Balut is the street food equivalent of Animal Farm – the porno version you saw as a teenager. It’s a fertilised duch egg, complete with embryo.
– Tom Parker Boyles (Esquire UK Aug 2011)
I can’t wait to get my copy!
Latest Posts
Planning Vierte’s Room
Vierte’s birthday will be in a couple months, when he reached 3 years old last year Bana and I had been discussing to buy V his own bed and hopefully when we get to move to a two bedroom flat, his very own room.
Before I gave birth to Vierte we have prepared a baby nursery corner for him inside our bedroom with the intention for him to sleep on his crib. Bana was not with me when I gave birth he was working overseas at Qatar that’s why we decided that I continue staying with my Auntie.  On our first night back home I let Vierte sleep on his crib, but oh my I was restless and kept checking on him plus I was breastfeeding too. After a week with no proper sleep for us I decided to let him sleep beside me, easier for me to check that his breathing (paranoid after reading about SIDs) and nurse him.
Aside from planning V’s room we also have to consider the possibility of sharing the space with a sibling. I came across this beautiful baby nursery with dark grey painted walls that brings out the colorful decorations pop at Unique Baby Gear Ideas website. Both Bana and little V hope that we have another boy but still we have to consider a baby girl. Hold on I’m not pregnant yet I’m just planning V’s room.
I still have 6 months to plan the room taking into consideration existing toys we have and find the right space and slowly talk to V in giving up some of them. One design tip is to recycle things, if only I could ship all of V’s baby nursery stuff here from Manila.
It’s nice to see photos of real baby nursery along with stories on what inspired the parents and how they planned and where they bought the things.  My favorite among the boys theme are Sports, Nascar and finally the Dr Suess nursery theme; as for the girls theme Ella’s Sweet Cherry Blossom is on the top, beach and surf theme.  And when the time comes that your kid outgrows the theme the fun once again begins 🙂
Bliss at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
My Bana had a conference at Atlantis The Palm last week and we didn’t let the opportunity pass to stay in one of the most expensive hotel here in Dubai for free. The Bana initially suggested that we stay only on the last night thinking that we would get bored (boredom = more expense) since he will be in the conference the whole day and can’t even join us for dinner.
Checked-in at Tuesday to one of Deluxe Guest Rooms which had 2 queen size beds. Sadly I was not able to take any pictures of the room, you can view it here instead from the Atlantis website. Since it’s before Ramadan the hotel was fully booked as Arab families flew from other Middle East country to Dubai to enjoy some time with their family and probably go shopping as well since it’s DSS. Staying at Deluxe Room will cost AED850 with full access to Aquaventure, Lost Chambers and a free day pass at Kids Club. A family friend who works on the same company as Bana also stayed in the hotel with us. The wife J and I decided that for the first night instead of swimming we walk around the hotel to appreciate the interiors and then to Lost Chambers.
It was our first time inside the Lost Chambers and we all enjoyed looking at 65,000 colorful marine animals. The kids even got to touch some fish, Lost Chambers staff were willing to answer all our questions, it would have been much nicer if information on the marine animal was provided on the side of the aquarium.
Our favorite among them were the big fish, and jellyfish. Vierte and I visited Lost Chambers 3x and only once with Bana.
Vierte was excited to show his Dad all the marine animals like a tour guide pointing and describing each of them.
Every after breakfast we frequent both Royal and Zero Entry Pool have lunch take a nap and go back swimming again. We kept ourselves busy swimming for three straight days.
Vierte and I had lunch at The Edge located beside the Royal Pool, we ordered Malaysian Chicken Curry and Grilled Chicken with Mash Potato and Corn. Little foodie man was so hungry swimming all day that he requested the kind waiter to please cook it fast. The Malaysian Chicken Curry with Coconut rice just had the right spice that made me enjoy it even more and Vierte only had praises for his Grilled Chicken that he finish everything on his plate.
