Moving.

Although its been fun, Blogger, I just think our time together is over. Tumblr knows what I need. It can provide what I want. I'm sorry, its not you, its me.



http://scepticalhippo.tumblr.com/

Brownies.

Last night I did a few things. I made myself dinner. I finished my portfolio (passed my review by the way). I marinaded chicken tikka. I made brownies.

Of everything I did last night, the brownies by far got the best reception. I was asked for the recipe, and have been by so many people I have decided to post it on the internet. Please make good brownies, and if yours suck, its not my fault.






Brownie Recipe (Courtesy of Edward Sanders):
300g caster sugar
6 eggs
350g butter
600g dark chocolate (Bournville is good)
200g plain flour
1 small(ish) glass Morgan's Spiced rum
150g hazelnuts/macadamia nuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5 - if using a fan assisted oven, 180C

1. Place about 2cm of boiling water into a saucepan, and place a large Pyrex bowl over the top. This is a double boiler. The boiling water should NOT touch the bottom of the bowl. Keep the water boiling on the hob.
2. Break up the dark chocolate into bits (I just smack the sealed packet against the worksurface) and cut up the butter into chunks (helps it melt quicker). Place in the Pyrex bowl and melt, stirring occasionally.
3. While the butter and chocolate melts, whisk together the eggs and the caster sugar in a large mixing bowl.
4. When the butter and chocolate has melted, pick up the Pyrex bowl carefully (it will be hot, use a tea towel) and quickly add the hot chocolate mixture to the eggs and sugar, stirring as you add it. Make sure you stir as quickly as possible, as the heat in the chocolate could cause the eggs to scramble.
5. Stir everything to combine, the mixture should thicken.
6. Add the rummmm and stir again.
7. Fold in the flour, cinnamon and the nuts.
8. Place in lined trays, at about a 2cm depth and place in the oven.
9. Now comes the important bit: bake at 190C for 10 minutes. This forms the crust on the top.
10. Turn the oven down to 170C (fan assisted 150C), and bake for another 40 minutes. The brownies are done when you can insert a clean skewer/sharp knife tip and it comes out clean. If they aren't done, just leave them in the oven for another 5 minutes, and keep checking!
11. Allow to cool, cut up and enjoy :)

The barbecue was a huge success today, lots of lovely food, some less lovely food (fucking bananas wrapped in bacon) and some great company. It was a great way to end the semester :)

I've had some blood tests done, my tiredness is starting to worry me - I've been tested for vitamin D deficiency, thyroid problems and anaemia. Watch this space.

Had a lovely bit of time with the girls recently - tea at Jo's last night, lunch in West Didsbury with Nanc at Folk.

Folk 

169-171 Burton Road, West Didsbury

Although slightly pricier than the student hangouts I'm so used to (Scream bars, Spoons etc), Folk was a lovely change. The menu was healthy and definitely catered for all. Pies for the guys, salads for the ladies, sandwiches for the hungry, takeaways for the businessmen. 

We ventured inside to ask whether we could pay by card, to be greeted by possibly the friendliest waiter I've ever known. He offered us menus and said that he'd come to us when we were ready to order. We sat outside and when he came to take our order, he was very helpful and efficient. 

Nancy and I both had a mixed deli salad, each with additional meat - I had turkey, she had salami and chorizo. The salads were lovely - spinach, walnut, goat's cheese and dried cranberries, a bulghur wheat one, a mixed tomato and celery, roasted red peppers, olives and a gorgeous tzatziki. We had some lovely drinks, ginger beer and a fresh apple juice - none of the crappy stuff we're so used to. 

Overall, it came to £17 between two - so £8.50 each. The drinks were £2, so £6.50 for a pretty decent sized lunch. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back again.

Lesson 43: Nothing is better than good company.

Listening to: Upside Down - Jack Johnson.

Birdsong.

I meant to post a while ago, but it never really happened. I'm becoming increasingly lazy with my posts, not that many of you really care. It annoys me though. This blog is something I decided to do for this WHOLE year, so it is something I will do it. I'll try to post while I'm travelling, and if I can't, then I'll write the entries in a notebook and update you all as much as possible.

