That Expat Life

07/11/2022

Weekend breakfast 😁🌞
Wakey wakey eggs and bakey.

23/10/2022

Sushi and cheese on a Saturday night 😁 with delicious cupcakes 😋

22/10/2022

Halloween is just around the corner 🎃👻 Check out the recipe for baked Pumpkin spice doughnuts.

Recipe for pumpkin doughnuts. Pumpkin doughnut ingredients: • 3/4 cup gluten-free flour or oat flour • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree • 1/2 cup light brown sugar • 1/...

11/10/2022

Attempting to make something like masala dosa.It came out great. Gluten-free and healthy. 👌🏼😁

09/10/2022

Slow down and enjoy your coffee.
Roseleaf Cafe
Earthy vibes 💚😌

09/10/2022

Halloween mood 🎃👻

06/10/2022

Cools your mind and body LUSH UK 💚💙😌

03/10/2022

Our Visit to Discovery Cove 🤩🐬🐠🦩🦥

Discovery Cove is an amazing place to visit. It allows you to interact with fish, tropical birds and up-close encounters with animals. Besides offering unparalleled experiences with animals, Discovery Cove is committed to protecting and preserving the animals in its care.

02/10/2022

Learning to make cottage cheese at home. It was super easy and pretty impressive.

Ingredients
2L Laban bottle (Fermented milk)

Equipment
Heavy bottom pot or sauce pan
Colander or mesh strainer
Cheesecloth or flour sack towel

Pour the laban into a pot and bring it to a boil on medium heat. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Once it starts to slowly boil the liquid will separate and you will see that it has curdled significantly.

Remove it from the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.

Line a colander or mesh strainer with the cheesecloth or flour sack towel, and place over a bowel. Pour the contents of the pot into the lined colander. The yellow liquid, which is whey, will strain through, and you should be left with curds in the cheesecloth or flour sack towel. Allow the curds to strain for 5 to 10 minutes.You now have cottage cheese 😁

You can refrigerate the cheese as is, and it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for 5-7 days. If you wish, you can add approximately a quarter cup of heavy cream, and salt to taste, to give the cottage cheese a texture more similar to what you can find at the grocery store.

WHAT IS LABAN?

The term Leben, variously laban, liben, lben in the Middle East and North Africa, refers to beverage of fermented milk. Generally, there are two main products known as leben, in the Levant region and parts of Arabia, yogurt and in Arabia and North Africa, buttermilk.

02/10/2022

Lunch at Planet Terra dubai.
Mushroom on toast (GF) was deliciosa🙂💚

29/09/2022

28/09/2022

It was my first attempt at making "Homemade Butter" 😁 it came out well.

Equipment
· Stand Mixer, Food Processor, or
Electric Hand Mixer
· Colander or mesh strainer
· Cheesecloth or Flour Sack Towel

Ingredients
· 1L Whipping cream.
· 1/2 tsp Fine ground sea salt, optional

1.Add the cream to your mixer. Whip the cream until butter forms and a white liquid is left in the bottom of the mixer bowl. The white liquid is real buttermilk (you can use the buttermilk to marinade your chicken or for baking. The more you keep it in the refrigerator the buttermilk gets thicker which is good)

2.Line a colander or mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a flour sack towel and place the lined strainer over a large bowl. Strain the butter and buttermilk through the lined strainer. Pull the cloth together and squeeze out as much buttermilk as possible from the butter.

3.Next, transfer the butter to a clean bowl and cover it with cold chlorine-free water. Press the butter with a spatula to release any bits of remaining buttermilk. The water will become cloudy. Pour off the water and repeat this process until the water remains clear and no more buttermilk can be pressed out of the butter. Drain off all water. Press the butter to release any remaining water and pour it out from the bowl.

4.If you wish to salt your butter, add some sea salt at this point and work it into the butter.

5.Transfer the butter to a surface covered with wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Form the butter into a rectangular shape. Wrap the butter well, or put it in a butter dish and refrigerate. The butter should remain fresh for approximately two weeks.

27/09/2022

Fruity Cheesecake Bars 🥭🫐🍓
I enjoyed every piece with afternoon Coffee 😁

Ingredients

CRUST:
· 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
· 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

FILLING:
· 12 Ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
· 3/4 Cup granulated white sugar
· 3 large eggs
· 1/4 Cup milk
· 2 Tbsp cornstarch
· 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
· 1 Cup fresh raspberries
· ½ Cup fresh Mango
· 1 Tsp Vanilla (optional extra)

Instructions

PREPARE THE CRUST:

1. In a small bowl, mix crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared cupcake baking pan.

PREPARE THE FILLING:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line up a cupcake baking pan.


2. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the eggs.

3. In a small bowl add the milk & whisk in the cornstarch until smooth. Add the milk/cornstarch and lemon juice to the cream cheese bowl and mix until creamy.

4. Pour the filling mixture on top of the crumb crust. Scatter raspberries and mango on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until touch to center feels slightly firm and set.

5. Cool completely (I like to refrigerate for a couple of hours) before serving.

26/09/2022

“Hawaiian Rolls” Ep 1.
🍍🙂

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
- 4 1/2 – 5 cups all-purpose flour
- Egg Wash: 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water

1. Microwave buttermilk and butter for 25 second until the butter is almost melted.

2. In mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment add in the buttermilk mixture, pineapple juice, sugar, salt, eggs, and yeast. Stir on low until combined.

3. Add in 2 cups of flour and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Gradually add in 2 1/2 more cups of flour, until a soft dough forms. Add more flour if necessary.

4. Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough forms a soft, smooth ball.

5. Place the dough in an oil coated bowl and cover with a clean towel. Place in a warm spot for 1 hour until the dough has risen and doubled in size.

6. Coat a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

7. Once dough has risen, divide into 15 equal portions. Form the dough into balls and place in the prepared pan. Cover with the towel and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 375°F.

9. Lightly brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

23/09/2022

Alice in Wonderland 💜☕

22/09/2022

Harry potter moments 🧙🏼

20/09/2022

Fabrique bakery.

20/09/2022

Easy Mix-and-Match Fruit Crumble. It was deliciosa. Feel free to use 🍍🍌🍐🍏🥭

FOR THE FRUIT FILLING:
• 4 cups fresh fruit (I used Peaches, Nectarines & Raspberries)
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
• 1 Tbsp of cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and room temp

MAKE THE FRUIT FILLING:
1. Preheat the oven to 190c. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit with the flour, sugar and lemon juice.

3. Pour the fruit filling into the prepared baking dish and set it aside.

MAKE THE CRUMBLE TOPPING:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, mint, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Add the cubed butter, and using your fingers, work it into the flour mixture until moist clumps form.

2. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly atop the fruit. then place the baking dish atop a baking sheet.

3. Bake the crumble for 35 to 40 minutes until the crumble topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Let it cool 5 minutes then serve topped with ice cream or whipped mascarpone cheese

18/09/2022

While searching for a specific recipe on YouTube, I came across Becky Excell. I ordered the recipe book right away. It's great to find easy recipes for cooking at home. Excited 🤩

Love the YouTube channel & amazing life story 💙 Becky Excell Gluten Free

17/09/2022

Beyond burger - A plant-based meat substitute. I tried them for the first time in canada and it blew my mind away. if you told someone you were making burgers and they assumed they were meat, they'd probably not know this burger was plant based, they are that good & healthy. 🌿🥦🥕🍠

Eggo - Never have I tried them before. Just because I watched the series "Stranger Things" though of tasting it 😁🧇

15/09/2022

Sri Lankan Pittu Ep 1.
Making it for the first time. I was pleased with the outcome.
Indulging the Sri Lankan way 😁🙌🏼

Ingredients:
Makes 2 ½ Pittu bamboos

2 Cups desiccated coconut
1 1/2 cups rice flour
2 tsp salt
1 Cup of warm water (use as much as needed)
1/4 Cup of coriander leaves chopped (optional extra)

1. Place the grated coconut in a bowl, add the chopped coriander leaves and ¼ cup of hot water over it. Mix well and allow the coconut to soak for 10 minutes. (if the coconut is still too dry add more warm water, but not too much)

2. Mix together rice flour and salt. Set aside.

3. Set up the steamer with hot water and bring to a boil.

4. After soaking the coconut, start to add little of the rice flour mixture. Use fingers to create a crumble texture. (This texture is important. It should be a dry crumble so sprinkle a little flour mixture to make sure you get the right texture)

5. Fill the steamer (tube) with the crumble mixture until you get to the top. Place the lid on the steamer and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until you see steam coming out of the top of the pittu steamer.

6. Once ready take the pittu tube off the base and use a wooden dowel/pole to push the pittu out of the steamer onto a plate.

