Passing Through This Life

Asalamu Alikum For months my oven hasn't worked and all of a sudden it was working again so the first thing i made was pizza roll ... while doing this i was teaching my daughter my 13 year old how to do this as my 15 year old already knows how to this is basically the samr as the homemade pizza i make only the sauce is a little different ... all i do is use tomato puree and add spices of my choice and then i thin it out to make it easier to spread it is roll out like normal pizza here is my recipe for that you can add any topping and then just take the side and roll the dough till it's like a log ... then cut into rounds and place on tray ... i will add cheese on top as well as the cheese that is inside and then bake for about 15 to 20 mins

Asalamu Alikum  Yay a new post  In the time i wa away ... i had made a few things and took picture so as to when i had internet again i could blog and post the pics ... then the stupid phone played up and i lost everything so i have had to start off again  my eldest daughter has become a dab hand in baking and really enjoys it more than i do ... so as she does something for the home i will share with you ... the picture above is a spongecake with cinnamon added and she made homemade custard ... this was her second attempt at making custard and she finally got it and was so happy ... i dont help her inthe kitchen she just gets an idea and goes with it  recipe for sponge is here with some cinnamon added  and the custard is made with  3 cups of milk  4 egg yolks 3 tbsp of cornstarch half tsp of salt or none whatever you like  half cup of sugar /100grams 2tbsp of butter pinch of vanilla  

Asalam wa alikum So whats for afternoon tea ...well let me tell you .... after 9 years of living here i still dont know the names of a few thing and this is one of them .... what i call it is Algeria`a version of french toast with sugar.... even to say french toast might be wrong but when i was growing up and was doing cooking in school that was one of the things we were taught but not with the sugar so all you need is some stale bread i try not to buy to much bread these days as it doesnt get eaten to much ... my family seems to prefer when i make pitta bread anyway what you needis stale bread (we use french stick) eggs sugar oil to fry it in and thats it ...easy huh!!! just cut the french stick into rounds as big as you like dip it in the eggs that also has a little milk in it then fry once finished ... dip straight into sugar and presto chango!!!! enjoy with what ever takes your fancy

Masha`allah today i had a really good afternoon ....and it brighten my day as dh is away and i was feeling a little low Thanks to my friends Being Kate and kazzy and even better than that was the learning of something new to give my kids for their breaks  for school so what did i learn well Croissant brioche  masha`allah they were wonderful so soft and light and before they were gone cos believe me they didn't last very long i remembered to take a photo it was the last 2 that were left but better than nothing 4 1/2 cups of flour 2 tbsp of yeast 2tbsp of sugar 2 tsp of salt 2 eggs mixed 1/4 a cup of butter (melted) 1 and 1/4 cups of milk (warm) mix both butter and milk together and then temper the eggs to it 1 bar of chocolate dark then add wet ingredients to dry and mix and knead you may need to add xtra flour till the dough is soft and not sticky allow to rise for about 45mins then punch out .. half the dough into 2 balls and then roll out into a ...

So as you know kids are well and truly back in school and home life has gotten quieter .... in my house this is a change and the biggest change is having the kids come home for their lunch everyday ...as before their were in private school and got fed their I must admit i like it ... it keeps me on my toes and gives me bak the routine i use to have so it`s all good For lunch i do like to give them something lite as i do like the idea of them going back to school and feeling heavy and not giving their full attention to the teacher  So i made these sweetcorn fritters ... these i had last year in my friends house and loved them ... and i had made them a few times and then stopped ...and really forgot about them till just now .... their easy and tasty 1 tin of sweetcorn small onion diced really small some parsely black  pepper and salt 2 eggs take small spoon fulls and drop in to hot oil and dont press them down then once cooked eat as you please ....

So now with the kids back to school i have to try to make extra things so as to fill their tums and one of those things is Msmem now i have made these a few time but always had a little problem with them ... so i started to research them and found a youtube video on them and masha`allah was a difference it is measurement are totally up to each person for what i made today ... i used 1 bowl of semolina fine and 1 bowl of flour and salt and mixed with water but i followed some of the ways of this video  http://youtu.be/d9yC9Nf1FHs ‫

Subhan`allah theirs only and few day left and thats another ramadan finished ... i have to say it went too quick I hope each and everyone of you have manged to get what you wanted form this blessed month and that it will continue  for you into the next year and it will make you stronger in your deen Now normally half way through ramadan i get to a stage where i get fed up and dont know what to cook ... but this year masha`allah it only happened today .... and these are the days i love that my dh can cook when he wants and he takes over the kitchen . so what did he make ..... well the pic says it all this is a fish dish but can also be done with chicken  and any kind of fish ... i asked dh what fish this was he sai merlin ... but not sure about that anyway the sauce was made by grating onion and garlic and frying in a little oil on a low heat ... while thats been done take some tomatoes and place in a bleander with some black pepper and salt and thyme and th...

Masha`allah .... allah has blessed me with the husband i have and the family i have so i bet your wondering why i`m saying this a.... well let me tell you .... at the beginning or ramadan i tolad my dh i wasnt going down the same ramadan road of cooking ..cooking.... cooking that ramadan iant about that and masha`allah he agreed.... so i tld him that things will be simple and not too much well masha`allah thats how it has happened .... usually on my table we would have borak  and pizza as well as other things like the chourba ... and if it wasnt borak then some sort of pies .... well this year i have done one item every day so one day borak ...one day pizza.... one day pies ... you see how it goes so a few days ago i had no cooking and decided that i would treat everybody and thats what i did ... i made apple tart some biscuits and these wonderful stuffed bread rolls    I started by making the apple tart and found that i had messed up the ingredients by ad...

So i thought that i should every so often do a review on something that i have tried form other blogs and their recipes .... i think it`s a great way to let other know that it does work and tastes great so here`s one for you .... this recipe come form a very good friend of mine and her blog Being Kate Masha`allah we always make this type of food in out house but never thought to do it the way kate makes it so i thought lets try it and see Well masha`allah it was excellent  and looks so much better than the way most algerians do it ...which is by mixing in the eggg and keep mixing which by the end doesnt look very appealing here`s how it turned out for me I would defiantly recommend this  recipe and tell you to pop by kates blog and let her know weither you liked it too

masha`allah clear skies and sunshine all around ...well thats the weather in algeria at the moment ....it`s just nice not too warm yet .... and what come with this time of the year  Well for one the food changes no more big one pot stews as it gets too warm for that .... the prices of veg is coming down slowly but surely peppers are coming back into season ..even tho they are around most of the year ...but once the season for them hits they become cheap ..so every home you pass will have the smell of peepers being cooked in one way or another so this is were the thinking cap come in as i now have to try to find light dinners to feed my family One of those dishes is Fish Cakes  and masha`allah they are going down a treat here even my dh likes them and place a big dish of salad beside them and were away to go These are light a filling and so easy and the quantity to use depends on the size and needs of your family for me i used just potatoes...... tuna..... pars...

Subhan`allah dont you just love when you come across something that reminds  you of your childhood and they way your family would sit and get together not like these day where their is so much going on that your never sure weither it will happen form day to day .... well masha`allah i had one of those day yesterday my lovely dad sent over some baked beans for us as even tho i`m told they are sold here but i havent seen them myself ...... so i decided to do an old fav of our family ..... very simple and just hits the spot ... i bet your wondering what it is ...well let me tell you BEANS ON TOAST WITH A FRIED EGG and to top it off some brown sauce over it ... well you can imagine what a lovely lunch we had and even dh ate it which is brilliant for me as he`s not one for ready made beans from a jar so hopefully we will be doing this again one day in the future so what is your childhood memory

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 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

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 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...

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