Eid-al-Adha

It's all been about the sheep here for the past coupe of weeks....

Sheep have literally been everywhere, much to the amusement of the young lad in the picture...

All of my children love Eid-al-Adha... in fact they probably love it more than Eid-al-Fitr... and this year we had, probably our best one since coming to Algeria mashallah.

For the girls of course it's an excuse to get dressed up and enjoy some henna... this time round I even managed to get my own hands and feet done.

After attending Eid prayers in our local masjid, and spending some time wishing everyone a blessed day, we went home to slaughter our sheep and begin the task of cleaning and hanging it. 

It didn't take long with three of us cleaning the insides and the dh and brother-in-law doing the rest of the butchering... 

My 16yr old slaughtered our sheep this year, with the rest of the family watching... it must have been a daunting task but he managed well mashallah.

After gutting our sheep we breakfasted on the fried liver and heart, cleaned out the stomach and used half of it to make Bakbouka and froze the rest to make Osban later on.... all the other offal got frozen for later and we managed to spend most of the rest of our day on the terrace.

We had BBQ for lunch, and after the children had gone off to spend some time with their grandparents we went back up and spent the evening  cooking and drinking tea...

It was a really good, peaceful day... there's alot to be said for keeping things simple and just doing what feels good...

Today...

 on the walk home from collecting one of the wee people from school, the 3 and a bit year old decided to do the whole John Cleese, ministry of funny walks gig, with wild abandon, a huge grin on his face and loads of giggles from him, and us....

it's not the norm here, of course... but then so much of what we do isn't, that we're pretty much past caring what people think and we just let the kid get on with things in his own peculiar way...

on a later walk home, we were following a few sheep, one of which was doing it's own peculiar walk... which gave me  a slight fit of the giggles... and the 9 year old, complete with very heavy backpack, walked the rest of the way home singing, something about a sheep, moving one way and it's tail moving another, with some interesting drumlike sound effects and not a little swaying this way and that from her... which could have been because of the very heavy school
bag but I'm not totally convinced!

Again, we drew a few stares, which to be honest appeals to the Britishness in us and just made us a bit more giggly...  

It was on my almost last school run of the day, whilst being blown hither and thither in the market, that I mused over how immodest the wind is, and that I'm not keen on my hijab being blown all over the show when I'm least expecting it...(my personal ploy is to turn around and walk backwards for a bit, which my daughters tell me looks a bit weird here but what the heck, in for a penny in for a pound I say!)  anyway this led to another fit of the giggles when dd21 suggested that it made us humble hijabis look like we have  jumpsuits on when the wind blows at us full throttle and mercilessly moulds every inch of fabric to every lumpy bump you possess....

we have a fair number of giggly walks...and I sometimes think it's a shame that I don't see enough Algerians embracing the giggly bits of life.... 

sometimes the reality of how different we are as a family hits me when I least expect it, and I know alot of sisters struggle with the divide. But the more I dare to be myself, the more I realise how accomodating Algerians are... and if they look sideways at me today for being a bit giggly about silly stuff they wouldn't bother to crack a smile for, they'll hardly bat an eyelid
 when they catch me doing it next time...

Rearranging the day

Sometimes a day will pan out as you planned it, sometimes a day will bear no resemblance to the way you planned it at all and you have to find a new way of working through what you thought your day would be.

Yesterday was that day for me. I had to take my 13yr old daughter to the doctor yesterday morning and on our way back home some time after 11am I ran into my Mother-in-law and her sister-in-law.

Now, I don't see alot of my mother-in-law due to some fairly deep rooted Algerian family politics. But we stood and chatted for maybe half an hour before she said she was actually making her way to the clinic accross the road....

After a quick dash home to make sure everything was running smoothly and lunch was happening I went back to the clinic and sat with my mother_in-law while she waited to be seen.

Once she'd got her prescription I walked her back to her sister-in-laws house and said what I thought would be quick salams to the rest of the family... it turned out in fact to be a late lunch followed by a rushed trip to collect some children and take them back to see their grandma... which was in turn just in time for afternoon tea.... so guess what!

By the time we were able to finally make our way to the front door two of my brothers-in-law had arrived to take the mil home and so we stayed another half an hour so that the children could spend some time with them..

Now, my mother-in-laws brother lives literally accross the road from us... it takes five minutes to do the walk... but this being Algeria my mother-in-law insisted that we get in the car and be driven home along a much more convoluted route than the walk would have been.... but, I didn't complain... she was happy that we'd spent the day with her... and spreading happiness is what it's all about.

