Ramadhan 2014

RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 09

Hi Jemples and welcome again this is just a quick Ramadhan update because I promised you guys that I would continue my diary as of today, so here I am! I'm not going to promise much in this post, actually I'm not even gonna be sharing much with you except for my experience today. Because I've got something quite exciting lined up for you all one of my first makeup reviews of quite a high end product (probably the first of many!) which I'm going to post under my make-up tab so do keep on checking that out. It's absolutely perfect for Eid either for yourself or as a gift for someone else and hopefully I'll be doing some tutorials with it soon! So back to today's short post, I'm actually fasting after a few days so I guess it was only natural that I was going to find it a lot harder because I was out of the routine. For Sehri I had a chapatti and a banana and for Iftaar the night before I had a kebab sandwich with oven chips. I was feeling pretty full after Sehri but as soon as I woke up my stomach was rumbling (and still is!) soo much I actually haven't even been this hungry since the start of Ramadhan. I guess it didn't help that one of my neighbours decided to chop down their trees at 9 o'clock in the morning with a blooming chainsaw!! Argghhh!!! So even though I tried to go back to sleep I couldn't and that's why my heads really hurting now! But today has been a pretty exciting day because it's my sisters 20th birthday!!! Wohoooo!! Not that you can do much in Ramadhan but we're still pretty excited and trying to party. Because where there's cake there's always a party!!! But Jemples no party for you because I'm afraid that's the end of this post I'm pretty busy today and I didn't really want to upload my make-up review today because it's quite late and the lighting is terrible so I can't get any good pictures! But it hopefully will be up tomorrow so stay tuned for the URBAN DECAY NAKED 3 REVIEW!!! (I know sooo exciting right! I still can't believe it's in front of me!) Bye bye until tomorrow Jemples!

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RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 08

Hi Jemples and of course welcome back yet again to another post, another Ramadhan diary. Now I know it hasn't really been much of a Ramadhan diary for the past couple of days because I haven't been able to share my experiences (I'm on my non-fasting days if you get the hint) but hopefully that all will change tomorrow and I'll be able to share a lot more with you guys from tomorrow Insha'Allah. I'm also hoping to upload a recipe tomorrow if all goes to plan because it's been quite a while since I've done one. I'm just going to put this out there if you've got any requests whatsoever that come under any topic, for example eid makeup, styling etc do let me know. I will be doing a few eye makeup tutorials and hijab tutorials (if I can figure out how to do them without showing my face) if all goes to plan so if you've got any colours or requests then do let me know either by commenting anywhere or by emailing me at jemimas-world@hotmail.com. Oki dokes now that that's over and done with let me drive back around the roundabout and get off at the turning that is today's post.  Today's post has to be one of the most fun posts I've done because not only is the world enjoying it at the moment I am too!! So what the hell am I talking about well I'm talking about LOOM BANDS!!

 

I've gotta admit when I first heard and saw this craze I was just like that's so overrated I mean what's the fun in that. It also made me take a trip down memory lane (which cost a lot of time!!) and remember the craze a few years ago Scoobies! For those of you who were probably hibernating during those years and are probably still hibernating now scoobies were long strands of like plastic bands which you could tie and make designs out of I for one made loads I was soo obsessed!! Whereas loom bands are just like rubber bands their not long strands but are actual bands which again you can make quite a lot of designs out of too I'm again obsessed!! (I've really gotta start getting obsessed about things that have a bit more meaning and purpose in my life!) So in today's post I'm going to share with you some of the creations me and my sister have come up with (when I say some I actually mean quite a lot!) I'm just going to share some pictures with you guys and what their called and if I have enough requests I might upload a tutorial on the design that was the most requested! So get those requests coming in!!

 

SIMPLE CHAIN

 

 

 

 

 

STEPS

 

FISHTAIL


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEX-FISH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LINK CHAIN

 

DRAGON SCALE
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LADDER

 

STARBURST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Jemples that's the end of this post and the end of all my loom creations but don't worry I'll be making more. So what was the purpose of this post it was to open you up to your creative side and spend any extra time you may have during the day productively. These look absolutely amazing on the wrist (you can make bracelets, rings, necklaces etc.) and suit everyone. The possibilities are endless and a fun fact is that the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) was seen wearing one recently so see even royalties wearing them! If you do want any tutorials then please let me know and if you do decide to make any or have made any then do share them with me I'd love to see!! Bye bye until next time Jemples!!

