All posts tagged mom

The best piece of toast in the world.

March 31, 2012

So I have had a severe eye infection the past couple of days .How do I know its severe ? Well anything that compels a doctor to push a paper clip up your eye to flip your eyelid over is classified severe in my books , and I am usually quite a resilient person . Although I am tempted to share a picture of my swollen , crusty , freshly punched in the eye look , I will spare you the agony.

When the swelling initially came up , the fabulous two were quite thrilled at the idea of mum adopting a piratey look , FS2 went all out and found me a pirate patch from a party we had a couple of years ago. There was also some banter between the two about the possibility of skipping school because mum was too sick to drive. Didn’t happen !

We somehow shuffled our way through the week and come Friday evening , I requested the Fab 2 to be on their best behaviour for the rest of the weekend. We had a mature conversation about my visit to the doctor ( paperclip and all the gory details included ) and that I had been asked to rest my eye as much as possible . There were nods all around , although I had my doubts about the credibility of those nods because moments of peace in our house are few and far between. You can read more about such moments here .

FS1 though can be quite sage and sensible … sometimes …and this morning was one of those “sometimes” . FS2 was already up and pottering around with his toys when FS1 woke up and came over for cuddles, I said to him , ” FS1, darling , my eye feels very sore, please give me ten minutes , I’ll make us some breakfast soon , why don’t you go brush your teeth in the mean time ? ” He nodded and slipped away leaving me to drift a little bit longer. The next time I woke was when I felt FS1 tap my my head , I opened my eyes to a wonderful little surprise.

20120331-124732.jpg

A roughly folded piece of toast generously spread with jam and butter , the best piece of toast in the world followed by cuddles. I had tears in my eyes when FS1 said , ” Mummy , I wanted you to have a rest , I know your eyes are hurting”

Children; the truest form of love , capable of so much more than what we give them credit for.

Share a thought : Have you , as a child or a child close to you ever done something that truly surprised you and touched you deeply ?

0
0
  
20120318-110216.jpg

Deliciously moist apple cakes

March 18, 2012

20120318-110216.jpg

Sometimes you find a recipe that’s a bit too special and it sticks with you , these apple cakes are exactly as the name suggests , deliciously , moist and super special.

I initially found the recipe through a cooking party and was impressed with not only the final result but also the quick preparation involved and short cooking time . Over the years I have tweaked the recipe a little and we have an absolute winner with this one !

The sweet smell of apples and cinnamon baking with a hint of vanilla wafting down the house is enough to get the appetite going , put it this way , these little bites of heaven don’t last very long in our house.Perfect as a lunchbox or after school treat or take in for morning tea …they have also been very popular when served at brunch or breakfast, whichever way you decide to serve them, I promise they will not disappoint . The best part is get the kids involved with the preparation , it really is that simple !

Deliciously Moist Apple Cakes

You will need :

  • 120g caster sugar
  • 24 hole mini muffin pan lightly greased
  • 125g self-raising flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 125g butter, melted
  • 4 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup milk

Preparation :

  • Preheat oven to 180°c.
  • In a large bowl, combine all ingredients taking care not to over mix.
  • Pour mixture into the muffin pan (about 1 heaped tbsp per cake )
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.
  • Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
  • Dust lightly with icing sugar.

Tip : Apples can be replaced with a can of pie apples.

Yum !

0
0
  
supermum

Help ! I lost my cape !!

March 17, 2012

Upon hearing some fascinating stories about super heroes saving the earth , Cosmo and Nova , aliens from Slippytopia decided to pay the lesser planet a visit . Hoping to learn and replicate the superhero technology , they quietly went about making observations about super hero activities on earth .

They were enamored with Batman’s physical prowess , his acute intelligence and thought his means of transportation was quite enviable.Though Superman was initially a bit of a disappointment for the aliens for they had already mastered the art of flying interstellar distances centuries ago , they were taken by the super hero’s fashion sense and innovative haircut , making notes to make an appointment with the hero’s stylist as soon as possible . Slippians could use an image and wardrobe overhaul , they thought .

Feeling quite pleased with their findings so far , the aliens carried on to find Spidey aka Spiderman.It took them a little longer to comprehend exactly why flinging oneself on spider webs and clinging to walls was regarded a super hero trait . It wasn’t until the lovely Mary-Jane appeared at Spiderman’s latest crime scene , proudly linking arms with her man did they realize that spider instincts were very popular with the ladies , damn those girly mags !

Cosmo decided there and then he would bring back a designer spider web to his long time crush , Prada upon his return to Slippytopia . Gosh ! Prada would be so enchanted with his creative thinking and she might finally let Cosmo hold her toe nail … Sigh

The aliens were getting tired , super hero spying is no easy feat . They decided to head back home, quite excited about sharing their findings with Slippian intelligence .

As they slowly snuck back to their Slipship hidden behind a big contraption with many doors and windows , curious as they were Cosmo and Nova peered inside to find earthlings bartering food and goods for rectangular pieces of paper , seems earth was still working on its fair trade policies. Slippytopia was a far more sophisticated planet .

