National Day

We had a long weekend here in Dubai in honor of UAE National Day, which celebrates the union of the seven emirates. (How many can you name?) So in celebration of our country of residence's birthday we decided to venture out of our beloved emirate of Dubai to the nearby emirate of Fujairah.
It was roughly a two hour drive there but much longer to get home. Apparently the thing to do in the UAE to celebrate National Day is to decorate your car in patriotic colors, images of the Sheiks, and other interesting "flare" and drive around honking your horns or spraying foam on to other cars. Thus, we were in heavy traffic until we got out of Fujairah and onto the "highway" back to the DXB.
It was truly an interesting experience and somewhat similar to our Independence Day. I have to say it is great how proud the local Emiratis are of their independence and the 39th birthday of their country, can't wait for 40!
Anyway, Fujairah was absolutely beautiful, we enjoyed some fantastic beach weather, a lovely boat ride and some snorkeling! The aquatic life is amazing there, despite the abundance of jellyfish, we saw sea turtles, sharks (a bit scary!), tons of fish, and beautiful coral! Another "fun fact" about Fujairah is that they still have "public lashings" on Fridays for offences such as public drunkeness, however, we didnt get to witness one this trip. It was a great weekend day trip and for those of you lucky enough to be living in Dubai, I defenitly recommend a day trip to the "Sandy Beach Hotel" for a fun day of snorkeling, ask for Shevender!

Dubai Pilgrims

This year was our first Thanksgiving away from our families and also as a married couple, so my husband and I were determined to have our own authentic American Thanksgiving in the ME and to start our own traditions, while keeping the old ones!
We did our celebration on Friday (reminder: the weekend here is Friday & Saturday) and because obviously Thanksgiving is an American holiday so businesses were open on Thursday.  My husband cooked his first turkey - 14 lbs, a brave task, and it was of course perfect and delicious!  This was not without lots of research and an entire day spent cooking and tending to the bird!  I also contributed my cooking skills to making some of the classics, with my own little twists of course!  I am not one to boil some frozen peas and call it a day especially because we invited some of our friends to join in. (We were not going to eat a giant bird alone.) Everyone was really excited, so the expectations were pretty high and we had a lot to live up to! The evening ended up being relatively successful in that everyone enjoyed the food and we had a great time. As Dubai Pilgrims, we hope that the locals (British and French?) enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as the Native Americans did. (Very pc, I know!)

Roman Holiday

I am so excited to finally share some pics from my holiday to Rome! I studied in Florence, Italy for a semester during college, so I traveled throughout the country and went to Rome a few times, but I have not been back since or ever with my husband. It was so awesome to return during a new stage in my life and with him! I forgot how much fun it is to wander around and get lost through all the streets and little alley ways. We did hit up all the tourist sites, but in a very leisurely fashion.

 We spent six days in the city, so we were lucky enough to be able to take our time exploring without a schedule and most importantly to have long relaxing meals with plenty of wine. Rome is as opposite of Dubai as you can possibly get which is why we choose to spend the Eid holiday there. My husband and I have become excellent travel companions (as if we had a choice!) over the past year and we have found our favorite way to travel is basically without any sort of agenda. We love walking everywhere and just enjoying eachother's company, and Rome is perfect place to do just that.

We stayed in a lovely neighborhood in Centro Storico (for those familiar with Rome) near the Piazza Navona. I love this area, as you are walking distance to everything, but not overwhelmed by the chaos and noise of too many tourists and it's very quaint! There are also plenty of little osterias and trattorias that are family owned and are straight out of a post card and filled with more locals, so you know it will be delicious! It was so refreshing to spend a week in real Autumn weather in a jacket and scarf! As you will see from my pictures, we had in my opinion, perfect weather - rain, clouds, and sun - a very welcomed change! Enjoy!

Forever 21 Dubai

Today I spent a leisurely afternoon in the Dubai Mall enjoying one of my final days of "retirement" - yes after eight relaxing months of "easing in" to my new life in the Middle East, I will be rejoining the work force!  After all, I think 27 is a bit early for retirement... So during my shopping adventure I found myself in Forever21 (Don't judge... you can find some little gems in there!) and I was lucky enough to capture this choreographed song and dance routine of 20 or so store employees.  Moments like this are why we have video cameras on our cell phones.  I think this is absolutely hilarious and is just one example of the random and weird things I encounter here on a daily basis... 

I wish I could have been at the entrance of the store so I could have captured a front view but at least I was able to get this.  Please watch with the volume on.

