Danderma's Blog, page 24

Nesquik’s Choco Pots

Ever since I returned home from my vacation I’ve been struggling with my concentration. Focusing on doing one thing at a time and actually seeing it through is currently a challenge for me. Its like I’ve been dipped in a bowl of fog and can’t seem to get my way out. I have no problem however daydreaming or watching Sherlock -or the Hobbit- again and again. Anyways I thought I’d snap myself out of it today and post something and if I end up pushing the publish button, you must know I consider this an accomplishment for the day and that I would be celebrating later on by watching more Sherlock -it’s getting ridiculous, I know!- so there goes…

Growing there was one and only one chocolate powder for us and that would be the Nesquik chocolate milk powder! We drank it hot, cold, with cardamom, with cakes, over cereal, and my absolute favourite: spooning the powder into a deep bowl and eating it with a spoon! Yes I did! I still love Nesquik chocolate milk powder and I would love it for as long as I live, for it is, hands down, my absolute favourite and quite distinguished chocolate milk powder, ever!

Now imagine one day walking down the dairy aisle while grocery shopping in the UK and finding little pots in Nesquik’s distinguished bright yellow colour filled with chocolate pudding made with Nesquik’s chocolate! Little choco pots that scream naughty but are quite irresistible.

Since they are not available at every supermarket I go to in the UK I tend to grab myself a pack whenever I find them and feast on them. As you can expect, they are unbelievably good: cool, dense, velvety, and chocolate-y! Its like having a childhood fantasy come true!

Now I’ve seen the ready made Nesquik chocolate milk in Sultan Center -which I adore and used to have as breakfast when I was in a summer course in the USA- but I’ve never seen those little pots before. Have you seen or tried these before? They are good, and if you happen to come upon them in Sultan Center or Lulu please do let me know -and grab a packet for yourself, they are addictive btw!-.

P.S. YAY!

The 13 Lessons Learned in 2013

2013 wasn’t my favourite nor best year but it sure flew by in a blink! So many things have happened, so many ups and downs, and many lessons that cannot be squeezed into 13 points but these are the most important. I know this for a fact, I cannot wait for 2013 and 2014 to be here! So there goes, the 13 pearls of wisdom I uncovered in 2013…

Again with the signs, the signs are always true. I believe I have an internal sensor or a really sensitive sixth sense that I’ve tried to ignore just for the sake of not being paranoid. I am sorry, I am not paranoid, I’m only allergic to mischief. Always believe the signs, they are there for a reason.
I realised that no matter how much I love or admire someone, I really do not enjoy their company if they take the moral high ground and decide they can tell me what to do or dictate how I should behave. The next time this happens, there is one and only one solution and they are not going to like it one bit.
I now can detect at a distance when a person is about to use me. A gift honed by years of open-eyed innocence. No one is every using me again and those who did succeed before, shame on you. Period.
Never confront people, despite the advice of Dr. Phill and all his colleagues, their methods and advice do not apply to our part of the world. Confrontation is the worst thing ever, brush whatever it is under the rug and move on.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery, that statement is true. But when imitation is meant as the highest form of sweeping you aside to take your place, then something must be done about it and I’ve yet to decide what.
Sharing details of your life is considered “whining” and “gossiping”. No one really cares, they have enough trouble as it is so you better whine and gossip to your own reflection in the mirror which is what I’m going to do from now on.
I lost two dear friends I cherished this year, one because of life and the other because our time was up. I miss them both terribly but I’m glad they are alive and well and most importantly happy. I, however, am handling the loss pretty well and instead of becoming a basket case I simply am being strong and moving on. How grown up of me, never thought that would happen as I’m usually a pillow-soaker. The trick is not to dwell, period. No dwelling, no pain.
I didn’t laugh half as much as I did in 2012 but I sure have cried half as much and that must count for something, no? I’m glad everyone I love is alive and in good health and that I’m alive and in good health. That is something worth laughing about this night and therefore I will. Thanks be to god.
This year I’ve seen with my own eyes, and felt with my own soul, that prayers do get answered and when they do, and I hope all yours do, you will find such a grateful sense of serenity unparalleled by any other feeling. Some goosebumps might come a long the way as well so keep praying.
Forgiveness is something I thought I wasn’t capable of. But then again you can let go by choice and not forget, a less moral version of absolute forgiveness that I am able to exercise and I wish that one day I’ll be such a good person that I will forgive once and for all, no questions asked.
A version of me that I thought I lost forever, one that lives in a little obsessive fantasy world parallel to the real one, is emerging again and I am over the moon with joy with that. I’ve missed me, if that makes any sense.
There is something that I really want to try, really want to do, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid that I don’t have what it takes to make me succeed, get me to leave a mark on the world. Then I was walking around in the rain and I had an epiphany: I really want to do it. I might very well fail, or not accomplish much, but I would have tried and I won’t keep wondering whether or not it would become something. I should unleash my potential and see where it takes me.
Last but not least, I am who I am and I don’t want to change that. I will always be a bit mad, eccentric, loud, fierce, short-tempered, insecure, and passionate but that’s me. There might not be a lot of people who accept me for who I am, quite a few really, but I’m quite OK with that because I accept myself and that is what matters.

