Danderma's Blog, page 81

Opening My NBK Camel Money Bank After One Year

Exactly one year and ten days ago I wrote a post about trying to save up in my NBK Camel Money Bank, or 7asalat el jamal as we call it in Kuwait (post). I vowed to open it one year later during this Ramadan and thanks be to god, I was alive and well just to do that the other day

To open it I had to locate the key which I had placed inside another money bank filled with foreign coins.

There’s the key, buried, waiting. Now its time.

Opening up my money bank. Thank god I don’t have to break it, it would be such a pity!

And Ta Da! The sound of the coins, all 100 fils coins, trying to rush out is exciting!

Looking at all these coins reminded me of Scrooge McDuck! A favorite Disney character of mine by the way.

How much do you think I had saved during one year? Last year it had 2 KD 600 fils inside.

12 KD 600 fils! I’ve saved an entire 10 KD during one year, that’s 100 100 fils coins! Not bad at all

What will I do with the money? I’ve decided to donate it and start saving again, all 100 fils coins again and starting this week I’ve saved 200 fils already.

Lets hope that by next year, which might be around Eid time, insha2 Allah etha Allah 3a6ana 3omor o 9e77a o 3afiya, I’d have saved more than 10 KD

What’s the most amount you’ve ever saved in a piggy bank before?

Dubai’s Pop T-Shirts at Fortune Cookie Boutique

I have a slight obsession problem with T-Shirts, I cannot resist them. My happiest moments are when I’m dressed in a T-Shirt and a pair of jeans. Earlier today I was in Salmiya and I decided to pass by Fortune Cookie Boutique. There, I found a collection of T-Shirts by an Emarati Brand Pop.

I had a hard time deciding which T-Shirt to get and finally I settled on two. The first one translates to “She Mocked My Gray Hair” and a picture of Majed. Majed, for who doesn’t know him, is a children’s magazine character from the UAE we grew up reading. You will understand it if you were from the Majed Magazine reading era

The second one says  ”Surprise Me at Least Once” with a picture of a Kinder Surprise Egg on it. Cute!

The brand Pop T-Shirts comes all the way from Dubai, UAE and is designed by Sara Al-Arif. You can check her website here (link). I’m officially in love! I wonder why I haven’t seen those T-Shirts in Dubai before? I must shop harder!

What do you think? Aren’t those T-Shirts cool? I’m very happy and I had a very hard time  choosing which ones to take. I will be on the lookout for new designs for sure. Foturne Cookie Boutique is located in Olympia mall, Salmiya. For more information you can contact them through their online store (link), facebook page (link), twitter (@FortuneCookieQ8) and instagram (@FortuneCookieQ8).

I Love Suzani’s Surprise

A few months back as I was preparing for Ramadan I have scouted a very busy exhibition and snatched, literally snatched, a black ma6ara -flask- with tea written on it. I planned to have it as part of a black and white set for Ramadan. The white Arabian coffee ma6ara is from I Love Suzani Ramadan’s collection and it arrived just before Ramdan to go with my tea ma6ara. I used both for the first time in my first ghabga of Ramdan (post) and I was in love.

Sadly this was the first and last time I’ve used my beautiful ma6ara. The next day, this happened! It just fell down out of no where, just like that, and its insides shattered into pieces :’(

Call it anything: bad luck, evil eye, envy. Whatever you label it, its already a goner and my poor white coffee ma6ara is all lonely. I was very sad, I never buy a piece for my home unless I’ve fallen head over heels in love with it first. I posted about my broken ma6ara in instagram.

To my surprise I got this gift bag last Wednesday from I love Suzani! Inside was this gift card.

What do you think is inside the bag?

A white tea ma6ara with the word tea written on it in black Swaroviski crystals to match my white coffee ma6ara! Plus, half a dozen cups for me to drink tea in them given that I drink my tea in tea cups during Ramadan. OMG!

My tea and coffee set isn’t ruined after all! My coffee ma6ara has a companion and won’t be lonely! Oh thank you I Love Suzani :*

And I’ve got a brand new Kobbayat Shay to use tomorrow to go with my tea set! Now that’s what I call amazing after sale customer service

Thank you I love Suzani. I cannot even begin to describe how I felt when I saw your bag. This must be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me :’)

You can order I Love Suzani’s stuff by contacting her by emailing q8suzani@gmail.com You can view I Love Suzani’s gorgeous collection by following her on Instagram (@ilovesuzani) or following her on Twitter (@ilovesuzani).

