meal of the week

Wow okay, so we don't eat alot of starch and meats, being healthy is top on my (yes my) list, and through out the week the menu is on healthy foods. But weekends, well lets just say, having had a long hard week, it definately pays off to eat 'happy foods', lol! To the utter joy of my hubby. Anyway, the other day I wanted to experiement on pork (am loving pork everyday). So I will try and put the ingredients, you can measure accordingly, depending on the size of your pork. NOTE: use reasonable and appropriate ingredients. Oh just to mention, tried to make Grilled smoked Pork on our Microwave (that has Grill option) and it din't go as planned, next time it shall, so ended up pan frying the pork.

What was to be Grill Smoked Pork Ingredients;
Brown Sugar
Honey
Lemon Juice
Vegetable Oil
Red pepper flakes or Chilli Powder

Step one is to marinate the pork in all the above ingredients and refrigirate for at least 30 minutes. Once ready to cook, you can either grill or pan fry on a non-stick pan. I never add oil to the pan, just let the pork sizzle in its own fat.

Mashed Potatoes
Buy potatoes, peel and boil in salty water.
Once tender pour out water and add, cream or milk, butter, black pepper a bit of chilli powder lemon juice coriander (dhania) if you wish and mash it all up.

Peas
Boil them and either fry with onions and butter OR fry onion in vegetable oil add tomatoes and the cooked peas and allow stew to simmer in medium heat.

All done simple and fun, serve and enjoy!

So the other day we had our wedding covered in the papers, yes newspaper, oh so excited that happened. You know those people who win lotteries and say they had never won anything in their lives before, well that is how I felt reading through that paper. I mean, how many times does that happen or what are the chances of it happening! Well being married to Tom sure has made alot of impossibilities, possible. I thank God almighty for such an awesome priviledge. So I figured let me just save it in as many places as possible, so that its never deleted or forgotten or taken for granted or lost. Enjoy!

The Saturday Standard- Eve Bridal Magazine/Pullout

Moving out triggered our love

Updated Saturday, July 28 2012 at 00:00 GMT+3

Bride: Miriam Mumo and Tom Chumbi
When: March 10, 2012
Where:  Coopers Kenya, Loresho in Nairobi

Budget: Sh400,000

Interview: 400

Interview: Thorn Mulli

                                                                        

Miriam Mumo and Tom Chumbi

Eve Bridal: How did the two of you meet?
 Tom: I lived in the same compound she lived with her parents. We had no particular interest in each other as we thought we were simply not each other’s type. We were ‘the exchanging movies type of neighbours’. When she eventually moved out, I began to pay attention. Visits to her house coupled with movies and coffee dates followed, fanning our friendship.
Miriam: Little did I know that moving out inadvertently triggered his interest in me. God works in mysterious ways, because I wasn’t keen on dating a ‘neighbour’. We exchanged contacts and once I settled at my place, he was interested in knowing how I was doing. After that I started going over to my parents’ place over the weekends, which was the best excuse to see him and grow our friendship.

EB: How did he propose?
 Miriam: We were going out for our first formal dinner date somewhere in Highridge. Meeting him at All Saints’ Cathedral never arose any suspect thoughts because he had earlier told me he had to meet up with a friend who needed to pass on some urgent documents. So there we were all dressed up for dinner, but the friend proved a no show and we decided to head to town. Along the way, we passed by Serena Hotel and he stated that Serena also offered dinner. I had never had a meal there, so the offer was welcome. Once seated, cool glasses of juice in hand, a lady came to us with a bouquet of red roses followed by a gentleman with a video camera and another with a covered plate. I was dumbstruck; the supposed friend we had been waiting for was the guitarist who was running late and had to be at the hotel before we got there. So I uncovered the plate and there lay this lovely red velvet box and all I could think was, ‘this dude could not have gone through all this trouble just to give me earrings, right?’ I opened the box and it had a note, so as I was reading, he came and knelt beside me and got out the ring from his coat (he had it with him all along), I could have fainted, but not before managing a passionate ‘Yes’.

