morning for another action packed fun filled birthday weekend.  Until then, keep smiling :)

Let it snow!

Well it’s about time but I finally have a snow story for you!  Edinburgh, it’s taken you close to 4 months but you have delivered the goods.  It’s almost like I have never seen snow before, which is not the case, but I just can’t explain to people the difference between going away to ‘the snow’ for a skiing holiday versus waking up to a snow covered back yard (not that we have a backyard in our apartment, but you get my drift!).  It’s such a magical feeling to watch out the window and everything you look at is blanketed in white. 

Lucky for us the snow came on a Friday so we had all weekend to enjoy the winter wonderland.  We decided why not kill two birds with one stone and go and play out in the snow and climb Arthurs Seat, the main peak in the centre of Edinburgh.  In retrospect, maybe not the best idea we have come up with as my runners are not really equipped to walking in snow/ice.  Lets just say there were times that I was meant to be walking up the hill and I might as well have had ski’s on my feet and going down as I was on my butt a lot!

It is a spectacular view from the top of the mountain and ended up being a beautiful day.  There were so many families that had taken the opportunity to enjoy the day outdoors and many who had brilliant ideas to sled down once they had conquered the climb. Being the cheap civilians we are, our version of a sled was a garbage bag, nothing like these fancy sleds others were using!  I had spent enough time on my butt already making the decision very easy to get down as far as possible without having to walk.   It was so much fun but being overtaken by the real sleds certainly made me jealous! If it snows again, I think I may have to step up my quality of sled.

After an exhausting day of trying to stay on my feet, I decided to try and make a new and delicious lunch.  I have always enjoyed veggie burgers but I have never really tried to make my own. Trying to avoid the carbs in potatoes, I boiled up some sweet potato and mashed them up mixed with grated carrot, grated zucchini, celery, capsicum, egg and flower.  To give it a bit of flavour I added some curry powder and then kabaam, burgers were made!  I decided to coat them in some muesli to give it bit of a crunch and then cook them up in the fry pan.  I was surprised at how delicious they tasted with some salad and natural yoghurt.  I have already given them another crack and they certainly still need a little more perfecting but if you want a nice twist to having vegies, I would highly recommend giving this one a go.

That’s about it for me at the moment, but be prepared for a few interesting blogs soon as I have some exciting weeks planned with a trip to see a REAL soccer game, I couldn’t be more excited!  Come on Arsenal, I knew there was a reason I stumbled across your arena in my first few weeks of arriving.  For the less sporty fans I am heading to London for my birthday to go to the Warner Bros studios to see the making of Harry Potter! YAY!! Until then, keep smiling xx

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

After what seems like forever (realistically a month or so) of not having internet at home, I’m back baby!!  I am sure there are some of you that must be thinking I have gone into winter hibernation and others that haven’t even noticed that I have been MIA but I have so much to catch you up on as I spend my Sunday indoors watching the snow fall out my window, that’s right, SNOW!  Our second day of snow for the winter although it seems to be melting the moment it hits the ground so no sledding stories for you just yet.

Time to back track to late November when I left you on the edge of your seats due to my excitement of working at Scottish Rugby Union.  Before I even get into what happened there and what I have been cooking, I must first explain to you how unbelievably happy I was to see my travel buddy return from her trip to Aus but more importantly what came back with her.  Anyone who knows me, should be able to guess the first thing I would want from home, but for those of you who are trying to think of something to post me as a present..hint hint.. I will happily share with you that a caramello koala is the way to go!
Sadly my time at SRU came to an end just over a month of working there as the autumn test series wrapped up.  To say a little thank you for all of the opportunities I was given there I decided what better way than turn up with some food.  I stuck to the Aussie theme and made one of my favourite slices as a kid, hedgehog.  A huge hit in our family, possibly my sisters all time favourite thing to eat ever, and if there is not hedgehog in the fridge or freezer at any given time there is a serious problem.  A simple simple simple slice that requires crushed sweet biscuits combined with melted butter, cocoa, eggs & sugar left to set in the fridge overnight was as tasty as I remember it.  After the serious sugar hit I needed to work off some calories and we headed to an Elvis cabaret night organised by one of the ladies I worked with.  Something I would never have considered doing unless I was perhaps in Las Vegas but it turned out to be a fun filled night and something I would definitely consider doing again.