 

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 RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 07

Heyoooo Jemples and welcome back OMG I still can't believe that we're at day 07 of Ramadhan that's a whole (official) working week!! Alhamdulillah I hope Ramadhan is going good for you and that you're one step closer to achieving the goals that you set out to achieve during this blessed month. Now for this post I've been to my laptop at least 5 times to try to type up the post so that the posts are uploaded a lot earlier than normal. But seriously I couldn't think of anything to write I feel like with the theme of Ramadhan I'm completely saturated! I can't think of any thing else that I haven't mentioned that link to Ramadhan. So I decided to ask around and then someone suggested (she's probably grinning whilst reading this) that I think a bit outside of the box. So I stepped out of my box and thought quite hard actually about how to link my everyday stuff that I post on this blog to Ramadhan. I actually didn't think of how to link everything to Ramadhan but I thought about how to link this specific topic which is......... SKINCARE! This I've gotta admit has been requested by a lot of people even before I started this blog, especially those who see me on a day to day basis. A lot of people ask about the products I use on my skin because according to them it's really clear (I don't think it's that clear but Alhamdulillah it's a lot clearer then before). So that's why I thought that it would be useful if I uploaded my everyday skin care routine. Now this kinda links to Ramadhan because I feel that when you do some of these steps (like exfoliating) your skin starts to feel really fresh and free and not tight and clogged up. And of course if you're skin feels really fresh you'll feel a lot more fresh and awake! (of course we all want to be fresh we don't want to be falling asleep during Salah! See I got you I know a lot of you do!!)

 

Now before I start my routine (for my face) it's only necessary for me to throw a disclaimer out there that not all these products are suited for every skin type. Everyone is different so what works on my skin might not necessarily work on yours (so don't go to buy these products test them first). Also my skin type is combination (well I feel it is anyways) this means that it's a combo of both oily and dry. I get more oil on my T-zone whilst the rest of my face is quite dry. So it's taken my quite a long time to find products that suit my face especially because I suffered from acne quite severe one through my teenage years. So I've gotta be really careful when choosing products as my skin tends to get quite sensitive around those areas. With that said let's get on with it!

 

1. So the first thing that I do after a long day is to obviously remove my make-up. Now I can't stress the importance of doing this, I know a lot of people who don't remove their make-up because they can't be bothered. This really harms your skin because it clogs up your pores and can lead to spots and wrinkles. I clean my makeup using the Garnier 2 in 1 makeup remover which is so gentle and like the bottle says you don't need to rub. It contains both a toner and a remover so you get both in one bottle!! I put a bit of this on a cotton and rub all over my face literally my makeup comes off in one go! BTW my packaging is a bit old!

 

2. After that I exfoliate my face. Now when I first started doing this I used to rub it really hard and my face used to get really red and itchy. You seriously don't need to rub that hard! I also first started my exfoliating everyday for 2 months until my skin was used to it and now I only exfoliate twice a week. I use the St Ives fresh skin scrub (apricot flavour). This is quite grainy so if you prefer a more mousse like or cream like exfoliator then this isn't for you. I put about a 10p size of product in my palm and then rub all over my face. I also like to leave it on for a while until I can feel like it's sunk into my face and then wash it off with some water. For anything that's left on my face I use a clean towel to clean it all off. I highly recommend this step because it removes all dead skin cells and leaves your skin feeling so soft and fresh. St Ives is an amazing brand because there are products for every skin type whether you're looking for fresh skin (like me) or something that's not too harsh on your sensitive skin St Ives has it all! And it smells amaaazing!! I've been meaning to try the new blemish control I'll let you know when I do.

 

3. Now this step I've gotta admit I don't do everyday I kinda skip it I prefer to use nose pore strips instead of the clean and clear blackhead clearing scrub. I actually only apply this like across my nose, chin and nose and leave it on for a few minutes and then wash off. I did find it worked when I used it everyday but now that I don't it's not as effective and I really can't be bothered. It's an amazing scrub though again grainy so do try it if you're looking for a gentle clearing scrub. I tend to use the Tea tree nose pore strips from Boots once every 2 weeks as I find that it works a lot better then the scrub in removing

blackheads.

 

4. After doing step three I like to moisturize. Now I don't use any fancy moisturisers in fact I use the Johnsons Natural moisturiser!! I know childish right!! But I'm not lying it's so soft and gentle on my skin that I don't dare to try any other one just in case I don't get the same results. Do try this if you've got really sensitive skin because it smells amazing and works like a charm! BTW it's quite hard to find these but defo look in the baby section you'll find them there.

