taskeenspiration

Why I could'nt get a takeaway cup of coffee in Rome…and what happened after

I just heard a news feature on the radio this morning about coffee culture in Italy which reminded me of an incredible experience I had in Rome whilst on a business trip there a few years ago.

Working in Rome has been filled with many little, yet impactful experiences just like this, so it was a pleasure to have this memory pop into in my mind this morning and I couldn’t wait to share it.

It was early evening, after a long days work at the office and I was tired and wanted to grab a quick cuppa before heading back to my hotel. I popped into a nearby cafe/restaurant intending to do just that and asked for a take away cappuccino. However the answer I received and what happened after that was totally unexpected – and a complete eye opener into Italian culture – and myself too. I guess I should have known – coffee can do that!

The waiter explained to me patiently that actually they did not have any take away cups which was really surprising to me. Surely they must cater for this very common need was what I was thinking and so I asked “Well, how come?” He smiled and said to me in a calming, encouraging tone:

“Because coffee you must sit and enjoy. Come, just take a seat here, I will bring your coffee to you. ” 

At first I was annoyed (Coming from England and in my mind was my mantra “Every self respecting restaurant knows that they should….x,yz!”) but something told me to let go and see where this goes. So I sat down and waited for my coffee.

That’s when I started to look around me and for the first time observe where I actually was, who were the  people here sitting at other tables. I remembered I had my travel notebook with me and excitedly took it out and started writing. I realised then that this was actually turning into a great idea. I could catch up with my writing which I was meaning to but wasn’t finding the time to. I could enjoy cappuccino from a real cup, not a paper throw-away version. And how nice to be served and taken care of – even for a little while.

That simple encounter taught me some valuable lessons – number one : to slow down. (not so easy for Miss Multitasker  Extraordinaire, with five to do lists and 50 unread emails to respond to at any given point!) But this was exactly the lesson I needed to learn at that very moment. The world is not going to crash if I take fifteen minutes of time-out to revive myself and enjoy a simple pleasure. Alhamdulillah what a surprising little occasion that has remained with me for life.

Oh and cappuccino in Italy is like no other. You can never be disappointed. Not even with the machine ones at the office! And they always have “decaffeinato” as an option (not to be underestimated as I later learnt as it’s not always available,  for example in Turkey!)

Grateful for the little things, one cappuccino at a time,
Muslimah by Design
MbyD

Salted caramel Heaven

My latest favourite flavour is salted caramel- but served with chocolate (in the form of cake, dark chocolate, dessert).  I love how the sweetness from the caramel is cut by the sprinkle of salt- and it’s even better if there are little granules of salt dancing around on your tongue in the end – a real treat of flavours for me!

However I find that not many places that sell this yummy delicacy  get the balance just right – it’s sometimes too sweet and lacking the essential saltiness that is promised. It ain’t salted caramel if it ain’t got salt! I am always on the hunt for *real* salted caramel and so when I came across this recipe online I instantly decided to try it. It was not one of those that you make a mental note of trying “one day”. I kept an open tab opened in my browser (a sure way to motivate me to take action – open tabs mean open actions and I love getting things done so this was a good approach!)

Anyway, the recipe was fairly easy, the only real tricky bit being the salted caramel sauce – which can easily sieze up or burn or stick! But fortunately this turned out great and so the baking was a success. The taste even better!

  Dark Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cookies

I used rock salt (with large granules as I wanted to feel the crunch when you bite into a cookie) but what I learn though is that fairly quickly, the salt dissolves and though the caramel does soak it up (and is not as sickly sweet), you do miss the crunchy salt that is promised! So I quickly fixed it by sprinkling more rock salt over before serving. Salted caramel is saved. But I do understand now what happens when you buy salted caramel goodies from a store- it’s natural that the salt is absorbed and it’s not always so easy to fix, so they are forgiven!

Meanwhile I am in salted caramel heaven as I tried other recipes with my salted caramel sauce. I  gave a traditional Turkish dessert – sutlac (rice pudding) a facelift with my delicious sauce. Stay tuned for more!

Baking like a hero,
M4Life

Posh veggies for dinner



I love watching cooking shows and I often hear certain phrases or ingredients that seem to stick in my mind, especially when the contestants describe their scrummy looking dishes with vivid vocabularly!

One such example is a description of a dish where it is served  “… on a bed of celeriac purée ..” Just sounds so exotic! I guess I must talk about it a lot too- as the other day the hubby went out to the store (sorry not the local market…this time) and brought me a medium sized sandy little vegetable and proudly presented it to me as “celeriac as you hear your favourite posh people make!”  (he’s so embarrassing!)
 
Celeriac Two Ways

Nonetheless, I was intrigued and so I googled some ideas and found two great recipes to make that day for dinner. I even made a little for my baby as mash (the celeriac puree!) as it’s texture lends itself to lovely and smooth for little mouths 🙂

 
So here is my recipe for celeriac two ways… quite yummy and works great as a side.
 
Posted recipe on @halaalrecipes 
#whatsfordinner  #celeriac #masterchef 
 
Creating in the kitchen,
M4life

"Do I prioritise connecting with Allah(SWT) over everything in my life?"


