Lily’s Blog, Dragon Absconded!
Baking Until I Drop

Dad and them saw the moon.
Br Manwar’s family on IBN saw the moon.

MORE LATER

‘ID MUBARAK!

After fighting with her for almost a week to convince her we don’t need to make both kibbe and biryani…and to try to keep it low key and LOW WORK, she said well she want. And you know that’s the end of that right there.

Which is why from the first menu that rice dish appeared and quickly changed into biryani.

And, I was oh soo looking forward to it.

Then she decide too much work (which I have been telling her ALL ALONG) so even though I was happy and thrilled to remove it from the menu, this was the first set up.

Posting the updated menu a few minutes ago, I mourned the loss of biryani and thought why not tonight (instead of this shrimp and saim and dhal and such but I am happy to have less work for us.

So, as I am on my way to shower and she is out (we’re doing another last minute grocery), she says to me why can’t I make biryani tonight? Why this extra food?? I informed her I not getting involved in no decisions to give her more work because I will lose out regardless…

So, she set me up again…menu change, biryani tonight and I already posted.

*sigh*

Let’s not even talk about our communication problems…her definition of special versus mine.
She wants special sweets and such for ‘Id and vex with my choices, never mind she is making the granddaddy of all special sweets, sawaine (which will probably not be made in my house). So do I. Her definition of special is traditional (which to me equals BORING and milk-laden). My definition of special is something exciting, new or that we’ve not made before or recently (which to her equals expensive (not true!) or Lilandra gone crazy).

Yeah.
Dad doesn’t get involved.

Mom, I still love you…hope you feel the same ;-)

Please remember you’re not feeling well, and neither am I and…how much work can we give Chennette to do?

Every year we make big extravagant plans…and then Chennette has to come and bail us out.

Edit: Mom also said we making Jalebi this year. Oh my!

Last night was probably the last Tarawih.
Today is probably the last day of fasting.
It’s highly probable we shall see the new moon tonight, thus the new month Shawwal and ‘Id-ul-Fitr will start tonight at sunset.
If we don’t then we’ll have one more Tarawih (tonight), one more fast (tomorrow) and ‘Id-ul-Fitr will be on Thursday.
Tomorrow however has already been declared a public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago.

Monday 29th September, Ramadan 28

We didn’t wake up for suhur. We made it for Fajr prayer. And because mom and I are sickly we knew we couldn’t keep the fast without suhur. Dad fasted.

But when I woke up at a more reasonable hour (10ish) mom wasn’t feeling well so we rushed to the doctor. Insha Allah she will get better.

so,
Iftar: Dad had dates.
Dinner: Rice and black eye bean from yesterday. Mom and dad had lamb. I fried some frozen shrimp wontons and we all had that.

Update on the ‘Id Menu:

For ‘Id:
Saturday:

• Make Sahina (not fry, roll it, freeze it etc) Done!
• Make cheesecake

Sunday:

• Unmold cheesecake and cut into squares, store by aunty next door.
• Spiced nuts
• Cheesecake made!

Monday:

• Cheesecake unmolded and cut into squares, very soft but fits in our fridge

Tuesday:

• Almond cookies (maybe I do this on Monday…or at least start) Not making anymore
• Mom shows me how to make Rasgullah
• Make kibbe (lamb and little vegetarian) In the process of being prepped. But no known vegetarians coming
• Slice cucumbers and tomatoes

Wednesday, ‘Id-ul-Fitr:

• Fry Sahina
• Make sawaine
• Bake lamb kibbe
• Make Chicken Biryani We will suffice with pelau in the masjid

For ‘Id celebrations when Chennette comes:
Thursday:

• Make doughnuts from pizza dough and fry them! Most likely not happening. Some other time when Chennette comes maybe

Friday:

• Mom shows Chennette how to make Fat Kurma
• Baklava
• Lamb Pastries

Saturday:

• Bake veggie kibbe
• Harissa seasoned baked and fried potatoes
• Couscous salad
• Have dad BBQ lamb

The week after ‘Id for a certain newlywed:

• Make hot barfi!

Banana Herb, originally uploaded by Chennette.

Did you know, that the Banana comes from a HERB???

It’s not a tree but a plant?

Of course this comes from an unverified source (okay I know the source of which she speaks…I think and so trust said source but to you the reader…how can you trust it?).

24th Iftar,
originally uploaded by Lilandra.

Wednesday 24th September, Ramadan 23 (also Republic Day)

I made corn muffins from our bread machine cookbook. It was supposed to be a bread but I made it in muffin tins. It was supposed to be corn meal and chick pea flour. I used corn meal and split pea flour. It was supposed to be hard cheese, finely grated like parmesan. I used cheddar, coarsely grated.

Despite all this it was fine.

Except.

I kept wanting it to be sweet. It wasn’t. There was no sugar…and I didn’t think about adding any.

There are still some left. I intend to brush them with a honey glaze and reheat them in the oven or toaster.

Suhur: Bread and butter.

