Eid in the UK

Taqabbal Allaahu minnaa wa minkum. Wa ghafar Allaahu lanaa wa lakum.

wishing all my readers a wonder full Eid and catch up with you al after the celebrations inshaAllah.
The day unfolds with early morning Eid prayer locally, we arrived just as they closed the door after us so alhamduilah as we sent 20Min's driving around looking for a mosque to pray in as our local one is under construction. After the Eid prayer not one person offered me eid greetings so i went up to sisters and shake their hands and embraced them offering them the sunnah eid greeting. Everyone was so distant and concerned about getting away not even stopping for the next sister to offer some joy for Eid as i especially go to the Eid prays for this as my Eids have been often a lonely affair and maybe not seeing another person to give them Eid greetings esp in the earlier years, so with this in mond its always my highlight after Eid prays to be embraced and greeted Allah al must'aan i was very shocked by this lack of affection from my fellow muslimah's

Next up visiting my neighbours with cakes and greetings





the kids felt in the festive mood


Alhamduilah i was ok most of Ramandan so come the last night i had fevers all night hot and clod alhamduilah . All my family are bunged up with a nasty head cold virus , some have sore throats to go with it too . so a very easy Eid at home and it was cold and windy all of a sudden not complaing but alhamduilah we made the most of the day. My DH's friends had invited us to eat out with them but due to the wet weather the seating area was not avalible so the families and their 9 children between them came here with mine 12 subhanAllah and the men cooked for the women and children and we all enjoyed a meal together alhamduilah dispite the flu but i tell you once the guest left i was laying down with the shivers and DH had to leave to work the night shift so alhamduilah. I found it amazing how i held myself together whilist in company but really i was in a bad way under. The kids said they had a lovely time mashaallah but my teen felt left out as noone her age and she felt a little borred to be honest. I must say its a difficult ages as they are kinda in between and its hard to find stuff to intrest them. Alhamduilah after even she made an effort and got into the spirit of things with the younger ones!

Another nice thing happened in the morning 2 of my neighbours , came around in the morning to offer me eid grrtings and duas. I was so touched as this is my first visit of this kid in over 15yrs as a muslimah and i just had to shed a tear with them and i told them so , that they felt me worthy this special day of Eid morning , so they sat with me for almost 40mins and we eat some cakes subhanAllah Alhamduiah.

My intention was to pass to others friends and loved ones 2nd and 3rd days but due to illness this has taken a back seat and i don't think i will be able to.

so today i have braved the shops with a fever in tow to get some bits for a hearty chicken soup for all inshaallah.

Side dishes (salads)

This one is coldslaw but i used Greek yogurt instead of mayo


Next up was a potato salad made with a small red pepper, onion diced fine, parsly, boiled egg and boild potatoes

Dress with a dressing of your choice and enjoy.

Hotch Potch (Lamb stew)

Things you will need
oil
lamb used baby
2 onions chopped
1 turnip chopped
1 stick of celery chopped
1 litre of water
salt and pepper to taste
Cauliflower
2 carrots
1 cup of frozen peas
2 cups of shredded lettuce
Finely chopped parsley

i tweaked the recipe a little to suit my pallet , added about a 5 inch piece of whole ginger and 2 garlic clothes (both to removed after cooking
Cayenne pepper and a vegetable stock cube also replaced the lettuce with cabbage.



Method
update latter

My Lasagne

Have not had this for a long long time

Ricotta and spinach puffs

Ricotta and spinach puffs

i used puff pastry (frozen from the supermarket)

Fudge

decided to make some FUDGE that Stranger has been making and had hope for it myself as EID parcels to give as gifts inshaAllah but that all soon went out the window lets see why.


So far so good!


OK not to bad now still

now it started to go wrong


They were very hard to remove from the tray and not solid as i had been expecting , Stranger what did i do wrong ?

not one to be defeated esp in the kitchen here it is take two!


Much better but not good enough for the parcels!

