Choco Coconut Laddoos

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM




I had 3 bars of dark cooking chocolate sitting on my fridge shelf for long. I always prefer semi-sweet choclates over dark ones. But my sis bought all the three dark chocolates. Twice I made chocolate but distributed them to my neighbouring kids. They just love chocolates whatever they may be and I just don't like the bitter taste of it. Ultimately when you don't like something you often ignore to make it often. And as a result its been months those dark chocolates occupying space in my fridge.

Once while surfing Sanjeev Kapoor's website, I came to this recipe and thought of trying it instantly. Because it had coconut in it and I love coconuts with chocolates. It is very very simple to cook and instantly became my favourite. With coconut in it, it tastes less bitter. Not only the kids but this time I too relished it. I was a bit apprehensive, hence made them smaller in size, otherwise the recipe demands them to be of small ladoo size.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
Choclate grated = 1 cup
Condensed milk = 2-3 tblspn
Walnuts, crushed = 1/4 cup
Desiccated coconut = 2 1/2 cups
Almonds, coarsely ground = 1/2 cup
Pistachios, blanched and peeled = as required

Method:
1. Melt grated chocolate in a microwave on high for 1 minute or melt it by double boiler on  gas.

2. Take two cups of desiccated coconut in a bowl. Add almond powder and walnut powder and mix.

3. Take the melted chocolate and whisk with a spoon till smooth.

4. Add it to the desiccated coconut mixture. Add two tblspn of condensed milk and mix well. If required add one more tblspn of condensed milk and mix.

5. Shape into small laddoos. Roll them in the remaining desiccated coconut and arrange on a plate. Serve.

Alvida Ramzan

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM



The month of ramzan is coming to an end. It seems just yesterday that I posted on the arrival of ramzan. Time passed away too quickly it seems. This last few days of ramzan are a mix of happy and sad feelings. Happy because eid is approching and sad because the month of ramzan is coming to an end. The way we change our habits for the good this month should be applied to all the other months too. Rab never said to be pious only during ramzan, but one should be the same all through the year. The patience, the kindness in the heart, the giving nature..... all this should be there within a person throughout the year.

In my view, one should never expect anything from anyone. Expecting usually leads to disappointment. I feel that one should just do his best for the others without expecting anything in return. thats when you'll receive the pure joy of helping someone. And our efforts sooner or later will surely be paid off by none other than the Almighty himself. No human has the power to give us anything until and unless the Rab wills it for us. Same way, no human has the power to hurt us untill the Rab wills that for us. Well I think now I am getting too philosophical.

So some fun part now. Well, ramzan is the month of fasting for sure, but it also is the month for feasting for some. Hahahah. Everyday, new and different delicacies are prepared, it is shared with neighbours. It is said, sharing your iftaar gives you a lot of sawaab this month. Our family is a foodie family with limits. My dad's kind of iftaar is just dates and eating the food right away. At night after taraweeh prayers he likes to have ganji, fruit juices or simply milk with some fruits. According to him, after whole day of fast our body should get proper food instead of fried snacks which just fills up the stomach without giving much energy and strength. Although I agree to his point of view and like his way of iftaar too, but being a mumbaiite, I crave for some fried snacks during iftaar. Not too much but alongside fruits atleast one fried thing serves the purpose, It gives the feel ki haan roza rakhe thay and ab roza khol rahe hai, hehehehe.

But seriously, this month provides a lot of satisfaction to the soul. (not in foodie terms, ok) ;~B

Why Do We Read Quran?

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM


( This is a story on why we read Quran even when we can't understand a single arabic word. It was an e-mail forward and I really loved this story. Hence thought of posting it here. It really makes us thinking. )

"Why We Read Quran?"

An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Quran do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting the coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time", and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home.

Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get the bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water, I want a basket of water. You are just not trying hard enough", and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!" . "So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket". The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and now was clean, inside and out.

Then the Grandpa said, "Son, that's what happens when you read Quran. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives".

Yesterday....

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM





Everyday holds something or the other for each one of us. And everytime, everything is good. Its just that at some point of time we feel something is going terribly wrong. Like yesterday with me, since morning, was feeling a bit down. My pet was going away. :-( Although I was already knowing this beforehand, still was feeling a lill down. That's life, isn't it? For the one we love, we always want them to be near us. However we know this cannot be possible all the time. My Pet 'Ritika', she is a darling, cute chubby girl. And my team partner. She is a punjabi kudi staying in America. She first came to India when she was 3 1/2 yrs old. Since then we stuck a cord between each other. She left after celebrating her 5th birthday. And now she is all of 7 yrs old and back in India.

