Stuff of Nightmares

FINAL UPDATE: I'm home! I managed to switch my booking, and I got home on Wednesday on the first flight out! I have been lucky really, there are so many people who haven't reached where they want to be yet.
I am finally able to enjoy the snow, and it looks like it is going to be a white Christmas - the first one I have ever had!

UPDATE THE SECOND after five hours of me and my mum clicking and refreshing pages, I have managed to get a ticket on a flight on the 22nd. Let's just hope it isn't cancelled.


UPDATE - My flight from Las Vegas was cancelled, so I didn't set off. I have no idea if/when I will get home, I have been up since 4 trying to find information, the desk at the airport doesn't open until 2pm

Don't read this if you don't like hearing people moaning, but I need to recount my day in full somewhere to get it out of my system and this seems like a good place!

Today has been a nightmare - I woke up this morning ready to spend a leisurely day packing and sorting things out before my flight in the evening, only to find out shortly after that my flight had been cancelled, due to "adverse weather conditions" (i.e. a bit of snow and ice) at Heathrow.  The earliest I could rebook was for the 24th - meaning I'd get home on Christmas day in the afternoon. This was not happy news. 5 days does not sound like very much, but it is rather significant if you are only going somewhere for 2 weeks, and I had so much planned for the week before Christmas - meeting friends, going shopping in London, carol services etc. After weeping down the phone to my parents a few times, I packed hastily and went to the airport ($40 for a taxi each way) to try and talk to someone, where I stood in a line for two and a half hours, but after this, things started looking up!
Thanks to the (very friendly and helpful, despite being confronted with 3 jumbo jets' worth of passengers) BA staff, I have been put on an alternative route, so tomorrow I will be flying into Gatwick via Seattle and Las Vegas. The timings are a little tight, especially considering the only time I have had a plane journey with a transfer was when I was 11 and pretty much asleep, but I should make it home 16 hours after the start of my first flight, which is really very good.

The thing that I really marvel at though is how one of the busiest airports in the world can grind to a halt for 3 days after a snowfall - it is ridiculous! There are thousands of people stranded in places they don't want to be, all because Heathrow can't get their act together. They need to take a lesson from airports in places where it snows frequently, where they just get on with it, and the flights come and go with only minor delays.
Anyway, rant over. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Artist of the Week - Dear Reader

Last artist of the week before I go home! Quite a short one this time. Since next week is going to be pretty busy (and who is going to be reading this blog in Christmas week anyway?) I probably won't be posting an artist of the week. You have no idea how excited I am to be going home for Christmas! It feels like such a long time since I was home last (well it has been almost 4 months), and I can't wait to see my friends and family, and give Molly the dog lots of cuddles. I have one exam left, on Saturday, then I am flying out on Sunday night!

Artist of the Week - Dear Reader

Dear Reader are a band from Johannesburg, South Africa. I first saw them at a festival a couple of summers ago, playing in a cowshed! They have released one album, Replace Why With Funny, and numerous singles.  I really don't know much about them apart from that, and that I really like them! I wanted to have something a bit different this week as I have been featuring lots of miserable men in the past few weeks!

Way of the World
This is probably my favourite song of theirs, along with Great White Bear. Very catchy!



Great White Bear
Great song with a tragic video




Dear Heart
Fun take on a love song



The Same
Talks about the relationship she has with her home as a white south african - interesting stuff.

Chilli Weather

Sorry it's been a bit quiet here on the cooking front recently, but it is exam time at the moment. It's hard to feel inspired to cook something interesting when you are weighed down by the thought of finals!  I have a bit of a gap before my last exam (chemistry '~' ) though, so I thought I would cook something that actually required a bit of planning, rather than some ridiculous stir-fry or a boring pasta sauce. Having said that, my food store is a bit limited since I am going home at the weekend(!!!!!) so I have to work with what I've got.

Just so you know, I am planning to do some much more exciting cooking once I get home for Christmas, in our lovely big kitchen with the lovely big cooker, so stay tuned for that!

This is somewhere between chili con carne and moussaka - sounds strange but tastes good!

Spiced Aubergine (Eggplant) and Beef Bake
serves 4
1 Aubergine
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pack lean beef mince
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tin chopped tomatoes
grated cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F

start by cutting the aubergine into thin slices - no thicker than 0.5cm. I happened to be using one of those long japanese aubergines, but any kind will do.

