How life changes........

just under 6 months ago i was living out my destined hijjrah, emigration for the sake of my Lord. My new life of 3yrs and now well it's all change and Allah is the best of planners alhamduilah. My ambitions have changed, my realisation has changed, my perception of life as i know it has changed. Not all drastic change but a realisation , my life and self have under went some sort of cleansing of thoughts, perceptions and actions. While i was in Algeria i was blessed to experience the true essence of tawqual Allah, dependence and trust in my Master alone. This became the turning point in my life so far as a Muslimah. This was a total dependence on Allah for all, really letting go of the worldly matters and freeing my soul to stand alone and only depend on my Lord. It was a sweetness of faith a kinda high that i have only felt once in my life. That was when i became a Muslimah and took my testimony of faith. It's a spiritual feeling something you have to feel to understand. Crying out to my lord in my darkest hours healed me, His mercy was felt soothing me and strengthening me. In my past years as a Muslimah i though i was doing well and that i had cracked it as living a religious life to please my Lord now 15yrs on mashaAllah i can say i know where i am headed and its almost like Allah has shown me there is more you can do or there is stuff to be rectified.

In the solitude of my loneliness I found my purpose in a practical application of my faith and daily life, my relationships with others around me. I learnt to deal with many hardships that really effected my well being, throughout my life. i learnt not to be too bitter for for too long with one that hurts me, i have learnt to forgive quicker. I was one who was raised in a household where the silent treatment went on for months when one fell out with one another. Maybe some of my DESI fellow bloggers can tell me if this a common occurance in a desi household. Not realising that this would later have a grave impact on my life in the ability to forgive. The bitterness of not being able to forgive blackens the heart. It really can damage your character and cause you pain. Believe me i know, not to say i never forgave as i did eventually but the time lapse could be many many months or years later sadly. I have not perfected this art down to the same 24hrs span but alhamduilah i feel i have reached a milestone in this and you know what? It feels great , great where ? within my my heart and my soul feels at ease alhamduilah, all priase is truely to my Lord.
Islamic teaching presents the prophet Muhammad as an example of someone who would forgive others for their ignorance, even those who might have once considered themselves to be his enemies. One example of Muhammad’s practice of forgiveness can be found in the Hadith, the body of early Islamic literature about the life of Muhammad. This account is as follows:
The Prophet (may peace be upon him) was the most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he went to Ta’if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him, abused him and hit him with stones. He left the city humiliated and wounded. When he took shelter under a tree, the angel of Allah visited him and told him that Allah sent him to destroy the people of Ta’if because of their sin of maltreating their Prophet. Muhammad (may peace be upon him) prayed to Allah to save the people of Ta’if, because what they did was out of their ignorance.

Humbleness to and love for Allaah can only be actualised through worshipping Allaah in all aspects.

If any of you are like me , going through life and saying well its ok i will tackle learning to read qur'an one day soon and before i knew it 15yrs had lapsed and i still couldn't read. Yet i knew that my life span is not in my hands and that deaths last breaths could be upon my lips any day soon. I really needed my good deeds to be way up in balance from the bad deeds, after all its jannah paridise i am workingtowards. What will be the greatest abode of my exsitance ever. After all i am only passing by in this world and this zone, really i look back on life and remember as a young lady at a mere 17yrs old pondering on my life to come in my 30's, married with 2 kids living in the country, living a life based around materlism and worldly gain. Well i had lived half of my 30's..........time has escaped me really where did all that time go? Before i know it i will be old perhaps less able more, dependant on others why not cease today this moment and set goals to achieve to? Get ourselves some good deeds.

To the home sick desi

I am looking for the sister who left a comment but i can't find it , blogger really sucks when you can't do that after you publish a comment. She told me she is getting through her home sickness and made the tagine dish but spiced it up. Post here again so i can find you blog please. It's nice when the lurking readers come out, 1yr is a long time and to stay so quiet. Do call again , i am waiting.