After finishing up at SRU on Friday I was lucky enough to have a new administration job at Energy Saving Trust on the following Monday.  Not really knowing what I was walking in to, in typical Chloe tradition I decided to get organised to at least have my lunch for the week.   I decided to bake a very simple cheese and bacon quiche, simple seems to be a theme recently!  Another dish that was a regular in our house for lunch as a kid was our version of egg and bacon pie consisting of bacon, eggs, cheese, carrot, milk, salada biscuits, spring onions and seasonings.  Lacking on a few ingredients at the time I made an adapted version of this, admittedly not as delicious as normal but a fairly healthy lunch with some salad on the side.
I am now over a month into this role where I am processing government grants for energy saving schemes and its going along rather well.  My contract is until the end of March so will just see how things go over the next few months but I think that will bring me to the end of my time in Edinburgh.

As Christmas was fast approaching, Edinburgh seems to come to life at this time of year.  The town gardens transform into a winter wonderland including an outdoor skating rink and a huge daily market.  We decided to head down to check it out on a Friday night and taste some mulled wine, apparently a tradition that is loved by all. I on the other hand, can’t say that it was love!  I think the best way to describe the taste is to imagine a nice big batch of sangria and imagine it hot.  I probably wouldn’t have it again but glad I can say that I have tried it at least once and sticking to my plan of trying the local cuisine and beverages.  Haggis definitely wins this battle as the better of the traditions in my opinion!

As Christmas time is a time to embrace traditions, I was invited to a pantomime, something I had never even heard of before, which is apparently an annual performance best described as musical comedy where each year a different fairytale theme is used.   This year was Mother Goose and I admit I really had no idea what to expect as it is aimed at families with younger children and relies on audience interaction.  It was surprisingly good but there were a lot of little Scottish jokes I did not understand making it somewhat harder to join in!  It was a fun way to spend Christmas Eve though and certainly helped get in the spirit to prepare for over indulging on food the following day. I was invited to spend Christmas lunch with some friends I worked with at SRU and indulge we did on a roast turkey with all the trimmings.  It was certainly a different Christmas to what I am used to, instead of being outdoors in shorts and singlet or inside under the air conditioner I was wrapped up in a jacket and scarf!  I did take some time to make sure I had a little taste of home and I made my sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce for dessert.  So light and fluffy but packed full of flavour, I regret not taking photos of this one as I am still to this day wishing there was more left over to eat as it was so so so good.  I think it won’t be long before this reappears on my blog, I may even make the excuse that I need some photos to share with you so I can cook and eat it again!

Christmas seemed to come and go and before I knew it I was back at work!  Not for long though as the build up to Hogmany was very exciting.  Something that is a ‘must do’ according to all the travel books so we booked our tickets months ago and New Years at the street party here we come!  We first met up with a bunch of Aussies that we have become close friends with for a few celebratory beverages with dinner.  Now one way to know you are with a bunch of Aussies is when they spot something that looks like a choc ripple cake and come running into the lounge room and ask “are they REAL choc ripple biscuits!?”  Sometimes we are such a sad bunch but the excitement that we were having a real choc ripple cake with some biscuits that were from the Aussie shop in London possibly, in fact did, make the night that much better! Heading down to the street party we, and the other 80 thousand people that were there, were so lucky with the weather that it stopped raining the night before making it a perfect night to be outside.  To see the fireworks so close was certainly worth it as I have never see anything like it before and was an enjoyable way to bring in the New Year.

Like I am sure most of you are, I am back into the swing of things at work now and spending some time indoors to try and save some money over the next few months.  I hope you have all had an enjoyable start to the New Year and I look forward to what 2013 will bring for me, hopefully more adventures to share with you but more importantly if all goes to plan, not too long before I see you all back in the land of Aus!  Take care, keep smiling and I will do my best not to leave you waiting on the edge of your seats for so long for an update in the future xx