​Stop Lying to Yourself about what matters!

I listened to an interesting talk last night by Mirza Yawar Baig (“Fajr Reminders” which covered the topic of time management. More specifically, how we make time for physical, emotional, spiritual and social aspects of our lives.  If we have to prioritise activities for each of these every day, which one would automatically be number one?  As Muslims, obviously, we answer spiritual should be first but how often is that really true. Do our words really transform into action?


‘For me, I have set myself a goal to complete some online quraan tafseer.  Yet, I still find myself putting it off for the last few days. 

So I have to ask myself, am I really treating the spiritual dimension in my life as a priority?

Ironically, although we give less priority to this spiritual aspect, it is the one thing that will help us achieve all other aspects.  For example taking time to start the day with Quran recitation may feel like it’s delaying you from starting your tasks for the day but actually that time will give you so much more barakah – in your time, mindset, abilities, etc.

When we talk about the spiritual dimension, we might think its all up in the air and not very tangible. But what it really is, is our connection with Allah (SWT).  So now ask yourself – “Do I prioritise connecting with Allah(SWT) over everything in my life?”

In order to keep ourselves on the straight path we need to be, first and foremost, honest with ourselves as to where we are right now with regards to our connection with Allah (SWT) and what we are going to do to improve that connection.

Polishing the priorities, Inshallah
M4Life

God's Cake – so true!!

God’s cake…
This is one of the best I’ve ever read as an explanation

Sometimes we wonder, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ or ‘Why did God have to do this to me?’ Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she’s failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, ‘Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.’

“Here, have some cooking oil”, her Mother offers.
“Yuck”, says her daughter.
“How about a couple of raw eggs?” “Gross, Mom!”
“Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?”
“Mom, those are all yucky!”
To which the mother replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!”

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

🙂

The Rules for Being Human

The Rules for Being Human from

safeeyah | 2009-10-04 15:35:14

 

When you were born, you didn’t come with an owner’s manual; these guidelines make life work better.

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s the only thing you are sure to keep for the rest of your life.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full- time informal school called “Life on Planet Earth”. Every person or incident is the Universal Teacher.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation. “Failures” are as much a part of the process as “success.”

4. A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented to you in various forms until you learn it: then you can go on to the next lesson.

5. If you don’t learn easy lessons, they get harder. External problems are a precise reflection of your internal state. W hen you clear inner obstructions, your outside world changes. Pain is how the universe gets your attention.

6. You will know you’ve learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is practice. A little of something is better than a lot of nothing.

7. “There” is no better than “here”. When your “there” becomes a “here” you will simply obtain another “there” that again looks better than “here.”

8. Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate in yourself.

9. Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting. Take charge of your life, or someone else will.

10. You always get what you want. Your subconscious rightfully determines what energies, experiences, and people you attract; therefore, the only foolproof way to know what you want is to see what you have. There are no victi ms, only students.

11. There is no right or wrong, but there are consequences. Moralizing doesn’t help. Judgments only hold the patterns in place. Just do your best.

12. Your answers lie inside you. Children need guidance from others; as we mature, we trust our hearts, where the Laws of Spirit are written. You know more than you have heard or read or been told. All you need to do is to look, listen, and trust.

13. You will forget all this.

14. You can remember any time you wish
 
M4LIFE
🙂

Cool survey

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night?
my sister sumayya

2. What were you doing at 0800?
getting into the car

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
eating breakfast while working

4. What happened to you in 2006?
i got my dream job

5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
stand your ground

6. How many beverages did you have today?
water, tea
7. What colour is your hairbrush?
dont have one, keep borrowing from my family

8. What was the last thing you paid for?
my brekkie this morning

9. Where were you last night?
at home

10. What colour is your front door?
currently tecnhically homeless

11. Where do you keep your change?
in my wallet

12. What’s the weather like today?
dull, windy

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavour?
anything mixed like choc, caramel, biscuits

14. What excites you?
success

15. Do you want to cut your hair?
nope, trim is fine

16. Are you over the age of 25?
yip 😦

17. Do you talk a lot?
ya, i like to have my say

18. Do you watch the O.C.?
?

19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
ya, guy at work

20. Do you make up your own words?
yes love to , like the word “nid” – an iritating person

21. Are you a jealous person?
oh yes

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’
amani, my best friends baby

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’
k

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?
home, my hubby

25. What does the last text message you received say
must i charge her higher

26. Do you chew on your straw?
sometimes

27. Do you have curly hair?
nope

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
IA uk

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
my boss

30. What was the last thing you ate?
all bran flakes (boring i know)

31. Will you get married in the future?
well i am now, so hopefully not!

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?
dont watch much movies but brick lane was cool

33. Is there anyone you like right now?
my hubby 🙂

34. When was the last time you did the dishes?
weeks ago, living with parents and 2 domestics helps!

35. Are you currently depressed?
ya, boss

36. Did you cry today?
yes, kinda wierd, didnt realise it was bottled up inside

37. Why did you answer and post this?
lurve these things!

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey.
zaaks, mo, salma, dunno who else