Just a very normal day in the life of a mother & father
Me: Standing at the checkout talking away to myself ! Wondering hopefully…..I haven’t exceeded the monthly budget which I rarely adhere to 😉
Him: Surprises me with a tap on my shoulder, as he away with his four-year old cherub. They went to find solace at the pet shop. The pets which cannot yet be a part of their holy abode like Guinea pigs, Iguana, Hamster, snakes, rabbits and suckers. This is a weekly routine to which I have no contribution.
“I bought it for her” he adds.
“Really…..you did….from where ? ” bewildered me.Him buying something is a big deal especially when there are nil written instructions or telephonic calls before the purchase.
“Ryman! I gave her a choice and she picked it up…and trust me she is happy” he says with hidden pride.
“What kind is it.?….Is it expensive ? ” I am never short of questions.
“You will see…..” he grins. And we both share a small minuscule moment and chuckle like school going kids.
In between these conversations we have the little one going up and down through the divider. The staff at the billing counter listening silently to our animated conversation.
He quickly starts swiping the bar code and I am stuffing the juice,fruits,veggies,poultry,fish,ice cream,bread and eggs into the shopping bags.
“Sorry….If I may ask ? Did you get your little one a mobile or a laptop? ” staff guy blurts out and slightly ashamed with his eves dropping. Can’t complain we are a loud family as well.
My better half who is rarely offended, gives a smile and utters “It’s a sipper we bought her!”
Poor fellow dug the mountain to catch the rat but what followed was a tiny sermon which will stay with me quite sometime.
“I am really amazed by the happiness you derived from the purchase of a small sipper. I thought you were delighted because you bought your little one an expensive gadget. I get my boy whatever I can afford but it never gives him that cheer. I am glad people still find happiness in everyday nuisances. Truly god is in small things.I rarely see such smiling faces at the busy checkout. Apart from exchange of few hi’s bye’s and the weather.”
With life we have come to an understanding that good and bad keep happening to us. We have no definitive moral but we just want to champion every smallest failure , success and all those things in between. Especially those minuscule moments which the contemporary society tends to consider frenzied or nonsensical.
I noticed the cape gooseberries or Physalis on the rack and couldn’t help but buy them. I can’t recall exactly when I ate these beauties but I wanted to badly recollect that moment so I picked them up and decided to prepare the Lebanesse Sfouf and serve it with balsamic cape gooseberries and fresh cream.
- 300g fine wheat semolina
- 250g fine plain flour
- 300g castor sugar
- 400ml whole milk
- 50g butter at room temperature
- 100g vegetable oil
- 2 tsp ground aniseed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 25 pine nuts
- 1 tsp tahini
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 10 cape gooseberries
- 1 cup fresh cream
- Combine the flour and semolina with butter and oil.Add the sugar,aniseed,turmeric,baking powder.Finally add milk and make a thick batter.
- Coat the cake tin with tahini.On this spread out the sfouf dough,flattening with wet hands.
- Preheat the oven to 200C.Sprinkle pine nuts and set aside for 1 hr 15 m.Put the sfouf in the lower rack and bake for 20-25 minutes.The sfouf will remain fresh in a air tight container for 1 week.
- In a pan heat vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves and then toss the cape gooseberries in the syrup and when it cools chill it in the refrigerator.
- Before serving pour cream and top it with balsamic cape gooseberries.