And there you are, my 13 lessons of 2013. What about you guys? Happy new 2014 year everyone!

Bitten by the Sherlock Bug!

In the very last days of 2013 I’m enjoying a vacation where I spend most of my time wrapped up on my couch day dreaming, and you tubing, about the Hobbit. I’ve seen the second movie Desolation of Smaug three times already and I would go a fourth had they provided a remote control with a rewind or pause feature, they should really do that for future cinemas btw.

Anyhoo, one obsession led to another and something kept popping up in between the hobbit interviews and behind the scene tidbits, and that something was Sherlock which is apparently a BBC TV series about Sherlock Holmes starring Martin Freeman who plays the hobbit Bilbo in the Hobbit and Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Smaug and the Necromancer in the Hobbit and has been appearing everywhere I look in 2013!

Benedicit starred in Star Trek, the Fifth State, and kept coming up on the Hobbit’s interviews and so did Sherlock so I googled the show, then saw a few scenes, then saw the final season’s sean where Sherlock jumps off a rooftop, and next thing I know the Hobbit mania was pushed aside by Sherlock mania which had me up watching the six 90-minute episodes until dawn!

The show, Sherlock, is simply AWESOME! Its witty, funny, crazy, mysterious, and hits all the right spots for Sherlock Holmes fans. Why this Sherlock? Well, this new Sherlock is set in our day and time and Doctor Watson is also a blogger writing about his friend’s cases in his very own blog! How about that for a twist? Both Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch performances were excellent and I can totally see what the hype is all about, finally something to look forward to on TV!

Now the big reveal of season three is coming up on new year’s day which shows how Sherlock survived the fall and I cannot wait for 2014 to arrive so I could watch it. You still have time to catch up on the show and wait for 1 January to see what happens and how Sherlock lived, I believe I’m lucky I didn’t have to wait for an entire year to know that!

Have you seen Sherlock? How do you think he survived that fall?

Craving a Ginger Bread House

Walking down Selfridges aisles, laden with holiday decorations and treats, my eyes stopped at a display of luscious-looking ginger bread houses, dripping with white icing and dotted with chocolates, candy pieces, and even pretzels! I stopped in my track and began looking longingly at the huge house, gulping back my urge to seize the biscuit creation and tearing its walls apart, Godzilla like. I now remember something I’ve always wanted and never really had all these years, I want my very own ginger bread house! 

I vaguely remember ginger bread houses in Kuwait during the 80′s but I could be mistaken, it could be only houses from my imagination while reading Hansel and Gretel, or Jameel Buthaina as they are called in Arabic. However, whenever I’ve seen one abroad I did want one, a big biscuity sugar doused one, all for me and me alone, with no one else to share. I even fantasised about starting to eat it, where would I begin -the roof!- and whether or not would I find a treat inside? Would I be able to finish it all in one go? Would it go stale? can I finish it on my own? Can I protect it from other greedy people eyeing up my candy house?

