FOODIE FRIDAY! 24 hrs late (Sorry!)

I'm a bad bad blogger and am a bit late on this post.  But it's still post-worthy so here you go.

The other day I had a massive craving for traditional American apple pie.  Seeing as how my last few weeks of shopping left us with a surplus of apples in the kitchen, I thought it was fate.

In case you're craving the same (after looking at my pics you might!), here's a recipe.  I've modified from the original as I like using several types of apples and my final outcome was very thick, so I hope yours might be a bit more gooey:

Ingredients:
--Store bought pie crust (2)--meh, why mess about with flour and shortening when it comes pre-made in the shop? :-)
-- 3 bramley apples (or "baking apples"), 3 pink lady apples (my favorite, so sweet!), and 2-3 fuji or gala apples
-- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
-- 1 cup sugar
-- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
-- 1 egg yolk
-- Pie pan
-- Wax paper/baking paper

Directions
-- Wash and peel all the apples.  Cut into thin slices and put in a large bowl
-- Toss the apples in lemon juice
--In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg
-- Add the dry mixture to the apples and toss until evenly covered
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 425F/220C
-- Cut a round piece of baking paper to fit on the bottom of your pie pan.  This will stop the pie from sticking to it
-- Roll out one of the pie crusts on the base of the pie pan
--Pour the apple mixture into the bottom of the pie.  Don't worry if it looks like a mound, it's just choc-full of apples!  You'll appreciate it later
-- Roll the remaining pie crust over the top and cut slits in the top.  Or, if you're feeling crafty, you can cut out strips and do a "lattice" design. 
--In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and a little bit of water or oil.  Brush the yolk over the top of your finished pie for a nice shiny effect later
--Bake the pie at 425F / 220C for 15 minutes
--Reduce oven heat to 350F / 180C and bake for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly
--Enjoy with ice cream or custard!


Before



After

Get in my belly!!!

  Let me know how yours turns out!
A xoxox

HUMP DAY HISTORY!

In my last post, I showed a video of "Morris Dancing" taking place in downtown Worthing.  I had never seen or heard about it before, so I thought I'd do a little research about this British tradition for the blog!

Morris Dancing

As you can see from the video, it's a folk dancing tradition involving rhythmic steps and movement, often involving bells, scarves, sticks, and even swords.  It's usually accompanied by drums, singing/chanting, and wind instruments.

The term and style derived in the 15th century from "Moorish dancing," a nod to the celebrations that took place when the Catholic monarchs drove the Moors out of Spain.  In addition to becoming popular as court entertainment, it also became a traditional way of celebrating the Spring and Summer festivals.  Different communities across the country developed their own unique styles to the tradition over the years.

During the rise of Puritanism, Morris Dancing became seen as "pagan and ungodly" and fell out of favor with the reigning monarchs.  It was eventually outlawed under Oliver Cromwell's political influence.  Even after it was re-legalized during the Restoration period, it began to fade from popularity.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, a handful of English folklore enthusiasts breathed new life into Morris Dancing and revived its tradition within British culture.  Morris Dancing is as quintessentially English as fish & chips and red phone boxes, but not widely known amongst outsiders such as myself.   In any event, it seems to cheerfully ring in the summer season and connecting us to historical pastimes--before TV, video games, and all that indoor stuff. 


ye old morris dancing

 Some good news on the job front--I got an interview for next week! It seems like a great opportunity, so I'm looking for to it (but nervous at the same time!)  I have to do another PowerPoint so I've been working hard on that and studying all I can about social care policy and trying to send out a few more resumes in between--just in case  :-)  Just getting an interview gives me a bit of a boost anyway!

RANDOM STORY
Yesterday I was having lunch with my sister-in-law and she noticed that as a car drove by a perfectly good book was thrown from the car.  I went to investigate and found a novel with a receipt in it.  Someone had just purchased it 20 minutes prior.  I still don't understand how it got thrown into the street.  Well I didn't fancy the book so I went into Waterstones (the book store) and exchanged the book for one I wanted:

Friggin hilarious.  I've nearly finished it already! I have a bit of an obsession with this guy right now.  YouTube his name or "An Idiot Abroad" and you might be mesmerized, too.  Just looking at his mug is making me giggle.

Right, that is all for now.  Hope everyone has a good second half of the week!

A

Another lovely weekend comes and goes!

Hi, folks!

This weekend has been eventful and chilled at the same time.  On Friday I was in a bad mood after another week with unsuccessful attempts to get a job, but Kieran dragged me out with a group of people to Arundel for "Beer O'Clock" at the Black Rabbit.  It was a lovely pub, we ended up having a nice meal and a drink or two.  Arundel is so beautiful in every season.  As you come around the bend in the main road, it opens up to amazing landscape and a breath-taking castle.

Source

This is a nice picture but still doesn't quite do it justice.  It also has a pretty creek/river/moat thingie with a long walkway.  The Black Rabbit is right on the little river thingie and has an outdoor patio area overlooing the small body of water and Arundel in the background.  Very picturesque and British, I love going there and even just driving through!

