Christmas Little Joys

Christmas is approaching faster than expected and I'm beyond EXCITED! 
As you may already know, Christmas is my favourite holiday (it hasn't come close to my favourite time of the year though, the first day of Autumn), and feeling jolly is quite a perk during December! 

Between the movies and the songs that have been playing on my laptop, phone or even outside in the streets, I've been even more homesick than usual. You cannot imagine how much I want to be in Ireland at this moment, being able to breathe fresh air (somehow the air isn't the same in France), drink my tea with a full creamy, perfect milk and being able to order a pint of Guinness knowing it's going to be amazingly delicious... Sounds horrid, pathetic, nonetheless all that, I managed to get a few things to cheer me up, it is Christmas time after all. Everyone should be happy! 

First off... A friend of mine got a tiny Christmas Tree, called him Norbert (don't ask why that name, I don't know myself... He just decided Norbert was a good idea which is entirely debatable). We couldn't get a tree at my place, my friend isn't into Christmas and we live with a cat that would have destroyed the tree no matter what. So I got a tree at my friend's place, good thing I go there enough to see it!

Then... We've got the homesick feeling that is back. I want to be back in Ireland, badly, and I can't. A friend back home was asking when I was coming back, not knowing what to tell him made me feel awful. Also a big part of why I'm so homesick these past few days. I paused the Christmas films and decided to get back on Irish TV... Laugh at me all you want but you've got to understand that Irish TV for me is pretty much, friends hanging around on the couch, drinking tea, eating cookies or crips, and watching programmes such as Gogglebox or the Naked Attraction which are both British programmes. I mean it's funny and I missed watching it in the evening when we had a long day of work. For a few days now, all I've been watching is Gogglebox and there are about twelve seasons so I'm caught up for a while which makes me happy. 

Next stop...I've been cooking again, and this time without red wine to distract me. I usually drink while cooking, either a beer or red wine just to keep me going. A way to enjoy cooking to the fullest. Made this simple spinach, artichoke and chicken recipe, it was delicious, didn't last two days like I anticipated, let's blame my dear friend who I live with... 

Christmas has been good, too much shopping for others but I don't regret one bit! Cool presents are going to be given and I'm proud of it. 
This time... I'm mostly looking forward to the new year which will be coming after Christmas Day. Getting a fresh new start sounds wonderful especially after this year. Not sure why 2017 and 2018 were terrible years between fires, mudslides, deaths, my health going bad, a dream coming to an end, and so on. I just want the year to be over so I can look forward to the next Christmas and this time... I'll be preparing my list of presents a bit earlier! No offence to the late buyers who loves the rush but I hate to not have my gifts on time! 

Enjoy your Christmas and family if you are with them. I know I'll be spending it with my friend, drinking... 

~Bella  

Happy New Year...

The new year is finally here! Happy 2018 everyone!

Excited? I'm sure you are ready to start this year all fresh with plenty of more goals...

Goals? Really?

Well yes! I'm sure you all have this one little thing you want to stop doing, or start doing something?

Don't get me wrong, I never go through any of my plans for the coming year, but a lot of my acquaintances have been thinking about things to do or stop doing.

*One big goal, one I've been hearing for the past month is...
"I'll stop drinking for a month"
Let's all go through a detox phase. Not a bad idea if you are one to drink every night or day. A month may not seem a lot, and if you are ready for round 2, please do it for as long as you can!

*The other goal I've been hearing almost as much as the drinking goal is,
" I will go to the gym every day!"
Please, don't put too much pressure on yourself, baby. Every day is a lot especially if you haven't gone to check the gym out in a while. Take it slow and steady! Twice or three times is already enough, baby steps!

*One more common one... 
"I swear, I'll make myself more available to meeting new people." 
Sorry to break it to you, but unless that is what you truly want, it will be nearly impossible to achieve especially if you have social anxiety. You will always find an incredible excuse to escape a meeting. I would know, thank you to many of my precious excuses, the ones I cannot live without! 

*"I'll smile more! I'll be happy all the time!" 
Are you trying to lie to everyone else or just yourself? You are entitled to have a bad day! A sad day! It happens! 

*"Bedtime is back on! Trust me this time, not after midnight!"
Until you pass by your bar and that will be the end of it! 

