I might’ve mentioned changing the roof. Well after that we did work upstairs. Finally moved walls. Replaced the icky-bat-mess-filled fiber glass (or something) tiles with gypsum. Painted walls. Still have new walls to put in.
But I’m sleeping upstairs tonight and am quite happy.
However, not yet in my room but that’s okay.
Rooms look nice!
Anybody has Greendot TV?
Well when we changed our roof we had to take down the Greendot internet antenna and call them to come re-install. Around that time I asked the family if they think we should switch from Flow (Analog) cable to Greendot Digital TV. It’s cheaper.
After some waffling, we got it…and finally today after days without TV (because who knows where our antenna is in all the cramped-mayhem that is our house) (hmm we cut Flow Monday evening), they came and installed it for us. So yay (I guess).
And our stove has new (local) burners and it heats things up nice and fast. We just need to get stove lighters now because the light function on the stove doesn’t work with the local burners. But it is worth the sacrifice.
TV!
Well, go read Chennette’s post.
We made good stuff and she took pictures with my camera which hasn’t been cleared in…um more than 7 weeks?
I’m really beat these days because…guess what?
I’m working!
Finally a paycheque (hmm I thought they said I would get paid yesterday but haven’t seen it yet)!
And I’m oh so tired.
Well, I felt very sous-chef…very did not do much (as Monday to Thursday straight very tired…well all I want is sleep and I’m too tired to sleep.
Regardless…I made a nice custard ice-cream this past weekend and it went really well with the tart apple crumble.
Maybe I’ll take some pictures of some mountains…maybe I’ll get the Eid-ul-Fitr pictures off my camera…that’d be a start, right?
Yup
Lots of stuff
And it’s not that this is a food blog so I don’t want to comment
It’s not that I don’t have an opinion
It’s not even that I’m not reading the news
I even have lots of food-related posts in my head that haven’t materialized (the fact that pictures have made it to flickr amazes me).
It’s just I’m swamped, busy, tired, stressed and getting ready for Hajj. we leave in less than a week. And lots of trinis are saying it better. Maybe I should link but am tired…so I’ll just link to the Global Voices Online Trinidad and Tobago category and you can read it or not if you want.
Let’s see, flood, media and the PM, economy.
Oh and Trinidad Express still hasn’t properly responded to me. About what you say? Copyright Theft!
I’ll try to post goodbye before I leave for hajj/pilgrimage!
For the masjid:
For on or around ‘Id day:
For when Chennette comes:
Also, we’ll try to make, in the week preceding ‘Id, different ice-cream (chocolate, coconut and peppermint).
Menu subject to change on our tiredness level and other input.
White Velvet Butter Cake , originally uploaded by Lilandra.
I bought Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s The Cake Bible along with a host of books I got recently. I did wonder why I was buying a Cake Book. I was a bit bolstered by the lack of much of them in our shelves but me? cakes? Anywayz, that story is for another day.
I’m here to tell you about the epitome of my cake desires…the jam layer cake.
And before I go any further:
Disclaimer: Today is not my birthday. My birthday does not fall around this day. In fact, August is certainly not my birthday month.
My family doesn’t really celebrate birthdays. (For the record, strict practising muslims, don’t celebrate birthdays at all). Even before we knew this, or tried to keep this, we never had birthday parties. For the most part birthdays were celebrated en famille with cake and ice-cream and no chores for the day. Since I wasn’t into cake (I didn’t think it was anything special), my “cake” was always Lemon Meringue Pie.
In fact, I think quite a lot of my (older) birthdays were spent sleeping. And you may not believe it, but those weren’t even the worst or most depressing of my birthdays.
Despite this, my first birthday memory was of a party. I think I was four. I think it was a birthday party. And I think it was mine. I remember thinking ooo! I’m celebrating my birthday and my cousin is being born. I think that was the most enthralling of my thoughts. Was it a real memory? I don’t know. When I ask mom she says it sounds about right. Where were my parents? At the hospital? But I think I really do remember this. It’s weird, huh?