Lay them in a colander or sieve like this, then sprinkle them with a bit of salt. This will draw out some of the water and get rid of any bitterness. Leave them like this for half an hour, or while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Chop up an onion,

and saute it with the garlic until it starts to go translucent

Then, add the beef and cook until it is nice and brown before adding the chili, cumin and tomatoes, and seasoning with salt and pepper.

it will look a bit like this! Bring it to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, then turn off the heat.

Next, lay half of the aubergine slices in the bottom of a baking dish

and cover with half of the meat sauce, using a slotted spoon so as not to transfer too much liquid from the pan - the aubergines still have a lot of water in them, and we don't want too much in the finished dish.

Repeat the layers, then top with some grated cheese. If you have more cheese than I did, you should also put some in between the first layer of meat and the second layer of aubergines, that would be yummy.

Cover the dish with foil and put it in the oven for 45 minutes. Take the foil off for the last ten minutes, so the cheese gets all tasty.

and that's that! Simples.

Serve it with rice, or if you are really clever, you could make it into some freaky lasagna by adding extra layers of (very) al dente rice or pasta!

Christmas Traditions

Today was the day of my old school's carol service - but was I there? No, I was writing a biology exam. This time of year is one of the times when I really miss being at home - around now, we would be doing chritmassy things in school on the wind up to the last day of term, then after school on the last day, my family would go and buy a christmas tree and decorate it together. Since I will be here at university until the 19th, we have pushed back the tree decorating, but I don't really mind that. What I do miss is the school carol service in the nearby church.

Up until last year, the carol service had been a part of my Christmas every year for something like 12 years, and I loved it! For the last 9 of those years I had been in some kind of choir (I ought to point out here that when I left school, there were 6 different choirs), and it was so much fun! Each year, we would look forward to the first choir rehearsal when the music teacher would bring out the battered sheet music for all the favourite carols, and we would still be singing on the way to class afterwards. I really miss belting out all the descants, and just singing alongside my friends and getting all festive, so I will try to relive the magic here by listening to the carols that the choir would sing every year, year on year.

Of course we sang all the carols that traditionally go with the 9 lessons - it always starts with Once in Royal David's City, and ends with O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark The Herald Angels - and of course, as a soprano in the senior choir, I got to sing all the descants (brilliant fun). We would sing a selection of congregational carols, and the various choirs would sing on their own of together.  There were a few carols that the choirs always sang (sometimes with the help of the congregation), with the same arrangements, that I really miss - so here they are:

(some of the arrangements are a bit different - just bear in mind that I went to an all girls school)

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
This was always the first one that we would start rehearsing in November




In the Bleak Midwinter
I loved singing this one, especially the last verse - that "give my heart" bit is really satisfying to sing




See Amid the Winter's Snow
The different choirs and the congregation sang different verses of this one - some old girls would always come back for the service and sing the fifth (I think) verse




Sussex Carol
The descant on this one is so much fun




Personent Hodie
One of the big finales, when the lower school choir moves up to the front of the church to join the older girls - I remember when I was in the lower school choir, I couldn't wait to be in the senior choir so that I could sing the third verse, it always sounded so beautiful with the three part harmony and without the organ. So much fun, and everyone would always be singing at the very tops of their voices by the end!

(Imagine the harp is an organ and the choir is 100 strong)

Music Round-Up

I thought I'd mix it up a bit, so instead of Artist of the Week, this week I'm going to do a little round-up of some of the music I've bought in the past couple of months.  Having iTunes has meant that I am prone to buying single tracks rather than whole albums, so these are some of the people that will most likely never make it to Artist of the Week, but who I want to share with you anyway.

Gravity of Love - Enigma
I heard this on a youtube video and thought it was pretty interesting. I'd only really heard Enigma on that Sarah McLachlan song before this, and hadn't given them much thought, but they sound cool.

Always A Woman - Fyfe Dangerfield
I'd been meaning to get this for a while - I already had a couple of Fyfe Dangerfield tracks, then this was on a really popular advert back home:


I love his voice on this song.


Chicken Payback - The Bees
I love this song, it makes me want to dance around like a mad thing.  Complete nonsense, but in an intelligent way.


May Colven - Emily Smith
A traditional song that I have heard a few times before - most notably by Bellowhead as the Outlandish Knight - it's nice to hear the scottish version sung by a scottish girl.

Life is a Minestrone - 10cc
I heard this on the radio and was so amused/confused I knew I had to get it!

Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil
Another radio one - this was on the chain on Radcliffe and Maconie. I just think it is entrancing.


