I got busy with a project recently… making Mus-haf covers!

Unfortunately, I was well into finishing these before I thought of taking step-by-step pictures. Now that I think of it, I’m glad I didn’t because I am a novice at stitching, especially if it’s something I had to figure out how to make! It’s not fun to embarrass one’s self   I had some quilting scraps I had bought a long, long time ago thinking I’d have the girls practice some of their stitching on them.  I decided to surprise them one day by making these covers using this cloth.  I love Pakistani lace!  You can’t find any of that here and I had requested a relative to get me a huge bag full of different kinds of lace.  That was 8 years ago, believe it or not, and I still have so much left.  The lace gave the covers such a nice touch and sealed the edges well.  I wanted the covers to have a padding, so I added cotton padding underneath.  The trouble is if I washed the covers, the padding would get all scrunched up inside so I had to stitch on top, creating a quilted design to keep things in place.  And then lastly, I ironed on the designs you see in the corners from different cutouts I had and never used.  I like being able to use what you have on hand to create something nice rather than spending time planning out materials and going out to buy them!

LadyBug also got busy recently… she knit this scarf for herself originally. I think either she made it too short by mistake or she ran out of yarn because it wasn’t long enough for her. She gave it to Missy

I was so impressed—I thought LadyBug had forgotten how to knit since she had only learned it over a short period and hadn’t had much practice. I hope she learns how to do socks…I need socks!

Crafting like this is really great for children.  Knitting, for example, is used a lot in Waldorf schools because of its enormous benefits on development of fine motor skills as well as alternate uses of the right and left brain.  I read somewhere also that the repetitive strokes of crafts like these benefit the brain in many ways:

…it teaches them to follow patterns (in through the front door, once around the back, out through the window, and off jumps jack). It also develops their fine motor skills, which will be put to the test in the coming years. Knitting also teaches math. It gives kids a concrete visualization of what addition and multiplication do. Plus, they learn a great deal about problem solving and logic. Could you use a refresher course?

Knitting has been scientifically shown to increase right and left brain interaction. Because it requires two hands to knit, both sides of the brain are stimulated. Many people pay a lot for therapy that does the same thing. There’s a technique called EMDR (eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing) that many therapists use to help people get through times of stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also be used to overcome traumatic experiences. The process works like this (in my best non-psychologist understanding) – you are directed to think about the problem you want to clear up while you are externally stimulated by tapping, a light, or some other stimuli that alternates from your left to your right. This effectively gets both sides of your brain processing the same information, and allows you to let go of the emotional attachments that are causing you problems. Now you can just knit your way through it. Spend some time knitting and thinking about what’s bothering you. You can find a good solution!

Knitting is often prescribed as a way to calm down and relax. It has been shown to initiate a “relaxation response” in many people. This can lower blood pressure, improve heart conditions, and even resolve insomnia. Of course, there’s no guarantee, and knitting too much can lead to arthritis, painful joints, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Knitting can help you become more patient. Knitting takes time – it probably takes more time than you think it will. When you choose to knit something, you are making a choice to spend that time doing something that you want to do rather than just buying it from someone else. Halfway through, it sometimes seems like you made a bad choice, but you will be proud of your work and more patient as a result. You’ll learn to work through frustration and not react to situations in anger (since that makes the knots in your yarn even tighter). You’ll develop a measured response to situations that will serve you well in every aspect of your life.

-Lisa Akers, fiber arts instructor and owner of be still & knit

Ma sha Allah, we have been experiencing some unusually warm weather lately for this time of the year.  It made me both happy and sad at the same time.  I was sad because after a scorching hot summer, I wanted to enjoy what winter weather would bring to the desert.  But happy too because it was great for our garden, alHamdulillah… we saw a lot of growth in the past few weeks.  I would say that everything has been growing well with the exception of maybe 4 vegetables which have yet to make their appearances.  Being a novice gardener, you didn’t expect me to follow directions did you?   I get so excited about planting things that I almost expect that everything that is planted should grow no matter what season it is   The Cucumber, Okra, Squash, and Bell Pepper have not begun to grow and that is expected at this time of the year.  I’m hoping as Spring rolls along, we can see some progress…

Here is what our garden looks like today:

Parsley and Cilantro… finally, I can tell them apart!

Beets… I literally just emptied the entire packet of seeds.  That probably was a crazy thing to do, but I get too excited about something I know very little about and then take the plunge!

Chives…

My lettuce! My beloved Lettuce!  This was after a second planting and I’m so happy it is growing so well alHamdulillah!

