Serendipitous Delights

BasBousa -Egyptian Semolina Cake

2010-02-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Just made this delish cake for the family the other day and it turned out super amazing. It was my first time baking this Egyptian type sweet dish and baking a cake that uses SEMOLINA. I simply loved it!
It's so moist on the inside and a bit crunchy with the nuts on the outside and the infusion of lime and honey (which i replaced with sugar here) was divine in taste and aroma.

I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE THI AGAIN and RECOMMEND ALL OF YOU TO MAKE IT TOO!

Batter

* 7 tbsp unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup superfine sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 medium eggs
* 12-1/2 oz (2 cups) semolina
* 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
* 3/4 cup yogurt
* 2 oz (1/2 cup) blanched almonds

Sugar Syrup

* 16 fl oz (2 cups) water
* 2 cups superfine sugar (or honey 1 cup)
* 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Start by making the batter. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Gradually blend in the semolina and the baking powder. Add the yogurt and mix well until the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 12-inch round oven=proof pan. Cut into diamond shapes and place an almond in the center of each diamond. Bake for about 35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

In the meantime, make the sugar syrup: In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, then add the lemon juice and reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake. Cool, cut and store in an airtight container.

Serves: 6 - 8

WHAT IS BASBOUSA?

Basbousa (Arabic), revani (Turkish) or ravani and revani (Greek ραβανί and ρεβανί) is a sweet cake made of a semolina soaked in syrup. Coconut is a popular addition to the cake. Although Greeks of Southern Greeks call it ravani, in the north it is called revani, as in Turkish, specifically in the town of Veria where it is the traditional dessert for many years.

WHAT IS SEMOLINA?

FIND OUT HERE

mango pudding

2009-09-19T16:37:00.001-07:00

mango pudding
Originally uploaded by Joyful Reverie - Eid Mubarak

My own discovery:

Quick homemade mango pudding

Recipe*

half a cup of Cottage cheese
one whole Ripened mango sliced/cubed
half a cup of whole milk
sugar as needed

blend all in a Blender and serve with sliced mangoes on top =)

Lemony Lemon

2009-03-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Lime Lemon Lemony Lemonade!
“When life gives you a lemon... squeeze it, mix it with six ounces of distilled water and drink twice daily.”

Hello friends and food lovers! A very good afternoon. I have been MIA for a while, just took a few days off from the blogging so I can brainstorm with new ideas and new recipes to keep you all coming!

So spring is coming soon, and I am really excited about this spring and summer! I've got amazing plans. Today it is 14 degree Celsius in Toronto with partly clouds though. What is that?? It's not spring for another month but hey I am loving it. To celebrate this beautiful day, I started off with fresh lemons in the kitchen. Made some face mask with lemon peels which was totally refreshing and rejuvenating!

Lemon is a great way to add zest to everything in life. I believe it has got many many beneficial nutrients that is not only good for our health but also mental well being.

I love the aromatic citrus smell of lemons. I just love it!

I have discovered some great recipes with lemon which benefits me in my everyday life using just fresh lemons! Here they are:

Are you feeling fatigue and nauseated?

Take a glass of cold water, add some sugar and squeeze in some lemon.
Drink it as cold as possible and watch how refreshing you will feel within seconds!

Do you have headaches and Migraine?
Grate some lemon skin into a small bowl make it into a paste form and apply it onto your forehead and little it over the temples. And feel the magic!

Have dull and dead skin? Acne?
Take some of the lemon skin peels and make it a paste, add some glycerin or honey to it and apply it onto the troubled spots. Leave for 5 minutes and wash off with cold water!

Want that fresh summer scent in your home?
Take 1 whole lemon and squeeze it all into a bowl, add water as little as the half of that same lemon. Pour it all into a spray bottle and grate the lemon skin and sprinkle it all in. You've got yourself home made air freshener! Spray this anywhere in the house, on the clothes, shoes where ever you want!

Got the icky sore throat or need some caffeine free tea?

Boil a cup of water, squeeze some lemon into it and simply add 1 tea spoon of honey. Cut up some lemons in thin round or moon shaped slices and dip it in the tea and enjoy a refreshing cuppa and lose that sore throat in minutes!

