My Ramadan Table -Day 20

My Ramadan Table -Day 19

I am sorry my table looks less appetizing than the norm.Last days of Ramadan are quite hectic especially when one has to drive around with heavy traffic and lawless attitude to a point that I found myself going through a red light due to the driver behind me bumping me to move on . If I were to report it he'd blame me for going backwards and having bumped him . God / Allah give me patience !

Menu :

Freshly made cream of Mushroom Soup

Burick -my son's nuevo creation ( spicy chicken ,cheese,mushrooms,)

Tajeene Ijben (Tunisian)

Arabic Salad

Foul Imdemes(Egypt)

Humus

Sahten

My Ramadan Table-Day 18

Menu :

Lentil Soup

Arabic Salad

Humos

Beef Stroganoff over egg noodles (Russian)

Burick(Turkish) Spinach and Cheese

Blankeet  (Tunisian)

Sahten !

These I made the same day !Imseyer (from left to right) Italian Pesto and Slata Meeshweeya (Tunisian)Tunisian hot grilled salad..

My Ramadan Table -Day 17

Menu:

Veggie Soup of the day 

Arabic Salad

 Hums 

 Burick (Turkish)Spinach and Cheese 

Potato Salad (USA)

Steak a la Casa desert Rose (with onion sauce) 

 Sahten !

My Ramadan Table-Day 16

Menu :

Libyan Sharba

Burick(Tunisian) with egg ,tunafish and capers.

Garlic Bread

Rice and green peas with ginger sauce

Kawirma(Turkish) Lamb

Arabic Salad

Homemade ricotta and labneh

Sahten !

My Ramadan Table -Day 15

Menu:

Libyan Sharba

Spaghetti alle Vongole( Italian)Spaghetti with mussells and fresh tomato sauce

Burick ( Turkish )veggies  and chicken

Cotoletta alla Milanese( Italian) Escalope( French)

Pommes Frites( French)French Fries(USA)Chips( UK)

Arabic Salad

SAHTEN !

  Daughters came past my bedtime and woke me up to blow my candle !
As is obvious in the pic above it  was so hot even with the AC on! The cake the girls made was melting ( ice-cream cake -also my recipe ;-))))

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me !

Yes , its my birthday today !

Im so happy I am alive and kicking  !Thank you all my dear birthday wishers -I have accepted only those who made their wishes public heheheheheehe .

My Ramadan Table-Day 14

Menu :

Libyan Sharba

Burick  Turkish (veggies of choice only )

Arabic Salad

Foul Imdemes (Egypt) (leftover)

Tajeene Bata with Lamb ( leftover  )

Yahni Bamia (Okra )


Pizza ( Italian ) 




 Sahten !




Hints for a nice Ramadan Table Menu ;


The basics  of choice are  :soup ,burick ,1 or 2 salads,a yahni and maybe rice pilaf.The buslas (onion sauces and used as toppings) for couscusy ,pasta ,rishtet keskas,or rice can be used for larger families but always use a much lesser quantity than the norm, to avoid the excess of food.
 In adition to imbakbaka which can sometimes replace the sharba(soup)to lovers of pasta !

The Libyan Dates above( Bela7) before the ripe are also sweet -depending on the palm.These were brought to me by my neighbour bless his heart.

My Ramadan Table-Day 13

 Menu :

Libyan Sharba(Idshisha not pasta )

Foul Imdemes(Egyptian)

Arabic Slata

Chicken Burick(Turkish )

Tajeene Batata with Lamb ( potatoes with lamb and sauce all mixed together and baked)

Risotto a la Milanese (Italian)( Rice with cheese and mushroom and saffron)

Sahten...

My Ramadan Table-Day 12

Menu :

 Libyan Sharba

 Burick (Tunisian)Egg + tunafish +capers

Rishtet Keskas(  freezon from 1st day of Ramadan )

Foul Imdemes(Egypt) with tomatoes recipe is from my Egyptian friend

Arabic Salad

Greek Feta Salad

 Fried fish (leftover)

Sahten !

My Ramadan Table-Day 11

Menu:

Libyan Sharba

Spinach and Cheese Buricks

Fried Fsh Fillets and Fries

 Fricasee'(Tunisian ) Fried dough then stuffed with tunafish ,egg slices ,olives and harissa

Pasta Salad a la Desert Rose!

Arabic Salad

Chicken Shawerma (Middle East)

Lettuce Leaves

Sahten !

