Passing Through This Life

well thats the question ... what have i been doing or up to ..... well over the last month and a half my life has changed ... i have become more grounded and know where i ant to go with it .... even my dh has found a new lease of life that has affected all of us ..... sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day of our lives that we forget whats the most important and that is allah  and the reason we are here .... so this past month we have step it up and making sure that all in our house prays on time ... makes dikhr all the time ... we have even reduced the amount of tv watched ... masha`allah since we have been doing this  things are looking different  ... we feel lighter in our ways quran is played more and i have even gone back to reading and studying too ... which is great ... i`m loving this new lease on life and alhamdul`ilah allah has given us this chance too as you will have seen i havent posted much for a while and this begin the reason ... i havent  tried anythin

so it has been a couple of weeks since i wrote a post  .... so now my routine has changed again ......i have had to start budgeting and menu planning so this has changed the way i do things a little i still get up at 6 and then after breakfast and bedrooms tidyed and 5the 2 year old dressed and feed it`s time to take the kids to school so by 8:15 i`m back i sit and have a cuppa and when thats finished i will get into the cleaning .... masha`allah by 10/ 10:30 i will be finished and when my hubby is here i will make some lunch unless i have something left over form the night before then i will heat that up and maybe make some small and light to go with it ... now on some days i will have to go back to the school to pick up the kids around 12 but most days it`s 4 .... so if i dont need to pick them up until four then i will feed those who need their lunch and after this clean up and start to prepare the dinner for the evening ... some time i will cook it through and other

i`m always on the look out for a good recipe when it comes to chicken breast and maha`allah i found one here .......jazak`allah khair nicola for such a great recipe everyone loved it and insha`allahit will become a regular in our house so as usual i have to be the taster in my house and i got so carried away that i placed them on the table and nearly forgot to take the picture ...so thats why you only see a few left on the plate .... so big thumbs up

So here`s another one for you it`s an algerian dish called k`babh  this dish can be made with either chicken or meat balls so today i went with mince balls .... it is a very simple dish and very tasty ... to tell the truth it had been a while since i made it as alot of time i leave out the parsley and egg  but this time i went to whole way to getting this dish right  you must be careful that their isnt too much sauce or too little sauce  and as long as you can get that then the dish speaks for it`s self ... believe me it took me a long time to get  it right ... that now my dh nephew  says i cook better than his mum and he love to eat what i make TO MAKE THE MINCE BALLS mince meat (as much or as little as you like) a handful of rice ( this also depends on the amount of mince ) breadcrumbs (optional ) 1 egg black pepper salt cumin TO MAKE THE SAUCE 1 onion handful of chick peas black pepper salt cumin chips(fried potatoes) METHOD  Dice up onion small add s

Sometimes it is so hard to find things to put on the table and especially when some of your kids are a little fussy ....also i hate to throw out veg that might start to go off a little because they didnt get used  ....till just recently when my friend was here and mentioned that she made some carrot and courgette fritters and that all her family loved it ..... now the amazing thing was that i had been browsing for a while and a few of the sites i came across had the courgette fritters and i really wanted to try them but i was afraid  that they would not be eaten and i would end up throwing them out ... but after listen to my friend i decided to biet the bullet and masha`allah i`m so happy i did ... they have become a favorite in my house so much that dh loves them too ... now i couldnt remember exactly what my friend added to her but i made mine like this 2 big courgettes About 4/5 carrots (this depends on size ) 2 eggs about 3 tbsp of flour .. (you can add more if you feel the

Many years ago i was in my friends house and she was making this dish and masha`allah when i tasted it i though yummmmy .....so when i went home a little later i tried it and everyone loved it ... i have used it over the years but of lately forgot all about it til today i was sitting in my kitchen thinking what to cook tonight especially after dh bringing  me my shopping and also having that friend drop in to me today too ... so what did i make you ask well it is a djuezzes with chicken and potatoes and parsley so first of all i marinated my chicken with onion.... black pepper ...salt.... cumin.... and razel hanout (all spice). and parsley ... i left this for about a hour then place it into the pan and fried it until chicken is colored at this stage i add a little water and allow to come to the boil then adding a little more water i add the potatoes and allow to come back to the boil and leave simmer  keeping an eye on the sauce and not allowing it to dry out .... by the end i add