 

5. Finally now I've only discovered this product quite recently but I would defo recommend it. I mean this product works like nothing I've seen before!! It's an oil that once put on a scar or any blemishes you have on your face completely gets rid of them in about 1 week. Of course you wouldn't put it on open wounds and testing it on your skin is important first! But once you've done all of that just try and putting it on your scar everyday and you'll see that it will vanish pretty soon!! You'll have to look around a bit to find this oil (Jasons) but trust me it's worth it!!

So Jemples that's the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed it and found some of the products useful do try them out and let me know how it goes!! and for those who ask this is the secret to my beautiful skin (I'm only joking it's not that beautiful!) Bye bye until tomorrow xx

 

 

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 RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 06

Helloooo to all the Jemples out there and lets just start off this post by saying that there are quite a lot of you a lot more than I ever expected so thank you so much. Well today was the first Friday of Ramadhan 2014!! I know it's pretty exciting right! It's also pretty scary to think that time flies past so fast and the harsh reality is that we're unable to catch up to it. Now today's post is all about CHILDREN! (I know a lot of people are probably thinking that we get enough of them I come on here for my me time not to read about them!) Well rest assured I'm not going to be talking about them but I'm going to instead try to involve them. Now we all know that children don't keep fasts because of how small they are and it would be totally irrational to make them keep fasts. But that doesn't mean that they should be completely out of the picture during Ramadhan. I know many parents or older siblings are often tired due to the long days of fasting and sometimes tend to take it out on children by not involving them as much. Well don't worry children of the world I'm here to save you!! Well from boredom anyways! I'm going to try and share some tips on how to involve your children or siblings this Ramadhan. It's a really good opportunity to teach them something new and good so please don't lose it.

 

• READING- now a lot of you probably read bed time stories to your children or siblings so why not try to switch your usual story for an Islamic one. Ramadhan is the perfect opportunity for you to be able to teach the children about Islam and it's beauty. Some good reads are: Qur'an stories for kids, My First Ramadan by Karen Katz..
• INVOLVE THEM!!- Now this one's pretty self-explanatory involve children in all the activities and duties throughout the day. This can be as simple as making them lay the table or reading Salah with you. You can even have them create a Salah checklist, or a reading the Qur'an checklist!
• ARTS & CRAFTS- this one has to be my all time favourite tip, it actually fascinated my so much that I spent so much time looking at the different arts and crafts on show (so much time that my blog might have been on earlier oops sorry!). There are so many options to choose from: Ramadhan advent calendars, lanterns, early eid decorations, colouring sheets just search on google you'll find loads of them! I wanna try some of them too!!
• APPS- in this day and age technology is a must for adults as well as children, instead of handing your child an Ipad or a phone that has normal games on try to download apps that will help them understand Islam more there are even apps where children can learn Arabic!
• JOURNAL- keeping a journal is a fab idea! You yourself can keep a daily Ramadhan diary and with your child you can collectively write about the days experiences and what new things you have learnt. This is perfect for those children who are learning how to write sentences or stories. You can even buy a special book dedicated for your journal which you can decorate together!
• COOKING TOGETHER!- Finally a lot of mums spend a lot of times in the kitchen and older siblings to do, you can use this opportunity to involve children and get them to cook alongside you.

So Jemples I hop you enjoyed this really short post and learnt that you should try to involve children in Ramadhan as it's a perfect opportunity for them to learn in an array of ways and don't push them away!! I'll be back tomorrow with another post so stay tuned.

BYE BYE!!!

 

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RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 05

Hey Jemples and here we are on day 5 of Ramadhan! Now I can honestly say time is literally flying and will continue to do so, so please remember to maximise your worship and good deeds throughout this month! Well today I've decided to do something completely different to what I normally do in my daily diaries (I know no recipe again I'm sorry!) and this was inspired by quite a lot of people if I'm honest. I mean nobody really came up to me and told me to do this post, but they didn't have to because all I've been hearing from people ever since Ramadhan started was those three famous words I'm feeling tired! (and I'm one of them!) So the purpose of this post is to give you all tips to feel more healthy during Ramadhan which of course will leave you feeling more happy and energetic! These tips aren't only simple to understand but they are really simple to implement into your day. I'm going to keep this post quite short so I'm just going to get straight into the tips:

1.  Eat at Sehri! I know your probably thinking OMG is that even a tip, it's common sense of course I'm going to eat I don't want to die! Well my friends a lot of people don't eat at Sehri and for some strange reason feel like they can survive the entire day, well you can't so please eat! Particularly foods that are high in protein and carbohydrates (eggs, oats) and drink a lot of water. My tip obvs for all those who read daily is to eat a banana at Sehri it really helps to quench your thirst.