Chicken Chow mein

I used some cabbage, onion, mushroons, red peppers, mange tout and carrot all thinly sliced. i thinly cut some strips of chicken breast. cooked up the chickin in the wok first and then added the veg once the noddles were boiled i added them. I sprinkled a little salt while cooking the veg and soy sauce.


I made some egg fried rice on the side.



I used a recipe online not sure if it was this one but they are similar

Murgi Palak chicken/spinach DESI style

This is a dish i saw being cooked on the BBC one night by Anjum Anand, never reallt made it this way and i had seen it in the resturants so now i knew and here is mine.







Looking for a recipe try this one I could not find Anjum's one online and just cooked it the way i remembered her doing it.

Shell Square liner

I wanted to try a different look and sticth this is worked with dtr and dc to create a shell look.

it's to line my bun basket, now my basket looks grubby and i need a new one.

Orange and Cocolate Chip Buns

These are a lovely sweet treat for tea.

I used plain flour
3 eggs
half a cup of sugar
Yeast
grated orange rind
Chocolate chips
pinch of salt and a pinch of mixed spice
although i feel i should have added some melted butter too but didn't.
water to bing or you can use milk slightly warmed.

It's a soft brioche feel i am looking for well keep trying hey.

Wholemeal Baps

Plain flour and a little wholemeal
Yeast
Water
Pinch of sugar
Salat to taste
Egg to glaze and pumpkin seeds to sprinkle.

So a cup of tea..and ahem a sneaky cake later

A Filet Book Mark

A Dimond shape Bookmark or hanging decor


The forum designs are from my own book but the work by forum members well MashaAllah very pretty stuff on there.

My first snow flake

It's a snow flake........i joined this new forum and felt inspired and i wanted to make a book mark

It felt a little big but pretty with 3D little petals..i added a stringy bit with a wee flower myself and the dear freind who got it is so pleased with it.

Baked Beans Curry

This is a dish you Brit's can relate to. When presented with a tin of baked beans in Algeria by a good oldie Irish friend and i told her what i shall make with them to savour the tin as they are like gold out there for the Brit's of course. She told me it was like a crime.i reminded her my pallet was not so bland and i will enjoy them more this way.

The history of this dish goes for me anyhow.......one of the few memories i have of my daddy. Both of my parents worked full time when i was growing up. Dad worked nights and mum days some days when mum had not been super organised and left lunch or tea to be heated up by daddy for us. He would some times whip this up and it tasted great, he would roll out the biggest chapatti's you ever saw that only half would fill you up.

It's so quick and easy
sweat some onions cut into slices.......add some chopped fresh chili............add the tin of beans ........add the powdered spices salt, garm masla and cumin. Mix well. Add some chopped coriander and mint.serve with freshly made chapatti's.

Cinnamon and Almond slices

What's for tea ummi? I decided to make these for our tea today never mind dinner, i am having one of thoses out of balance days not on top today anyhow have a look BTW i had a sneaky slice and they are yummy mashaAllah and very easy to make.
You will need
4oz butter
2oz caster sugar
6oz plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Alittle beaten egg for glazing
1oz flaked almonds
1 tbl spoon of granulated sugar

How to do it

Well grease a 28X18cm swiss roll tin, i never had one did you notice so i used the top cover of my pyrex cassorole dish.
Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Sieve the flour and cinnamon and work well together. Press into the prepared tin and flatten i used my fingers but a palette knife works well.

Brush with a little beaten egg and prick with a fork. Sprinkle over the almonds and sugar. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 mins or until golden brown. cool in tin and mark into slices while still warm.

You just can't have it all.....

can you? Subhan Allah we trot through life wanting it all , never satisfied with what we have. Always moaning and groaning , where is the grattiude , where is the humility, where is the self control. Why ? As we are the off spring of Adam it's with in our character. We can help ourselves in different ways, self cleansing i call it , cleansing the heart and mind. Once we are grateful for what Allah has blessed us with and what he has not only then will we realise we have it already.

