Some of you may know that I currently have two part time jobs, one of which is in a student bar. Yesterday while I was working at said student bar, I learnt some things. Here they are.
1) Joes Bar, the award winning bar I call my workplace, and the place where I spend my wages, is actually supposed to have an Italian theme. Hence the pizzas, pasta dishes and no burgers. It’s also supposed to be obvious. Err..
2) A continuation of 1; there is no hope in hell of us changing it to a steak house.
3) We have a Guinness nozzle safe behind the bar. This is actually amazing! A safe for a beer tap nozzle! Awesome.
4) The chefs can be bribed.
5) I love bar work. I already knew this, but I feel the need to reaffirm it. I love the atmosphere, I love the chat, I just love bar work.
This is all for now. I’m off to continue to catch up with the ‘Granny A Day’ Crochet Project!
L x
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Granny A Day 2012
Here be pics of my first 8 days :-)
Day One:
Day Two:
Day Three:
Day Four:
Day Five:
Day Six:
Day Seven:
Day Eight:
I want/need/would quite like some more yellow yarn. It's so purdy!
You can follow the Granny A Day Project on twitter, using the #hashtag #GrannyADay
:-D
Day One:
Day Two:
Day Three:
Day Four:
Day Five:
Day Six:
Day Seven:
Day Eight:
I want/need/would quite like some more yellow yarn. It's so purdy!
You can follow the Granny A Day Project on twitter, using the #hashtag #GrannyADay
:-D
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Happy New Year! Have a great 1985...
Kudos to those who get the musical reference in the title ;-)
Happy New Year!!!
So well done for surviving Christmas & New Years! I’ve spent most of my month off university, at university! I have a weekend job in one of the buildings on campus; this building is only shut 6 days a year (3 of which were in the past 3 weeks).
As weekend staff, I’m also required to cover holidays, university closed days & bank holidays, and I’d told my bosses I was prepared to work as much as I could. And they honoured this. I’m not complaining – it’s a good job, it got me out of the house, it’s a routine, it gave me the chance to sit & do my work with no distractions (I type up uni work while I’m there), and of course, it’s money. I worked Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, and have had alternating days of working, or being on standby. I was working the 2nd Jan, and on standby 3rd Jan, and now the university is open, it’s gone back to normal so I’m not working again until this Sunday. I feel like my Christmas break has finally started!! Though I go back to university (as a student) on Monday, to start semester 2 of year 2! Eek!
So, so far, for my couple of days off, I’ve watched a lot of films on BBC iPlayer, drank a lot of tea & done a lot of crochet, which is really the reason for this post.
Last week sometime, I found this blog post - http://macscrochet.blogspot.com/2011/12/good-bye-2011-hello-2012-granny-square.html - and I decided that it’s something I would like to do! My friend (a 3rd year Geology student) and I decided before Christmas to start making granny squares, and then in the summer we will stitch them all into blankets, and donate them! To charities for the elderly, and to premature baby units in hospitals. (Does anybody know the best way to go about this…?!)
I’ll be honest, I’d made a few squares, and got a bit bored. Wasn’t really keeping up with it, and starting to feel like I’d never get any more made. Enter the above blog post, and I thought, this could help me keep on track! Something to do, just for fun, I mean, one a day isn’t that hard, right?! So, I’m doing it. I started late (on the 3rd) but I’ve now caught up and have made my five squares; three of them need edging with black, and then they’ll be ready. I figure, if I can do at least one, but hopefully two a day, I’ll have a few more for making into blankets in the summer!
I only taught myself to crochet last summer; it’s part of my ‘learn something new’ regime (this year I’m going to buy a bass guitar and learn to play that!) but this crochet challenge is really helping me hone my granny skills, and I’m beginning to learn that it doesn’t have to be perfect; the colours don’t have to match; and I can use up scraps of yarn that are sitting in my basket taking up space!
