Sunday 27 July 2014

Ramadan Ends + Lemon Slush + Sunny Days: 19 July - 25 July 2014

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful



The month of Ramadan is in its final few days now - hope that it has gone well for you.




 I pray that each of you found the Night of Power, and that Allah answered each and every one of your prayers.
Alhamdulillah, the weather here over the past week has been warm and beautiful - it's 27 degrees at the moment which for us is beyond tropical! 

Some of the little things that have made me happy this week include:
1. Buying a new mixer to bake with!
2. Sleeping through all the thunder and lightening that we had here!
3. Grilled Chinese chicken at Iftar!
4. Beautiful duas from the masjid at Iftar time!
5. Live Taraweeh from Makkah!
6. The summer breeze!
7. Our new fridge and freezer!
8. Discussing the ins and outs of recycling, bins and bin men with the now 6 year old niece!
9. Lemon Sorbet Slush!
10. Fresh Mango - who needs to bake when you have mango?!
11. My cousin returning from her trip to Malaysia!

 Saturday: For Iftar, my Mum made a batch of her Vegetable Pakoras.
She also made a Pea Pulao but added mixed vegetables too.
I marinaded chicken strips in Chinese 5 spice powder, salt, red chilli powder and olive oil. Just add the spices in, to taste, leave to marinade for a few hours, and then pan fry in a little oil.
We received a box of Laddoos to celebrate the birth of a new baby girl in our family.
Laddoos are a traditional Pakistani sweet that is usually given out on special occasions.
Vegetable Pakoras - potatoes, onions and peas fried in a crispy, spicy gram flour batter.
Chinese 5 Spice Chicken brushed with Honey
Vegetable Pulao
Iftar time!


 Sunday: Time spent in our beautiful summer garden!
Watching the live Taraweeh from Makkah - May Allah take us all there soon, Ameen!
Iftar was a simple Omelette.
Minced Chicken Curry and for dessert, Fresh Melon.


 Monday: At Iftar, we had guests so my mum made her Chicken Pulao.
Along with the rice, some of the highlights of Iftar were of course Sweet Black Dates.
Thick, sweet Mango Milkshake (fresh mango, milk, sugar, vanilla ice cream)
 Tuesday: How beautiful is the colour of the sky?
Spot the snail hanging upside down on the branch!
The most wondrous beauty lies in the creation of Allah.

Look at man and the marvelous way in which he is created, with his different races, languages and accents. Allah, the Most High, has made him in the most beautiful form, as He says:
"... And has given you shape and made your shapes good (looking) ..."
(Surah Ghafir, Verse 64)

Look at the beauty of the sky and the stars, the splendour of the sun and the moon, the vastness of space. 
Look at the earth and how it is spread out, and its water and pasture are brought forth from it.
Look at the mountains and how they are fixed firmly. 
Think about these seas and rivers, this night and day, this light and shade, these clouds.
Think about how harmony exists throughout the universe.
Look at these flowers, these ripe fruits, this delicious milk, this sweet honey, these palm trees, these bees, these ants, these insects, these fish, these birds, this nightingale, these reptiles, these animals, this never-ending beauty and delight of the eye.
(Dr. 'Aid al-Qarni)

So exalted is Allah when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning. And to Him is (due all) praise throughout the heavens and the earth. 
And (exalted is He) at night and when you are at noon. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living, and brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. And thus will you be brought out.
(Surah Ar-Rum, Verses 17-19)
Raspberries!
In this last week of Ramadan, many mosques complete the recitation of the entire Quran in the special Taraweeh prayers. To celebrate they hand out traditional sweets such as these Namak Paray (salty fried pieces of dough) and Jalebi (fried batter which is then dipped in a sweet syrup). The combination of these two is sweet and salty at its best!
We had to empty out our fridge and freezer to make way for a new one, and my Mum found these frozen Samosas which she cooked up for Iftar.

 Wednesday: No pictures from today so here are some things I found whilst perusing Pinterest. How amazing do these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes look?!


How cute are these gift tags? Perfect to give out with Homemade Doughnuts!
Macaron Cake! :)
 Thursday: More Pinterest pics!
 Toblerone Ice Cream Cake! 

 Friday: Dessert in our house this past week has always been Fresh Mango - seriously, why bake when there is such sweet fruit around?!!
I made Lemon Slush on Friday - blend together Lemon Sorbet with ice!
Perfect with spoons or straws, and so refreshing on a hot day!
Iftar was a Spicy Smoky Chicken Breast marinaded in 1/2 teaspoon Salt, 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice, 1 tablespoon Vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1 tablespoon Ground Coriander, 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, 1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder and 3 tablespoons Plain Yoghurt.

Slit the chicken breast and marinade for a few hours. Pan-fry in a little oil by browning each side on a medium-high heat for10 minutes per side. Add in any leftover marinade and cover on low heat for 15 minutes (depending on size of your chicken breast - ours were quite big) until cooked. And, then smoke using the method shown in this Smoky Chicken Tikka.
Along with the smoky chicken, I made a Potato Salad by tossing cooked potato chunks with mayonnaise, paprika, spring onions, vinegar, salt, pepper and boiled eggs.
Served with iced Pepsi it was a delicious end to the week!

Recipes Posted on This Muslim Girl Bakes this week:

Chicken and Potato Shorba -  a traditional Pakistani curry using chicken and potatoes!

I hope you all had a wonderful week and an early Eid Mubarak to you all!

Wasalaam!


Spice Enthusiast
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