My Ramadan Table-Day 9 and 10

Im so sorry for not posting yesterday which was mostly due to power failure(force major)-sigh. As the 1st September ceremony approaches this will tend to happen quite frequently in our area....

Our city becomes one of lights a kind of Las Vegas style of attractions with a Xmas twist hence we have to pay the consequences for the continuous power failure which is the norm...Anyway enough rants lets get down to my menu for day 9 !


Menu:Day 9

 Lentil Soup( Middle East)

Rice Pilaf

Yahni Biselia with lamb(Turkish)(Green pea casserole)

Humus ( Middle East )

Arabic salad

Cheese Buricks

Greeen Salad

Tabahaj (Libyan -Tripolitanian)fried veggies then fresh hot(green peppers)tomato sauce is then simmered in..

The sweets below are from family members who visited me on Thursday night .
My diblah is obvious,my teenager made creme caramel cake(top left)date filled sweets  and a chocolate ice cream cake was brought by relatives....

.

Yesterday I had to take Mama shopping and that alone is a struggle as its a hard for her to move with ease ...so I got home late and as I was rushing in found my son and teenager in control of the menu .though they did use my leftovers from the previous day ,still I was pleased,and thanked God/Allah I had taught them to cook !

Menu Day 10:
Lentil Soup- from previous day  ( Libyan Sharba got burnt )

 Kufta ( a bit dark nearly burnt nevertheless tasty)

Arabic Salad

Pizza (Italian)

 Small panini  from same pizzza dough (filled with tunafish and harissa and capers)

Tabajaj (Libyan) from day before

 Spinach and cheese buricks(Turkish )

Yahni Biselia(also from previous day ) 

Sahten !

All in all its the thought and the gathering during Ramadan that counts and not what is consumed....



 Salam

My Ramadan Table -Day 8

 Menu :
Lentil Soup(Middle East)

Lasagna (Italian)

Burick(Tunisian -with capers,egg and tunafish )

Burick (potatoes and cheese)

Insalta di riso (Italian) rice salad

Arabic Salad

 Makdous   (Middle East) pickled eggplant stuffed with almonds and hot sauce


Sahten

* All recipes will be made available after Ramadan InshaAllah.....

My Ramadan Table -Day 7

Diblah( from left) Ashesha,( these both made for the mosque)

home made backlawa,(made night of Ramadan)Tunisain backlawa (fresh from Tunis)at back and Caak Imasel ,Date horns( made by daughters)

Nothing interesting on my table today-sorry -most are leftovers-yes we consume them even in Ramadan for I believe food should never go to waste. I had to make sweets for the mosque as we take turns in our neighborhood...

Menu :

Libyan Sharba( leftover)

Burick with egg, tunafish and capers(Tunisian)

Arabic Salad

Homs tahina dip ( Middle East)

Rice Pilaf

Yahni Bamia( Turkish)(Okra casserole)(leftover)

Yahni Fasulia(Turkish)( bean casserole with lamb)(leftover)

Sahten !

And NOW you need either Alkaselzer or what we use in Libya ENO with different flavours to look at this pic and hope it doesnt hurt your digestive system!

I left this pic to last as we can well note that most of the trash is unconsumed food-sigh .People die of starvation in this world while we just trow it away. I took this photo ,which is on the beach road in Hai Alandulus -supposedly a posh suburb of Tripoli-sigh !

My Ramadan Table -Day 6

Yesterday, I had my daughters and their hubbies over for Iftar as guests as my kitchen belongs to me NOW ! YESSSSSSSSSSS !

Menu :

Libyan Sharba

Rice Pilaf

Yahni Fasulia( Turkish )

Osban (Libyan Haggis)

Dolmet Sileck( Stuffed Swiss Chard)( Turkish )

Arabic Salad

Insalta di Riso(Rice Salad)(Italian)

Slata Meshweeya(Tunisan Grilled Salad)

Sahten !

My Ramadan Table -Day 5

Menu:

Crema di Funghi(Italian) Mushroom Soup

Insalata di riso( Italian) Rice Salad

Arabic Salad

Foul Imdemes (Egypt)

Small pita bread tunafish sandwiches

Onion rings(USA)

Burick(Turkish) Spinach and cheese

Escalope(French ) Cotoletta ala Milanese (Italian) Breaded Chicken Breasts

Tabahej Turki(Turkish) eggplant side dish

Feta Cheese Salad (Greek )

For better view . Click on images to zoom in..

I love fruit for dessert !



