Row, Row, Row your boat.....

When Trey and Min's Aunt Louyse came a few weeks ago, we took a ride on these little boats in the Dubai Creek.  We went from the Gold Souk (which is really an area with a whole ton of gold shops.  for some cultures around here, gold is a big deal) over to a little shopping area. 

His sign says 50% discount for diamonds......

Free time....

You want to know what we love to do in our free time?!  We head over to the Rotana hotel on Fridays and Saturdays and lay by the pool.  When we go to the pool we feel like we enter another world.   If we even have a few hours in the evening after work, we'll run over there and jump in the hot tub.  Anything that was on our mind or bothering us is totally gone when we enter our Rotana Life! 

Unfortunately it's starting to get too hot for us so we'll have to start going in the evenings on the weekend.

Don't you want to come sit under one of these umbrellas with us?!

Yes, we love the swim up bar! Those little stools are slippery in the water, though. I always wonder if I'll spill my drink in the pool one of these times!

We love the drink menu.  We're working on helping them understand that Margaritas are better with LIMES...not lemon. 

Trey went on a trip to Zambia this week. He'll be gone for 10 days.  He went with the Higher Colleges here. It was 12 Emirate students and 4 leaders.  The amazing part is that more women went than men.  In this culture, it's rare to let your young college girl go on a trip like this.  They went to serve at another CURE hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.  I'm excited to hear from the local girls/guys especially.   Pretty amazing.
 

Well I disappeared for a little bit.  So what has been happening since the end of February?

Trey's Aunt Louyse from Georgia came to visit. We had a great time taking her around to see the "big" attractions around here.  All of the pictures are on Min's computer...this is the only one I had.

Then our friend Majorie came....she was our neighbor in B-town and we've kept in touch ever since. 

During our visits with both Aunt Louyse and Majorie, we went out to our friends farm in the desert and had a b-b-q and went four wheeling.

Next week Trey is off to Zambia to one of CURE's other hospitals with a group of college students from a local college here in Al Ain.   They'll be doing service work, seeing a mobile clinic and hopefully get to see a club foot surgery.  It's a pretty exciting opportunity for the students.  There are more women signed up for the trip than men.  That in itself is pretty amazing.  Times are changing......

Other than that....life has sort of settled into pretty normal life. 

This past week, Trey's aunt came to visit.  We had a great week with her and she's back to Atlanta today.  I'll post pictures another day.

On the way to the dentist the other day, we stopped at the gas station.  A camel was peaking out over this truck and it just made us laugh.  It's still not totally normal, right?!

And then I found these snacks the other day somewhere.  Papy snacks. We used to call our grandfather Pappy.   They really have some interesting names for snack items.  

Cocoa Layer Cake

This cake was S.O. good!  I can't even tell you about it.  Make it for yourself.  We made it for friends -- 2 times.  Nobody hates it....and if you make it, nobody will hate you either.  If you would like to make your chocolate loving friends happy, go to the Bon Appetit and find the recipe or look below.


Ingredients

Cake

•1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)

•1 cup lukewarm water, divided

•1/2 cup buttermilk

•1 1/2 cups cake flour (spooned into cups to measure, then leveled)

•3/4 teaspoon baking soda

•1 cup sugar

•1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

•1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

•2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten to blend

Frosting

•10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

•1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

•1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

•2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

•1 cup heavy whipping cream

•2 teaspoons vanilla extract

special equipment

•3 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 11/2-inch-high sides

Preparation

Cake

•Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper rounds; butter parchment. Whisk cocoa and 1/2 cup warm water in small bowl. Whisk buttermilk and 1/2 cup water in another small bowl. Sift flour, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and butter in large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy (mixture will appear granular), about 5 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add beaten eggs, then beat until smooth and fluffy, about 15 seconds. Add cocoa mixture; beat to blend. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, beating to blend after each addition. Divide batter among pans (about 1 3/4 cups each).

•Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, reversing pans halfway through baking, about 18 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks.

Frosting

•Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, and 1/2 teaspoon (scant) salt. Gradually stir in cream. Stir until mixture is very hot and just begins to simmer at edges. Reduce heat to low; stir 1 minute to let flavors blend. Transfer to medium bowl; stir in vanilla (frosting will resemble chocolate sauce). Chill until just thickened, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours. Let stand at room temperature.

•Run knife around cake sides. Carefully invert 1 cake onto plate (cake is very tender); peel off parchment. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Invert second cake onto palm of hand. Position cake 2 inches above frosted cake layer. Carefully slide cake onto first cake layer. Peel off parchment. Spread cake with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Do AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; let stand at room temperature.

•Cut into wedges and serve.

I'm all outta words.....

I'm assuming many of you saw this already...but it really makes me laugh.