Have you seen the muffin man?

 Hello Everyone,

And for all you moms, can you finish the famous Mother Goose rhyme,  otherwise we can't crown you the title of domestic goddess! But just in case you forgot, I'll finish it up for you: " Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man the muffin man?". Well....do you? Before you answer that question, I decided to do my homework, as any domestic goddess would, and actually found out that dear old Mother Goose was not the genius behind the famous children's rhyme. Instead it comes from English origin used to describe how fresh food use to be delivered door to door in old Victorian times. And that muffins were not your typical cupcake shaped pastries we know them as today, but instead refers to freshly baked bread. I was so intrigued by this historical fact, I just thought I'd share with you other moms, just  in case your child ever asked! Now, can you answer my original question, " Do you know the Muffin Man?" If not, I'll show you his picture instead! Today, he decided to venture into the world of baking and make blueberry muffins. I wish we could have been more creative and post a recipe of how to make them from scratch, but we took the short cut ( yes, I know domestic goddesses all over would be looking down at me in shame) and simply added water and eggs to the pre-packaged mixture. However, that did not prevent us from having fun as we cracked eggs, mixed, licked the whisk upon completion and tasting yummy blueberry muffins!

Taking his mixing quite seriously

He had to lick the whisk insisting, " this sucker is good."

Posing for pictures once he was done

Popsicle Making Fun ( or Mess?)

 Hello Everyone,
 Since being at my parents' house I found myself with a lot more time to find new activities to try with Layth, blog and spendtime with both friends and family. There is something about not having to worry about your average household duties that really allows you to spend more time on other things, such as, enjoying yourself ( a true domestic goddess would be shaking her head disapprovingly)! For instance, I was able to catch up on the last few months of Parent Magazine ( my parents got me a subscription when Layth was six months old) I had piling up on my coffee table  as we endured the stressful move out West. And it was through reading those expired May and June magazines I found an activity so eager to try with Layth: Fruit Popsicles. Even throughout the whole process, my excitement level was much higher thanthat of  Layths', who was more interested in pressing buttons and eating the fruit! Nonetheless, it was a new experience for the both of us, and something I intend on doing over and over again; particularly, on a hot day! Before we got started, we had to run to the grocery store to stock up on a few things ie. all the materials needed to make the popsicles. While at Winn Dixie, we stumbled upon these plastic portable push up pops, intended for making ice cream cones and saving them for later." I found these to be more practical then your average wooden popsicle sticks, since it  allows the popsicles to mold into some kind of form and make less of a mess. My only regret was we did not buy more of them! I had initially bought two four packs and then returned a pack before we even got started ( we ended up making more than had expected). The bananas, strawberrries, vanilla yogart and honey were all quick to find since they were conveniently located right next to each other. Upon arriving home, eager to get started, Layth began taking out the fruit. And so, as you could imagine, while I ws doing all the cutting and the measurements, Layth treated himself to strawberries! Of course, since I was cooking in a kitchen unfamiliar to me, it took me some time to search for my parents' blender. But instead stumbled upon, " The Magic Bullet." I'd seen their advertisements countless times, but never thought to actually purchase one. This was my chance to see if it was really worth all the hype. And naturally, my parents had not yet used it, lol. In which, I do not know why, becuase it really was as simple advertised. It simplyrequires you to place your ingredients into one of the many different sized containers provided,  put it on the machine and push it down until your satisfied. It's also tidier, smaller and quieter! Layth, too, enjoyed being able to push down on the blender and feel as though he were really in control. And so, naturally, the ingredients were already cut and put into the container as they were being mixed. Within five minutes we were pouring the smoothie like mixture into the push pop containers and capping them off and placing them into the freezer. They remained in the freezer until it was iftaar time ( time to break the fast) and were immediately brought out. Of course, reluctant to try them, I had mom try one first, and when I had her seal of approval, I went on to have one of my own. Layth, on the other hand, was almost done attacking his when I had my first bite, reassuring me it was actually edible! Much to my surprise, it was really good. It reminded me of the strawberry fruit bars we would purchase at Magic Kingdom when we could go to Walt Disney World. Therefore if you're looking for something fun to do on a fun day, make popsicles!

Things You'll Need:

• One Tb of Vanilla Lowfat Yogart
• One Tb of Sugar or Honey
• A Cup Full of Freshly Cut Strawberries
• Two Bananas
• Magic Bullet/Blender
• Popsicle Sticks

Diretions:

• Cut up the fruit
• Pour all the ingredients into the blender and mix until your satisfaction
• Pour into cups, molds
• Place popsicle sticks in the center
• Freeze for about 1-2 hours
• Eat and Enjoy

 Ingredients

 The Push Up Pops

Getting Ready to Use The Magic Bullet



Pizaookies...yum!!