So; here is the first ever granny square I ever made – I took this everywhere, did it on the train, in the doctors, on the bus, at uni… anywhere I went. It took a small ball of yarn and an extra bit to finish off. The blue camera case at the top is for scale =]
And these are the squares I made pre-Christmas for our blanket project:
And these are the five squares I’ve made as part of the Granny A Day challenge! I’m really enjoying it – it used to take me up to two hours to make a granny square, now I can do one in half an hour. I’m definitely getting better at it!
This is the red one; it doesn't show up well on my bedspread!
I’m also working on three other projects; a crochet hoody, which is coming along VERY slowly; a scarf, that I may turn into a dread wrap, or maybe a hat?; and a dishcloth. I’m far too excited at the prospect at making my own dishcloth!! I’ve got real dishcloth cotton and everything =D
Happy New Year!!!
So well done for surviving Christmas & New Years! I’ve spent most of my month off university, at university! I have a weekend job in one of the buildings on campus; this building is only shut 6 days a year (3 of which were in the past 3 weeks).
As weekend staff, I’m also required to cover holidays, university closed days & bank holidays, and I’d told my bosses I was prepared to work as much as I could. And they honoured this. I’m not complaining – it’s a good job, it got me out of the house, it’s a routine, it gave me the chance to sit & do my work with no distractions (I type up uni work while I’m there), and of course, it’s money. I worked Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, and have had alternating days of working, or being on standby. I was working the 2nd Jan, and on standby 3rd Jan, and now the university is open, it’s gone back to normal so I’m not working again until this Sunday. I feel like my Christmas break has finally started!! Though I go back to university (as a student) on Monday, to start semester 2 of year 2! Eek!
So, so far, for my couple of days off, I’ve watched a lot of films on BBC iPlayer, drank a lot of tea & done a lot of crochet, which is really the reason for this post.
Last week sometime, I found this blog post - http://macscrochet.blogspot.com/2011/12/good-bye-2011-hello-2012-granny-square.html - and I decided that it’s something I would like to do! My friend (a 3rd year Geology student) and I decided before Christmas to start making granny squares, and then in the summer we will stitch them all into blankets, and donate them! To charities for the elderly, and to premature baby units in hospitals. (Does anybody know the best way to go about this…?!)
I’ll be honest, I’d made a few squares, and got a bit bored. Wasn’t really keeping up with it, and starting to feel like I’d never get any more made. Enter the above blog post, and I thought, this could help me keep on track! Something to do, just for fun, I mean, one a day isn’t that hard, right?! So, I’m doing it. I started late (on the 3rd) but I’ve now caught up and have made my five squares; three of them need edging with black, and then they’ll be ready. I figure, if I can do at least one, but hopefully two a day, I’ll have a few more for making into blankets in the summer!
I only taught myself to crochet last summer; it’s part of my ‘learn something new’ regime (this year I’m going to buy a bass guitar and learn to play that!) but this crochet challenge is really helping me hone my granny skills, and I’m beginning to learn that it doesn’t have to be perfect; the colours don’t have to match; and I can use up scraps of yarn that are sitting in my basket taking up space!
So; here is the first ever granny square I ever made – I took this everywhere, did it on the train, in the doctors, on the bus, at uni… anywhere I went. It took a small ball of yarn and an extra bit to finish off. The blue camera case at the top is for scale =]
And these are the squares I made pre-Christmas for our blanket project:
And these are the five squares I’ve made as part of the Granny A Day challenge! I’m really enjoying it – it used to take me up to two hours to make a granny square, now I can do one in half an hour. I’m definitely getting better at it!
This is the red one; it doesn't show up well on my bedspread!
I’m also working on three other projects; a crochet hoody, which is coming along VERY slowly; a scarf, that I may turn into a dread wrap, or maybe a hat?; and a dishcloth. I’m far too excited at the prospect at making my own dishcloth!! I’ve got real dishcloth cotton and everything =D
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Recipe: Courgette & Yellow Pepper Soup
Courgette and Yellow Pepper Soup
I found this recipe in a book I borrowed from my local library – I photocopied quite a lot of recipes from it, but this is the one that I make again and again and again (at least once a fortnight!) It’s such a simple recipe, and the resulting soup is delish.
