The Votes are In!

So it seems that people actually DO read my blog!

Thanks so much to all of you who voted. The votes show that most people who come to my site come to read my blog weekly, at least. This really makes me happy! I never thought when I started this blog that I would have any views over 500, but since August I have had over 1,500 views! WOW..... It so great to know that I am inspiring, helping, and entertaining at least!

I am still really new to this whole blogging thing and I cant expect to be near as good as alot of the people under my Inspirational Blogs list. I do know that with YOUR viewing of this blog and all of your precious daily comments and sharing your lives and kitchens with me you are motivating me to continue, because, I feel like I have made some really good "Internet" friends here that have really influenced my perception of "Internet" friendships. I could easily jump on a plane and go to each one of them for a visit without thinking twice! That's how genuine, warm and friendly some of the people Ive met here are!

Thanks again, to EVERYONE who reads my blog for making it what it is, because without YOU Sultana's Palate wouldn't exist!

FeeBi Cat and Fly conversation this morning....

Sorry people, i know this is not food related except for the fact that this happened in the kitchen....BUT, I had to share this beyond ADORABLE (mashAllah) video of my Feebi Cat talking to a Fly!

Sick AGAIN...

So Sorry to all of my family and friends who read this blog daily for updates only to find that theres nothing new....Im sick again and cant do anything right! I couldnt even find the "S" for "sick" in my soup I slurped this morning to sooth my fire crusted throat, so I had to use a "5"...

Anyway, right now Im just grateful for one working nostril...

BamBu! Dinner and Coffee

A lively Farewell Dinner was held for some special people in my life at a restaurant called BamBu! We had the 95 dhs buffet that the Chef chose for us. We were presented with MANY different appetizers including fish cakes, spring rolls, lettuce filled with peppers, shrimp toast, and fried seaweed(which tasted oddly familiar, even though Ive never had it!). These dishes were brought out one by one to the table and the waiter announced their names and the spice levels in them. Then came the Main courses!

There was Chili Beef, Sweet and Sour Beef, Sweet Chili Prawns, and Steamed Veggies in Sauce as well as rice and noodles. Then came the chicken portion of the main course, and this is where i found my unused taste buds! The Sweet Lemon Chicken was DELICIOUS. I will have to find the recipe for this dish! As the saying goes "It knocked my socks off"...hee hee...

Overall the food was good, but not fantastic at all. It had won the Best Chinese Restaurant of 2006 by Time Out magazine. But i couldn't see this distinction shine tonight sadly. Anywho, We all had a great time,and the food was enjoyable and the small talk even more amusing!

The views that I could see from the restaurant were terribly romantic to say the least. Well for me anyway...

There was a marina with boats dipping up and down in the water while their lights played hide and seek between the lines of boats, the giant towers of the 5 star hotel across from us was lit up beautifully and glowing down on the water below, there was soft piano music playing in the back ground and this and the gentle lapping of water was all you heard fading far away...The pool bar was nestled in a corner, and all these little lights were glowing around it, and the water fall that fell onto it and down to the pool like a liquid gold door was beautiful. I don't drink, BUT, I could imagine myself sitting there sipping an exotic fruit cocktail in the VERY "forgiving on the features" soft light and gazing across at my love! Aaaahhhh, Im a bit cheesy! yes indeedy!

Singapore SteamBoat

So Today my mother gave me this SteamBoat from Singapore...My father had brought my mother to a restaurant a many years ago where they had used this contraption to cook a small feast of meats and veggies, and she fell in love with it...He then went to Singapore on a business trip and hand carried this machine back with him...

My mother NEVER used it....Poor dad!

ha ha ha ha ha...

So today as we were cleaning she came across it still wrapped and gave it to me as a gift, and now I am the proud and inquisitive owner of this weird steamer...

Ive found many recipes you can make with this machine online, but if anyone reading this has "the recipe" I would be beyond grateful! I would like to have a dinner party surrounding this machine, and I'm on the look out for some stunningly delicious recipes...I just love the little gold net scoopers' that you use to steam your meats and veggies in the steamboat, they are so small and pretty!

Random Stuff

Tang Orange Popsicles I made today...
Ancient Dishes from before I was born! Walmart at its finest I think...
I love these dishes for some reason...I requested my mother to give them to me because I couldnt bear to see them thrown away...
My father surprised me and gave me his prized possesion, his favorite knife... He uses this knife for everything...