 Hello Everyone,
 Since having come back from ummrah, I have taken a short hiatus from my adventures in cooking and making a mess in the kitchen. Being my at my parents house and my fear of messing up their kitchen largely contributed to that short break. Again, I say, " short break" since yesterday I decided to continue my adventures and attempt a homemade " pizocookie" out of Pillsbury Cookie Dough. For those of you unfamiliar with the term " Pizookie", it is the new age term for one of the best desserts in the world. It combines the two words pizza and cookie together to describe it characteristics. It is the size of a pizza, with the great taste of a cookie. I wish I was the genius who came up with dessert and coined the term, but unfortunately, that term belongs to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse  where they began serving the famous cookie cake as their signature dessert. However, that doesn't stop many other restaurants and amateur chefs like myself from attempting the warm, delicious dessert. And so, yesterday hours before dinner I was determined to make my very own pizookie from Pillsbury cookie dough ( the only cookie dough I could get my hands on, since I don't know how to make my own). In order to complete this task I had to take Layth aka " the little lion" on a quick trip to the grocery store to grab a few things, a disposable foil pie tray, a pint of  Vanilla Haagen Dazs, and of course, Pillsbury Cookie Dough. Layth was excited to go grocery shopping regardless of how short the trip was since it implied he could ride the Car shaped grocery car. With just an hour left to dinner time, I could not have been more excited to tackle my dessert making adventure. Layth was also excited because it meant he could steal a few bites of cookie dough as  it was being prepared. My dad aka " the master chef" of the Obid Casa insisted I was making it too complicated as he saw me preparing the kitchen. First, I preheated the oven to 350, then it came to prepare the cookie dough. Normally, I would just spread it across the pan, but the instructions called for it to be thick, so I had to layer it as though I were making a pie. Of course, Layth did not disappoint as my helper trying to steal bites of the cookie dough. After laying it on thick, it was time to put the dough in the oven, and had to make sure it went in for only 12 minutes rather than the standard 18 minutes it calls for on the package. And so, at 11 minutes I was watching the clock like a hawk, determined I would not mess this up or burn it for that matter. Thankfully, my inner predatory skills kicked in, and pulled out the tray in time enough. My dad kept insisting I was reading the recipe wrong, but kept reassuring him I was not. And then, it came for the final ingredient, adding two scoops of ice cream on the warm partially cooked cookie dough.  Although I will still be running to restaurants ordering pizookies, I was shockingly not disappointed in my own attempt at making the dessert. My parents were not the biggest fans, but Layth, Randa and I were since we devoured it in minutes...well almost, we left the hard outer crust! We had to leave room for our dinner!

 Before the pie went into the oven

 Fresh out of the oven

 The final product

Comfortable, Classy and Made in Memphis!

 Hello My Fashionistas!
  After a short hiatus spent both moving and traveling, I am returning to blogging again. Tonight,  I am going to focus upon getting dressed and going out on the town while still looking effortlessly comfortable. Most moms tend to confuse looking comfortable with looking frumpy by remaining in their sweats both inside and outside of the home. While I enjoy my sweats for working out, doing household chores and occasionally traveling, I certainly do not replace them as my " going out" clothes. Some mothers might disagree with me and insist that sweats are the easiest way to remain comfortable while chasing their broad around town, I am not advocating for all moms to be dressed in heels and LBDs each time they go out. Instead I am insisting that moms can still be comfortable all while looking stylish; and so, for a night out at the pier with both my mom and sister I wanted to look cute. But knew I'd be meeting up with my dad and toddler for dinner, and needed an outfit that would give me some flexibility to chase him around should we do anything afterward. Keeping this in mind, I paired a pair of Anlo dark faded cut off skinny jeans with a transparent chiffon button down Juicy Couture top.  After having chosen both my top and pants, I found an old but lightly used pair of multi color Matisse flats to add some color to my outfit. In the end, I felt both classy and comfortable for a night out. I was also shocked to realize that all items of my outfit were purchased in Memphis, and so for all you Memphians who complain there isn't any good place to shop, you're just not looking hard enough! Memphis is filled with bunch of independent boutiques that are sure to be right up your alley!

Top: Juicy Couture- Purchased from Indigo, Memphis, TN
Tank: American Eagle- Purchsed from Memphis, TN
Jeans: Anlo- Purchased from Isabella, Memphis, TN
Shoes: Matisse- Purchased from Peria, Memphis, TN
Purse: Louis Vuitton- Purchased Brand New w/tags from Sugar Plum Consignments, Memphis, TN

