Homemade Pistachio Loaf Recipe

I have adapted this recipe is taken from the Hummingbird bakery's cook book Cake Days; this is the fourth recipe I've tried and the loaf turned out s’moreish, it goes without saying that you have to be a fan of pistachios to like this so don’t bake it if your audience?!/family/customer don’t like the taste of pistachios...Or worse are allergic to them.

Pistachio Loaf Recipe

Ingredients:

190g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

190g plain flour, plus extra for dusting in my version I used brown flour, (to be healthy) and now that I’m used to the taste of brown flour I actually dislike white flour-who’d have thought?!

190g caster sugar, I just use regular sugar, the one we get here isn’t very coarse (again a helatheir option would be brown sugar)

3 large eggs

1tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

25ml sour cream 45ml if you are using brown flour *if you can’t find sour cream, (it’s not available in KSA then just add a tsp of white vinegar to equivalent 45ml of fresh cream and let stand for 5 mins)

1 tsp vanilla essence

100g shelled pistachios roughly chopped

One 8.5cm x 17.5 cm loaf tin with 7.5cm sides

OR One 3.5inches x 7 inches loaf tin with 3 inch sides

For the glaze

120g icing sugar

40g ground pistachios

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius/325 F/ Gas Mark 3,then grease loaf tin with butter and dust with flour. Don’t be skimp on the flour, it gives the loaf the beautiful brown crust on the outside.

 2. Using a hand held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachement, cream together butter and  sugar, until the mixture is soft and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the eggs and batter are properly mixed in.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour baking powder and salt.

    Divide the dry ingredients into 2 bowls.

 Tip the first bowl into the creamed mixture and whisk on slow speed until just incorporated.

Repeat with the second bowl. Next mix in the sour cream and vanilla essence.

Stir in the chopped pistachios by hand.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin.

 Place in the oven and bake for 50-60mins or until the sponge is firm on top and a skewer inserted into the centre turns out clean (it took me 63mins).

Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool a little before turning it out of the tin on to a wire rack to cool completely, before applying the glaze.

6. Place the icing sugar in a bowl; add 2Tablespoons of water and mix together. This will form a fairly runny paste, if the glaze seems to thick add a little more water 1/4tsp at a time. Stir in the ground pistachios keeping a small amount aside to sprinkle on top. Pour the glaze of the cooled loaf and sprinkle with remain pistachios.

Confession: I skimped on the glaze, as my family doesn’t enjoy glaze’s much, they find it too sweet, and so my loaf doesn’t look as glazed as it should.

Let me know how your turns out if you try it.

Enchanted by Taylor Swift's Tantalizing Tresses

I confess readers I have a bit of girl-crush on Taylor Swift. She looks like such girly girl. I absolutely love her hair, adore it, and I wish I could tame my very stubborn-mind of its own hair, into the beautiful hairstyles that Taylor has been sporting lately.I don't listen to her music, but I'm happy to see her at awards and places so that I can see which hairstyle she's sporting today.

Taylor Swift has naturally curly and I think blonde hair, and I think it suits her to a tee as country singer, don't you?

Her side swooped bangs are pretty much a part of her signature style as her curly locks.

Taylor looks just as stunning accessorizing with a delicate headband and her perfect sunshine curls gathered to one side and tumbling over one shoulder.

The faux bob has a 1920s look to it, accompanied by the bright lipstick.

Another example of Taylor exuding old Hollywood glamour in loose waves tamed into a bun.

Now for the impossible to achieve long list of updos. I'm at a loss for words, I'll let you look at them, please feel free to comment.

Don't you just love how her bangs are curled and incorporatedinto the rest of the hairstyle, how would some one who's all thumbs and lacks proper hand eye coordination ever recreate this...well, I can dream.

                                                                                          

As a bonus and in order not to disappoint some visitors who have arrived at my sight looking for turorials,

I have provided a link to a Taylor Swift curly hair tutorial, and the absolutely mind bogglingly amazing tutorial for Taylor Swift's Love Story updo tutorial 

If you liked this post, please "like" my Facebook page

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte-A review

Dear readers, I'm going to do a very short review on this book, Agnes Grey, as when I was downloading it to my Kindle(one of the best gifts I've received), I couldn't find a review, on Amazon, so I thought I should do one.