For congested nose and asthma ( Which I have)
For congested nose: when you squeeze the lemon skin some oils come out, rub it with a fingertip and apply it near the nostrils and breathe it. It works as a nose inhaler!

For asthma: eat fresh lemon juice, about 1 tea spoon to 1 table spoon after every meal. It also helps to eliminate any fats from the meal consumed.

More amazing benefits?
VISIT THIS SITE

Have a Lemonious Day Folks!

Beef Curry

2009-02-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Spicy Beef Curry
A Bangladeshi Dish

It's a cold, chilly, snowy day. We need something to keep us warm and filled throughout the day. Today is my day off from school. I haven't cooked a good Beefy meal for days, today was a perfect opportunity and a good excuse to cook up a spicy delicious beef curry that we all love in our family. I am going to share with you a wonderful Beef Curry recipe which is a traditional Bangladeshi dish. I learned this from my mom and mother in law. They both have their own recipes and tastes. It's amazing how we all follow the same recipe but our cooked food still tastes so different!

Ps* Today's special ingredient is GARLIC

Ingredients:

1 Ilb Beef
Oil - 1/2 cup
Onions - 2 medium ones, chopped
Garlic Paste - 2 table spoons
Black pepper as much as needed
Salt - as much as needed
Green chillies - 3-4 medium ones - cut in halves
Garam Masala - 2 tea spoons
Paprika - 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1 table spoon
Ground Ginger Powder - 1 table spoon
Cumin/Zeera powder - 2 tea spoons
Potato - 1 large, cut in medium squares

Preparation:

Before cutting onions and potatoes, marinate the raw meat in a bowl with Salt & Pepper for about 15-20 minutes.

Cooking Method:

-In a cooking pot, preferably nonstick, heat the oil.
-When the bubbles in the oil start to appear, place in the chopped onions and fry under medium heat for 5-8 minutes until light brown.
-Add the Garlic paste in the onions and saute it together for couple of minutes
-Now take all the Turmeric powder, grown ginger powder, paprika powder and cumin powder and add it to the onion mix. Stir it and mix it properly for another couple of minutes.
-Add the halved green chillies and Garam Masala. Stir fry for 5 minutes. If it i sticking to the pot/pan, you can add few tablespoons of water to gain a thick paste consistency.

You will now start to smell the aromas of the spices. Now the meat is ready to go in.

-Add the beef that was marinated with salt and pepper with the browned onions and mix it all very well so the spices are all mixed well with the beef.
-Lower heat to medium. Cover and let the beef cook for 15-20 minutes.

Between the 30 minutes, check the meat every now and then and stir it. Flip over the meat pieces from bottom to top.

After 15-20 minutes of frying the beef and spices, add 1-3 cups of water. Mix it all together and you can turn the heat to medium-high. Cover

Let cook for another 20-30 minutes. Add the potatoes.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until meat is tender.

Serve with rice, flat bread or bread!

Most Essential Part of One's Day

2009-02-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

French Toast
with banana and glazed strawberries
mmm mmm Good!

What is the most essential meal of one's day? Breakfast!
I don't usually have time to eat breakfast these days as i wake up and run to school. But, on my day offs I love a good stomach filling breakfast. Because, it is the most essential part of everyone's day.

I got bored with the usual and made french toast. I was craving whipping cream to go in the middle of these toasts but there was none at home! So what you see is what I pulled out. I am glad I got the healthier dose instead of whipped cream. mmmm!

Ingredients:

2 large Eggs
four slices of Wonder Brown Bread
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla essence
2 tablespoon whole milk
oil - 3 table spoons
1 banana sliced in half
sliced strawberries glazed in sugar

Method:

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk and add the milk and vanilla, whisk
Add sugar and whisk again

Heat a pan with oil in Medium heat, enough to lightly fry the toasts

Take the slices of breads and cut them in half, in a sandwich shape of your liking.
You can lightly toast the bread in a toaster if you like it crunchy.
I didn't.
Dip the bread slices in the egg mixture, when all of the bread has been dipped in the egg mixture take it out and get the excessive eggs out.

Place it in the pan and fry both sides for as little as 2 minutes. When it reaches light golden, take it out and place on Towel paper to soak the excessive oil.