2. Stay in cool areas! During the day try to stay out of the heat as much as possible and don't travel unnecessarily. You'll find that the more you stay in the heat the more thirsty and sweaty you'll get. Allocate a time during the day especially to rest (this can be putting your feet up or taking a small nap).

3. Avoid Over-eating! both at Sehri and Iftaar this can lead to you feeling more bloated and inevitably a lot more tired. Take small sips of water, have light meals and starters (like soups) and have a lot of fruits and dates to bring up blood sugar levels after a whole day of fasting.

4. Avoid oily and spicy foods! These can not only lead to you putting on excessive amounts of weight but can also cause heartburn and indigestion which will make you feel more tired. Try grilling or baking foods instead.

5. Healthy Deserts! Try to stay away from sugary deserts and limit yourself to having chocolates and sweets once a week (I know it's really hard!). Try to use fresh fruits and low fat items in your deserts (My mango cheesecake recipe is really low in fat!)

6. Stay away from Fizzy drinks! These don't really hydrate you but instead contain too much sugar!! The same can be said about tea and coffee which cause you too feel more thirsty because of the caffeine. Try to stay away from drinking these particularly during Iftaar.

7. Drink plenty of water! Sip on water of fresh fruit juices throughout the evening. Try to aim for atleast 8 glasses of water before bed. This will leave you feeling more hydrated and fresh!

8. Brisk walks! Try to walk for 15-20 minutes after Iftaar so that you burn off any excessive calories which will lead you to feel a lot less tired and will prepare you for the evening prayers.

So Jemples that's the end of this short but useful post. I hope you implement them throughout Ramadhan and share them with others to help the overcome the battle that is tiredness!! I'm really sorry that today's post is short, I haven't really been up to much today and it turns out that finding something to write everyday is pretty hard! I also know that a lot of you are asking when I'll go back to writing things underneath my other tabs. I definitely will be uploading a lot more style related things like makeup and clothes and may be even a hijab style nearer to Eid Insha'Allah it's just a bit hard to do all those whilst your fasting! So defo keep checking my blog and spread the word. Your suggestions are always welcome! Bye bye until tomorrow Jemples!! 

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RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 04

Hi Jemples and welcome back to the beloved Ramadhan Diary, Day 04. So before I even start this post I know a lot of you are expecting to scroll down and find another mouth watering recipe, especially since in yesterdays post I mentioned that I was going to do a savoury recipe (my bad!). So to save your disappointment I'm gonna start of this short diary by saying that there is no recipe today sorry! Now one of the main reasons is that I'm not feeling well at all so I thought it would be best if I stayed out of the kitchen and dealing with other peoples food, but another reason is that I've been making far too many dishes, especially deserts! So it thought let's put a stop to it just for today so that we can all catch up with the food that we've made and eat it all instead of making more and it just piling it up! After all Ramadhan isn't just an excuse to eat food and it's certainly not just an excuse to waste food either! So all my fellow Jemples who've been making the dishes alongside me, please take a break just for today and finish off all the leftover deserts and pastries. Pheww! Now that that's off my chest (you honestly don't know how bad I was feeling that I can't upload a recipe today) let me move onto the main purpose of these diaries which is to share my experience with all of you. So today's day is going pretty good, I've gotta admit one thing that I never thought that time would start to go fast but it is (I'm not complaining!) and because of time going fast the fasts are also going quite good. It's either that or the fact that my bodies started to get used to it, you know what they say it takes the body a few days to get used it and mine certainly is! For Sehri I ate what I did yesterday chappati and curry with of course my banana. Now a lot of you have been asking what's the sudden love with bananas? Well my friends before Ramadhan started a lot of texts were coming through saying that by eating a banana daily you won't feel as thirsty so I thought of trying it out as you all probably noticed (I mean it's pretty obvs I mention it everyday). I know in my first diary I mentioned that maybe it was the placebo effect taking over and that it probably doesn't even work but after trialling it out for a bit I can now officially say it does. So if you're like the majority of people and feel thirsty do try a banana and let me know if it works for you. So back to Iftaar I had a kebab sandwich and my chocolate cake which I'm honestly so proud of! I mean everyone thought it was professional, I had comments coming through, whatsapp's, texts saying that it looks so professional and yummy. One or two people even asked if I was willing to make cakes for them!! I'm touched but seriously no, ain't nobody got time for that! I mean why else do you think I upload the recipes so you can DIY!  

