We be juicing!

So the hub and I decided to get a juicer. We were torn between a centrifugal and masticating juicer. The former is much faster where you can feed whole fruits and vegetables through a large chute while the latter is a very slow one where the fruit and veggies have to chopped to feed through the small chute. However, quality wise, masticating juicers produce a much nutrient rich juice as there is low oxidation to the low revolutions per minute while centrifugal juicers produce a much more oxidized juice to the high speed. We settled on a masticating juicer. The Omega J8004. Made in Korea, this juicer seems like one of the best of its kind. We've had it for over two weeks now and so far, we've been juicing everyday! We are not replacing meals with juices yet, but I have been trying to start my day out with a glass of juice. So today I am going to share one of our most favorite juice recipes.

Beet Medley

1 beet
4 carrots
1 apple
1 navel orange
3 stalks celery

Not all our produce is organic so we rinse everything in a bowl of cold water, with a few drops of vinegar. Except for the carrots, everything else is conventional (meaning non-organic). Juicing requires quite a bit of produce and using everything organic can get quite expensive. The one off occasions when we do juice all organic, I  enjoy the part where I don't have to peel everything and rinse everything extra well. The next pictures are pretty much self-explanatory.

 I bore easily, so must watch some Family Guy on Netflix while juicing!

 The jar is for hubby to take to work, the mug is mine for now. I already chugged a little before taking the pic. See, it is just that irresistable! But I must say, the yield is mighty good! They threw in a strainer to strain your juice, however I prefer it a bit pulpy.

Red Lobster: Seaside Mix & Match for $12.99

Hubby and I went to Red Lobster this past weekend to try out the Seaside Mix & Match for $12.99. So basically, you get to choose 2 items from a selection of 7 and get it for $12.99. It is quite a steal. I got the cheddar bay biscuit shrimp-n-lobster pie and the shrimp and scallops linguini. Hubby also got the pie along with crunchy parmesan ranch shrimp. It was pretty good, however, we felt that it was quite bland. We would have preferred a hint of garlic at least...We obviously got the usual biscuits, salads and one side. Hubby got mashed potatoes and I decided to be extra naughty and get french fries.

 Hubby's plate

 My plate

Laundry Soap

I am a lover of all things random. I mean laundry soap isn't really random, its more like a necessity. But its just that its something random like this that stirs up my interest. I was in Walmart today and I stumbled across this (hold your breath) 97 cents laundry soap! Like a huuuuge bar of soap! Sometimes, I like to wash a few knick knacks on my own and having a bar of soap to do that is so convenient. It has a strong citrus-y smell, but I think it will do the trick. I just washed a hand towel using this soap and it thoroughly removed all the stains it had. It also gives me an old school feel...remember the times when people used huge bars of soap to wash their clothes.

Recipe: Blueberry Whipped Cream Trifle

I had totally intended on making a round cake with blueberry filling and whipped cream topping. Due to some unknown reason my cake turned out too, toooo soft and the bottom ended up crumbling when I turned it out. Hence, the decision to improvise and make a trifle!

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
4 large eggs
3/4th cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
2 and half cups cake flour (make cake flour by replacing 2 tbsp of flour with cornstarch for every cup of flour).
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Blueberry sauce:
2 cups frozen blueberries
3/4th cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup water + cornstarch
Zest of half an orange
Whipped cream 
1 pint whipping cream
1/4th cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla until pale and creamy in color. Once thoroughly combined, add the flour and combine, don't overmix or overbeat. Pour the batter into cake tin and bake for 25-35 minutes. Check for doneness with toothpick. Once done, let the cake completely before cutting into small squares.

In a saucepan, add the blueberries, water, orange zest and sugar. Whisk cornstarch with water and keep aside. After the sauce comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and heat until the sauce is thick. Let it cool completely.

Chill your bowl, beaters and whipping cream. Once thoroughly chilled, add the whipping cream to the bowl, along with sugar and vanilla. Beat till soft peaks form. Don't overbeat or you will have butter!

Assembly

In a bowl, place few pieces of cake at the bottom. Add a layer of blueberry sauce followed by whipped cream. Repeat and decorate the final layer of whipped cream with some blueberry sauce. Chill for a few hours before serving.

More pictures!

It might look messy, but once it enters your mouth, it will feel quite heavenly. 

A visit to Dallas Museum of Art

Hubs and I visited the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) this past weekend and it was quite a wonderful experience. I must mention though, we just recently visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the DMA doesn't hold a candle to it. Admission to both these museums were free so that is a plus. It is organized by eras and cultures, showcasing aritfacts, artwork, furniture, etc. Here are pictures of what intrigued me the most. For some reason, I am always attracted to Ancient Egypt and also jewelry from different eras and cultures.

Such a multi-tasker!

I cannot go a day without talking to my family...wait, scratch that, I can't go a few hours without talking to my family. Thanks to the wonderful Viber and Whatsapp, talking, sharing pictures and doing all kinds of interactive things is only a smartphone away! I just have to talk to them, no matter where I am, what I am doing, I will sneak in a few minutes just to hear their voices...Love and miss my family sooooooo much! Btw, this was at the Dallas Museum of Art. Great place to visit in the summer, free admission!

Happy Birthday to me!

I had a great birthday this year alhamdulilla. Hubby bought me this beautiful cake from Celebrity Cakes and this cake is the most moist, buttery cake I've had from a store in a while! The texture is like one of those moist coffee cakes thats made with buttermilk. Sooo good. The raspberry preserves and white chocolate shavings just adds to all the goodness. Hubby also got me beautiful pair of Ray Ban wayfarers (something I've been wanting for a while!)

To top it off, today he took me to Fogo De Chao for dinner. I am at a loss for words...

Prairie Creek Park

A wonderful friend took me to this beautiful place tucked away in a quiet neighborhood in Richardson, TX. Although I did spot a few people indulging in some serious photoshoot there...I guess its one of those places that people get to know through word-of-mouth. Aren't there purple flowers absolutely delightful?