California

It was great to be back home during the winder holidays! Seeing my family for the first time in over a year was just wonderful. My nephew, who just turned 2, is pretty much the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Plus, the nice, sunny weather was a really nice change of pace.

One of the highlights of my visit (among many), was staying with my best friend in Orange County for a few days. I didn't take very many pictures, unfortunately, except when we went down to Laguna Beach. It was such a clear, beautiful day, too!

Hillhead Bookclub

I finally got myself down to Hillhead Bookclub on Thursday after hearing so much about it. Had a late lunch with Hera and Ciorstan and my camera. It was really good. I opted for an actual lunch (cheeseburger) while they got desserts (why am I not that smart?). Food was delicious, and the water had strawberries in it, what's not to love?


Hera making sure she got the strawberry before either of us could get it!


Me, clearly very interested in what Ciorstan was saying...



Ciorstan's delicious waffle (TOTALLY GETTING THAT NEXT TIME!)


Hera's Eton Mess, also delicious!



Me an my unruly hair

The Perfect Hot Chocolate

I've been a bit under the weather lately + the colder temperatures basically means it's the perfect time for my great-Grandmother's Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe. My mother used to make this for me all the time, and apparently her grandmother used to make it for her when she was a kid. It's pretty simple but absolutely delicious: hot chocolate mix, milk, about 1/4 mug of coffee, cinnamon, topped off with whipped cream (okay, that might be my own adjustment, there). Perfect :)

More Pictures!

Friday was another beautiful day (although quite cold!) So again, I just had to take pictures. This is one of my goals, actually, to find as many opportunities to take pictures as possible. I ended up spending a few hours wandering through the Kelvingrove park after class, which was lovely!


The tower of the main building of the university. Always a beautiful sight!


The Kelvingrove museum (this picture really doesn't do it justice!)


A little westie running around. Too cute not to take a picture (they are my favorite dogs afterall!)

Chilaquiles!

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: what the heck is that and why would anyone eat it? Well these, my friends, are chilaquiles, one of my favorite Mexican dishes of all time. What they lack in aesthetic beauty they more than make up in tasty-ness.

One of the worst things about living in Glasgow is the severe lack of Mexican food. This is forcing me to learn how to make it myself using my Mother's and Grandmother's recipes, and my own memory. So far I've nearly mastered Mexican style rice, both fish and beef tacos, and tostadas. The easy stuff. My refried beans need work, however. I just can't seem get them right. This was my first attempt at chilaquiles, though, and I'm quite pleased with them. Not quite how I remember my mother's tasting, but close.

If anyone in Glasgow is interested, Lupe Pinto's on Great Western Road is the only place in town (that I know of) to get corn tortillas (essential for chilaquiles, as well as tacos, tostadas, and enchiladas). Tesco and Waitrose both sell something that claims to be corn tortillas, but they're not. Lupe Pinto's also has an awesome assortment of other Mexican ingredients, and quite a bit of American stuff as well. It's a bit of a walk from my flat, but completely worth it.

Sunshine in Glasgow

Yesterday was a glorious day. There's really no other way to describe it. And it was hot. Really hot. Over 70 degrees Fahrenheit (Oh dear, the fact that I genuinely consider that scorching hot will be troublesome when I go back home). This was a huge change from the wind and the rain and the gloom that we've had for the past couple of weeks, and a nice surprise in the autumn. So of course, I had to take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

One of the great things about where I live is that I get to cut through the botanic gardens on the way to the university. It definitely makes the 20 minute walk a whole lot more pleasant. It's an absolutely beautiful park, and I may have gone a bit picture crazy on my way to class yesterday morning.




And so concludes our first park tour. Stopped by Starbucks on the way to class, got a mocha frappuccino ('cause it was so hot) and sat in the sunshine outside class before it started. Felt like summer. After class ended I had a couple of hours to kill before my meeting with a careers adviser and it was just too lovely outside to sit in the gloomy library. So I decided to wander around the West End for a bit and ended up at Lupe Pintos, the only place in Glasgow that I know of where I can get corn tortillas and enchilada sauce (I predict chilaquiles in my future). I did of course take some pictures on the way back.



And of course, after the careers appointment it was back through the botanics I went, camera in tow,...



...where I bumped into Ciorstan (my flatmate) being studious...



...and chatted for a bit before going on my way.



And then finished off the day with ice cream in the front yard. Yup, it was a pretty good day.