If England is going to be my mixing bowl, I'm bringing my own measuring cups.

This past weekend, after living in DC for just over a year, I packed my life into a 16' Penske truck and drove all of my possessions to my father's house in North Carolina. I now have T-minus three weeks and counting to sort through it all and figure out the bare minimum of what I need to survive in England, in a dorm no less, for an entire year. Three weeks to narrow down a 16-foot-truck's-worth of stuff into what will fit in two duffel bags. Granted, these particular duffel bags are big enough that I could check myself (and a small friend, see photographic evidence) to England - though only if luggage holds were climate controlled and luggage handlers weren't appropriately referred to as "throwers" - but a packing challenge nonetheless.

So far, other than clothing (especially of the warm and waterproof varieties), my list of essentials include:

• book of tried and true/favorite/family recipes
• measuring cups and measuring spoons (according to an Anglo-expert I know, the English don't measure their ingredients in this fashion - so if I want to cook any of my own recipes, I need to bring a set of each... exceedingly helpful advice, especially come Thanksgiving!)
• electric socket adapters
• ipod speakers

Obviously if I can cook while listening to music, I'll be content. On the list of possibilities (and I will happily take your thoughts on these... essential? ridiculous?):

• mini George Forman grill (is it odd that I like to eat turkey and muenster cheese sandwiches grilled with the convenience of a George for breakfast?)
• magic bullet blender (can I live without homemade smoothies for a year?)
• stovetop espresso maker and aerolatte (should I give in and just drink tea, or be a total dork and bring my own latte equipment?)

There seems to be a theme here... (disclaimer: I am exceedingly food-oriented, so I'm probably going to talk a lot about meals and cooking in this blog). Perhaps I can ship all the heavy kitchen-related gadgets to myself? Something to ponder if my bags reach their 50 pound limits without such inclusions. In any event, I solicit your thoughts. Any advice on other essentials I should bring?

The mountain of belongings to sort through in my bedroom is pretty daunting... I'll take all the advice I can get!