I don’t remember when it was that I realized that we had not packed any of our Christmas things when we moved over here. We had a few things that I had used when I lived in my various apartments, but our “family” ornaments and our stockings were packed in boxes in my parents’ old basement. I was more than a little sad about this.
The Christmas stocking I've had as long as I can remember!
If you know me well, you know that I am a “fixer.” Yes, I do still like to complain about my situations, but when someone comes up with a solution for me, I usually am saying, “Oh, I already have a plan.” And I did. I figured I had plenty of time to crochet stockings for Andrew and I. They turned out GREAT! I’m so happy with them!
Andrew wanted the red oneSo I got the green one
I also found stocking hangers at a decent price at TKMaxx — woohoo! And I already had a framed picture of my nephew in a Santa suit from last Christmas. We just added some candles, branches, and pinecones, and the mantle was complete!
This recipe is so quick and easy it’s ridiculous. Sometimes I come across recipes that are so easy, I barely feel like I did anything! How do you get that sense of pride and accomplishment then?! Anyway, this is another “double” recipe, so I have put the halved amounts in italics. I’d also like to note that I used Alfredo sauce from a jar, because I couldn’t find cartons of the refrigerated stuff the recipe calls for. So if you get the jarred stuff, yes, you’ll just have to measure it out in a liquid measuring cup. You can do it.
4 cups (2 cups) uncooked bow tie pasta
6 cups (3 cups) frozen broccoli florets
4 cups (2 cups) cubed fully cooked ham
2 cartons (1 carton) (10 oz ea) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
2 cups (8 oz) (1 cup – 4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 can (8 oz) (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ham, Alfredo sauce, cheese and mushrooms. Drain pasta mixture; add to ham mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to two (one) greased 11″x7″x2″ baking dish(es). Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake remaining casserole at 375F/190C for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.
*To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before heating. Cover and bake casserole at 375F/190C for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.
When I found out we were moving to England, I had a lot of different emotions: scared, nervous, excited… I was thankful that if we were going overseas, that it was to a country that spoke the same language! Well…pretty much.
Before we came here, my sister and mother-in-law threw me a bridal shower. Amanda had us play a game where we had to try to figure out different British words/slang. It was pretty hilarious! I still will occasionally watch a British TV show where something will be said, the audience laughs, and I sit feeling dumb, because I have no idea why it was funny. My friend Steve sent me this to help out, but it’s a pretty lengthy list!
The language isn’t the only thing that’s different here. I mean, there is the obvious one: driving on the left side of the road. But I continue to find other little differences that make life more interesting. I think one of the first “weird” thing I noticed was the lack of outlets or lightswitches in bathrooms. The only outlet you will find in a British bathroom is for an electric shaver. That’s it. And most of them have this:
That would be a pull cord in the bathroom to turn on the light. On base, the bathrooms just have the ligthtswitch on the wall outside the bathroom. When I Googled this, I read several things about British children turning off the light while their sibling was using the bathroom because of this. So I’m glad our bathrooms have the pull cord! I’ve been told that it’s a safety practice to keep the light switch away from the moisture, to lessen the chance of electrocuting yourself when you use it. I’ve also heard that it’s because British people are paranoid about being electrocuted in the bathroom, but I have no idea if that’s true.
Another interesting thing: no screens on the windows. I guess since I have always had screens on my windows growing up, I have a low tolerance for insects (flying ones more than anything else) in my house. Apparently, it’s also an annoyance for British people, but not a big enough one to warrant covering their windows with “ugly” screens. They say that having no screens makes it easy for that annoying fly to fly out, just as it flew in.
Look, ma, no screen! Yes, I think I'm funny.
I also read that screens were developed in the US, and they just never caught on in the “old” countries. Another reason? Windows did not all used to be the same size. In very old buildings, all the screens would have to be custom-made. And apparently, everyone in Europe likes to stick their heads out of their windows to say hello to people they know, but I’ve never actually seen anyone do this. The most common reason I read for not having screens? They’re ugly and unnecessary.
Another obvious difference: the oven is in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. That was hard to get used to at first, but now I barely even think about it. When I see 350F on my recipe, I automatically think 180C. The convection oven was also an adjustment for me. My first few dishes came out burnt on the top, and my cookies were done in half the time (so yes, that first batch came out a little crispy!). But now, I love my convection oven. The top oven we have is normal (what is a non-convection oven, anyway?), and I very rarely use it unless I’m baking two things at once. I think the convection oven is much more efficient, and now that I’m used to it, I think the things I cook/bake turn out better too.
Now an another annoyance: concrete walls. I was excited to start hanging up pictures and photos, as well as my floating shelves. That quickly got put on hold when we realized a hammer and nail just wasn’t going to cut it. Andrew even broke a masonry drill bit in the wall trying to hang my shelves. Thankfully, he got two of the shelves up. I’m still hoping we can hang the third one eventually… But then a friend informed me of these:
They are small plastic hangers that you can hammer into the wall. They come in different sizes to hold different weights, but so far the small ones have done fine for hanging my pictures!
I’m sure there are more differences that I’m not even thinking about, but these are some of the big ones for me. Sometimes the differences are a little irritating, but overall, I like living in a foreign country and learning about the little quirks that make different places unique.
On An Even Kiel 