Virgin Sangria

For people like me who can't take any amount of alcohol during pregnancy, I have discovered a recipe for sangria, without the alcohol. This recipe is from one of the pregnancy books I am reading. It will be my drink on X'mas Eve!

VIRGIN SANGRIA

Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened grape juice
3/4 cups apple juice concentrate
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small unpeeled lemon; sliced and seeded
1 small unpeeled orange; sliced and seeded
1 small unpeeled apple; cored, cut into eights
1 3/4 cups soda / sparkling water

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients except the soda/sparkling water in a large pitcher. Stir well, and chill. Add soda/sparkling water just before serving. Serve over ice in wineglasses.

Pikelets

I was first introduced to "pikelets" (pronounced pai-ke-lets) by Rosie, one of my good friends here in Abu Dhabi who loves feeding me and Dev! I went online a few days later and decided to get the recipe from the internet, and today, I made my very own pikelets!

These are guaranteed no-fail pikelets, so the recipe says, and it is proven!

Ingredients
1 cup self raising flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg - beaten
30 g melted butter
Butter/oil for cooking

Preparation
Add lemon juice/vinegar to milk. Stand to one side. Melt butter in microwave or over hot water. Mix flour, bicarbonate soda and sugar. Add butter, milk and egg to dry ingredients, mix well to remove all lumps.

Heat pan over medium heat. Drop 1 tbsp of mixture into fry pan for each pikelet. Cook for about 1 minute, turn and cook other side for 1 minute.

Serve with jam and butter or other condiments as preferred. It is delicious when you spread butter first and then jam over butter. Yummie!

As simple as A-B-C! Happy pikelet-ing! Hehe!

* Image of pikelets taken from yahoo image gallery. Mine didn't look as good as the ones in the picture *

Seasons Greetings

It's the time of the year where the holiday spirit is shared with one another throughout the world. Over here in Abu Dhabi, the temperature has been dropping, and the wind is very chilly. With the air-condition switched off, we are wearing socks all day long to keep warm (in the desert!) The cold season will last until March next year. It sure feels like X'mas now!

Six days from today, Dev and I will be driving to Dubai International Airport to welcome our friends Adrian, Jessie and their baby girl Rachel from Malaysia (we stay in the same neighbourhood in Subang Jaya) for a week's holiday in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. That is also our reason for hosting a X'mas dinner for the very first time, turkey included!

As first-timers, Dev and I are attempting on roasting a whole turkey (the turkey is in our freezer now). We will be having around 8 guests, and we will be serving roast turkey, stuffing baked separately-not in the turkey, garlic bread, corn on the cob, fried spring rolls, potato salad and a dessert-thanks to our friends Shoba and Rowina who have volunteered to prepare them, not forgetting the authentic home-made brandy fruit cake from Malaysia! Some spirits will be shared too-for those who will be drinking, there will be Jack Daniels, Bacardi and wine. I am thinking of preparing a pitcher of sangria with fruit wedges. It is made by adding wine to soda and a couple of citrus mixtures.

On the 25th, we will be heading to a friend's place for some real X'mas treats, including a roasted piglet!

We will update next with images of our friends and our little dinner, provided no one gets sick from the food or drinks! Hehe! To all my friends and relatives out there, HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

With love,
Dev & Jac

My Pregnancy This Week-Week 15

My Pregnancy This Week (newsletter from BabyCenter)

Hello from BabyCenter!



At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help the air sacs in his lungs develop. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you were to shine a flashlight at your tummy, he'd be likely to move away from the beam.

If you're scheduled for an ultrasound in the coming weeks (most women have one between 16 and 20 weeks), you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! Don't be disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the gender depends on how clear the picture is and the position of your baby during the ultrasound; he may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep you in suspense.

Your baby's taste buds are beginning to form now, too, and a study at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia suggests he may be able to taste what you've been eating. Researchers found that flavors from the food pregnant women ate ended up in their amniotic fluid. They also found that eating healthy foods during pregnancy may help your baby develop a preference for those foods that could last a lifetime.

Yours truly

This picture was taken at our friends Lionel & Michelle's wedding reception on 19 November. Our two-week holiday in Malaysia was so awesome words just can't describe it.

Our baby is now 14 weeks old, since the last scan on 28 November. Dr. Meltem told us that the baby's due date is 1st June. Baby is looking fine and doing well, and so is soon-to-be Mummy.

Soon-to-be Daddy is now studying hard for his upcoming base check next week for the Airbus 340 conversion. Soon, his routes will include Paris, New York and Kuala Lumpur. Etihad will be starting its first direct flight to KL on 15 January 2007, 6 times weekly.

Until our next update on the blog, stay healthy and smile always! :)

Minh's Baby Shower

A Pat On The Back

Dev and I have always had friends over for dinners, but today was a little special. It wasn't just any ordinary dinner. It was just special, and I am proud to say I did well with the food preparation (with Dev's help in the kitchen, of course!) Again, it had slipped my mind to take snap shots of my dishes.

I prepared "pork adobo", a famous Filipino dish, which is pork belly and rib cubes seasoned in sweet and soy sauce, with a little bit of ketchup added to the sauce. It was my first attempt, and I am proud to say it was a success! I had also prepared nyonya acar (pineapple, cucumber, carrot and long bean cuts mixed with blended chili and peanuts), omelette with cut long beans and tofu with minced pork. When your guests (and husband) take a second helping, it is the best compliment without having to hear it. Honestly, I surprised myself with the ability to cook and my new found interest - cooking. From being a woman who had never liked cooking to being able to prepare a sumptious meal, Mom, you will be proud of me ;)

Let me give myself a pat on the back!