Serve with fruits as I did or you can go wild with making french toast sandwich with Whipped cream, chocolate fudge, Nutella spread, or fruit jam!

It's so good!
I tried fruits because I am usually lazy these days to take my dose of fruits, and this way I actually enjoyed eating them.

Fruit Custard

2009-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

FRUIT CUSTARD!
Custard is one of my most favorite deserts, and it is also my husband's favorite. Custard with sweet fruits reminds me of childhood, of Eid celebrations. My mom used to make custard on every Eid especially for me. Because, I would probably create a big scene if there was no custard! I loved it so much and I still do =) But, now I make it and feed it to my mother and my family.

My mom used to make custard mixture from scratch, which would taken way more time than it took me to make this delicious desert. Off course her version tasted heavenly, but I really am not the kind of person to spend hours in kitchen.

So, I simply use the custard powder bought from the supermarket. You gotta make sure it's a very good quality brand. There are variety of flavors available now, which did not exist back in my childhood. Which is why, I love the original flavor and not those fruity flavors too much. You can always use any flavor you like!

Okay, so I will just go ahead and show you the recipe!

Ingredients:

Custard Powder - 3 table spoons
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Whole Milk: 2 1/2 cups (At room temperature)
Fresh Chinese Apple - 1 large (skin peeled and cut in small pieces)
1 medium ripe banana - sliced in round or moon shapes
1 sweet mango - cut in small slices

You can add any sweet fruits to your custard, as long as they are not citrus fruits. Because citrus fruits will rot the milk ingredients. Fruits such as Papaya, berries, grapes, peaches, plums are good for custard. You can also use canned fruits!

Method:

In a dry saucepan, mix together the sugar and custard powder to obtain smooth mixture and then pour the milk slowly and keep stirring. In medium heat bring milk and custard mix to a boil. Keep stirring! Stirring will prevent the milk from producing lumps and from burning.

After a good 5-10 minutes of stirring and boiling in medium to low heat, you will notice the mixture in a thicker consistency. Turn off the stove and let the mixture cool. KEEP STIRRING at this point. Do not stop stirring until the mixture stops letting out steam. This will prevent the milk from forming the thick layer on top which you absolutely do not want in a custard!
You can now place the custard milk mixture in a bowl of your choice and when it reaches room temperature, place is inside the Refrigerator.

Start slicing up the fruits after 30 minutes or so, while the mixture is cooling in the refrigerator. Do not cut the fruits too early because they will get darker and ruin the art of this dish.

After one hour or more, you can take out the bowl of custard and sprinkle the fruits.

Mix it with a spatula lightly and serve.

Voila!

Melt In Mouth

2009-02-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

Melt in Mouth
Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've baked these sweet treats for my husband today. He loved them! Made them extra fluffy and fat for his sweet tooth satisfaction. haha. He said, they were 'Crunchy yet melting in his mouth'. Ooh I love to hear compliments =D

Here's the recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter/margarine (softened)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups semi Hershey sweet chocolate chips

Instruction:

Preheat oven to 375 degree
Stir together flour, soda, salt in a small bowl.
In a another bowl, using an Electric Mixer combine butter, sugar until light smooth.
Add Vanilla. Beat in Eggs one at a time. Beat all and add in the Flour mixture.
Mix them all well with the electric mixer.
Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a spoon, scoop out the cookie mix and place on a baking sheet. Don't place too close as they will stick. Bake for about 8-10 minutes until they reach to golden brown.

Take out and cool for 10 minutes.
Serve with milk!

Tandoori Chicken - Traditional India n/Bangladeshi/Pakistani Dish

2009-02-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

Tandoori Chicken
An Indian
Bangladeshi/Pakistani Dish

Tandoori Chicken is known as one of the most commonly cooked broiled/grilled chicken dish in the South Asia. It is tender and so delicious! They are usually eaten with Naan Bread or Basmati rice. I will demonstrate my own recipe for making Tandoori Chicken. I find this to be the easiest, most convenient and off course mouth watering delicious in taste. A traditional chicken tandoori making process is usually 8 hours or so including the marinating. But I am not the kind of person who likes to spend whole day cooking.
My preparation and broiling took about 4 hours. And it still tastes good!