7. Repeat until all the mixture is used. Enjoy with your favorite Sri Lankan curry.

15/09/2022

Rustic Fruity pie crust.
Easy and delicious. Feel free to use these fruits 🥭🍌🍍

Makes 4 Rustic Pies.
For the crust:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 4 tablespoons cold butter (diced)
* 1/2 cup cold milk
* 1 large egg beaten for a glaze +
* Brown sugar or sesame seeds to sprinkle before baking

1. Stir together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix together with two knives until it resembles course crumbs. Stir in the cold buttermilk and form dough into a ball. Cover with plastic and refrigerate while making the fruit filling.

Pie filling 1,
2 Cups nectarine chopped, 1 cup pear chopped. (Optional Mango)
1/4 cup light brown sugar.
mix all and keep aside.

Pie filling 2,
2 Cups Apple chopped, 1 cup blueberry
1/4 cup light brown sugar - 1 tbsp lemon juice - 1 tsp cinnamon powder. mix all and keep aside.

2. Roll out your pie crust into 4 individual pies. Add filling and fold your dough around the fruit mixture. brush with egg and sprinkle with brown sugar or sesame seeds. Bake at 400° degrees or until the crust is golden brown!

14/09/2022

In a place where there is food, laughter is the brightest 😁

14/09/2022

Gluten free bread Ep 1. 🍞 made with Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods 1to1 flour. I'm so glad that I can make this healthy recipe at home. Buying from stores is no longer necessary.

INGREDIENTS
▢2¼ tsp Dried yeast
▢2 tbsp Sugar
▢1¼ cup Unsweetened almond milk
warmed
▢3¼ cup Gluten-free flour (bob's red mill gluten free 1-to-1)
▢1 tsp Baking powder
▢1 tsp Salt
▢2 tsp Apple cider vinegar ( optional- rice vinegar)
▢¼ cup Olive oil
▢3 Egg whites
▢2 tbsp Sesame seeds
optional

1. In a small bowl mix together the yeast, sugar and warm milk. Stir and set aside to proof for 10 minutes.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

3. Once the yeast starts to bubble add it, along with the apple cider vinegar, oil and egg whites to the flour mixture.

4. Use the paddle attachment and beat the batter for 30sec until combined. Scrape down the edges and continue to beat for a further 3mint on a medium speed.

5. Line a 13 x 5 inch bread tin with baking paper, lightly spray it with oil and fill the tin with batter. Smooth off the top with a spatula.

6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using, loosely cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and place in a warm spot to allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

7. When you have about 15 minutes left for your dough to finish rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C.

8. Remove the plastic wrap and place the bread tin in the oven. Cook for 60 – 65 minutes, cover with foil midway through to stop it from burning.

Cool before slicing.

13/09/2022

🇱🇰

13/09/2022

One-Pot Chicken Stew 🥔🥕🐔

Ingredients.
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into pieces
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil, divided
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 medium red onion, cut into wedges
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 5 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 dried bay leaf
- 12 oz. potatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped sage leaves (optional extra)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ugali (Pap) African maize flour (optional extra)
- 1 cup maize meal
- 2 cups normal water

Stew
1. Pat dry the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil add chicken and cook until brown. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add carrots and onions. Cook 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and potatoes cook for about 1 minute. Add 4 1/2 cup chicken broth and Stir in the chicken.

4. Add bay leafs, parsley, sage and season with salt and pepper.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup broth; add to the pot.

6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, partially covered.

Ugali (Pap)
1. Heat water over medium heat in a deep pan. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the maize meal while the water comes to a boil.

2. Add the maize meal keep on stirring with a strong wooden spoon. Pressing the mixture against the sides of the pan to break up the lumps. As the mixture becomes thicker, it becomes more difficult to mix but keep mixing and breaking up the lumps. The mixture will begin to come away from the sides of the pan. Allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Enjoy piping hot ugali with your favorite stew.

12/09/2022

Disney Enchantment Fireworks at Magic Kingdom - 50th Anniversary 2021.

10/09/2022

"Zapekanka" aka Russian Cheesecake. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 500g Cottage cheese (drained if too wet)
• 4-5 eggs
• ½ salt
• 4-5 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 4-5 Tbsp. fine semolina
• ½ sour cream
• 1 Tsp baking powder
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Cup of dry fruit chopped (I used peaches, pineapple, kivi and a bit of mango)
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips ( Optional extra)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar (sprinkle on top before backing. Optional extra)

METHOD:
1. Combine Cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda in a food processor. Pulse until you get a smooth texture.

2. Transfer in to a bowl and add the semolina, mix well. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Fold dry fruits into the batter, evenly distributing them throughout.

4. Line an 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Bake it at 375°F for 35 minutes, or until golden brown (until inserted tooth peak comes out clean)

5. Once cooled, cut into squares and serve.