Homemade Turkish Coffee (from Anglo's Mum ,bless her heart ) and sweets


Sahten!

My Ramadan Table -Day 3 and 4

Ramadan Day 3

Menu :

Libyan Fish Sharba

Burick( Keema)

Slatet Fasulia (Bean Salad)

Slata Arbia ( Arabic Salad)

Lettuce

Kifta (Libyan Meatballs)

Canelloni(Italian) with 3 cheese bechamel sauce stuffed with spinach and leftover chicken breasts from day before)

Baba Ghanouj



If you notice I do a little of everything and believe when we say that there is always the BARACKA while cooking the IFTAR .

SAHTEN !






Ramadan Day 4


Menu :

Libyan Sharba wist Idsheesha ( similar to large granule of wheatgerm but barley is used intead of the sharba(pasta)

Burick Esbanack( Spinach and cheese filled puff pastries )

Left over imbatin and kefta( from yesterday)

Tabahej Turki (Turkish )(eggplant,tomato and hot green chili peppers)side dish
Dolmet Malfuf( Stuffed Cabbage)

Slatet Fasulia(Mediterranean) Bean Salad)

Foul Imdemes

Slata Arbia(Arabic Salad)

Slatet Blankeet (Tunisian)French bread sliced dunk in hot harissa sauce and garnished with Slata meesweeya,alittle tiny bit of tuna ,sliced cheese olive and parsley.

My Ramadan Table

After the meal fruit( grapes are from my garden )



Ramadan 2nd day




Table setting before (one of my daughters got me this )






The above are some of the spices that I use in my versatile,multicultural recipes .
This is the link for usage of the common spices.

I would like to share with you,my table for the 30 days of Ramadan...


Simplicity is the name of the game!I try to organise myself so that nothing goes to waste. When food isn't eaten I simply use my magic wand and re-create another dish with it the following day-making it even taste better !
My first day of the holy month of Ramadan I made rishtet keskas in abundance to give away to friends and family...

Ramadan Day 1:
Libyan Sharba(lamb)
Rishtet Keskas,
Green Salad(Lettuce)
Arabic Salad ,
Burick (with Keemma-ground meat)
Foul Imdemes
Baba Ghanouj

*Had a problem with my camera -so sorry no pics of the 1st day !
and I will not use copyright restriction or my name on my pics you may use them as needed

Ramadan Day 2 :
Libyan Sharba (lamb)
Burick (Keema)
Green Salad
Arabic Salad
Baba Ghanouj
Foul Imdemes
Rice Pilaf
Chicken Breasts (a la king )
Fruit
Turkish Coffee (from Anglo's Mum Bless her )
Backlawa(homemade- we make it the night of Ramadan ,lasts all month)

Ramadan Rantings Libyan Style !

Ramadan Libyan Style!

Ramadan is supposedly the month of forgiveness, good deeds, prayers, soul searching, reciting our beloved Koran ,feeling the hunger of the poor when fasting…
But in Libya, it is a completely different story! It saddens me that when I see crowds of people who shop for an enormous amount of food which will then go to waste due to fasting thus cooking more than required.,Household items are bought; from carpets to kitchenware, ovens, refrigerators.

It is all a show of copy cat functions at its best. Neighbors, family, relatives distance ones and near, all speak the same lingua that of an imaginary checklist in which the more checked items the more experienced and respectful a person will be judged and valued.
This is a Libyan DNA issue. It’s in our people’s blood and it gets worse come Ramadan every year.

The fasting month should also be one to feel the need of the hungry and upon breaking the fast consume little food so as to concentrate the prayers not feeling bloated with a look of being 7 months pregnant. This is the case for the average Libyan woman or man in general.

Food is the main topic of the day. All that is shared is the food. Neighbors share. Food is placed at nearly all mosques for the poor and needy to have great food to enjoy, here again also goes to waste due to lack of organisation.

I went shopping and told a friend who said I was “brave”,in doing so,this the latter was what I experienced and interested me, that of something I’d never seen before due to the fact of having no idea where all these people had derived from. Most were Libyans obviously. So I’d chat some up just out of curiosity where they were from as their faces were by no chance familiar. Sure enough I was correct. They came from the outskirts of Tripoli – from as far as Zuara.

So the first part of Ramadan’s mainly focus is the food, new recipes are experienced from the famous “Fatafeet Chanel “being the latest craze in town! Even at the Taraweeh Prayers recipes are exchanged between a prayer and another. At times the imam would have to shout out to the women to plainly be “be quiet”.