Spinach is looking like Spinach finally!

And carrots…

alHamdulillah, I’m really happy with how it’s going… city-boy Mr. K was impressed too, considering he’s not much of a gardening kinda guy and doesn’t think that things can be grown so easily

And that reminds me—in Arabic, you never say that you have grown such and such because it is only Allah which makes things grow.  You can only say that you sowed such and such.

And have you seen that [seed] which you sow?

أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُثُونَ

Is it you who makes it grow, or are We the grower?

أَأَنتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ

If We willed, We could make it [dry] debris, and you would remain in wonder,

لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَجَعَلْنَاهُ حُطَامًا فَظَلْتُمْ تَفَكَّهُونَ

[Saying], “Indeed, we are [now] in debt;

إِنَّا لَمُغْرَمُونَ

Rather, we have been deprived.”

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

And have you seen the water that you drink?

أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ الْمَاءَ الَّذِي تَشْرَبُونَ

Is it you who brought it down from the clouds, or is it We who bring it down?

أَأَنتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنزِلُونَ

If We willed, We could make it bitter, so why are you not grateful?

لَوْ نَشَاءُ جَعَلْنَاهُ أُجَاجًا فَلَوْلَا تَشْكُرُونَ

And have you seen the fire that you ignite?

أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ النَّارَ الَّتِي تُورُونَ

Is it you who produced its tree, or are We the producer?

أَأَنتُمْ أَنشَأْتُمْ شَجَرَتَهَا أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنشِئُونَ

We have made it a reminder and provision for the travelers,

نَحْنُ جَعَلْنَاهَا تَذْكِرَةً وَمَتَاعًا لِّلْمُقْوِينَ

So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.

فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ

Surat al-Waaqi’ah, verses 63-74

This is a very, very special treat in our house.  What’s great about it is that it’s a great way to get some butter into your children!  And it’s also guiltless—this is a nutrient-dense version of fudge, healthy and delicious.  This is proof that healthy food doesn’t have to be tasteless!

You start with 1lb. of butter…  Really try to invest in getting good quality butter for this recipe.  How do you know it’s good quality?  If it has a bright yellow color.

Next, add 1 cup of peanut butter…  If you can make it yourself, it’s even better!

1 cup of Carob powder comes next.  This is the alternative to cocoa powder.  It is full of B vitamins and no caffeine!  I never hold back when I give this to my kids.

Add 1tsp. of sea salt…

2tsp. of vanilla extract…

1tbsp. of chocolate extract…

and 1 1/2 cups of raw honey…

Mix everything together well.  You could give your muscles a workout and just mix it manually, but… I’m lazy.

Ooo la la….

Spread it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Try your best to spread it and smooth it out…

You could top it with sliced almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans… so purty…

Then just stick it in the freezer for a few hours until it hardens, and you’ll want to STORE it in your freezer.

After a few hours, cut it into some nice squares…

And then get ready to do some finger-lickin’

This was a recipe I had been waiting to try for a very long time. The kids had been after me very single day asking me to make cereal. They LOVE cereal, and since this was something we had stopped buying from the store, it was one of those “urgent” foods I had to replace some how.

You start off by doing a bit of soaking.

Soaking 6 cups of rolled oats in 6 cups of filtered water and 12 tbsp. of kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or whey overnight.  I used milk kefir here…

You’ll want to soak a couple of different kinds of nuts as well in a salt solution.  Here, I have 4 cups of sliced almonds and 4 cups of pumpkin seeds, both soaking in filtered water and 2 tbsp. of salt over night.

Wash and drain all your soaked items…

Once you’ve drained and washed the oatmeal, add 2 cups of shredded, unsweetened coconut.

And 2 cups of raisins and 2 tsp. of sea salt…

And 1 cup of coconut flour.  You could also use 1 cup of any other flour also.

Give it a good mix…

In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup of Rapadura sugar…

1/2 cup of raw honey…

And then 1 cup of coconut oil… mix it up

Add it to the oatmeal mixture as well as your soaked nuts now…

Mix it all together and spread on baking trays…

Stick them in a 170 degree oven for as long as it takes to completely dry and become crispy…

After many long hours, we finally got this:

And made ourselves a bowl…

Ma sha Allah, EVERYONE thought this was the best cereal they had ever tasted!  Even Mr. K went whacko over it!  And that’s saying a lot

1.  There is no doubt that while our knowledge of medicine has expanded, so has the occurrence of disease.  With the advancement and spread of medical care, there is also a drastic decline in the quality of life.  You really have to wonder why this is so because it really is ironic.