EB: How was the honeymoon?
Tom: Relaxing.
Miriam: We had lots and lots of fun! We got to relax a lot, especially the first week. The scenery, weather and adventure made it all worth the while.

Open Link: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000062785&pageNo=1

How to Navigate Transitions SHARED

its been a knowledge filled weekend and just came across this email and thought I would share. Be inspired!

How to Navigate Transitions

A time comes when a teacup storm brews in your soul. You feel unsettled. You want a change. Then the little storm builds up into a tsunami of the soul. The environment changes, the terrain turns from difficult to impossible to scale. You are in a storm. The boat rocks. You know you must walk on water. To do so you must step out of the boat into the boiterous sea.
Such is the storm that broods in many a soul. In speaking to many who seek my counsel I have identified five steps that could help you sail through those stormy seasons. Generally, most transitions will take you through the following five stages.



a) Dissatisfaction is the first one. This is the groaning stage when we ask, why me, or why is this happening to me. You wonder what you are doing wrong. You search your heart. If it is a storm of change, you might find nothing wrong. Read and understand the times. Do not be too hard on yourself. Focus on what is right.
b) Discussion is the second one. This is the grappling stage when you engage your feelings in dialogue. You unpack your emotions, think of the way out, and explore options. You engage close associates in dialogue. Glean as much information as possible at this stage. The information will help you to clear the path because the next stage calls for a decision.
c) Decision is the third one. This is the stage of gripping the rescue rope. You decide to zero on some of our options. Some peace floods your soul. You can finally feel yourself again. Beginning the pursuit of your decisions is elating at first. With time mixed feeling set in. Do not doubt your decision. Put some work to your faith. Get yourself ready for stage four. You need determination to manage your decisions daily.
d) Determination is the fourth one. This the grinding stage. Reality dawns. You are no longer in the fantasy world but the real one. Bills mount, emotions overload once more, and life continues to happen. Bouts of doubt hit you once more. Did I make the right decision? You must not give up. If you overcome the doubts and the temptation to take of the easier option of quitting, you will stand tall for the next stage.
e) Destiny is the fifth one. This is the greatness stage. You get a sense of accomplishment. You are at your best. You have found your spot. You can conquer anything. It is like the meeting with destiny. You finally sense meaning in what you do. Refining not revising is what you do to the activities you engage at this stage. Whenever we see successful people, we want fast track to this stage. It takes a process to get there.
Life is a series of many beginnings. Before long, there will be another beckon to reach higher. Another storm will brew. It may not necessarily be easier to start the cycle again. However, with the experience under your belt, you know that no significant stories will go into history if you remain in your comfort zone.

Are you hesitant to make the change? You might find the following statement as liberating as I did: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You are on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go...” Just do it!

What storm is brewing in your soul? Ignoring it does not quiet it. Think of what you would do knowing that will be the beginning of a cycle of better life. Handled well the storms will become successive cycles of greatness.
How do you deal with your storms that beckon you to change? How do you step out of the boat into the waters? Please post your comments here.

Anthony T. Gitonga
leadership Author Speaker, & Coach
Finding Purpose, Achieving Greatness
http://www.anthonygitonga.com

The food Industry

Being that am not exercising good blogging principles by blogging every other day, I went ahead and opened another blog for recipes and foods only! oh boy! What am I thinking?! Well my life isn't what you would term as 'very' exciting, so having 2 blogs is going to really stretch me here, but maybe just maybe, it could be the beginning of something new and exciting. I will work on linking the blogs so that they supplement each other.
 

The recipe experience and highlight of the week for me and my hubby was 'adventuring' at a grilling restaurant and we had these flame grilled cherry and ginger spare ribs with potato wedges and steamed veggies on the side. Of course my hubby had no particular inkling towards the veggies but I felt obligated to eat mine in the hope that my body understands that it has eaten something health-ier! The ribs were very tender and well marinated. We had a chat with the chef, Chef Edward, who is adventuring in the restaurant business. Also came to find out he's going to cater for the Masaku 7's, this is the newest and upcoming Rugby team from Machakos or rather the Eastern province (county now, I think).awuwu!

