Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Butter

• 300g self-rising flour
• 500ml milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 60g melted butter
• Extra Melted butter to grease and cook
• Maple syrup, to serve

1. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the milk, sugar and eggs in a separate bowl.
3. Now add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, whisk constantly until a smooth batter is formed.
4. Now add melted butter gradually in the batter and keep stirring.
5. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
7. Grease with the extra melted butter
8. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the heated pan and quickly move the pan in round direction to form a 15cm-diameter pancake.
9. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface of pancake and it starts getting golden underneath.
10. Turn and cook for 2 minutes until golden.
11. Make about 10 pancakes repeating same process
12. Place all pancakes on serving plates.
13. Pour maple syrup and butter on the top of the pancakes.

Acquainting kids with Ramadan

This holy and sacred month of Ramadan affects the life of Muslims all across the world.  Ramadan is full of blessings, hence every Muslim try to take benefit of it in order to adorn their after life with good deeds. In today’s busy life, Ramadan for kids stands as a pleasant reminder of Muslim traditions. Importance of Ramadan for kids is not only based on religious reasons but also because it brings a pleasant change in their social life. It gives them a chance to meet up and eat together with their friends and extended family following the Muslim mode of life.

It is very necessary for the parents to acquaint their kids with the real essence of blessed Ramadan and to teach the importance of Ramadan for kids. InRamadan for kids whole charm lies in waking up in the middle of night to eat sehri and then a large variety of delicious dishes to eat in the evening for aftari. The responsibility falls on elders to make kids aware of the purpose of fasting. Ramadan for kids means whole family sitting together and eating a large variety of dishes. Kids have a very inquisitive mind which is filled with several questions regarding fasting. Parents must address those questions first then make them observe fast. It is not correct to enforce fasting on them but prepare them psychologically so that when they reach to age of 12, which according to Islam is the right age of fasting, they realize the importance of Ramadan and observe fasting willfully not forcefully.

Fasting gives them a feeling of being grown up. They proudly share with their friends and cousins that how many fasts they observed in the month of Ramadan. Ramadan for kids is also like a competition with their siblings or friends. Making their favorite dishes for aftari serves as a token of encouragement and appraisal as well. In the month of Ramadan, inviting their friends for aftari is also an endeavor that would encourage them. In Ramadan, parents or grand parents should keep telling small religious stories to kids so that they get to know teachings of Islam. Reciting Quran-e-Kareem and going to mosque for Tarawee with their elders also teach them about Islamic teachings.

Finally Eid-ul-Fitr is the biggest reward of all for Muslims. Kids also wait for Eid and observe fast in order to get more eidi and new clothes. Kids get attracted very easily. It is the responsibility of elders to tell them about Islamic teachings through reward system as it is the exactly same way which Allah has chosen to make us choose the right path. Parents can make Ramadan for kids’ pleasantly spiritual experience.

Deal With Dehydration during Ramadan

Ramadan brings a bundle of blessed fruits and foodsfor Pakistanis. For a person fasting in Ramadan here is a wide range of healthy meal available to keep him healthy and active for day long fasting. But, there are many a men who get dehydrated as the half fast passes away. Here are given some simple but useful tips to deal with dehydration during Ramadan. Follow them at iftar and sahari time and combat your dietneeds.

Never skip sahari:
Sahari is the most important time for person wishing to fast in Ramadan. It is the time when you can do best for your body to keep it efficient.

Some people have wrong faith to skip sahari and eat huge meal in night before sleeping. They think the meal consumed will save them whole day and keep them working and walking. The fact here is that during sleep half of our brain keeps working and utilizes energy reserved in our body, so by the time we wake up in morning we are already hollow.

Make a habit to get up in sahari and have proper sahari meal. By doing so you will get sufficient electrolytes and vitamins that will work for your body till aftar time. Moreover, in this way you will follow sunnah as well.

Meal for sahari time:
Take about two glasses of fresh water when you wake up in sahari. It regulates blood in body and provides sufficient amount of oxygen to beat dehydration. Then have healthy sahari meal. before fajar prayer again have two glasses of fresh or luke warm water. This good intake of water deals with dehydration during Ramadan.

