Category Archives: j delights

Surprise post wishing my super wife a happy birthday

Posted on February 25, 2015 | 18 comments

This is an unconventional post on this blog… usually Jaymmy posts about food, crafts, kids activities with a rich vocabulary and smooth flow. I am not that type of person, my writing skills and my style suck, so it is a pre apology for the readers, if you carry on reading, you are not getting the same quality, you are used to on this page.

But I am keen on writing it, to put the light and bang the drums to the effort put behind every post and to wish my wonderful wife and marmite et ponpon a super happy birthday.

I am proud of her, she’s the one who prepares, takes pictures, write and post, and I am in the backstage, trying to entertain our precious son Nady so that she’s able to put it together and frankly I don’t know where and how she finds time to keep on doing what she’s doing with the kid, the work, the house. . . sometimes I feel that her day is 26 and even 30 hours.

I can’t but appreciate her skills, am sure by now you realize that she’s perfectionist. She’s perfectionist in every single thing she does , from washing the dishes, to meticulously choosing Nady’s books and videos, to doing his customized Palm Sunday candle, to decorating the house, to delivering creative and high quality outcome at work, . . . and this is exhausting!

We have our stress and pressure our ups and downs, our achievements and deceptions, but luckily so far we are managing to get out of our hard times solider and stronger!

On this special occasion, i want to wish you my Jaymmy a super happy birthday, and i want to tell you that you are more than just the wife, the friend, the travel companion, the cook, the flat mate… you are the love I always dreamed of, and our Nady is one lucky boy to have you as a mom!

Happy birthday to Marmite et ponpon as well, I know I got you extra work on your last birthday but I don’t regret it! I still believe that what you naturally do is worth being shared!!

I am sure that you will criticize my English and my writing skills 🙂 But I will enjoy it…

Happy birthday… super Jay! I love you, and will always be by your side! We make a great family with Nady! We will make even a greater one with our little Joud coming on the way, yes we are expecting a new member in the team!

Happy birthday… keep it up!!

18 Comments

Posted in special occasions

Romano and pineapple salad

Posted on February 19, 2015 | 1 comment

I heart salads! It’s my staple option at any time of the day. Salads are so versatile, catering to all tastes and satisfying the cravings.

I believe there is no single ingredient from the food pyramid you can’t stir in. Personally i like adding fruits and nuts.

For this fool proof salad you need (yield 2-3 portions):

mix green leaf (arugula, red oak, green oak and frisé), 200g
handful walnut
shaved aged romano cheese, about 50 g
3-4 slices fresh pineapple

You can use any type of green leaf of your choice. If you’re not fan of the sharp and piquant flavor of aged romano cheese, you can replace it with parmesan and it can still do the balance with the pineapple.

For the dressing you need:

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp brown sugar

Isn’t so inviting? Indulge in this healthy and succulent dish and do not hesitate to unleash your creativity to come up with your own signature salad.

1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged blog, blogger, brown sugar, dressing, green leaf, green leaves, how to do, jaymmy, lemon, marmite et ponpon, mayonnaise, orange, pineapple, recipe, romano cheese, salad, walnut

Endless reasons i love you…

Posted on February 12, 2015 | 6 comments

It’s so important to tell your children “I love you” everyday. Knowing that they are loved unconditionally, develops their secure attachment to you. Strong closeness to the family will lead no doubt to positive relationships in adulthood and high self esteem.

We celebrate love everyday at home, I never miss a chance to express my love to my precious son (verbally or by actions) and for this valentines i decided to put the reasons i love him in written words on cutout hearts to celebrate love.

I know many of you stopped celebrating valentines for how commercial it became. Don’t lose faith in this beautiful occasion and teach your children about love in deep and expressive ways.

It won’t take too much of your time. Cut a big circle of styrofoam then a smaller one within to make it look like a hoop. Wrap it with colorful ribbons (or paper, whatever you have available at home). Cut out heart shaped papers. I attached to you an A3 paper with many drawn hearts. Click hearts to download the file.

Enjoy writing on the hearts the many and endless reasons why you love your children then stick them on the hoop.

