You smell what I'm cookin'?

Well, we're finally starting to see signs of spring again here in sunny Leeds :) it's getting warmer, and hopefully we'll be seeing a bit more sunshine. Adam and I have a day off on Wed., so maybe we'll get out and enjoy the day, if we're lucky enough for the weather to cooperate. Last year we had quite a few random outings when the weather was nice, and it would be nice to have a chance to do that again.

So, I've been trying to do a bit more creative cooking lately, try some new things. Last week I had a hankering for pad Thai, like the dish that Adam had at the Thai place we went to for our anniversary. I didn't use proper rice noodles though, as I wanted bigger ones, so I subbed some tagliatelle instead, which worked out nicely. Some pad Thai sauce (thought the store-bought sauce was easier than getting all the ingredients to make my own)onto the egg-fried and seasoned noodles, and a stir-fry mix of bean sprouts and some other veg, and some prawns, and it really turned out perfect. Definitely one to try again often.

So, tonight's culinary adventures are taking us into the world of casseroles. Chicken parm casserole, to be specific. Found a recipe on Pinterest, and it gave me an idea to base mine on. I never follow recipes exactly, I just use them as a guide, changing ingredients and sometimes cooking methods as well to suit my preferences. I diced the chicken breasts (about 550g) and coated them in egg and breadcrumbs, seasoned with garlic and basil and parmesan. Threw on mushrooms and onions. When it's ready to go in the oven, I'll add a jar of pasta sauce, cook for 30 min. on 175 C, then take it out to add the mozzarella and cook for maybe another 30 min. or so. Since my recipe uses a smaller portion than the original recipe called for, it may need less time, we'll see how it turns out. Hopefully it'll be awesome.

when a song comes on and it just makes you smile...

'You are the one to grow old with. To live, to laugh and to lie with. You are, you are, you are.'

*smiles*

Love you Adam, even when you're being a cheeky sod ;) you're still completely and utterly perfect for me in every way <3

ramblings

So, this is my first attempt at blogging on my phone. I'd best try to keep this short as I've already lost all that I typed a few minutes ago. Technology: can't live with it, can't live without it. I could live without predictive text though. If I have any odd words out of place here, that'll be why.

One thing I want to do is resolve to cook from scratch more, as much as I have time to, that is. It's fun, it's creative, and I can choose my own preferred ingredients. Although maybe I should wait till I've tried the potato cake mix I made today before I decide this, haha :)

I've had some other stuff on my mind lately as well, nothing I've been eager to talk about, and still don't really want to get into. I just... well, it's just that it's not going away, so I guess I feel that I need to put it out there just a little, tentatively, abstractly. It's just that there's no solution, so what do you do with an issue that you want to change, but can't? All I keep coming up with is to try and leave it alone, or find acceptance. I don't know... maybe I'll feel more ready to talk about it more later.

London adventures

Well, two days went as fast as I knew they would, but we managed to pack a few adventures into our brief stay. A few highlights before I start posting photos and whining about going back to work tomorrow:

-Stopping at Bagel Nash at the train station before we were on our way. New Yorker bagels are guaranteed to start my day in a super-fantastic mood :)

-Random wander through Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden, and the rain let up for us during that time :)

-A margarita that far exceeded my expectations, and made me wonder why I ever stopped drinking tequila for so long, haha :)

- Finally going in the Tower of London. There's so much history there, and seeing a place that's nearly 1000 years old and the settings of some of the historical fiction stories I've read was totally fascinating.

- Cheese popcorn. I know that sounds like such a small thing, but I can never find cheese popcorn here, and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

- Going on another random wander around the city, and ending up at the Borough street market in Southwark. I just adore street markets. And baklava, which I also hadn't had in ages, and had to buy some from a market vendor.

- Time spent with Adam. Which is the reason why I'm going to post my photos now and then get off the computer.

Ok now for the best part: photos :)

First anniversary!

Well, we've come to our first wedding anniversary, already! Time just goes so fast, it's hard to believe it's been a whole year since that beautiful day in Gretna Green. The weather's not so beautiful today unfortunately, and it looks like it's going to stay like this for our London getaway this weekend, but oh well, we'll make the most of it as always. Today we're just having a quiet day, Adam's making some brunch for us now, and tonight we're going to finally try that Thai restaurant down the street from us. Tomorrow morning we're off to London, which I've really been looking forward to. It'll be a quick trip since we're back on Sunday, but we'll have lots of fun I'm sure, and I'll try to take as many photos as possible. Hopefully I'll have a few stories to tell in a few days :)

And most of all, I hope this was just the first of many, many more happy years with my wonderful, gorgeous, silly, geeky (and I mean that as a very high compliment ;) ) sexy husband :) Love you Adam, thank you for the best year of my life so far <3

In My Life

 In My Life- The Beatles

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All this places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more
In my life-- I love you more

Trip Down Memory Lane

So the other night, Adam and I went looking through old photos, all the ones I had brought with me when I moved, which were mostly from our trips, and a few from when I was growing up. Then he got out his old journal that he'd started right before we first met, and of course I wanted to read it, haha :) he let me see a little of it, bits from when I'd first come over and after I'd gone home. Mostly about how happy he was, and then about how much he missed me and loves me. Made me feel so good :) and it's had me remembering those times, how I was going through all the same feelings, hoping it would all work out. It just makes me even more grateful that we're here today. I think we'd met at just the right time in our lives. I feel like if I'd been younger and still going through all the personal changes and self-discovery that I had to get though first, I'd have messed things up too much. I certainly wouldn't say that I'm perfect now, but I know myself in a way that I never did ten years ago. And it's good to know myself :) and now here I am, here we are, with our first anniversary coming up next week. Funny how that really feels "grown up" to me, being able to say that we've been married a year :) Wow...

So, I have permission to read the rest of the journal now. I don't know if I want to read all of it, but I guess I'm curious enough that I'll read at least parts of it. I know that there were times back then when it wasn't easy, some times were tough and confusing, and it may be sad to think of that part of it again. But it was a long time ago, and look at how much things have changed. And it's still nice to remember the happy times and how things all started :) either way, it's always there now to look back on :)