On Friday Kieran also got a letter in the post about a volunteer position he applied for with the young offenders, and they invited him for an interview.  So proud of him!  That was good news.

Saturday morning we were woken early by a clan of pigeons who have moved into the balcony next door.  There are like 5 of them protecting a nest which they built in a pot under our neighbor's chair.  They are so loud in the morning and produce so much poop, it's concerning.  I don't even know if our neighbor is aware of his uninvited squatters as he doesn't seem to be home much.




momma pigeon protecting her poopy nest. ew.




Me peeking next door to get a look at the brood

 When we ventured out for errands on Saturday, we were greeted with some interesting entertainment in the neighborhood.  Morris Dancing, which apparently is a type of English folk dancing dating back to the 15th century.  A troupe was downtown entertaining the crowd.  It was quite good!  Take a look at this video I shot.  It's kind of cool how the tradition has been successfully passed down over so many generations.

Saturday afternoon/evening was filled with a pirate-themed pub crawl around Worthing organized by some friends.  Needless to say, it got a bit messy and I had to be put to bed at 9:30pm, but I had a laugh.  We went to some really nice pubs with pretty beer gardens, it was so nice out. 



argghhhh!



This morning we were a little groggy and slow to get started but after some coffee and watching the sea of pink joggers/walkers go past in this year's seafront Race for Life, we ventured out to get some food for an impromtu picnic on the beach, just the two of us.

Hubs with the spread!

It was just what I needed to kick the hangover--sea air, sun on my face, and greasy chips in my tummy. 

I also noticed today that the basil seeds I planted a few days ago started to sprout.  Yay!!  I shall have to plant a few more herbs for the kitchen. 



And this is a mini rainbow I saw on Friday evening

So as you can see it was a bit of a mish-mash this weekend.  But overall it was quality and I had some good fun.  Back to the job drawing board tomorrow!

Laterssss!
Amanda

HUMP DAY HISTORY!

Hi, folks!

This week's history lesson is a short one.  More like "oh dang, fun fact" more than my usual lengthy entries.  I wanted to find out if the complex we live in had any history or at least how it got its name "Augusta House."  Well thanks to the internet, I got my answer!

Apparently the original building used to be called Trafalgar House and was built around 1810.  From 1829-1830, Princess Augusta Sophia (sister of King George IV in the Royal House of Hanover) stayed at Trafalgar House.  Presumably, it was a stately home or hotel-like building at the time.  After her stay, the building's name was changed to Augusta House in her honor.  Unfortunately the original building on this site was demolished and rebuilt in 1948 by city planners eager to modernize the seaside town.  But needless to say, this seaside town was popularized by many royal visits over the years, including that of Princess Augusta Sophia!


Princess Augusta Sophia (namesake of my home!)

 So there ya go :-D  imagine that!

Well this was my first time ever being out of the U.S. for the 4th of July.  It was a little sad but I tried to enjoy it.  On Sunday we went to the parents-in-law for a BBQ which was perfectly suited for a 4th of July weekend.  The sun was shining (the hubs got burnt), the grill was fired up, and Kieran's mum whipped up some cocktails, too!  It was a great afternoon.  On Monday there were no fireworks, but I did create my own patriotic touch to the day...

My red white and blue trifle!

Not much else going on here besides job hunting my little heart out.  I got my CRB background check in the mail today and it seems I am, indeed, criminality-free.  Woot.  Small victories, folks. 

Congratulatory U.S. shout-outs are due to my cousin on the birth of her healthy baby girl, Zoe, and to my bestie Erica on her engagement.  All the fun stuff happens when I'm away! :-(

Ta ta for now!
Amanda

FOODIE FRIDAY!

Happy July, everyone!

The end of this week has been a mixture of good and not-so-good.  My cousin Jenny had her baby girl state-side! Congrats!  A bit gutted I won't get to meet her til later in the year probably.  The weather has been marvelous.  I took a really nice run along the beach today barefoot, it felt great.

On the not-so-good end, I found out I was unsuccessful in the job I interviewed for.  Doodie.  Well, it's probably for the best as it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do and I got a weird vibe from the staff there.  Probably wasn't the place for me.  Still sending out loads of applications and trying to make connections with staffing agencies so I can get some temp-to-perm work.  Still chugging along!

Although the job news was a bit disappointing, my spirits were lifted when our friends dropped their 2-year-old off at our flat for us to watch her overnight.  She's so much fun, we had a blasty. 

So on FOODIE FRIDAY we accomodated our tiny guest with a crowd pleaser--spaghetti bolognese and veg on the side.  Needless to say, most of the sauce ended up on her face, hands, and bib but it was funny watching her try to "twist" her pasta like Kieran and feeding herself one strand of spaghetti at a time. 

Sometimes a childhood favorite is fun for adults, too

source

:-)

That is all.  Have a lovely weekend!