So before I end this rather long and babbly post I just want to thank all you guys, the comments and the messages I've been getting are seriously overwhelming! It really brightens up my day to hear that you guys patiently wait for these every day and are enjoying these so much. I mean this whole blog started off as something really small and something that I was only doing as a hobby and to stop myself from getting bored. But the response I've been getting is seriously amazing and for those of you asking me continue, don't worry I intend to nothing makes me more happier!! Well Jemples this is me signing off until tomorrow, ooh before I go for those of you living in the UK please do drink a lot of water today at both Iftaar and Sehri because tomorrow is meant to be a scorcher of a day so keep yourself hydrated and try to stay out of the sun as much as you can(and for those of you living in hot countries needless to say but keep yourselves hydrated as well)! Bye bye until tomorrow Jemples.

 

Jemima xx

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RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 03

Hellooo Jemples and as you probably guessed by the bold, capitalised heading (I mean it's pretty obvious, I really should stop with these typical intros) this post is my Ramadhan diary day 03, like I mentioned in my diary yesterday that you guys are totally loving these diaries and the recipes that come with it. I actually find it quite funny that when I started these diaries I wrote that the recipes would be very less, in fact I was planning on just doing 1 or 2 recipes through the whole of Ramadhan. But Alas! Life planned something else it planned struggles, the daily struggle of COOKING! Now I know a lot of you at this point are like what the hell is she complaining about, she makes some amazing stuff! Well to be totally honest I'm a really bad cook but Ramadhan has opened up my eyes and taught me that I'm not that bad of a cook (after a lot of practicing of course!) Enough babbling on let me get to day 3 and how it's been, surprisingly it's actually gone quite fast (OMG I never thought I'd say that I was thinking that the days will drag on forever!). For Sehri I didn't have Weetabix, oh no! I can't be having something I'm not liking anymore so I opted for the more desi of options roti & salan (chapatti & curry) and of course do I even need to say my banana, but even though I ate quite a bit I'm actually feeling really hungry (it didn't help that something yummy was cooking in my oven!) and thirsty today. Iftaar was amazing I ate homemade chips and fish fingers, there's just something about homemade chips they taste absolutely amazing! And of course my mango cheesecake desert which I'm not bragging or anything but was so yummy that me and my family ate it all! It's such a light desert that has just a small hint of mango so definitely try it out! So what's todays recipe well it's another desert! I actually was thinking of making something different but since it's my dads birthday today we decided to make a chocolate cake for the first time in our lives! I've gotta admit this recipe is really simple and it doesn't really matter if the cakes don't come out as planned because the decoration is more messy types!

 

CHOCOLATELY CHOCOLATE (& VANILLA) CAKE

 

Ingredients I changed a lot of these from the original recipe just because of the products I had at home, of course you can substitute and change the amounts based on preference and obviously the amount of cake you want to make. With these ingredients I managed to bake two 7 inch cakes.

 

150ml Sunflower oil

150ml of plain yoghurt

175g of brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of jam (any flavour & type)

225g of Self Raising flour

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (I used hot chocolate powder)

1 teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda

175g of milk chocolate

50g of butter

7 inch cake tins (I used two disposable ones so that it saved time washing up!)

Betty Crockers Vanilla icing (you can use chocolate)

White chocolate buttons & icing sugar (for decoration)

 

1. Add the brown sugar, eggs, oil, yogurt, jam into a large bowl and whisk until the eggs have been properly beaten.

2. Sift in all the dry ingredients (flour, bicarbonate of soda & cocoa powder) and make sure the mixture is properly whisked.

3. Grease the cake tins and put in the mixture, if your using more than one cake tin like me then make sure the mixture is pretty evenly put into both. Place these in the oven (gas mark 3) for approximately 1 hour. The time it stays in the oven depends entirely on the speed of your oven. (quick tip if you think it's baked poke a knife into it and if it comes out clean then that means it is properly baked. Wow I sound like a propa Chef!)

4. Once it's baked it'll look something like this, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool for about 10 minutes on a wiring rack.

 

 

5. Whilst that's cooling, it's time to prepare the chocolate icing to spread on the top of the cake. Melt the chocolate and the butter together until it looks like this.

 

6. Once the cake has cooled spread an even layer of vanilla (or chocolate) icing over the top. The Betty Crocker one not the one you've just made! This will be used to stick both the layers together. BTW if you're just making one cake then skip steps 6 & 7

 

7. Once you've spread the icing put the cakes on top of one another and fill in any gaps around the edge using the leftover vanilla icing.