(It's Not War) Just the End of Love - Manic Street Preachers
One of the new singles from a band who's songs I remember from childhood - a bit of nostalgia, but also a really catchy song!

Acts of Man - Midlake 

Another Radcliffe and Maconie one

Waterbound - Michael McGoldrick
This one really grows on you. A good winter song.

1000 Years - The Coral
Sounds old, but only came out a couple of months ago

Don't Look Back Into the Sun - The Libertines

Another one that I have been meaning to get for a while. Any Gavin and Stacey fan will know this one!

Another One Crossed Off!

Last week I managed to cross off another experience on my Canadian to-do list - I finally had poutine! We went to Belgian Fries after yoga, where apparently they serve the best poutine in BC. Now, I'm no expert on poutine, but it seemed pretty good to me - but then how could it possibly be bad - and Eva, the poutine expert seemed to approve!

The evidence

In case you don't know, poutine originated in Quebec, and basically consists of fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Hideously bad for you, but ridiculously tasty!

Eva managed to finish hers, but I didn't quite get that far, I'm afraid - I just wasn't hungry enough. Maybe next time, and believe me, there will be a next time - it was delicious!

Artist of the Week - Stornoway

I've been saving this one up, but I can't keep it in any more!

Artist of the Week - Stornoway

Stornoway are a band from Oxford - my home town - and I absolutely adore their music! I first came across them in 2008 when the one of the young enterprise groups at my school made a CD of local unsigned bands. The band started with two university friends, then grew so now it includes two pairs of brothers - Brian and (occasionally) Adam Briggs, Ollie and Rob Steadman, Jonathan Ouin and sometimes Rahul Satija.  They have an earthy, acoustic sound, sometimes described as folky (although I don't think that is very accurate).  One of the things that makes them stand out is Brian Brigg's gorgeous lyrics, as well as his (and the other members of the band's) vocals. They have been around for a few years, and finally signed to famous indie label 4AD and released an album, Beachcomber's Windowsill earlier this year. They are about to embark on a north american tour, and will be in Vancouver in a couple of weeks. The fact that I am desperate to see them then, even though I have already seen them play 4 times probably tells you just how much I love them :). Oh, and another reason that they are right up my street - the lead singer has a PhD in ducks!

So, on to the music! Considering that I like every single one of their songs, this could be long!

On The Rocks
Definitely one of my absolute favourites. About the links between Oxford and London.

Coldharbour Road
Kind of moody, gorgeous instrumentation and vocals, beautiful lyrics.

Zorbing
This was a pretty popular single back home earlier this year. Brian's voice is stunning!

Battery Human
Charming, and thought-provoking!

I Saw You Blink
Cheerful and upbeat. If you listen to it through headphones, you can hear the morse code for the title being scraped out on a guiro at about 1:43!

Unfaithful
I was very surprised when this wasn't on Beachcombers Windowsill - it's brilliant! Lyrics are spot on!

Fuel Up
Pretty sure anyone can relate to this song.


Long Distance Lullaby
So. Adorable.

Watching Birds
Something a little different

Artist of the Week - Dan Mangan

What a nightmarish few days I've had! I am so happy that they are over, and I will hopefully be seeing Harry Potter this weekend! I actually have a Canadian artist of the week this week - so far they have all been British.

Artist of the Week - Dan Mangan

Dan Mangan is a singer-songwriter from Vancouver.  I first came across him when he played at the welcome ceremony for international students at the start of my first year of university - I think they picked him because he has a degree from the forestry department of UBC (and because he is awesome).  He is known for his melancholy lyrics and gravelly voice and he has released two albums, Postcards and Daydreaming and Nice, Nice, Very Nice. His most well known song is probably Robots - he always makes the crowd sing along to it at gigs! My friend went to see him at The Vogue last week and I am incredibly jealous!

I'm afraid I don't have his first album, so here are some of my favourite songs from Nice, Nice, Very Nice and his single Roboteering

Road Regrets
Life on the road


Sold


Basket


Tragic Turn of Events / Move Pen Move
This really is tragic. Heart-rendingly so.


