Birthday Brunch

Ross took me out for birthday brunch to one of the hotels in Dakar that does an all you can eat seafood buffet appetizers with a main course and all you can eat desert. I have NEVER eaten so much seafood in my life. The food was fantastic but the choice was just incredible.

Here are just a few of the things we sampled

Sea urchin

Mussels the size of my hand

Huge shrimp

For the main course Ross had roast beef with veggies and potatoes. The veggies were built up like a lasagna it was very neat. I had mushroom risotto with truffle oil. So they come to the table with the main dishes and before giving me my risotto they bring out a huge wheel of parmesan that has been partially hollowed out. They put my risotto in the parm wheel and start scraping the sides and adding truffle oil. Then once in the plate they added more parm and truffle oil. Needless to say we could not finish it!!!

Desert was good. Nothing to write home about ;) 

The view

Body Pump of the gods

Dear Les Mills,

You have it all figured out don't you? You think that if you set us up in a hot classroom with four good looking, buff, musically inclined, african men and they say "can you keep up" and hand you a pile of weights that we will all go back for more? Even if the next day we are sore and seem a little foggy as to how we ended up in that class let alone that gym to begin with?

So you think that making the class feel like we are in a dance club by blasting the music and having the four instructors take turns with the mike and sing and hoot that we will all just hand over hard earned cash and come for more punishment?

Let me tell you, I think you have got it all figured out. Nothing like some eye candy and good music to keep me coming back for more. It doesn't matter how I got there or that it was still dark out when I got up to get there. It doesn't matter that I am sore and swearing that I don't want to do it again. It doesn't even matter that I know that ultimately I am in for punishment. What matters is that it keeps me coming back. Something about the guys and the music pumping and the singing made it feel a bit more like some strange clubbing scene. It was fun and the pain...well, it's my punishment for wanting to go do it again!!!

Thank you Les Mills,

Sincerely,

Happily married mom of one who feels guilty about the not so Christian thoughts she is having about your instructors.

sifting flour

Not feeling all that bloggy today but I have been told it's time to update the blog.

I had promised you all a story about sifting flour, here it goes...

When we got back form our non vacation in January I was in full fledged "let's get back to it" mode so I decided I was going to bake and cook till I felt human again (for me that means having enough healthy easy grab and go snacks ready to last at least the week). One recipe I had decided on was a healthier version of scones, including whole wheat flour, flax seeds and any other healthy thing I could sneak in. So I pulled the flour down from the shelf only to realize it had gotten everywhere. The bag had somehow exploded or leaked all over the cupboard. So I got the step stool out and peered up into the cupboard and sure enough there was flour everywhere but that bag looked intact. I looked closer at the bag only to spot a tiny little bug halfway out/in of the bag through a tiny little hole he had created.

At this point I screamed for Ross.

Ross acted all nonchalant and said no worries we'll just pick them out but as we started to pour the flour he changed his tune. There were more of them than we thought so he said "lets sift them out". I was all for throwing the flour out but Ross insisted and so he got started and I pulled the whole wheat flour, the rye flour, the bread flour, the icing sugar and anything else I could think of down from the the shelf.

All the other stuff came out clean but my baking flour did not and the sifting was not going to do it. Ross at some point stopped sifting and came to get me. There were more than just mobile leggy bugs in the flour. There were larvae as well. Needless to say at that point we threw it all out but a word of caution, this can happen in your flour in Canada as well. Little bugs lay eggs in your open bag/container of flour and they mature in there and get everything they need from your baking ingredient and then when they are good and ready they eat a hole through the bag and come on out into the world looking for another bag of flour to contaminate I suppose.

Gross...there were no scones that night...

...and we're back!

The holidays were a little insane what with our constant travelling through North America... including Mexico...

We are, needless to say, glad to be back but it is also hard, we have once again left family and friends behind to come back to a strange place that is not yet home. We are having to readjust to the climate, the time change and schedule as well as the pace of life. It is difficult but of course we love it! One thing I did miss is Juliette...we came home to a clean house and fresh sheets and towels and of course did not have to do the laundry from our trip. We were greeted by her always smiling face and it was a welcoming sight.

We have done very little since we got back other that sift through flour (that is a story for another day) and relax. I have started up my scrapbooking again in an attempt to catch up on the past year and have been pleased at my progress. Ross is back at work of course and is as busy as ever and Declan, well, he is not yet back to the right time. He is up at all hours and sleeps in till noon but slowly we will all get back on track.

Declan is walking more and more everyday. He makes small attempts to let go and get going and I am sure he will be very much on his way soon.

Hope this finds everyone well.

Take care and I'll tell you all about the flour sifting soon enough!

Happy Holidays!

Bandia Reserve, Saly

Mini vacation in Saly before going to Canada