So yesterday was a lovely afternoon ...we had a lovely visit from my friend and her daughter which made it even more pleasant ... so it was time to think what i could put on the table with a cuppa and being that i was at the end of my shopping i decided to go with scones ...simple .... but easy 8oz of flour 1and 1/2 oz of butter 1 tsp bio carb 1/4 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar 1 pkt of baking powder (10g) about 185ml of milk ( i just pour till dough comes together ) place all ingredients in a bowl  then melt butter and pour over and mix till like bread crumbs then add milk till dough comes together  and knead place on a floured surface and roll out and cut into shapes of your choice place on a floured baking sheet and bake it takes about 15 / 20 mins serve with butter and jam Note : i will also add either raisins or currants  or with the batch i made i cut up some dates into small pieces and mixed it in

I bet most of you know how to make an omelet and masha`allah their are so may filling to put into them so this week i have done two  both when making chips so the first is adding just a bit a parsley to the egg before poring on a hot frying pan and then adding the chips to it ....once cooked place a plate over the pan and turn the second is placing the egg on a hot pan the placing spinach and chips on top and allowing to cook and the once finished doing the same as the other and turning it over ..... so simple and tasty and great for a quick snack

my kids love spaghetti and when i make this they will eat anything up to three bowls i sometimes wonder have they eaten all day knowing that yes i gave them their lunch as well as them having something to eat in between now if i make it with mince my dh wont eat it so we eat it with tuna which my dh thought me a long time ago ....even the baby in the house loves it and i normally cut it up for her but she wont eat it like that she wants to be like the rest and eat it whole masha`allah tuna sauce  i fry a little onion and garlic together on a medium heat then i add a little tomato puree and continue then add spices and a little water and aloow to cook for a few mins then i will add some more water and leave to cook for about 20 mins then i will add tuna ... all we have is form the tins so that what i use then i allow that to cook for about 10 mins then adding a little more water and some more tomato puree and allow sauce to reduce as  for spaghetti  every one know how to co

how i make mine is red sauce 1 medium onion 4 cloves of garlic mince depends on how much you make 4 tomaotoes tomato puree bayleaf black pepper salt cumin razel hanout carwia 2 peppers mushrooms bachemal sauce  flour butter milk fry onion and garlic first on a gentle heat then add  peppers and  mince and brown  then add mushrooms if using ... then i added tomatoes that i previously soften and blended in the blender  and continue for a few mins ... then add spices  and allow to continue for a few mins ... then add some water and allow to cook for about 20 mins ..... in the mean time make the bachemal sauce ...as for quantities i`m not sure as i just go by look ..... melt your butter  take away form the heat add your flour and mix till it makes a rue then add your milk little by little once you have enough add a bay leaf to it and place back on a low heat and keep stirring until it becomes thick or to what you want  now once sauces are done it`s time

we are one for pizza and this ramdan you can believe that alot of pizza was made  and eaten .... but last year i remember my dh coming home and saying i will teach you a new one ...so i said go ahead masha`allah it was delicious ....the amazing thing was their is no cheese on this pizza ...(what i hear you say).... yes no cheese so basically  i use the same pizza dough as here then i spread just tomato puree and not the sauce i usually use all over the dough ... then i cut fresh tomatoes in circles and for my dh we take the seeds out as he believes their not good for the stomach ...and i place these around the dough and into the middle .... now what make this pizza it i place sardines that have been salted and the salt remains on it  this i open and take the bones out and tear it  into little pieces and place aound the pizza when finished place in oven till dough is cooked then take out and brush some oil normal oil over the top and cut and eat ... believe you will love the salt