Pine For Cedars
Lots of hidden Vancouver references in here


Tina's Glorious Comeback

Et Les Mots Croisés

Ok, I'll admit it, the main reason I love this song is that he says "allons y" at the beginning (I am a massive Doctor Who geek)




and of course,
Robots

Artist of the Week - Karine Polwart

I chose my artist of the week because of her song Medusa, a poignant song about remembrance, which is fitting for today. Today I am going to a remembrance service, because I think it is important to remember and show respect for those people who put their lives on the line to defend us. We all know someone who is or was in the military, and it is important to show them our support - I wear my poppy with pride :)

Artist of the Week - Karine Polwart

Photograph by David Angel

Karine Polwart is a scottish singer-songwriter. I first came across her at Wood festival, which is incidentally run by my old Latin teacher's children, along with Truck festival - she was actually staying in my old teacher's house, apparently she is very nice! She has a somewhat folky sound, and has taken part in many collaborations with other folk artists as well as releasing four solo albums and five singles to date. I love her voice, and her accent really suits the sort of music she makes. I'm not feeling particularly eloquent today, so I think I'll let her music do the talking!


Medusa
Poignant and thought-provoking


Maid of the Loch
I find this song incredibly catchy and sing-along-able



Sorry
Quite a dark one, a lot of her songs are



Rivers Run
A nice one. I really like the guitar on this one




Dowie Dens of Yarrow
A traditional scottish song. I've also heard a Canadian version, so I guess it made it's way over here too.

Find more artists like Karine Polwart at Myspace Music

Sorrowlessfield
About the one farm in the borders to have all it's men return safely after a particular battle in the 1500s, called Sorrowlessfield ever since


Beo
Lovely and soothing. You get some nice anecdotes at the beginning of this clip as a bonus.




We're All Leaving - Darwin Song Project
Part of the Darwin Song Project, when a group of folk artists got together in a house and wrote songs for the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, and the 150th of the publication of On The Origin Of Species in 2009. I'll let her explain the significance of the song:




If you like Karine's music, there are some free tracks available at her website http://www.karinepolwart.com/

To Do List

*EDIT* Here we are, photographic evidence!

Timmy's before yoga = yes.

Even though I have been in Vancouver for a while, there are a bunch of "Canadian" things that I haven't done yet, so Eva of The Hungry Undergrad and I thought that it would be a good idea to make a list of the things I need to do before I leave. I'm going to post it in a new section, and cross them off as I do them - at the moment it is quite short, but I am going to add to it - if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. You will also find that most of them are food-related - this is how my life works!

I have already crossed one off since we thought of the idea last week - I have finally been to Tim Hortons! I hope to have pictoral evidence soon!

Artist of (last) Week - Elbow

I have had news that someone out there actually likes this feature! Hurrah! Sorry this is a bit late, this week has been an interesting one, and these things take time. Hopefully this can become a Thursday thing.

Artist of the Week - Elbow

Elbow are a five-piece band from Manchester who play some beautiful music. They consist of Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Craig Potter, Pete Turner and Richard Jupp. They formed in 1997 and have always been a staple of the indie crowd, but became more popular with the masses (including me) after their album "The Seldom Seen Kid" won the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, and also after their song "One Day Like This" was widely featured on TV, including on the BBC coverage of the Beijing Olympics.  They have a rich, heavily instrumented sound, which compliments Guy Garvey's powerful, seemingly love-lorn voice and heartfelt, straight-talking lyrics.

Here are a selection of my favourite Elbow songs - it is so hard to choose just a few, so I have ended up with 10! My favourite album is of course The Seldom Seen Kid, the one I heard first, so most of these songs will be from that album.

One Day Like This
This, along with Grounds For Divorce is probably their most well known song, mainly because they are in so many trailers and adverts.

Grounds For Divorce


Powder Blue
I do love this song, but the saxophone bit at the end always reminds me of this

Bones Of You
This is definitely one of my absolute favourites. Plus the video is really cool!


Forget Myself
There is so much going on in this song, love it!

Some Riot
This one always sends shivers up my spine!

Not A Job
Some nice synth going on here

Mirrorball
I've mentioned this before - I absolutely adore it! I first heard it on "The Chain" on the Radcliffe and Maconie Show

I've Got Your Number
Intimate.


Weather To Fly
Lovely and chilled.

If you like the music of Elbow, or the type of music that I feature in Artist of the Week, I would recommend listening to Guy Garvey's radio show on BBC 6music.

Remember, Remember

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes' night, and a time when I really miss being at home. I miss bonfires and fireworks displays and bonfire night food and that particular feeling of coming inside after watching fireworks on a cold, frosty night and the smell of gunpowder in the air...