Coconut bites

If you like Bounty chocolate then this one is for you, i adore coconut in various forms. I wanted to make these , well something similar but don't know how


As in Algeria i had cakes made for Eid to share with family and neighbours for EID , here i guess peep's give one another gifts but this is too costly and i am not to happy about all this pressure to buy gifts. So here is one tradition i will keep for my Algeria experience.



sorry ladies i didn't mean to forget to post , i just didn't! Umm Hibaat glad you recognised them as i forgot the name!

Ok So you will need

Coconut i used 3 measures
1 measure of sugar
1-2 table spoons of melted butter or marg
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
egg white to bind

Method

Put all in a bowl and mix well
tightly shape golf ball sized balls and place on oiled tray , top with half a cherries, some times you can put into the cup cases and bake in them as the are fragile and fall apart but as i wanted to coat in choc i didn't.

Now bake at gas mark 5 for a very little time like 7 Min's , keep an eye on them as they burn quick. allow to cool and coat in melted chocolate.

It's really easy.

Corn with chilli

Try this with your corn next time all we had to say last night was yummy!

You will need

Whole corn (skin and silk removed) cut each whole corn into 3 pieces.
salt, pepper, Cayenne peer, creme, tom puree and butter
Boil, in a bowl mix 1 table spoon of Tomato puree, finely chopped coriander, salt ,butter, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste.

In a pan over a low heat for a few Min's combine all this, toss in the corn kernel and add a dollop of creme serve warm.

Butternut squash & Corriander Soup

Things you will need

squash
Onion
Butter
Veg Stock
Coriander
Garlic to taste
Creme Frachie
Method

Peel the squash and remove seeds.
Saute the squash with the onions,butter and garlic for a bit then boil all in pot expect creme when tender blend to liquid and stir in creme.


sorry forgot to picture the finished soup maybe try later.
here is a variations to this soup

Tagged

I have been Tagged by Stanger In The Dunniyah no i mean Seeking Tawqa so here is how it works as stranger in the dunniyah explains it she asking the following question on her blog: “Am I the only blogger out there that sometimes thinks of other bloggers?” She’s also asking if it is even healthy to wonder about our fellow bloggers… in answer to that, probably not but nevertheless I do!

So she came up with a new way to keep us occupied and it is as follows:

I’m gonna tag all you guys and start up my own little game of tag. Post at least five blogs that you read and tell us what you wonder about with them! And that goes for everyone else not listed too

So here are my 5 , mind you can i mention someone who's been tagged already? Well i am going to have to.

First up Happy Muslim mama wondering how she is doing juggling work and the home not to mention Ramandan MashaAllah. A real inspiration and all her lovely crafts, with her latest projects for Eid.

Second up the infamous STANGER IN THE DUNNIYYAH wondering what she has to share with us from her apartment in Saudi and her newly created dishes from her kitchen for me to try , although that fudge looks tempting.

Third up is my dear Seaking Taqwa wondering what she is creating and going to post next, an inspiration no doubt mashaAllah. wondering how she is entertaining her household while the intent hijrah appears.

Forth Ameena wondering when her or where her next adventure will be , knowing the return to the UK looms and praying it will be smooth for her as she starts a new era in her life!

Last up Umm Abdur-Rahaman not a frequent poster but a down to earth one , who i wonder when the authorities will allow to be re-united with her DH? How her son is settling inti Kindergarten (Nursery) for us Brit's!

There are loads more Mi Mundo , sister in south Africa and more and more to many too post .

Assuming and Assumptions

Assuming and assumptions ,this is my rant, i feel so sad that others have to judge me. Why because i choose not to disclose details about my hardship! Why do others feel they have to know everything about ones life? if i choose not to disclose then they make there own assumptions.
I have returned to the UK as being 3yrs alone without a husband , kids without a father and a husband without a wife was enough for all so we re united alhamduilah..

Now i am getting assumptions made by others that my being away was likely to make my DH unchaste, astfirillah i have heard it all now!
others assuming i left coz i hated it , why can't my hardships be my pain , why can't my hardships be more intense in Algeria? Why does hardship mean i am unhappy?