Every time I’d want to go to the mosque for the prayers to find myself starting to never go back again the cause being :the recipes and chit chat being whispered from woman to woman. This upsets me causing me to lose concentration thus alternation my focus on what is being gossiped or criticized!

Many young ladies go the mosques during the holy month of Ramadan to be seen and asked for. The mother isn’t approached, only the daughter is; if she fits the groom’s future wife which is usually white and tall, to which I find sickening as the bride is looked upon as a fridge!

Such mentalities need to be changed for us to become more organized and literate of what is expectations we are to have not only as Muslims but as decent open minded humans who value life and what is given us for appreciation to take place.

The last days of Ramadan are spent with the buying (yes, buying again) of the “Eid” clothes. Now we switch to the “shopping of clothes revolt”. A revolt it is if you could see what families go through to get the right outfit for all members of their family.The screaming kids with their no end tantrums who should be in bed as its way past their bedtimes! Libyans just love crowds and starring (fanassing).The more crowded the better .
Pushing ,pulling and grabbing everything in sight..

True enjoyment is derived from having spent so much time for specific good/foods in question.
When my kids were young I’d always organize myself so I’d not need to buy any clothes in Ramadan as I’d have made due with buying 3 – 6 months prior to the holy month.

Creativity what is that? There’s just no place for it for we are copy cats of one another – nothing more, nothing less.

With this last note I end and please dear reader ,do not take my post personally for I am a true Libyan who criticizes positively for better awareness of this crazy attitude of ours.

May Allah help us through this holy month of Ramadan in being safe as well the latter due to the fasting and late nights thus minimum sleep leading to accidents which quite often at times are fatal....
………
When one fasts one becomes alive and laziness decreases .An alertness to all that surrounds is also noticed, even the sense of smell is awakened as aromas are triggered from a distance though we may be smokers or caffeine addicts.
Fasting is by no means to blame for the fatal accidents that occur during the holy month of Ramadan. But late nights, lack of sleep and an over indulgence of food are the sole reasons which trigger the many deaths which occur during this holy month. From the last research done into death caused by car accidents Libya came second in the world, first was Saudi Arabia!

Again I wish all Muslims in the world a safe, happy, and healthy Ramadan filled with great blessings in hope that our prayers be answered.

Itching , scratching allergy?? ,duh ???

I have developed an itch on my limbs and have been scratching on and off at times till I can no longer and I bruise myself and think my gorgeous arms will o longer be a pice to look at . Realizing that I stop only to commence as the itch starts to get to me again.

This has been going on for several weeks now.. Some told me it’s a “3ein “( devil’s/bad eye )due to marrying of three daughters in less than two years . It sounds as if it’s a mission accomplished and Im now labeled a successful lady !Anyways to get back to my itch which is a weird thing to share ,but I want to in case somebody is suffering from the same symptoms ..

The first question asked from relatives and friends is : “have you seen the doctors??”to which my reply is;”seen them?I practically live with them”! . I’ve been to numerous doctors on the advice of the newest in town who as is said here in Tripoli: “just came back from Germany , England, USA etc.this means the fresher and newer ones (doctors) are the best unlike our experienced docs who just continue to do things as they did when first they graduated doing what little they can due to having lost credibility in the Medical System.

At first my so called rash was diagnosed as being a virus ! hmm from where I’d ask ( I think all doctors in the Tripoli area will soon black list me if not done so already for the too many questions I ask. It is my right to ask and for them to answer, I will not stop asking . I love to be informed ,so before my visits I do my research to have my questions ready and shoot .

Until now I have used antibiotics, creams, gels, disinfecting germ killing body shampoos which made feel sicker still as I felt like a moving hospital. The scent and taste of the medication was also coming up to my throat and a burning sensation leaving me feeling as if Id eating a lot of greasy fried food.Take Alka Seltzer ( West ) or the similar local version ENO.Could I stop the medication ?

No, doctors orders were to complete the course! Humbug ! Ahh I forgot to mention with the medication loosing its effect the irritation and need for scratching would start over and wherever Id be questioned asking what my problem was while they too scratched obviously what goes around comes around as they say hehehehehehe!
Gosh I must be contagious ! packing up my suitcase and headed to Tunis for yet another diagnosis – will be back soon if not pass this on hehehehehe

I am blessed to have such a great sense of humour which inherited from my deceased father.Wonder when I’ll join him? hmmm