So why didn’t I get one of my own still? Well, first they always came in big sizes and would require me to lift them up and drag them around. Now I’ve seen some miniature ones though, I didn’t reach out for them for I have this deep suspicion that they will not be touched. That I would deem it too pretty and let it sit there until the biscuit is all hard and I couldn’t break it apart. I wonder how it tastes though!

Why don’t we have local businesses in Kuwait making these? They are so cute! They can come in plenty of sizes and shapes and they don’t have to be ginger bread flavoured! How about a saffron and cardamom biscuit tent? Why not? Really why not? Imagine little ginger bread houses as giveaways on, say, a new year’s party! Those would be awesome!

Have you ever attacked a ginger bread house on your own before? Do you know how to make them or know someone in Kuwait who makes them?

Recipe: Pear and Berries Salad

This is not a recipe per say, its just a salad I tossed together because I didn’t want the fruits in my fridge to go bad and added a few bits and pieces there. Salad, especially with berries, is more of a summer or spring dish than winter which you’d want to keep warm in with a chunky vegetables soup and crunchy pieces of bread. Perhaps some melted cheese and rubbed garlic on that bread. Mmm… in any case, I don’t mind salads in the winter at all and this berries and pear salad with warm cheese and warm caramelised nuts would add a bit of colour to those grey afternoons. 

You can have this salad tossed up in five, ten minutes max provided that your leafy greens and fruits are washed and your dressing is ready. What will you need?

Ingredients for two:

A handfuls -or 1 cup- of mixed lettuce leaves, the ones with different shapes, shredded roughly by hand.
1 medium pear, sliced.
A handful of strawberries, chopped.
A handful of raspberries.
10-15g of walnuts, chopped.
10-15g of almond slivers.
Agave Syrup or sugar for caramelising the nuts.
50g Goats cheese or Feta cheese or any sharp soft salted white cheese would do.
Vinaigrette dressing, you can Google it or buy it.
Balsamic glaze available in TSC.

 

Wash and tear the lettuce by hand and place in the serving bowl. Top with strawberries, raspberries, pear slices, and toss lightly with a spoonful of the Vinaigrette dressing, careful not to crush the raspberries into mush as you do so.

Next, in a small non-stick frying pan add the nuts and a bit of sugar or the agave syrup and toss lightly until the nuts are all covered in sugar and are nicely caramelised. You’ll know they are done when the sugar/agave turns into a lovely shade of burnt gold. Keep an eye on it and be careful for it can burn in a blink. Once done, top the dressed salad with the nuts, chunks of cheese, and then drizzle the balsamic glaze et voilà! Lunch is served.

I love this salad. I could live on it for an entire week! Each bite is both sweet and savoury, soft and crunchy, juicy and brittle. I’ve spent this December craving it, making it, and of course devouring it. I should warn you, if you like it it might become quite addictive.

Do You Go on Rides in Amusement Parks?

Growing up, there was no equivalent to the electrifying delight I felt on a thrill ride -or a roller coaster- in a theme or amusement park. I always went for the most scary and dangerous looking ride, stood in line forever, and then screamed my lungs out until my throat was sore. I adored the fear, the moment of Uh-oh regret when you are just about to plunge or speed, the wind that tackles your face, and the tears of laughter as you tumble off afterwards and head to see your goofy face on the ride’s monitors while the adrenaline rush still pumps your blood so hard, you can actually hear the blood flow in your ear veins.

I was always told by the elders in my family that one day I will not be able to go on rides anymore. I laughed it off, there were plenty of old people queuing for those thrill rides and I could easily envision myself, a sixty-years-old funky grandma standing in line with her grandchildren waiting to go on yet another adventure. My only problem was having a partner who would do ride on those game with me as I wasn’t fond of going on them with a total stranger and going alone felt a bit pathetic to me back in the day.