I'm getting very excited about travelling, yet I've still not decided on a route to travel. I plan on doing this on the way to Val Thorens, just because it'll be a period of 24 hours when I have nothing to do but eat and sleep, so I may as well get other stuff done. Oh yeah, Val T. I won't be able to blog (I don't think), unless I borrow an iPhone, so I'll see what I can do there, or I may be able to use my phone to be honest... Flights to India are yet to be booked. Rory from STA needs to get his act together or I'll have to book from elsewhere. I need to get my flights. For my own peace of mind.

Fucking hell, just spilled a pint of water all over the books by my bed. Luckily, my portfolio is on my bed, along with my laptop. Portfolio, hmm. Should probably get that done.

I miss birdsong. When I get to hear it in Manc (normally after a night out or when its really sunny), I feel a bit more relaxed, like I'm at home. I go home again in a week, so be prepared for even less cheerful blogs as I slowly lose my mind to the middle of nowhere. Having said that, I'll only be there for 12 days, and Rach will be home, so we can entertain each other. It'll also be filled with catching up on work and preparation for the ski trip (buying booze and sorting out food for the coach journey).

The picture I have posted this week was taken by Elly Lucas, a hugely talented photographer I have the pleasure of knowing. It involved her dad, live mealworms and patience. Find her blog here: http://ellylucas.tumblr.com/post/4309955135/robin-attempt-no-2-equipment-one-dad-to-hold.

I had a bit of a bad buzz on Thursday night, and a very drunken Luke Nicholson tried to cheer me up. If I'm honest, he succeeded. I don't know how, but everything upsetting me is completely fine now. Thank you Luke. I combined what he said with something my mum used to say to me when I did horse riding (which I may try again this Easter, if I can afford it).

Lesson 42: If you fall off a horse, get right back on it. Interpret how you will.

Listening to: Two Doves - Dirty Projectors.

Buzz.

Bad one.

Quickie.

Just a quick update on things.

Life is good, I'm having to sort a meeting with a senior tutor because my attendance got raped by Thursday's day off. But its ok, I've worked out I'm above 80% (just) so I can take my exams :) I'm trying to sort loads of stuff out today but because everyone else is shit, I'm still nowhere closer to achieving the stuff I need to. Great. I've made an important decision that needs to be sorted out, but its for the best.

India is as close as its ever been to being booked, I just am waiting on Rory from STA travel (yes another person delaying my progress) to email me back some more details before I go booking crazy.

Working very hard on my portfolio, I want it to be fucking epic, so last night Tiny and I had a Portfolio Fancy Dress war, which involves various outfits and photos involving your portfolio. Winning.

Chippa is going to heaven tomorrow. RIP Chippa. I love you. This is the first time I've cried since January.

Listening to: Someone Like You - Adele.

Recipe.

Image Property of Anoop Negi.
Find more pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/ezee123/

As requested by Mach, I am going to post my recipe for a vegetarian curry (Yes, he requested this, although it is for his mum!).

Carrot Curry :)

Ingredients -
2 medium onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
6 green birds eye chilies, chopped, seeds left in
Thumb sized piece of ginger, chopped
8 large carrots, diced
2 medium baking potatoes, diced into 2cm cubes
bunch of coriander, chopped
tin of chopped tomatoes
vegetable oil
1tsp black mustard seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp turmeric powder
1tsp paprika
1tsp chili powder
1tsp salt
vegetable oil