However she left for Dalhousie yesterday. That's where she'll complete her schooling now. Dalhousie Hilltop, that's her school. The two weeks which we spent togather were very amazing and fun-filled. Whole day she would be with us, and a few days before leaving she even slept with me at my place. She was just not ready to leave me for a minute. That's innocent love isn't it? Well, I had to be awake with her at night during our story telling sessions. Sometimes innovating a story to suit her demands. Aahh... that staying awake part late at night was a bit difficult, I am not used to stay awake so late at night and she refused to sleep until she was content with the stories I told.

Well, like good times don't last long, bad times too will fly away soon. And Insha allah, by november end or early december i'll have her back with me, playing and doing masti, telling stories and all. That's hope..............Am I right?


Her childhood pics.............





Her Favourite pose...............

My First Crochet Purse

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM



This is my very first crocheted purse. I was not sure whether I could ever crochet a purse all by myself, without my mom's help. But with the help of a pattern book gifted to me by my siblings, I could crochet this beautiful purse. After this purse I crocheted more than a dozen purse, and my craze for crocheting purse only came to halt when my mom complained. My personal preference for purse is simple, sober, formal types. I have hardly used the purse which I have crocheted, some are yet to be used. My mom suggested to crochet those things which I or others may use, instead of just following the craze.

Thats why I think I started on to with baby projects....... However I am again planning to crochet a simple purse for myself, this time hoping to use it.

A closer look.........

Cup Cakes

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM

Ramzan Time. Although we fast whole day during this month, I feel like eating and trying out more and more on the cooking front. I don't know what has happened to me this time, but its like when I am fasting during the day, my mind wonders what to have during and after iftaar. Its food in mind most of the time. :-) Oh my Rab please forgive me. However with the food fetish, I also try to fulfill my religious obligations but some or other way around evening I sometimes really become impatient to open my fast just to try out my preparations. Rab, mera kya hoga!!!

Well, I love cup cakes. And the above one will always be remembered because just after mixing and beating its batter, my beater gave way. I think that's my punishment. However the cupcakes turned out to be sooooooooo very good and delicious. I had put choclate chips over it, they didn't only enhanced its look but tasted goood along with it too.

This recipe is same that of basic cake recipe, only that I have put it in cupcakes mould.

Thoughts

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM

Its a long time since my last post. There was much more gap between my postings back few months, but now that I am posting as regularly as I can, even a small time gap make me feel its so long. However last week was though a lill busy, I enjoyed my weekend. My brothers had come over and we had lots of fun, masti and of course teasing and hitting each other. God knows when we'll grow up. ( I don't wanna ever)...

One of my younger brother was going to Canada for his further studies so they had come to meet us. Ofcourse we dropped him till airport, he was a bit nervous to go. We never stayed so far away from each other, may be thats why. However he had asked me to crochet a few warm clothes for him. But the time I got was very less to start any stuff, and besides my bad luck with wools. (whatever project I start, the wools ditch me and I don't get the same colour again in the market. So have to either shelve my project or just do something to save my skin)

But still I thought to give it a try again this time, (it was during my exams recently and out of enthusiasm I bought dark brown coloured wool, a whole packet of it). Thought to start with some short projects like hand gloves, fingerless hand warmers, shawls, neck warmers etc...... But again this time as I started with a shawl first, from the ravelry, I noticed the wool was not that good. Like I just didn't liked it for the shawl thing. So I frogged that and thought of making hand gloves first. But again I felt the wool to be too thin for a hand glove. By this time I was out of my mood to prepare anything for my brother. So now what to do with the whole packet of the wool. Got back to my favourite baby stuffs. Its with this wool that I've made the baby dress or dhingri, about which I've mentioned previously in my post.

The baby dress has been completed, just wanna have to attach two buttons on it, but not getting the time to go out hunting for good buttons. However I was embarassed when my brother asked about the crocheted warm clothes for him. I just didn't know where to hide that time. "Sorry Bro" Insha Allah I surely will send some soon. Keep waiting ;-)

Beautiful World

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM


I always say life is very beautiful. Life is God's gift and everything made by Him is very beautiful, very serene. And the pics below prove it all. These pics are of kharghar. I had gone for a haircut with my bro. While I was having my haircut, in the mean time my bro clicked these pics.

My Gold Fish

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM



Now that's my favourite Gold Fish. One day I just happened to click its pic and was really very very amazed at the results. The pic came out to be so good that the scales too can be very clearly seen. I usually find it very difficult to click the pics of the fishes because they don't stay still. But this one was like just posing for me............soooooooo cute is'nt it?

Since then I've become addicted, clicking pics of my fish tank like crazy. But after this pic, I could'nt get any other good pics of the other fishes in the tank. Well soon I intend to post a few more pics of my tank and also one video where I caught two fishes kissing each other.. hahaha. Yup!! thats very true, Insha allah, I'll very soon upload them for everyone to see.

Fishes are very innocent creatures and it pleases one's heart to keep watching them playing with each other. They are truly beautiful and innocent...