Chicken and Vegie Soup

I realise that is not a picture of the post title. That is not chicken soup. Duh. But I didn't take a picture of it tonight, and I won't scar you with pictures of the remains.

However, I *did* make a fairly nice, simple chicken soup for dinner, so I'm putting the recipe up here.

Ingredients:
3/4 Litre of Chicken Stock (Would use 1/2 L next time)
Small handful of cooked, roughly shredded chicken (Would use even less chicken less time, maybe half a handful)
1 baby carrot, sliced (Would use 2+ baby carrots next time)
125g can of corn kernals, including liquid
Half a red capsicum, diced
Small handful of shell pasta (Probably use a different sort of pasta next time, maybe even noodles)

1. Bring some water to a boil in a some saucepan and start cooking the shells. This could probably be done in the stock along with everything else, but I was a bit unsure.
2. Put the stock on the stove and get it bubbling but not boiling.
3. Put corn, corn liquid, capsicum and carrots in. Stir occassionally.
4. When pasta is al dente (I think?), ie, just cooked, soft enough to eat but definitely still a bit firm, drain them from the water and tip them into the stock.
5. Add the shredded chicken and stir occassionally until the chicken is heated through.

This was quite nice, although it didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped. Next time, more vegies, less chicken and a bit less stock. It's pretty much a generic chicken soup recipe, but I like it.


Wolverine

The Desert Ahead

Two weeks doesn't seem like that long, does it? It's one fortnight, two segments of seven days. For most people, that's two segments of five days working and two segments of two days working on other stuff ;P Eight hours a day, then turn the brains off in the evening, cook, eat, watch TV and sleep.

In the next two weeks, I have work seven days a week, about 12+ hours a day. Not because I'm a masochist, but because I'm a student.

Oh yes. Exams.

Exams mean study. Study means a lot of work, and no set hours. There's always more to be done.

To be honest, I've made it harder for myself by trying ot make it easier. I'm staying at my uni residence for the entire two weeks, and although two weeks spent living on your own is nothing to most single people, it's a long time for me. I have to cook in a crap kitchen. I have to do my washing in strange machines. I don't get any hugs for two long weeks.

Especially the hugs.

Tired right now, and starting to get worried. My first exam is on this coming Monday; that's four days in which to study. I haven't hardly studied at all yet. Yes, I am a procrastinator. How did you guess?


Wolverine.

On Being Me

Once this first post is done, then the intro is done. Might as well get it over and done with, hadn't I?

Welcome to my world. It's a bit lopsided, a bit mis-matched, but don't worry. It won't make sense, but it'll soon cease to need too. I'm just enjoying being me! Why bother what other people say? If you don't live your life as you need to, then you'll be unhappy.

Not to say being me is easy. But it would be a lot harder if I didn't try to make my own decisions, based on what I find floating about in my mind. (Odd little gremlins aside, that is. They come in later.)

I'm a first-year uni student in Melbourne, Australia. Typical age. Currently living on campus; a recluse in a party paradise isn't the best combination, but I'm coping. I'm doing an Engineering/Science degree and struggling somewhat right now; it's a tough course, and I didn't want to move out of home. In fact, I resisted it until the very last minute, but that only meant that when I did move I hadn't prepared myself for it, mentally. So I've spent the last semester (remember, southern hemisphere, mid-year is just approaching now; it's almost winter here) trying to settle in. My work suffered somewhat and that's a shame, but it's slowly picking back up. Exams are in three weeks, and after those then I can re-evaluate.

What else do I do when I'm not frantically studying or panicking? Well, this and that. I write on-and-off; have for about four or five years now. I've finished one novel and two-three dozen short stories, although none are great yet, and publication eludes me. However, I am trying to keep up with at least some writing, because otherwise all the random ideas that drift around in my head would get lost in this hectic world.

When I remember to carry my camera around, I also take photos. I tend towards nature photos, especially animals. Birds, possums, insects/grubs, a few of my dogs. There's others in there, of course, and the sky around my uni is fairly gorgeous if I can only find a good place to take it.

I'm also learning to cook from my mum. I'm not very good yet, but I am slowly getting there. There's something wonderful about creating something that's beneficial for that day, right there. Cooking two or three different meals all at once, in preparation for the week, or just helping with the dinner for the evening. Discovering how things come together to make something special. It's just as creative as writing and photography, but also completely different.

And that's about it for now. It's getting on late, and I don't tend to sleep well here; I'm betting most people know that the downfall of student accomodation is noise. However, I'm going to grab some chamomile and then head off to bed. Hopefully I'll catch a full nights sleep.


Miss Wolvie