Bread Making and other food related fun

Upon choosing NZ as my destination for study abroad, I began to worry about how I was possibly going to cook for myself. I am not a cook. At first, I was eating a lot of pasta packs and instant rice, but I've learned a little bit know and I eat a lot of fresh produce. If you are wondering, a typical dinner usually involves vegetables (including beans!) over rice, pasta, or potatoes with either a tomato, cheese or indian sauce. I'm starting to branch out, but that's the basic plan.

I also spend a lot of time baking. I think this is mostly because I get bored really easily because I'm not working three jobs and classes aren't as work heavy as at American. Most classes involve one paper and a final. Anyway, I started with cookies and have branched out to cupcakes and cakes. I started the experimentation method, which is simply adding whatever is in the cupboard, which had led to some interesting concoctions. Like chocolate marshmallow cookies which came from a peanut butter cookie recipe. 

Recently, I've gotten into bread making. I would never touch yeast at home (why do it when there is awesome bread at the grocer, and mom will buy it?) However, good, crusty bread doesn't exist here, and when I have a hankering for bread that will hold it's own shape, until recently, there was just nothing I could do. 

But then my friend Alex and I made bread together. I made a plain loaf, a pesto sun dried tomato loaf, and a apple blackberry with honey and cinnamon loaf, and I have to say, I loved it. Here is the collection of flour (I cannot believe how fast we go through flour. My flatmate and I are always baking!, PS this isn't my kitchen, it's Alex's):

And here are some finished loaves. These are both plain, white bread, made by my flatmate, Jen. I forgot to take a picture of my loaves because I ate them. Jen made bread the night me and Jenny made Beer Cheese soup for our flats (Jenny lives in a different flat).

I got into bread making when I watched my friend Alex made bread when she made Beer Cheese Soup for her flat several weeks ago. The soup changed my life. Eventually I made it for some people here at 480. Here it is in the pot:

Not the most exciting picture, but definitely the most exciting soup. Beer cheese soup is filling and served with fresh made bread and garnished with popcorn. You may be skeptical, but it is delicious. Also, if you are on a diet, don't even tempt yourself. The ingredients which are not beer and cheese are whole milk.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to cooking in a real kitchen when I get home.