Random Stuff...

The best smelling "fake" roses :)

Popsicle Maker I discovered while shopping and had to have it! I'm thinking Applemints(her link is in my links list) Yogurt Pops for these!

Love the name of this stuff..."Apple Spritzer Table Water"

The word "Spritzer" makes me think I should spray it on my face,lol...we will see what it tastes like later!

Random Kitty Images

Shakespeare in his "Masafi House"...Engineering at its best..lol.
Shakespeare sleeping...mashallah....
The King sleeping on his Royal pillow... Hee hee, my cats are a bit spolied...

No Food Today!

WHAT! Can it really be!

Well, the answer is yes and no...



Yes its true, no food cooked by me or posted today.



but,



No, its not true, becasue I did actually eat (duh!) and it was DELICIOUS(mashallah).



I was invited for Iftar at a friends home, and we had the most delicious harees,chicken biriyani, samboosa and fruit juice, owwww, and never to forget, EVER, the kataif pastries we had...

Oh my, Oh my, I think I ate about 5000 calories today! Let me tell you....It was WELL worth it honey!



Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dear new friend for the amazing Ftoor and for being such a perfect hostess!.....

1) The Holy Month of Ramadan unites all Muslims in fasting, feasting, worship and prayer. It is a time for contemplation, spirituality and brotherhood. It is also known and recognised as the month of the Qur'an, Allah (SW) says:

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).” (Al-Baqarah 2:185)

2) The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying:

"Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night.

Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time.

It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased.

Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all."

[Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

3)

"Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving then times its like, up to seven hundred times.

Allah the Most High said,

'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.' for the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk."

[al-Bukhaaree]

Narrated Abû Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him):

The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said, Whoever does not give up telling lies (false statements) and acting on those lies, and evil actions etc., Allâh is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allâh will not accept his Saum (fasting)).

(Al Bukhari)

4) Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Take Suhoor (small meal before dawn); for in the Suhoor there is a blessing. (Muslim)

This Ramadan seems to have started with "Ramadan perfumed air". I don't know how else to describe it really. My emotions are calm this year, and I am yearning to "Do More" so to speak. I think every year we plan to "Do More". To learn more, pray more, read Quran more,worship Allah more.

For some people they achive this goal and they gain alot of soul soothing reward in it. For others, the yearning fades and they go about their nights watching the Ramadan series shows one after another and shoving samboosas by the mouthful, totally ignoring Taraweeh, and barely waking for Fajr.

We have all at one time or another fell into similar situations with more or less actions, promising out of guilt, that next Ramadan, we will do 100% more than what we did last year. This happens to be me. I feel the urge this year to really dive into spiritual devotions. Ive planned to pray more, learn more, read Quran more. I wish we had more lectures where I live in English, so I could gain alot more from them and so could alot of my friends. I wish I had the courage to go to the masjid in my area and see if any sisters worship there and join them in Taraweeh. I wish I was part of such a family that they all gathered together for Iftar and Suhoor andbroke thier fasts and ate together disuccing various religious facts and debates. Most of all I wish my family was 100% Muslim.I pray that one day Inshallah it will happen. one day...

May Allah give us all guidance to fulfill our promises to ourselves to be better Muslims for ourselves and those aorund us in the Blessed Month! Ameen.

For those of you sitting watching the latest series shows on TV, "GET UP! Take that samboosa out of your mouth, make wudu and go to Taraweeh!"

Seek out to find more Inner Strength and Iman in yourself, find ways to fulfill your soul spiritually by prayer and reading Quran,shock yourself into action, convince your inner self to be a better Muslim, do it now while you have the chance, you never know if you will be alive next Ramadan!

When your facing that dirt wall of your dark cold grave, all alone, hearing the other dead around you, some tortured and living in their own hell, others in their own little heavenly paradise within the grave, you will not have the chance to do anymore good deeds, no more prayers, not one single thing, you will be wishing you had done those things to gain reward and forgiveness from Allah when you were alive.

Seek forgiveness in this Blessed Month, Allah is most forgiving and merciful to his slaves!

May Allah accept our fasts in the Holy Month,

May Allah guide the non Muslims to light and truth in Islam and the Straight Path,

May Allah forgive all the believing men and women and guide us to The Straight Path.

Ameen.

Shangri-La Abu Dhabi

For all of you who live in Abu Dhabi theres a new hotel in Town!