Turning around to leave , a strange looking earthling caught their eye , it seemed female , half it’s hair loosened from what was once a ponytail , carrying 3 packages in one hand , 4 in the other , yelling into something stuck to her right ear , pushing a cart carrying a newly born earthling , tying the shoe laces of a smaller male earthling all the while saving another little earthling who seemed to wander away from the footpath every 5 seconds . Cosmo and Nova were struck by the sheer strength of this woman , yet she wasn’t on their list of super heroes. Nova whipped out his SlipPad 2 and scanned the earthling ,Slipki returned the following result :

Target identified is a capeless and somewhat unsung super hero . Clever , loving , strong , patient and considerate . Often powered by caffeine! Exceptional cook , ATM , Driver , Shopper , Washer , Cleaner . Stopped being anything else the day she became a mother. Sacrifices her dreams and her manicures . Reader , Master juggler ,Calculator , Listener, Story Teller.

Kisses tears and cherishes smiles , inspires , applauds , reprimands , protects . Isn’t perfect , forgets , cries , has tired days , often complains of lack of sleep , yet pushes on every single day . Cares , honors , teaches , shares , cuddles , holds and showers love like no one ever will .

Legend has it , she has a cape hidden in her closet but wearing one might be considered uncool and embarrassing by her young ones . Supermum , commonly found in suburban homes ; changing the world , one shoe lace at a time .

Remuneration : love !


Planet name inspiration credits :My space loving fabulous two

Image courtesy: http://themarket.ie/?attachment_id=79

P.S : the fabulous two have deemed this story bed time friendly :)

0
0
  
20120305-111149.jpg

Amazing Orange Peels

March 5, 2012

20120305-111149.jpg

Did you know ?

You could use your leftover orange peels to make a fantastic home deodorizer .. Add peels from two oranges , 7-8 cloves and a cinnamon quill to a saucepan , fill with water, bring to a boil and then simmer for about. 30-40 minutes ,the mixture freshens and deodorizes the air in your home and the sweet smell is a great bonus !

0
0
  
20120304-155625.jpg

A little man with big words

March 4, 2012

Children have beautiful minds and even more beautiful hearts , so perceptive and undiluted by the world and its ways … Here is what my 8 year old had to write when I asked him if he could send one message to the entire world , what would it be ?

20120304-155625.jpg

Amazing isn’t it ?

0
0
  
drink-coffee-do-stupid-things-faster

Coffee and its (apparent) perils

March 2, 2012

Image

Discovered this picture while stumbling on Stumble Upon , now back to doing stupid things I suppose…Oh wait I need a coffee refill !

0
0
  
Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Fabulous Finds, Quotables Tags: , , , , ,
20120228-160930.jpg

Without further adieu – I give you Prawn Masala

February 28, 2012

I can never remember a Sunday or a Friday (then being a public holiday back in the 80s in Pakistan) when my mum would prepare a feast for the family to share together . Quite often it would be seafood sourced from the best possible machli-waala ( fisherman ) to frequent our locality in my home city , Karachi . Back then , seafood was quite expensive and therefore a once a week fare for our family . The faint scent of pomphret marinated in an array of spices being shallow fried wafting down the corridor of our apartment still tickles the recesses of my childhood memories. Over the years , another seafood dish – ‘prawn masala’ has become a favorite on my palate , which initially made its way to our family dinner table when we were having special guests over and my mum’s rendition of it was lip smackingly delicious !
So without further adieu , I give you my take on this beautiful dish , Prawn Masala

Serves 3-4 with hot tandoori naan and/or steamed rice . Please allow time for marination .

You will need :

  • 500 gms banana prawns shelled and deveined
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp hot chilli paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3-4 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
  • 2 medium onions finely chopped
  • 2 medium tomatoes cut to medium cubes
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder (zeera)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder( dhania)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 green chilli julienned
  • 8-10 stems of coriander leaves finely chopped including stalks

Preparation :

  • Prepare a marinade of salt , hot chilli , ginger and garlic pastes and toss the prawns in the mixture to coat evenly.
  • Leave this mixture to marinate for at least 2 hours .
  • Heat oil in a medium sized wok or deep frying pan , add curry leaves , mustard seeds and cumin seeds until they sizzle and release a fragrance .
  • Add onions and fry well until they turn a rich golden color – please be careful with the onions as they shouldn’t darken in color.
  • Add marinated prawns , powdered cumin , coriander and turmeric and fry well until the prawns turn opaque – this should not take more than 3-4 minutes.If the mixture seems too dry , 1/4 cup of boiling water can be added in this step.
  • Add salt per taste ( please note that we have already added salt in the marinade , I usually find I don’t need to add any more salt in this step ).
  • Add cubed tomatoes , mix in well with the gravy and cover to cook for about 2-3 minutes until the prawns.
  • Turn off the heat.
  • Garnish well with julienned green chillies and chopped coriander.
  • Serve on a bed of steamed basmati rice and/or tandoori naan bread and lemon wedges.

So there we have it , Prawn Masala in all it’s glory …

Enjoy and please feel free to post feedback/queries

Tips : In the initial marination process , I prefer to use freshly crushed ginger and garlic as the freshness and flavor is well infused in the prawns .

Please note , the picture features Prawn Masala served with Yakhni Peas Pulaao ( Pilaf slow cooked in chicken broth) which is also a great variation to the usual steamed rice – recipe coming soon …

20120228-160930.jpg

0
0
  
Untitledpresentation

Stay Tuned…

February 22, 2012
0
0
  
Comments: 1 Posted by: Categories: Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,
%d bloggers like this: