An ultrasound and a nice weekend
30 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Life en France, Musings Tags: crafts, ERASMUS, food ideas, france, french doctor, injections, sermon, Strasbourg, study abroad, trinity international church
Essentially encapsulates this post.
On Wednesday, my leg became rather sore and swollen, so I went to the campus doctor on Thursday morning, who referred me to her dad, the sports doctor (lucky!). According to him, having been injected with and given to take in pill form anti-inflammatories was the worst thing that could have happened. Thanks French doctor number 1. So he did an ultrasound on my leg and found out that I had a haematoma and needed to have excess blood extracted from my leg. He also “needed” to show me said blood once it had come out of my leg, not sure why. 3/3 for French doctors and their needles… at least I’m now getting over my injection-phobia. Kinda. Though returning for 4/4 today so we’ll see how that “getting over” goes in practice!
On Saturday, I had a lovely “aprem créatif” with some girls from church; I explain very badly how they made lovely Fimo beads in the journal entry. Forgot to mention there the delightful aubergine tarte made by our hostess – I must explore the world of tartes when I return to the world of ovens, because they really are delightful thrown together with some pastry, cooked vegetables (onions and aubergine in this case), an egg and some milk or cream. She also added sesame seeds which was an interesting touch.
The sermon referred to in the journal can be found at: http://www.trinitystrasbourg.org/trinity//messages/message-12-01-29.mp3 if you fancy having a listen, ’twas really good. Mind you, when you commence a service with “How Great Thou Art” and also have “Before The Throne of God Above” (I couldn’t find a link not sung sickeningly sweetly) and the “Revelation Song” then I defy the service to go badly!
(as always, clicking the pictures should embiggen / reveal more if half is cut off as in 2nd picture)
(I wasn’t sure about whether or not I wanted to display a picture of my thigh on the internet… but came to the conclusion that I wanted to show people what I’m making all that fuss about! Bearing in mind that this picture was taken 9 days after the fall…)
Bean Burgers [Veggie]
29 Jan 2012 3 Comments
in Life en France, Meals, Recipes, Vegetarian Tags: burger, recipe, recipes, student meal, student meals, vegan, vegetarian
I’ve been sorta-vegetarian for 4 weeks now. Or at least, the one where you eat fish, ‘cos I’ve had some sustainably bought tuna from time to time. Pescetarian? Google says yes. It’s not for any moral or ethical reasons, more just that I don’t really like the taste of everyday meat and meat of any sort is so expensive here. Plus I’m really scared of what they serve in the Resto-U (Uni restaurants)… not that I eat there often, but the couple of times I have they were far too reminiscent of school dinners… and I watched that Jamie Oliver show…
Anyway, a mixture of that and my kitchen limitations (down to 2 hobs for our 40-person floor and the portable oven’s disappeared again) has led me to be really bored with food. Anyone got any inspiration for me? That doesn’t require an oven? And isn’t curry, chilli, tomato-based pasta, tangine, omelette, stirfry, salad, or soup (which seem to be my basic staples at the moment)?
It was to this end that I decided to branch out a bit and try beanburgers. First off, let me say: don’t be afraid of rice. It is *ok* to use rice again. You just need to make sure that when you make it you put it covered in the fridge as soon as it’s cold. This rice is used instead of the breadcrumbs found in many bean-burger recipes, as far as I can tell. Use whatever beans you like; France is quite restricted in its bean-offering so I had a mixture of kidney and cannellini beans (I think, “red beans” and “white beans” respectively).
These went down a treat with some home-made fries, made by cutting potatoes, patting down with kitchen roll to dry them off, tossing in a mix of some oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of lemon juice, and leaving in a 160oC oven for 90 minutes – 2 hours, turning every so often.
(serves 5)
The Anti-Bucket List
26 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Life en France, Musings Tags: bucket list, life experiences, reflection, thankfullness, thanksgiving, things to do before you die
Or,
20 experiences I had before I turned 20
This post is inspired by a blog-post of a new Edinburger who has just arrived in Strasbourg: On Bucket Lists. I thought it was such a good post that I would pinch the idea. “Bucket Lists” or “Things To Do Before I Die” are very in vogue, but how often do we look back and reflect on things we’ve done already? In the words of Megan:
You should try it! Think of all the things in your life that someone out there is bound to find interesting, and write ‘em down. Be proud of what you’ve done thus far before you start making dreamy lists of all the outlandish things you could do.
