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.