The #1 reason I decided to change the way my family and I eat was cancer rates.  There has to be a connection between the modern lifestyle and the number of people getting cancer in their lives.  It has to be the food, the chemicals, the toxic air which is make us sick!

It is not just the occurrence of disease but also how disease is treated.  When you go to the hospital, you may receive treatment for your symptoms or be cured of your disease, but it will be at the cost of quality of life. It’s almost as if going to the hospital and receiving treatment from modern doctors specializing in modern medicine is itself a death sentence!

We need to return to the natural ways of life.  We need to stop messing with the earth, the environment, our bodies, and stop to see the connections we are destroying.  One of those connections is the way we eat.

If you fill a car’s gas tank with apple juice, we know it’s not going to work.  Similarly, if we feed our bodies the wrong foods, our bodies are going to react in one way or another.

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا

It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. [al-Baqarah, 29]

Allah has created all that we need to live, to gain what we need in order to be successful in the Hereafter.  It is futile to think that we are missing something and therefore need to search for something more.  We are harming ourselves by seeking out imperfections in Allah’s creation.  These imperfections do NOT exist.  They most certainly don’t exist in our bodies either!

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ

We have certainly created man in the best of stature; [al-Teen, 4]

We’ve been getting to know Little Man’s language lately.  It’s hilarious to hear him talk these days.  He’s a code waiting to be cracked!  I thought I’d list a sort of “glossary” of Little Man’s terms.

as-Salaamu ‘Alaykum: Akaka!

Pen/Pencil: Chuchup

Socks: Totup

Rice: Mum Mum (evolved from “yum! yum!”)

Yuck: Chi Chi!

Qur’an: Alala (now it has become “Qu Aaan”)

Qamar (moon): QwabQwab (Now it has become “Qamar”)

Sleep: Num

Oatmeal: Nono

Phone: Ko

Book: Ko

Car: Caaa

Bathroom: Hama (from “hammaam” in Arabic)

Khamsah (five): Khu shaa

Ayat al-Kursi: Aya kushi

There!:  Gee!!

Over There!:  Aa Gee!!

Tae Kwan Do: Ka Ka Do

Dates: Dayyy

Cheese: Chee

Milk: Doo Doo (and which Desi kid doesn’t say this, right?)

Cry: Kwi Kwi (from “yabkee” in Arabic)

Beautiful: Ju Jwee (from “jameel” in Arabic)

Allahu Akbar: Akka

Aunt: Phupup (from “phupphoo” which is Urdu for paternal aunt)

Ithnaan (“two” in Arabic): I-hnaan

Soup: Shoo

Blanket: Ki Ki

Cold: Coo

Diaper-change Request:  Ishi Ishi (wash!)

What he calls himself: Mimi

See!: Shee!!

Wait!!: Wayyy!!!

Soap: Baaboon (from “saboon” in Arabic/Urdu)

Pants: Bobobu (from “bantalon” in Arabic)

Shoes:  Uffu

Airplane: LRarara (he “rolls” his “r” like the Urdu “lray”–you just HAVE to hear it)

Helicopter: Tuwaafa (from “tawwaafah” in Arabic)

Truck: Nanana (from “shaHinah” in Arabic)

Jacket: GaKa

Ball:  Ba

Brush: Fishaa (from “firshaat” in Arabic)

To be continued…

Ma sha Allah, it has been raining here non-stop for nearly two days!  Unfortunately, our backyard doesn’t have very good drainage, so there was a lot of flooding.  Couldn’t really go out much, and who would want to?  It was cold and wet all day, perfect for enjoying the warmth of home sweet home.

I couldn’t resist going out just a while ago, however.  Every time it rains, it’s guaranteed that your vegetable garden is going to have a few surprises!  Today was such a day…

My herbs are making quite a show!  The sprouts are just bursting out of one pot so strongly that the soil itself has risen!

And a little surprise in Little Man’s flower pot!  I couldn’t believe it!  I suppose there really was a seed that managed to escape the tumble the rest took into my pot.

And now all three have something growing…

The lettuce has been growing like CRAZY…

As is the spinach—it’s growing so beautifully, ma sha Allah!

And the carrot plants are starting to look like… carrot plants!

The beets are growing well ma sha Allah; it’s exciting to see the deep red color!

And the swiss chard, growing slowly, but growing nevertheless, alHamdulillah.

