So Long, 2013.

This has been a year full to the brim for me.  I've travelled a lot, back and forth between England and America, been to my very first wedding and celebrated my first American Christmas.  I've adapted to a new way of life, had a million cat-snuggles and got my very first tattoo.  I listened to so much music, went to one of the best Coheed shows of my life and, probably the best thing, I've learned a lot about myself.

I'm an introvert (I've got a post lined up about this later) but I've learned that I can meet new people, I can make friends and be social.  I can interact with people I don't know in a place that I'm not familiar with and I fully intend to continue on with this next year, hopefully getting even more involved with my new home.

I'm thrilled that I've managed to accomplish so many of the goals I set for myself, too.  I made my list fun, with things that I knew I'd really want to do, so it wasn't hard to cross so many off.  There were some that I didn't quite manage (knitting a sweater...oops) but I'm spurred on by my success this year to achieve even more.

Tonight, S and I are ringing in the new year with a couple of our friends on their rooftop.  There will be good food, sparkly drinks and a whole lot of fun and awesome company.  I'm so excited to see what 2014 will bring, for me and S, our families and our friends.

How are you celebrating tonight?  I hope whatever you do, you have lots of fun, you smile often and that 2014 brings you everything you hope for and more.

Love, K.

What A Week.

Remember in my last post I mentioned that I was feeling 'under the weather'?  I have been sick all week.  Fortunately I'm starting to feel better now but it really sucked, being ill over Christmas.  I've spent the last week either bundled up in blankets freezing or tearing them off when I get too hot, feeling achy and tired and wanting to sleep all the time.  I'm so glad the worst is behind me and I can concentrate on getting well!

Our Christmas Eve bash was so much fun!  S' family came, as did our friends later in the evening, and we all settled in with some food and a few drinks and had a really nice time.  I was worried there might not be enough food but there was plenty to go around and everyone enjoyed it.

I'm so glad I got all the prep work done the day before!  The palmiers went down a treat and that big pan of sloppy joe was pretty much scraped clean!  Success!  We all helped ourselves, mingled around with our plates and I got to see S' brother and sister, who I haven't caught up with in months.  I put my best game face on and toughed it out even though I wanted to curl up in bed and sleep and I had a really nice time.

Look at all those prezzies!  I really felt like a kid when I woke up Christmas morning, even with all the sniffles and aches.  I was so excited to dive into our gifts and hang out with S before he had to go to work (boo retail!) This was the first Christmas Day we've actually spent together and it was so much fun being able to open our gifts in person and share such a special day with each other.  He got me so much cool stuff and I was lucky enough to get a camera from my parents!  Now I can brush up on my photography skills!

Despite being sick, I had a great first Christmas with S and it was wonderful to have family and friends together at our house.  I hope you had a wonderful week, full of celebration, happiness and surrounded by the people you love.

Love, K.

Christmas Cooking.

S and I are having a little get-together tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with family and friends before settling in for a Christmas by ourselves.  I knew once we had planned our party that I wanted to have a 'buffet style' spread set out, so that people could help themselves, rather than organising a sit-down dinner.  While it was mainly because we're not sure how many people will be able to come, it also made it lots easier on us when it comes to prep and we wouldn't have to worry about setting a table for ten when we only have four dining chairs!

The first thing I knew I wanted to do was have one main dish for everyone to tuck into and I opted for an American favourite - Sloppy Joes.

I started off by browning some ground beef (about a pound and a half) with half a large white onion and, after draining the excess fat, added one can of chopped tomatoes.  I then added a cup and a half of ketchup, a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce and about ten jalapeño slices that I diced.  I also added a splash of the brine that the jalapeños were in to give it an extra spicy kick.

  

I let the mixture simmer for about thirty minutes or so, then turned off the heat and let it cool completely before putting it in a dish and covering it with cling film (plastic wrap) and storing it in the fridge.  All it needs tomorrow is a thorough heat through and it's ready to go!  I'm serving it in poppy seed kaiser rolls, yum.  I think I'll leave it in a dish with a spoon so everyone can help themselves.

Next up were some peanut butter cookies, because everyone needs a sweet treat at Christmas.  I followed Becca's recipe over on her blog, Ladyface, and they turned out so well!

It was so quick and easy to whip up the mixture, it must've only taken me ten minutes and most of that time was stirring that peanut butter!

Here they are cooling on the rack!  I'm going to store these in an airtight container for tonight and dip them in chocolate tomorrow morning.  They look and smell delicious, I can't wait to tuck in!

I've got my palmiers ready to go in the fridge, only this time I've prepared both savoury and sweet versions.  I had to do a test run of the sweet ones, to which I simply sprinkled on sugar and cinnamon, and they turned out really well and were super tasty.

 

I think when I bake the sweet ones tomorrow, I'm going to add an extra sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon on top.

I'm feeling a little under the weather today but I managed to crack these out and I am so glad I can have a lie in tomorrow morning and not have to worry about preparing everything before our guests arrive.  So this evening I intend to put my feet up, drink lots of orange juice (it'll totally make me feel better) and wrap my prezzies to put under the tree!

