Extra Extra Read All About It!

Move over Huffington Post, I'm now a bonafide member of the archives of one of Qatar's local newspapers, Gulf Times. Imagine my surprise this morning when @avkumar rolls across my tweetdeck...

Huh? I've never even been contacted by the Gulf Times?! I clicked on his link and sure enough, there it was "American expat invents car-baked cookies!". I headed to the gym, picked up a hard copy of the newspaper, and there it was, again, in black and white on page 28 with a huge picture. Afterward, I even notice that there was a teaser pic of the Tahoe on the top of the front page. Did you catch that, FRONT PAGE!

Making the newspaper for my culinary skills is quite the stretch. I'm the product of a mom that would pour out a can of Chef Boyardee spaghetti over rice and ring the dinner bell. I mean, a gourmet meal was mixing peanut butter and syrup and making a sandwich with it. Shoot, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. So, mom, I dedicate my ten minutes of fame to you.

*****

The rest of the story...

Let's be clear, even though I'm flattered, I did NOT invent these cookies. I found the recipe via a link to Bakingbites.com that @dohanews tweeted. Special thanks to Shabina (@dohanews) for originally getting this post circulated through the Huffington Post.

Link to pdf version of article ~ click on page 28

My original post ~ So, How Hot is Qatar?

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French Kisses From Kristi

A lot of you know that Kristi, my ex partner in crime in Doha, is nesting in France for the next four months or so. To her mother's pleasant surprise, she has started a journal of her own to chronicle her study abroad adventures. With her newborn blog, French Kisses from Kristi, she promises to keep me up to speed. You know, so I can follow the money trail. I look forward to living her new French life vicariously through her writings. I already feel a bit more "cultured" after reading her first entry from France about how the French are so kissy and what other than...bathroom etiquette or maybe the lack of, rather. Seriously, I don't know what it is about Kristi and bathrooms. Click on the pic to read on...


Related post:

Angers Management ~Kristi Style

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Keep the Change

...you filthy animal.

Envisioning the scene from Home Alone, that's what I wanted to tell the cashier this morning. I'll take the pack of gum or would I rather the candy bar, instead? Better yet, if I head to the pharmacy, I might just score a pill for change. I'm not kidding you. I've already blogged about all this for you, but after three years, it still humors me and sometimes reruns are better than the first go around. This clerk was a little confused when I asked if I could take a picture of his cash drawer. Of course, I felt a little silly, but sometimes my self control takes a back seat. After explaining that I wanted to photograph the gum in the tray, he just laughed. I did a quick scan around the store, pulled out my bazooka of a camera and snapped as quickly as I could and made my getaway. I had my pic, that was worth way more than the change in the drawer.

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Date Break

This is my fourth Ramadan in Qatar and my memory from year to year eludes me. What are the mall timings? Are the grocery stores open? Yes, I enter each year forgetting what happened the prior. So, I was pleasantly surprised last night at TGI Fridays when David and I were immediately presented with a sweet plate that included the traditional "break the fast" food of dates, along with juices. I love surprises (good thing, since my memory sucks!) especially when it's complimentary. Speaking of food, see that lamb contraption picture behind the sweet dish? Our ritual for the last year at our weekly visit to Friday's (since they posted that blasted advert) goes something like this. David: Ooooh, that looks so good, I'm going to have to try that. Me: Complete silence with right eyebrow lifted to "stop you in your tracks" level. We always share an entree there and neither one of us even likes lamb, and if he wanted it so dang much he should have gotten it while I was on my extended hiatus in the states. I know, I digress. This post was supposed to be about Ramadan and got high jacked by a lamb hock. Is there really such a creature? Digression continues. Anyway, similar to Christmas in America, the newspapers are flooded with special promotions and ads for the season.

Example 1:



Papa John's extends a nice Ramadan greeting along with a pizza special. Yes, Papa John's reigns in Doha, along with most all of the other American pizza chains!

Ramadan Kareem is a common greeting used
throughout the season wishing others a "generous" Ramadan.

Example 2:

Then there are those that blatantly commercialize Ramadan by suggesting that if you buy yourself a car you just might connect with your spiritual well being...

Unfortunately, I will have to look for other ways to "feel" the spirit of the season!

Ramadan Kareem!

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Pimp Those Pumps

I think the protocol to moving to Qatar is starting a blog. Before making the decision to move halfway across the world, seeking out others' experiences seems logical. That's how I got started. After being hooked up with Gina and Michael's blog several months before I moved to Doha, I found it was in no way going to be anything short of a crazy experience that I just might want to journal for myself. Gina has come and gone, but her life here has been documented for every Googler out there that is looking to see how life in the Middle East plays out. Since, I've been blogging about our trials and tribulations in the desert these last three years, I've had the pleasure of answering emails from others that are facing the same life altering decisions that we did. Courtney is one of those that I had weekly, some times daily contact with before she moved here just a few weeks back. When communicating after her arrival, I was so relieved to know that she felt I was pretty much "spot on" with the info I had given her on what to expect. Not only have David and I had the pleasure of meeting the precious little Courtney, we've already shared a few meals, grocery shopped and exchanged hilarious emails. Oh, and a tidbit of info that I've gathered from Courtney is that there is no way on God's green earth (or white desert sands as the case may be!) that she's trading in her pink pumps for desert sandals anytime soon. So, here begins the saga of the pink pumped girl...

Enter Courtney's new world

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