The food industry in itself is quite extensive and very interesting. Its intruging how we take food so lightly here in this Kenya of ours. I aint saying that we 'all' do, but generally thats how we have been brought up. The people that I give credit to for enjoying and working on their meals are the swahili in the Coast province( oops county). Having been privileged (not coz am loaded cash-wise, no, just God's favour) to have eaten at some of our big hotels, and having no particular culinary training, its sad that not ALOT of thought is put into meals. You think well, this is a big hotel, and whatever they service in terms of food will knock my socks or skirt off, then, comes disappointment. I mean with a little bit of keenness and money to buy those ingredients, the now widely travelled and learned Kenyan can pull off some of the moves the 'chefs' make. We just need to up our game, am talking about hotels and restaurants and caterers.

We have so many upcoming caterers who do the most shoddiest of jobs, yet they are making a kill in terms of clientele, because we hardly put to mind what we are serving or being served. Being brought up in Kenya and with average incomes (money is relative to every individual), I hardly think we have the luxury to know what it means to be served great food. Though I do believe that the moment you take a particular keenness to something, you discover so much about that thing its almost embarrassing to imagine you had no idea or had never contemplated how much that thing was far reaching, knowledge-wise.

Anyone out there who loves eating out ones in a while and is especially attentive to the service they receive can conquer with me that, we are not doing well in the food industry but (yes but), we are improving due to the rising competition. Employees at those places are bored to death and thus bore you to a point of not really enjoying your meal. Every now and then when you do come across a cheerful waiter/waitress, its a breath of fresh air. Another trend that we have is starting off with great food and workers then, I believe, as the 'greed' or thirst for more money engulves us we cut down on ingredients and thus totally spoil the quality of food. They end up underpaying and mistreating their employees who eventually quit, and gradually when the customers notice (they all always seem to think we don't notice) they take their leave. That business owner ends up operating on losses and wounded pride.

Things I loved doing this week

This has been a really cold week (well for us in Nairobi) am sure living in a place where it gets to below -0 is no comparison. I thank God for being borne in Africa, of course we have our problems but snow, -0 degree weather, tornadoes, earthquakes, mud slides, blizzards, forest fires etc are not geographically in our terrain. Really, combine our 'organized' governments, our financial problems (we are developing at our own pace), plus such kinds of calamities and we would surely still be living in huts. But weather, our African economic status and poor governance is not my topic today, but hey it does start off a conversation, evidently!

Back to my point, its been really cold and trying to stay warm is something we (Kenyan ladies) are not very good at, until we wake up in the morning and see fog, then it hits us, that for real it is cold. For the last 3 months I have been hauled up in jackets thanks to my loving husband, but every time I left home for work in the morning, I would meet my neighbour comfortable in her blouse and really question my health status. But now, 3 months down the line, even she can't deny the fact that its cold. So taking good amounts of tea and warm water has been helpful plus I end up having to wear socks in the office coz otherwise I'd be a very agitated person to be around, me and cold don't get past, 'hey, you again!'. Cooking warm meals has also been an excellent way to end my day and my hubby isn't complaining either.

Ugali, managu and pork fry

The meal that took the price this week as a warming food was managu, ugali and fried pork, yum! The pork was bought for another day but it ended up being part of the day's meal and boy did we enjoy it. Am a very outspoken supporter of 'don't cook pork meat in watery stew' campaign. So what I did was pan fry the pork, do NOT add oil, just let it sizzle in its own fat, because you want that fat out. Then once it is well and good take out the pork from pan, leave oil in pan, you can use it for whatever you want later on. Then do the onion frying, add garlic/ginger and tomatoes. Once that mix is good and cooked add your pork and a little salt, remember pork can be salty as well. Then add alittle hot water and let it simmer. Allow it to simmer to a thick stew as in picture. The managu on the other hand, was boiled abit, I poured out the water, well this is only to remove abit of the bitterness, we are sternly told that that water has the nutrients, urgh! Moving right along (before am accosted by a nutritionist) I fried them with onion and one tomato and the magic ingredient, sour milk (mala), you can use cream or milk if you have none of the aforementioned, but the sourness of milk does justice to managu. That meal was fantabulous, try it out.