Swimming at Aquaventure, Royal Pool, and Zero Entry Pool
While we did enjoy swimming Vierte really wanted to swim with the dolphins. He was still underage to swim with them he can only do a photo session but it was quite expensive at AED 295 for a 30 minutes encounter.
 Good thing we were able to see the dolphins on our visit to Dolphon Bay since there were three groups having an encounter. He settled with the photo below for now but still insisted that he was a big boy and can swim with the dolphins on his birthday – 4 more birthdays to be exact.
We spent our last day at Aquaventure which we had free access even if we checked out that morning. The facility opened at 10am till 6pm, hotel guests can borrow towels and life vest if you wish to rent a locker which we did it costs 40Dhs.
Vierte didn’t like the slides and preferred the torrent and waves ride which we did four times and requested to swim at the big pool after.
We didn’t escape Dubai heat but we sure did have 4 days of bliss at Atlantis. Till our next hotel life (for free?) we are settling back in the comforts of our sofa. Be sure to visit Atlantis The Palm when you’re in Dubai.
A chocolate chip cookie promise
While shopping for our weekly grocery Vierte asked if he can buy some chocolate chip cookies. I said nope and promised him that we make some cookies together. C was teasing me that I still haven’t made the cakes that they both requested. See after making Mickey Mouse cake for Liam and watching Cake Boss every night V’s long cake request includes McQueen, Dog, Sesame Street, and Disney cake.
For now he was happy to help me make Hershey’s Chocolate Chip Cookies which is also one of the first bake goodies I made some years ago.
Also when my Lola Mommy turned 80 years old, we (Mama, Badet and I) baked a 5 dozens of these and everyone just loved them cookies! Lola even kept a tupperware full of cookies hidden in her closet. Oh how I miss her!
After showing Vierte how to scoop some cookie dough, roll on chocolate chips then transfer on baking sheet he decided to use the cupcake tray. Happily he sings “scoop, put cookie, sprinkle oh-yeah! See mama Vierte makes cookie cupcake for you! “
While patiently waiting for his cookie cups we played Angry Birds. Our family is totally addicted. Of course he then requested to make some angry birds cake next, plus one to the list above.
As soon as his Dad arrived from work he announced that he made some cookies with Mama explaining that you have to wash and crack the eggs slowly and sprinkle chocolates on top. C’s only comment is the cookie crunch as it didn’t have the crunch commercial cookies have. Maybe substituting half of the butter required to shortening will give it that crunch? Vierte insisted that it was crunchy 🙂
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2Â eggs
- 2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- On your mixer beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time and mix.
- Gradually add flour mixture, mix well.
- Scoop some dough and roll them on a bowl full of chocolate chips.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown on the sides.
a busy DSS for V
Ohh summer is here which only mean the start of  Dubai Summer Surprises tempting us with huge SALE banners everywhere. Aside from the shopping there is a lot of activities for kids a great bonding time with Daddy’s as the lady of the house makes a mall tour (oh happy me).
SpiderMan and LazyTown Mall shows
Vierte was excited to finally see Sportacus in person, a big boy that he is sat with the other kids waiting for the show to start and even manage to take a nap.  It was fun watching him talk to other kids and sing along to every song. Whenever he whines on finishing his share of veggies or fruits we call him Vierte Robbie Rotten which he just hates and grabs a spoonful of vegetables and  reply “No I’m Sportacus! You will lose Daddy.” Watched the show twice in 1 week.
We didn’t know about the Spiderman show at Burjuman good thing Coy had to go there to have his watch checked. They prepared chairs for kids which was nice of them as it was more organized.
Vierte with Lightning McQueen
Conversation between V and Daddy: “Would you like to see McQueen?” Â “Yes! Yes! Can I drive him? Please Daddy”
Unfortunately he didn’t get a chance to drive McQueen but he was very happy to have a picture with the famous car. He love him so much that he requested to have our car painted red same as McQueen.
What have you been up to this summer?