Ingredients - Serving of four chicken legs

Plain Yogurt - 1 and 1/2 cup Tandoori Masala (Can be found in any Indian groceries) - 4 table spoons
Garlic Paste - 1 table spoon Ginger Paste - 2-3 tea spoon
Salt - as you like, I used about 2 tea spoons
Vegetable Oil - 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice (optional) - 2 teaspoons
Slices of cucumber, onion, tomato and lemon, for garnish (Optional)

Instructions:
In a bowl or pan mix the all the ingredients well except the sliced cucumber, tomato, onion and lemon
Once mixed properly without any lumps in the mixture, add the chicken legs and marinate them. Leave the chicken in a bowl with the mixture and cover with a foil paper.
Leave marinated chicken legs in the fridge for about 2 hours to 4 hours. I left it for only 2 hours. But if you like more flavor, leave it in for more hours.
To me, it really is not a big deal. 2 hours works for me just fine.

After the marination place the chicken legs in a baking dish, you can pour the remaining juice from the mixture if you like gravy.

Preheat over at 375 degree fahrenheit. Bake the marinated chicken tandoori for about 1 1/2 hour or to your liking of tenderness.

Serve with salad and Naan!

Isn't that easy!

Chickpea Curry

2009-02-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons of Canola Oil
1 can of Chickpeas
1 medium white onion - chopped
1 tablespoon Garlic paste
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
2 small potatoes - cut in cubes
1 large tomato - chopped in small pieces
Some coriander leaves - chopped
2 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red pepper powder/paprika
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
2 teaspoon cumin powder

I know that's a lot of ingredients. This is Desi South Asian cooking. I can't help it. hehe

Instructions:

*Heat the oil at medium heat on a non-stick saucepan.
*Add the chopped onions in hot oil along with 1 table spoon of salt, the whole garlic and ginger paste paste, cumin powder.
*Saute it altogether in medium heat until onions are lightly browned and the aroma of the ingredients come out.
*Add the cubed Potato, mix together and cover.
*Let potato cook for about 5 minutes or until they're tender to your liking.
*Then add the tomatoes and rest of Salt, Paprika, Garam masala and Turmeric powder. Cover.
*Let the tomato cook and wait until the tomato is thickened like sauce.
*At last, add the can of chickpeas. Stir it altogether, sprinkle the black pepper powder and chopped coriander leaves over the chickpea mix. Cover.

*Let everything cook together for few minutes.

A bowl of hearty pasta

2009-01-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

A Bowl of Hearty Whole Grain Pasta!

A lot of you probably cook your pasta with Pasta Sauce which is either home made or store bought. used tomatoes here as a replacement of the sauce. Because, sometimes I like a little difference.

Whole wheat pasta may not look very appealing from the looks of it before it is cooked, but it tastes just as good as regular pasta. Just try out my simple recipe!

Your heart will definitely love this!

Ingredients:

4 Litres of Water
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
olive oil - 2 1/2 tablespoon
1 tablespoon salt for boiling spaghetti
2 tablespoon salt for cooking
One medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 Garlic cloves, thinly chopped
A bunch of broccoli separated in florets
A bunch of cauliflower separated in florets
Half of a red bell pepper, cut in small pieces
5-10 Green beans, cut in pieces

Instructions:

Bring Water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add pasta to boiling water and stir.
Do not cover, stir occasionally until desired tenderness is reached.

I also steamed the broccoli, green bean and cauliflower over the boiling spaghetti so they remain tender-crisp, just the way I love.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the thinly sliced onions and saute with little bit of salt, add the chopped garlic and saute until it looks brown and caramelized.
Add the sliced tomatoes and the rest of the salt, stir fry for about 5-8 minutes until mixture looks like salsa mix. Then add the red bell pepper slices, stir fry for about 5 more minutes.
Add the broccoli, cauliflower and green beans, stir and make sure all the ingredients are well mixed with each other properly.
Cook for about 5 minutes
Add the pasta, stir it all together. Add the lime juice.
Sprinkle with black pepper.

Ps* You can also sprinkle grated cheese of your preference on top.