*"True love is right around the corner! I can smell it!" 
Please, enlight me on how you are managing to smell it! I want the same thing!

*"I'll show you my fashion! It will be amazing!"
Sadly, not everyone will agree with what you are wearing! Not everyone can have the same taste in fashion, what could be amazing to you may not be amazing to someone else! 

*"I'm going to start saving money!"
Before you or anyone can do that, it's called getting yourself out of debt, then... Sure, save all you want!

*"It's the year I need to adopt a cute puppy!"
Are you ready for such engagement? Did you ask yourself all possible questions? 

*" This year is the year I'll finally know how to cook pasta!"
If you can't make pasta in the first place, I'm sorry but there's little hope for you in the cooking department! 

Obviously, I'm being negative cause I don't believe new year resolutions/ goals are needed! If it works for you, go for it! I hope I gave you ideas on what you could start doing better or want to do. 
For me, it's simple, each year is the same, try not to fall for anyone... And each year, I get my heart broken and broken and broken... Funny! I don't seem to have learned any lessons! Maybe this year I'll either give up on any love or find the real one! 

Meanwhile, 

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOUR SAVAGES! Go enjoy this year like it's your last! Don't waste your precious time overthinking about negativity! Try and smile all you want, don't forget about being yourself!

"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one." - Brad Paisley

~Bella

The joys are real!

Living situation: 

I have a roommate and a few housemates who shares the house with me. 

Mental situation: 

I'm alright with the living situation, but being around younger girls even if it's only a year or three years younger, the maturity isn't always on point. Tough when you are the only one buying alcohol. 

As far as I know, I'm the type of person that needs to live around people or at least one other person. Living by myself will give me the creeps and yet... I'm thinking about it nonstop! 

I can't stop thinking about all the joys I would have living by myself if the rent wasn't so expensive. Welcome to California, almost everything cost you an entire arm. 

Little one, welcome silence, peaceful alone time. 

Little two, more time to day dream without interruptions. 

Little three, do whatever comes to mind at any time. 

Little four, drinking tea/coffee/hot chocolate as you watch the rain pour down, or simply gaze at the night sky full of stars. 

Little five, being lazy all day long without being judged! Welcome back undies and shirts! 

Little six, dancing around, singing as loud as you want like no one is watching cause no one is anyways. 

Little seven, have anyone over and share the same bed with them without being afraid for the next morning. 

Little eight, cook whenever you want, however you want even if that means in undies at times. 

Little nine, having little trips to the fridge whenever even in the middle of the night. 

Little ten, melting away your troubles with an amazing bath/candles and some red wine. 

Little eleven, taking your time in the morning, a peaceful morning without rushing to get to the shower. 

Little twelve, play music as loud as you wish and listen to whatever you feel like. 

Little thirteen, being able to go to bed at a reasonable time and not worry about lights or people being loud. 

Despite the fact that I already do whatever I feel like it even with roommates or housemates around, I know I would have much more freedom by myself or with just one other person. Living with people means being respectful to everyone in the house. Different time schedule, different personalities, different living style... Having housemates isn't always fun! 

Summer is coming to an end, new roommates, new lifestyle, new memories, new adventures... Even though living with younger people can be tough at times, at least I can feel like I can be myself and it seems like I'm more respected which feels nice. Don't blame me for liking the respect that my housemates give me even though the immaturity isn't always around. And I still have the "Mum" reputation, can't argue and disagree with them. 

"Everyone has this universal understanding of roommate drama." -Leighton Meester

~Bella 

Let's leave the family home...

As you know, I moved out from my mum's place. Leaving behind my brothers as well as my dear mum. One of the best decision ever. I'm beyond ecstatic about the change in my life, the new acquaintances, the new friends. I don't think I would ever want to go back home after this experience; moving out made me see the world in a different way, and the experience is rather adventurous. 

Now, I could talk about all the experiences that I came across since I moved in, but I wanted to talk more about the one thing which keeps on surprising me every single day.

The New Family!

Technically not my family, but having roommates is like having a second family especially if you are close to each one of them. Having roommates could be stressful, annoying, and a lot of sacrifices to be made as each one has different schedules, different ways of living. Not easy when I put it this way, but there is something intriguing about living with people your age, same sex, or having roommates' boyfriends who come around. Making sure the house stays clean enough to walk around barefoot, to make sure the dishes are washed before someone complains there are no more forks to use or making sure no one steals food so you put your initials on the packaging. It's a lot of work when roommates aren't ones to wash their dishes or forget to buy toilet paper so you end up buying it all the time... (I don't have the toilet paper to deal with, but the dishes, I'm always cleaning up after them). 