Then one day when I was in my late twenties, I went on a silly ride in Al-Sha’ab park and it wasn’t even scary, but after I got off I felt quite light-headed afterwards, like my brain had somehow been shaken too hard and now it was hitting the sides of my skull, which of course hurt a lot. I took a moment to breathe then I tried to go on another ride but my stomach couldn’t handle it either so I didn’t, with an astonished feeling of dread building inside me. A year later I tried to go on a thrill ride again but, alas, it seems now that whenever I go on a scary ride that tumbles away in the air a little too fast, I would get the same feeling in my head which causes my stomach to be sick and I knew, with the most painful heart-wrenching feeling ever, that my riding days were behind me, and I will be the cool grandma queuing with her grandchildren despite the protests of their parents no more.

I used to be especially fond of the “ship”, one that would go from side to side, gaining a bit of altitude on the way up. I’d go on it three or four times between thrill rides, just for the fun of it. I can still ride the bumper cars though, but I stopped bothering once I got my driving license at 18 and could stop pretending I was really driving a car.

What a pity, I guess the older people were right and time did catch up with me after all. I wonder why I feel that woozy when I go on rides now? I miss my adventurous days and I always feel a pang of envy whenever I see screaming youthful people going on thrill rides and screaming their lungs off, releasing all the negative energy into the air and replacing it with laughter and exhilarating euphoria, the way I used to enjoy it before.

Do you love to go on rides? Did you ever, like me, stop being able to go? Why? Oh and enjoy it if while you can and spare me the fear, nothing will happen to you, have fun!

Eat & Glow’s Healthy “Nutella” Spread

Because I spend most of my weekend evenings for the past few months lurking in farmers markets and looking for delicious, lip-smacking culinary local creations, I’ve somehow come across Eat & Glow’s booth once or twice but never was able to purchase anything from them for it was either too crowded or I was out of cash. Then one day while checking Eat & Glow’s instagram account I came across their version of a giandujaa, or as they dubbed it “Healthy Nutella”, for its a much lighter version of hazelnut and cacao spread with much less butter and minimal usage of sugar, if any. 

Only last week did I get the chance to grab myself a jar and only last weekend did I manage to grill some peaces of toast and pop open the jar, heaping knife-fulls of the gianduja spread onto my crunchy toast and spreading away.

The gianduja spread glided smoothly on the bread surface, then was joined by juicy raspberries and a mint leaf to complete the look.

And that was good!

If you are expecting the Gianduja spread to taste anything like Nutella they you will be very disappointed. It is delicious on its own but extremely low on sugar and -thankfully- doesn’t have that Nutella aftertaste that I hate, the nutty one like you’ve just downed a cup of pureed hazelnuts. I would recommend you have it with some peanut butter and/or bananas instead of strawberries or berries for the sweetness in the bananas would complement the subtle nuttiness of the Gianduja spread perfectly, and almost, guilt-freely!

Eat & Glow only sell their healthy products in Shakshooka Market so keep an eye out for the hashtag #ShakshookaMarket in instagram and follow Eat & Glow’s account to know when are they going to sell their goodies next (@EatandGlow). Wishing you the best of luck girls!

New Raspberry Trifles from Dallah Bakery

My friends over at Dallah’s bakery sent me a very early sneak preview item that is yet to be launched in a few days time, something I’ve seen a sneak peek of a while back and I couldn’t believe my luck when it arrived in a big chilled box on my door for I was the first to try it out. 

Dallah had shared a picture of raspberries on their instagram account a while back and when I saw it I knew I couldn’t wait for the new dessert to be here. Combine Dallah’s taste with raspberries and a trifle, and you know how excited I was to be holding that box of little trifles. Better yet, my opinion on those trifles being the first one to try them was accounted for by Dallah! How lovely is that?

The raspberry trifles come without whipped cream on top but with lots and lots of custard and crushed raspberry layers to compensate. The little crunchy crushed wafers come on the side in little containers so you could pour as much as you like just before serving, which in turns ensures they don’t get soggy while waiting in the fridge before serving.

I personally loved the raspberry trifles they way they were, luscious and berry-licious! I do think there was one teensy thing missing and I did give my opinion to Dallah and I know by the time its actually officially out for sale it will be a hit like all other Dallah’s products.