And the peas, oh the peas, I am speechless…  Will have to either raise the net or remove it soon!

Can’t remember what these are, but they are doing well!

A great rule of thumb I learned from a sister here was that if it’s a flowering plant, they will not do so well in colder temperatures, may even go dormant in the frost.  For a novice gardener like myself, I always had trouble trying to remember what will or will not do well in the different seasons, so this was a good way of remembering.  Having said that, I’m guessing my tomatoes and cucumbers will not do so well in the coming months.  The tomatoes are growing, but…

We will have to see how they do in the coming months.

This recipe ranks right up there with pancakes in our family–yes, it’s THAT good!  Like pancakes, it also is a special treat whenever I make it for breakfast.  Once again, I never have leftovers of this dish, which is good because when you eat it fresh out of the oven, it is simply irresistible!

Start by soaking 1 cup of rolled oats in 1 cup of water and 2tbsp. of whey. Leave it on your counter overnight.

In the morning, you should have this…

Add 1 tsp. of baking powder…

and 3/4tsp. of cinnamon.  Give it a good stir and set it aside.

In a large measuring cup (doesn’t have to be a measuring cup, although it’s just more convenient), add 1/2 cup of maple syrup.

Add 1 egg…

and 1tsp. of vanilla extract…

and 1 full cup of heavy cream… Yes, you read right, CREAM   My cream looks a little lumpy here, but that’s because it has been thawed, as it had frozen at the back of my refrigerator.   Give this a good stir, also.

Next, peel and core a couple of apples.  I have my handy-dandy apple peeler and corer which I cannot live without.  I love old-fashioned gadgets!!  I hemorrhage at Williams & Sonoma *faints*…

Little Man composts

Cut in half to make some apple slices…

Get yourself a baking dish, all buttered up…

Line the bottom with your apple slices…

I had to be really quick because… Little Man was on a mission!

Grab your oatmeal mixture you set aside a while ago, spread it on of the apples…

Pour the egg-maple syrup-cream mixture on top…  Excuse the lumps!  This will set a bit after it’s baking.

Don’t worry if some apples float to the top.  Sprinkle the top with sliced almonds, or ground up works fine too.  You could also use pecans and/or walnuts for this also.

Don’t that look puuuuuuuuuurrrrty?!

Cover and place in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

After 40 minutes…

You get a creamy, bubbly dish of goodness!

You could really use any kind of fruit for this dish.  I’ve lined it with sliced bananas instead of apple, and sprinkled blueberries on top.  It’s great to have a basic recipe and have the flexibility to change it as you please and still have it come out wonderful.  Enjoy!

We woke up this morning to a rainy, cloudy, but beautiful morning.  It was just the kind of day to make tea and pakoras, Razzy!    But…

We made Kefir Smoothies instead   Strawberry Pineapple, to be exact, with huge dollops of whipped cream.  Yum!!

While I didn’t make tea and pakoras, I did try making something I’ve never tried before:  Spaghetti.

Spaghetti?  You mean, I’ve never made spaghetti for my children before?  Yes, I have, but this Spaghetti is a little unconventional.  For those of you who can’t kick the pasta habit, this is a great alternative, and alHamdulillah it was well-received!  My kids loved it and actually said they couldn’t tell the difference between this and conventional spaghetti pasta!

You start out with spaghetti squash…

Prick it a few times so that it doesn’t explode in your oven while it bakes for a while…

Stick the squash in a pan, lined with aluminum foil (makes clean up easier!)…

Then stick it in the oven at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

When it’s done, take it out and let it cool for a bit until it’s easy to touch…

Cut the squash in half…

Remove the seeds and some of the pulp in the middle… I actually think I may have over-baked mine, but oh well.

Use a fork to slow loosen the pulp; now I know why they call it Spaghetti Squash!

Here’s what it looks like after you’re done…

Add some salt, pepper, and a little olive oil…

Now comes the time to make the sauce.  This was the first time I made spaghetti sauce from scratch (gasp!).  I didn’t know how I’d do, but alHamdulillah, it turned out delicious.  Speaking of sauce, though, this was an interesting talk!

This may gross out some of you, but you start with 1/2lb. of chicken livers.  Cook them in some butter until firm…

Grind them up…

Add it to your ground beef.  This ground beef was leftover filling for some samosas I made yesterday.  You’ll want to take about a pound of ground beef, cook it until there’s no pink left, season it as you like, and then mix it with the cooked chicken livers.

