Please, please, do link me up!

Here are my new blogs:

Pursuits of Wifeyness and Quench My Thirst

Thank you so much for all your support in my “Ketchup, please?” blog… and looking forward to see you guys  in my new sites! =D

So I tried again to make a new blogsite, and tried to get a domain thru Blogger… my credit card wouldn’t get thru so I used my hubby’s.. Losing patience after maybe the 20th time.. (uhuh not so bad) and then I encountered an error requiring me to refresh the page.. Alas, when I refreshed it, it said there was already an existing order for the domain… I got no confirmation message, no email.. NOTHING…

And so there was this message to contact “Support”.. Wow… I have been looking for hours already for an email, somebody to contact in Google or Blogger.. UNBELIEVABLE… It was all just FAQ’s and Forums.. how the heck can i get verification from forums?! By displaying my personal registration details to everyone?!?!?!

Hayayayayay.. pakshit talaga =(

Would I ever be able to finish this? I hate pa naman these things! Pag maka-set up na ko ng blog ko that’s earning, nakuuuuuu magpapa-party na talaga ko! Hanep na all the blood, sweat and tears that I’ve been spending for this effort

ARGGGH gusto ko na sabunutan sarili ko!\

Why, you may ask..

• For the greedy reason that moi, being a housewife, simply wanna earn some moolah from blogging, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to!
• And that I made “tampo” to WordPress after discovering that I can never put ads here! *SIGH*

Now I am seriously contemplating, for the Nth time, if I should migrate to another bloghost…

Somebody help me.. puhleaaase??  THANKS MUCHO!!!

I can’t believe it’s been 1 and 1/2 months since my last post!!! I just got back from the Philippines, and as much as I’d like to blog about something worth blogging, I can’t — coz all the clutter around me are desperately screaming for attention…

Laundry hollers:  Stop procrastinating you b@#tch! I’m about to erode anytime soon.. 5 more minutes and an avalanche is coming your way…

Dishes yell: Hey woman, I need a good wash right now!!! Ughh, I can still smell the remnants of your lunch!!!

Stovetop demands: Seriously.. you need to start cooking dinner NOW! Heck, you don’t even have fresh plates for later… hello???

Grumpy Bed shrieks: Ewwww… 5pm and your bed is still crumpled and all! Get your snoring hubby off me! It’s 5 in the freakin’ afternoon!!!

Luggage yaps: Can’t you at least hide me?? I don’t like hanging around the hallway ya know?!

Ironing board wonders: Uhhhm.. what am I doing in the hallway too? 

Flat Iron wonders too: Yeah.. and what the f@#$ am I doin’ on the couch?!?! 

Bathroom asks: Hello?? And when exactly are you planning to scrub me? Hello, anyone there???

Floor whines: I miss the mop and broom!!!  boohoohoo…. 

Poor Dried-up Basil plant complains: Haven’t you noticed I died from dehydration in the 3 weeks that you were gone? Why am I still sitting here in my pot and hanging from your window?? How insulting…

Happy Trashcan chuckles: Weeee…. I’m getting full.. WEEEEEEE!!!

Clutter and Stuff cheer: It’s Party Time!!! WOOT WOOT!!! 

And I — just spent a good hour on this blog.

This is wrong.

Oh well, I really have to go now.. Please bear with me.. I’ll be back soon (hopefully tomorrow) with some sane post.. First, I gotta shoo all these hallucinations away!!!

It would be nicer to offer them something new this time… a traditional Arab food – maybe a dessert so it would be easier  to make *lol*… Here’s what I found at Sook & Cook… Fairly easy I guess.. Maybe I’ll just bring home the rosewater and cardamom.. I don’t know if I can buy whole milk in the Philippines, but I read on google that I can substitute evaporated milk + water.. I hope it turns out right and yum!!! 

Please, if you have other suggested dishes/dessert, I would really love to hear from you.. Thank you!!! 

Arab Custard with Cardamom and Rosewater Recipe

Preparation time : 15 Min

Cooking time : 30 Min

Level of difficulty : Low

Ingredients

4 servings

4 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons custard powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons rose water

ground pistachios and nuts

Preparation

- Put milk, sugar and cardamom into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower heat and taste for sweetness.

- Mix the custard powder with a little water to make a smooth thin paste and carefully stir it, little by little, into the milk mixture, whisking continuously. Continue stirring until the custard is smooth.