I’ve included photos in this blog – I’ve also pretty much quadrupled the recipe as my local shop had reduced peppers, so I bought them all, and now have to use them. Some of this soup I’ll keep, the rest I’ll give away to my friends & family.
Also, I’ve used green courgettes – the original recipe calls for yellow courgettes, and they give such a rich yellow colour to the soup, but they can be hard to find. The only yellow courgettes I’ve ever seen are those I grow on my allotment. Green courgettes are fine for this recipe.
A bit of ‘health’ background information now..
Yellow peppers are good sources of potassium, betacarotene, folic acid and vitamin C. They can help to regulate blood pressure and are good for circulation. And they look bright and cheery!
Courgettes, especially those grown on your own plot with no pesticides, offer the above, but may also help fight/prevent cancer, and are good for lowering cholesterol. Which is probably why I like this soup so much!
The garlic you will add provides calcium, potassium & vitamin C, and is antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic and also good for lowering cholesterol.
So, onto the recipe!
Ingredients (for a 4 person serving)
1 yellow pepper
1 large yellow/green courgette (or 2 smaller ones)
2 garlic cloves
Thyme leaves ( I use mixed dried herbs)
Chicken stock (I use veg oxo or knorr jelly things)
4 tablespoons low fat cream cheese
Salt & pepper
Recipe
Core, de-seed and chop the yellow pepper, add to pan
Top & tail courgettes, slice, add to pan
Add herbs (I never measure this, I just shake the packet..)
Add stock cubes/knorr jelly/chicken stock (not shown)
Simmer for 10 mins on medium heat
Blend soup in food processor – I’ve got a funky hand held thing that I put in the pan and whizz. BE CAREFUL. If the liquid is boiling, it’s got more chance of splattering you and hurting when it does!
Add the cream cheese, and blend again – note the colour change! Oooohh
Season with salt & pepper
Return to heat
Serve soup in warm bowls, with thyme to garnish, and lovelylovely homemade bread!
Voila!
Further info from my recipe says thus:
108 kcals
8g carbs
7.5g fat
2.7g protein
65mg vit C
480mcg carotene
Instead of using cream cheese, you can use ground arrowroot mixed in a small amount of water to create a jelly.
For a 4 person soup, I use 2 oxo cubes or 1 knorr jelly thing.
When you add water to the pan (if using oxo/knorr), use enough water to just cover the veg & put a lid on the pan while it simmers!
If you have little people, or fussy eaters, in your family, this could be the perfect way to get them to eat peppers! I personally hate peppers, and can only eat small amounts of yellow pepper in one go – since I’ve been making this soup, I loooooovvveee them! Same story with courgettes – I’d never eaten one in my life until I made this soup!
Enjoy!
L x
Today I went to the shop..
...and I bought.. lots!
bananas, grapes, cauliflower, brocolli, clemantines, green beans, baby corn, a potato, a bag of 6 yellow peppers and 4 courgettes! and then some pineapple juice, orange juice and a tropical mixed juice.. ooooh. healthy laura is go!
i've just made a supersized batch of courgette & pepper soup (recipe to follow!) and tonight i'll make some pasta sauce. tomorrow i'm making beef burgers. the day after will be chicken & veg day..
bananas, grapes, cauliflower, brocolli, clemantines, green beans, baby corn, a potato, a bag of 6 yellow peppers and 4 courgettes! and then some pineapple juice, orange juice and a tropical mixed juice.. ooooh. healthy laura is go!
i've just made a supersized batch of courgette & pepper soup (recipe to follow!) and tonight i'll make some pasta sauce. tomorrow i'm making beef burgers. the day after will be chicken & veg day..
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