 

8. Now it's time to spread the chocolate icing we've made over the top. You can be as messy as you want! And stick on the white chocolate buttons.

 

9. If you've got buttons left over melt them and then drizzle them over the top (that's what I did!) and also sprinkle over just a bit of icing sugar. Viola! Your quick and easy chocolate cake is made, see I told you it's really easy!!

 

So Jemples I hope you enjoy this recipe and find it really easy to make especially if it's your first time like mine! Do comment and let me know if you're liking these daily diaries and I hopefully promise that I'll be back with another post tomorrow and recipe (probably a savoury one!) Bye bye until next time Jemples xx

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RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 02

Heyyoo Jemples and welcome back to my Ramadhan diaries, well I've gotta say one thing last night I was thinking about whether to carry on these Ramadhan diaries but the stats I saw this morning blew my mind! It turns out that this is probably the most viewed page on my blog which obvs means that a lot of you are enjoying these daily diaries. So fear not I will continue to do these. So Ramadhan day 02 where can I start... hmmmm.. well I would be lying if I said that todays day went faster, it did not with a capital NOT but I would be lying if I said that it didn't go easier. I haven't been feeling as thirsty or as hungry as I did yesterday which is quite surprising because I ate a lot less for Sehri then I did in day 1. I had half a bowl of Weetabix which I didn't even finish and my beloved banana! I've gotta admit one thing I'm kind of getting put off Weetabix so I think it's time that I found something else to eat at Sehri. So how was my first ever Iftaari of Ramadhan 2014, well it was pretty good those chicken puffs were delicious! I honestly couldn't eat much because I was really bloated to the extent that I felt sick! But today I'm hoping that I get to eat a lot more and especially my desert! So guys you've probably guessed that todays post is yet again another recipe, I know I said I wasn't going to do a lot of recipes but I can't help it they just keep coming and you guys keep liking! So today's recipe is a desert that is soo simple to make and is perfect for Iftaar my quick Mango Cheesecake (well it's my take on a cheesecake with some added surprises!)

 

QUICK MANGO CHEESECAKE

 

Ingredients unlike yesterday you can't really alter these to your liking except for the mango you can try any other fruit or even chocolate!

 

One packet of plain digestive biscuits

140g of butter

300ml of double cream

50g of icing sugar

2 tins of custard

1 or 2 fresh mangoes (depending on the size mine was quite big so I only used 1)

 

1. Break up all the digestive biscuits in a large bowl until the pieces are quite fine (this is the perfect time for you to let out any frustration!!) and add in the butter, but make sure you melt the butter first! (BTW if the pieces are still quite big like mine you can mash them further once the butter has been added.

 

2. Spread an even layer of biscuit into 1 or 2 dishes (depending on size) and refrigerate for 10 minutes, just so that the base is a bit firm. 

 

3. After 10 minutes spread an even layer of custard on top of the base and refrigerate for another 10 minutes. (you can make the custard yourself if you prefer)

4. Whilst that's in the fridge, you can go ahead and prepare the mango cream! Add the icing sugar and the double cream into a bowl and whisk away until it is quite thick (this took me a hell of a lot of time maybe I should've used and electric whisk instead!)

 5. Once the cream is quite thick add the mango puree (oops I forgot to tell you how to make the puree: blend the mango, in a blender until it's like a puree, you don't want to make it into a juice) mix in the mango puree or any other fruit or chocolate!

 

6. And finally it's now it's time to decorate in any way that you wish! Once you've decorated put it back into the fridge, this has to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before serving so that when you take out a slice the layers stay firm and don't start to leak.  

 

So Jemples that's the end of the recipe, I know it's pretty hard to believe that it's that simple! I hope you have as much fun as I did whilst making this and that it tastes absolutely fab!! Please do comment and subscribe! If you do decide to make this recipe then let me know how it goes. Bye bye until next time Jemples xx 

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RAMADHAN DIARIES: DAY 01

Hello Jemples and welcome to a brand new concept on this blog my daily Ramadhan diaries!! Well as the name suggests these are small diaries which I will update each day in the month of Ramadhan. The content of the diaries will vary each day like some days I might just have a more chatty blog where I will talk about my experience of the day so far, other days I might share some tips with you that I've found have helped during Ramadhan and other days like today I may share a recipe with you that will be quick and simple (it has to be especially if I'm making it!) that you can whip up for Iftaar. So before I go onto the recipe I'm just going to very quickly share with you all about how my day has gone so far. Well as you all probably know today marked the start of Ramadhan so just like a lot of people I was really excited to keep the fast (I mean the excitement of the first fast is just something out of this world!) At Sehri I ate a bowl of Weetabix (which was quite filled) and one banana and Alhamdulillah the day has passed quite well, I'm not going to lie I have started to feel hungry (the stomach is now rumbling) but that's only natural especially because it's only the first day so it will take time for the body to get used to it. I had read somewhere that bananas help because they don't make you feel thirsty, and I don't whether the placebo effect is working or whether bananas actually work because I don't feel thirsty at all! So definitely try it yourself! So I'm not going to babble on instead I'm going to share with you a recipe for a quick and healthy starter:

 

CHICKEN PUFF PASTRIES!