Hang it on their bedroom door as a wreath or simply on the wall as a frame. This is Nady’s wreath of love written by papa Antoun and I. We will be reading it to him for now…

If your children are old enough to write, you can get them involved in the game and stretch it for a longer time. Ask them to write the reasons they love you too and play this mutual love game starting a week ahead, hanging everyday one heart from each, until valentines day when you have a full wreath.

By the way, it’s not just for kids! Do it to your significant other and let love flourishes in your hearts and homes!

Don’t forget that love is not only words, it should be followed by actions, and the most important the presence. Be present for your kids, in love, protection and service. Happy valentines xx

6 Comments

Posted in DIY, special occasions

Tagged cutout hearts, DIY, hearts, i love you, love, messages, valentine, valentines day, wreath

Pear cannelle puff pastry tart

Posted on February 5, 2015 | 3 comments

It’s not so hard to live a delicious life. Not all seductive deserts need a lot of efforts, skills, ingredients or money. This impressive tart is served on your table in less than 20 minutes and cost me only 5$

This is my favorite desert, every time we dine at Paul, there is a small place reserved in my stomach for a pear cannelle tart. I am not a sweet lover, but this tart is exactly what i fancy; balanced flavors and not too much sweet. I decided to make it myself at home, the result was too much to resist!

For this quick and easy desert you need:

1 sheet of puff pastry (to fit a pan of 22cm)
3 pears sliced
2 tbsp or almost 30g butter melted
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven on 180ºC. Lay the puff pastry sheet in the pan and torn the edges.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon, mixing well. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top of the puff pastry.

Layer the pear slices on top of the puff pastry covering all the surface. Brush the top of the pears with the remaining butter mixture, and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Trust me your house will be full of aroma, so tempting to abstain yourself from. I was thinking how to resist having my first piece until i take pictures for the post.

This is my piece

this is 10 seconds later

And this is my second one 🙂 Try it warm or cold at any time of the day!

3 Comments

Posted in dessert

Tagged blog, brown sugar, cannelle, cinnamon, how to do, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pear, puff pastry, recipe, tart, vanilla extract

Savory spinach feta cheese quiche and a must have crust recipe (pâte brisée)

Posted on January 29, 2015 | 7 comments

Pâte brisée is a rich buttery and crumbly texture crust made with just 5 ingredients; Butter, flour, salt, sugar and ice water. The high ratio of butter to flour gives the pastry its crumbly texture. This dough is ideal for savory pies, tarts and quiches. It can be made by hand or food processor, but the most important is to not over or under work the dough beside using cold butter and cold water.

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
220g high quality unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup ice water

Mix dry ingredients, add the butter already cut in small cubes and pulse (or mix by hands) until it just started to come together then add the ice water slowly to bind the ingredients together. Do not over work, you are not aiming to form a solid ball of dough here.

I admit it took me time to master this shortcrust dough, it’s a bit tricky and i know lots of you prefer buying it ready made. But trust me when you avoid these two mistakes you will enjoy making it at home. Two problems lead to failure:

If you over work the butter into the flour, it will cause the butter to coat the flour that will not absorb enough water, resulting a fragile dough that breaks apart.
If you under work the butter into the flour, too much water will be needed to get the ingredients come together. Here we have a tough dough because too much gluten was formed.

Let your dough rest in the fridge for an hour, this will allow the gluten in the flour to relax and the butter to chill. Roll it out about 2cm larger than your pan and gently lay it in the pan (I used a 28 cm pan) and trim the excess on the edges. Pinch it with a fork before baking!

Today i am baking spinach feta cheese quiche, for this you need:

600g chopped spinach
200g feta cheese
1 cup cream
1 big onion diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onion with olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add the chopped spinach (thawed if frozen) and cook together for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cream and combine all well. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper then add to the mix.

I like to precook the crust for 15 minutes on 180ºC before pouring the mix on it. Once it’s spread evenly, sprinkle on top the feta cheese. Bake for 30 minutes on 180ºC or until the skewer comes out clean.

Bon appetit!