Random.... Bread pie and pitas

Here at home things are doing good the girls love spending time with Guido and Zetu.

And as you can imagine Zetu and Guido cook for them none stop make them cookies, bread patties and every single thing they ask for.


Having Zetu here I have learn many new things in the kitchen.


For instance the pita bread I finally learn to make it to perfection. First off all that oven has to be steaming hot.


Today we did a meat pie or like others would call it a Calzone.


Make the dough..for that I really have not measurements I just use 1 cup of regular flour and the rest wheat flour, she has teach me how to amazarlo the right way. I am hoping one day I can make a cook book with everything I have learn from her and give it to the girls. Nenas Abuela is not much of a cook, the kitchen scares her, however she is great in everything else around the house.

Meat pie


1 cup of white flour
3 cups of wheat flour
2 cups of warm water (nenas just pour one y amaza little by little if you need more add more)
1 envelope of yeast
4 tablespoons of olive oil


For the beef


1 pound of ground beef
2 small onions shredded
1 cup of parsley
salt and pepper to taste


Nenas Zetu mixes the flour in the middle she opens a little hole and she pours the olive oil.

Then she mixes the flour with the olive oil, once again leave a whole in the middle.

Then start adding the water and mixing little by little add the water to the point where the dough is not getting attach to the container.

On the side prepare the yeast once it has risen add it to the dough and mix and mix
Zetu teach me to take a piece and and stretch it and attach it to the container a bit higher than where the dough is.

Then cover it with a blanket and let it rise it has to pass the mark, once it does start put some flour in your hands and start making balls.

Then thin them out with a roll, fill them with the meat and close them.

Nenas this is the same way we make bread as well.

The meat pies at 550 in the oven take 13 minutes to get done.

The regular pita same 550 oven take 7 minutes to get done.

Morcilla estilo egipcio

I know many of you would not know what my tittle means but is this type of sausage we make in Colombia call morcilla and is not found where I live I have to be in a big city where they have a Colombia restaurant for me to enjoy it....but thank to Guido and Zetu I got to taste some egyptian style...called Osban is made with rice and very tasty...I just love how my inlaws bring all kind of foods from back home.

I also love the fact the kids get exposed to all kind of foods for instance so far we have had Osban and pickle eggplants those were a bit too spicy for las nenas and myself but the Osban oh boy those we love.

Normal on me I go from one subject to the other.  They brought many things with them but there are certaing things that we love for instance baba remember a while back that Guido had a pair of Carrera glasses those things are extinc now days and surely enough Guido has had those glases since about 1983 and he brough them for baba to hold them...I know baba would not wear them but would treasure them as a keepsake..and I have to admit nenes baba  looks so cute with his glasses on.

Nenes I love collection this mother pearl boxes from Egypt everytime they come or I go I make sure I get myself one I absolutly love this one, I guess I will give them to you guys when you guys get older.

And now to Baby Amir nene  you being eating a great deal hard to keep up with you but at least Guido gets to give you the bottle.

Gamila you love your baby brother but can be a bit rough with him at times so we have to keep our eyes very very open with you since you tend to be a a bit rough I think you confuse the baby with one of your baby dolls

 I had to put this picture there so much love between them too in this pictures is just what a mother and son feel for a grandson.

2 Days later

Finally! yes after 2 days of traveling and crossing the ocean Guido and Zetu are here.

They finally made it here yesterday night, they are so happy and so are the kids, I think the girls have not stop playing since they arrived.  Wow I see that and I feel so happy for them since I did not have that when I was growing up.

Like always they brought tons of things for the kids, food, gifts clothes and so forth and seeing them up their bags and sharing everything with the kids makes me happy.

Meeting Amir they are so happy of seeing him is hard to resist a baby.

I am hoping the next couple of days I can recuperate a little of sleep with them here.


Today we went to the Dr. for Samia's 4 year check up and everything is in track we are considering removing her tonsils later on this spring so let's see how that goes, Samia today it was confirm you are a very tall girl, hard to believe from my premature 5lb 4 oz girl I had in my arms 4 years ago, everybody told me you were petite but today they found you are 98% percentile height and weight!!! But who cares about that as longest you are healthy.


Amir today was your 1 month old check up, just like your sister SAmia you are at the bottom of the percentile between 10 and 15 percent...but little by little you will catch up my little man.  Everything else was good.

What a wekeend

We had a great weekend I think most of the people in Louisiana did the weather could not had being better, I guess after so many days of cold weather we all are enjoying ourselves outdoors.