So sometimes when watching t.v. you can come across many cooking programs and sometime i wonder do ppl really cook that and eat it ...... well the other day i was watch algerian t.v. with dh  and everyday their is a cooking program as i watched the woman i thought oh that looks good ... now i have to say that i have watched this program last year too and did make one of her dishes and masha`allah it was good and we all loved it so as i sat their dh also said thats look nice give it a try ...so i wrote down what she did and yesterday i tried it .... now what i will say is that it needed something else but it was nice so next time i will change it a little to suit ourselves anyway this is what we used mince meat (i used minced chicken) onion garlic tomatoes (2) tomato puree courgettes (2) potatoes (2) peppers (4) black pepper salt cumin carwia coriandor 5 eggs take your mince and mix all spices into it as well as a little garlic and 1 egg then  roll into balls or l

I have made these a few times and just from having them once ...... when i first made it i wasnt sure if they would turn out well and maybe my version wasnt like the orignal ....but at that time i had some vistors with us who i knew eat samosa and i tested on them ... their verdit was masha`allah they loved it i know that the filling is not the same as if i was to buy them or have them made by them professionals ... but my family likes them so last night my daughter asked me to make them and alhamdu`lilah i had some mince to do so i used  diol (boreak sheets) for this and my filling was onion ... garlic.... mince....peas.... black pepper...salt...cumin...carfa...cinnamon..... and ginger ...and sometime i put some chilli powder ...but this batch i left it out as i had my soup that was a little hot so that was enough i also add just a tiny bit of egg to help bring it together

So i`m not one really for cooking fish  and like every day i get fed up trying to cook and put things on the table that all will eat ... so today i sat back and told dh you bring it i will cook it ....and masha`allah he did .....so what was on the menu well i`m not sure what the name is called but their like muscles but smaller and found in the sand here in algeria in the beaches ......these are the shells for it and now my kids have claimed them to make something with it  so we took all the fish out of them and washed them..... in the meantime my dh decides to cook it ... so with a little onion..... garlic and black pepper.... salt ....cumin and a little tomato puree  and some tomatoes blended  he made a lovely sauce then he brought some turkey thigh and sliced it and marinated it in oil.... black pepper .... salt...... cumin..... thyme...... garlic.....and a little tomato and left it for a few hours and then just fried it and masha`allah it was very tender and really

so i`m not one that goes out to buy to many kitchen gadgets ..... but when one comes along i never say no ..... my dh brought me this one You ask what is it well it`s a three in one peeler ..... it will peel any veg ... it has another part that help to take the skin of tomatoes .... and then another piece that make julienne .... that piece  i love and especially for making salad  ..... which is what we used if for tonight ...... it is expensive ... it`s around 13 english pounds ... put i think over a period of time it is worth it  anyway this is the salad we made using it ... well i should say my daughter made

so it is coming up to a year since i started blogging ...... i first started out with wordpress ....... but found that bloger was a better option ... so i moved everything over ....and it was the best decision i made . i wasnt sure how it was going to work out as i never blogged before and i wasnt sure if many ppl would even be interested in what i posted but after the year it has shown that yes ppl seem to like it so i wanted to say a big thank you all so much for taking time to follow me and my life ... and i hope that you continue to keep following  in the years to come THANK YOU 

when i first read the name flan on a box i thought no way as my dad use to make flans all the time ... but it was a sponge lite thing with a filling in the middle with cream and fruit nut here i algeria it`s not ... it`s  dessert  that is made from a powder and milk and then once cooled down placed in the fridge to set like a jelly (jello) and become cold ... their are all different flavors ... last night we did strawberry