Healthy aftar meal:
No one can stop hand from grabbing a hot samosa and dipping it in heavy sauce, eating mouthful of pakoras and gulping frizzy drinks in a breath. Healthy aftar meal does a lot for combating dehydration.
Always intake soft drinks at aftar time and that in small sips so it may not attack your kidneys direct. But the best to be taken immediate after aftar is hot lemon tea, green tea, or any sort of hot drink. It relieves thirst and has healthy impact on digestion system.

Intake fluid after aftar:
Take 1 glass of fresh water, any fresh juice or milk after about half hour of aftar and then keep on drinking 1 glass of fresh water after each 1 hour. This is the best and easiest way to deal with dehydration during Ramadan.

Creamy Cold Coffee

Ingredients:

• Coffee 2 tspn
• Sugar 2tspn
• Chocolate Ice Cream
• Ice cubes
• Milk 1 cup

Method:

1. Heat 2 spoons water in over and add coffee andsugar in it and beat well.
2. Pour the mixture in the blender with ice cubes and blend until the coffee changes the color to creamy beige.
3. Add a cup of milk and chocolate ice cream and beat again.
4. Pour the coffee in two cups garnish with cream and crushed chocolate.

How to Grow a Decorative Vegetable Garden

Plan a garden that is both functional and that adds beauty to your landscape design. Your home garden is best place to grow vegetables. By this you can get home growing vegetables as well as an attractivehome garden.

Pakistan home gardens are very popular, mostly people have their own landscape, they have gardens and lawns in their home, Pakistani home vegetable gardens give benefits of home grown vegetables to their residence and they can design very well by following these easy steps. 

Set out special areas of your garden to display your decorative vegetables:

1st of all, make a mind that which area of your garden you will reserve for vegetables. Don’t try to choose a hidden area for growing vegetables in your home garden. As it doesn’t look awkward in current era. The best place for the home garden is a corner of the property that's visible from both the house and the end of the driveway. 

Select suitable vegetables:

After selecting suitable place for growing vegetables, it is time to decide which vegetable will be better. Those vegetables will be better which can grow easily. Like tomato, cabbage. Cabbage plant have beautiful flower, and tomato have beautiful red look.
There are many other vegetables too which you can grow easily in your home garden.

Add in some herbs:

Consider adding in some herbs for color and contrast around the edges or in between the decorative vegetables. Add some herb plants to give an attractive look to your home vegetable garden. 

Try including edible flowers in your garden:

The edible flowers will enhance the beauty of your garden & will give special look. 

Change the look yearly:

Some vegetables grow yearly, so you have to change your home garden look yearly. Change the vegetables, and grow them on different location. Change the layout look yearly. 

Change the look seasonally, too:

Some vegetables grow with season to season, like ladyfinger comes in summer, so you have to change your home garden look seasonally too. Cultivate the seeds of seasonally grown vegetables.

Create permanent structure in your garden:

Consider the plot size and the types of vegetables you want to plant. If a small area is unavailable, don't forget that vegetables can be grown in a window box or small pot.
If you have lawn or children play area around your home vegetable garden, then do special care. If you want to decorate your vegetable garden with Garden statuary, fountains, sundials, and other ornaments then do it in limit. 

Maintain the garden:

Maintenance of any thing plays a big role in the success of that project. Maintain your home vegetable garden by doing day to day effort. Keep it neat & clean. Spray thoroughly. Be sure to remove all weeds and debris from the garden area before planting. Use gardening tools to loosen the soil so the roots can expand and grow.

Plant vegetables in an attractive layout:

For attractive layout of your home vegetable garden, use a splash of paint on your walls so that you can further enhance the design of your home garden. No matter how beautiful your home garden may turn out, it will not look attractive if you have a dull and worn out wall in the background.

.salty lassi

Ingredients:
1 cup Yogurt -(low fat is ok)
sum water to dilute the yogurt
4-7 tsps sugar (or to taste)
14 ice cubes

blend it all together till frothy..
Garnish with mint....optional :)

hardly takes 5mins to make this :)

ok now what are you looking at ..hurry up and make this - and then browse thru foodi with a nice chilled glass of lassi :)

hurry up :) muaah!

frothy coffee

1 tsp instant coffee
2-3 tsps of Sugar (or to taste)
sum evaporated milk

Use a frother and froth the above three ingredients..
add boiling water..but don't use the frother..as it will make the coffee cold ..

Use ur heart or any shape stencil and with a strainer sprinkle coffee over it.

enjoy :)