A taste of Atlantis: The Burger Joint
In each of our Atlantis visit I always tell Coy that they should open a less intimidating restaurant. A casual place where guests can sit down and order a familiar dish without worrying if they are wearing the right clothes. The newly opened “the burger joint” might be the answer to my wish.
the burger joint
I remember Chef Sasha saying that they wanted to bring something “American” in Atlantis which eventually led to the burger joint (tbj). Indeed a great addition to the family and nicely located near Aquaventure an area which is always crowded with guests.
inside tbj
I absolutely love tbj’s interior with beautiful black and white photos and guests can even write on the white walls.tbj team prepared mini burgers for us to try on. I wasn’t too eager to try some burger since I still had a steak hungover from Seafire (and secretly wishing that I left the meat haven with a plate of yummy steaks mmmm…) but I’m looking forward to tasting their homemade style fries.
mini burgers
I tried three kinds of burger “cheesy,” “rooster booster” and “the works” out of the five choices tbj has to offer. I find cheesy the best among the three but then we had baby burgers it would be unfair to judge them right? I have to try the adult burgers and then decide whether I’ve found the best burger in Dubai that would beat my favorite Brothers Burger back home. The fries are just yummy crispy thin on the outside and soft inside. Unlike other fries where it seems to be empty inside, tbj fries have real potato feel in every bite.
tbj definitely is the answer to my no fuss dining wish in Atlantis but it’s still not cheap with burger priced at 40dhs – 60dhs and if you want some fries (which you should) add 15dhs, which is roughly around 700 pesos.
Homemade Pizza
At the end of the week I stare at my almost empty refrigerator trying to come up with a quick meal that doesn’t require a full load of dish washing. A lazy meal! What could it be?
If you’re a SAHM like me one of the challenges would be to make sure that you offer a balance meal, hopefully not having to repeat last week’s menu, and utilizing every item bought for the week. I’m a sucker for leftover, every piece of meat and vegetable left I keep and freeze till I find a dish and recreate something new to enjoy. Last bits of tomatoes, onions, cold cuts, cheese, and olives gave birth to a Thin Crust Homemade Pizza.
Pizza Dough
- 1 cup                   Warm water
- 1 tbsp                  Sugar
- 1 ½ tsp                Dry Active Yeast
- 2 tsp                    Olive Oil
- 1 tsp                    Salt
- ¼ cup                  Vinegar
- 3-4 cups              All Purpose Flour
Mix warm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl mix oil, salt, vinegar, and 2 cups of flour until well incorporated. Add additional flour and knead until pliable and barely sticky.
Place in a bowl grease with olive oil cover and let rise for 1-2 hours until double in bulk. I usually place this inside the oven. Â Once double in size punch down and divide into two portions.
Roll each piece of dough to cover a large ungreased baking sheet or pizza pan. Cover with pizza sauce and toppings, in my case a week of leftover.
Bake at 500F for 12-15 minutes until brown.
Pizza Sauce
- 2 tbsp                   Olive Oil
- 1 medium           Onion, chopped
- 4 cloves               Garlic, minced
- 5 large                  Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp                   Oregano, dried
- 1 tbsp                   Thyme, dried
Saute onion till soft. Add garlic, tomatoes, oregano and thyme when tomato juice starts to come out lower the heat. Â Puree the sauce using a hand blender. Let sauce thicken for about a minute then turn off heat.
Any other dish you can share made from a week of leftover?
Child Seats Mandatory
FINALLY!
I admit it was only this year that we decided to buy V a car seat, before I stay with him at the back and both of us (most of the time) not buckled up. It was Friday Magazine’s article on the importance of wearing seat belt and car seat that finally opened our eyes.
On a recent cineMama Event we met Lesley Cully founder of Buckle Up In the Back she gave a little talk on how important it is to buckle up and WE AGREE!
here’s a link to GulfNews article on the new law
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Cuddles and Crumbs 