so i have post the recipe for this dish before and i make it many different ways  but last night i did it with rice ..... i normally forget to take a picture of it ... but masha`allah  this time i didnt ... here`s the recipe as it being ramadan we only did a small portion i really hope you enjoy it saha ftourkum   Dua for breaking a fast at the time of Iftaar (Iftaar Dua) » Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa 'ala rizq-ika aftarthu

so since learning to make my own pizza you can be sure that my table in ramadan will not be with out it ... my dh loves pizza and so do the kids INGREDIENTS 1 kilo of flour 1 tsp of salt about 1 tbsp of sugar about 2 tbsp of yeast and warm water now the quantities might bit a bit off as i go by eye on this one .... and in ramadan i do reduce the amount of flour when it`s just my family eating but when having guest i will do the full amount all you do is place all ingredients in a big bowl add your water bit by bit until dough comes together and then knead ..... after that leave the dough in the bowl and set aside to allow it to rise this take about 1/2 hour to hour .... the sauce for the pizza is very simple ... just place some tomatoes in a pot with a little water and allow to soften then mix in a blender ... place back in the pot and add garlic ... onion.... parsely ..... thyme.....and black pepper ... salt .... cumin... carwia ...and coriandor .... and allo

so yes today was the first iftar of many in this month of ramadan ..... so what was on the table ...... well we had chourba ( algerian soup) also homemade pizza....... and i also made this salad of beets and carrots from a friends blog  here    jazak`allah khair heina it was very tasty and dh loved it  we also had boreak and djuezzes with chicken and green beans ... so i will post some of the dishes as other i have posted before BEET AND CARROT SALAD   CHOURBA THIS IS MADE WITH  1 ONION DICED FINE CUBES OF MEAT  4 LARGE CARROTS  2 LARGE COURGETTES 3 LARGE POTATOES 3 TOMATOES HAND FULL OF CHICK PEAS BLACK PEPPER CINNAMON PLACE ONION AND MEAT IN POT AND COOK FOR A SHORT WHILE THEN ADD TOMATOES AND CONTINUE  AFTER ABOUT 2 MINS OR SO ADD SPICE AND COOK FOR A LITTLE LONG STIRRING A FEW TIMES THEN ADD WATER ... LET THAT COME TO A BOIL AND ADD YOUR VEG .... NOW YOU CAN GRATE YOUR VEG OR CUT THEM REALLY SMALL LIKE THIS  OR LEAVE THEM WHOLE AND LATER ON YOU CAN BLITZ IT I

so even tho it hasnt been announced here yet in algeria but the feeling is that ramadan is tomorrow ....... so i wish all of you a blessed ramadan and may allah reward you all in this month...... may he guide you all to true happiness and full eman and reward you all for the action you take in this month Allah's Apostle said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." [Bukhari] ... Narrated Abu Huraira(r.a): The Prophet said:"... whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." (Sahih Al-Bukhari). "...whoever witnesses the Month of Ramadan should fast through it..." Q(2:185) "Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will d

so after nearly two months i have finished my blanket ... which is a gift for my neighbor who`s expecting her first baby ... i love to crochet and wish that i had learned before now so that i could have made some really nice cardigans and blankets for my other kids  but insha`allah once their married and have kids of their own i will have the chance to make it for their kids as you can see i used two different colors for the base and white to help it along ... i had to fold the blanket as it was very long The Verdict::  she loved them and couldnt believe i made them ... it has made her day

so i finally finished my dd cardigan and it`s the second one i`ve made reading from a pattern ...... which i have found easy so far ...... the pattern was suppose to be for a smaller kid but after i was finished i found it was a little big and even for my daughter ...... but by the time winter comes she will fit right into it .... insha`allah i`m sorry i dont have a pattern to share with you as i photocopied it from my friends book .... i`m also just finishing off a blanket that i`m making for my neighbor  which surprised me at how well it`s coming ... but once i`m finished i will share it with you