A fruitful Sunday

2009-01-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

My Sunday Edibles

-A hot cup of creamy milky tea
in my favorite ceramic mug

Scrambled egg whites
with onions, mushroom and coriander leaves

Frozen strawberry yogurt
(I made from the leftover frozen strawberries.
Same recipe as my smoothie recipe except
more crushed ice and less milk, more yogurt)

Lychees
( I can't believe I found them in the grocery!
They're one of my top favorite exotic fruits)

Chickpea corn salad
sprinkled with flaked Tuna
( This is so refreshing, simple to make and delicious, just blend
them all together right from the can!)

Sweet Canaloupe
dazzled with black salt and red pepper powder

Mixed Lentil Curry
with lots of garlic and ginger.

I also devoured on Mutton Biryani that my husband bought from the Halal Bangladeshi Restaurant. It was the ultimate traditional desi Mutton Biryani to die for. I love it so much that I actually didn't bother photographing it. =D

But here is a LINK for you to stare at!

Have a wonderful Monday everyone.

Start your morning with a glass of yummy Strawberry Banana Smoothie

2009-01-24T17:33:00.001-08:00

Five Reasons why we should LOVE this Smoothie:

1) It is excellent in taste (Who does not love a good glass of tasty smoothie?)
2) You get your dose of your daily Fruit serving in one Glass!
3) It's low in Fat
4) It's a great dessert replacement and diet friendly
5) Full of calcium and protein from the milk, yogurt and banana

Ingredients:

For serving of four people

-Whole milk - 1 cup
-Plain yogurt - 1 cup
-Vanilla flavored essence - 1 teaspoon ( You can use any flavored essence, vanilla was available for me
-Honey - 1/2 cup
-Frozen Strawberries - 1-1/2 cup
-Frozen banana - 1 cup
-Crushed ice - Optional

Instruction:

-Use a Blender or a Food Processor for this.
-First place all the frozen Strawberries in followed by the frozen banana.
-Then Puree these ingredients for 1 minute and add the milk and yogurt
-Blend for 2 minutes
-Add honey and vanilla essence
-Blend everything together until all ingredients are smooth and in a thick consistency
-I added crushed ices in the blender for an extra coolness, but this is not -necessary in the winter. It is best enjoyed in the hot days of summer.

Garnish the drink with sliced strawberries to your liking.

Freezing berries for smoothie making

2009-01-22T10:08:00.001-08:00

My kinda berries
Originally uploaded by Joyful Reverie

I bought two boxes of fresh Strawberries a few days ago to make smoothie. Smoothies are excellent when the fruits you make it with have been frozen and partially thawed. Strawberries that have been frozen and then thawed will not retain their original shape and texture, so they are best used as an ingredient in sauces, preserves, jams, smoothies, or in baked goods.

After buying them fresh from the supermarket, I let the strawberries ripen for last few days on its own so I can freeze them at their sweetest.

Freezing strawberries does not sterilize them, but the cold prevents the growth of microorganisms that are the cause for food spoilage.

Therefore a correct freezing is important for the quality of the strawberries (and all fruits in general). When properly frozen, the strawberries will have most of their taste and nutritional value.

ps* Many like to freeze their strawberries with sugar or syrup. But I like mines dry and without sugar. I want the whole original nutritional value of strawberries in my smoothie =)

Freezing Whole Strawberries Without Sugar

The best suited strawberries to be frozen are berries that are dark red, firm and fully ripe.
Remove stem and caps. Sort, wash and drain the fruit carefully. Do not soak in water, or the strawberry will lose flavor and nutritients. Do not add sugar.

Freeze strawberries individually in a single layer on cookie sheets. After completely frozen (about 24h) place into freezer containers or flexible freezer bags.

********

Strawberries are my absolute favorite. In my pregnancy my doctor advised that I eat a lot of berries, which includes strawberries. Because I needed to follow a eating plan that consisted lots of Fiber. And all berries have very good amount of fiber in them.

Strawberry has so many nutritional facts you can't imagine!

They are are low in fat, low in calorie; high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium.

Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.

For more facts about Strawberries visit http://www.londonstrawberryfestival.com/facts.htm

Yogurt Cake for the health conscious mind

2009-01-15T14:46:00.001-08:00

I have been craving for cakes lately. But, for long enough i resisted it. I did not want to ruin my healthy eating plan. But, today I found a recipe in one of my very old journals. A journal which I used to keep few years back, where I jotted down all the interested recipes I ever could come across.

