Passing Through This Life

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 ...

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...

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

Patients - 2nd Sha'aban 1432 (3rd July 2011) Narrated Abu Huraira (Radi-Allahu 'anhu): I heard Allah's Apostle (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) saying, "The good deeds of any person will not make him enter Paradise." (i.e., None can enter Paradise through his good deeds.) They (the Prophet's companions) said, 'Not even you, O Allah's Apostle?' He said, "Not even myself, unless Allah bestows His favor and mercy on me." So be moderate in your religious deeds and do the deeds that are within your ability: and none of you should wish for death, for if he is a good doer, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to Allah." Bukhari Vol. 7 : No. 577

This has become a favorite in my house and even to the extent that my dd12 makes it now by herself it`s a very simple recipe but i always double the recipe to make more as i find the original to small INGREDIENTS 4 1/2 oz of flour 4 1/2 oz of sugar 2 eggs 3 1/2 floz of oil 1 tblsp of baking powder about 3 carrots (depending on the size) remember i always double the recipe METHOD put sugar and oil in bowl and mix well then add eggs and baking powder and mix grated caroots and add then add flour little by little till all is mixed well you can add cinnamon to it if you wish ... we also add either raisins or coconut  to the mixture place mixture in greased tin and place in oven as my oven only goes by numbers and my highest is 4 this is what i usually bake on

so here in algeria their are many types of dolma  the one i make the most is with potato and courgettes and when i make it i know for sure my kids will eat it it can be made with chickpeas or with green peas  it`s really up to you so for a family of 6 i use  1 courgette to 2 potatoes Ingredients 12 small potatoes 6 courgette handful of chick peas or peas 1 small onion black pepper cumin salt   Filling to stuff mince meat a handful of rice parsley onion black pepper cumin salt egg Method first prepare courgettes and potato by hollowing out the insides .... the courgettes the hole goes right through so you can see form both ends and the potato just half way down  then  taking the filling that you have mixed together and place a little in each of the courgettes and potatoes dice  onion finely place in saucepan  with a little oil and soften them then add some of the inside bits of  the veg with it and continue to...

 So last year i was introduced to these turkish pies and we love them ... especially in ramadan as it`s a nice change to borak all the time ..... now i`m not sure where my friend got her recipe form but masha`allah it is great this can be made many ways and the filling can be different to it can be savory or sweet it`s really up to you POGACA/TURKISH PIES Makes 24 POGACA Ingredients: * white of 1 egg * 3/4 up of vegetable oil * 1 cup of plain yogurt * 1/3 tsp of baking soda * 1 tsp of salt * 3 cups of all purpose flour (approx ) Filling: * feta or cream cheese Glaze: * yolk of 1 egg   Method In a big mixing bowl, take egg white and whisk. Add vegetable oil, yogurt, baking soda, nigella seeds, salt and mix. Add flour slowly and knead. Continue adding flour until the dough reaches soft consistency. Take a small piece of dough ( about the size of a walnut ) and make it flat with your palms. Place 1 tsp of feta cheese or cream cheese in t...