Having roommates is fun, to say the least... You are never alone, bored, and you know you can count on them if you want something or have support. It's like having a second family! 

I have more than two siblings, but I'm only close to two of them and they are my baby brothers. One is 17, turning 18 next year, and the baby one is 8 years of age. Not babies, but still younger than me, and  somehow I still look at them like they are babies. Since I'm the eldest, I had to deal with teaching them how to get in trouble, hide the candies, taught them how to protect each other. But the youngest, I taught him how to read, count, I changed his diapers. So we know I had enough experience with babies, but when you have roommates living under the same roof, it's like having babies. And if you are responsible and mummy like, give up on trying to get away from cleaning, making sure people are alright, and keep everyone happy by giving hugs when needed. It's insane how having roommates is like having a second family. You build up a friendship which is more a family than simple friends. Cause let's be honest, you act like siblings who talks about almost everything, share the bathroom when one is in the shower and you brush your teeth, you cook, drink together. It's honestly another free family... 

What surprise me the most is the fact that I left my own family to live like 12 miles away from them and end up being motherly, still, with the roommates... How can I go from living the family house to another one? Don't get me wrong it's still highly different, I cook my own thing, buy my own groceries, go to work like a big girl, walk around town anytime I want, go to coffee shops, wake up at all hours, go to bed whenever I feel tired, eat in front of the TV, go out and enjoy drinking... I mean it's nice to be an adult, but then there is the family, back home which you miss. So to me making a new family after leaving another one is actually nice. 

If you don't have any roommates, and want to move out from the family home, choose to live with people you have no idea who they are, complete strangers. I moved into a house with complete strangers and they ended up being the nicest people with flaws and amazing qualities. 

"I have the best roommates in the world! It creates a fun sense of family... And that's really important to me. Things can get so lonely without it." 

~Bella

Farfalle con ragù vegetariano (Farfalle with vegetable ragù)

I love Italian food especially pasta, the farfalle ones, the ones that look like butterflies...
A year ago I bought this big Italian cookbook which is perfect! I don't really need a cooking book, but I was curious on what I was capable of doing, and trust me the recipes are beyond delicious! 





I wanted to share one recipe that I have tried once, and I'll make sure to remake them because they were delicious. 

"Make this sauce anytime from late spring to late summer, when eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini are at their peak. Of course, if you freeze summer vegetables, you can enjoy it all year long."

The vegetables:

Tomatoes:

 Scallions:

Zucchini:

Peas and fava beans:




















Eggplant:

Read and yellow bell peppers:












Celery: 

RECIPE:

1. Dice 1 medium zucchini, 1/2 seeded red bell pepper, 1/2 seeded yellow bell pepper, and 1 celery stalk; slice 2 scallions. 
2. Peel 1/2 pound eggplant in strips, so that some of the skin remains, then cut into dice. Place the diced eggplant in a colander set over a bowl and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon salt. 
3. Place a plate on top of the eggplant, set a large can or another heavy object on top, and left the eggplant drain under this weight, at room temperature, for an hour. Squeeze out the excess moisture and discard the liquid. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add 1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (from about 1 pound beans in pods) and cook for 2 minutes; immediately transfer the beans, using a slotted spoon, to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process; reserve the pot of cooking water. Drain the beans; gently peel and discard the skins.
4. Return the cooking water to a boil. Make an X at the base of each of 2 small tomatoes and immerse them in the water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a colander to drain (again reserving the pot of water), then peel, seed, and finely shop them. Sauté the celery and scallions in a pot with 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and bell peppers and cook for an additional 8 minutes. Add the fava beans, 3/4 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas and the eggplant and cook for 6 additional minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and gently simmer for 1 minute.
6. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, and a generous pinch freshly ground black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Meanwhile, return to the pot of water to a boil and cook 1 pound of farfalle pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large serving bowl; add the ragù and toss to combine. Serve immediately. 

"La vita è una combinazione di magia e pasta." -Fellini

~Bella