Ski Dubai

Pictures of Ski Dubai, taken from Mall of the Emirates.

Ten-Minute Tofu Recipe

Surprisingly, I have picked up an interest in cooking, thanks to a recipe book given by my Malaysian friend. I can now proudly say I can cook! I have made nyonya acar (pineapple, carrot & cucumber pickle with chopped peanuts and chili), chicken rice (the whole works, from preparing the rice to the soup, ginger chili sauce and roast chicken) and my ten-minute tofu. With all the excitement, I had forgotten to take snaps of my dishes. But I got a shot of my tofu dish just for you.

















Ingredients

1 pack soft Japanese tofu
1 tbsp oil
4 thin slices ginger
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
100 g lean minced chicken or beef (I used minced pork)
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 3 tbsp water (I didn't use cornflour)

Garnish:
Sprinkling of finely shredded cucumber, carrot, spring onion and chilli

Method
1. Slice tofu into 2 cm slices and lay on a serving plate (it is not necessary to cook).
2. Heat oil and fry ginger slices for a minute or two until fragrant. Add garlic and fry until golden brown before stirring in the minced meat. Season with the light and dark soy sauces, sugar and pepper. Lastly swirl in the cornflour mixture and stir until mixture thickens - about 2 minutes (optional). Take pan off the heat and pour mixture over the tofu slices.
3. Sprinkle on the shredded vegetables and serve immediately with rice or noodles.

Recipe taken from http://kuali.com

Flying the chopper

Ian finally took his model helicopter out to the open land, but the chopper just refused to lift off the ground.

Dev & Ian


Getting the engine started




The chopper


Dev & Kurt patiently waited for some take off action ...


... but this was as high as it got off the ground


The show's over!

The Burj-Al Arab

Last month when our Australian friend Paul was here for a week, we made a trip to Dubai, and we got as close as we could to the world-famous seven-star hotel.









Located at the entrance of the Burj is the Wild Wadi Theme Park.

Friday the 13th

It is 11:38PM Malaysian time and 7:38PM local time in Abu Dhabi. Dev has left for a night flight to Dammam, back at midnight. I am online and writing this blog while listening to Toni Braxton singing "You Make Me High". Dev and I are counting the days to returning to Malaysia next month for 2 weeks. The timing couldn't have been better-by then, I would be 12 weeks into the pregnancy-safe to fly.

I am doing great so far, with no vomiting or any sign of morning sickness. My first craving attack was last week. I wanted idli (a sourish thosai-like texture but are made in small thick pieces, an Indian delicacy) and fish curry! Dev, the kind hubby that I have, drove me the next day to Anjappar, an Indian shop, that sells idli. It was lunch time, and Anjappar only serves idli for breakfast and dinner. There's always "home delivery". The next morning, we ordered 10 pieces with lovely fish curry. After having idli for two days, I was satisfied :) Since then, the baby hasn't craved anything else. But the Mommy-to-be has made a list of things she wants to eat when she is home in Malaysia!

My face has grown a little rounder around the cheeks and chin. I am carefully taking care of myself with a cup of Anmum milk each morning, lots of fruits and vegies. Dev has been the sweetest thing, helping out with the household chores, washing, laundry, and taking great care of me :)

Arabic classes have been keeping me occupied three times a week in the morning, and in between there are revisions that we have to do at home. We have spelling and dictation in Arabic! I must say it has been fun with the five of us-Judy from Toronto, Minh from Vietnam, Jeanine and Andrea from Switzerland and myself. The instructor (can't pronounce her name) is from Syria, and she comes to Judy's apartment to conduct the sessions. Judy is 6 floors below me. Ma-hah-ba means hello, and shukran means thank you, and habibi means friend. At the moment, we are learning to write all 28 alphabets in Arabic (jawi writing). We have gone from alif to baa, taa, thaa and uu (pronounced oooo). We are taught to write each alphabet independently as an alphabet, at the beginning of each word, in the middle and at the end. The alphabet changes shape as we use them in various ways in spelling. Imagine, 24 more alphabets to go!

Have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are, whichever country you are in :))

A little baby ...

A little bundle of joy will be coming our way next year. I am 2 months pregnant, and our baby is expected to arrive on 26 May 2007. Both Mom- and Dad-to-be are thrilled and nervous at the same time ;)

Postcards from the desert

These images were taken as we were travelling from Abu Dhabi to Dubai.

Yvonne & Denis' Wedding Reception

My wonderful cousin Yvonne and Denis Mitchel tied the knot on 2 September 2006. The beautiful couple are all smiles in this picture with my Mom, brother Justin, niece Jocelyn and of course, the charming couple, that's Dev and me! Hehe!




My sister Jasmina and her angels Charlene and Delphine


Cute little Jocelyn

A visit to Taiping

During our last visit home to Malaysia in August, Dev and I, together with our parents and Dev's sister, managed to slot in time for a day-trip upnorth to Taiping, Perak. The town is situated on a coastal plain just west of the Bintang Range. Alor Setar, Kedah, lies to the north-west and Ipoh to the south-east. The area developed quickly in the 19th century when tin was discovered. The mines attracted large numbers of settlers, particularly Chinese.

Pardon the wrong date setting seen on the photos

A breath-taking view of Taiping Lake Gardens


Taiping Museum

After a hard day's work

Port Weld Museum


Taiping New Club

War Memorial


Maxwell Hill





The most enjoyable part of the entire trip was the ride up and down the narrow road of Maxwell Hill with 180-degree angles in an old yet sturdy Land Rover Defender.