Monthly Archives: December 2010

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly!

by

5

Try visualizing a decorated pine-tree with presents lying underneath, a fireplace with stockings all over it and a really really old man dressed in red, clanging a big bell and crying out “Ho-ho-ho”. It isn’t too hard to guess that I’m talking about Christmas, the most anticipated and widely celebrated holiday among the Christian community. The big day is just around the corner and even though I don’t celebrate it, I appreciate the values it represents. It’s not just about giving out expensive gifts to your loved ones; it’s about sharing and caring for people who do not have the luxuries some of us have. For those who don’t understand the true spirit of Christmas, it’s just another uneventful day in the calendar.

Having lived outside of Pakistan for quite some time, I have had the chance to witness some really great Christmases. It’s always the same:

  • the adults constantly complaining about being short of cash during the last days of this season and maxing out all their credit cards
  • the children writing their innocent little letters to Santa and praying it won’t be too difficult for the man from the North Pole to give them all what they have requested (ergo, the broke Dad)
  • the malls setting up exciting discounts to clean out all their low-selling items and slightly perking up the prices on their best-sellers

Although I have never really attended a Christmas party, I know that home-cooked food plays a vital role in this celebration. A simple batch of customized sugar cookies is sure to perk up the mood in your household. The Royal icing recipe included in this post is quite simple, stays firm and will let you create elegant, colorful, matt-finish designs on the cookies. So get right into the kitchen with your kids and start baking!

Recipe: Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Ingredients for Cookies

  • 1¾ cup flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ cup (115 gm) unsalted butter [at room temperature]
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract/essence

Method for Cookies

  1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside
  2. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar using an electric beater until light and fluffy (for roughly 3 minutes)
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla essence to the butter mix until combined
  4. Now add the flour mix to the butter mix and beat until you have a smooth dough
  5. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until it is hard enough to roll
  6. Pre-heat oven to 180º C and lightly grease two non-stick baking sheets
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an even thickness of about ¼ inch; keep picking up the rolled dough so that it doesn’t stick on the surface
  8. Cut out the cookies using your favorite shapes and put them on the baking sheet
  9. Put the baking sheets with the cookies in the fridge for about 15 minutes to cool the dough, preventing the cookies to spread out and lose their shape during baking
  10. Bake these for about 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown
  11. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool to room temperature on the baking sheet

Ingredients for Royal Icing

  • 2¾ cups icing/confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 2tsp lemon juice
  • Food colors

Method for Royal Icing

  1. Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined
  2. Sift the sugar to remove lumps and add to the  egg mix
  3. Beat on low setting using an electric beater until nice and smooth
  4. Put in separate bowls and add food colors to them. NOTE: this icing starts hardening very quickly so keep it in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap when not in use
  5. Fill a piping bag with the icing and make your desired designs on the cookies

Burgers with crispy Potato Wedges

by

5

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Mr. Anonymous, the first person to actually think of putting a meat patty and a compendium of assortments (cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions being the most common) between a bun (Genius!). Little did he know that what he had just created, would end up being a global fast-food phenomenon. Beef or Vegetarian, Tofu or Chicken, the options are endless. Here’s a time-tested recipe that will make you forget all about the famous Big burger you get at McRonalds (yes, the spelling mistake is deliberate).Unlike the aforementioned Big burger, this patty has a rich flavor and the tartar sauce gives your sandwich the extra kick.

Ingredients for Patty

  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/2 kg beef, chicken or mutton
  • 3-4 bread (soaked and drained)
  • 3-4 tbsp BBQ sauce
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp mustard sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

Ingredients for Tartar Sauce

  • 2 tbsp pickle relish or pickled cucumber (chopped)
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1/4 tsp mustard sauce
  • salt to taste
  • lemon or vinegar 1 tbsp

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the patty and divide the mix into 2-inch balls
  2. Pat each ball into a circular disc abut 4 inches in diameter
  3. Fry these patties in a pan (you can also choose to grill them) until they are cooked to your desired consistency
  4. Place each patty in a bun and make sure you apply the tartar sauce on both sides
  5. You can additionally garnish it with cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, and BBQ sauce

Yikes! I almost forgot about the crispy wedges. So here’s how you make these:

Ingredients for Wedges

  • 3-4 medium potatoes (parboiled)
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp corn flour
  • 1/4 tsp paprika powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
  • salt to taste

Method

  1. Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch wedges
  2. Mix the rest of the dry ingredients into a powder and sprinkle it evenly over the potatoes, making sure you coat all the sides properly
  3. Deep-fry in oil (you could try baking them but I’m not sure whether it will work or not)
  4. Serve without delay

Hope you like this!

Mocha Java Cake

by

11

Hello Friends!

Chocolate and coffee are two flavors that blend together very nicely. Both are bitter, dark and have a mysterious aura surrounding them. People say not to have too much of both but hey, who are they to talk? At least we aren’t smoking.

Here’s a great Mocha Java recipe that you can make easily. The real beauty of this recipe is that if you are a fan of either Mocha or Java, you can double the quantities in the respective layer and skip the other (although it’s a bit hard picturing someone who hates chocolate).