Of the 3 Bronte sisters, I think Anne Bronte is the least well known, and her writing did not engage me as much on an emotional level. This could partly be due to the fact that the book was written in a lighter tone as the main protagonist, Agnes, was of an optimistic, patient temparament. The romance started about midway, and there wasn't much of it, except for hints, and hopes, and as the gentleman was not given to flashy displays of affection or declarations of love, again there wasn't much to hold interest.

 Those who have taught students from the upper classes who are spoilt beyond hope will empathise with Agnes and realise the problem is as old as time. It amused me that students who's parents' only find fault with the teacher rather than their dear child (who has so much potential), and who forbid any sort of disciplining tactics, were to found in the upper classes of British society just as they are in the similar classes of Saudi society. I felt Agnes' pain I really did. She was so patient, her circumstances dreary, I derived no pleasure from reading about her situation, and at the end when there was a happy ending, it didn't capture my heart. I've ready many books from a similar period but this book did not inspire me like the others.

It could have easily been an non-fictional autobigraphical account of a poor vicar's good Christian daughter, who worked as a governess for a time. It has been said it is to a certain exten auto-biographical, excluding the happy ending  and some other details. Most biographies are dramatised to a certain extent to make them more interesting and certain creative license is employed, and what excuse can you possibly have not to use it when you are writing fiction-I really cannot understand. 

I suggest that readers skip this book, instead, I'd recommend the darker and much more passionate Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; it is a coming of age novel, a gothic fiction novel and romance all in one. However, if you have the stomach for a harrowing emotional novel I suggest you to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

Finally, I'd like to leave the reader with a few quotes from Agnes Grey that I actually liked:

"...we have some thoughts that all the angels in heaven are welcome to behold, but not our brother-men--not even the best and kindest amongst them."

"The ties that bind us to life are tougher than you imagine, or than anyone can who has not felt how roughly they may be pulled without breaking."

and my favourite:


"Alas! How far the promise of anticipation exceeds the pleasure of possesion!"

Uptown 966 Restaurant Review

Last Friday we decided to revisit one of my family’s favourite haunts, Casper and Gambini, as we stepped out of our car, we saw that our favourite was no more- and it had been replaced by a newbie called Uptown 966! This was a bit of a shock, comparable to the shock that you get when you go to put on your favourite feel-good item of clothing only to discover it’s been ruined in the wash.

We entered the restaurant with a bit of trepidation, hoping for the best, while I secretly dreaded the worst. Inside, the changes seemed limited to slight changes in decor, certain glass topped tables had been replaced by low black wooden tables, and the big couches were replaced by smaller individual ones, but were just as snug. We grabbed out favourite spot near the big glass window, which sort of juts out over the restaurant entrance, and although it’s in the smoking-section we breathed a sigh of relief that there were no smokers seated in the area. I love this spot because its bathed in natural sunlight, which is a rarity for most Jeddah's restaurants.

The restaurant is well-lit by natural light, and has wooden floors and panels

The menu arrived; the ‘look’ had changed: it was short booklet of recycled paper strapped onto a black card. But as I browsed through the menu, I noticed that the content was pretty much the same- with the addition of pizzas, and availability of shisha at SR42.  

A view of Andalus Street.

 

  We collectively ordered a Tomato and Basil soup, a Watermelon and Blue cheese salad, a Papaya Shrimp sandwich, and the Asian inspired Cashew Chicken, and for drinks we ordered their popular frozen Lemonade with a twist of mint and Lemonade with kiwi.

At the end our order, we asked the waiter the reason behind the name change. He politely informed us that it was a simply a change of ownership and now it was no longer part of the C and G franchise; instead it was now fully locally owned. He then reassured us that 90-95% of the menu was the same as before as well as the staff, and-crucially the chefs (so we need not worry).

Our Friday lunch tends to be rather late, so when they served us the assortment of bread with butter and tapenade, I devoured it much like a vampire does its prey. My favourite is the soft spongy bread which they serve while it’s still warm.

The tomato and basil soup arrived in a huge bowl, garnished with croutons and accompanied by a mini Panini bread/bun. This was not just a starter; it was a meal in itself. I sampled it and tasted lovely, the tomatoes were roasted then and pureed and seasoned with the right amount of basil, and a bit of cream/cheese to add depth.

