Mastering the Microwave 2: Variations on a theme

So it turns out if you're buying food for yourself, and you buy value packs, you end up eating a lot of the same stuff. I discovered this last week, when i bought a bag of spinach, and it became the main component of every meal. However this isn't to say I'm sick of it, and actually I enjoyed it so much I bought another bag yesterday. Go Popeye. Anyway, the spinach-feta-pitta bread meal sort of came to me in a dream, which really excited me and got me running to the supermarket as soon as I woke up. Although I'm fairly sure it was crepes or tortillas in my dream rather than pittas, I soon discovered that Sainsbury's wholemeal pittas are both healthier, cheaper and easier to cook, so I got these instead.

So I won't lie, the first trial was disappointing. the above picture demonstrates a fatal flaw in warming pittas in the microwave: they get soggy instead of crispy. Also, I should have mixed the spinach and the feta before putting them in the bread, so I tried this the day after, and it was definitely an improvement. First time gets a 4/10 and the second gets a 9/10 (only because 10 would be boasting).

Bingo. Adding cous cous and toasting the pitta before adding heated filling improved this one immensely.

So after the spinach worked well, I decided to experiment a little, and put slightly cooked apples in with the feta and cous cous. This was also delicious.

And to use up the last of my cheese, what better than a nice cheesy pasta?

Last Sunday I went all out on lunch, and satisfied a long-tolerated craving for apple pie with one of the market's 'luxury apple pies'. I can assure you it was delicious, although I don't know that this equates to luxurious...

Spinach leaf salad with cooked carrots, feta and crackers, next to a pitta quesadilla :)

On a non-food related note, the rest of my weekend panned out as such: Huge Vintage Flea Market at the Guildhall, volleyball training (I'm now on the second team), laundering (I hadn't washed anything since I got here, wish is more impressive than disgusting actually), and a social event for Chinese and Japanese students on Saturday evening. I spent Sunday working, and I have also re-done my notice board! I'd say it looks prettier now.

One of the rooms at the vintage fair...

Getting serious about old stufff

 Tumble dryers are over-rated.

New messageboard! Map of Japan, timetables, photos, postcards, old tickets, flyers, etc. etc.

Mastering the Microwave: experiment 1

The kitchen on staircase O, where the magic happens...

So this is quite a basic little concoction, and there are probably man different ways to look at it. Essentially it is stewed apples, but could also be a pastry-less apple pie, which is only half the fun and really just makes one wonder, 'why omit the pie-crust?'



The mystic microwave

Ingredients: apple, sugar, cinnamon (and a drop of water)
Method: Cut the apple into small pieces, add the other stuff, stir and cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
Result: Soft, warm, not too sweet but still satisfied my sweet-tooth. Overall success.



Success! やった！

Visita a Exeter (e Sam)

Venerdi' scorso ho deciso di scappare dalla mia piccola prigione, e prendere 2 treni (4 ore di viaggio) per visitare Sam all'universita' di Exeter. Un viaggio corto ma piacevole, ho visto molto della citta' (ero gia' stata due volte con amici ma ho avuto l'occasione di vedere delle parti nuove) e dei luoghi principalmente studenteschi. Venerdi' sera siamo usciti con uno dei suoi nuovi amici, (per coincidenza pure lui si chiama Sam e abita a Coventry...) ad un bar che si dice sia l'ispirazione per 'The Leaky Cauldron', il locale famoso ma fizionale che esiste nel mondo di Harry Potter. Questo sarebbe perche' la signora Rowling e' andata all'universita' di Exeter e ha preso le sue idee dai luoghi che conosceva nella citta'. Domenica siamo andati al Quay, e poi ho viaggiato quasi 6 ore di ritorno. Il primo treno, diretto a London Paddington, ha avuto problemi tecnici e si e' fermato a Reading ove siamo scesi per prendere un'altro treno. Poi a Londra l'Underground non voleva proprio funzionare ed ho dovuto fare delle corse in giro per prendere il mio Cambridge train da King's Cross. Grazie a qualche magia sono arrivata comunque all'ora prevista...

Cambridge Station, e il mio treno delle 17:15 per King's Cross!

la campagna inglese...

aspettando il treno per Exeter...

Exeter Cathedral...e Sam :)

A pranzo

una delle facciate dell'universita'

moschea sorpresa

Cena in forno...

Sam.

Pollo farcito di formaggio di capra e peperone verde, tenuto insieme da un piccolossimo pezzo di prosciutto...e poi verdure varie arrosto

 Non una delle foto migliori, c'era pochissima luce e l'ho chiarita usando il computer. Comunque questo e' il posto che ho menzionato, 'the Fire House'-convertito da un Fire Station, bellissimo :)

The Quay

Si capisce che mi piacciono le oche?

Coffee Break

 

Pedestrian Subway

Rovine...Romane?

Exeter ha molte murali artistiche come questa :)

Sam con il 'mostro'

Si ritorna a Cambridge :(

Giocando con la macchina fotografica sul treno...ci si diverte moltissimo...