I left my house at 10am yesterday morning with the clearest picture of how I would be spending my day and got home in the late evening having spent my time with family I hadn't seen for ages, listening to stories of how life used to be here in the old days, getting an impromptu lesson in how to wear a haik and hopefully rebuilding some bridges....

Somedays you just have to roll with it... leave the day unfold as it will and be ready to adapt to the change...
If you live life with the certainty that no matter how you plan it, the day will happen, it relieves the stress of things sometimes not developing as you thought they would...

There will be a flow to your day, perhaps not quite in the direction you thought... but there's sometimes a sweetness in that...

I hadn't planned to walk the way I did yesterday.. I usually take a different route home, but Allah had  plans for me and took me to where he knew it would be more beneficial for me to be.

Trust in your day and don't be afraid to just let it open out and happen.

Daybook ...

Outside my window...
It's dark outside and the air is humid, I can hear the neighbours from opposite going about their evening, and there is the ever present noise of their fryer cooking tonight's dinner, and women shouting demands and accustions at one another

I am thinking...
I really need to find a better time to use the laptop, but when?

I am thankful...
That my 15yr olds ecographie at the urologist was clear. Despite that, he still needs to do some bloodwork and have a CT scan to be on the safe side but I'm feeling less anxious.

In the kitchen...
I've just finished cooking a casserole of chicken thighs and fennel for the dh, and a big pot of chicken and courgette pasta for the children... there's plenty leftover for lunchtime tomorrow too mashallah

I am wearing...
The long linen skirt I made for myself and navy linen tunic... barefoot at last after not having taken my sneakers off since 7am this morning

I am creating...
The same devillish cardi for the 9yr old that I started last week... it, and I are currently not on speaking terms... but I will get back to it inshallah. I want to get on with something else!

I am going...
To shower the 3yr old, who had his first day at pre-school today, before showering myself and hopefully getting some time alone.

I am wondering...
When the cooler weather will come to kill off the insect life around here. I've mostly gotten used to the many and varied insects that invade my day but it's been too crazy even for me this summer.

I am reading...
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I am hoping...
That the week will pass calmly and that I come up with some idea of how to spend our time when the dh is away inshallah.

I am looking forward to...
Pumpkin season... I saw my first squash yesterday but had no money with me, and I haven't seen a single one since!! And being able to plan my day a different way when the dh is away...

I am learning... 
To give myself space and time to just BE, and to be more present.

Around the house... 
People are in differing stages of getting ready for bed. The 9yr old is waiting for me to finish reading to her, and one of our tribe is in the kitchen finishing off kitchen chores.. the hall has just had an impromptu wash as we've had to sloosh away the water thrown onto the floor by the newest schoolboy in the house. Showering here happens with a bucket and water throwing vessel courtesy of no bathroom... and the 3yr  old takes his in the downstairs hall....

I am pondering...
The idea of making onion soup tomorrow and some soda bread...

A favorite quote for today...
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. Rumi

One of my favorite things...
Is rain, and after the humidity of today I really hope we get a moderate amount of it soon...

A few plans for the rest of the week...
To tackle some long overdue emails, to get the dh ready for travelling, cooking up some good wholesome food, finding the time to get back into meditation, and making some time to just hang out with my people

A peek into my day...

Joining in with , The Simple Woman's Daybook

Pop Tarts or Hand Pies....

Breakfast happens early in our house during the week and when I'm at my most efficient, (which doesn't really happen quite as often as it should!) I make sure breakfast is ready the night before so that I don't have to mess around directing the human traffic in my life at the same time as producing eatables.

Pop tarts have been on my list of "must cook" for a long time, and I can finally tick them off the list.

They went down a storm and these will definately be seen again at the breakfast table...

Pop Tarts

Pastry

2 c flour
1tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 tbsp butter
7 tbsp chilled water

In a mixing bowl, sift the flour and mix in the sugar and salt.
Gently rub the butter in with your fingertips till it resembles breadcrumbs then add the chilled water, bringing everything together to form a soft dough & taking care not to overwork the pastry.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to an even thickness and cut into rectangles

On each rectangle place 2tsp of your jam of choice then fold one half of the rectangle over sealing the edges with a little water and crimping them with a fork.

Brush the tops of your pies with some beaten egg and sprinkle with a little sugar... not forgetting to cut a small airhole into the top of each pie.

They may ooze a little during cooking but we love the rustic look in our house

We baked ours in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes but you know they're done when they're slightly tanned on top

It's worth noting that I actually doubled the recipe to make 12 pies so if 12 is too many for you then just halve the amounts given...

And, 3yr old boys are excellent for the sprinkling sugar bit... I advise, if you have one in your life to utilise his sugar sprinkling talents, belive me you won't regret it and he'll be a much jollier fellow for it...

enjoy!