Retuning to Cooking

Hello Everyone,
If I have not already driven you crazy with complaints and updates surrounding this move, here is some more news regarding that same subject! For the last month, aside from making Layth his quick meals, I have been giving my pots and pans a rest as they have sat comfortably clean in my cabinets. Even when we were busy trying to empty our fridge, freezer and panty, we made sure we only had a few pots out before packing up the rest. And then when Chafeek's mom ( we could not have survived this move without her) came to help with Layth as we prepared for the move, she also did some late " spring cleaning" with my pots and pans, throwing out some she thought had already reached their final cooking days. Her visit also allowed me to focus on packing, taking Layth out and cleaning as she took care of the kitchen duties. But now, two weeks after arriving in California, I have to face reality: If I am not going to cook, we are simply going to eat frozen or processed dinner meals and pack on the pounds. And since I am not a fan of either one, the pounds or the frozen dinners, I choose today to be creative. Normally, I try and do all my cooking while Layth is taking his afternoon nap, but since he is still adjusting to his new schedule with this two hour time change, I choose to employ him as my helper. Layth, of course, found it funner to break the spaghetti noodles in half and make letters on the floor ( anything to keep them occupied, right?) leaving me to go about making the spaghetti. As the noodles were boiling, and Layth engaged in his letter making, I went to go see how creative I can get with the food I had in my fridge when I stumbled upon a pack of organic cherry red tomatoes. Again, I am not a fan of cooking, so I could have gotten more creative, but instead, choose to make the tomatoes my main ingredient. Slowly, I cut the tomatoes, and sautéed them in olive oil for 20 minutes adding both a teaspoon of basil and a teaspoon of garlic. Once they were done grilling and the noodles boiling, I drained the noodles mixed them with in a tablespoon of olive oil before emptying the tomatoes with the oil into the noodles. And to top it off, I added some fresh parmesan cheese for flavor. I know you must be thinking that is a lot of oil for one dish, but I promise you it is delicious!! It also helped me to score some points in the domestic goddess department, since I'm failing miserably!!!

My final product

The tomatoes as they sautee in the olive oil

Busy Moving

Hello Everyone,
  I know I have taken a short hiatus from blogging, but do not worry I have not completely abandoned my readers! I have just been busy packing, moving, and unpacking to spend any real time doing anything I actually enjoy! Even poor Layth is not use to not having mommy all to himself to entertain him and take him somewhere fun. Thankfully, I had the help of Evergreen Montessori, whose summer camp helped to both teach and entertain Layth in the morning, and Jenna ( a fellow parent of Evergreen Montessori whose daughter is the same age as Layth) who took him out to the CMOM and the Pink Palace, all places he greatly enjoyed. And now, that we finally made it to the Bay Area, my days are spent finding things to do with Layth, endless trips to Ikea to furnish the new house, and unpacking while Layth is asleep. Even Chafeek does not have it easy, as his job is to set up the newly bought furniture and clear out the boxes once were done unpacking them. But one thing is for sure, this move has opened up doors to new ideas regarding decorating, blogging, and how to better manage a move! Stay tuned, I promise more exciting posts will soon be on their way!

Too Young to Enjoy a Birthday Party??

....I think not!

Excited to see the pink candles lit up

Getting ready to blow the candles

Hello Everyone,
        With Chafeek's graduation falling on Layth's third birthday party,we opted to celebrate on the 9th of June at Memphis' very own indoor trampoline park, Sky Zone. It also worked out well, because Layth's second favorite person behind mom, grandpa ie jiddo made plans to attend the party. And so, it's going to be one fun filled weekend for the little lion between his birthday party and having grandpa here! Speaking of which, today when we went to one of our favorite local toy stores in East Memphis to purchase a birthday gift for another person who happens to share the same birthday we were approached with the question, is this gift for him since I requested it be wrapped. When I replied it was not, it immediately stirred up the question, " Are you throwing him ( him being Layth) a birthday party." Of course, I happily answered yes and proceeded to inform her we were hosting it at Sky Zone and were on our way to Gigi's cupcakes once we left from there to customize an order for his birthday. Immediately, her eyes rolled indicating her thoughts about the location, she thinks he's too young for sky zone. But rather than blatantly questioning the location since it was my decision after all, she asked, " Has he been there before, and does he like it?" I do not know what shocked her more, that I we had been there a handful or times or that Layth asked to jump at Sky Zone after hearing it being repeated back and forth. I cannot say anything negative toward her, because she really is the sweetest toy shop owner you can come by, allowing children to play with the toys in her shop. However, all this talk back and forth about birthdays really deceived Layth into thinking it was his birthday since he asked if we were going to his party. Luckily, we were going to GiGi's next, where I told him we were getting him a cupcake for his birthday. So as I was confirming an order for 48 mini cupcakes, Layth happily sat at the bar eating a sky high frosted Tex Mex Chocolate cupcake. I wish his obsession with his birthday ended there, because once he passed Kroger he mentioned to me, " shopping for birthday cake, " which translates into " please buy a birthday cake." I figured to myself why not, we could have fun with it this afternoon, and we did! Rather than stopping by Kroger, we made a pit stop at Miss Cordelias and purchased a white frosted yellow cake with red flowers. Of course, they didn't sell cake toppers or candles, making it a little difficult to proceed with our afternoon endeavor. Therefore when we arrived home, I searched incessantly through my kitchen cabinets in search of candles. Thankfully, I came across these candles I had left over from my 25th birthday where I hosted a party at home. The pink colored candles did not really appease Layth's taste since he insisted they must be blow. But his thoughts were put aside when he saw three pink candles lit and strategically placed on the cake where he happily sang himself birthday party. And we did not just sing it once, instead we had two encores, each proceeded with lighting, blowing and relighting the candles.  Although only one slice of the cake has since been eaten since this afternoon, it goes to show you that a three year old is neither too young for a party nor in complete denial of his and her birthday. Next time though, I think we will opt out of the big birthday and simply buy Layth a cake and celebrate it at home since that in iteself was enough to entertain him. Forget the headaches, the invitations, the endless planning and the stress that surrounds a party, and have cake at home!!!