Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Mommy and A Busy Bee! 

Carbonara for dinner

I tried cooking carbonara many years ago and it didn't turn out the way i wanted it to be. So that was it! That's the end of my carbonara experience (so i thought). But today Paolo asked if we could have it for dinner. He is a massive fan of white-sauce based pasta (i am not) and so the cooking saga begins. Lucky me, i have a friend/chef who gladly taught me via chat how to cook this in an instant so i am sharing it with you.

There are different ways on how to make the sauce. Some use egg in their sauce but this recipe does not call for one. When i cook, i don't rely on exact measurements, i just follow my instincts.☺️ However, i do a lot of tasting whilst i stir to make sure i get the right taste. 

Here it goes!

Ingredients 

For the Roux (sauce thickener)

2 1/2 tbs butter

2 1/2 tbs flour

For the White Sauce

2 packages cooking cream

Shredded cheese of your choice

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley

* Sautee onion, garlic, ham and bacon

Steps:

1. You have to make the 'roux' first. This helps thicken the sauce you are making. Melt the butter over low heat then add the flour. Fold it consistently until it turns light yellow.

2. Gradually add the cream and continue stirring. You may also add fresh milk.

3. When it starts to thicken, start adding your cheese. I added half cup of shredded cheese but you can add more if you want.

4. Keep stirring until you get your desired consistency. Make sure you have low hear to avoid lumps in your sauce.

5. Add the sauteed onion and garlic and the rest of the ingredients. Season according to taste then serve!

Happy cooking!👍🍴🍝

Saigon Zoo

Gianna loves animals! We make it a point to take her to the zoo wherever we are and whenever we can. We are lucky that Saigon Zoo is easily accessible from where we live so off we went the other day!

We have been here 4x since she was born! And we still love going back! And every time we go i always get amazed at what she is able to say and what learning she gets from the visit.

Her trip to Saigon Zoo with her Granma. Gianna was  extremely interested in elephants at that time that she wanted to get pass through the fence!

A Valentine's date with her dad! She could not help but talk about 'Daddy Bear' and 'Baby Bear'.

I have been reading her a book entitled 'Saffy' so she demanded to see the giraffes first of all! When she finally see them, she exclaimed "Mommy, Saffy and her mum eating!"

Saigon Zoo is a great place to visit. When we came there the other day, weather cooperated and it was a bit cooler. Lots of trees and lush garden welcome visitor so walking around is a good option. There is a tram available for those who opt to ride around the massive place but we have decided to go around on our feet and Gianna was kind enough to actually walk and run at the same time. We forgot to bring her buggy so imagine the pleading i had with her about walking and not asking to be carried! 

If you are visiting Saigon with a kid, head down to Saigon Zoo for a great activity. Tickets are 20,000vnd($1) for adults and 15,000vnd (.80cents) for kids.

And we're back

II have been on hiatus for so long but i'm extremely excited to be back and share what i and the little busy bee are up to!

It has been 2 long years and i couldn't believe how much have changed during these times. 

The last post i have written here was Gianna when she was still 3 months old and in a month she will be turning 3! Yes, you read it right, i now have a toddler!☺️ 

I also changed the blog name to Mom and a BusyBee because i want this blog to be more about my daughter, the things we do together and the things we enjoy as a family. So join us as we share with you our life as a mother and daughter cruising along our adventures!