Autumn, Not Fall, in Dubai

While everyone back west is enjoying chilly weather, foliage, and cozy sweaters, I am enjoying my first Autumn in Dubai. The temperature has finally cooled off to about 90 degrees everyday which means beach weather is here! Beach season in Dubai is from October - April, so we have been enjoying the more pleasant weather with beach bbqs, lounging poolside, dining al fresco, and my new obsession - Box Fit class, an awesome boxing work out class that takes place in the evenings on the beach. There is no better way to get into bikini shape than kicking butt Gulf side and coming home covered in sand.

I love this pic... I took it at breakfast I attended at a gorg villa on the Palm.  Not bad for a back yard :)

I think I should be recruited to do some fight scenes for the filming of Mission Impossible 4 which is currently being filmed in Dubai... I feel like everyone in town has had a Tom Cruise sighting expect me! I am determined to provide you all with some bad cell phone pics before the filming is complete. Btw - this is the biggest thing to happen here since the opening of the Burj Khalifa... Everyday in the paper I read the latest Tom Cruise in Dubai sighting - snowboarding at Ski Dubai, doing stunts by my husband's office, or climbing the Burj (nbd).

I wish I could provide a more exotic portrayal of life in the Middle East by saying I was riding camels all weekend in the desert but it gets boring doing that all the time... I promise for some more exciting posts soon because next week is Eid Al Adha, which means offices are closed for the holiday and that I will be heading on a little holiday myself... Where to?  Here's a hint...

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio

Ali does... Risotto

The other night my husband returned from a business trip to Bahrain so I decided to welcome him home with the ultimate comfort food – Risotto! The recipe I use is from Jamie Oliver’s book – “Jamie does… Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece, France.” This recipe is quite labor intensive and requires a great deal of patience, so do not try and rush it – trust me it will be worth the time and effort! I actually took a very long run right before I began cooking. I am too hyper to stand over a stove for over a half hour constantly stirring otherwise.

 Not only are the recipes excellent in this book, but so are the pictures. All the photos are by Jamie's friend, photographer – David Loftus, his images are half the reason to buy the book. I bought this book right after moving to Dubai because I stupidly did not bring my many cook books with me. I immediately fell in love with the travel theme of the book, the pictures alone will make you want to start booking flights - which is one of Jamie’s goals with this book. Not only to excite the reader about delicious recipes but also to encourage travel! I am fortunate enough to be in a situation where I live abroad so my husband and I are traveling frequently to other countries and taking advantage of being close to so many interesting places. This not as easy for most people, but Jamie has some great quotes in the book that struck a chord with me and hopefully you will find equally inspiring…

“I want to in inject you with a bit of impulsiveness, because the whole point of this book is to show how easy, how valuable, how exciting, it can be to hop in your car, on a train, bus or plane and fill up on other cultures. It doesn't have to be a long holiday, but I genuinely believe just a few days out of your comfort zone will give you the optimism and positivity and get you ready to face the daily routine once you're back… You can spend less money than you would if you were getting trashed for the weekend in your own home town, and you’ll have a head full of amazing memories.”

 Risotto Bianco – this is the base and if you choose you can continue to add other ingredients as I did.

4 ¼ cups vegetable stock preferably organic
Olive oil
½ and onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 1/3 cup risotto rice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup white wine
A knob of butter
A large handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pour your stock into a pan and leave on low heat. Get an appropriately high sided pot on a low heat and add a good lug of olive oil, the chopped onion and the celery. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not coloured. Turn the heat up to medium, add the rice and a pinch of salt and stir for 2 minutes, so that the rice sucks up all the lovely flavor and develops a nutty taste. Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed.
Add a ladleful of hot stock, stir, and wait until it’s been fully absorbed before adding more. Cook for 16 to 17 minutes, adding more stock every minute or so and stirring regularly, until the rice is al dente. This means it should be soft and a pleasure to eat, but still holds its shape. At this stage the risotto should be slightly looser than you want it to be finally, as it will thicken as it sits. Take the pan off the heat, stir or beat it the butter and parmesan, then season to taste. At this point, you’ve got an absolutely delicious risotto bianco, which is simple, lovely comfort food. You can either tuck in, or you can take it a few steps further by adding different cheeses or vegetables. Once you’ve taken it as far as you want, pop the lid on and let it sit for 2 minutes before serving. The most important thing to keep in mind is that risotto must always be oozy.