with kids in the house and summer holidays  the kids always seem to be hungry  and like i`ve said before i`m not really a baker but when a simple recpie comes your way and can be made different ways ,..... why not .... so as you know my dd 12 may a sponge one day and made her version    ........  but i always make it with jam and coconut and i`m hoping one day to dress it up ... but thats only if i can get the nerve to do so and then that will be one for the books but here is what i made and the recipe is still the same as my daughter version 

as a child i use to love when my mum would make apple tart ..... and she never made just one ... it was a;ways 2 or 3 ... but by the next morning their would never be any left the years have passed and i have always wanted to make for my kids but i`m not a baker ... but masha`allah since coming to algeria and joining a few forums i have picked up a few tips form ppl .... so i was given this website which is the same web site i used to make the cheese wedges and i have grown very found of it oh this really did bring back memories ... and especially  with ice-cream beside it so why not give it a try ...... yummmmmyy

so one of my cousins was watching a cook show on irish t.v. and found this website  ..... so she told me about it knowing that ramadan isnt that far away and that with it being summer here in algeria that it would be too hot to be cooking big dishes .. so i had a good look and loved what i seen so one recipes caught my attention and it was       Easy Cheese and Garlic Wedges      so being me i thought lets have a go and even tho mine didnt turn out like the pic but the were tasty

        so this pic is from the first real post i made when starting my blog .... it has become a favorite with us and as time goes by i get better and better at making them  so what i use to make them is a recipe i found on line but now cant remember where exactly i got it form .... i think it was a youtube video 2 cups of chickpeas ( i use the ones that we soak over night ) i medium onion 4/5 cloves of garlic black pepper cumin coriander   ( powdered) salt a small handful of parsely small handful of  fresh coriander mix in blender and then place in a container and put in the fridge until ready to use  fry in oil  serve with salad ... and any dip of choice .... we did a mint yoghourt  dip

so now summer is here it`s time for sardines .... every morning you will here the local men going around with their carts filled with sardines and all you will here is ya sardine... ya sardine ...... today was one of those day and most of the time it can be expensive to buy but at this time of the year masha`allah the price has come down ...... so today was sardines every home has it`s way of cooking and making sardines ...... it can be made in a red sauce with garlic ... or cleaned and spice thrown over it and then coated in semolina or flour ...... i personally prefer flour and so does my dh .... so in my house today we  pu black pepper ... cumin.... and rasel hanout ( which is a mixture of spice ) ... salt .... and garlic ....   and tomato puree .....quantities  all depends on how much sardine you are using now even with all that their is no such thing as waste ... in my dh family they dont like to throw away the flour that they coated the sardines in so they will ad a litt

I`ve never been one for frugal ...... well at least i thought i wasnt ... but as of lately i have had to really watch the pennies .... which is a hard job and i take my hat of to those who have done it or are doing it after living with my dh family for 2 years i did manage to pick up a few tricks of the trade and one of those was a chuchkuka  with veg ...such a simple dish and tasty for this one the ingerdients are 3 peppers 1 big onion 3 tomatoes 1 aubergine 4 big potatoes black pepper and salt slice all veg in long strips then place onion on bottom then tomatoes then peppers the aubergine the slice potaoes like you would if make chips (fries) sprinkle a pinch of black pepper and salt and place a lid of top of saucepan (non stick would be better) leave on a low heat ... their is no need for water unless you find it sticking a little on the bottom ... then just add a few drops it takes about 20/30 mins to cook spinach is also a very frugal dish and can

most of what i crocheted was from watching youtube videos and that how i learned as well the very first cardi i made was from youtube and since then i have kept that pattern in my head as it`s so simple to do and from that pattern i have made 6 cardis this is the latest one now masha`allah with the help of my friend  kate i have managed to make a cardi by reading a actual pattern and it was so simple masha`allah ... that i have started another but a different pattern so here is the one i finished  the pattern for the cardi above comes form a book so sorry i cant share the pattern with you ... but the pattern for the green cardi and all the other cardi`s i have made comes form here