And guess what! It was a very friendly cake recipe which I thought was okay to have. So, I baked it. And I think I have eaten 2 pieces so far.

I love the light cream cheese taste of it. It totally fulfilled my crave. So thankful I found this ol Journal. =)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain yogurt ( a small can)
1 cup of Splenda (No calorie sugar)
2 eggs
Lemon zest ( very little )
2 cups of plain white flour (All purpose flour)
2 tspn of baking powder
1 cup oil/margarine (melt/soften the margarine beforehand)

Stir in everything together in a mixing bowl. You can use a hand mixer.
Bake in the oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes.
Cake should be ready once the top looks slightly browned as shown in picture.

Enjoy!

My very own recipe of the day: Vegetable shrimp stir fry

2009-01-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is very QUICK, EASY and a DELICIOUS recipe for you hungry people out there.
When we think quick and easy, we don't often think delicious. Do we? But, the trick to making an delicious easy meal is to know the right ingredients and to add them in proper measurements.

ps* This is also a super healthy meal. I've used very little oil and spices. So, this goes perfectly with my nutritional diet.

Ingredients:

* White mushrooms (or any other mushrooms, cut in slices as many as you want. I used about 10 here)
* Half of a Green pepper (cut in medium pieces)
* 1 carrot sliced in thin pieces
* 3-4 Green chillies (chopped)
* 1 tomato (chopped)
* Shrimps (as many you like)
* 1 medium onion (chopped in thin slices)
* Salt (1 tea spoon)
* Black pepper (1 tea spoon)
* White pepper (1 tea spoon)
* Cooking Oil (2 table spoon)

Instruction:

* Heat the oil in pan for about 5 minutes.
* Add the onions and cook for few minutes
* Add the carrots and green pepper and cover the pan for 5 minutes for it to boil
* Then add everything else including the salt, pepper.Stir fry for another 5 - 10 minutes until ingredients look cooked and a bit juicy.

Serve with steamed rice or flat bread.

Creamy Tomato Chicken

2008-12-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

Since so many of you asked, here is the recipe in all..and guys please keep in mind that every one has their own way of cooking so if the color of the food doesn't turn out as yellow as mine that's okay!

Ingredients:

Half kg Chicken cut into bite sizes
2-3 tomatoes - chopped
1 onion - chopped
3-4 whole green chillies
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp salt or as needed
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste

Instruction:

-In a pan pur 3-tbsp ( or as needed) oil and let it heat
-Add chopped ginger and green chili, stirring frequently fry for 2 minutes.
-Add chicken and salt. The combination of ginger and garlic paste. Stirring frequently fry until the meat is well browned
-Add chopped tomatoes, stirring frequently fry the meat mixture for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. Add a little water if necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep frying until the oil begin to separate.
-Add chopped green chili, black pepper.
-Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Garnishing:

Sprinkle with finely chopped coriander leaves
And sprinkle some additional chopped ginger. ( optional )

Fruity Diet

2008-07-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to stick to eating lots of fruits and veggies ever since my doctor told me I should watch my cholesterol....I am almost 23 and since the pregnancy ended I haven't been able to pick up my health as it was before due to stress, depression and so on.....one minute I am motivated to exercise and eat healthy, one minute all I want is to give up and just drift away....yepp....

So I decided I will motivate myself to eat healthy with facts, I now do research on everything i eat and how it benefits me to keep myself going with this diet.

I am not a big fan of grape fruit to be honest, but knowing its' benefits I am very determined to add it to my everyday dose of fruits.

Grape fruit cuts cholesterol like a super sharp knife, I remember when my dad had high cholesterol, all he ate everyday after meal was grape fruit and in no time soon he was free of cholesterol.

Last but not least, off course I had to take shots of it, another way to keep me motivated =)
Here are some captures I tried while cutting the luscious deep red grape fruits yesterday.
Enjoy

****
The grapefruit is a large citrus fruit related to the orange, lemon and pomelo. Grapefruits are categorized as white (blond), pink or ruby. However, this terminology doesn't reflect their skin color, which is either yellow or pinkish-yellow, but rather describes the color of their flesh.