What do you have planned for Christmas Eve?  Are you throwing a party or having a quiet evening in?  I'd love to know.

Love, K.

What A Difference A Week Makes.

This time last week, we were settling in for a weekend full of snow and freezing temperatures.  Today, it's a positively balmy 60 degrees, nice enough to head outside for a cup of tea without a sweater.  Beautiful!

I didn't post my usual Friday segment yesterday since I was feeling pretty rough (I ate something that really disagreed with me and paid the unfortunate price) but today I'm feeling much better and thought I'd stop in with a quick hello.

I was having a rummage through my (still!) unpacked boxes and look what I found -

More yarn!  I've got another three balls of this lovely stuff so I'm going to continue on with my blanket/throw and hopefully make it lots bigger!  That'll keep me occupied for a little while.

Do you have anything fun planned for this weekend?  S and I are doing a bit of laundry and festive shopping this afternoon, picking up the last few bits for our Christmas celebration.  Then we're hoping to go see a nice early showing of 'Anchorman 2' tomorrow morning before he heads off to work.  I can't wait - I've been looking forward to this movie for ages!

I hope you've got an awesome weekend ahead of you.

Love, K.

Let It Snow.

In England, we get a proper snowfall maybe once a year and it's never really too major.  It usually sits two or three inches deep and more often than not it very quickly turns to ice and slush, which is never pleasant.  Hence, I wasn't quite prepared for the snow in New Jersey, both the frequency of it and the biting cold it brings too.

It was so fine and powdery that the wind made these pretty waves in it!  Unfortunately it didn't get sticky enough to make a snowman but S promises me that it'll snow again and we'll get the chance in the future.  I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing!

We did venture out onto our deck to enjoy a little bit of snow.  We threw terrible snowballs at each other, looked out at everything blanketed in white and S was daring enough to make a snow angel!

I still can't quite believe he laid down in the snow!  It was freezing cold outside so we weren't out for long, but it was nice to experience my first proper snow in America.  At the deepest, it must've been about six inches.  Crazy snow!  When we woke up the next day, most of it had melted but lucky for us, it's snowing again today.

I spied this little guy on the roof next door!  I've seen him a couple of times since so I think we have a squirrel neighbour, I hope he's keeping warm and can find all the nuts and seeds he buried.

A trip out in the snow isn't complete until you've stomped out a heart and written your initials, right?  That's what I thought.

I hope you're keeping warm and taking it easy this week.  Only 8 days until Christmas!  So excited!

Love, K.

It's Friday! #6

It's been a really awesome week so far.  Being back with S, seeing friends and getting settled back at home, I couldn't ask for more.  And we finally got our Christmas tree, which I had lots of fun setting up today.  Look at the twinkly lights!  I can't wait to get my gifts wrapped and under the tree to make it look even more festive.  I'm hoping to make a few more decorations to hang in the living room for an extra special touch.

I hope you've all had a great week, full of as much excitement as mine has been.  We're digging in for the snowstorm expected in the area over the weekend, so expect lots of snowy pictures and at least one snowman in the near future!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Love, K.

And I'm Home.

I don't really like flying, especially to America; it takes around eight hours, planes are cold and cramped and landing always makes my ears hurt.  I'm amazed that I've managed to fly across the Atlantic so many times but being able to give S a huge hug makes it more than worth it.  All in all, the journey was relatively uneventful and, after a little hiccough at border control, I made it through unscathed and braced myself for the cold.

I don't do well in the cold, not at all.  I'm a summer baby, I love it when it's bright and warm and I don't have to wear a sweater going out.  So far, it's been freezing.  Literally, freezing.  There is snow and ice and all the layers in the world couldn't protect me from that wind.  I'm shivering just thinking about it.

But I'm Home.  With a capital h.  I took off my coat and boots, curled up on the sofa and soaked it in.  I've missed this place so much over the last eight weeks and now I'm back, it almost feels like I never left.  I immediately felt comfortable, at ease, relaxed and happy.

I went to bed at 9 and slept through until 6 a.m., solid.  I've spent today mostly cosied up on my couch watching the Food Network and waiting for S to get home from work so we can hang out before bowling.  I'm excited to see our friends, his family, to decorate the house and just enjoy being here.

It's going to be a wonderful week.  I hope you've got a great one planned for yourself.

Love, K.

Palmiers.

I watch a lot of cookery shows on T.V.  I'm pretty sure I watch more than most normal people do.  There is something so fabulously entertaining about watching people prepare the most delicious foods and nodding to myself, thinking 'I should put that on my list of things to make.', then never making them.  But no fewer than five times this week have I seen different people making 'palmiers' (which is sort of pronounced par-mee-ays) and they are so ridiculously easy to make that I really just had to.