Below are the ingredients needed to make this yummy starter, like all recipes you can alter stuff to your own liking.

 

1 1/2 cup of cubed boneless chicken

1 onion

1 chopped green chilli

1 tea spoon of garlic (this can be powder too)

1 tea spoon of ginger (this can also be powder)

Chopped handful of coriander

1/2 tea spoon of whole cumin

1/4 tea spoon of crushed chilli

1 tea spoon of salt

1/2 tea spoon of curry powder

1/2 tea spoon of cumin powder

1/4 tea spoon of coriander powder

1/2 tea spoon of chilli powder

1/2 tea spoon of turmeric powder

1/4 of a lemon's juice

1 1/2 tea spoon of oil

1 ready to roll puff pastry/ get ready rolled pastry

 

Gosh that is a lot of ingredients but trust me on this the recipe is really simple something all those who do not cook on a daily basis can easily make (I got to admit I am one of them!).

 

1. The first step is to add the chicken, the onion, green chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander, whole cumin, crushed chilli, salt, curry powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and lemon juice in to a bowl and mix.

 

2. Add the mixed ingredients into a blender and mix into a paste.

 

3. Add the oil into this paste.

 

4. Roll out the pastry or get the ready rolled pastry like me from Tesco to save time and effort of rolling and having flour everywhere!

 

5. Cut the puff pastry in half.

 

6. Add the paste made from before in the middle of the two halves.

 

7. Fold one side of the puff pastry to secure the paste inside the puff pastry and use a fork to seal the edges.

 

8. Cut the puff pastry into approximately 8 slices or into your desired size.

 

9. Put these cut pastries onto a greased baking tray.

 

10. Cook in the oven for 40 mins at 160'c

 

11. Then put the heat up to 200'c and cook for a further 10 mins to make the pastry golden brown.

 

**A further tip if you want the pastry to get a glossy look, whisk one egg and brush over the puff pastry before putting into the oven.

 

And there you have it your final product is made, here is one I made earlier (Feels like I'm on a cooking show)

 

 

 

Hope you have fun making this simple cooking and impress your family with this easy recipe. Comment below and tell me how your chicken puff pastry turned out and if you liked this simple and quick recipe for your iftaar.

Well that's it for today, so until next time bye bye Jemples :).

 

 

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 Ramadhan Tips and Preparation!

Hi Jemples I'm back with another post (Gosh I really need to come up with a better and more original opening) anyhoo this post is definitely different but can be very useful especially considering the time of year. Yes it's nearly Ramadhan!! And if you're like me and probably most of people out their your pretty excited, oh what the hey you're really excited!! Ramadhan is that blessed time of year where all Muslims are able to give up attachments whether they're physical or mental (including food and drink) for one whole month (dawn until dusk) to reconnect with the Almighty. It's also the time of year where we're able to reflect upon everything and make a pact to ourselves that the next year will be full of changes (if needed) and an all over happy year. One of the main purposes of the month of Ramadhan is to really consider the poor and realise how they live, by doing this we're able to implement small or big changes into our lives. They can be as small as smiling at a homeless person or as big as donating food to the Mosque or to homeless shelters so as you can probably tell Ramadhan also reminds us to give to others and to not always expect anything in return.