The watermelon and blue cheese salad was beautifully presented in the form of a giant flower, the endive lettuce came in quite useful to create the flower petal effect, and pink of the water melon added colour, and julienne cut green apple added crunch and sweetness.. This salad is an acquired taste; the blue cheese dressing is tangy and at times slightly bitter, with a strong flavour and may not be everybody’s cup of tea so to speak. 

I forgot I wanted to take a photo of this and started eating..yes I was very hungy!

The papaya shrimp cold sandwich was filled with succulent shrimp with a tasty sauce; it was accompanied by choice of either fries or salad, as we had ordered a salad we’d chosen fries.

The Cashew Chicken is served in a big bowl ideal for sharing, it is comprised of basmati rice flavoured with assorted spices, topped with crunchy slices of stir fried veggies, a generous helping of fried/roasted cashew nuts, round chicken pieces coated in batter and fried, and finally, topped off with an upside down fried egg, garnished with soya sauce! It may sound like a strange combination, but it works, and needless to say it is a very filling dish with a variety, of textures, and flavours that complement and satisfy.

Once we had finished our meals the waiter politely asked us if we’d like some tea or desserts. As we were having trouble deciding which tea we’d like, he brought over two boxes: One box contained labelled test tubes which contained different types of teas. You could select which ever tea suited your fancy, and pick out the corresponding teabag from the second box. 

Between we chose green tea, earl grey, and ginger calm. The ginger calm tastes and smells as exotic as it sounds.

To conclude , the bill came to SR331, and I felt it was worth every riyal.

As we left the restaurant with a smile on our faces, and I thought to myself, our favourite wasn’t lost after all: a new name but the same great taste!

To stay up to date with more reviews like these , like my Facebook page.

Orange, Almond, and Yoghurt Loaf Recipe with photos

Dear Readers, this is my first recipe post, and for some reason I'm very excited!

First of all, let me say this recipe is taken from the Hummingbird bakery's cook book Cake Days; it was a sweet gift from a sibling who knows I spend too much time searching for recipes online, and I'd like some tried and tested ones. Well, this is the third recipe I've tried and the loaf turned out scrumptious, if I do say so myself,its been very well received.

P.S Sorry the photos turned out a bit dark, I need to work on my photography skills.

 So without further ado, let me get on with the actual recipe.

Orange, Almond and Yoghurt Loaf Recipe

Ingredients:

190g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

190g plain flour, plus extra for dusting in my version I used brown flour, (to be healthy)

1 tbsp finely grated orange zest

190g caster sugar, I just use regular sugar, the one we get here isn’t very coarse

3 large eggs

60g ground almonds

1tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

25g plain yoghurt if you are using white flour, 35g if you are using brown flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

10g flaked almonds.

One 8.5cm x 17.5 cm loaf tin with 7.5cm sides

OR One 3.5inches x 7 inches loaf tin with 3 inch sides

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius/325 F/ Gas Mark 3, then grease loaf tin with butter and dust with flour. Don’t be skimp on the flour, it gives the loaf the beautiful brown crust on the outside.

 2. Using a hand held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachement, cream together butter, sugar, orange zest and until the mixture is soft and fluffy. 

Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the eggs and better are properly mixed in.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour ground almonds, and baking powder and salt.

Almonds in grinder

Ground almonds

      Divide the dry ingredients into 2 bowls.

 

Tip the first bowl into the creamed mixture and whisk on slow speed until just incorporated. 

 

Repeat with the second bowl. Next mix in the yoghurt and vanilla essence.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.

 Place in the oven and bake for 50-60mins or until the sponge is firm on top and a skewer inserted into the centre turns out clean (it took me 63mins).

Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool a little before turning it out of the tin on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve on its own, or with a cup of tea, or mug of coffee.

Bon Appetit!

Enjoy and let me know how it turns out for you. 

Attitude to Work- Japanese vs Middle Eastern

I've posted this while running the risk of stereotyping, but anyone who has worked in the Middle East will tell you how often it is true.

'Wallahi' can roughly be translated into I swear by God, it is overused as an oath and thus loses its intended value to emphasise truthfulness or sincerity. In this context, it can be taken to mean for God's sake.

'Ya' translates to O, it is used before a person's name, for e.g 'O Misha, open the door' , or 'O sister, open the door'. 