Losing my groove...

Today I feel drained. Not emotionally, but physically..
I knew the week was going to be rough because I started it feeling a little less than my best.

You see I've been dieting for a few months and have lost an amazing 4st in weight... I have a little way yet to go... but I got the balance seriously wrong this week. My diet exercise regime, which was pretty intense but doable while I spent the summer at home has really given me a hammering this week and last and I've used up every last ounce of my energy reserve.

Midweek I had to stop exercising... which put me in a grump! I ususally exercise daily for at least an hour, sometimes a little more. I tried to carry on, figuring the endorphines would kick in and carry me through but it seems they have other ideas this week and are taking a break. Pretty soon after, I stopped being so super frugal on the food front and just concentrated on eating well... body and mind responded well and I realised my balance was seriously out of whack given the huge amount of walking I'm doing everyday and the whole thing needs to be rethought!

Then I came down yesterday with what seems like the cold from hell, so I'm taking it easy and drinking loads of lemon and trying not to respond to anything other than the needs of my sad, overtaxed body.

At some point today the dh came home while I was laying face down and unwilling to move from the coolness of the tiled sitting room floor , walking right past me to collect something from the cabinet... exchange a few words with me... and for the life of me I can't remember what he said or how I might have reponded...and there were a few questions thrown at me about sardines, semolina and floor washing as I recall.... I did rouse myself mometarily to muse that no-one even bothered to ask why mama was face down on the floor sprawled next to the laptop and theyassured me that nothing looked out of the ordinary about it so they carried on regardless.

I have been fed sardines... given some hot lemon to schlurp and I'm feasting on food blogs and thinking that while I'm in no real position to get UP & do I should really turn my attention to the all important budget for October and my list of "want to do's" while the dh is away for most of next month in London...

and in the meantime I devour cooking blogs like they're going out of fashion... seriously

Weekend Reading...

Seriously yummy reading at house to HAUS

a moving story of food and friendship at butter tree

I've seen some yummy plums in our market that would do this recipe some justice

Posie Gets Cosy is an old favourite & has some nice bakeables, the yarny crafty stuff is good to look at too

Remedial Eating is a new and happy find...  and to be honest I could go on and on incessantly but I'll spare you.

I haven't been completely idle.... I have been knitting what I believe to be the Devil's cardigan... a yarn creation that should have been simple enough but of course in my hands it has become a thing of infinate complexity...  it should have been finished this weekend... but IT, being devil spawn I keep looking at it from afar and backing away in horror.

I'm off now to try and start feeling better...

have  some scenes from the week...

Say Cheese!!!

Living in Algeria, I often seem to have more than my fair share of slightly past it's best milk.
Our milk, for the most part comes to us in plastic sachets and it's life span, sitting in front of the shops in crates, in the full glare of the sun isn't that long. Refridgeration doesn't always play a vital role in the life of a scahet of Algerian milk.

This morning the 4 ltrs I had lurking in my fridge turning ever more sour by the minute were transformed into cheese.

It's quick, tasty, pretty non labour intensive and fills a hole, thereby ticking ALOT of the boxes that make me happy. It's a pleasant coincidence that the kids like it too!

 If you fancy giving it a go but need something more well defined in terms of recipe than my harrassed mothers guide to saving rancid cow juice, just google "Farmers Cheese" and you'll be overwhelmed with all the yummy bloggers out there that can really do the thing justice...

Otherwise, here goes....

Put any milk you want to use into a heavyish based saucepan and heat till it comes almost to a boil.
Now, turn off the heat and, a tablespoon at a time add either white vinegar or lemon juice and just stand back and watch the curds and whey do their stuff. If, it doesn't start to seperate right away just add a little more vinegar or lemon juice until it does.

Stir it gently to aid the process, then pour the cheese and whey into a muslin lined colander. If you don't have a muslin... and yes, I have been known to raid the baby's muslin drawer before now... just use a clean tea towel.

Add any flavourings you want now, this week I used fresh thyme, garlic and salt... but other favourites of mine are cut green olives, fresh parsley and garlic and salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Another favourite is to serve it seasoned with salt, and dressed with finely chopped red chilli peppers and a slug of good olive oil.

Leave the cheese to drain until it's cool... then refridgerate.

It's also nice left plain and spread on home made bread with a little jam on top for sweetness at breakfast time.

You don't have to wait for your milk to get scarey before you try this... your cheese wil simply less piquant than mine. And that's fine...especialy if tart is a particularly challenging flavour for your tastebuds.

It's also a great project to do with the children... they'll have loads of fun!