Normal Granny Squares

uhuh! my other adventure of the week was, yup crocheting. Since the last time I posted my first crocheting breakthrough, things have been slow, reason, I needed to get time and shop for yarn (ha, nowadays I call it yarn feels peculiar as opposed to Uzi) anyway blame it on too much You Tube. After successfully checking out the yarn (ha) place, I present my next project, am not quite sure what I want to accomplish but lets just say am glad to be crocheting again. These are called granny squares you can check on You Tube and learn how to make by yourself. They can become anything from a small top cover to a big chair warm up cover. I plan to mix other colours so now just working away my blue yarn.

Glad its been a great week considering it started out with me being relaxed. So interesting how much we can accomplish when we manage to relax, our weekends are too packed with things that don't really add value in our lives. If you avoid too much unnecessary activity and relax with family and friends, life will be awesome and you won't notice Monday or Friday (I have to admit though, that Friday 5pm is the best time of the weekdays) and at least when the week gets to Friday, it won't be all that bad. Have a relaxed weekend won't you!

Home made Comfort Foods

It is sad to note that with increase in economy alot of things are becoming lesser and lesser of importance to the average or 'common' Kenyan. Meaning the Kenyan whose getting a paycheck at the end of the month with a substantial amount of money worth spending. There was a time that life wasn't this complicated, forgive me for sounding like a whiner and not 'intouch' with reality, but I miss those days, don't you? We could enter a supermarket with Kshs. 2000 and buy so much stuff for the month or even months. Anyway refer to a previous post for my total disregard of the times we are living in.

On a happier note, this Sunday was pizza Sunday, hooray! And my lovely wonderful awesome husband made, yes I said it right, made us some overly delicious pizza. To think that in this age, an average pizza costs Kshs 600 is just shocking. We are talking about a pizza that can only satisfy 2 chicks who rarely eat that much, meaning you'd have to spent Kshs 1000 plus to get a pizza that gets the attention of your stomach. I think the last time I bought a pizza it was around Kshs 300 or so (I don't pay myself first often enough), and that only happened when it was a special-treat day. Its becoming more and more economical to buy ingredients of comfort foods and just make from home. I think this is especially good because it's high time Kenyans learnt how to make other foods aside from, umh Ugali, Sukuma, Rice, Githeri, Beef stew (with too much unnecessary water), Mukimo, Njahi, Pilau... you can add any that comes to mind.

Do not get me wrong, because, am well aware of the economical situation in Kenya, I live in Kenya, Nairobi to be exact! But there are those times when as a family or pals, you just want to relax and treat yourselves to something nice. Averagely that would mean going to town, to a chips joint and ordering chips and chicken. 1/4 chicken in town is roughly what?, Kshs 140, Burgers cost Kshs 250 or so, Chips is Kshs 60. Considering that the price of potatoes has come down, you can make so much fries at home for Kshs 60. Now when I come from work I pass by the market (kawangware to be exact and like twice a week) where if its a kuku-feel-day, the local butcher can cut for me gram-wise chicken, meaning my options are not limited to the kilogramme. This works out so well, coz its pocket friendly and definitely healthier, because I get to choose how to cook it.

Red meat is something we should all strive to stay away from, once a week is the best you should do. 1/4kg of meat is Kshs 80 (for now) depending on how large your family is, dictates how much you will buy. Pork I have come to discover to my utter shock(guys from central county, largely farm pigs), is cheaper than meat (no, that's not the shocker), but there are so many ways you can cook pork and enjoy it. Please don't make pork stew, just wrong, unless you are cut the tenderloins (no fat). If you can find someone who sells chicken at a good price, take that option as well, or better still have a mini chicken farm (now, I get my mum). Fish is something that is becoming evasive, but we pray it shall be restored into the market for all of us fish lovers to be able to buy and enjoy it more often than not.