Rich in the Nutritional Powerhouse Vitamin C

Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Vitamin C-rich foods like grapefruit may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms; over 20 scientific studies have suggested that vitamin C is a cold-fighter. Vitamin C also prevents the free radical damage that triggers the inflammatory cascade, and is therefore also associated with reduced severity of inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. As free radicals can oxidize cholesterol and lead to plaques that may rupture causing heart attacks or stroke, vitamin C is beneficial to promoting cardiovascular health. Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrient is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Prevent Kidney Stones

Want to reduce your risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones? Drink grapefruit juice. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that when women drank ½ to 1 liter of grapefruit, apple or orange juice daily, their urinary pH value and citric acid excretion increased, significantly dropping their risk of forming calcium oxalate stones.

Grapefruit Boosts Liver Enzymes that Clear Out Carcinogens

Grapefruit juice significantly increases the production and activity of liver detoxification enzymes responsible for preparing toxic compounds for elimination from the body.

Trying

2008-05-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

I am making attempts to get back to old normal life. Trying to take slow steps, no more big steps in life. As it always does make me fall hard, I am not strong enough yet. I may act like it in front of others, but only the heart knows.

So here are the shots from my baking session from yesterday. Everyone in my family knows I am a craze for baking. Although I am not a pro, I just love getting messy in there and giving it my best. I made these cupcakes for a bunch of kids I adore, kids who come to our house almost everyday, and some were made for a beautiful lady who has been there for me a lot. The day in the hospital when doctors announced the death of my baby, she was there right beside me holding me tight, cried with me, held me in her arms. She is not a relative by blood, yet she has made a special place in my heart.

Ps* I miss you. Can't wait to see you back home tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning my husband returns from a 3 day jamaat (Going out on the path of Allah) Our loss of Hafsa has made us realize the importance of God even more. We have made intention to go in the path of Allah whenever we can to constantly keep our Imaan (belief) high and be close to Allah. Remember, Allah loves us 70 times more than our parents and in times of darkness it is only him whose light shines in our hearts.

:)

Hennaed Hands

2008-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Henna done by myself on my own hands. It' was not easy to do mehndi on my own hand because I couldn't get the full angle up front to create the best lines and curves. Especially with half shaky hands that I had. But I tried my best.

Ps* The Henna paste was also made by me. I made two different recipes to see the differences of the stain. The results are visible in the pictures. Adding coffee with cardamom makes stain really dark and adding tea makes it more reddish. Offcourse I added pure essential oil. Two recipes of mehndi include two different measurements of 'cajuput pure essential oil'.

Both hennaed hands were left overnight and taken off with oil next morning. I messed up some designs in my sleep by the way =(

First Painted Box

2008-04-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

"Your most precious, valued
possessions and your greatest
powers are invisible and intangible.
No one can take them.
You, and you alone, can give them.
You will receive abundance for your giving.
The more you give-the more you will have!"

William Stone

I have finished painting the henna kit box. It did not turn out exactly how I planned it because I got really tired back and achy legs from sitting for so long and my eyes hurt from focusing so closely with the paint brush. My last month of pregnancy has hit me well, I am now almost always left with cramps somewhere. So I just did as much as I could and finished it with simple design to make it complete. Offcourse I plan to do similar projects in the near future to further this new hobby of mine. I used to love painting on canvas, but nowadays I have developed taste in painting almost anything possible!

I am going to use this as my temporary henna box. I ordered a Henna Kit from a website called Henna Caravan few weeks ago. The kit has finally arrived, and I have made my own mehndi and can't wait to start using them on people.

Painted with special effects Acrylic pain and added glitter on top. Used art tape to create the straight lines in between.

Ciao.

Pohela Boishakh-Bangla New year

2008-04-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

It was the Bengali new year on April 14th. I missed being in Bangladesh because this day would have been full of fun with family and friends back home. Here I just played around with my bangles and sari and tried to put mehndi on quickly to complete the look. The mehndi got messed up and lacks creativity as I did it in 5 mins just for this picture. Anyway, i served my purpose. This little game made me feel better than nothing!