Wednesday 3 June 2015

Oat Raisin Muffins + Grilling Indoors + Friday Baking: 23-29 May 2015.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful





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this week has passed by in a blur.
a blur of crispy pakoras and chocolate shortbread. there was steaming rice on Sunday night along with time to reflect.

 we had a bank holiday here on Monday which was filled with plenty of family. there were steaks, cake, oh and I baked muffins.

the week continued as lawns were mowed, new candles were lit and we made do with an indoor grill on a wet Wednesday evening.

as the week ended, apples were baked into flapjacks, I ate raw radish and raw red onion (!!!) albeit shredded in a rainbow coleslaw and made my most favourite dough ever.

the most blessed day of the week arrived and my kitchen was filled with cinnamon rolls, gooey brownies, Nutella galore and plenty of laughter.

finally, before I show you more of my week, I'd like to share with you something I read this week and loved:
45:13
And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth - all from Him. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.
(Surah Al-Jathiyah, Verse 13)

47:24
Then do they not reflect upon the Quran, or are there locks upon (their) hearts?
(Surah Muhammad, Verse 24)

One method of increasing faith and allowing peace into the heart is through reflecting on the verses of Allah, the creation of Allah and the Greatness of Allah.
By letting the meanings of Allah's names and attributes sink into your heart, your heart will find serenity, calmness and tranquility.
Your trust in Allah will be given a boost, your faith will climb, and your submission to Allah will broaden.

here are my highlights:

 Saturday began with a bit of baking. 
I made a gluten-free chocolate shortbread dough.
shaped them into thumbprints and popped them into bake.
then I made a quick chocolate buttercream.
and, it was time for lunch!
we ate fish pakoras.
and potato pakoras -> boiled potato slices were dipped in the leftover batter and fried until crisp.

so yum! and gluten-free!
then the buttercream was spread over the cooled cookies.
and we sprinkled them with sprinkles!
the perfect weekend sweet treat.

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evening skies on a Sunday.
tiny flowers on the rosemary.
dinner: boiled rice mixed with chicken and potato shorba.
steaming hot!

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so we had a bank holiday here on Monday (the second one in a month - I like May) and my Mother made spicy lamb steaks.
she took 4 lamb steaks and covered them with:
4 tablespoons plain yoghurt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chilli
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek
let them marinade for an hour or two.
then seal them in hot oil over a medium heat. finally, cover with a lid for 5 minutes and then check to see if they're done to your liking.
do let them rest for about 5-10 minutes though, covered with foil. and then, eat!

a new plant for my Mother!
to get us through the next day, I baked oat raisin muffins. into a bowl, went self-raising flour, caster sugar, baking powder and baking soda. 
into a separate bowl, eggs were cracked. plus, I added vanilla which wasn't in the original recipe but I couldn't resist.
the eggs and vanilla were beaten with melted butter.
and the whole lot went into the dry bowl.
time to mix!
once mixed ..
... milk was poured in.
everything was gently mixed.
then, in went oats <-- love!
and, raisins! <--- love! love!
a final stir.
and it was time to scoop.
and, time to bake!


these muffins were so yum - perfect for breakfast with a coffee and really filling. The full recipe with all the measurements can be found here!!
later, the cousins came over with cake!
a three-layer pistachio and lime layer cake to be exact. the recipe is here.

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Tuesday morning and a table full of fruit.
today was a day filled with green. green coriander.
green peas.

green dotted and flecked fritters.
and a green (ish) lawn mowed by yours truly.

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candles with summer scents on a dull Wednesday afternoon - a light, fresh lemonade scent.
apple orchard.
a mixture of watermelon and cucumber.
and more apple! with sugar + spice and everything nice.
also, how pretty are the colours?!
lunch was pasta with this tomato sauce.
with rain falling at dinner, we had to grill indoors. into a bowl went:
1 and 1/2 pound boneless chicken pieces
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
give it all a good mix and leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight.
skewer pieces of chicken with chunks of red bell pepper.
heat a grill pan and cook until tender, golden and slightly chargrilled.
something bright and fresh for dinner!
serve with salad, lemon wedges and your favourite sauce. we had this one made with homemade yoghurt no less.
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 apple raisin flapjacks on a Thursday afternoon.
followed by a little dough making.

we made this dough!
later, veggies ready to shred into a rainbow coleslaw. there's cabbage + carrots + radishes + red onion.
shredded in the food processor.
mixed with mayo + yoghurt + salt + pepper + lemon juice.
ready to eat with more chicken skewers!
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Friday rolled around and we began with the dough  from the day before.
it was split into two and rolled into a rough rectangle.
then, plenty of melted butter was brushed on.
before being liberally sprinkled with a mixture of: ground cinnamon + sugar + brown sugar.
and, I mean liberally!
then, it was rolled up.
before being sliced - usually, I use knife but this time I tried the string method. it was much easier and resulted in a more defined roll and swirl.
the cousins had a few problems with it though.
I'm sure they can spot the ones that they cut!
while the cinnamon rolls went away to rise, we had a lot of fun with Nutella.
along with plenty of mess!
then, we baked a batch of brownies. we melted butter and sugar in a bowl.
we let it cool slightly before adding vanilla, cocoa powder and eggs.
finally, in went plain flour, cornflour, baking soda and salt.
these were gently mixed in.
finally, chocolate chunks were stirred in.
and the whole lot went in to a baking tin.
time to bake but not before we sprinkled on more chocolate chips!



we popped them in to bake and then waited whilst they cooled slightly. just slightly because no one can resist a fresh brownie.

oh my gosh.

we couldn't resist. these brownies are so fudgy, gooey and chocolatey - the cocoa powder makes all the difference. get the full recipe here.

after all that sweet, a spot of lunch.
lasagne!!
after lunch, the cinnamon rolls had risen well so we popped them into bake.
whilst they baked, we whipped up a vanilla cream glaze to drown them in. simply mix together: 226 grams icing sugar + 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla + 60ml double cream + 2 and 1/2 tablespoons milk.

baked! and ready to glaze!
on went the vanilla glaze.
and we couldn't resist a bite. the cinnamon roll dough was this one but the filling was this one.
time to package!
and eat!
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This Time One Year Ago:
Rainy Sundays + Indoor Barbecues + Iced Coffee

On the Blog This Week:

Aloo Gobi Fritters

A few of my favourite links from around the web this week:

1. fasting + Quran --> 4 weeks before Ramadan
2. homemade brown sugar! whaat?
3. chicken with tahini and tomato sauce. need to make this for dinner soon.
4. caramel buns ice cream burger. speechless.
5. I'm not really fan of Mars bars but I think I may make an exception for this cake!
6. a month of fasting not feasting via this post.
7. bhuna chicken masala. yum central.
8. whole roasted salmon. wow.
9. buttermilk cake with strawberry buttercream. super pretty.


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have a beautiful week everyone - focus on the good, take time out to read an actual book and have an internet-free day!

Wasalaam!


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