Now for the other Dallah product that I received, The Damlooj, which is Dallah newest item in the menu and was officially released only one week ago.

What is Damlooj? Well, damlooj is a cousin of the baklava, rolled pastry stuffed with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, and walnuts then fried and topped with powdered sugar.

Dallah’s damlooj was crunchy, fragrant, and for a deep fried little finger-dessert it was quite light and not oily at all! If you like damlooj, or if you’ve never tried it before, then you should give Dallah’s damlooj a try. Personally I’m more of a raspberry trifle person than a damlooj person but there are things that go so well with Arabian coffee and damlooj is certainly one of them.

Thank you Dallah for making my day with those lovely goodies! Thank you again for taking into account my opinion on your high-quality products. I cannot wait to see what more surprises do you have in store for us! Keep up the good work guys!

Dallah’s damlooj is now available for sale while the raspberry trifle is coming out very soon. To order from Dallah or for more information you can pass by their store in Kaifan Co-op, call them on 99989824, email them on DallahKuwait@yahoo.com, follow them on Twitter on (@Dallah), or follow them and their delicious pictures on Instagram on (@DallahKuwait).

Movie Review: The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug

If you didn’t know already, I’m a big LOTR fan. I spend weekends watching the extended editions of the LOTR trilogy, back to back marathon style. When The Hobbit came out last year I thought it was brilliant and naturally I couldn’t wait for the second Hobbit movie to come out. When it finally did, watching it on the second day of its release instead of the first was quite a stretch for my patience, but I finally settled down on my seat, butterflies buzzing in my stomach in anticipation. 

I loved the desolation of Smaug, and I thought it was worth the wait and now I cannot wait till the third and last movie in the LOTR and the Hobbit series, scheduled for a December 2014 release. As a movie it was quite good and absolutely thrilling, however, I thought the first one was much better because of many reasons.

First, this movie is much darker with barely any comical relief. There also was no songs that would steal your heart away and let you listen to them on daily basis for almost a year. Song of the lonely mountain was my morning alarm clock and I woke up to it for the past 52 working weeks. I could live without the comical side and the song, but, as far as movie adaptations go and Peter Jackson usually had the best most consistent book to movie adaptations, this movie was as far from the book events as it could be.

I was looking forward to the part Beorn but I didn’t think he would appear for only five minutes in the movies when in the book the dwarves stayed with him for weeks on end. The dwarves treck into Mirkwood could on its own take an entire movie, yet it was much less dangerous, no partying elves to lure them off the track, no wares chasing them to the top of the trees, leaving only the spiders as the source of danger. The absolute worst thing of them all was the new elf, Tauriel, played -beautifully if I may add- by Evangeline Lilly and serves as a love interest for both Legolas, which doesn’t appear in the Hobbit in the first place, and for one of the dwarves, Kili. Peter Jackson have introduced new characters in LOTR before but they didn’t change anything if much. Tauriel’s appearance changed the initial storyline and events, and it makes me wonder about the ending, would it be changed as well for the sake of Tauriel? Even the end of this movie was a bit, jumbled up if I may say, jumping from one dilemma to the other and felt a bit too loose.

I thought Evangeline Lily did a great job, and the little love triangle was quite sweet and replaced the missing comical side, but she was NOT in the hobbit! She can’t be in the movie if she wash never in the hobbit! Why was there a need of a love triangle in the first place? The story was awesome the way it is and every time she comes on the screen something inside me screams that she wasn’t real, that didn’t happen. What happened to the best book-to-movie consistency ever? I’m not entirely sure.

If you like the Hobbit you would’ve already watched it and if you didn’t nothing will make you go see it. It is still the Hobbit, part of the LOTR world, and I still cannot wait for both the last movie and the trilogy to come on DVD so I could have a movie marathon.

Scrumptious Treats from Buttercup Cafe

The other day I was hiding at home from the sudden cold weather that descended upon us, unannounced, when the door bell rang and  two big bags bearing the unmistakable funky logo of Buttercup’s bakery. The bags were heavy with plenty of sweet treats and goodies inside which in turn means a lot of pictures and a lot of sugar in this post, you’ve been warned!