I did things the easiest way possible, because that's how I roll.  I used ready-rolled puff pastry, which I probably should've rolled out a little flatter, but hey, it's all trial and error.  The best thing about palmiers is that you can put whatever you like in them and the magic combination of tomato, cheese and meat never fails to satisfy, particularly in my house.

I used a red pesto, smothered it all over the pastry and sprinkled over mozzarella and a Caribbean-inspired cheddar with mango, red chilli and jerk seasoning.  Then I tore up a few slices of prosciutto (I know, how fancy) and put them on top of the cheese, trying to make sure that there would be a little bit in each slice.  Then came the folding!

One fold!

Two folds!  In hindsight (and if I'd actually followed a recipe, I think it would've told me this) I should've done one more fold so that one loop was on top of the other.  That would've made it much easier to slice.  Next time!  After slicing them about 1cm thick, I laid them on a tray with baking paper and got them ready for the oven.

I baked these for about twenty minutes in a preheated oven, about 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) and they smelled amazing.  Again, in hindsight (hindsight is such a great thing!) I should've spaced these little pastry goodies a little further apart because they do puff up, quite a lot, and they got a little bit wedged together.  The pastry was cooked properly all the way around but it was a little less flaky in some places.

S and I are hoping to have a little get-together with his family and our friends on Christmas eve this year and I'm definitely planning on making some of these for the occasion.  I'd like to make two batches, one savoury and one with cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat!

Have you been cooking up anything scrumptious?  Is there anything you're planning on making for the holidays?  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

Love, K.

It's Friday! #5

This week was a bit of a weird one for me.  It was my last full week in England for the foreseeable future, which is scary and exciting in equal parts.  It was also the week I decided I should really start packing (I know, for someone who claims to be organised, I'm really not) and the week that I conveniently got a bit ill.  I'm still feeling a little under the weather (that sort of stuffy head, sore throat kind of poorly) but I'm in good hands; my Mum works magic with some honey, lemon and a dash of whiskey.

Gotta love a hot toddy!  It rather perked me up enough to get most of my suitcase sorted and to enjoy the time I have left at home with my family.  Here are a few little highlights from my week.

My Mum makes amazing muffins.  I made lemon poppyseed muffins earlier this year and while they were good, my Mum's were full of scrummy lemon curd too!  She also made toffee muffins, with big fudgey pieces throughout and butterscotch on the top.  Very indulgent, I'm surprised they lasted so long in our house.

Does anyone else love satsumas?  They are so yummy and I love it especially when they are super easy to peel.  Sweet and scrumptious.

I will forever adore finding cats in weird, cute positions.  Sometimes the way they sleep is so strange it's a wonder that they managed to nod off!  Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to get comfy just about anywhere?

There are some things I absolutely need for a perfect Christmas and since I won't be able to get some of them in America, I'm taking them with me.  English chocolate always makes an excellent gift too!  I can't wait to tuck into those Lebkuchen (top right), they're a German soft, spiced biscuit that immediately make me feel Christmassy (they remind me of German lessons at school, when teachers would bring us treats at Christmas time).  Yum!

I can't resist taking a picture of a pretty sky with an interesting cloud pattern.  I should really learn some more about cloud formations and the skies above, perhaps I'll ask for some reading material for Christmas!

I hope you've all had a lovely week and you've got a wonderful weekend planned.  Tonight is the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead so my Mum, brother and I are settling in to watch it with some tasty treats.  Can't wait!  What's been the highlight of your week?

Love, K.

The Countdown Begins.

In a week, I'll be making my way back to my American home.  I've been away for almost eight weeks now and it feels like they've passed by me in the blink of an eye.  At the same time, it feels like I've been gone much, much longer.  Crazy, isn't it.

You know how, sometimes, when you think back it's like your memories are from another lifetime?  The summer I spent with S, living in our home, feels like that.  Considering the amount of time we've spent apart versus the time spent together, it's no surprise that being apart quickly becomes our normality again.  I hate that feeling.  My memories from all those days and weeks we were together have started to become blurred with memories of other visits, like those too were just a holiday, a vacation away from my 'real life' here.  It's weird and uncomfortable.

S and I have worked so hard at being together.  We've had our ups and downs like any other couple, but we've had them 3500 miles away from each other, with an ocean between us.  There have been times when I wanted to call the whole thing off because it felt like we were never going to be in the same place at the same time ever.  Now that we're so close to being together we can almost touch it, I've half convinced myself something is going to go wrong and we'll be back to square one.  Until I'm there and I'm settled and sure, I think I'm always going to have that feeling.

I'm not a worrier.  I like to be planned and organised and know all the facts but I don't get myself worked up or stressed out about things.  I'm lucky in that sense, that I'm naturally laid-back even when stressful situations present themselves.  So I know that I've just got to wait and see what happens.  And in the meantime, get ridiculously excited about seeing S and going home for our first Christmas together!

It's so nice to get that off of my chest!  I feel much better ^_^ I'd love to know if you have anything exciting to look forward to soon.  Even if you don't, I hope you have a wonderful week.

Love, K.