Toad in the hole & spotted dick

Monday started off as a usual day with class in the morning and ended with the girls in my flat cooking toad in the hole and spotted dick.....hence the title.  My professor and his wife came over to our flats, where there was a competition amongst the four flats where we made traditional London food.  Toad in the hole is a sausage dish with cooked batter around it, while spotted dick is a dessert that is slightly comparable to sponge cake, with lemon zest and currants in it.  Unfortunatey the cooking got off to a slightly rocky start, when we started making the dessert a little late.....but long story short, our flat won for the best dinner.  The combo of a great meal, dessert, and cup of tea led to our victory where our prizes included crisps (chips), rose and peri, and some spread. This was quite a feat for me because my normal meals I make in lovely Muncie, IN mostly consist of pasta and if I'm feeling daring, chicken.

This week our group also attended a football match (soccer game) between the Queens Park Rangers and Portsmith.  The queens park rangers won 2-0 which was great!!!  However, I really have no huge ties to any football teams over here, however I'm starting to keep up with Liverpool (even though they just lost one of their biggest players Fernando Torres to Chelsea, huge controversy over here! And the 2 teams play this Sunday, watch out!)  And if you've never been to a football match in Europe, I would highly recommend it.  The fan support is unbelievable, the spectators are constantly screaming, taunting, and singing throughout the entire game.  It is quite an experience.  Also, during our Wednesday field trip, we attended Oxford for the day.  The town was very interesting and quaint with a great covered market in addition to the exceptional school grounds.  And for all of the Harry Potter fans, we went to the dining hall that was the basis for Hogwarts hall, and I was in the room that they used for scenes such as the hospital room at Hogwarts, and McGonagall's dancing lessons.

Tomorrow morning I leave my flat bright and early at 5 am to make my way to Portugal to visit my cousins Josh and Amy.  I'm so excited to see family, while also a little apprehensive on traveling internationally alone.  We'll see how I do.....