So just for the record yes i am glad i went to Algeria it really made me , made me spiritually and mentally, the hardships were and are a test and without them, however did i think i was going to come closer to Allah.

I went to Algeria because i wanted to, not forced by a dominate , DH or otherwise all my doing alhamduillah.

Choose to come back to be togehter and tackle life's test TOGETHER inshaAllah.

Learnt a lot from Algeria yes , about me about others, good and bad.

i a just sick and tired of hearing '' i told you so'' and 'you should have never have left'' ''the UK is better ''

GET A LIFE PEOPLE and LEAVE MINE ALONE

More Iftar Nibbles

A change from fried samosas , boreks and pakoras or any other fried delight frequenting the Iftar table.

Vaulvents stuffed with tuna, spinach, prawns and ricotta cheese.


Savory pastry squares topped with tomatoes , spring onions and ricotta cheese.

Tart's

I don't have a sweet tooth but my Algerian counterparts on the other hand have very very sweet tooths generally subhanAllah. Here are some Tarts my dh brings home , i like looking but can't eat. which one are you? I quite like the rum baba but have not been able to sink my teeth in yet! Often i scrape the filling and eat the pastry cases!

Pakora's Desi Style

Happy Muslim mama http://www.happymuslimmama.com/2008/09/pakoras.html here they are my own Punjabi Pakoras , similar to your recipe only i add lemon juice and all kinds of veg and do different variations, here are my Aloo palak.. Potatoes, onions, spinach

I add Natural yogurt for softness and fluffiness.


When there is left over batter and no veg left i cut up sliced bread into triangles and coat in batter and fry they make a great filling snack for the kids and well elders like em too.

An Old Shorba , New style..............

This is Stranger in the dunniyah's shorba take two for me http://strangerinthisdunya.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/ramadan-recipes-algerian-shorba/
I must say the second attempt has come out better and more taster, like they say practice makes perfect. you have a look

Ramadan Sofar

Alhamduilah its the 7Th of Ramadan and alhamduilah the fasting has settled well in to the home and family members are all into the Ramadan spirit. We as a family are trying to make the most of our guest as we know on the 29th or 30th day Ramadan will leave not to return until next year and maybe we won't be alive to reap its benefits. So lot of Quran rectiation going on in different rooms at different times of the day. some translation of the Quran being read and relayed to the younger ones. Islamic knowledge quizzes while the younger ones feel the pangs of fasting. lots of helpers in the kitchen this Ramadan inshaallah it will last beyond.

There is a certain vibe in the Muslim home at this time of year that creates a peace a kinda spiritual peace that only comes when the heart is attached to Allah subhan Allah. Another blessing is the Devils are chained up this month and the gates to Paradise are open and the Gates to hell are locked!
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are put in chains.”

Too much zucchini?

My DH came home with a big bag of zucchini and well seeing its Ramadan and not much cooking going on...........i decided to try something else have a look

Zucchini fritters
At Sonya's request here is the recipe, well i made it up to be honest! Here is what i did, Grated the zucchini's and in a bowl mixed 2 eggs added spices , like salt , peper and chilli powder, added some flour. mixed in well with all the mixture . Heat a little oil and form round flat cakes with your hands squezzing out the water a little and put into hot oil, allow to brown on both sides.

Zucchini omelete

Fruit Salad

For my Iftar table alhamduilah chop any friut of your taste and sprinkle with a little sugar pour in some fruit juice orange is good and mix well. chill and serve at iftar.
A salad for my iftar table my son made this mashaAllah

Vingerette for salads

" teaspoons of vinger, salt and peper to taste, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon mustard. blend well a lovely dressing for salds.

Carrot & Potato Salad

Steam the carrot and potatoes chop the spring onion mix in bowl and add some chopped parsley.

Chack Chuka Beatenjam (Aubergine Starter)

Prick some aubergines and bake in the oven till soft allow to cool a little and peel.

Mean while heat a little olive oil and crushed garlic to taste, add the chopped aubergine to the pan and stir , add salt and pepper and 1 table spoon of vineger or to taste.

sprikle with some chopped parsly and mop up with bread.