Pea and Herb Risotto

A knob of butter
1 1/3 cup frozen peas
A small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
A small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
Tablespoon or so of goat cheese
Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the peas, fresh herbs and a splash of hot water. Put the lid on and cook for 4 minutes. As you’re finishing the risotto bianco with butter and parmesan, stir in the herby peas, then put the lid back on for 2 minutes. Divide between your plates and pop a slice of goat’s cheese in the centre of each portion. Serve with some grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

My finished product!  I am the furthest thing from a food photographer, but it was delish!

Goth Rocks

I attended a fabulous event the other night hosted by jewelry designer Stephen Webster to promote his latest fine jewelry collection “In Deep.” His style is Gothic and very dramatic, perfect for any girl going for the “glam rock” look. I think the images will speak for themselves! 

Although his pieces are not necessarily my style, I absolutely loved his presentation of the jewels and his references to aquatic life and crustaceans. The room was decorated with massive framed images combining the underwater world and his jewels, which added to the drama of the moody lighting and goth-rock jewelry displays. There was also a designated area to try on a few pieces, which of course my friends and I could not resist! I did fall in love with his glam cocktail rings which represented the “seven deadly sins.” “Gluttony,” was my favorite – very Dubai appropriate!

Mideast Magnolia

I had a little taste of New York in Dubai the other day with my first visit to Magnolia Bakery here, (a NYC institution) located in Bloomingdale's within the Dubai Mall. (Largest mall in the world.) It's hard to believe that I have been here for quite some time and just made my first visit to the bakery here! How did it measure up to the NYC version? I thought it was even more delicious! Maybe it's because I am not spoiled here by a cupcake shop on every corner. However, that being said, Dubai is quickly becoming a little cupcake capital with several trendy cupcakes shops popping up all over town. Although there is an ocean, two continents, and a short 14 hour flight between DXB and NYC, sometimes I forget that I am so far away. One thing Dubai excels at is giving it's expats many of the comforts of "home." I guess for me that means having a Magnolia Bakery in town.

Bikini Glamour

I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is reading celebrity gossip magazines. I know they are cheesy and half of the articles are not even true, but whatever I still love them. In Dubai we still have some of my old favs, such as Us Weekly, Life & Style, and In Touch, however they aren’t easy to find. Normally these can only be found at the large bookstores that import international magazines, and frankly aren’t available at the checkout counter in the grocery store. However, we still have plenty of other options that I think are actually better – Ahlan and Gazia. These rags are better in my opinion because in addition to the usual nonsense they also cover more Dubai-specific social happenings and fashion articles. You can imagine my excitement when I grabbed Ahlan at the grocery store the other day and it came with the annual edition of “Ahlan’s Hot 100 Bars & Clubs.” The “Hot 100” is focused specifically on bars and clubs in Dubai and our lovely sister city, Abu Dhabi. So I was reading through all the “hot spots,” and started laughing to myself as I read the dress code at the bottom of each bar’s description. Normally, (and by normally I mean in NYC) I would not have found this funny or would have even found myself reading through each dress code description, but they are truly quite entertaining and yes these people are serious. So now when you visit me in Dubai you will be fully prepared for each night when we go out to the bars or clubbing!
I hope you find these dress codes as hilarious as I did, and no I do not know what the difference is between “outdoor glamour” and “beach chic.” I have been to many of these places and never noticed people dressed any differently from place to place. I am also pretty sure that New York City invented the need for dress codes due to the ridiculous tourists with Hawaiian shirts and/or socks with sandals look, yet I never recall encountering descriptions as interesting as these…

 Bar /Club Name - Dress Code

1897 – Stylish and trendy
Amatisa – Fun and fashionable
Apres - Relaxed après-ski style (one of my favorites)
Aquara – Relaxed
Bar 44 – Smart casual
Barzar – Cool casual
Barasti – Beach chic
Belgian Beer Café – Relaxed at the weekend
Bidi Bondi – Relaxed and sporty
Blends – Glamorous
Buddha Bar – Chic and trendy
C-Bar – Sleek and stylish
Calabar – Urban trendy
Caramel – From boardroom to bar
Cedar Lounge – Outdoor glamour
Cloud Nine – Sophisticated and understated
Cubes – Chic and trendy
Horizon Lounge – Poolside chic
Ikandy – Trendy casual
Koubba Bar – Stylish yet comfy
Locker Room – Casual cool
Nelsons – Easy chic
Okku – Designer chic (Good thing I wore a Ralph Lauren dress that night and not anything from Forever21 – can you imagine the embarrassment if the hostess checked my label? Ha!)
One to One – Dress to Impress
Pearls & Caviar – Smart and elegant
Rush – Club chic
Sho Cho – Terribly trendy (another fav)
Skyview – Suave and sophisticated
Y Bar – Very stylish
400 – Lanvin and Louboutins
Alpha – Indie cool
Boudoir – Chic and cheerful
Plastik – Bikini glamour
Divaz – Boat chic
Submarine – Funky and trendy
Triology – Club cool
Cavalli Club – Cavalli glamour… naturally!

