Tuesday’s Tidbits

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  I’m extra excited about today’s featured blogger because  when she is in the kitchen – WOWSA! – magic happens.   Bobbi  of Bam`s Kitchen has become a special friend of mine over the last 3 years as we have shared the trials and tribulations of food blogging and it’s a pleasure to introduce her today.  Many of you follow her beautiful blog but did you know that yesterday she became a star?!!

VRAI magazine  featured  a great article written by Bobbi about the wet market in Hong Kong.  The story and images are captivating and gives us an insight into the cultural differences, advantages and challenges for an American family living in a very large, foreign city. This publication is `a blog lifestyle magazine written by real bloggers who want to tell their stories and share ideas, information and inspiration` – you don`t want to miss it!

Bobbi is married with two very hungry teenage boys.  Her background is impressive – she is  a registered nurse specializing in cardiology and currently works as a medical writer. Being employed for twenty years in the American medical field before moving to Asia in 2008 no doubt helped prepare her to make a home for her family in Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong.  Being flexible and having the ability to adapt would definitely be top priorities!

Bobbi’s recipes are very healthy.  Her blog consists of foods that are cardiac friendly, diabetic friendly, gluten free, lactose free, egg free, vegan, and vegetarian.  She uses fresh ingredients and introduces us to many fruits and vegetables that we rarely see in North America.  Her creativity knows no bounds as she shops at the wet markets and decides what to cook for dinner depending on what she finds that day.

 Rosemary Herb Pork Chops with Shallot Wine Sauce      Bam`s Kitchen

This scrumptious dish is one of her most popular because it is quick and easy to make and has only a few ingredients.  Those chops looks so juicy and would be suitable for either a weeknight dinner or a special night with guests.

 Crystal Jade Asian Eggplant with Garlic Oyster Sauce    Bam`s Kitchen

Bobbi can go from fresh and simple to fresh and spectacular and can you believe that this dish has only 5 ingredients?  This is a breeze to make and think of how you can impress your friends with your knowledge of Asian cuisine!

There are loads of cooking tips and helpful nutritional info on Bam`s Kitchen and, with every single post,  I learn something new.

 Dim Sum Spring Rolls        Bam’s Kitchen

Speaking of spectacular!  Have you seen Bobbi`s recipe this week?   She even promises that a beginner can make these!  I`m in!  For more about this recipe and the VRAI Magazine feature, pop on over to Bam’s Kitchen and be amazed.

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 If you could put all your dream components into one house, you would have the coolest house in the world, right?  Imagine secret rooms, water slides, outdoor theatres all in one?  This website offers some great ideas for a fantasy home.

 How about having a glassed-in babbling brook right beneath your house!?

Or an adult-sized treehouse.  Tea parties and sleepovers with the girls!

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Do your kids love to read? Are you cringing at the prices of children’s books?  Here’s a list of 100 legal sites to download free books.  Included in this is The International Children’s Digital Library, the classics, school textbooks, poetry and audio versions of many favourites as well.  What a great resource!

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After you’ve had your fill of books, you can find a place to catch 40 winks in these images of amazing places for the expert napper.  There are so many fun, creative ways to grab a quick siesta that it made me sleepy just looking at them. Take a peek and tell me which one would be your favourite place to catch some Z’s.   I’ll be curious to see which one is the most popular choice!

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And if you’re finding that you’re napping too much, then perhaps you need to visit this site and find some simple, painless ways to boost your metabolism.  They have nine easy steps that they suggest incorporating one at a time so that it is a seamless transition.  Drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning is a great place to start and you will notice a significant difference in how your body feels if you give it a try.

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You’ve read your favourite book for free, taken a short but luxurious nap, found a few ways to boost your energy but you find yourself still in a bad mood?  Well, you’ve got to fix that!! Here are 11 foods that will end your bad mood in a hurry.  Quick now – get yourself to the kitchen!  Pack these items in your kids and spouse’s lunches too and you can be sure everyone will be in a good mood when they come home. Ha!

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 This list from Dave Barry  just cracked me up.  I’ve always enjoyed his humour because it’s just so….real!  Everyone can relate to what he’s saying and he never fails to put a smile on my face.

19 Things That It Took Me 50 Years To Learn

By Dave Barry..

1. Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be “meetings”.

3. There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5. And when God, who created the entire universe with all of its glories, decides to deliver a message to humanity, He WILL NOT use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.

6. You should not confuse your career with your life.

7. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

8. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.

9. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.

10. Never lick a steak knife.

11. Take out the fortune before you eat the cookie.

12. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

13. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

14. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she’s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

15. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.

16. “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

17. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.

18. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

19. Your friends love you anyway.

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 Have a great day, everyone!