Anywayz, once when I was older (twelve?), we went by my aunt and there was a birthday party. Details about why only Sister the Elder and I were there are sketchy. I’m not even sure if it was at my aunt’s house or if we went somewhere else from there. But I sort of remember two birthdays…or two birthday cakes all for the birthday girl (my cousin! and if she ever reads this, there’s no hard feelings). I don’t think my aunt was in control of this party…I mean I doubt it because I doubt I would’ve felt like … left out? side-lined? unimportant? I remember there was a cake all covered with a white buttercream (I think? or was it eggwhite frosting?) and m&m’s (or smarties?) stuck all over it as decoration. And I was a bit envious or … if not quite envious, depressed but very polite. There was nothing about it being my birthday. This is why I really think we were at a friend of my cousin’s house…or some of my cousin’s family…and somehow my sister and I were there. And you have to understand, I’m really sensitive. I cry easily. And alienation…well…that’s my good friend. Basically my memories of this are just me being sad, depressed, polite and not saying anything. (Why do people do this? Thankfully the next time this happened I was 21, and the third birthday girl was…10! and although all parties involved were family, I was smart and older and worried about other things).
Of course, my sister knew what was going on with me.
Maybe I said something to her or she saw my face or knew how a (was I about 12??)-year old would feel on her birthday when her little cousin has a birthday cake and birthday gifts and she doesn’t. I mean she would’ve been 17 (if I was 12…hmmm maybe I was younger…she could’ve been 14-16). Of course, maybe she just knew me!
And she promised me to make me a birthday cake.
A layered cake! Which is what I wanted and with jam spread between the layers.
And I was so happy.
She was the greatest sister ever.
I don’t remember the cake precisely. I’m not even sure when the cake was made (our family is all about 11 months after the fact gifts).
But I remember taking out mom’s three layer pans and my sister making a cake. Or that’s all I remember about the cake.
And so, nice jam layered cakes have always been something I want. Something I like. Of course, it helps when the cake is soooooo moist and delicious and paired with guava jam…Yum!
Have a slice of White Velvet Butter Cake , originally uploaded by Lilandra.
Because this is the first cake I made in a long time (not counting Chocolate Heart of Darkness), I posted a whole set on Flickr. Heh.
Addiction is scary.
The closest thing I’ve ever experienced is books and maybe internet addiction.
I could probably think of something else maybe…
But, let me recount the last week or so.
25th July – Made Truffles for Chocolate Hearts of Darkness
26th July – Made Chocolate Hearts of Darkness
30th July – Made White Velvet Butter Cake
31st July – Started making Basic Flaky Pastry for Great Pumpkin Pie
1st August – Made Great Pumpkin Pie with Chennette
And strangely enough during this I wasn’t over tired.
I was tired after watching things bake and waiting for the hot oven to be done and clean up but I wasn’t so tired that I didn’t do it.
Then mom said take a break (because that’s just a snippet … I will recount the previous weeks later…it might be eye-opening for me). So, I said okay! Sunday I will make hot dog bread or white sandwich loaves.
I woke up late on Saturday, barely slept because I felt like a fever or sickness was coming on and Chennette was returning to Guyana that day so I didn’t bother.
Sunday, I offered.
Mom said no.
I decided Monday.
Actually I get some trouble differentiating between Sunday and Monday.
The whole of Sunday (our supposed rest day according to mom) I didn’t do much.
Mom got annoyed with me for not packing/folding clothes or doing anything else. But considering she announced we weren’t going to do anything I took her at her word.
And I had enough trouble not finding myself in the kitchen to start baking.
My fingers were twitching.
Almost any excuse carried me downstairs to make bread.
And I would have to distract myself.
Monday we went up East (?) side for a bit and then came back down.
Plan, pray, relax and start the bread.
Well, I used the washroom, washed my hands, and realized all that driving and who knows what else had me feeling a bit out of sorts and weak. And I didn’t think I could bake. I told mom (who put up a whole wheat bread in the machine). It was the hardest thing for me. I had already taken out the scale, the bowl, the flour. I couldn’t believe those words came out of my mouth. Regardless, I spent most of the weekend (including Monday) sleeping.
So last night I made white bread.
I was so happy.
It came out nice.
More later.
But I can’t stop planning again.
The cake book is open and I am planning some Sour Cream cake.
And I’ll itch until I get to bake it.
I know.
Argh.
This *must* be addiction.
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Aug | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | ||