Untitled - Poem

Here, here is where I find myself 

in a strange place of desperation 

wanting to feed on your integration 

but we are apart

separated by the silence of knowing that we do not know

we do not know the answer 

but why do i continue to ask you say

the reason for my delay 

is that i want to say that i know why 

but this i do not

a penny for every thought and a dollar for every lie

this is why 

at this late hour my tears cause me to cry 

cry out with the words that will not make it past my mind

in my memory i know this

in my voice i speak this 

and so when you ask me why i feel so desperate 

so much like left and abandoned

why cant i just get it together

my answer to you 

does not fulfill the meaning of emptiness, that i now know, you cannot fill.

this is why.

Author: Self

Homemade Cough Syrup

Got the sniffles? Feeling a bit feverish? Believe in the saying 'A spoonful of honey a day...is good for your health?

Well if you answered yes to any of those questions, this post is for you!

Easy as a Sunday morning this recipe was introduced to me via the wonderful world of Youtube.
Eh-hem...and here goes:

Ingredients:
32 oz. Mason jar
24 oz. of honey
2 lemons sliced
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of raspberries
1 cup of cranberries

Can I just say...this is SOO easy. Just watch, you'll see. The kids can help you make it too.

1) Clean out your Mason jar, using hot water and soapy suds. You want it to be as fresh as possible. Next begin with the lemon slices. Place on the bottom of the jar and begin to line one layer of lemons on the perimeter of the jar.

2) Crush the blueberries as you drop them in, use only a bit as you will alternate as you continue.

3) Crush the cranberries by hand as well, same idea.

4) Drop the raspberries in.

5) Continue alternating until you have used all the lemons and berries up. You can of course add a bit more if you like.

Once you have added all the fruit to your heart's desire, then add the honey.

6) Pour the honey into the jar, filling all the way up to the top.

7) Put the lid on TIGHT and rinse your jar off.

8) Set it in room temp area, kitchen on counter, table, by the window...what have you.

9) Wait 2 full days and you will get you wonderful, and might I add, tasty Homemade Cough Syrup.
:-)

Ever thought your kids would have another reason to want to be sick? They will be begging for this tastiness. And as soon as they do, send the little butters right to school.

Store in the fridge for up to 20 months. (I'm not kidding. It's only honey.)

Greek? Yes, I speak American.

Two hours by plane and you find yourself smack in the middle of Athens International Airport, standing in a long line of divide: the European Union card holders on the right, those from the North American continent center and everyone else to the left. Strange how Americans always seem to find themselves somewhere in the middle of everything.

There were maybe 12 people total on the plane not including my four friends and I, three of which we met on the aircraft. Three business professionals who spoke both Arabic, Greek and American, as they called it. In the fashion industry they said and very excited about two minority women traveling from Egypt. Nonetheless they vouched for us when the stewardess’ ignored our request for extra water, because for some reason, they explained, Greek women don’t like minorities, from any country. They also engaged us in full conversation to 85% of the duration of the flight.

Thessaloniki: cultural capital of Europe in 1997.

Back to the airport. After a quick visit to the ATM we found our meandering way to the tram and jumped on the timely express: 8 hours to Thessaloniki in Northern Greece. There I had a friend waiting to collect us (many thanks to Barbie) because when traveling in Europe you are always staying either in a hostel with strangers or an apartment with a friend… of a friend.

Ahh Greece. Lovely mountains and winding streams, smoky clouds, fresh hard cheese and salami sandwiches, tziki, grilled onions and lamb meat, mythology, posh after five cocktail bars, boardwalks, magical islands.



What else is there to want? Did I mention Mount Olympus?

Yeah, well we decided that we would climb a mountain during our visit. Swam in a beautiful cascading flow of natural waterfalls too, well not really, but we did take pictures in front of it.

Traveled across by bus, train and plane all over. Awesome.

Hello Madeleine...

Who doesn't like to have a nice, soft, decadent tea cookie during the winter months, to..of course, go with your steaming hot tea. To be eaten morning, (noon) or night, I present to you, French tea cookies.

I cannot take full credit for this menagerie but I will say this recipe is tried and true and has created relatively yummy Madeleines each and every time I bake them. This recipe is very easy (even for someone like me who usually leaves the baking to my sister) and most times no grocery shopping is required. *This I like.

One exception...you should and some would say, must have a "Madeleine pan" to bake them.

The cookie should be light and airy, a bit dense (similar to pound cake in my opinion) and with a slight buttery crisp edge while remaining golden all around.

I have experimented with chocolate ones, almond, vanilla, and lemon, and the lemon are by far my favs. Buddy likes them too.

So, without further adieu...I present to you...

Recipe for Madeleine tea cookies:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cake flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 egg yokes, and 1 whole egg

1 tbsp lemon extract
pinch of salt

4 tbsp melted butter (1/2 a stick) 

some extra butter for greasing the pan, or even non-stick spray

powder sugar (optional)

             

Directions: 

 *Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter or spray your pans. Set aside.

1) Put 2 egg yokes and 1 whole egg into a large-ish bowl (everything will go in this bowl eventually). Whisk with electric hand mixer for 10 minutes.
10 MINUTES! you say?...YES.

This step is VERY important. Because there are so few ingredients care must be taken to produce high quality and delicious tiny baby shell cakes.

See the bubbles?


You should be whisking for what seems like forever and you will notice the yokes go from runny to ribbony and thick-ish. This is good. You may also notice little bubbles from all the whisking, this is also good.

I have seen other posts with many comments suggesting that there must be a special little trick to getting the classic 'hump' in the cookies. Some say refrigerate anywhere from a few hours to overnight, others say freeze the batter, I don't have the time, nor patience for all that so follow my rule and you'll likely get the hump.