When you have a mum who farms, take advantage of that by ordering legumes from them and any 'wild' vegetables, for the lack of a better word I mean vegs like managu, kunde, terere etc which are great sources of fiber, the only challenge is undoing them from the stem, but hey 'mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame', I don't know how to translate this in english. Locate a person who can also supply you with onions and tomatoes in plenty and at a good price, this helps your budget alot. Back in the single hay days this stuff wasn't important, I enjoyed my tea/bread/egg days once in awhile, but now, cooking has never been this much fun. So single or not cooking is for all, explore and discover, but don't overindulge the 'wrong' foods.

Not actual Pizza but another made later on, simple ingredients

So back to the pizza, we bought pizza base bread at Uchumi or you can learn how to make it (my next mission), and the other toppings my hubby made at home (curious of what they were aren't you, siri yetu) and if you have an oven great, if not put in microwave and let the melting of cheese bring everything together. Ofcourse don't put uncooked toppings and expect them to cook in the microwave, duhest! You can do the same with a burger, buy the meat, bread and have your own homemade delicious inexpensive burger.
 The average cost of the home pizza came to around Kshs350, remember they were 2 pizzas whose price in a restaurant would have been around Kshs 500 each or more. Anyone want to order a home made pizza?

The Good Old Days of Innocence

Its been a perplexing week, alot happening in the world, that in the good old days would have been shunned and condemned out rightly without fear. We've become a politically correct people who do many things to get recognition, praise and accolades. Has it become so hard to be disliked, or let me put it this way, do we consider it an abnormality to be disliked? Why in this era have we condoned so many harmful things in the name of, 'its my life, I can live it the way I want or like, so don't judge me coz you ain't a saint either'. Are we such a selfish and prude people that caring about another persons feelings is nothing but history? Have we become so blinded with fighting rights that are causing more harm than good, that we don't recognise that our kids are growing up more confused and rebellious than ever? Aren't we moved anymore by accountability and consequences? Do we feel that we are untouchable and unanswerable to and by God? Have we departed so far off from the principles of God that we cannot notice what is happening to the world because of our actions?

I have alot of questions and I wish as human beings we could stop for a moment from our busy schedules, our noise polluted environments, our ever round the clock entertained lives and look around. Am not ancient when it comes to age, but when I was growing up, we never worried about grenades being thrown at us, we played outside with neighbours without fear of being kidnapped. Cartoons were not weird and we did not have soap operas running at  11am, 6pm, 8pm and 10pm everyday on TV. Movies were majorly cool to watch, parents didn't have to microscopically go through them before we were allowed to watch them. Musicians sung songs that made sense, not with coded messages and wearing the most demonic fashions you ever saw in your life. When didn't have matatus that were so noisy that it became impossible to hear yourself think and meditate on how your day was. The days we all struggled with our different shortcomings but were atleast remorseful, repentant and eager for help from God.

The family set up was defined and you knew to respect your parents or else you got a serious whooping. Sex was taboo until you got to college, when curiosity got the better of you, and even then you knew to act right. Our lives were not centred around facebook and the Internet and phones. We cared to know who our next door neighbour was, even if, it was just curiosity to see how their house looked like. We helped someone when they were being robbed. We were a community, parents didn't have to worry that their baby boy or girl would grow up questioning their gender. The economy was stable or running as an economy should, no banks rigging interest rates and bringing whole countries on their financial knees. We didn't have extensively wide gaps between the rich and the poor. There was a time the church and its leaders were respected. A time when the bible was taken and read as it is and not twisted to meet our various beliefs or understandings.

There was a time we cared for each other, when elections run and candidates were content with the results. A time when you would go to church and hear pure unadulterated gospel. A time when employers cared about the well being of their employees. A time when there were no drugs like meth and bath salts, when mothers were not in so much pressure that they needed to use drugs to juggle home and work. A time when we could sit around the table, switch off the TV and talk. A time when men knew who they were and were respected as leaders of their homes. A time when the media fraternity got excited at good news as opposed to bad news only.  A time when divorce was taboo. A time when abortions was considered inhumane. A time when families loved and respected each other irregardless of how weird everyone was, and didn't grab the opportunity of their father's death to fight each other in court over wealth they never broke a sweat acquiring.