On bonfire night, I semi-re-enacted burning the Guy by starting a month of unlimited hot yoga at Bikram Yoga Commercial Drive. If you don't know what hot yoga is, it is when you do yoga in a room heated to 40C. It warms the muscles so you can stretch deeper than usual, and it can burn up to 1000 calories a pop. It is also very hard work! My first class was terrible, it inched by so slowly and I couldn't do half the postures because every time I stood up I almost fainted, but afterwards I felt amazing. I knew I wanted to go back and get better, so this evening I went again and it was so much better! It's amazing how much has changed after only one class - bring on the whole month!

I may not be posting as often this month, because I will be doing yoga as often as possible, and it can take over an hour to get there depending on the traffic. I will try to post when I can.

Comfort Food

There are some days when all you want to eat is greasy fake-chinese food. I'm talking gloopy sweet and sour with battered pork - calorie central! So, for when those days strike, here is a slightly less artery-clogging option!

Salt-and-Pepper Chicken with Egg-Fried Rice
Serves 1-2
For the chicken:
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

For the Rice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
vegetables of your choice, chopped finely
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups of cooked rice (I used brown)
1/2 cup frozen peas

oil for frying

First off, the chicken

in a tupperware or large sandwich bag, put the flour, some salt, and lots and lots of pepper (I used about 20 turns of a pepper grinder). Seal it, then shake it about a bit

cut the chicken into bitesized chunks, and put them in with the flour mixture

then put the lid on and shake until all the pieces of chicken are covered with the flour mixture.
Then heat some oil in a pan and start to fry the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, it is time to start the rice.

Mix together the oyster and soy sauces in advance

Heat some oil in a wok or high-sided frying pan, then mince the garlic and cook for a minute or so.

Then add your chopped vegetables. I used cabbage because it's what I had on hand, but carrots would also be good.

Push the veggies to one side of the pan, then pour in the egg on the other.
Scramble the egg and break it up, then add in the rice and the oyster and soy sauce and stir fry.  When the rice is heated through, add the peas and stir fry some more until the peas are cooked.
Now you are ready to serve!

A Good Day

I got up at about 7am this morning to close my window, and I saw this:

Now the photo just doesn't do it justice - the sky was stunning. A perfect way to start a day.

Thank you!!

This morning I got some news that absolutely made my day! I won a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks in a competition run by Kitchen Mage! I never win anything, so as you can imagine I am very very happy to be the winner of a cookbook full of absolutely delicious recipes. As someone who is new to blogging, it is really nice to know that there are kind and friendly people out there in the big and scary world of the internet, So thank you very much Beth and Ree!

Spellbinder

Today is my dog Molly's 8th birthday - happy birthday Molly!

Her pedigree name is Brierbay Spellbinder, which I think is pretty fitting, since she was born the day before halloween and she has my entire family wrapped around her little finger!

Gosh, eight years has gone by quickly! I was in year seven the year we got her, now I am in my second year of university.  I remember going to visit her and her siblings when she was so small she could fit into the palm of my hand, and they did that tiny puppy thing of coughing when they were happy - now she looks like this:

Happy Birthday Molly! I can't wait to see you again!

I Used to be a Werewolf, but I'm Alright Now-ooooooooooooooooo

Tonight I am going to a party dressed up as a person who drowned - what time of year could it be other than halloween? I love any excuse to dress up - I always have fancy dress birthday parties - so of course I think halloween parties are great fun.  I have decided to put together a playlist of spooky music that you could play at a party, or you could just listen to yourself and get in the halloween mood!

Julia's Spooky Halloween Playlist

There is a mix here of songs with scary stories, songs about mythical creatures, and songs that are just a bit creepy!

Tam Lin - Medieval Baebes

What better way to start a halloween playlist than with a song about halloween? Medieval Baebes do a great line in creepy songs, but most of them are in old english.

Howl - Florence + The Machine
Werewolves?


Blood Red Sky - Seth Lakeman
Seth Lakeman is a veritable gold mine of dark tales, especially on the Poor Mans Heaven album.


Spaceman - The Killers
I don't really think I need to explain why I put this on the playlist - it's about a spaceman.


Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
Of course this had to be on here


Bad Things - Jace Everett
Aside from the fact that this is the theme tune to True Blood, it is also a spooky song


Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
Modern-day witches


Dirt Room - Blue October
Quite possibly the most disturbing song I have ever heard


Freak Out - My Brightest Diamond
Ghostly and spooky


Invasion - Eisley
oooh things taking over people


The Humans are Dead - Flight of the Conchords
It isn't scary, but it is about robots taking over the world


Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
More werewolves


How Death Comes
Ok, this is just plain creepy. Listen too it through headphones and you will know what I mean.

