JAM SISTERS’ Current Craving : Cheese Fondue 12 October 2008

JAM SISTERS wants to share with you their currect cravings! CHEESE FONDUE that is!

 

This fondue (”melted” in French) is the classic Swiss appetizer of melted cheese and wine, into which you dip pieces of crusty bread. Use whatever wine you plan to drink with the cheese fondue, as long as it’s a white wine. This cheese fondue recipe serves 6 to 8 people. 

Things You’ll Need:

·         2 c. dry white wine

·         1 tsp. cornstarch

·         2 garlic cloves

·         1/2 tsp. or so white pepper

·         2/3 lb. Gruyere cheese

·         1/3 lb. or so Cheddar cheese

·         1 loaf French bread, cubed

·         1 firm apple, sliced

·         1 bunch grapes

Step1

Mix half the wine with the cornstarch in a heavy nonreactive pan and stir together until the cornstarch dissolves.

Step2

Bring wine mixture to a simmer over low heat and add the cheese.

Step3

Slice the garlic cloves in half and add them to the mixture along with the pepper.

Step4

Stir slowly as the cheese melts, always keeping the heat low enough so the mixture remains just below simmering.

Step5

When the cheese is completely melted and smooth, thin with the remaining wine as necessary. The cheese should be thick enough to coat the bread and fruit.

Step6

Transfer to a fondue pot or serve in the cooking pot. Fish out and discard the four garlic halves.

Step7

Place the fondue pot on a large platter.

Step8

Arrange the cubed bread, sliced apples and grapes around the fondue pot on the platter. Spear the bread cubes and fruit with forks or fondue spears and dip them in the fondue.

 

Note :

Cheese Fondue cost around 60 dhs (that includes 2 servings of stale bread)

You can find nice Fondue Set at the malls or check out STROKE store at DFC.

Fondue Set can cost about 119 AED.

You can now have your Cheese Fondue at home anytime!

JAM SISTERS’ Current Craving : Cheese Fondue

New Nanny… More Idle Time 9 October 2008

we were recently blessed with a new nanny. a competent one. let’s call her yaya.B. yaya.B is in her 30’s. she’s good with my little girl. she was able to feed her her meals, let her drink her milk, gave her vitamins on her 2nd day on the job. she was able to bathe the baby on her 3rd day. on top of that, she’s good with diapering, very much aware of cleanliness and health, and totally no resistance in wearing scrubs while at work. she seems perfect for a nanny. parang… too good to be true.

she’s also a mother, by the way. a mother to 3 children. that maybe contributed to her being good with child care. she said she was also a hands on mother with her children, but due to financial constraints, she has to leave her children to her sister and parents to work.

of all the 10 yayas that i had, yaya.B is the only one who has been doing what a nanny should be doing. she’s commited to her work. overwhelming. sana talaga totoo sya.

having a yaya this good, i have time to do other stuff. but….. this is the time that i need to lay low and breath, because i am nurturing a new member of the family.

The Nanny Diaries (Part II) 6 October 2008

13 months, 10 yayas


yaya no. 9. age: 19yo-22yo (age unknown, yaya somehow was inconsistent when asked about her age); civil status: single; hometown: pangasinan; length of stay: 13days; reason for leaving: boredom, and uninterested to learn; employer’s rating: 3/10

yaya no. 10. age: 32yo; civil status: married; hometown: samar; <<< current yaya


i’d like to comment on my former nannies. nothing violent, i hope… sabi nila, in hiring a nanny, get someone who is both WILLING and ABLE to care for your children. never compromise on this. with my former nannies, some are willing to care for my child, but not able, in a sense that they lack experience; some are both willing and able, but due to personal circumstances, has to leave and go home; some are willing to try and definitely are unable. we know that trying is good, but we don’t really need someone to treat our children as their guinea pigs, do we? some of the “some who are willing to try”, are first-timers in manila, they are more after the adventure, the travel, the vacation from their usual provincial lives. the other some say they are willing to try, but their actions say otherwise.

some of you might ask, “how am i as an employer?” well, i am… thorough, mataray and masungit, OC (sometimes, really OC-OC), but i am also generous and kind to them, and i try to understand their situation any possible way i can. i am willing to teach them how i want things done in my house, and most especially my preferred child care. everything starts with asking nicely. they were never treated them as slaves. we always treat them as our partners in caring for my child, at least we try to treat them as such. we point out mistakes and let go the 1st, 2nd, 3rd times, sometimes more. if you can just imagine how nerve-wrecking this is, if they’ve been with you for more than a month, doing the same things everyday, and still forget how to properly wash the baby bottles, which is by the way a basic chore as a nanny. some of them can really get stupid (please excuse my choice of words), they we still manage to let it go of their mistakes and be very understanding of the situation. but for how long shall we keep doing this? maybe… for as long as nothing bad happens to my child, but do we need to wait for an accident, that we know could have been prevented, to happen before we take action on our Willing and Unable, or Unwilling and Unable nanny? i think a line needs to be drawn somewhere. i do draw the line somewhere, somewhere wherein i was really pissed off, can no longer ignore the stupidity. this is where the dragon in me rages out of the dungeon. (strong words ba? perfect way maybe to describe myself when angry. hehehe…)

lessons learned.

hire someone BOTH WILLING AND ABLE.

always be patient and give them a chance. train and nurture them.

treat them as partners in caring for your child.

lend them an ear.

if they make a mistake that can not be ignored, tell them in a diplomatic manner. should this is the last straw after everything you did to teach them how to do it properly, let them go. never release hurtful statements.