The Shangri-La has opened its doors. It is located in the between bridges area near Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It has a Spa and wellness center, beautifully decorated restaurants serving Vietnamese,French,Arabic, and Chinese. To see more details click on the link below.

http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/abudhabi/shangrila

Daily Food Buzz

Today I went to the newly opened Lulu Hypermarket in Al Wahda Mall. It opened for business this morning at 11:00 am. It is 2 floors. The first is really only a fabric and dress shop for Indian,Arabic,and Pakistani dresses and fabrics. It's the 2nd floor that i was DAZZLED by...

This floor has almost everything you can think of when it comes to food. They have many dairy products from USA, like for example a WHOLE ROW for different kinds of cookies to bake,croissants,biscuits, and french bread in the dairy section....This is something VERY hard to find outside of Spinneys.. now its not...

They also have ready to cook marinated chicken and meats, and I found a full lamb roast, rolled and ready for cooking for 60 dhs, and it was huge. The fish was reasonably priced as well, the hammour was around 22-24 dhs per kilo, and it was very fresh.They also had a dried fish and shrimp section. Don't get me started on the fresh fruit and Veg section. It had EVERYTHING. Most importantly, it was all very fresh.

I became mesmerized in the spice section. I love using exotic spices and mixes. I love to try new things. This, therefore, led to me being a dumbstruck idiot in front of the section for Indian and Pakistani spice mixes... I settled for two kinds in the end, as i was not prepared money wise for what my eyes feasted on..That diversion took me 10 minutes, the world zoned out in that time, all i saw was this shelf full of colorful boxes promising mouth watering dishes.

The Hot Prepared Food stations were nothing short of amazing. They had Filipino,Indian,Pakistani,Arabic,Chinese,Italian cuisine as prepared hot dishes of all sorts, and, at reasonable prices. I can easily see that this area of the store could quite possibly win competition against the food court area upstairs in the mall itself(if they keep up the good quality of food and selection).

You can get a full roasted chicken for 5 dhs only, and it came with a complimentary Pepsi, ha ha...They also had a live pasta cooking area, which i divulged in. I ordered Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta. To be honest, all the other foods I ordered were delicious, but this pasta needed some major spice loading when I got home and ate it. It was just "bland", and needed spicing up! I found some good quality tortillas, a pack is 5 dhs. It is VERY rare to find tortillas for that price. I bought some and made myself a treat. Tortilla and Nutella wraps...Yumm...

The staff were more than helpful,everyone had a smile and a good morning ready on their tongues. The center itself was the model of clean,except for a small OJ spill in the juice section which was cleaned up minutes later.Considering this was the grand opening i do hope this level of service doesn't change as the store becomes settled. We will see!

Anyway, im not going to babble any longer.

In Short,

If you want good value and excellent selection of foodstuffs, go to LuLu Hypermarket in Al Wahda Mall.

Enjoy the photos!

Dinner and Random Thoughts

This beautiful stitching belong to my grandmothers talented hands, she died, and was never able to finish ALOT of them. I, somehow, quite shockingly, have inherited her talent for needle work and crafts so, I've decided to finish them.

Today i have learned some life lessons i think....Maybe its things i already knew but never saw in action until today...

1)Kids will pee anywhere without embarrassment, especially on car wheels

2) Being nice to people doesn't mean you will get the same respect back, you could wear the soles of their shoe afterwards

3)I can be a good listener even if its something about my personal life that's not true

4)Street cats must never be pet, only because they might get used to being touched by humans, and all it takes is one cruel bastard to come along and give it the touch of death

5)10 extra dirhams can make a gentleman out of a taxi driver

6)Smiles don't cost a thing, but weigh heavy in the balance of good deeds

7)I can actually stay awake and be busy from 8 am to 1 am without a rest

8)I will never look as hot as the mannequin does in THE dress, no matter how much i wish it

9)Quiet husband=loud wife...there is always one to balance the others opposite

ex: The Chinese woman today yelling loud at the co-op guy who holds your bags while you shop and in the same second turning around and telling her British husband in the softest loud voice possible"Seh Dow Dah-nay"...Translates: Sit down Donny.....(it was adorable!)

and last, a question.....

Why the heck don't cats eyes cry or get even a little irritated when they smell a cut onion, but humans cry and go blind in the first slice??????

Anyway, tonight's meal was my FAVE...Enjoy the pics!