Artist of the Week - Sigur Rós

Another busy week - midterm followed by a paper which made my mind go completely blank every time I thought about writing it! A little time off before my next paper, and after that I can relax properly for a while.
I watched the film Ondine recently, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a lot of the music was by either Lisa Hannigan (aka the lady that used to sing with Damien Rice) or Sigur Rós, two artists that I really like. In fact, I won't give anything away, but Sigur Rós actually play a part in the story. In light of that, here is my artist of the week.


Artist of the Week - Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós are an Icelandic post-rock group, with, according to their wikipedia entry "melodic, classical, and minimalist elements". Basically this just means that they sound a bit strange and don't follow traditional pop song forms.  The bands innovative use of instruments, for example bowed guitar, combined with lead singer Jónsi Birgisson's remarkable voice make Sigur Rós' music instantly recognisable. The band consists of Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, Georg "Goggi" Hólm, Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson and Orri Páll Dýrason.  They sing in Icelandic, English and Vonlenska, aka Hopelandic - a language made up by the band members. The first time I came across Sigur Rós was, similarly to many other people, when I heard their song "Hoppípolla" on some trailer or other.  If you live in the UK, it is very likely that you have heard that song before too - it is used widely in television and film trailers and adverts.  I saw them live a couple of years ago in Alexandra Palace, and it was a magical experience. They have so far released 7 albums and one film, Heima:

aren't Icelandic accents just so adorable?!

I would strongly encourage anyone to watch this, even if they don't know Sigur Rós' music at all.  The visuals are absolutely stunning and incredibly haunting, and it may sound weird but I thought the editing was brilliant.  It made me want to go to Iceland even more than I already did!

So, onto the music - here are some of my favourite tracks by Sigur Rós (it is so hard to choose, so I ended up with a lot): I know they are long, but please do try to listen to them!

of course, I couldn't get away with missing out Hoppípolla:

Gong

I love the guitar on this song

Ágætis byrjun

This is Icelandic for "an alright start". This song always reminds me of the sun coming out after the rain - it always makes me smile

Sæglópur

And this is the rain. The song title is Icelandic for "lost at sea".

All Alright

This was the song featured in Ondine

Í Gær

One of their earliest tracks, this was reissued on their Hvarf/Heim album. This is the one in the trailer for Heima.

Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur

In a completely different mood, this is from their latest album "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" (With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly)

Íllgresi

Very calm and beautiful

Von

I love the instrumentation on this track

Just to point out - they have some tracks for free download on their site: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/media/index.php

Hale and Hearty

I finally found beef short-ribs in a supermarket! I've been wanting to cook with them for ages, since they are the perfect meat for slow-cooking, and are just generally very tasty.  I got a bit overexcited and ended up buying 6, which is enough to last me for almost a week, so there will be another short-rib recipe coming up soon, I expect.

Hearty Beef Short-rib Stew
serves 3-4
1 onion
2 small turnips
2 carrots
about 400g chestnut or other mild mushrooms
3 or 4 beef short-ribs
flour
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 star anise

Let's start by preparing some vegetables:

an onion

chopped!

turnips

chopped!

carrots

diced really fine because I don't like cooked carrot!

mushrooms

sliced!

now for the meat:

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm... look at that marbling - this is going to be yummy!

season the short-ribs with salt and pepper

then coat them in flour.

Heat some butter and oil (this stops the butter from burning) in a pan and seal the meat

when they are nice and brown, remove them to a plate

it's at this point I really wish I had one of those le creuset pans

You will be left with all of this yummy stuff!

throw in all the vegetables

don't be like me and throw them all over the cooker.

stir them around in the nice tasty stuff, and let them cook down for a couple of minutes

it's at this point that if I had some red wine, I would put in some of that and some beef stock, but I didn't, so I just added 4 cups (just under a litre) of beef stock

once again, don't be like me and pour half of it on the counter.

then add chili flakes and nutmeg. If I had star anise, I would also throw one in at this point. The spices just add an extra warmth and depth of flavour, they are not at all overpowering.

now, add the beef back in, bring to the boil, then cover and cook over a very low heat (i.e. not even a simmer) for 2 and a half hours. If you want the gravy to be thicker, then at the end throw in a spoonful of flour and boil through for a couple of minutes.

and there we have it! I served mine with mashed potato and kale. The meat was moist and tender, the veggies were melt-in-the mouth and the mushrooms were meaty and flavourful - yum!