The meaning of good character is the inclination of the soul towards gentle and praiseworthy acts. This may take place in one’s personal actions for Allah Most High, or in actions which involve other people. In the former case, the slave of Allah has an open and welcoming heart for His commandments and prohibitions, and does what He has imposed on him happily and easily, and abstains from the things which He has forbidden him with full contentment, and without the least dissatisfaction. He likes to perform optional good acts, and abstains from many permitted things for the sake of Allah Most High whenever he decides that to abstain in that way would be closer to perfect slavehood to Him. This he does with a contented heart, and without feeling any resentment or hardship. When he deals with other people, he is tolerant when claiming what is his right, and does not ask for anything which is not; but he discharges all the duties which he has towards others. When he falls ill or returns from a trip, and no-one visits him, or when he givse a greeting which is not returned, or when he is a guest but is not honoured, or intercedes but is not responded to, or does a good turn for which he is not thanked, or joins a group of people who do not make room for him to sit, or speaks and is not listened to, or asks permission of a friend to enter, and is not granted it, or proposes to a woman, and is not allowed to marry her, or ask for more time to repay a debt, but is not given more time, or asks for it to be reduced, but is not permitted this, and all similar cases, he does not grow angry, or seek to punish people, or feel within himself that he has been snubbed, or ignored; neither does he try to retaliate with the same treatment when able to do so, but instead tells himself that he does not mind any of these things, and responds to each one of them with something which is better, and closer to goodness and piety, and is more praiseworthy and pleasing. He remembers to carry out his duties to others just as he remembers their duties towards himself, so that when one of his Muslim brethren falls ill he visits him, if he is asked to intercede, he does so, if he is asked for a respite in repaying a debt he agrees, and if someone needs assistance he gives it, and if someone asks for favourable terms in a sale, he consents, all without looking to see how the other person had dealt with him in the past, and to find out how other people behave. Instead, he makes "what is better" the imam of his soul, and obeys it completely.

Good character may be something which a man is born with, or it may be acquired. However, it may only be acquired from someone who has it more firmly rooted in his nature than his own. It is well known that a man of sensible opinion can become even more sensible by keeping the company of intelligent and sensible people, and that a learned or a righteous man can learn even more by sitting with other people orf learning or righteousness; therefore it cannot be denied that a man of beautiful character may acquire an even more beautiful character by being with people whose characters are superior to his own.

And Allah gives success!

Desi Kebab's

Here is my version of the infamous Asian kebab although there are variations in the sub Continent , i don't believe there is a Punjabi kebab but here is my one and i have chosen to call it desi kebab roti roll.
I found this recipe on the net that is very similar to the way i cooked it but i didn't use whole spices and breadcrumbs although i did think about the later.








We ate them topped with salad, natural yogurt scented with fresh mint and coriander, rolled in a fresh chapati.

Template rage

Just to let you know all the template changes are a result of an interfering teen , who has now managed to mess up the look of my blog grrrrrrrrrr

Bare with me on the tec front somehow will get it looking nice again inshaAllah.

Batata ma silk ma baid Spinach, potatos and poached eggs

This is an Algerian dish my Mil taught me and its one of my fav's, i like the way the eggs poach and sit on top.
To get going blitz an onion add it to the pot with a little oil and sweat.....i add some minced garlic and ginger but Algerians would add just Garlic.

I added some blended tomato's about 3. Spice it to your taste, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika , pinch of cinnamon, chili.

In the mean time chop up some potato's, wash and shred the spinach.


Add the potato's to the pot cover with a little water allow to simmer under pot's are just tender, sprinkle on the spinach and carefully crack the eggs over this, replace lid for about 7 mins.





you will be able to see the egg poached if you want a runny yolk then replace lid and switch of cooker allow the eggs to poach with the heat of the pot.