Hence this reflection, possibly slightly weighted towards my experiences in Strasbourg in the past few months (or the months before I turned 20 in November anyway, I was strict about my title), but also containing a mix of experiences from the past decade*.
- Spent 4 days in the wilderness of the Cairngorms with 3 other girls carrying all we needed to survive
- Was on TV (briefly in the crowd on The Saturday Show)
- Went to a midnight book release (Harry Potter), and to a midnight film release (ditto)
- Bathed and went into the casino at Baden-Baden
- Was part of a protest march (against the diminishment of the Modern languages and Nursing dept)
- Became reasonably proficient at Canne de Combat and Ballroom Dancing.
- Read 43 of the BBC’s 100 books to read before you die, including all the way through the Bible (not why I read it, mind you!)
- Interned at the European Parliament
- Roadtripped for a couple of days with a couple of friends… and a couple of crutches (experience in itself!), but the former were more important
- Pricked a raw paw on a prickly pear
- Went up a down escalator (Zara in Inverness – this was on my previous bucket list)
- Learned to juggle, and to knit
- Snorkelled (at Disney, but it still counts)
- Lived abroad on my own, speaking French
- Spent time in 4 countries within 24 hours
- Built an igloo
- Made a wearable dress
- Went to La Boheme at the Opera… in a fur coat
- Worked at a butcher’s for an entire year (you’ve got to have a low so you can know how good you’ve got it in the future)
- Went paragliding
It’s fun to see how different my list is from Megan’s, another 20-year-old linguist from the west of Scotland studying now in Strasbourg – and I bet that your list would be wholly different again. I can’t wait to start my list for the next decade…
What about you, dear blog reader? Was mindst du?
*while I acknowledge that should really be “2 decades”, to be honest, my “10 experiences before I turned 10″ would probably include such highlights as learning to walk, talk, read, write, cycle, and brush my teeth. Not exactly things that make me interesting to myself or others!
Crystallised Ginger
25 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Life en France, Miscellaneous, Recipes Tags: alternative remedy, anti-nausea, ginger, healthcare, recipe, remedy, sweet
Which is, apparently, a great cure for morning sickness. And as such has been a great help to me…
As apparently my body objects to drogues francais by making me feel nauseous. Not wishing to venture outside, I googled, tried mint tea (no effect), lemon with salt (meant to be a slice, I used a teaspoon of concentrated juice and some salt… then thought afterwards, isn’t this something to do with a tequila shot? Big Bang Theory, I hasten to add, I’m not going to imply pregnancy, drugs, and extreme drinking all in one blog post), and then hit upon ginger. Grating stem (root) ginger in a cup or teapot and adding lemon juice, and honey I’d tried before for a sore throat; by lessening the honey to just a smidge it turns out it’s a good remedy for nausea. If you sip it constantly, which is a bit inconvenient but better than feeling sick all the time. But another option I came across was to crystallise it, which is much cheaper than buying it at a health food store, and not that much work. Plus you end up with tasty ginger syrup that can be used instead of honey in the tea or else added to apple juice to make a nice drink.
Only problem now being that I’m slightly addicted to ginger…
Okay, so on with the recipe:
Root ginger, peeled and cubed – however much you want
1 cup sugar (or more/less depending on how much ginger you have) + more for coating
1 cup water (ditto above – just needs to be the same volume as the sugar)
- Heat the water and sugar in a pot until dissolved.
- Add the ginger and simmer for 30 minutes until a bit tender.
- Strain, into a jar so you don’t waste the syrup.
- Spread out the cubes so that they can dry.
- Leave overnight (12 hours plus), or heat in a just-warm oven for 30 minutes or so until they are no longer wet but are just slightly sticky – this is important as otherwise the sugar you’re going to coat them with just dissolves in.
- Shake sugar over the cubes to coat.
