The 2010 Challenge

2010 is about to end, I'm about to turn 30 and I feel like I have nothing to show for. So, in the middle of a mid life crisis (since I am only living until I'm 65) I have resolved to do 3 big things before 2010 ends.

1 - LOVE SOMETHING ABOUT DUBAI
It is no secret that I have taken a great dislike to Dubai the moment I moved here. As our Dubai days draw to an end (we see ourselves moving back to Asia by 2011), and to give my poor husband's ears some relief to my whining - I have resolved to 'try' and love something about Dubai.

2 - FINALLY GET MY YOGA TEACHER TRAINING CERTIFICTAE IN INDIA
Take the plunge, save my leaves and forget about selling soap for 1 month to pursue my dream of having a health and welness center, complete with a breakfast place, yoga studio and food take out place. If I do not do it now - when will I ever do it? Unilever will live without me for a month won't it?

3 - SEE THIS PART OF THE WORLD SPENDING MINIMAL AMOUNTS OF MONEY
My job takes me to insanely exotic places, and since I am there, I might as well invest a day to see the place - even if it means not sleeping. On my list - Istanbul, Turkey. Casablanca, Morocco. Algeria. Cairo, Egypt. The beaches of South Africa.

To document all this, I will be using my camera - my trusty Nikon D90 which is furstraingly just used for food photos.

Peace and Love

Some food and art photos of the past 3 weeks. The food photos are all vegetarian cooking,
and the last drawing is inspired by a yogini friend of mine named Drinie - Lyan, another friend who photographs took beautiful photos of her and sketched a little inspiration from it. I love the fact that she word gold hoop earrings in the shoot.

When recipes go wrong - a bit like hit and miss in living in a city

Today was a little bit of a tense day - some small fights with my better half over petty things - and a long drawn dinner which ended up our discussions of why I was so unhappy about Dubai.

My cooking is always tied to my emotions so - we decided to make the trip to the 'big' supermarket store to stock up on some items that was so expensive in our regular store (pine nuts, walnuts, etc) as I wanted to try making few raw food recipes this week. The pesto tasted so much better than any other bottled pesto, and I dont think I'll ever buy a canned one again The pesto was fine but I wasnt so happy with the garlic shrimp pasta I made - I ended up having to sprinkle rock salt and pepper to make it taste good.

It's a bit like my experience in Dubai - I made the garlic simmer in Olive oil for almost 20mins, cooked it with finely chopped green onions and red onions - and I thought cooking it longer would just get the oil soaked in the flavors as I cooked it - but it didnt, it was so-so. It was at best - OK. Some recipes are better than others, and some just taste better than others as well - pretty much like living in a city.

The pastry stuffed with blue cheese and caramelized pears were good (bought cheap filo pastry) and stuffed it with that and walnuts- it was really yummy - this recipe I got inspiration from my yogini friend Shane. Atleast this was a success!

Back to breakfasts - with Mr McNally

Sundried Tomatoe omelettes with feta cheese, mature cheddar and tuna

Andy is home and I am more than glad to have him back - as is our weekend routine,

Andy does a Spinney's run (our little grocery) and I cook. We had our favorite Irish friend

for breakkie - Simon. One thing you need to know about Simon is he is one huge contradiction - for that reason (and his all around big heart), Andy and I love him to bits. He is a contradiction because one day he is chilling out in his pad (filled with art), painting and growing herbs in his little balcony and one moment he's drunk as shit (sleeping ina mosquito net) and doing 'grass angels' in the rain, completely naked outside our hut (this is in palawan)

We usually have our 'family' here in Dubai for breakkie, so I thought apart from taking photos of the food, I should take photos of the friends we have over eating it. Here's simon in a shirt Mitra and Brian (who are back packing in Asia) got him - adorable!!!!!

Breakfast was omelettes I made with sundried tomatoe paste, feta cheese, mature cheddar, tuna and some greens. On the side were some sliced potatoes cooked in sesame oil and cajun spices in mushrooms. I think tomorrow will be an experiement of breakkie outside the eggs and veggie routines - - - I'll probably be looking at shane's blog for inspiration (check HERS out!!!)

http://skinnygourmand.blogspot.com/2010/04/revisit-georgraphy-class.html

Homesick for Asia

Andy is not around and I am feeling super home-sick, more than the usual, and I've become just a little bit sad. Good thing the cooking is not affected - I have been trying to cook Asian food I loved but didnt know how to make. Easy, veggie stuff that is great on the taste buds but not heavy on the stomach. I made all the recipes up (except for the japanese veggie curry!)

