We bought V this Bakugan set as a prize for doing well in his first school concert, he’s been saving every coin he finds around the house to be able to buy one.
They start out as ball and when you place or roll them on top of the cards they change to this “robot” like thingie. I spent a good 2 hours trying to figure out how to put them back.
If you find one mommy with a box of this little ball monsters that’s probably me.
The start of Dubai summer has been hard for V and I. We’ve been having the flu almost every other week and have been a regular at V’s pediatrician.
V was ordered to rest for a week because aside from the usual cough and colds he was also starting to have sore eyes. C has been reminding me to try and not cuddle V much or kiss him since it might make me sick as well. It’s impossible for me to stay away from my sick child who needs all the cuddle and kisses to make him feel better. He’s feeling better now and enjoying school while I’m still coughing for almost a week now.
Both V and I crave for fish meals when the flu decides to visit and this Bangus Tomato Sardines hit the right spot to make us feel better.
I got this recipe from Ate Agnes who knows that I can eat fish all week (she’s picky with her fish).
Bangus Sardines in Tomato Sauce
1.5 kilos of Bangus (MilkFish)
2 Carrots, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Olive Oil
8 Ripe Tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 Bay Leaf
6 Peppercorns
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
2 Chilli (I didn’t use any since V is not fond of spicy food)
Procedure:
Clean Bangus, scales off and cut to serving pieces.
Mix all the ingredients except for Carrots, Tomatoes, and Fish. Place this on your pot then lay chopped Tomatoes, Fish and finally top off with sliced Carrots.
Slow cook for an hour and thirty minutes.
Serve with steamed rice.
I’m quite intimidated with buttercream frosting or cake recipes that call for egg whites to be stiff or cooked. Why? I tend to overcook and over beat them and also it doesn’t help that I don’t have the patience.
Time came when I finally decided to face my fears and make a batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC), like any other self taught baker I searched for tutorials online and found the post of Whisk-Kid and Sweetapolita to be very helpful in understanding the right procedure to make a perfect SMBC.
My first batch of SMBC was perfect! Everything went well I didn’t experience the soupy or curdled mess and had a smooth perfect oh so yummy frosting. I instantly fell in love with the frosting.
I had my mind set to use peanut butter flavored SMBC to frost the wedding cake and so as the cake’s were cooling off inside the fridge there I was mixing 2 batches of frosting at 11pm and then the dreaded thing happened, one minute the mixture was in its perfect shape but as soon as I added all the butter it turned into a soup like mixture!
Not giving up I re-read both Rosie (Sweetapolita) & Kaitlin’s (Whisk-Kid) post on buttercream good thing they had a solution for the stage I was in. Pop in the mixture inside the fridge for 20 minutes take it out, whip it for a couple of minutes and viola should be back to its awesome buttery goodness.
20 minutes past and with high spirits I started whipping, then the mixture separated! I also didn’t have enough eggs to make another batch it was almost 12 midnight and I had no choice but to make a different frosting. Sadly I had to throw the SMBC batch I made that night and said a prayer to the butter gods asking for forgiveness.
Last week a friend asked me to make a Strawberry Shortcake themed cake for her god daughter, once again I had the opportunity to make SMBC (strawberry flavored). As I was adding strawberry puree, the mixture was at it’s worst – it curdled.
I didn’t want to waste the eggs and butter that I re-read all SMBC post I had bookmarked and watched videos on how to make them but I didn’t find one on my list that had experienced this curdled stage. To finish the cake that was due that day I had to make my staple vanilla and mocha cream frosting. This time I didn’t throw my failed batch of curdled (cottage cheese like) SMBC, instead transferred it to a container and into the fridge.
The next day with a fresh mind I sat in front of the computer and googled “the worst thing that could happen to swiss meringue” which led me to Confections of a Foodie Wife’s post on fixing Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I quickly scanned the post and saw a photo of the SMBC stage I was in!
Solution: Take 1/4 of your curdled SMBC mixture and heat it in your microwave for 20 seconds (they suggested 10-15 but that didn’t work for me) and slowly add the heated mixture into your bowl while on low speed as soon as you’ve added heated smbc increase the speed and viola you will see the magic happen.
SMBC back to it’s smooth fluffy goodness!
Once again I thank my SMBC angels for helping me from across the globe via their descriptive posts about this lovely frosting.