I feel so good the week went well overall I stayed with the 3 alone and things went well, and the best part was the weekend we all went out as a family of 5 and the 3 kids did not discourages us from doing it again, however we did came to realize we need a bigger car just because they are too cramp in the back allowing Samia and Gamila to be at each other throats all the time...I can not imagine when Amir can start joining the mess baba and I will need ear muffs.


The last couple of days we spend most of the day outside mainly the girls which i love I get to have them exercise and entertain themselves and even Amir join them outside.  Samia for her birthday receive a bubble machine and they love running behind the bubbles.

On Saturday we had a princess party one of Samia's school friends had it in a awesome place if I had only know about this I will had made it there SAmia was in love with the place and so was I.  THose little girls really got a royal treatment just judge by the pictures.

When we first walk in we are greeted by 3 fairies like Samia call them, then we were usher to the dressing room...wow is a whole room full of dress up clothes the girls had a blast in there.  Then they are send to the makeup station, then the nail station. Then they  design their own crowns.


Afterwards we go and have tea and cookies then we go to a fashion show the princess get to walk and even the moms.  Afterwards we go back to the tea room for cake with ice cream to open the presents as well.  After we have eaten we go to the dance room where the girls can go wild and dance.  this marks the end of the party..I just love this place, I guess I enjoyed it as much as Samia did.


After the party Samia was so excited seeing that I was feeding the baby bottle and she wanted to help in so here you are Samia holding Amir at less than a month old feeding him.

Nenes I just though it was fun to share this with  you guys, Guido and Zetu would be arriving Wednesday Inshallah nenes always appreciate them coming here to spend time with you guys, first of all Egypt is very different than the USA they leave their house and Zuzzu to be with you guys and to spend with the 3 of you.  The funny part of these trip is that they have being fighting baba with the luggage because they can not believe they can only bring one bag each and it can not weight more than 25 kilos they are baffle with it.  


Guido not being satisfied decided to mail all of his and Zetu's  clothes and some other stuff.  Yes he is either shatra or too funny, the past couple of days I received an about 2 boxes per day...with is old stuff like he calls it, he says he prefers to loose this clothes than the gifts he is bringing you guys.

Falafel and others!

I feel this week is different for many reasons. I have being waiting nervously for the final approval for the house loan. Wow! now days they want to know your whole life story but finally we got the final OKEY!

Guido and Zetu are getting used to the routine of the girls and the house, life is so different here to what they are used to, but slowly they would get used to everything. Guido is enjoying every second with las nenas and so are they, Gamila does not want me to carry her any longer only Guido or Zetu. Samia just loves all of the attention she gets, I am so happy my nenas get to enjoy their grandparents something I never had. I only got to see my Abuela every 2 years or so and never got the chance to meet Abu's mom so only had one from Abuelos side. Baba on the other hand lived with Suzu all his life so he knows what is to have a grandma around, to this day for Suzu baba is her spoil boy.

Zetu is in charge of the kitchen, everything has to be said her cooking is great. Why is that our parents make things so much easier in the kitchen, they just have a dexterity that can only be acquired with time. Inshallah one day my nenas would think the same of me.

Guido has started helping me already with the packing today he pack for me my much beloved mud people. Inshalalh in a week we would close on the house then move. I have also had time to read a little bit, I will actually do a reading update in the next couple of days. I have also done a few craft things I have actually venture into drawing for a shirt I want to make the girls..Yes nenas you guys have me drawing something I have always fear my whole life, but that I always wanted to do.

We also ate falafel..that is something I love but it has to be fresh, once I bought one of those boxes that have the mixture to make them but they made me so sick that we never did it again. Zetu teach me to make them this time I also learn that I can always freeze portions for different days this way it makes it easier for me.

FALAFEL

Fava beans pealed in half (although I know you can also make them with chick peas)

Parsley

Dill

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Onions

Cumin

Baharat

Pita bread

Vegetable Oil

- Put the fava beans in water for 1 day for soaking.

-Take a few pieces of pita bread and put them to soak in water

- After draining the beans take the onion, parsley and dill and cut it in pieces they don't have to be small since everything would have to be grind later.

- Grind everything let it sit for about 10 minutes.

-Then add all of the spices to the grind mixture.

-Once you are ready to fried them smash the bread and mix it with the falafel then make little balls or patties.

- Make sure the oil is hot, put the little patties in the oil and flip them around couple of times, wait till the color gets brown take them out and ready to be eaten.

Nenas Guido and Zetu brought dolls for each of you, Samia's yours has a purple dress, Milo's yours has the pink dress the best part is that they sing to Nancy Agram's music, so now we all hook in her song Shater ( my spelling must be wrong but is a nice rhythm song)

Milo you have being a bit sick this days but with a little honey and lemon you are okey now.