Ingredients for Sponge Cake

  • 3 Eggs
  • ¼ tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 6 tbsp Castor Sugar
  • 6 tbsp or 3 oz Flour (slightly heaped)
  • 1 tbsp or 3 oz Cocoa Powder (heaped)
  • Coffee Sauce (mix ½ tsp coffee and 1½ tbsp castor sugar in ¼ cup warm water)

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180º C.
  2. Mix eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until peaks form (light and fluffy).
  3. Add in vanilla essence, flour and cocoa powder, and fold using a rubber spatula.
  4. Pour the mixture in a 9″ inch greased Springform pan and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.
  5. Once baked, cut horizontally about ½ to 1 inch from the base; this will form the base of your cake.
  6. Place the base back in the Springform pan.
  7. Pour the coffee sauce evenly on the sponge base.

Ingredients for Java (coffee) Mousse

  • 1 tbsp Instant Coffee (use ½ tbsp more for a stronger taste)
  • 6-7 tbsp Icing Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Gelatin Powder
  • ¼ cup Water
  • 12 oz Whipped Cream (chilled)
  • ⅓ cup Milk

Method

  1. Heat water and dissolve the gelatin till it melts.
  2. Add milk, sugar and coffee to it; keep stirring on a very low flame to form a smooth mixture.
  3. Let this mixture cool at room temperature.
  4. Fold the mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
  5. Pour this on top of the sponge base in the Springfoam pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.
  6. Keep in the freezer for 1 hour

Ingredients for Mocha (Chocolate) Mousse

  • 1 tbsp Instant Coffee (OPTIONAL – add only if you enjoy its flavor)
  • 4 oz Dark chocolate (use less for a milder taste)
  • 8 tbsp Icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp Gelatin Powder
  • ¼ cup Water
  • 12 oz Whipped Cream (chilled)
  • ½ cup Milk

Method

  1. Heat water and dissolve the gelatin till it melts.
  2. Add milk, sugar, coffee and chocolate to it; keep stirring on a very low flame till the chocolate melts, resulting in a smooth mixture.
  3. Let this mixture cool at room temperature.
  4. Fold the mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
  5. Pour this over the Java mousse layer in the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.
  6. Keep in the freezer for 1 hour

Ingredients for Hot Fudge

  • 2 oz Dark or Semi-sweet Chocolate (coarsely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • ½ can Condensed Milk
  • ½ a pinch of Salt
  • 2 to 3 drops Vanilla essence

Method

  1. Put the chocolate and the butter in a glass bowl and heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds
  2. Mix thoroughly and heat in the microwave at 10-second intervals (repeat if required) till it’s nice and smooth – NOTE: chocolate burns very easily so keep it in the microwave for very short intervals, and as soon as you remove from the microwave, mix vigorously with a spoon to stop the heating process
  3. Now add the condensed milk and salt to the mixture and put it in the microwave for 15-second intervals till it’s smooth
  4. Add the vanilla essence and let it cool
  5. Pour on top of the cake and put it in the freezer for another ½ hour before serving

NOTE: The fudge recipe presented at the end is really tempting and can be used as a topping for ice creams and other desserts.

Punishment for Breaking Ties in Islam

by

189

When I look around me, I see people breaking-off ties with their close relatives as if nothing matters, siblings not talking to each other for days, weeks, even months at a stretch. I am a mortal and have done the same on more than one occasion. Thankfully for us, Islam comes to the rescue and explains the importance of family ties and brotherhood.

Just thought I’d search for some references from the Qur’an and Sunnah to help everyone understand the importance of family and how breaking ties will effect us in this world and the here-after.

The following is a collection of interpretation of verses from the Holy Qur’an:

“The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers.” (49:10)

“… and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of ) the wombs (kinship)…” (4:1)

“And those who break the Covenant of Allah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allah has commanded to be joined (i.e., they sever the bond of kinship and are not good to their relatives), and work mischief in the land, on them is the curse (i.e., they will be far away from Allah’s Mercy); And for them is the unhappy (evil) home (i.e., Hell).” (13:25)

“Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land, and sever your ties of kinship? Such are they whom Allah has cursed, so that He has made them deaf and blinded their sight.” (47:22-23)

A lot of ahadith explain the importance of family and the implications of severing ties with your relatives:

Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Do not desert (stop talking to) one another, do not nurse hatred towards one another, do not be jealous of one another, and become as fellow brothers and slaves of Allah. It is not lawful for a Muslim to stop talking to his brother (Muslim) for more than three days.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “People’s deeds are presented before Allah on Mondays and Thursdays, and then every slave (of Allah) is granted forgiveness (of minor sins) if he does not associate anything with Allah in worship. But the person in whose heart there is rancour against his brother, will not be pardoned. With regard to them, it is said twice: `Hold these two until they are reconciled’.” [Muslim]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “It is not lawful for a Muslim to forsake his (Muslim) brother beyond three days; and whosoever does so for more than three days, and then dies, will certainly enter the Hell.” [Abu Dawud]

Abu Khirash Hadrad bin Abu Hadrad Al-Aslami (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying, “Whosoever forsakes his brother for a year is like one who sheds his blood.” (Abu Dawud)

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who maintains a relationship with his relatives only because they maintain a relationship with him is not truly upholding the ties of kinship. The one who truly upholds those ties is the one who does so even if they break off the relationship.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5645).

“There is no sin more deserving of having punishment meted out by Allah to its perpetrator in advance in this world, along with what He has for him in the next world, than oppression and severing family ties.” (Tirmizi)

“Does not enter Paradise he who breaks up his family ties”. (Bukhari)

This is an eye-opening compilation and should serve as a basis of all our present and future relationships. If you think you know someone who is in the middle of a personal/family feud, please forward this to them and ask them to fix their ties for Allah’s sake.

Thank you and remember me in your prayers.