Review: The Pastry Shop

A few days ago I received two big brown bags chock full of baby blue boxes from a new bakery in town, The Pastry Shop.

First thing I liked about the bakery is their boxes. The color is very easy on the eye in baby blue. It has kitchen tools graphics all over the box. The logo is straight and to the point. I like their branding a lot.

The Pastry shop owner is very sweet and she was the one who delivered the treats to me. She is actually a chef herself and not someone whose dabbling with a cake mix at home trying to make ends meet. It was very nice meeting you dear

I received three pies that night. The first pie out of the box is an Apple Pie. Apple pie and I go a way back. It was actually the first thing I’ve tried -and failed- to cook when I was 12 and I made it then because I loved it so much I was craving it and tried to bake it myself.

 Its very hard finding a decent slice of Apple pie in Kuwait. Sometimes I’m hit by the craving badly and the only OK place I can find is Fudds apple pie. Not anymore gladly, the Apple pie I had today was so good, I can eat the entire thing on my own.

I got me a glass of cold milk -low fat!- and dug in. Sadly there are no pictures of the pie being eaten but only the aftermath.

That was one good slice of pie

Now for the second pie! The pecan pie.

Flaky pastry topped with crunchy golden caramelised pecans. If you are a nuts lover you will love this one for sure.

However, the pièce de résistance is yet to come. Its this killer Banana Toffee Cream Pie.

A pie with a pool of vanilla bean dotted yellow custard like cream.

Then the pool of custard like cream is topped with more light fluffy sweet whipped cream. Mountains of whipped cream all over.

If you are a cream and banana fan, then this is the pie for you. The bottom of the pie has a burnt toffee like layer topped with fresh slices of banana topped with all that fluffy cream

When you cut the pie into a slice its so soft the pie content oozes all over the plate. Mamma Mia!

That was one very good forkful of pie

What else does The Pastry Shop sell? Well, here is their menu, pies come either in one big size or in a small sized box of nine pies for the same price as a big pie. Orders must be placed a day in advance and they do cater for special requests like Dairy Free pies or special kinds of pie like Strawberry Rhubarb or Pumpkin pies. Gluten Free pies are going to be available in the future too.

When the pies arrived to me, they came with this little note.

and I have to say that I have indeed enjoyed these pies, every last morsel of them! Thank you very much The Pastry Shop. 3asakom min 3owadah and I do wish you all the best. I know you will make it big

To order your own pie you can contact The Pastry Shop on 97305858 or you can email them on thepastryshopkw@gmail.com, like their facebook page (link), follow them on Twitter (@ThePastryShopKw) or on Instagram (@ThePastryShopKuwait).

Picture of the Week: Bubbles

When I was a child I loved blowing bubbles, trying to make them as big as they would go and chasing them around. Placing them on my palm gently and waiting for them to pop. I remember when I was young I was always afraid I’d run out of bubble liquid and I was always told that if it does run out, fairy washing liquid would substitute it just fine. Well, that’s a lie, I’m talking from many disappointed experiences here.

Now I have several bottles ready and I’m contemplating trying to photograph the bubbles. I’m not sure how in photography terms am I supposed to make most of their photos. Do I need a macro lens? Would a normal lens do? A special camera setting? Given that I know zilch about photography I wouldn’t know. I want to try though so if anyone with basic photography knowledge would give me suggestions I would be more than happy to receive them

Scoop a Cone Ramadan Gift

Last week I received a big fat pink bag from Scoop a Cone while fasting.

Peeking inside, I knew I was in trouble for I couldn’t wait for iftar and dessert with tea time to arrive. Three different boxes with three different new types of ice creams were inside.

Come tea time later on that day, it was time to navigate through the boxes. The first box contained ice cream bonbons on a stick. Little tiny colorful ice cream balls, bite sized, encased in a crusty chocolate topping.

Different colors means different flavors: Strabwerry, Lemon, Chocolate, Hazelnut Chocolate, Pistachio, and their Ramadan Special “Rahash” which is made from Sesame paste.

Next came the little tiny cones. Its exactly like the ice cream bonbons but instead of a stick there is a tiny teeny biscuit cone. Less messy, more taste, and extremely cute!