2) Next you should add the extract and sugar. I usually try to do this at about the 6 or 7 minute mark in the whisking. Other times I have done it as late as the 10 minute mark and that's okay too.

*Note: You can use any kind of extract you like: lemon, vanilla, almond, coffee... and so on. Dance your little heart out with flavors. :-)

After this it gets even easier.

3) Mix your cake flour and all-purpose flours together. Sift about. Add pinch of salt.

This is the melted butter starting to brown.

4) Run to the stove and melt your butter. You can, of course also walk I suppose, but time is of the essence. Feel free to use any method you prefer for melting; microwave or stove top or even double boiler if you fancy.

5) Add the flours to the beaten yokes. Fold them in gently. The batter will deflate a bit, but hopefully not too much. I usually use a fork for this step.


All the whisking we've done should keep our little cakes afloat when baking.

6) Add your melted butter. Fold in gently.

7) Spoon the mixture into the little shell shapes. A nice size spoon should do just right. They should not be too full.

See how they're not really full? It doesn't have to be in there super perfect. As they say, all comes out in the wash.

8) Bake for EXACTLY 9 minutes. *This is what works for me since they keep cooking a bit once you take them out anyway, and we don't want them to burn or brown too much.

Taking them out at exactly 9 minutes will give a nice golden cookie. If you like them darker leave them a bit longer. I would say no longer than 10-11 minutes total.

9) Take the cookies out of the mold, they usually just slide right out the little sweets, and put them on a baking rack to cool, shell side down. You can also eat them right away (what usually happens in my house).
Go ahead and shake shake away with that powdered sugar if you like, and voila!

Fantastic little tea cookies in the span of no time at all. :-)

This recipe makes 12 cookies. Perfect for sharing, or again, eating them all right away. 

As with all things, take care in your baking. Give with love. Enjoy!

Egypt in reflection

Today there is as much culture to be seen in the museum, which by the way forbids any picture taking, here in the outskirts of the metropolis called Cairo.

Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Perhaps they don’t allow pictures because they want you to use your imagination and instead of looking through your Nokia camera phone lens, you look from within. Maybe they hope you will bring more back home if you have to retell the captivating images and experiences with your own words.

Who knows.



But here from the 38^th floor of your hotel room, as you gaze out, the thick layer of smog that chokes out sneaky sun rays coming through even on the coolest of late summer days, and the deep bellow of the mosque bells calling out a frequent reminder that now is the time for prayer brings your thoughts back to the present.

Each city takes you to another place in history, another moment in your own lifetime. With each noisy uncomfortable bus ride and every monument visit on the schedule you are placed in a span of time that is not only timeless but unforgettable.

 

No matter how many places you have traveled in the world, Egypt reminds you, every single day, that here, is a place you have not yet been.

Living in East Africa

Living in East Africa has its benefits, as well as its set backs. 
 

View of Cairo from above. See the Nile?

Pyramids of Giza.

  

This is a place where modern living meets traditional standards that are ingrained in every passing moment, every daily meal, and each sporadic run-in with a stranger. You go where you have never gone before and expect to expect absolutely nothing, you just live. And in living sometimes wander about, while other times every hour of your day is planned to the fullest extent.

Aeesh. Yumm...

There is so much beauty and mystery in life that we often feel the need to hide behind the white smoke and keep up the façade…well when that façade and the billowy smoke that created with each exhale is actually coming from my shisha water pipe, it may be about time to admit the gig is up.
 

 
 

Egypt is such a magnificent place stuffed full of foul sandwiches and eggplant dips, camel-riding nomads and BMW-driving 17-year olds. Fresh fruit markets line the streets while children run about in dusty clothes and the kind of thong sandals often reserved for foreigners on vacation. Cars toot and screech along the unmarked streets that only a local can circumnavigate and a visitor merely attempt to cross, at best. This place is so magical: the land of Pharaohs and Queens, monarchs and colonists, travelers and militants, students and heiress’, cats and stray dogs.

Sahara Desert.

Introduction

Blogging.

So, I am hesitant to begin this paragraph mostly because I am/have been intimidated by the blogging community. They seem to be a host of strange people that loathe legit human interaction and hide behind Sims characters and phony names because they cannot come face to face with their true personalities in what us non-bloggers call "the real world."

And yet, here I stand, well sit rather, conforming to this trend...using fake names and hiding my true self. Well, only half of that is true. I am a real person.

I love eating and cooking almost equally, which works out well for my host of friends around the world who drop in occasionally for a chat or quick meal or to grocery shop in my kitchen. I value the need to take risks, small ones of course, and like the rush of trying something new.

My ego is a bit fragile, in that, say when I prepare homemade chickpea burgers for the first time, I need to know if you REALLY liked them, otherwise I may not make them again. But I suppose everyone needs social acceptance on some level.

I plan to write about a lot of things: food, history, culture...but mostly I imagine this will be a spectacular outlet for the day I break away from the matrix and run off to live in a log cabin in Alaska. (*shout out to Dick Proenneke) All jokes aside, I am a funny person, funny in the strange obscure way, not the hilarious kind and I LOVE people. People watching, people mocking and such. As with all things, my topics may seem a bit random, and they will be, of course.

This blog is dedicated to my sister, whom I love and believe in.

She will will forever be the hip to my hop.

Women Vs Man Funny Jokes

FINE

This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks - this will cause you to have one of those arguments.



FIVE MINUTES

This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade.



NOTHING

This means "something," and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with "Fine"



GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrows)

This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine"



GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows)

This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care" You will get a "Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.



LOUD SIGH

This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"



SOFT SIGH

Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.



THAT'S OKAY

This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow."



GO AHEAD!

At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.



PLEASE DO

This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay"



THANKS

A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.



THANKS A LOT

This is much different from "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh." Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh," as she will only tell you "Nothing"