Eid mubarak to everyone! I've been so busy!
Last week and four days after- I went into surgery for a chest infection. All good now, just healing! Not so happy about the scar but I'm really happy about feeling better before eid! My hospital experience was absolutely amazing and I hope to write about it soon.
Healing and hectic trip to Makkah- my MIL wanted to do Umrah and my husband and I had to travel to Jeddah for my job, so my SILs and MIL joined us for a trip to Makkah. It was really hectic, really stressful, worthwhile, and at least we got what we needed done. I didn't do umrah during ramadan, mainly because it was too crowded for Eliana and I didn't want to risk getting sick so soon after my surgery.
EID- Eid just SHOWED up among the chaos. We nearly forgot. Eid here is a weird, wonderful, festive, and fun experience. I'm so happy to have been here to enjoy it with my husband and his family. Eliana made tons of money and ate tones of chocolate, both things make me nervous! We started her back on Cloth diapers yesterday and let me tell you- it was a mistake. Whatever she ate yesterday was NOT good! Haha! I didn't enjoy being separated from my husband, was thrown in with people who don't understand me while he visited a village worth of family. I missed him, but I did go to a party! It was lovely. The fireworks are terrifying here, not so sure if everyone knows firework safety! Today is a huge village get together, tomorrow my FIL and all his brothers will all go BBQ in the outdoors with their families, all of the 100 or so of us! I'm really excited for it.
I've just been extremely overwhelmed with it all. On a positive note I've got my daughter back on a good sleeping schedule, 930-10pm nightly, which I know is really early for a Saudi kid. I just can't keep seeing her stay up until the wee hours for absolutely no reason. She gets really grumpy, plus my husband and I have some more free time this way!
I haven't been eating as well as I could be. I feel like I've had my fill of chips and fries and sweets and shwarama... maybe not my fill of shwarama, but a lot of it. Our Pomegranates and Figs on the farm are ready, however, so I've been feasting on fresh, organic, FREE fruit. I'm so excited about the variety we have in the farm, all seem exotic and extremely expensive (One Pom in Canada is like $2.50- $3!) I've had WAY too much rice, I'm getting so sick of it! Instead, a couple of nights ago I made up a huge Greek Salad for the family and it was a huge hit. I don't remember if I've ever posted the recipe, I'm way lazy to check. I adapted this recipe from one my Aunt made when I stayed with her before we moved here. It's to die for, it keeps so well and tastes better the next day...
ANOTHER GREEK:
Dressing:
One lemon, 1tsp chopped rind, rest of juice squeezed
1 tbs oregano
1 1/2 tbs parsely
2 tbs Balsamic Vinigar
1 tbs white vinigar
5 tbs Olive Oil
1 Garlic clove chopped finely
4 black olives chopped finely (I hate olives but the dressing really needs them)
1/2 tsp each Salt and Pepper
Combine all ingredients and let sit for an hour.
The Salad:
5 Cucumbers cubed
2 Green peppers cubed
1 Red or Yellow Pepper cubed
2 Tomatoes cubed
1 large or 2 small Red onions sliced thinly
1/2 feta, drained and crumbled (in Saudi Feta is wet-ish and creamy, I cut it into cubes and let it strain in a colander for 2 hours, it was dryer and more salad friendly when I added it in)
2 1/2 cups of cooked pearled wheat (some salt added)
1 can of chickpeas boiled
Combine all ingredients, feta being last. Pour on the dressing and allow the wheat to absorb the flavour, it's much better if you make this salad in advance.
This salad easily fed 11 of us, if you make it in this quantity it will last a small family 2 or 3 meals so it's perfect for us and I make it a lot. Keeps 4-5 days.
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