To this mixture, you’ll want to add 2 chopped onions…

3 chopped tomatoes… (I ran out of red tomatoes and had to settle for a green one!)

You could add chopped bell pepper or mushrooms.  I had no bell peppers today.

Add 1 jar of tomato paste…

And 1 tsp. each of oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage.

Add 1 cup of beef broth.   I didn’t have beef broth so I used chicken broth instead.

Give it a good stir on your stove top…

Cover and cook for 1/2 an hour.  Don’t forget to season with sea salt and pepper, also.

Once it’s done, time to plate it… and enjoy!

Sauce Source:  Nourishing Traditions

1.  Something occurred to me the other day.  I realized that all the “sweets” that are allowed on the GAPS Diet like honey, ripe fruit, and dates, are the only sweets, that are mentioned in the Sunnah!  That’s mui interesante!

2.  My dear Razzy, we synced here!  Woke up for Fajr this morning and a marvelous, picture-perfect lunar eclipse!  We asked the local Imam here about performing Salat al-Khusuf after Salatul-Fajr, and he advised not to.  It’s amazing the Iman-boost you get from witnessing such amazing spectacles in Allah’s creation.  While we become absorbed in our respective lives, life goes on in the universe.  It brings a sort of calm and tranquility like no other, when you think about everything just moves along as planned, all under the control and care of Allah.  I tried to take a picture of it (and I can just hear the roaring laughter now!), but do you honestly think with my camera equipment, that is possible…?   I think I will start a new trend:  horrible photos!  I shall embarrass myself by posting anyway.  After doing a few recipes lately, I cannot seem to imagine a post without photos, no matter how ghastly!

The eclipse had just begun…

…nearing completion, until it disappeared behind this house…

This took care of today’s Science lesson.

3.  This post made me sooooo nostalgic the other day!  Although I keep a tight control over fried foods in our home, the photos made us want to fly over to PK immediately!  Honestly, I don’t often enjoy blogging about my life here in the US—I see it as distant and out of touch.  There’s something about simple, everyday life, that you don’t see here.  But when you see pictures from “back home”, you get a glimpse of “life”.  Jazakillaahu Khayran Razzy for these posts… it makes the heart grow fonder!

4.  I plan to spend the day today getting my laundry done (finally), go to a arts festival at the local Islamic school and try to keep my kids away from all the junk food, and then watch the Iowa Republican Debate and watch fools make fools out of themselves.

5.  I have some garden updates!  I had to replant my lettuce because it was looking so pathetic and I thought I’d give it a try anyway even though we’re past sowing season.

The spinach shown below has been growing nicely, alHamdulillah!  Palak Paneer, here I come!

And the carrots are coming along also.  Gajar ka Halva anyone?

My herbs are finally making an appearance!  I’m actually not sure what I planted here, lol—I know I planted chives, parsley and cilantro.  In this first photo, I think the cluster of sprouts on the right are really from my son’s flower pot—the one he decided to dump into mine!  We’ll have to wait and see

And the peas are growing so beautifully, ma sha Allah!

And beans!

There were a number of other things too, but they are still quite small and the gardener came by last weekend, and blew a whole bunch of dead leaves and things all over the place!  Makes my garden look all trashy, but oh well.  The tomatoes were looking nice until they got surrounded by all sorts of rubbish.  I figure it’ll be good for the soil anyway.

My squash, cucumber and beet plants have not made much of a show… I’ll give it a few weeks (make dua’a!)

And you can imagine the girls’ squeals of excitement when they saw this

6.  Went to our local Masjid last night… it’s a beautiful Masjid… you wouldn’t imagine it’s actually here in the US!  This is going to be our Friday hang-out from now on, in sha Allah.  The girls made some new friends (finally!), which is good alHamdulillah.  The community needed some Qur’an classes for the sisters and Halaqahs for the young boys.  They had some networking issues as well.  It was nice to jump in and lend a helping hand.  I’m hoping this will be a good thing for the children also in sha Allah.

7.  And last but not least, Razzy has created a revolution in our home by enticing us with such beautiful crafts and embroidery projects.  We have caught the bug and took the plunge!

We have been trying our luck with Sashiko designs.  When I saw this for the first time, I thought, “This has to be the best way to start the kids off!”  The designs are so simple and yet they are so beautiful, and so many different designs can be made with just this one stitch, ma sha Allah.  This website has a great list of different embroidery stitches which I thought the girls would love to try.  I was thinking about focusing on one stitch at a time, and a nice project to go with each.

So many exciting things!