Chicken Marag with Raggag (Fa reed)

De-jaj murrag / saloona ~ Chicken Stew

Serves 6-8

In most homes throughout the UAE, murraq is made daily and is usually served with steamed rice or ra-gagg. It is also a popular side dish accompanying fish or any main course. During Ramadan it is served with bread only and tha-reed. Vegetables and spices can be adjusted according to personal taste. This is a traditional dish, eaten with the right hand or, in modern homes, with a spoon.

*(...) is what i use extra in blue...

1 chicken cut into 8 pieces

2 onions finely chopped(3-4)

1/2 cup corn oil

2 cloves garlic crushed(1 tbs blended)

1 1/2 teaspoons bezar

salt to taste

2 fresh tomatoes chopped(4)

2 potatoes cut into chunks(3)

1 carrot finely chopped(5)

1 bunch chopped coriander

6-8 cups water

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon(1 tsp)

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom(1 tsp)

2 whole loomi (3 whole)

1 tablespoon tomato paste(1 carton)

2 tablespoons loomi( i don't use this)

(2 Maggi cubes chicken)

(5 koosa or small zucchini)

Put oil into a large pot, heat and add chicken, onion, bezar and salt. Brown chicken, turning frequently, then add spices, garlic and both loomi. Fry five minutes on a gentle heat then add all remaining ingredients except coriander, water and salt to taste. Boil slowly until chicken and vegetables are soft and tender. Sprinkle coriander over and serve immediately with white rice and salad.

MY WAY:

Same as above BUT, i add all the ingredients in parentheses, and when i put the water i add Maggi cubes. In the end, I put it in a bowl and add Raggag Bread(thin crispy bread) soak it through and add salt to taste. Then serve.....

From the book "The Complete United Arab Emirates Cookbook"by Celia Ann Brock- Al Ansari Copyright © 1994 by Celia Ann Brock-Al Ansari

Little Things make the difference

Today i went shopping with my mother, we were having a great time,talking,shopping,laughing at ourselves when we thought about the hours of "shopping" we had done without actually buying anything and my mothers habit of trying on alllll the most ridiculous sunglasses at the counter and laughing "big belly" laughs at each other...we were having a great time....So this last stop we made was a clothing store, we picked our items and continued to the cash register to pay.





A woman comes up and stands so close to my mother she knocked her purse off her shoulders, she doesn't say sorry, and she continues to stand there. My mother looks at me rolls her eyes as in "here we go again with the ignorant people" and moves over a little away from the lady. Then while my mother is paying for her items i watch as this woman slowly starts to look my mother up and down, then she turns and does the same to me, i look at her and smile a little,she doesnt smile back, she then goes back to staring non-stop straight at my mother,up and down, up and down like a photocopy machine.





I look at her again, she turns, looks at me, then continues staring at my mother, this moment my mother drops her purse and money to the ground, albeit because of that woman's eye(evil eye) and i say to her"Is there something wrong with my mothers face that you have to stare at her like this?"





She then looks me up and down and cracks a half smile, she does a little "humfh" laugh and stares at me....(As in"I don't care what you think, because i find you small and insignificant "...) I tell her that what she has done is rude, and i pay for my items and leave with my mother...





Now, this scenario happens almost every time i am out with my mom shopping...Whats wrong with these women that they think they can treat people like that? They think they are better than everyone else. What i really wanted to say OUT LOUD in front of her after she did that was "God please make me better than her in the heart, make my heart bright and happy, not envious and black, spare me and my family from the evil eyes of others like her, and give these women more compassion and mercy for others"....





What is important about this story is that, that woman was a Muslim woman, as well as i, but my mother is christian....This Muslim woman had no compassion, no light in her heart, and no utterance of Mashallah on her tongue when she looked at us...She gave a HORRIBLE impression to me and most importantly my mother(who i have had constant battles with to defend that Muslim woman are nice and compassionate) Ive found that women like this woman are many now a days, we Muslims judge each other SO harsh!





We have no mercy for others any more, well at least not like before some 10 years or so...Its VERY hard to find a Muslim woman who does not intentionally pass judgement on another Muslim woman when she walks by her,whether it be because of the height of her heels or lack of, the color of her hijab, or the style of abaya she wears...Yes, modesty and faith are intertwined and whats found in the heart will also be found on the body, i agree with this, but sometimes there are women who are showing they are good from the outside like that women by her way of dressing, but they have a black disease within their hearts...