- Remove from heat and add rose water. Return to the stove and place over a very low heat to simmer gently for two to three minutes.

- Pour into small bowles, or a large bowl, garnish with pistachios and nuts and chill until ready to eat.

The world is such a beautiful place… it just depends on how we look at it.

One day, about 5 years ago, I just woke up and in a snap, it dawned on me how beautiful the world is, how beautiful my life is… Funny (some might even find it weird), but true.. Suddenly, I just saw the world in a different light… a gift that I’m always grateful for - being able to see the world through rose-colored glasses. And from then on, I’m easily amazed with the simple little things that are actually God’s miracles. 

Have a beautiful life!

“The World Is Awesome” (Discovery Channel)

Two astronauts float in space – voiceover:

Astronaut 1: It never gets old, huh? 

Astronaut 2: Nope.

Astronaut 1: It kinda makes you want to…

Astronaut 2: Break into song?

Astronaut 1: Yep

 

I love the mountains, I love the clear blue skies …

I love big bridges …

I love when great whites fly …

I love the whole world …

And all its sights and sounds …

Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da!

I love the ocean …

I love real dirty things …

I love to go fast …

I love Egyptian kings …

I love the whole world …

And all its craziness …

Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da!

I love tornadoes …

I love arachnids …

I love hot magma …

I love the giant squid …

I love the whole world, it’s such a brilliant place …

Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da, Boom-de-ah-da!

Bored with our dull routine, I looked up places where we can explore and find out more about Middle Eastern culture. One time, I dragged my hubby to explore the Dubai Museum (which turned out not to be the main museum, but a government office/gallery, oops… ) Excitedly took pictures and all… then hubby laughed at me and said “as if we’re tourists…“ I looked back at him and smiled.. “hell, yeah we ARE tourists!!!“ We pay so much to see and explore other countries, and it’s ironic that we’ve been here for quite a while already (2 years for him), and yet we haven’t seen the really interesting places… For me, being a “tourist or traveller” is more of a state of mind… This is actually a good opportunity for us to experience the immensely rich Arabian culture! 

Dubai is a very modern city, filled with too many new malls and structures, but it doesn’t quench my thirst for mid-eastern culture.. I don’t really appreciate modern stuff as much as old culture-y stuff. I looked up possible weekend getaways, but it wasn’t very easy coz I had one major restriction — a big NO-NO to modern hotels/resorts! — and  Dubai, as we all know, is such a new city, some even call it an “artificial city”.. *sob* 

I thirst for old Arabian architecture, decor, Moroccan lamps (ohhh how I love them!), local cuisine, ambiance… the works! 

After days of googling and checking with our friends, I finally found the perfect place for a weekend getaway at Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert and Resort Spa! (right smack in the desert, baby! *wink*) A bit overbudget, so we’ll just wait for our First Wedding Anniversary in a few weeks so we can celebrate at the same time… Nevertheless, we already booked last night, and specifically requested a room overlooking the desert! ohhh… sounds like the perfect Arabian paradise! 

 I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! This experience will definitely go to our “Memories of a Lifetime Bank”… 

My advice to fellow Pinoys in UAE —  do stretch a bit and treat yourself to some wonderful Arabian experience.. Make sure to bring home beautiful memories with you before you leave this desert city. Money’s as good as nothing if you can’t enjoy it once in a while, right?… 

Anyway, just wanted to share with you a video I took in Global Village last month.. I like learning about others’ culture and tradition, so I enjoyed watching them prepare their local Arabic Ice Cream. They pounded the ice cream with a big wooden paddle, and banged on the tin with the music.. They kept on doing this, so the end result is a very, very compact ice cream covered in chopped pistachios, kinda gooey and not very creamy… and it takes forever to melt! It’s good, and has an arabian taste that I couldn’t figure out. I googled it and found out that it has arabic gum (hence the gooey/gummy texture), rosewater, and “sahlab” (an extract from orchids) — ohh so that explains the fragrant/flowery taste..

