Spaghetti Bolognese!

I was tidying the library shelves the other week and came across this cookbook which is tailored towards students. It has so many really simple, easy to follow recipes and I am loving getting to do a lot more cooking and learning to cook loads of different things.

Spaghetti bolognese is something that I normally do if I want a really easy tea that doesn't take a lot of effort to make. Also it is a good one to have in the freezer so you defrost and reheat it later when you want something really quick to produce.

There were a few ingredients that I left out or changed just due to personal preference. So I have included both what I used and what the recipe included. You can use either.

Ingredients I used (serves 3)

Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
1 Onion (chopped)
250g Mushrooms (sliced)
500g Lean Beef Mince
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
800g Canned Tomatoes
Mixed Herbs

Ingredients listed in recipe (serves 6)

Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
1 Onion (chopped)
250g Mushrooms (sliced)
1kg Lean Beef Mince
2 Glasses of Red Wine
900g Canned Tomatoes
2 tbsp Dried Oregano (optional)
500g Dried Spaghetti

Steps

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Cook for 5 minutes until soft.

Step 2

Add the mushrooms and mince. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the meat is brown.

Step 3

Add the tomato puree and stir well. Then add the canned tomatoes and mixed herbs.

Step 4

Let the sauce bubble on a low heat for around 40 minutes. check every 5-10 minutes to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Step 5

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the pasta then serve.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

Disclaimer - this is not my recipe it is from 'From Pasta to Pancakes The Ultimate Student Cookbook' by Tiffany Goodall. Available here.

Going to University!

University is a very huge experience to go through and involves many ups and down. Next month I will begin second year and to be honest I'm still scared about what uni has in store. However I thought it would be good to share some advice to any people who are going to uni this year.

1. Don't worry. you will make friends!

As simple as this sounds, a lot of people worry about not having any friends when they go to uni, but honestly it's not that hard! I am the most antisocial person you will probably ever meet and even I managed it. So there's hope for anyone! I managed to meet all of my closest friends at uni within the first week. I have to say that Facebook is something that really helped as I was able to connect with people on my course before I even got to university. This was great so I could meet up with people before my first lectures and seminars, which really helped. Also it is the way that I was able to meet some amazing friends and I am so glad for that.

2. You will adjust academically

Talking from a personal point of view, I didn't really find the transition from A-levels to university that hard academically speaking. If anything I found it considerably easier than the transition from GCSE to A-level. However, I understand that not everybody finds it easy. If you have people around you who are supporting you through it then it will become more familiar. Don't worry if it doesn't feel right straight away.

3. The place that you now find yourself won't always seem so scary

I know that the city you will live in and the campus you will find yourself in will, at first, appear like a huge maze. However, trust me you will get used to it and eventually it will become second nature. My best piece of advice for you would be to leave plenty of time to get to where it is you have to you, especially in week 1. Also, don't be afraid to ask someone for help, as scary as that may seem.

4. You will definitely appreciate your parents more

From washing up to emptying the bins you will definitely appreciate how much your parents do for you. Also you will be so relieved when you go home.

5. Don't worry if it doesn't feel right at first

You won't feel at home from the word go and you need to give yourself time to adjust. However,  if after sometime you still don't feel quite right then don't be afraid to ask help or to tell somebody how you are feeling. If after a considerable amount of time you still feel similar then try to make steps in order reduce any issues you are having. For example, during first semester I hated living in student accommodation as I found it extremely isolating. Towards the end of semester one I was seriously considering dropping out of university. However, I chose to give commuting a try and I have to say I really enjoy it a lot more.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

Scones!

This is the main scone recipe I use. It is from the Mary Berry Baking Bible.

Ingredients

450g Self-Raising Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
75g Softened Butter
50g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
About 225ml Milk

Steps

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees celsius/ 200 fan/Gas Mark 7 and lightly grease 2 baking trays.

Step 2

Put the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Then rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. After that stir in the sugar.

Step 3

Beat the eggs and then slowly add the milk until it makes 300ml in total, then put 2 tablespoons of this to the side for later. Gradually add the mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring it in until it forms a soft dough. It should be on the wet side.

Step 4

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to get it to a thickness of 1-2cm. Use a fluted cutter to stamp out the scones. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Place the scones onto the baking trays and glaze the tops of them with the egg mixture.

Step 5

Bake them in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until well risen and golden. Allow them to cool and then enjoy.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

British Tag!

I am very late to the bandwagon with this, but I thought I would do it anyway.

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day & how many sugars?

As un-British as it sounds, I actually don't like tea. Or any hot drink for that matter. Sorry.

2. Favourite part of your roast?

Sounding a bit more British now, but I love a good Yorkshire Pudding.

3. Favourite dunking biscuit?

As much as I hate drinking tea, I do still remember my mum allowing me to dunk rich tea biscuits into her tea when I was a kid.

4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?

I have literally just had to google British pastimes, because I had no idea what to put for this! To be honest I still have no idea, but I would have to say I love being by the sea and going to the seaside, but I don't know whether that counts really.

5. Favourite word?

Thingamabob. Don't really know why, but I just like the sound of it.

6. Cockney rhyme slang?

From watching Eastenders I have a very basic knowledge of cockney rhyme slang, e.g. dog and bone is phone and apples and pears means stairs.

7. Favourite sweet?

Milk bottles every time!

8. What would your pub be called?

The Crashing Wave (first thing that came into my head!)

9. No.1 British person?

The Queen obviously!

10. Favourite shop/restaurant?

Probably Boots.

11. What British song pops into your head?

Life on Mars by David Bowie.

12. Marmite?

Awful!

