Weekly Update!

Karaoke, Plant Pots & Meatballs!

Mo had this week off work, so it was nice to spend a bit more time with him than usual at the start of the week before he went on a roadtrip on the bike. On Tuesday I ate at the Country Club and had a bok choi, cashew but and cucmber salad with a king prawn skewer on top, drizzled with a garlic soy dressing. It was really nice, although there was slightly too much dressing for my liking - it is pretty sweet which overpowers the subtle taste of the salad leaves. Aum and I shared the brownie for dessert as well, which is served with pistachio ice cream (my fave) and is incredible!

On Wednesday I went to Mudcrab for lunch (see previous post) and after work I popped round to see Hannah which was nice. On Friday Laura, my friend from uni came to stay for the weekend, and we went to the opening of the new Zizzi in Piccadilly Gardens that evening, as she works for them (see next week's post). 

Afterwards we ended up going to Orchid Lounge, the Chinese karaoke in China Town, which I have never done despite going out in Manchester for over eight years. It was such a laugh, and super cheap! We stayed up chatting until 6.30am so didn't get up on Saturday until well after midday, which dashed our plans of going for a spa day at the Country Club as it wasn't really worth Laura paying for a few hours. Instead we had a wander around John Lewis and Didsbury, and then got cakes from And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon to eat back at home as it was nearly closing time! 

That evening Tasha, Abi and Dave came out to Alderley Edge with us. We started in The Botanist, where Laura and I had an amazing cocktail served into plant pots by a watering can. It was a gin drink, with lots of fruit and herbs in the cup, definitely something a bit different. We then moved onto The Bubble Rooms, and the time ran away with us, we ended up getting back at gone 4am again. It was mostly due to the clocks changing though, so we weren't such dirty stopouts!

Today I dropped Laura at the station and then went on to Ikea with Mum. I got lots of stuff for the flat (again!) and then Dad and Mo came round and we all had meatballs for tea. Best weekend I've had in ages, was so cool to catch up with Laura, and both nights I felt really chilled and carefree and just had an amazing time!

Weekly Update!

First Week At Home!

So this has been my first week 'living' in the new place; said in inverted commas as I have actually only stayed here for three nights, and two of those were shared (with Mo on Tuesday and my friend Claire on Thursday). On Monday I had a chilled evening and then went round to Mo's for his homemade macaroni cheese (perhaps the best thing he makes, it is amazing!) and on Tuesday he came to mine and I made us Ikea meatballs with roasties. 

On Wednesday I finally got the internet, and Mum came to mine for liver and bacon casserole for tea, mainly as we are the only two people I know who like it! Thursday was Claire's visit (she stayed as she had an interview in Manchester on Friday) we managed to sneak in a glass of wine and a chat before we went to bed despite her flight not landing until 9pm.

On Friday I had my nails done and dyed my hair before going out for a meal at Danilo's in Hale for Abi's birthday (see previous post). Afterwards we went to Suburbia where we had lots of free drinks after scoring a place on someone's table, and danced until we could dance no more! Yesterday I stayed in bed until 12pm, and then went to the flat to do some housey stuff with mum before going to Cafe Gourmand for some late lunch with Smeed and the girls. I had the special which was chorizo, pea and mint risotto topped with a poached egg - it was awesome, and warded off the last of my hangover.

I babysat in the evening, though not until very late, and played taxi driver ferrying the rest of the family back from an Egyptian themed murder mystery night, which they all looked brilliant for! Today Mum made gorgeous blueberry pancakes for breakfast before I left. I have spent the rest of the day pottering around the house, and am currently at catching up at Mo's as he has been away in London since Thursday. Pretty quiet first week, though I am sure after my housewarming party next weekend I'll be grateful of a quiet one!

Homemade Recipes!

Lemon And Herb Meatball Tagine

Today my friends came round for the evening, so I decided to cook something tasty for our tea. They were arriving at 7pm, so once I'd got home from work I knew I wouldn't have much time to prepare, so had to choose a recipe that was relatively simple. I had a flick through a few of my mum's cookery books before settling on a Moroccan dish made in a tagine that sounded nice.

I cheated slightly and bought the meatballs pre-made from Iceland, so that cut the time needed in half. First of all I heated five teaspoons of oil in the tagine on the hob and fried an onion in it until it was soft and browned. Then I added the beef meatballs (approx 24) and a teaspoon of each of the spices required - chilli powder, cumin and tumeric. I browned the meatballs and then poured 350ml of chicken stock in over them, before leaving it to simmer. I took this time to go and get ready!

After about half an hour, the sauce still hadn't thickened, so I turned the heat up and added some cornflour to the mixture to thicken it slightly. My friends arrived and so I put the couscous that I was serving the dish with on to cook. It only took about five minutes, so my guests weren't waiting too long before I could serve it all. I put a garnish of fresh parsley on top of the meatballs, and then took the tagine and the pot of couscous to the table so people could help themselves. A quick squeeze of lemon juice over it all and it was ready to be eaten - delicious!