There were four different boxes, two small and two big. In the first box I found mini cupcakes in three flavours: chocolate, carrot cake, and red velvet cupcakes.

They are not overly decorated and were a bit asymmetric and kept tumbling to their side, but what they lacked in shape they compensated in taste! You cannot take another bite of those because as you bite into them they melt away in your mouth, so moist and perfectly bite-sized!

The second box had teensy little coin sized desserts in not one, not two, but six different flavours! 

The six flavours include: A chocolate brown, classic date bar, a Gianduja chocolate cheesecake so tiny it was be gone in half a bite and was very cheesecake-y!

The other three little bites were a mixed berry tart, another tiny caramel macadamia cheesecake, and my favourite: a teensy banoffee pie!

Next I tackled a jar that I’ve been eyeing ever since I got it out of the bag. It was the truffles jar, and I adore truffles!

If you have a strong chocolate craving, one of those babies would certainly take care of it for the day. The truffles are not only dusted in cocoa powder but are actually encased in a chocolate shell then rolled in cocoa powder.

Back to tackling boxes, I chose the first of the big ones this time. Inside were four different killer cakes, the first of which is a fudgy, luscious molten chocolate cake.

Perhaps the insides were meant to be melting, I didn’t heat it up before I cut into it and the weather was freezing. However, I loved the gooey nature of the chocolate inside the soft molten. You could scoop the gooey inside with a spoon!

The second dessert in the box was toffee & dates cobbler, and I love cobblers.

Even though I’m not a fan of dates at all, the melted golden toffee on top was irresistible. I did resist it though, I’m not sure how it tastes but judging by it looks I’d say heavenly for date lovers.

Next to come out of the box was one good looking Brookie!

Brookie was a brownie and cookie hybrid, the kind I would totally appreciate.

And speaking of cookies, there was a tray chockfull of cookies. Now cookies are tricky and there are very few places in Kuwait that bake good chocolate chip cookies. My favourite cookie of all time in Kuwait is Baking Tray’s cookie, and I’ve recently heard that Baking Tray’s cookie recipe is actually taken from Buttercup bakery, therefore my favourite cookie, the best chocolate chip cookie in Kuwait hands down is Buttercup’s bakery and I had a tray full of them and they were all mine!

I’m not sure what kind of chocolate chips Buttercup uses but it isn’t your usual hershy’s or Nestle’s chocolate chips. Their milk chocolate chips are chunky and quite creamy, almost like Cadbury dairy milk’s but it isn’t either. Whatever it is, I love it!

You break one in half, no matter how many days old it is, and it will still crumble away in your hands and melt in your mouth as you bite into it. Some might argue that the cookies are quite buttery but I like them buttery and gooey, chocolate chip cookies are not meant to crunch!

I can live for an entire week eating nothing but milk and cookies. Low fat milk mind you, I’m trying to watch my weight :p

If you celebrate Christmas and are looking for some cookies with a festive touch in Kuwait, Buttercup cafe can bake you customised Christmas chocolate chip cookies.

Last but not least, oh no we are still not done yet, the contents of the fourth box from Buttercups bakery were… pound cakes!

Four different kinds of pound cakes, all soft and quite moist. They weren’t very big, perhaps as big as a computer’s mouse which makes them perfect for two people sharing their afternoon tea. I didn’t try them yet, but their aroma is so good and homey. The four kinds were dates and walnuts loaf…

Chocolate vanilla marble pound cake and a low fat banana bread on its left.

And this lovely vanilla pound cake. I think its vanilla anyway, it smelled like it. I’ll try it and see.

Thank you Buttercup Cafe and owner Athbaa Alesssa for the delicious goodies! There are so many of them they are sure to last me until the next year.

Buttercup Cafe is located in Sha’ab Al-Bahry, Block 8, Al-Kindi Street. The little cafe is charming with lots of dazzling items and of course delicious baked goods on display so they are worth a visit. For more information and directions you can contact them by calling +(965)-22646635 or following them on instagram (@ButterCupCafe).