I greatly miss those times when, you at least took people at face value and people worked hard at keeping their word. The times that children were allowed to be kids, and were not molested and taken advantage of left right and centre. A time when you would go to christian concerts and not wonder whether you would have gone to the bar instead. There was a time when we knew the word morality. A time when young people hung out to just have nice fun, when we didn't know the word 'chips funga'. A time when parties didn't involve close to naked girls, excessive drug/alcohol consumption and orgies. A time when young girls' lives were not being shattered because of slave trading them into prostitution. There was a time when being a legend meant great suffering, discrimination and loneliness for the good of human kind, until death. There is of course nothing new under the sun, but I cannot help but notice how life has become so complicated because of greed, rebellion, evil and majorly selfishness. We have come from far as a human race, from days of racial segregation, wars, slave trade, discrimination etc.

But did we gain our freedom and are now heading to the extreme of things? Would our ancestors roll and die again if they saw what we have done to all that freedom they fought for? Who gave us the right to give children as young as 11years old a voice on their sexuality? Who gave us the right to say its okay to abort 'unwanted' pregnancies? Who gave us the right to fight for the legalisation of adult and child sex relations? Who gave us the right to say and completely and utterly declare that there is no God? Who gave us the right to turn 'religion' into a war game? Who gave us the right to think that its just coincidence that we wake up, go to work or wherever and come back home safe and sound and think it's by our own might and strength? Who gave us the right to destroy the temple of God intentionally? Who gave the church the right to incorporate worldly standards so as to 'win' and be 'liked' by the same world? Who gave us the right to kill innocent people for our own political agendas? Who gave us the right to oppress our fellow human beings as if their lives where in our hands? Who gave us the right to destroy other peoples lives just because we could? Who gave us the right to change the bible from what it was to what we want it to be? Who gave us the right to say that reasonably spanking your child is a violation of their rights? Who gave us the right to think we could do all things evil and encounter no consequences for ourselves and our 3rd & 4th generations? Who gave us the right to disrespect God and think nothing of it? Really I ask you, who gave you and me that right?

Daydreaming about cars!

The Volkswagen supermini cars are just beautiful to me, whether it be a Golf, r32, GTI, Polo, VI or the hybrid (am no expert on cars just quoting as per my google research), but I love the Golf 2004 make. Every time I see one of those cars, I get goose bumps! Am not drawn to this car because of its cc or fuel consumption logistics (am a gal, as long as its cute, in good engine sounding condition and is affordable, am good). Probably its the way this car just sits and looks, more than anything else, case in point, below

Isn't that just lovely (it wouldn't last long in some of our Kenyan roads but hey you live once)! wish i could have found the front view, posted the pictures and left it at that, after all pictures say a thousand words, this one just says, "you wanna go for a ride?" Well ofcourse thats my take, this statement is meant for all 4x4 car lovers who are going like, really?! that would give you the satisfaction of going for a ride?!






This on the other hand is a car I would want, no let me rephrase that statement, its a car I will most definitely drive (if the Lord tarries). It just looks Chic and firmly grounded. The above one shall be the revamped version, but one that is more off the ground than to the ground, not flying silly, but lifted abit higher.






Don't get me wrong, am not being choosy but a girl's got to dream and give hints to her husband, right! I mean the pictures in my phone or wallet or house may not be passing the message across, so the blog will do just fine. If you are starting to read, weird, disregard the immediate line, a complete fabrication of actual facts, just looked cool in writing. Having goals and writing or blogging them is a very crucial thing, you get to reference when that goal comes to life infront of your eyes. This may not be my first car, but it shall be one of my cars (that s just uped the game, umh!) and then we can go to the Audi, Audi A4 to be precise, oh yeh!

The ultimate car

No Mercedes for me or range rover, i wouldn't mind a land rover though, but just these babies and am good, if the Lord blesses me, great, if they remain dreams, well great too (with a bitter taste of course) but either way I know they won't come because I worked 14hrs a day, Monday to Sunday, January to December, noooooo. But because time and chance happened to me just as it happens to all of us out there, with money and without.