Bye Bye for now, Medela Pump

I owe it to you, Dear Medela, to say a proper Good bye, or rather a "See you Later". You have kept me up at ALL hours of the day, annoyed me, yet saved me and also have allowed me to have 2-3 hours of time to myself. However, I'd rather you go back into the closet, hide for a while, and if meant, we shall meet again. For now, Thank you, but Good Riddance!!
For anyone out there who has used this, then you know the love hate relationship one has with this amazing tool. When exclusively breastfeeding your baby, this is your Savior! However, at times with all the work it comes along with, and not to mention the time it takes to get the gold all ready and stored in a bottle, you do think to yourself, just stay home, be with the baby and 1-2 years later, "you'll get a day to yourself". I guess back in the day, that's what women did. A baby is designed to need his/her mother EVERY few hours, and sometimes every few minutes. It's nature's way of keeping you close! Medela is just another way however, to have a few moments of sanity for those crazy days/nights :)

Tilapia Veracruz

Recently, I experimented with a few new flavors with Fish and recreated my version of Tilapia Veracruz. Inspired by a Mahi Mahi I had at Grand Lux Cafe, here is my recipe of a fish I guarantee will please everyone!

Ingredients:
4 Fillets of Tilapia
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
1 cup freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
2 tsp freshly chopped garlic - divided
1 tsp finely chopped Thyme (Dry works as well)
2 Tomatoes chopped
Fresh Cilantro for garnish

In a bowl, prepare marinade by mixing together 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp of the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and old bay seasoning. In a flat dish, lay your tilapia fillets and pour the marinade over the fish. Let the fish marinate for 2-3 hours at least. If you have time, let it marinate overnight.
In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil, and sautee the fish fillets until golden brown on each side. Depending on the size of the fillets, you should not have to sautee for more than 3-4 minutes on each side.
Once cooked, lay tilapia fillets on a platter and cover with foil. In the same frying pan, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tsp chopped garlic. When the garlic has slightly browned, add the tomatoes. Stir together on low heat, just until the tomatoes are soft and tender. Pour the tomato garlic mixture over the fish.
One last thing to make this dish extra flavorful! If you have any marinade remaining, pour it into a frying pan, and cook until it boils. Let it simmer for a few minutes and pour all over the fish.
Serve Immediately, or keep in Oven on Warm setting just until ready to serve.

I served this once with Gnocchi and the next time with an amazing sweet corn side dish - recipe to be coming up soon for that as well!
Enjoy!

THE most Amazing Chocolate cake EVER!

My husband has been asking for a chocolate cake for the longest time. Not a fluffy one, but a dense one. Words cannot do justice to how AMAZING this cake turned out. Grab the recipe, and go make this TODAY. Even if you're not a chocolate lover, you'll fall in love with this gooey, yummy, chocolatey goodness!

Ingredients:
1 box Devil's food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 cups semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the chocolate chips. Make sure to beat the eggs first, and then add the remaining ingredients. This ensures no lumps in your batter. Using a beater, mix together on medium to high speed. Your batter will remain thick - don't worry, that's what it should look like! Once all the ingredients are mixed, drop in the chocolate chips and fold in gently. Pour batter into a pan. I used a Springform pan, but you can use bundt, 9 inch pans, or whatever you like. Bake for 40 minutes and start checking to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick. Depends on how fast your oven is, my cake baked for about 55 minutes.
And that's it! I did not even bother to ice this cake, it's SUPER good just as is. ENJOY!

I Love my Hubby

So I write a lot about the things I love, which are mainly my Baby and FOOD! But really, if there is a page about me, then there has to be some information about the person without whom I cannot imagine my life, my hubby! He is my best friend, my soul mate. If you're reading this, "Daddy", just want you to know, life is just so much better with you in it. :) I could say more but I prefer to keep the cheese level here for now :)

Pearls of Wisdom from my Mother

All while growing up, my mother was constantly watching our moves, correcting us, telling us what to do, how to do it, and put what she felt were great values in her children. As a mother now, I think about some of the things my mother said to me as a child, that have stayed with me. I hope to someday pass these lessons on to my own little guy, Hasan. As I remember more of these lessons, I'll keep updating them. Each day, I am reminded of something back from my childhood - this will remain an ongoing entry!

• Make your bed every morning after waking up. It makes your whole room look neat.
• After waking up every morning, say the Kalimah and thank Allah you have woken up to another day.
• When eating something with someone else, always share. It will make your food taste sweeter. (I believed that for a really long time!)
• Give the gift to someone else, that you would get for yourself.
•  Enjoy the time you have, with whom you have - because you never know when it will end. 
• Don't throw out food, Use leftovers to create a new meal!
• Stand straight - tuck your tummy in and NEVER sulk while you walk.
• Sometimes, being quiet is the best statement of all.
• Put on lipstick and look presentable. No matter where you go. Do it for yourself.

My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there.

Kind of wish I was there right now.

My baby turns 1

Where has the time gone? I remember securing him into his car seat - he was so small and at peace, the day we brought him home. We walked into our home as a family of now 3, it was an indescribable feeling. Placed him into his crib, which we had looked at for so many weeks prior to this, waiting for when we would place our little baby in there. All I can say is I am thankful. Very Thankful to the All Mighty for letting us experience that moment, and this last entire year. A healthy baby is a blessing, and I am thankful for that and so much more. For now, I must run, as my now TODDLER, is crying for his MAMA :)