A year ago today...

On a rainy afternoon, this blog was born! Amazing how time has flown by. Blogging has been an interesting experience--I've enjoyed sharing my hobbies, fascinations and obsessions (ahem, Lost) with all of you out there. I didn't really know where I wanted to go with this blog, and in fact I still don't really know (much like my current position in life). Food? Inspiration? Poetry?? Aah! But I guess it doesn't have to be nailed to a certain theme. I'm always debating about things I should be writing out, so I'll just settle for making this space a mishmash of subjects I find interesting.

In honour of this semi-momentous occasion, I treat you all to a virtual banana split cupcake cone! Thanks for reading this--your comments make my day much more nicer!

The image and the recipe are from Erica's blog here, and they look super delicious, and definitely worth trying out. I remember helping making these kind of cupcake cones once when I was younger, and oh boy they were good at the time.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'mma heading home to Toronto for the next couple months :)

Finisshhed!!

So glad I'm done school at last! The past few weeks have been insane; endless assignments and things to study for. Other than tending to those, I've been throwing myself into dance, summer job hunting, organizing stuff for the big end of the year move around in our flat, Lost, and so forth. It even included a couple of really late-nighters, which resulted in slow movement, higher consumption of caffeine beverages and cracking up at the weirdest things.

And speaking of Lost/things that made me crack up, I recently discovered this little gem courtesy of Michael Emerson; it's been around for a while now, but my goodness it is hilarious.

Image belongs to DoctorWhotv

Just last Saturday, series five of Doctor Who premiered here in Canada and I was absolutely thrilled--I've been waiting for it! And the first episode was really good, Matt Smith fit right in. On Easter weekend, knowing it had already premiered in the UK made it rather difficult; however, my Mom's Easter package kept me tied over... Thank goodness for chocolate.

And now that I have time to actually read for pleasure, here are a few of what I'm working on. Amelia Earheart, from what I've read, had a remarkable life; I think if there were any female role model to look up to, it would be her.

Now that I think of it, one other fascinating woman I read about recently was Isadora Duncan in her auto biography, and that came about via my theatre paper about butoh and modern dance; she developed modern dance as a way to defy the formality of structure in ballet. Fascinating stuff.

Also, I finally got my Italy pictures developed! All three hundred and something, coming in four thick envelopes. It was rather pricey, but the finished results were worth it. Seeing them only on the computer didn't do them justice. Can't wait to frame some of them, and album the rest!

Weather here has been... Gross. First came the cooler temperatures, then rain, and to top it off, snow. I felt bad for the flowers who had to put up with it. Hopefully spring will return soon and I can venture outdoors more frequently. Until then, I wait patiently. Sort of.

Mac and Many Cheeses

Credit goes to the Telegraph, link here

My love for cheese is undying. It goes as far back to when I was five and my Mom would give me a snack of raisins and cheese to have while I watched taped episodes of the Little Mermaid series. (I imagine I must have liked the sweet and salty combination.) I digress; a good bowl of the regular Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese* is very nice once in a while, but a good bowl of homemade m&c is even nicer, I discovered recently. The recipe I used was adapted from the Star (the newspaper I read when I'm home), and they said you could use just about any type of cheese. So I did! I've never made *real* mac and cheese before, so this was a good start for me. I experimented with old cheddar, medium cheddar, emmental cheese and smoked gouda. It turned out creamy and lovely, (served along side with some steamed veggies) and the smokey flavour of gouda added a nice touch. However, I'll probably go with the regular kind next time. I had some of it leftover, and it did not take long for its aroma to take over my small fridge, and linger on for a bit after I'd finished it.

2 cups macaroni (preferably whole wheat)

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

2 cups mixed shredded semi-hard cheeses

Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In medium saucepan of boiled, salted water, cook macaroni as per package instructions until al dente. Drain well.

In another medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour until paste forms.

Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Raise heat to medium-high; bring sauce to boil, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in mixed cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add macaroni; stir to coat.

Transfer to 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Generously season with pepper. Cook under preheated broiler on high 5 to 8 minutes, until richly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.