Lighst, Camera, Action NEW YORK

For starters I will advice you to sit down with a nice glass and lemonade because by the the end of the post you will be tired from traveling and running around with us and our journey to New York.



Nenas we pass by the first place I lived after I left the NYU dorms the area is called Jackson Heights a mix community although allot of Colombians, I used to live in the second floor. This was just a 10 minute walk to the subway or I could always take the bus, but walking becomes a natural thing when you live in NYC.








Afterwards we drove by my second home this place was a little a farther away from the subway so commuting to school and work was a long way, I can still remember waiting for that bus at 6:30 AM with snow or sleet freezing while I waited for that bus. Nenas nothing in life is easy, but when we work hard for things the gratification is greater. While I was taking pictures of the bus stop I felt so good that I did not give up and quit school I stick it out no matter how cold, or how long I had to walk.

Then we went to a nice Colombian restaurant in Roosevelt Ave. actually we went to the place we eat the last time before we drove down to South Carolina, I still remember Osha and Maria a couple of friends from New York met us there at around 6:00 AM to have breakfast with us and say goodbye. I think Queens is the only place after Colombia that you will find so many Colombian restaurants to eat at you can find bakeries, restaurants, bars is just hard to decided..


Samia you could not believe your eyes seeing so many cars and people walking in the street. I guess now that I am a mom I took the time to look around and see that life is not easy in NY for children, is amazing how you see this 3 years old crossing streets carrying umbrellas and hustling between the crowd. I also saw a little girl she could not be more than 9 walking from school alone crossing a mayor intersection. Although I love NY I could not have Samia or Gamila do that now, maybe because I am living where I am now and I get to see that life for children is better here. Everything still the same, people walking everywhere, children playing handball in a park in top of a busy street, however I did notice more graffiti in the streets and the crowd of people around Roosevelt has change.

Then we drove to Astoria that was where babathru the first dinner we went to eat, it was funny it was our first date and we had drive around for a while so we decided to stop and have something to eat. While we are eating baba's uncle decides to call and invite us over his apartment to watch a movie and eat popcorn. It was just so funny we wanted to be alone and he is inviting us. Then we drove by the apartment building baba used to live, then to the apartment we moved it after getting marry the same thing


After all of these driving around we headed towards the hotel to take a rest and then hit the city at night. I just wanted to take Samia to all of the places I used to go after work, but I had one place in mind that was Toys R Us in Times Square I will always go inside that store when I was single and admire it, now I had my nenas with me.

What can I say Times Square is breathtaking at nights the lights all over the place, people posing for pictures, people dancing in the street, food all over the place, people selling tickets for Broadway, just by walking there you can feel the rush from New York, the energy that you can only feel there, people watching the NBA game in the middle of the street with lounge chairs, you will see the unthinkable in New York and specially in this area.

Samia you could not believe your eyes inside Toys R Us you did not know which way to look what to touch, even baba was all over the place. Gamila you were still small I guess you were just excited by seeing so many people and things.

While we were there we also run into the set of a movie being filmed, once I saw the trucks I knew right away they were filming something that is something I miss, just walking down the street and knowing that in a couple of months you will see this in the big screen.

There are so many things, so many places, but nenas when you guys get older we will go again and I will explain in details so many things we did in NY.

The following day was the big arrival, we waited the whole day drove around again went to see some places we used to go to, I have to say I remember Amira so much there so many places her and I went to in NY she just love the shopping there. One thing I found new that was not there before we left was the Boca Juniors corner, nenas you will understand that by the time you grow up. Boca Juniors is the soccer team from Argentina that we are fans of because of Nono and here it is.

Baba also drove me around my beloved Indian neighborhood, maybe I was Indian in a prior life I just love that place, the stores, the jewelry places, the food etc.

I think this couple of pictures describes what Samia and Gamila felt this couple of days.

Then came the time to pick them up, Samia was anxiously wating for Guido and Zetu she even came up with a Zetu and Guido song/dance. After arriving we had to open the luggage and try to organize it since there was so many bags, the amount of food they brought can not be describe, nenas you guys would not believe how much stuff they brought back, nenas you will also become accustom that when we travel to Egypt or Colombia you bring the unthinkable. Is insane you have to be a foreigner to understand why we bring lemons from Egypt or pita bread, or pastrami, or cookies, dill, grape leaves YES everything passes thru customs hard to believe but it just happens. I think over all we had 6 luggage's and 5 hand bags plus the car seats.

There are so many other things to post mainly all of the keepsakes they brought back from baba's and Amira.