Looking forward

There are two things you really look forward to at University one is food shopping. Lack of funds and having to make everything yourself means that food shopping becomes this little deacon of hope. Where you get to wonder around the shops salivating over things you can't afford and treating yourselves to the things you can. Maybe shopping for food looses its lustre as you get older but for now its one of the best things in life. Nothing is more satisfying than a full fridge.

The second thing is holidays, the christmas season is almost upon us and and I am already really excited to be heading home. I can't wait to squeeze my puppies. I can't wait to see my friends from back home and most of all I can't wait to eat my parents out of house and home on christmas food. So I have started to get in the spirt and started looking for presents. Christmas is awesome and I'm going to revel in it for as long as I can.

 Yours

Belinda Stepford

xxx

A Reappearance

Hi readers,


Regulars to my blog might that I've recently enabled ads on my blog, I realise this is somewhat odd timing as I haven't posted in a while but trust me I am working on it. I also figured that if I enabled ads then maybe I will have more of an incentive to post regularly. I've also been having some problems with photographs uploading, so I've resorted to using imgur which doesn't look as nice but it's better than having no photographs. I've been super busy with moving from my old house in Winchester into my new house in Winchester. Although I am going to be so sad not to be living with Lizzie and Maria, I am beyond excited to be moving with Laura in with Andy, Sophie and Beth my history society friends. 





In other news my sister is back home as well from university and we've been using the time to photograph each others pets. She has been struggling to get her guinea pigs looking slick and I've been struggling to get any photographs of Addi in focus. So naturally we swopped. 
The guinea pigs are both dark and their cage makes it difficult to get a decent angle on so I had to find a place that was bright, big enough but high sided... my conclusion bath tub. I actually managed to get some pretty decent photographs. 





My sister tried using the bath but Addis size and speed caused those photographs to come out a blur.  So she tried with my holding Addi and continually shooting, which yelding some much better results. 

Once I get past these technical issues I promise to post more often. 

Yours 

Belinda Stepford

xxx

Summer Sun

The sun has shaken of the wintery fog in Winchester, I've spent the past weekend sat on blanket in the garden, with my laptop and books, writing my essays. It was the least stressful way to do something stressful ever. 

Andy and Laura joined me, they sat doing history work and chatting about Arabic poetry. We did wonder into to town to buy sun cream and snacks when the day really got hot, we bought some Ice Slushes as well which was really refreshing. Honestly I think the weather sends me a little bit loopy, I was in a really chipper mood. 

My first year at uni is nearly over and that is truly, truly terrifying. It has gone so quickly and I've done so much I don't want it to be over yet, but its only a few more weeks and then boom done. On to summer, which should be filled with work and fuss and hopefully Paris. Then After that second year, the year that actually counts. eep.

Yours

Belinda Stepford

xxx

All things must end

I do apologise for the serious lack of postage lately. I've been snowed under with essays, who knew university would be such work. I've got a happy/sad update about the pack for you. Rosie and Clem have gone to their new homes. They are going to be loved and kept as wonderful little pets but it is still sad to see them go. Lily has been a bit skittish since they have gone, looking for them which is so sad to see. At least we're keeping the other two. Not that Fatherbean is happy about that, he isn't impressed we've doubled the number of dogs and that puppies are as much work as babies.  We'll win him over though. 

Eight weeks go so quickly, its not long until april 5th and I'm home for the summer. No longer shall I be a fresher, my god that is scary thoughts.

Yours

Belinda Stepford

xxx

Simple Meals

In our house we regularly cook for one another and tonight my housemate Laura took the helm and decided to make her and I a lovely tasty dinner. She made ciabatta with Black olive tapenade and mozzarella and Pancettea salad. It was beyond amazing. So simple but really filling.

Firstly she chopped the ciabatta and drizzled it in olive oil, then put it in the oven at a high heat. She then thinly sliced the mozzarella, and shredded some lettuce into a bowl. She also put finely chopped pancettea onto a low heat to cook.

Once the ciabatta was lightly toasted she covered it in tapenade and placed a slice of mozzarella on top of each slice. These then where returned to the oven to melt. Then she drained the fat from the now cooked pancettea and tossed the pancettea with the lettuce. Finally drizzling some olive oil dressing lightly on the salad to flavour it.

Once the cheese was melted she served. Plates where cleared, this dish is so simple yet so full of flavour you would not believe. It would also make great canapés or a started.  This is why I love living with Laura she makes me tasty food.

Yours

Belinda Stepford

xxx

News from behind the books

We have our house for next year, it is offial, We've paid the deposits and the forms have been signed. I am beyond happy that we have somewhere to live. The view from the top of our road is amazing, it looks right out onto St Cathrines hill an iron age hill fort that is just beutiful. It looks so dramatic against the huge expanse of sky surrounding it, being at the top of a hill in Winchester feels like standing on top of the world, you can see for miles, truly epic.

In other news my essays are coming along, not finished but I'm only a little stressed about getting them in on time so the blog should return to normal soon, I've neglected my cookery postings for far too long and I'm think of maybe starting to do a look book type post once a week about what I've been wearing seeing as I dress rather uniquely. *cough* like a four year old *cough*

Yours 

Belinda Stepford

xxx 

Simple Tomato Pasta

Every single person I know makes their own pasta and tomato totally different from anyone else's. They all feature the vague same ingredients but they can vary wildly. Here is my go to pasta sauce for frugality and flavour. Its incredibly filling, nutritiously balanced and so much better than something out a jar.