1. Get a LARGE saucepan. We're talking about 25cm diameter (at least), and about 25+cm deep.
2. Put in enough oil to cover the bottom, at a depth of about 3mm. I know this seems like a lot, but it really is necessary to make it nice. Also, you get a few portions out of this, so it works out alright...ish!
3. When the oil has heated up, add the mustard seeds and take cover. They should start to pop and fizzle angrily, and then add the cumin seeds. The cumin seeds should fizzzzzzzz away :)
4. At this point, add your onions, and fry until soft. 
5. Add your garlic, and fry until it starts to change colour slightly, like a very very pale brown.
6. Add the ginger and chilies, and fry for a minute or so.
7. Add the paprika, turmeric, chili powder and salt, and stir to combine.
8. Add 1/2 of the tinned tomatoes, and this is the tough bit. You need to keep this frying and cooking until the tomatoes are completely cooked, and start to break down. The oil should separate from them when this happens, and sit on top of them... It takes about 10 minutes, and you may need to add some water to stop the mixture from drying out. Use your judgement :)
9. At this point, add the potatoes. They should be mixed into the tomatoes, and cook for around 5 minutes. 
10. Add the carrots, stir to combine. I add some water at this point (only about a small wineglass full), just to keep everything moving. 
11. Bring the mixture up to the boil, cover, and allow to simmer until the carrots and potatoes are softened. The end mixture should be quite dry, the sauce coats everything rather than existing as a separate entity.
12. Add the coriander, and serve.

Enjoyyyyy :)

I had a lovely day with Jo today. We had lunch at Kro and then went shopping. I spent like a thousand pounds. Good Move, Verity.

Lesson 40: Never check your bank balance near the end of a semester. It makes you very cocky.

Listening to: Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap.

Grim.

Today has yet again, been a day filled with nothing. Let me explain.

On Friday, I went to IKEA and bought some lovely new bits of shiny home furnishings, so that my lonely little room looks a bit more pleasant, and my kitchen doesn't continue to be devoid of anything helpful. I had a lovely time looking around with Luke, and even got to eat Daim cake, meatballs and cinnabuns in the Cafe! I came back, distributed various things around Fallowfield and headed to Viper Towers for the first time in about a week and a half. Nothing had changed haha.

Friday night was Becky's birthday party - the theme being children's TV characters. I had luckily been able to cobble together some poor effort at being Elmo from Sesame Street and so went as that... After some initial setbacks we got into 5th and all was good for a while. Then I became Bad Buzz Lightyear and went back to VT. I curled up on the wank chariot with Stephan for a bit and ended up nodding off, until the boys came back, when I went and slept elsewhere. I was not in a good mood and on reflection....blergggh.

I ended up oversleeping on Saturday, arriving at Becky's house an hour late :( Eva was gorgeous as ever, suffering with what looked like a pretty angry rash though. We had lunch at Kro in Heaton Mersey, and it was just what the doctor ordered (if I say so myself). Corned beef fritters, chips and an egg. Mmmmm. I chilled at Becky's for a while then headed off to work. 7.15 - finish; Auditorium. I was dreading it to say the least, but manned up and got my head in the game for what ended up being one of my favourite gigs to work at yet.

Chase and Status - now normally, I would be very indifferent to even think about C&S. But this gig, my god it was good. The bass was so heavy that it made the hairs on my arms vibrate (which I must add is a somewhat ticklish sensation). The pre-poured water was rippling in its cups. Drinks left on the side would vibrate to the edge and fall off if left unattended. The atmosphere was hot, sweaty and excitable. The crowd were mental, especially the young lad I busted for being underage and using someone else's ID. Mate, if you're gonna try and buy booze, don't try to get 4 double vodbulls, especially if you look younger than the person serving you. Hannah Lines and I (mainly her) helped a diabetic in danger. I mineswept £5 whilst sweeping up afterwards.  Although I was running on only 4.5 hours sleep, the adrenaline (epinephrine, actually) gave me a second wave of energy for that shift, and I ended up dancing away to a lot of the songs! A very good evening.

I stayed to drive Mach home, and gave him a lift to his. I ended up sleeping passing out on his sofa (standard) and then woke up this morning at 11.51. I needed the sleep so badly. We spent most of today just monging out and watching football/Frasier/sleeping. If I'm honest, I really did need to work today, but Easter can give me some good catch up time. I didn't feel right all day today. I felt a bit sick, uncomfortable and tired, so I'm a bit concerned I'm getting a bug; although I realised today that I am yet to go to my new GP  for this year - yay for good health!

Bored of typing, so lets call it a night.

Lesson 39: Always ask for ID.

Listening to: Kanye West – The New Workout Plan