That night, I indulged in cotton candy, arabic sweets (deep-fried dough balls with caramel syrup), and lastly, the arabic ice cream. Understandably, my tongue was already sore from eating too much sweets, that I couldn’t finish the ice cream anymore. I went around the souks (stalls/markets) and waited for it to melt (so I wouldn’t feel too guilty throwing it).. but this ice cream just would not melt!
Enjoy the show! Welcome to my world in UAE…

“Oh, Please, Chopsuey.. Please… Just Disappear…”  

That’s been sort of our nightly incantation for the past week, as hubby and I both cringe at the sight of  more uneaten chopsuey in the ref. We love chopsuey.. but honestly, everyday for the past 8 days??

Oh I didn’t tell you…  When our ref broke down and after I cooked the impromptu Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken with Cheese and Basil, and Shrimp Parmigiana, I still had loads of veggies wilting… ok so I panicked, I cooked them all into Chopsuey. Thanks to our new ref, we were able to save it from spoiling. But up to now, 8 days after, we still haven’t finished it!

After 3 or 4 days of chopsuey, I converted some of it into Chicken Mami, and it was tolerable for a while. But since I added noodles and chicken broth, it took us 3 days to finish it… believe me, it took us a lot of effort to finish it.

Still, I had some chopsuey in the ref… must have cooked it right coz the veggies were still a bit crunchy… It was perfectly fine, so no reason for it to go to waste. So last night, I converted it into Macaroni Soup… I removed the sauce, added macaroni, milk, chicken broth, turkey ham and a bit more of carrots and leftover cabbage (that were also wilting). Resourceful, but now, I have  Chicken Macaroni Soup in the ref to worry about.  We just can’t wait till all traces of that “chopsuey” is finally gone… 

One thing’s for sure. It won’t be in our menu for a very loooooong time!

Well, well, well.. I’m proud of my   impromptu dish! A product of my   Domestic UN-Goddessness — yes ,”un-goddess”…

My fault, our refrigerator broke down last night. It’s been quite a while since the freezer was last defrosted.. and I insisted that we chip the ice so it would defrost quicker. So, we chipped the ice in the freezer with a knife and a meat tenderizer (talk about impatience!) hehe.. and there you go.. refrigerator gas leak!

So, I had to cook our food stocks so it won’t all go to waste.. and voila… my very own version of Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken with Cheese and Basil, and Shrimp Parmigiana!

I only used what I had on hand:

VERSION 1:

Skinless Chicken Breasts

Cheddar Cheese

Turkey Bacon

Fresh Asparagus

Ground White Pepper

Thaw chicken breasts. Cook the fresh asparagus in a pan with water and salt to soften it.  Slice the uncooked breast on one side to make a “pocket”. Stuff the breast with sliced cheese, fried bacon, and asparagus.  Sprinkle white pepper inside the pocket. Seal the sides with barbecue stick/s.  Dredge with cornstarch, then dip in egg. Then lastly, cover with Parmesan Breading mixture (below). Fry in medium heat for about 5 mins. 

VERSION 2:

Chicken Breasts

Cheddar Cheese

Fresh Basil Leaves

Same as above. I ran out of bacon so I just stuffed the chicken with cheddar cheese and chopped basil leaves which I just picked from my small Basil plant. Sprinkled with some ground white pepper. Same, same… Dredge in cornstarch, then dip in egg, then roll in Parmesan Breading mixture. Fry in medium heat for about 5 mins. 

BREADING:

1. Cornstarch

2. Egg

3. Hot ‘n Spicy Dry Breadcrumbs

   Grated Parmesan Cheese

   Mixed Herbs

   Dried Basil

Dredge the meat in cornstarch first, then dip in egg. Then roll in Parmesan Breading mixture. As for the Parmesan Breading, adjust ingredients according to taste..  I must have used about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese…

MUSHROOM SAUCE

Mushroom Soup Powder Mix (though I think condensed soup might taste better)

Water

Milk (in my case, Anchor fullcream powder milk was the only milk available, haha!)

Ground white pepper

Mix a small portion of mushroom soup mix with water, add milk, and white pepper. Make sure the mixture isn’t very salty coz the cheese in the chicken is already salty. Separate a few tablespoons of the mixture and mix with a little cornstarch. 

Stir over low heat. When already simmering, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir until sauce is thick. 

SHRIMP PARMIGIANA

Shrimps

Parmesan Breading

I had some shrimps available too, so I just salted the shrimps a bit, then dredged with cornstarch, dipped in egg, then rolled in the Parmesan Breading too.  

Not bad!

Now, how are we going to eat all of these? Hahaha!