Iftar: Pholourie from over de road, kachorie from down de road and corn muffins.

Dinner: Parents had curry fish and rice. I forced and had the last of the macaroni pie (from last week when Chennette was here) with stewed red beans.

24th Fast: Our Iftar Table,
originally uploaded by Lilandra.

Thursday 25th September, Ramadan 24

Suhur: Chocolate pudding, toasted dhalpuri and avocado.

Iftar: Leftover tuna croquettes

Dinner: Parents had lots of freezer leftovers, I had rice and stewed red beans.

Friday 26th September, Ramadan 25

Hmm, we bought fried chicken. We broke fast with…???

26th Iftar: Mom’s Dinner,
originally uploaded by Lilandra.

Saturday 27th September, Ramadan 26

According to the second draft of the Eid menu, mom was supposed to make sahina and me cheesecake. Well mom made the sahina before I woke up…and I woke up at around 9am as we were going…Eid grocery shopping!

I went to Tarawih in the masjid on Saturday. You can read about the night of power and when it is and about the last ten nights of Ramadan anywhere else. I’ll try to find some links. I only stayed for 12 of the 20. I was getting rather dizzy.

Also, some people from the Jamaat (sort of…they used to live here but migrated…and then presto…met again there and got married…) gave an iftar.

Suhur: bread and butter?

Iftar: I didn’t take pictures. Too tired. Half-asleep. We had…GULGULLAH! (it’s like a sweet fried fritter with raisins) and accra (a bit tough, mom says batter/dough too stiff, needs more egg…but I still managed to eat a bit of it!!!).

Dinner: CURRY! I took a picture of mom’s plate and mine as she had more variety. I had my curry spread staples (roti, channa and aloo, stew chicken and salad).

There was, paratha roti, channa and aloo, stew chicken, curry mango, vegetarian biryani…and not sure if there was anything else. I can check mom’s plate.

27th iftar: Starfuit and what no,
originally uploaded by Lilandra.

Sunday 28th September, Ramadan 27

Soooo dead beat.
Today, with excellent preparation, I made Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cordon Rose Cream Cheesecake. It looks very nice thank you very much. This needs to go in the fridge now, and tomorrow it will be unmolded and cut into squares and will wait to go to the masjid on Eid day to share. Um. Shouldn’t I taste it to make sure it’s good? That I’m not giving people…garbage???

Mom fried pholourie from a mix. Oh sooo very addictive with a nice fresh tamarind chutney.

Suhur: Honey Wheat Dark Rolls and Egg paste (salad). Parents had…I dunno bread? and boiled egg.

Iftar: Dates, grapes, addictive pholourie and chutney, starfruit (mom), raspberry and cream cheese pastry…anything else? It’s in the picture.

Dinner: Haven’t had any yet. Current just went.

Parents are having black-eye beans and rice plus fridge lamb. Mom was going to make a black-eye pelau…when she came down while I was making the cheesecake, she told me she forgot to take out the chicken, is rice and beans okay? I’m like yeah…

PS Our dryer is kaput and not here. We’ve run out of clothespins.

ARGH!
I wanna be a daring baker. I just can’t see how…counting the months from Ramadan, then October, then November getting ready for Hajj and then December is HAJJ!…so not until the new year.

Last month they made éclairs. I was sooo looking for an excuse to make those and then to find out they did. I had no excuse…just people to eat. I let myself be governed by my tiredness.

This month I see this post in my RSS reader and wonder to myself…but it’s not the end of September yet but they made Lavash. I made Lavash. Then…when it finally loads (internet was down for a bit today) I see they made the recipe from Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

What did I make earlier this month? Two weeks ago?

I could cry!!!

It was that opera cake and party cake and napoleon and danish pastry and whatever that scared me silly.
Argh.
I’m so upset.

See the culprits here and here!

*sniffle*

We’re working on the assumption that ‘Id-ul-Fitr will be on Wednesday. This may change.

You can see the first draft here.

For ‘Id:
Saturday:

• Make Sahina (not fry, roll it, freeze it etc)
• Make cheesecake

Sunday:

• Unmold cheesecake and cut into squares, store by aunty next door.
• Spiced nuts

Tuesday:

• Almond cookies (maybe I do this on Monday…or at least start)
• Mom shows me how to make Rasgullah
• Make kibbe (lamb and little vegetarian)
• Slice cucumbers and tomatoes

Wednesday, ‘Id-ul-Fitr:

• Fry Sahina
• Make sawaine
• Bake lamb kibbe
• Make Chicken Biryani

For ‘Id celebrations when Chennette comes:
Thursday:

• Make doughnuts from pizza dough and fry them!

Friday:

• Mom shows Chennette how to make Fat Kurma
• Baklava
• Lamb Pastries

Saturday:

• Bake veggie kibbe
• Harissa seasoned baked and fried potatoes
• Couscous salad
• Have dad BBQ lamb

The week after ‘Id for a certain newlywed:

• Make hot barfi!

How’s that?