- Enjoy, whether to soothe your stomach or just as a delicious snack.
Foreshadowing
21 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Life en France Tags: accident, ERASMUS, injury, skiing, Strasbourg, suaps, year abroad
“Foreshadowing is a dramatic device in which an important plot point is mentioned early in the story to return later in a sinificant way.”
Hermione Granger, A Very Potter Musical
So yeah, remember how last time I told you about my bike accident and then also the fact that I’d been skiing and loved it? Also you might recall several months ago I had to get an injection at a French doctor’s?
Well, if you take these elements together, you get a skiing accident resulting in a trip to the French doctor’s for an injection (and some very expensive drugs, vive la NHS!)
Myself and Georgina who’d tried skiing for the first time last week were a bit apprehensive about tackling the main slope, but the instructors assured us we’d be fine. Unfortunately that was most definitely not the case, with her ending up in hospital for observation after hitting her head and me ending up unable to sit due to a massive lump on my thigh and and an aching lower back after being stopped by a rock. Thankfully she’s now back home and feeling better, and a radio revealed nothing untoward. And after sleeping on it, and an injection from a doctor (no idea what it was, mind you), my back feels quite a bit better… might have to take a pillow to class for the next few weeks though!
Opera and Nocturnal SKIING
16 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Life en France Tags: culture, ERASMUS, injuries, life, Strasbourg, year abroad
Also: first injury of the year!
And before you ask… no, it wasn’t due to the nocturnal skiing. A man in a car decided it would be a great plan to open his roadside door at the same time as I was passing by his boot. Result: me and my stuff on the road, huge bruise on my arm, bike basket a bit squished, and a car door that wouldn’t properly shut any more. Fortunately I wasn’t injured any more than that and there wasn’t anyone on the road behind me so all my stuff got safely recovered. As I was enroute to Navs, someone there was lovely enough to offer to come with me the next day to help sort out the French insurance forms the driver needed to fill in. And my bruise is almost gone now.
Other than that excitement (and also the initial excitement upon my arrival in Strasbourg that I had unplugged the fridge before leaving, so everything was mouldy inside… mouldy chorizo, mayonnaise, and compote are not what you want to have to deal with when you arrive at 10pm after a day’s travels), I’ve mostly been studying for and then sitting exams. I know I’ve passed the last one because it was an oral and he told me so (despite the “holes in my knowledge” – well, you try answering a question without having time to think, in a language not your mothertongue*), the other ones are tbc.
Opera was good, and while waiting for my friend to arrive, I finally worked out the reason behind revolving doors (or at least, a reason): so that the heat doesn’t escape and the cold doesn’t come in. It’s not something that’s entirely been bothering me, but it’s certainly something that’s briefly puzzled me from time to time in the past. Because without thinking of that, they really don’t make a lot of sense: they’re awkward, not suitable for disabled people (and people on crutches matter! Wheelchairs too**), and stop being fun after you’re about 7 years old.
*interesting point: mothertongue yet fatherland. Fits with French conception of la langue (ie, feminine) but le pays (masculine). Hmmm.
**reference to my history of being on crutches twice in past 18 months; not intending to offend any wheelchair users, I have nothing but admiration for how you manage in a world of stairs and gaps.
End of November and December, minus Glasgow
15 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Life en France Tags: ERASMUS, france, Strasbourg
A quick résumé:
- Navs Weekend Away
- Roméo et Juliette
- Galloping at Horse-Riding
- Lorna visiting!
- Meeting Hannah in St Louis!
- Cultural endeavours
The gallery of journal images:
Gateau au Speculoos (Speculoos Cake)
07 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Cake, Recipes Tags: baking, birthday, cake, france, recipe, speculoos, sugar, sweet
If you have never lived in France or the Netherlands, you have probably never come across the spreadable gingerbread that is Speculoos. You may have come across Lotus biscuits perhaps, particularly if you frequent the Rainbow Room Hairdressers, and this spread, manufactured by the same people, is basically a liquid form of these. I wanted to make a cake for my friend’s birthday and thought I’d do something a bit different from the normal chocolate variety, so tweaked a recipe for peanut butter cake and came up with this. If you have the misfortune to live in a land without Speculoos but you do like peanut butter, feel free to re-substitute creamy peanut butter into the mix.