People in general regardless of their religion are becoming selfish and cruel ...


Im at a loss for finding goodness in this world...





A Note to my Muslims Sisters:

Smile at your sisters in Islam, show them that you share their love for Allah and his blessings. A Smile to your sister in Islam or ANY woman for that matter is charity. Give non-Muslim woman the chance to speak to you, to ask about who you are as a Muslim, you never know, they might be guided by Allah and have you to thank as their mentor or the person who they will always remember as the one who gave them the good impression of Islam and Muslim woman with a beautiful smile...


Ibn Abbas(radiyallahu 'anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah(sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallm) related from his Lord (subhanah wa ta'ala):

"Verily Allah has recorded the good deeds and the evil deeds."

Then he clarified that: "Whosoever intends to do a good deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Himself as a complete good deed; but if he intends it and does it, Allah records it with Himself as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times, or more than that. But if he intends to do an evil deed and does not do it, Allah records it with Himself as a complete good deed; but if he intends it and does it, Allah records it down as one single evil deed."



[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]


Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

“There is no person who does not have the obligation of (doing) charity every day that the sun rises.”

Whereupon he was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, from where would we get something to give in charity (so often)?”

To which he (peace and blessings be upon him) replied,

“Indeed the gates to goodness are many: glorifying God, praising Him, magnifying Him, saying ‘There is no god but Allah,’ enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong, removing (any source of) harm from the road, making the deaf hear (and understand), guiding the blind, showing the seeker his need, striving as far as your two legs could carry you and with deep concern to give succor to him who asks, carrying with the strength of your arms (the burdens of) the weak. All these are (acts of) charity.”





And he added, “And your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, your removing of stones, thorns, and bones from people’s paths is charity, and your guiding a man gone astray in the world is charity for you.”

Anyhow! On a lighter note, My Kitty gave me a face that melted away all the anger and dissappointment i had, and i captured it to share WITH YOU of course!

I also like the way the butterfly hanging thingie was catching light in the guest bedroom so i snapped that too...

Enjoy!

Birthday Cake and Pistachio Ice Cream

Today was my Birthday.....Yaaaay, I'm 26 today.....Al Hamdulelah!

While my fathers busy jet setting around South East Asia, My mother and I had a Feast of chocolate....It was called Black out Cake... and now i know why! Oh my! It was Hershey's and it had ice cream layers and thick chocolate layers, it had to be kept in the freezer till ready to eat...When i got home from my chocolate bonanza i decided to celebrate with a bit more fattening sweets....Pistachio Ice Cream...This has to be my alllll time favorite Ice Cream...i like it with Fresh Sweetened Dragon Fruit..Yummy! Here are some of My gifts in pics as well. I recieved some beautiful dresses and cash from my mother and father, and some fresh and intensly sweet magnolia bath perfumes and soothing mimosa perfume oil from L'Occtiane (http://www.loccitane.com/Default.aspx?c=1&l=1&a=134&s=29) courtesy of my lovley sister :)

Here below is a recipe from Epicurious for Pistachio Ice Cream i had to share so others can taste what i have an addiction for......Please Enjoy!

This recipe originally accompanied Warm Chocolate Soufflés with Pistachio Ice Cream.

serving size
Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

ingredients

1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)

1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 large egg yolks
1 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, toasted, coarsely chopped

preparation

Finely grind 1 cup pistachios and 1/4 cup sugar in processor. Bring milk and ground pistachio mixture to boil in heavy large saucepan. Remove from heat. Mix in almond extract.
Whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return custard to saucepan. Cook over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes (do not boil). Strain into large bowl. Chill until cold, about 2 hours.
Stir 1 cup whipping cream and chopped pistachios into custard. Process mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to container and freeze. (Ice cream can be prepared 3 days ahead.)

Bon Appétit, January 1999

Brasserie Perrier, Philadelphia PA

R.S.V.P.

Preparing Eid Dresses!

What kind of soul are you?

This is very me.. It was really fun to try out all the different quizzes...and they are very accurate!

You Are a Visionary Soul

You are a curious person, always in a state of awareness. Connected to all things spiritual, you are very connected to your soul. You are wise and bright: able to reason and be reasonable. Occasionally, you get quite depressed and have dark feelings. You have great vision and can be very insightful. In fact, you are often profound in a way that surprises yourself. Visionary souls like you can be the best type of friend. You are intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, and a good healer. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Random Seconds Snapped