Timeless Touch

"A monogram makes something your own and endows it with weight in a world full of random things"- Isaac Mizrahi

My bath towels from Pottery Barn

Maybe it’s the Connecticut prepster in me but I love anything with a monogram. I think there is something so stylish about adding a little personalization. A monogram adds the perfect finishing touch to any gift or room. Give me a stylized font on anything from stationary to bath towels and I am in LOVE.
Here are a few of my favorite monogrammed items which includes a few of my own!

Elegant napkins from Leontine Linens

My bedding: Pottery Barn, accent pillows: West Elm, space age bed frame: came with my place, looks like it's from another planet.

Love these lamp shade from Shades of Light

These are the adorable cupcakes we enjoyed at my wedding!  Photo by my amazing wedding photographer Alissa Dinneen.

I just bought this monogrammed bangle set by Danielle Stevens for my sister in law with her new baby's initials on it - so cutie!

Ladies Only

 Before moving to Dubai I read a lot of books and websites on the region to try and educate myself on the culture and what to expect upon my arrival. One topic that I kept coming across was designated days for ladies and children at the beach, ladies only fitness centers, ladies only salons, ladies night at bars/restaurants. In Saudi, according to my husband who is frequently there for business, they have ladies-only lines at airport security, passport control and takeaway restaurants. Of course we have many of these options in the US, but what we do not have is a ladies only section on the metro, bus, or doctor’s office waiting room. I am bringing up this topic because I had a funny thing happen to me the other day. I had a doctor’s appointment and found myself waiting in the “Ladies & Children” area not even realizing it, just out of instinct. This was not the first time I have been in a waiting room here. I remember the first time being so aware of the signs and sitting in the mixed gender section out of principal and feeling, oddly enough, that it was not appropriate for me to sit in the ladies only section, like it was not intended for a western woman. Funny how seven months here changes a person! If I am not with my husband now, I ALWAYS locate myself in the “Ladies and Families” section. Do not get the wrong idea I am not an “anti-feminist.” Have you met my mother? (Art student in the 70’s, just recently took my father’s name after 25+ years of marriage) Born and bred liberal here! However, about 80% of this city is populated by expatriates, and most of these expats are not from western countries and in many cases these cultures have had little interaction with the female gender besides immediate family. Therefore many women here feel much more comfortable amongst themselves and also some men just stare. It is totally harmless (I think), just innocent curiosity. Dubai is a very safe city. There is very little crime because penalties are severe for even a minor offense. However, whether male or female, no one likes to be starred at…
One of the many things I have learned here is the importance of not only respecting a different culture but also in many cases embracing it. You may think I am encouraging “segregation” and not agree with sitting in the Ladies waiting room, but when you are offered a free glass of bubbly because it’s Tuesday night and ladies drink for free, are you going to deny that?

Paperless Post

In many ways Dubai is a city of the future. We have the tallest building in the world, largest man made island, a space age looking above ground metro system, and the list goes on. However, one thing that we are still a little behind the times on is a proper mail system. Then again, maybe because of email, this is the future.
To start off there are very few street names here, technically I do not have a real address. When in a taxi heading to my apartment I tell the driver "Dubai Marina, my building name, near Spinneys." (The grocery store name, everyone seems to always know where that is!) I do not give a street name or building number and I just have to pay attention to make sure the driver gets to the correct drive way.
I have not seen a mail man/woman or a mail box. I can pay to have a PO Box, but to be honest I have absolutely no idea where the post office is! This has been an interesting situation because of course the first thing my family wanted to do was mail me things! I had to explain it's complicated, I do not have an "address" and the best thing to do is send things to my husband's office. Now this is a little unfortunate for me because one of my favorite things is stationary and note cards. I am a compulsive thank you note writer (thanks mom!) so that has posed to be a bit of a challenge here. However, I think I have found a solution - Paperless Post! I apologize that none of you will be receiving hand written notes or postcards from Dubai. Instead you will be getting cutie online stationary - so futuristic, and after all I am from the future - I am eight hours ahead! (Ha bad joke, could not help it.)