'Habibi' translates to dear in the masculine form, it would habibti, if you were referring to a female; in this context it is used in a patronising manner. In which case, you usually want to reply don't habibi me, I'm not your habibi- much like how you would say don't call me baby- I'm not your baby ala Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada.

This just reminded me of Madison Avenue's song of the same name, which I've linked to above. I know this isn't the most well-thought out post, but hey I'm just practicing putting stuff out there. Hopefully, it will get better with time. As always reactions and comments are welcome.

A special shout out to a very sweet reader and blogger who made my day today Izdiher, thank you so much, and I love you too!xxx

*Update*-This is one my most read post, people ususally arrive at this post searching for differences between Middle Eastern and Japanese attitudes to work. Why would you want to search for that? Is it part of some Human Resource Management/ Organisation Behaviour  assignment given to students all over the world? I'm intrigued, please lift the veil from this mystery by commenting on why you were searching for the above/or how you arrived at this post- it'll be immensely satisfying to my insatiable curiosity. Thanks in advance!


For more crazy posts like these, follow me on Facebook

The 'Voice' of My Blog sounds like Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail- okay in my dreams

 Dear Readers,
I've been reading tips on how to improve my writing/blogging style, and apparently you have to a 'voice' which sets the tone of your blog. Now, while I sat there thinking of what I wished the tone of my blog to sound like, I remembered one of my favourite movies:You've Got Mail, and how every time I watch it I relate to Meg Ryan's character and love the way she writes her emails, and generally expresses her thoughts. That, dear readers is what I'm aiming for-in my mind, at least. When I get comments, I get nearly as excited as when MR gets mail-seriously!

 

I've got a comment- I mean email

The other problem I have is of consistency, I can do one post in one voice,say Rebecca  Brandon nee Bloomwood  all girly and lighthearted, straight out of a chick-lit, (again that is it what it sounds like in my mind); and then my next post will I will sound all moody and broody like a vampire of your choosing.

 If I went to a meeting looking like this, would people mistake me for Elle Woods?

Damon: Stefan, you should start blogging, keeping a diary is so 1864
Stefan:I dunno, The Vampire Blogs just doesn't sound the same

I tend to have a number of not necessarily logically related things to say, but I find them interesting and I hope others do to. I wish my blog would end up being an interactive conversation with its readers so that it sounded like the dialogue of  Before Sunrise/Before Sunset movies with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

I also tend to blog very late at night, which means I'm not really myself- helps the whole internet alter-ego image, I guess. A friend of mine and reader, says it shows, so I'm going to start editing posts in the clear light of day. 

I also need a volunteer editor, I can't seem to spot my own mistakes, and the spelling and grammar checker is not working on blogger- very embarrassing to find my blog is covered in typos and worse. I have to first type in Word and then copy paste into blogger, which I find annoying as I like to insert photos and links as I type. It helps the flow of my thoughts. Please share errors, so I can fix them, I won't be offended, positive criticism is how we learn.

What do you think of my blog's voice tone?

Do you have a voice/ or tone for your blog, please do share it with us.

Dining at Durrat China, Al-Hamra, Jeddah, Review

This Thursday night as our family wondered what to have for dinner, I had a craving for Chinese and as the closest option to us was Durrat China we hurried over as it was already midnight. We went upstairs and were shown a table but we requested the corner table which is has windows on two sides. To preserve local traditions the windows are adorned with a decorative gauze curtain. We asked for the curtains to be opened so that we could take in the view. Jeddah looks like a city of golden lights. The street lights glittered, and the traffic along the street next to the restaurant and all along Al-Andalus street glimmered and you felt the city was alive and well, thriving at midnight. The Masjid Al-Anani (popularly known as the ‘Golden Mosque’) is right opposite the restaurant and its golden dome stands majestically and adds the view. 

Back to the restaurant, inside the decor is elegant with great big chandeliers, and red wallpaper, and plush sofas seats, as well as normal chairs.  As we were taking in the view a waiter brought us the menu. We chose 2 Thai soups, a Hot and Sour Soup, Beef with Dry Chilli Sauce, Prawn Tepayanki (Sizzler), Prawn Fried Rice and Shanghai noodles. We ordered apple cider and Pepsi as dessert, if your party includes more than 3 individuals or if you are very thirsty, I recommend their jug of ‘Saudi champagne’ cocktail.  The waiter also gave us the option of whether we wanted our food very hot/spicy or not.

