Student food: Healthy fried chicken and crispy chips

I am about to finish Uni.

Oh my goodness.

I definitely do not feel ready! I think the most difficult thing to say goodbye to is the times when you wake up for a lecture and think 'do I want to go?..' and you DO have the choice to say no! When is the next time in life you will be able to do that?? (Hi mum, just to let you know I always do say yes. It's just nice to have the choice!)

Spring breakfast: smoothies!

I really know what Jamie Cullum means when he sings

...If I ruled the world 

Every day would be the first day of spring...

It really is like a fresh start. Everything blooms and somehow I cannot pass any trees that are blooming quietly, I have to shout at everyone around me 'oh my goodness look at that!!' And those priceless surprised faces expecting something really exciting suddenly looking that direction for a few moments, until they turn grim after realising I am getting over-excited about.. a tree.

Local food adventures. Mussels

Don't you just love unexpected adventures? When something just spontaneously comes up and makes your day?

Hugo and I went for a quick walk on the beach, as it was, finally, a nice, sunny day. I was in 
Hugo's uncle's slippers, which was not very convenient when we decided to go near the rocks to see if there were any mussels around. We'd had lunch already and dinner was on its way, but we decided to have quite a fancy snack - mussels in garlicky white wine sauce. I have to admit, I'm happy such luxurious snacks do not appear on my plate every day, otherwise I wouldn't be able to enjoy them as much (and I'd be very fat)!

Cheap Low-fat Vegetarian Lasagna

 

1. An unexpected dinner party fell upon us recently. 
2. The budget was exceptionally tight due to recent events (me falling asleep in the airport in Istambul and missing my flight, how charming).
3. Fancy, quick and impressive dinner on a low budget?

Lasagna!!!!

Really Quick Garlic Salmon on a Vegetable Mash

Holidays... To most women (and men?) who cook at home holidays are a divine space of time where you can finally get away from the kitchen and have a rest while having your food served to you. I am, however, not in that category. I cannot say that I don't like to have food cooked for me, especially by my mum or my almost-a-professional-chef boyfriend Hugo, but when it comes to holidays, I am terribly sad to have to leave my kitchen. I miss cooking, I miss realising my inspirations, I miss the excitement I get when something turns out unexpectedly delicious.

I just got back from a holiday in Israel, where the only cooking I got to do was getting together a few salads. I have to say, I will really miss all the fresh food you get in a country where the fresh produce is top quality all throughout the year, but there is something very special about living in cold and snowy (!!!!!) England, where cooking food takes a while, warms up the kitchen and slowly makes all the eaters more and more excited as the scents spread. I think it is fascinating, how food here earns such a comforting role. 

Tomato and Feta Muffins

I am terribly sorry for my absence.

Uni got in my way and it just got terribly hectic! But I proudly announce that I have officially finished my dissertation and now I can finally tell you what's been going on in the kitchen.

If you think that all this workload has kept me away from the oven, you are wrong, ladies and gentlemen. I've tried a few new things, have been procrastinating by fishing for inspiration, bought a new desserts book...

I'll tell you a secret: if I could, I would eat sweet things every day. I am fussy about my desserts but I would be quite happy if my body had some magical power to turn sugar into vitamins or something. But the thing is, I'm not a fan of cooking sweet things. I like to be creative in the kitchen and often I feel that sweet recipes do not give you that creative space, as you need to follow a really strict recipe. Of course, when it works out right it's really rewarding. How do you feel about these things?

Love Soup

Don't you just love soups?

I do. That lovely broth, that lovely texture, that lovely warmth when you're cold and the refreshing feeling when you're hot. But most importantly - that pleasant feeling that you've just eaten something good for you and it was so yummy!

My friend Meg and I had a little afternoon together the other day and I was telling her about my recent Pinterest obsession and the inspiration I get there. So we decided to make a love soup - one that your eyes love and one that loves you - your taste buds and your health.