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

July 2016 Books

I haven't read as much this month, but what I have read I have mostly enjoyed.

We Were Liars - E.Lockhart
28th June - 4th July

I don't really know why, but I didn't think I would enjoy this book. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by how much I engaged with it. It definitely got better as it went along as the story became clearer. I loved the relationship between the four main characters, they all worked really well together even though they were all extremely different. Also I have to say that the end completely threw me, I definitely was not expecting the twist.

Did I Tell You I Love You - Estelle Maskame
28th June - 6th July

I find this while searching for new teen fiction books on the kindle app. It tells the story of Eden who goes to stay with her dad and his new family for the summer. The story takes a twist when she finds herself falling for Tyler, her stepbrother. It is slightly weird at times, but I quite enjoyed reading it. I liked how the reader slowly given small pieces of information which helps to understand the complex character, especially Eden and Tyler.

Did I Mention I Need You - Estelle Maskame
7th July - 10th July

I quickly brought the second in the series as I was intrigued to see what happens next. Eden goes to visit Tyler for the summer in New York and the story takes a twist when Eden realises her feelings have not changed. I can't decide whether I like this one better than the first one, but I definitely found it easier to read and I finished it quicker.

My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
18th July - 23rd July

I really enjoyed this book. It was quite nice because I literally knew nothing about it so I went into it with no preconceptions about what it was about. It tells the story of Jase and Samantha who are next door neighbours and how their relationship develops one summer. I really liked the characters, particularly Clay and how manipulative he is and what impact this has on the overall story.

Quiet Power - Susan Cain
Throughout June & July

I have been reading this book on and off throughout June and July when I am between fiction books. It is all about how being an introvert does not have to be seen as a bad thing. I haven't read all of it, I just read the chapters that I felt were relevant to me. A lot of things she said I really agreed. Particularly the reasons why people are quiet and the fact that it is not always that they are just naturally shy people.

Did I Mention I Miss You - Estelle Maskame
24th July - 25th July

This is the final book in the trilogy and it lived up to my expectations. The quality of writing was definitely on par with the other books in the series. Also I found that I read this a lot quicker than the first, but maybe that was just because I was eager to read the ending to the series. I also really like that each book in the series takes part in a different place so that the setting does not become boring. Therefore it stops the writing from feeling too repetitive.

What I Thought Was True - Huntley Fitzpatrick
26th July - 29th July

After reading his first book earlier on in the month I decided to try this one. I have to say I definitely preferred My Life Next Door as I just found this book very slow to get into. I felt as though there was not as definitive a plot and that she left all of the action to the last forty pages. However I enjoyed that  it was set in the same setting as My Life Next Door and the use of subplots.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

Photography Workshop

A couple of weeks ago I went with my mum to a photography workshop to Bakewell in Derbyshire. I thought I would share with you what the day entailed and whether it was beneficial. The day before I found myself feeling quite apprehensive as to whether I would enjoy it. However I was pleasantly surprised by how it went.

The Morning

In the morning we met up with everyone and went through a lot of theory. The leader spent about two hours going through some of the things we needed to know in order to take better photos. She talked through things like aperture, depth of field and OIS.

Also it involved taking lots of pictures of the pens, water bottles and the back of people's heads (pretty much anything!).

Afternoon

After we had some lunch we set off into Bakewell to use some of the skills we had learned about in the morning. It was split into three sections:

First of all we took a lot of pictures of plants. This helped to get the aperture right depending on what you were taking. This was by far my favourite of the three, mainly because I sort of knew what I was doing. My first few photos weren't amazing, but after I got the hang of it they got better.

Panning was the second thing we did. Having a bridge camera I kind of expected to be pretty awful at this and to be honest I was! Seriously the number of photos I had to delete of cars going round a roundabout!

The final stop we made was do some motion shots. I definitely was better at taking pictures of water than the ducks!

Overall it was a lot of fun, I really felt that I learnt a lot and I am really glad that I went.

Pretzels!

When the Tanya Bakes cookbook came through my door last week I was really excited to see what amazing recipes it contained. I have to say it did not disappoint, it is full of simple easy to follow recipes that are just normal! The number of times I look through cookbooks and find I would literally only want to use one or two recipe is really annoying. But I think I will definitely be using most of these recipe and I can't wait to go through them!

I thought I would start with a recipe from bread section (mainly because I opened the kitchen cupboard and realised I only had bread flour, oops!). I decided to start with pretzels as they are something I have never baked before.



Ingredients:

















500g strong white bread flour
1x 7g sachet fast-action yeast
50g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
300ml warm milk
80g melted butter
20g bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, beaten

To decorate:

1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp golden caster sugar (i didn't have golden so just used normal)

Step 1

Put flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a large bowl or mixer.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk and melted butter and slowly pour into the dry ingredients.

Step 3

Before kneading

After kneading

Bring together to form a dough. Kneed for ten minutes then place into a greased bowl and cover with cling film. Place in a warm place for an hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius / 400 Fahrenheit / gas mark 6.

Step 5

Split the dough equally into 12 pieces. Roll out each into a long, thin sausage shape of about 40cm long.

Step 6

To shape, cross the ends of the dough twice, then bring the strands down and press into the dough.

Step 7

Boil a full kettle of water and then pour it into a large saucepan. Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix until dissolved. Dunk each pretzel into the water for ten seconds, then remove it with a slotted spoon and place each on a baking tray.

Step 8

Brush with beaten egg. Mix together the cinnamon and caster sugar and sprinkle on the pretzels. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

(Disclaimer: this is not my recipe, it is from Tanya Bakes).