1 Onion
A tin of Chopped tomatoes
Pepper corns
Cappers
Olives
Basil Leaves
Pasta 
Tomato Paste
Cheese








Roughly chop an onion up and add it to a deep frying pan with some chilli oil or some regular oil if you haven't made the chilli oil yet. Turn the pan on to a low heat and stir regularly you are aiming for the onions to be translucent. 

The roughly chop a handful of olives up and add them to the pan. Also add the capers and crush three or so pepper corns in a pestle and add them to the mix. 

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a handful of frozen peppers, bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer, you will want to simmer them for about ten minutes so it doesn't just taste like warm tomatoes from a tin.  You will want to put your pasta on some point during this stage dependent on the cooking instructions. 

Once your pasta is done roughly chop some fresh basil leaves and throw them into the pan to wilt. Then drain your pasta and put it back into the pan. Then pour the sauce over it until and mix well.  Then transfer it to a bowl.  

Grate some mild cheese over the top and you are done, a flavourful, quick and healthy meal for one. I tend to have it for lunch when I get in from lectures. 

 In other news I still haven't done a food shop, its week ten at uni, though admittedly I went home for a week early on and I spend two weeks throwing up from medication. I've been being very resourceful though,  when I first arrived I didn't even do a huge shop, I did a basics and some frozen stuff shop. I'm going home on the 19th though, and the bank still won't release my funds so I might have to drag out my food until then scary. My shelf in the fridge only has; Olive Spread, Home-made marmalade, tomato paste and it did have lemon juice but Maria knocked the bottle out the fridge. My freezer has; frozen veggies, pork belly strips, one bag of frozen bacon and it did have a goulash serving I made weeks ago but I ate that tonight. Somehow I don't think I'll need to diet in the run up to christmas...

Yours

Belinda Stepford

xxx

Introducing Addi

Its unnatural to live without pets. It really is, so even though its against the rules I decided to get a pet. I thought I was going to get some fish. I bought a tank and everything, got to the store and walked past a cage full of the sweetest little creatures ever. So I bought one.

Addi is a Dwarf Hamster and I love her, utterly love her. She's named after the adipose from Doctor Who, as she is cute and fat. The guy at the pet store joked that hamsters are useless, difficult to catch and always end up biting you. He then opened the tank and went to get a net thing to catch her with, I put my hand out and she crawled onto it well behaved. He was very impressed.  I then had to walk home holding  hamster food under my arm and Addi in a box, I got some stares. I need to buy a hamster carrier at some point so I can take her home with me, on the train, all the way from Winchester to Liverpool. At christmas the house is going to be so full, The two family dogs (maybe some puppies), Two cats, My sisters two guinea pigs and now Addi as well. Insanity. 

Yours 

Belinda Stepford

xxx

Just another little update

Okay so I've started classes and its been a very mad week but I'm loving university. Now I'm aware of my timetable and everything I'm sort of working out how I'll post because seeing as I'm spending most evenings cooking for myself it seems silly not to blog about it. My house mates and I are sharing cooking so sometimes I might post about their adventures... Though Maria did put grated carrot with ham on a burnt baked potato so probably not very often. 

yummy

I really enjoy doing this blog stuff, I know I don't do it as often as I could and that not many people read it but its really nice to just get my thoughts out in this format. 

Yours 

Belinda Stepford

xxx

Uninversity Update

I've not been posting lately. Its because I've been so busy moving to University. I'm in my new house and unpacked now so I should return to properly blogging soon. I didn't take any pictures of the drive down because I foolishly packed my camera up so I probably won't do anything about arriving here. I will take some pictures of my explorations in my new city. Its so beautiful so far everything is sun kissed and swept with greenery. Its so unlike the skyscraper city I'm so very used to. 

Yours

Belinda Stepford

xxx

Whats Been Going On...

I've been rushed off my feet lately, between starting work and getting ready for university I've not posted in a while. One of the things thats been occupying my time has been making chutney with my Mim. One of my fathers friends is a green grocer and he gave us a massive box full of mixed vegetables that needed to be used quickly, so we made vats full of preserve. We made it up as we went so there's no recipe. 

I've also been shopping for University things. So far my favourite buy has some plates that I bought in a Habitat closing down sale. Habitat was a very well regarded british design store that was another victim of the economy failing.  My Mim and I where shopping and I went in originally looking for a bedside lamp but from across an aisle I noticed a plate and HAD to have it. Then I noticed the other plates and bought the lot. I asked if there where anymore things in the range like bowls but unfortunately that was a new range that never got completed before they went into receivership.

Ducks, Pheasants and Stag! So awesome. I bought four of each and there was only one Stag plate but that's a large serving plate so that's all right.  I'm only going to take one pheasant and one duck plate to university with me, the rest I'm going to put away before leaving and then have it as my service when I have my own place.  My mim loved them, honestly I think she wants them for herself. So when we where in habitat I persuaded her to buy a cushion so she didn't feel left out. It might not match the current living room but it will match the next house, because we've already picked out the paint and furnishings. Sad I know. The cushion also matches our dogs...

I've also bought a sewing machine that I have no idea how to use... so expect some projects in the near future.

Yours 

Belinda Stepford

xxx