Did I mention that it was my birthday? I think I've milked it almost enough now, but before it's completely forgotten to he chaos of Christmas prep, I thought I'd share some of the tasty dishes that I served up as part of my birthday meal. The whole Johnston team pulled together to make my 21st birthday a really special day, and each of us contributed little bits to the meal, while my brother pulled the reigns over all of us. Trying to echo the meals that I've tasted over the summers I've spent in Italy, the day took on an italian theme. While Italian flags were strung across the hall, and balloons stuck to the roof, I sat under fairy lights with my family and tucked into lots of goodies.

Just because I have been loving experimenting with what I'm cooking - and actually trying to cook healthy, substantial meals unlike the typical student meals I lived off of in 1st year - I've got another recipe to share for my 'Happier and Healthier' series.

Spag Bol has always been one of my all time favourite meals, so trying my hand at it made me a little sceptical - could I really beat my mum's home made meal?






Although I would never say I beat my mum at a meal, I've got to admit that I've come gey close to it.

Ingredients :

• Mince Meat - 500g
• A Jar Bolognese Sauce 
• A Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
• One Onion
• Extra Veg- such as Mushrooms
• Spaghetti Pasta

For this weeks themed post, I thought I'd share another recipe. This one I tried out the other day, and I couldn't believe how well it turned out. I honestly think this is the best meal I've ever made - certainly better than the standard student meals that I've prepared over the last couple of years.




The pasta bake is super easy- you just need to keep an eye on a few pots at a time. And it really doesn't take too long either; within an hour you'll be plating up and tucking in.

Ingredients
400g Pasta
Broccoli
5 Rashers of Bacon
1 Pepper
1 Onion
100g of Cheddar Cheese
2 Slices of Bread

For the sauce:
50g of Butter
50g of Plain Flour
700ml of Milk
200g of Cheddar Cheese

• Start by boiling a pan of water and putting the pasta in, seasoning to your liking. 
• After chopping the onion, pepper and bacon into small chunks, throw them in a frying pan with some vegetable oil and let them fry. 
• At the same time, make the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a pan. Once melted, add the flour and stir, until it looks like a paste. Slowly add small volumes of milk at a time, off the heat and continually stirring the mixture. Once the sauce looks smooth, add the cheese while continuing to whisk it all together. 
• 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the broccoli, cut into small flourets to the same pan. 
• Once all the pans are cooked, add the pasta, broccoli into a large dish, then mix in the vegetables & bacon. Add the cheese sauce to the pan and mix it all up.
• Finally, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the mixture, and grate some cheese over too. 
• Cook in the oven (preheated to 200 degrees C) for 25 minutes. 
• And serve!