Sweetapolita – Swiss Meringue Buttercream Demystified
Whisk Kid – How to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Confections of a Foodie Wife – How to fix Swiss Meringue Buttercream
We are now visiting my OB every 2 weeks for check-Up then we’ll move to a weekly visit till Baby #2 comes out. Base on last Saturday’s visit everything looks good and we are hoping to do have a normal deliver this time. I’m excited to have it the normal way this second time but scared because I really have a very low tolerance to pain.
Physical: My belly is huge that I have to borrow my husband’s oversize shirt for me to use at home. The large size maternity clothes that we bought online are still a tad big for me but it’ll manage besides we only have 2 months to go.
V’s Reaction: During our visit Kuya V asked the doctor if he can see the baby and get a picture of her as well. Dr. Taylor has also been kind to ask V to assist her whenever she listens to the baby’s heartbeat which makes him really happy.
Dad’s Reaction: C has finally finished the papers/visa for his Mom’s visit by the time I give birth. We’re expecting my MIL by the 3rd week of June.
We’ve been walking pass our nearby Mandi restaurant but haven’t tried the food yet. It was my friend Diane and his husband that invited us for dinner to their favorite Al Mandi restaurant which to our surprise was the same restaurant just two blocks away from where we live.
The serving was huge, one order is enough for us family of three. A week after our first Mandi dinner we had a craving for it again.
As much as I wanted to enjoy the food on the Arabic Majlis area my bulging preggy tummy won’t allow me so we settled ourselves on the tables of the dining hall. Our smiling server laid a plastic table cover and asked for our order and laid a plate of green leafy veggies and a salsa kind of dip/sauce.
On our second visit we decided to try Grilled King Fish Mandi which was perfectly grilled still juicy inside. The king fish was just not huge but a thick cut as well.
And we had some Mutton Mandi as well. My husband C have issues ordering mutton or lamb because of its strong after taste, I on the other hand am used to eating kambing since it’s a staple in our family gatherings on my father’s side. On our first visit we had the Mutton Madfoon which to my husband’s delight doesn’t have a strong mutton taste and the meat was so soft.
C really enjoyed Mutton this time accompanied by spicy salsa-like dip, he actually asked for 2 more bowls of them.
V was happy eating with his hands and enjoyed the soft mutton meat and juicy king fish but the most unforgettable for him was the soup. He can’t get enough of the soup that he finish two bowls. I can’t quite figure out what the soup is made of, must ask them what kind it is when we get back.
Did we finish all two huge orders? Not quite, well we ate all mutton and fish meat but left more than half of the rice serving.
We may be bloated from the dinner but V and I can still squeeze in some dessert – Konafa! Hey we still have to walk 2 blocks to get back home. We ordered Cream Cheese Konafa to go.
Total bill: 78 Dhs (with 1 large water)
Ahl Almandi Restaurant
Amman Road, near NMC Hospital behind Sahara Shopping Centre, Al Nahda 2 Dubai
Tel: 2574448 (free delivery)
Information on BabyBump iphone app:
As your due date approaches, it’s a common and very normal time to feel more emotional than usual.
10 weeks to go and we are going to finally meet our little girl. I’m getting really scared and excited at the same time. I have been avoiding videos and write-ups on scary pregnancy and SIDS. One thing I’m really excited about though is that I’m looking forward to breastfeed my little girl.
Weight: I haven’t checked yet but I’m sure I gained a kilo or two since I’ve been eating a lot.
Physical: Lately I’ve been having shortness of breath and migraine still. Cleaning is a challenge as well since I’m having a hard time just after doing 30 minutes of house chores.
Cravings: Ice cream! I’ve been eating ice cream everyday, it’s understandable really because of our weather.
V’s reaction: Super excited to see babybump and has been telling me that he wants the baby to come out soon.
Dad’s reaction: C has been controlling my urge to shop online 🙂 He’s been reminding me that baby outgrow clothes and toys fast.
Remember the wedding cake that kept my kitchen busy for several weeks? That final wedding week my friend Diane and I had a breather when we attended an exclusive bloggers event hosted by IICBT called The art of making coffee.
Diane is my guest for today to talk about our wonderful coffee morning experience …
***
No beverage makes me happier than a hot cup of coffee.