1st Saturday Andy is Away

Miso-garlic soba with mushroom and eggplant

* Miso dressing - 1 tbsp red miso paste, 2 tbsp olive oil, minced garlic to taste, 1 tsp ground sesame seeds (I put this into a little food processor), mix with soba

*Eggplant and mushrooms - saute with 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oil, and minced garlic to taste

1st Monday Andy is Away

Japanese Vegetable Curry

* Super easy!
* Just buy Japanese curry roux - it's very cute, like chocolate cubes :)

* saute garlic and some white onions, toss in potatoes & carrots

* Pour 3-4 cups water and bring to a boil

* When boiling, toss in the roux and mix until it thickens

* Simmer for about 10-15mins until carrots and potatoes are tender - throw in the eggplants last, because they cook quickly

1st Sunday Andy is Away

I cant even descrive what the vegetable I cooked was - it looks like a lotus root?
* Saute garlic, sliced green onions in 1tbsp Sesame Oil

* Mix 1 tsp corn starch, 3 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp dashi powder and 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

* simmer tofu, sliced mushrooms and lotus root for 5 mins

* Serve with brown rice and egg

Scones and Risotto

RISOTTO AND BAKED FISH
I just wanted to post a dinner I made for Andy and his friend John. I made a green salad with cooked potatoes, beans (like a Nicoise salad), and baked the fish (I forget what it was) with lemon juice and pepper. I am not too excited about this meal, so I'll just post the photo which is pretty.

SCONES

I first ate scones funnily in Bangkok - Starbucks to be exact. It wasnt very yummy, very floury but I felt like this English biscuit had potential. I ate scones again last week, and it left a lot to the imagination. Last night I decided I'd make my own - the recipe is simple, and it took me 30mins to make -a few tips:

- cook it full for 12 mins, I undercooked mine slightly

- I glazed it with milk, brown sugar and then put (winning move) some organic maple syrup

It was crispy on top, but moist inside I didnt have to put jam, etc, because it had enough sweetness on it - the recipe can be found here - http://www.ecurry.com/blog/starters-snacks/scones-cranberry-almond/

I just ate the scones now and its super yummy!!! Cooking really allows me to appreciate my food better, I feel the same as my fellow yogini and foodie Shane when she said that eating sweets in restaurants, etc just dont taste the same - most are too sweet, and i dont know, it tastes 'mass produced' haha!. Back to the scones, something I read on the blog site where i got the recipe,

" The scone is a small British quickbread (or cake if recipe includes sugar) of Scottish origin. Scones are especially popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, but are eaten in many other countries. They are usually made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent. The scone is a basic component of the cream tea or Devonshire tea.” (Wiki) Originally the scones were griddle baked but today they are more flour based, baked in the oven & are usually savory or sweet. There are two ways to pronounce scone; “Skon” is usually used in Scotland and Northern England and “Skoan” is used in the South parts."

Swallows, Banana nut Muffins and the perfect fried egg

Banana nut muffins recipe (with yogurt)

Musings as I cook: Swallows and star, a plan for the next tattoo

Mabel slept over last night, she brought Japanese food and we watched Lovely Bones and Julie/Julia (wonderful cooking movie) until she fell asleep (haha). I woke up early - as is the tradition we are seeming to have, I cook for two of my favorite people in the world in the morning and they happily eat.

I had made banana nut muffins last week and it was hard as rock - no one ate it and I wanted to re-do it to perfection...I think it needs a little more work (and Andy wishes there were chocolate chips) but all in all it's 85% there. Also, I made fried egg but it was not perfect...the eggs I want to make resemble a breakfats I had in Paris - it had a runny yolk, perfectly formed whites and it tasted vaguely of butter and pepper! I guess the sign of being a good cook is perfecting cooking the simplest food and the simplest ingredients - needless to say I am far away from it.

Secrets for the muffins:

* use yogurt instead of milk

* use olive oil instead of butter

* DONT use Whole wheat flour through and through; makes it too heavy

* Mix DRY ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 1/3 cups Flour; 2 tsps Bakin powder; 1/2 tsp salt

* Mix WET ingredients: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 large egg, 4 tbsps olive oil, 2 bananas (mashed)

* Fold in the dry over the wet ingredients; cook at 375 for 15-20 mins ( I like to undercook so it's chewy)

On another note: I am planning my next tattoo, (left ankle) and it seems like it will be that of swallows and stars. These are old sailor tattoos...before navigation devices were avaialble

a swallow was a sign that a sailor was coming home.