Last but not least was the box of ice cream cookie sandwiches!

Two cookies with an ice cream layer in between dipped in chocolate coating and mounted on a stick.

It was good but the portion is big plus the biscuit is too crunchy for my taste. I like my cookies a bit soggy. I preferred the little ice creams because, well, I can eat as many different flavors as I want and I still end up eating just a few bites. Yum!

Thank you Scoop a Cone for the delicious Ramadan gift. Perfect for a Summer with Ramadan! Akramkom Allah and 3asakom min 3owadah

You can order these treats from Scoop a Cone by calling 23824093 or 23930607. For more information about Scoop a Cone you can check their website (link), their facebook page (link), follow them on Instagram (@Scoop_a_Cone).

The Kuwaiti Film “Asad Al-Marma” About the Late Sameer Saeed

I received the link to this video by its director Ahmed Hajji Ali Yesterday afternoon and I have to say the moment I read “Sameer Sa3eed” my eyes started watering at once. I can still remember Al-Arabi winning the Amir Cup in 1992, me eating spaghetti with cheese and watching Sameer Sa3eed running around the football field in sheer happiness, the commentator screaming ya ghazal ya ghazal. One of the moments that never gets erased from your mind.

RIP Sameer Sa3eed. Allah yer7mk o y’3amid roo7ik eljanna. Thank you Ahmad Hajji Ali for the video and the effort.

Q8 Expats Photography Club’s First Photography Exhibition

The Q8 Expats Photography Club are hosting their first photography exhibition in the Historical, Vintage & Classic Cars Museum of Kuwait. If you are an expat living in Kuwait with a passion for photography, why not participate and share your talent with the world?

For more information regarding the Q8 Expats Photography Club you can check their facebook page (link). Thank you Haroon Hashmi.

Making Waraq 3enab… and Succeeding!

A long time ago my husband expressed a wish that we try and make our own waraq 3enab bel zait -stuffed vine leaves- at home. I don’t know why given that with a single phone call you can get a perfectly find plate delivered to your house, so I ignored him, well, for over a year.

Last week I came home from work to find him had prepared the jar, the rice mix, and the pot for me so all I had to do was wrap the waraq 3enab and cook them, which is the hard part of course. Needless to say the result was what you can see above and the taste was horrible like what I had expected. Then later on at night, something, like defiance, came over me.

Why couldn’t I make stuffed vine leaves? What am I missing? I made the man go to the Co-op and buy us more jars of vine leaves, remade another round of rice (1/2 cup washed basmati rice with 1 chopped tomato, 1 chopped onion, 1 crushed garlic clove, chopped parsley and mint, and around half a cup of lemon juice and a dash of olive oil with salt and pepper to taste).

Then I took and washed the vine leaves. I always knew how to wrap vine leaves given that I’ve watched the women of my family do it all through my childhood. I just had to brush on my skills and know how much rice mix to put inside -around a table spoon only- and I was good to go. They never come out the same size though

I made a call to my grandmother just to double check how to cook the thing -my first trial was a disaster-. She was very excited and gave me a walk-through :p You take a big pot, layer it with sliced potatoes and a drizzle of oil -so they don’t burn and stick while cooking-. Layer the wrapped vine leaves, top the lot with water and lots of lemon juice and olive oil, place a big heavy weight on top so it weighs down the dish, let it cook on the stove until the water boils and then lower the heat to minimum while its cooking and keep it for around 1 and a half hour to two hours.

When the time is up just remove the weights and turn the dish upside down et voila!

 

The potatoes are so soft and drenched in the lemon olive oil sauce

And they are ready to serve!

Well, they may not look that good, but to me they looked amazing and the taste was out of this world.

The potatoes… the potatoes my god they are a little seared at the bottom and so juicy!

I’m proud. Full stop. In the end, I feel self sufficient. Frankly, I think my very own waraq 3enab is the best waraq 3enab I’ve ever tasted it in my life. I might be biased given that I made it, but I’m glad I did. I made my own waraq 3enab and it turned out divine, yay!

 

The Last of Ramadan 2012 Gergai3an Gifts

 

The last gergai3an came from my next door neighbors. A nice boqsha of wooden sticks filled with chocolate, candies, and goodies!

Thank you my neighbors ma ga9awrtaw! 3asakom min 3owadah, I hope you do read this and know how much I loved your gergai3an