Once we had ordered the waiter brought us finely chopped veggies soaked in white vinegar served in individual tiny bowls. Once we were the finished the bowls were promptly taken away. Soup was served shortly after. I really enjoyed my Thai soup, they put in a generous amount of Thai ginger, as well prawns, and I felt it wards off any sign of cold or flu that you may have. The Hot and Sour soup was also well received. We asked if they had any Chinese crackers (available at certain other Chines restaurants), or something similar, but were disappointed to find they didn’t. 

The mains arrived before I was even finished with my soup (but the rest of my party were), the Prawn Tepayanki the ‘sizzling’ dish was served with much fanfare and clanging of lids rounded off by the waiter exclaiming ‘Yummy!’ I suggest that if you have kids, that you definitely order and a sizzling dish because they usually taste scrumptious and the little performance entertains and entices the little ones to eat. The mains were all well received and there was silence at our table as we all devoured the meal hungrily. 

My only complaint was that the prawns lacked their original prawn taste, but the sauce did compensate for that. I’m not certain as to reason, were the prawn frozen, or naturally lacking the prawn taste, I don’t know. The Shanghai noodles did not taste like an authentic Chinese recipe, but as we enjoyed it, I wouldn’t complain; whatever variation had been made was a positive one. The bill was SR350, for 3 people, I felt that on the whole it was an enjoyable meal, though just a little overpriced. Considering other restaurants in Jeddah that are much more overpriced and the food really disappoints, I was happy with my choice of Durrat China. Would I be going again? Yes.

Tribute to Steve Jobs-Creative Genius

Photo credit:Jonathan Mark Long
The man who changed the way we view technology, from computer, to smart phones, to tablets, he brought colours an aesthetic appeal in design, and ease of use, a true creative genius and commercial success.
When a graphic design student, Jonathan Mark Long, from Hong Kong  heard about Steve Jobs' death he made this logo as a tribute, and it has truly captured the heart of Apple fans across the world.

Another interesting article, in a local newspaper, the Saudi Gazette is about Steve Jobs' biological father, who is of Syrian origin. The genetic influence is obvious, but the fact that he was given up for adoption, while his sister wasn't due to a change in circumstances, must've been hard to accept.

Saudi Arabia Five Funny Things I Just Don’t Get

*Disclaimer: I love Saudi Arabia and its wonderful people; this post is not meant to be offensive, or judgemental about anyone or their culture. It is written for the purpose of light hearted entertainment, and if someone reads it they might be able to shed some light on the matter ....*

WHY?

1. When a couple dines out, more often than not they sit next to each other, rather than opposite each other. I always thought it would be easier to talk if you are facing one another, (Please get your mind out of the gutter; overt p.d.a is not an option in Saudi.) Although you see less of this seating arrangement now, it still happens.

2. When someone bumps into you by accident etc, instead of saying ‘Sorry’ or انا اسفه / انا اسف, people often say ma3lesh which basically means it’s okay-no problem/no harm done, for a while this used to really aggravate me: Excuse me! I will be the judge of that, I’m the ‘victim’ or aggrieved party here. But as it’s said with a smile, and some (hey chill out dude) gestures, you get used to it and just accept it, as instead of sorry, but deep down you know that it doesn't really mean sorry, although some people including Google translate it as forgive me, you know. It is a malady that can affects the whole culture and create a somewhat irresposible attitude to things, it can be found in Egypt as well.  Again, I’ve noticed the younger set has switched to the English- "Sorry" or its Arabic equivalent. 

3. When strict segregation of sexes is practiced everywhere but  male gynaecologists are common. You would think all the male ob-gyns would be unemployed.

4.We have male lingerie salesmen, see above-thankfully this is slowly being phased out.

5. Bedouin women, who live in the villages/desert can drive-yes, they can and do; while urban women can’t. It seems they are far more modernised. It has been said that they can take care of themselves, as they carry guns. I guess it’s high time designers such as Gucci, LV, and Burberry introduced their own line of revolvers, and pistols,  the empowerment of urban Saudi ladies depends on it! Until then will a BB gun do?

 Remember if you are here, please drop me a line to let me know, what you think of this post or my blog in general.