Cookie-Dough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip cookies & musings about androgynous dressing

I love cookies! For a time I kept on baking them back in Bangkok but never really ate them, giving them away to friends because of fear of being fat. Today I still wont eat a full cookie, but I can eat atleast 1/2 without the guilt - it's a wonder how growing old helps you forget about meaningless numbers like height, weight, age, salary. It's a wonder as well how a partner in life who genuinely appreciates you for more than just your looks can help normalize abnormal habits and beahviours. Andy often teases me that 1/2 of the reason of why he married me was because I was hot - ofcourse it is a joke as I truly do not think I am...the other 1/2 is because I am crazy, artsy-fartsy and a good cook. He also says I do not have a mean bone in my body...maybe that is why my cooking is so sweet!

In life - really you can have your cookie, and eat it too!

The secret to making a really good cookie are 3 things!

1 under cook it, 6mins only instead of the usual 8min;

2 Make BIG balls 1/inch in diameter, they make the cookies fat and moist inside; and

3 Once you make the dough, refrigrate, I dont know why but it makes it chewier

I made these tonight during our barbecue for a friend leaving for NZ - no one wanted to bring home the cookies because they were too yummy!!!!

Ingredients

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips

* combine sugars, vanulla, eggs and softened butter (I melt this in a pan)

* combine APF (I use whole wheat), salt, baking soda and salt

* FOLD in the wet inside the dry

* Refrigirate for 30 mins!!!

I am currently in love with all the fashion I am seeing in http://www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com/ aaaahh, love, love , love. All the androgynous dressing and male shoes make me love my Oxford Steve Maddens and Boyfriend Jeans even more.

Cooking and Art

Cooking and Art

The bad thing about being in Dubai is this artificial place lends you inable to go out and do the things you are passionate about w - being in a lovely yoga scene, shopping in markets, cheap massages, friendly people and observing and participating in the ever interesting asian fashion! The good thing about the absence of these distractions and hobbies is that I am forced to concentrate on married life, discovering my own self practice in yoga and trying to grow artistically even without very strong external influences. Cooking and Art has taken a forefront in things I wanted to explore and enhance...and by the end of the year, I would want to have tried most recipes I have seen in Tastespotting and Shane's blog, and atleast paint 3 more paintings.

Cooking Breakfast

Cooking to me is something very personal - I just do not want to cook good tasting food but I want it to look appetizing as well. So, I carefully arrange and photo my food - today's breakfast was some Peach French Toast with Salmon, on the side.

Andy also made me a yogurt banana smoothie on the side! YUM!

My Artsy Daily Planner- made by hand

I like to surround myself in art as well, and for this reason i began to make my own personal daily planner. I was scrounging around for a Starbucks one but since they do not sell it, I could not get one - so i made my own. I stuck it with pictures I liked, prints of art, drew some...it's a lot of fun and I am happy with the ouput.

Soups!

Now that the wedding is OVER (whew!) I now have more time to squeeze in some cooking between work, the gym (hmm...more about that next time) and my non existent (as of yet) self practice. Working on the latter since I will be in South Africa without a gym for a week.

Since it's been winter here in Dubai, I have come to want soup and the canned kind is just not good. 2 hits for the week, French Onion Soup (light) and Tomato basil soup. Super easy variations I tweaked from Jamie Oliver and my brother in law.

French Onion Soup

* sautee 1/2 white onion (big) and 4-6 cloves minced garlic in 1tbsp olive oil

* pour 4 cups water, with 1/8 piece of bullion (either chicken, vegetable stock or beef)
* bring to a boil and simmer for 40mins - add 1 tbsp mushroom soup mix and mix

* top with cajun spices, a thick slice of toasted french bread, and 1/2 slice of melted swiss cheese

Tomato basil Soup

* sautee 4-6 cloves minced garlic with 1 handful of shredded basil

* add 1 can of chopped plum tomatoes + add 1 can water

* bring to a voil and simmer for 40 mins - add 1/8 vegetable bullion

* top with cajun spices, a thick slice of toasted french bread and 1/2 slice of melted swiss cheese