It doesn’t matter what type of coffee it is, whether it’s a really fancy cup or just your good old instant 3-in-1 sachet, I would be satisfied for sure. Imagine my delight when my good friend and baking teacher, Abigail, invited me to an event called, “Making the Perfect Cup of Coffee at Home”.
The event was limited to a few people, making it more interactive and fun. We were greeted by our speaker with a cup of coffee of our choice, specially ground and made by her. I chose to have a cappuccino, which was surprisingly sweet enough even without powdered sugar. That cup of fabulous coffee just made me all the more excited for the hours to come.
The Speaker introduced us to the world of Coffee Making by briefly discussing the History of the Coffee Bean, the types of Beans and blends, and some fun facts about Coffee. Did you know that Espressos actually contain less caffeine than other types of coffee? It is because water extracts more of the coffee bean’s caffeine content, and Espresso is just exposed to water for a few seconds. It is actually just more flavorful than most coffee types, but with less of the caffeine that we normally associate with the strong taste.
Moving on to the main event, the speaker finally taught us how to make the perfect cup of coffee at home. It’s not difficult at all. I know I can do this, and I’m sure you can too. I’m not saying it’s very easy, but it really is doable. Here are important points we need to remember:
A burr or mill grinder is preferable because of its grinding consistency. Blade grinders are less preferable because it will grind some coffee beans more finely than others. Some stores can grind your coffee for you. You just need to tell them how you will be brewing so you get the perfect grind size.
Also, never reuse coffee grounds because the desired flavors would already be gone and only the bitter and undesired tastes are left.
Here are four popular ways of brewing coffee at home (excerpt from the training manual) :
1. Turkish Coffee:
2. French Press:
3. Moka Pot
4. Filter Coffee
If you want to take your espresso a step further like say, a Cappuccino (traditionally equal amounts of espresso and steamed milk with a dollop of frothy milk on top), you can improvise. First Step is to prepare your espresso by using a Moka pot, or you can use brewed coffee from a regular coffee maker. Espresso has a richer coffee flavor than the regular brewed coffee so you might want to experiment with your mix until you get the flavor you want. Next, heat milk over low heat setting on your stove top to your desired temperature, blend it with a hand held blender or just pour it into your conventional blender after heating. Then, preheat your cup by pouring hot water and emptying it when it feels very warm to the touch. Pour your espresso or brewed coffee followed by the frothy milk, holding back the froth with a spoon. Finally, pour or scoop out the rest of the froth and into the cup. You can sprinkle a little cinnamon or chocolate on top of the froth to just give it enough sweetness. You can put a little bit of chocolate syrup on top of that if you like. Now, you can give yourself a gentle pat on the back and enjoy your perfect cup in the comfort of your own home.
* The International Institute of Coffee & Barista Training or IICBT, is a Professional Training Institute. Located at Block 6, G-14, Knowledge Village, P.O. Box 121841, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 04 367 8402; Email: info@iicbtdubai.com, http://www.iicbtdubai.com
We bought some stuff at GAP when the cashier informed us of the GAP Rockstar event at Mercato. When V heard the word rockstar he immediately declared he wants to go.
April 14 came and we headed off to one of our my favorite mall Mercato. The organizers asked us to line-up the only problem with this was no one from GAP was there to look after the line and it was quite chaotic with some parents arguing over who was there first.
Finally after spending 40 minutes waiting it was V’s turn to have his rockstar make-over. He had wanted his hair up with colors sprayed on them like the other kids before him. All the time he was looking at this 2 yr old (I think) boy who was crying his lungs out while one of the ladies tried to fix his hair who wanted to give up already but the Mama insisted/instructed that she put more gel here and spray more colors. By this time you could here comments from other parents to stop the makeOver for the little boy and let him rest. V couldn’t help but speak out as well “Mama wawa the boy is crying he does not like it” If i were the parent I would have not insisted on the make-over because clearly my son was not happy. Oh well…
After the make-over kids were asked to line-up again to have their photo’s taken and oh my some parent’s just couldn’t wait giving instructions to kids to move up when clearly there was no longer any space. One of the host kept reminding parents and kids to not push and not go up the stage (for parents) since it would be dangerous.
Event’s like this are great since kids really have fun but parents most of the time forget to behave. At the end of the day V had fun and didn’t want us to touch his hair.
Cuddles and Crumbs 