Cookery and books.

My omelette pan got its first use in Scotland today.  I attempted to make an omelette with freshly grated cheddar cheese and Scottish smoked salmon.  What I ended up with was somewhere between a burrito and scrambled eggs, but it was edible nevertheless!  (Seriously you guys, Scottish salmon is better than sex.)  And then I cooked ravioli for dinner. 

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try to go back to my 50-quid-a-week rule, because I have been hemorrhaging money lately.  Cooking more is an integral part of this, because one thing I've been spending far too much money on is food.  I'm also forbidding myself from buying books for a while, but I have several stockpiled at the moment so this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Currently reading:
A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin - Book 2 in the Song of Ice and Fire series.
Catching Babies by Sheena Byrom - An informative, if not particularly gripping memoir of an English midwife.
The Courtesan's Lover by Gabriella Kimm - Historical fiction set in 16th-century Naples.  I'm only a little ways into it, but it already feels like the plot is trying to spread way too thin.  Still, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and keep going.
The Maid by Kimberly Cutter - A novel about Joan of Arc.  Love the historical accuracy, but not so much the atmosphere of doom and gloom (although I suppose it's appropriate, given the subject matter).  The miniseries-fangirl in me is really eager to see where some of the characterization goes...
Scottish Ghosts by Dane Love - A compendium of many of the supposedly-haunted locations in Scotland, with summaries of the stories behind each.  It's quite interesting, but slow going because I'm scared to read it at night!

Bought but not yet started:
Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick - This is Chadwick's latest novel, about Empress Matilda and Adeliza of Louvain.  I love her other novels and am excited to start this one.
Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian - Book 2 of the Aubrey/Maturin series.  I finished Book 1 (Master and Commander) immediately before flying back to the States for Christmas - in fact that's how I passed the time when I decided not to go to bed prior to my 3:45am departure for the airport.
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - I haven't read any classics in a while, and I'm in the mood for one again.  I've already watched the miniseries starring Hans Matheson and Keira Knightley, so I'll be interested to see how closely it follows the book.
Waverley by Sir Walter Scott - Also to feed my classics quota, and because I realized that I haven't actually read any fiction/literature about Scotland in quite some time.
A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin - Book 3, part 1 of A Song of Ice and Fire, to be begun when I finish Book 2.

Cheers, y'all.