This cake is incredibly sweet. Quite a lot of batter is generated, so I made a bundt cake and 7 cupcakes with it. I’ll give you the recipe for half the icing I made as admittedly it may have smothered the cake a bit. Nonetheless, I reckon it will feed at least 12 people and probably more. If you’re not using a bundt cake tin, you may have to cover the tin with silver foil and leave it in for a bit longer if it’s browning too quickly but is still wobbly in the middle.
Baking and Ratios
04 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Cake, Desserts, Recipes Tags: baking, chocolate, dessert, eggless, ovenless, ratio cooking, ratios, recipe, require chilling
A love of maths is a supremely helpful quality for baking. Even if I mostly divide recipes by use of chrome’s toolbar rather than in my head these days, it’s my good old standard grade maths grounding that means I know to type in “300/3*2” to work out that 2/3 of 300 is 200. Ok, so I wouldn’t actually have to type that in to work out that particular sum. Honest. Apparently you’re not really meant to tweak recipes which specify a number of eggs, but I’ve never had any problems with doing so: if you don’t have a large enough baking tin or enough people to feed to do the whole batch of 20 brownies, I’ve found doing 2/3 of it in a smaller tin works perfectly.
Anyway, so one of the great things about baking is ratios. Though I’ve known for years that the basic sponge cake recipe has the perfect ratio of 1:1:1:1 for the weights of butter:sugar:eggs:self-raising flour (cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs 1 at a time; fold in half the flour then the other half then bake for about 20 minutes at gas mark 5*), and discovered recently that 1:1 for cream:chocolate makes the perfect ganache (or truffles), for some reason I’d not really thought of extending that to other recipes. But actually, it makes them so much easier to remember. And when I was given a recipe for
Chocolate Truffle Cake
By the lovely Sarah W, it was the perfect opportunity to test this ratio thing out further.
(apologies for photo quality, my camera was elsewhere so had to use a blackberry. Also, in the words of someone that wasn’t me: “It looks ok but tastes amazing!”)
The basic recipe serves about 8-12 depending on your portion-size, costs about £3.50 depending on the quality of your chocolate, and is:
225g digestive biscuits
450g dark chocolate
100g butter
1 pt double cream
cocoa powder/grated chocolate (for dusting/decoration).
- Relieve all your stress by bashing the digestives repeatedly over the head with a rolling pin until they are completely smooshed (my interpretation of ”smash biscuits to rough crumb form”) and melt the butter.
- Mix the crumbs and butter and press into a spring form cake tin (around 24cm). Place in the fridge.
- Melt the chocolate carefully, either in a bowl on top of some boiling water, or on a really gentle heat on the stovetop directly in a pot, or by turning the microwave power to low and stirring frequently.
- Whip the double cream until stiff.
- Pour in the melted chocolate and fold in gently – this may take a little time, but keep gently folding, making sure you don’t overmix.
- Pour chocolate cream mixture in over the base and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
- Dust with cocoa powder before serving.
But if you know that a pint is roughly 550 ml and it’s a sort of basic ganache topping (though the difference in method means it comes out completely differently), then you can take that ratio and make it 2:1:4:4 in terms of digestives:butter:chocolate:cream. And then make it for as many or as few people as you want. I had only 400g of chocolate so did 200g:100g:400g:400ml and that worked out fine (I also substituted the dark chocolate for 3 bars milk and 1 bar dark, and the double cream for single as the shop had run out, and that worked well – its recipients raved [somewhat to my surprise, in fact!], but I think it would be even better made with double or whipping cream as directed).
End summary: have fun, experiment, and look to see if your favourite recipes have an innate ratio that make them much easier to remember. And stay in school, kids, maths is the key to success…
*Interestingly when procrastinating by investigating for doing this blog, I found that using this method with plain flour should yield the denser pound cake. While for a different type of sponge cake, you can reclassify the ratio as egg:sugar:flour:melted butter (whisk eggs and sugar, fold in flour [plain or self raising], fold in melted butter)