 

 

Well I think that's enough explaining about Ramadhan and now maybe I should explain what this post is about and where it was inspired from. Now if you're like me a big time blog addict! You would've probably noticed that quite a lot of bloggers are writing their versions of Ramadhan prep, now I would be lying if I said that I'm totally not inspired by them ( I am a teeny weeny bit) but I'm mostly inspired by cleaning. Yes cleaning don't worry you didn't just hallucinate I did say cleaning! Now you also may be wondering that why is the post late and not as long winded, again it's because I was due for my dose of cleaning,  I'm not talking small cleaning (like hovering) oh no but I'm talking about the BIG DADDY of cleaning, moving the furniture cleaning, cleaning out the cupboards, throwing out cleaning, basically cleaning out anything and everything in the place that is home. Ah home sweet home why is it that you require so much attention! So the whole reason behind mission cleaning was in fact Ramadhan, now I know that many people like to clean their houses before the month of Ramadhan including me. Ramadhan cleanses an individual physically, spiritually and mentally so a good starting point is definitely by cleaning (preparation tip 1)

 

Preparation tip number 2 is all about Cooking. Now we all know how important Iftaar (time when the fast is opened) is to our rumbling stomachs so that's why this next tip is really important. I know many women find it difficult to stand in the kitchen especially whilst they are fasting and in the heat, hopefully these tips will make it easier for anyone who cooks especially during Ramadhan:

• Plan ahead especially when deciding what food to make at Iftaar, in fact it may be wise to even draw out a menu for Ramadhan beforehand (to save both time and confusion). You can also draw up a timetable to allocate times so it is easier to decide whose turn it is to cook. This will reduce the pressure especially on mums after all Ramadhan is a time to help others!
• Chop & Freeze core ingredients such as onions, garlic, carrots well in advance to again save time (you won't need to visit the shops as often). You can even buy meat and freeze.
• Blend any spices and pre make any dry ingredients & store in any labelled containers.

Preparation tip number 3: Make-up. I know what your all probably thinking at this moment makeup and that too in Ramadhan OMG what the hell is she talking about! Well before jumping to any conclusions let me explain, now it is permissible to wear make-up in Ramadhan as long as it is taken off when performing ablution (Wudhu). Despite this many people including me like to wear slightly less make-up and completely avoid any lip products, so it might be useful for you to start to wear less make-up in advance. This will help you get used to the fact that you're wearing less make-up or none at all. Simple or minimal make-up looks the best particularly at this time of year, as you should make the most of your time.

 

Preparation tip number 4: A place to pray. It may be useful if you clean up a section of your house daily and use it especially for prayer. Find a quiet place away from any distractions and use it as a place to pray Salah or read the Qur'an.

 

Preparation tip number 5: Eid! Now we can't ignore the fact that once completing Ramadhan a celebration is much deserved!! That celebration is Eid yayyy!! It may be wise to purchase Eid clothes or to do any other preparation well before to avoid shopping in the heat and the rush and so that is possible to dedicate all of your time to prayer and reflection.

 

Now that the preparation tips are over I'm going to share some Ramadhan tips that can be applied whilst fasting. If many of you reading are like me and from the United Kingdom you probably already know that the fasts this year are extremely long (20.5 hours to be exact) and that British weather has struck yet again. Yes how we all wish that Britain will bask, just like may other countries in the world, in pools of sunshine and now that it's happen we're just like really you had to be hot especially at the time of Ramadhan! WTH weather man are you like seriously blind or something! I mean it's hot and I have to keep one of the longest fasts in the world! I know we all feel like that but hopefully these tips will help to make your fast slightly less physically enduring (Insha'Allah).

 

 Tip number 1: STAY HYDRATED! I can't emphasise this point enough, it is really important to keep your body hydrated so that it doesn't de-hydrate:

• Drink plenty of Water: Try to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, this can be split evenly in the morning (Sehri) and in the evening (Iftaar).
• Drink plenty of fruit juices and eat fresh fruits such as watermelons.
• Avoid spicy and/or fried foods as these tend to make you thirsty a lot more.
• Don't add salt to foods & avoid salty foods like pickles or fish as these again make you feel more thirsty.
• Water should also be drunk in small quantities rather during meals rather than in large quantities as this will help you to drink a lot more water.

Tip number 2: Qur'an. During Ramadhan the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) so this is why many Muslims make it a special effort to finish reading the whole Qur'an during this month. To make it easier to complete read a few pages after every Namaaz(prayer).

 

Tip number 3: Forgive. And finally Ramadhan is also a month of forgiveness, we all ask for forgiveness from the Almighty so we should also make a special effort to forgive those we aren't talking to and try to make up with anyone who you might have fought with.

 

So everyone I hope you liked this post and found some useful tips to help you this Ramadhan. Insha'Allah this Ramadhan proves to be a beneficial time for all of the Muslim Ummah. Please remember me and my family in your dua's (prayers). BTW I am planning on doing daily Ramadhan diaries to share my experiences, recipes and tips.

 

Please do comment and subscribe, many of you are asking how to subscribe it's pretty simple fill in the follow by email section and you will automatically get sent an email whenever I make a new post. Bye until next time Jemples x