Meat and Egg Croquettes: Guest Post for Yummy Food

It's always a pleasure to be a part of  my blogger friend Lubna Karim's Ramadan projects. Lubna has been hosting Joy from Fasting to Feasting on her lovely blog Yummy Food for the past six years.

Though Ramadan is not about feasting and it is during these 30 days of fasting that we learn to control our nafs, through this event she wants to let the world know how fasting is observed in different countries of the globe and what are the traditional recipes that are usually made during this time of the month. Joy From Fasting To Feasting is in its seventh season this year and I am once again thankful to Lubna to have given me an opportunity to be a part of this wonderful event.

Last year I had shared my Chicken Hand Pies recipe on Lubna's blog . This year I decided to share my recipe for Minced Meat and Egg Croquettes. 

Please head over to Yummy Food to find the recipe along with many other wonderful recipes by Lubna and other bloggers.

#Ramadan and #Eid Card Making Kit Giveaway from Hafsa Creates

Ramadan Mubarak to all my friends across the globe. May this Ramadan be a month of blessings, forgiveness and guidance for all of us.

A few days ago I received this colourful DIY Ramadan and Eid Card Making Kit from the wonderfully creative Hafsa Taher of Hafsa Creates.

 The kit contained:
- 5 blank cards
- 5 envelopes
- pretty patterned ribbons
- patterned paper
- Sentiments: 3 x Ramadan greetings (in English and Arabic) and 3 x Eid greetings
- Lots of of embellishments (stickers and punch outs including butterflies, birds, flowers, etc)

My girls really enjoyed making these these fun and easy Ramadan and Eid cards for our family and friends. All we needed was a glue stick to start.

They decided to decorate the envelopes too. We had a bunch of embellishments left after making all the cards and envelopes which we hope to use for future projects.

You can purchase this Card Making Kit and other lots of other lovely creations on Hafsa's Etsy shop. She is also giving away a free Card Making Kit to one lucky winner.  It can be customised according to your children's age and gender.

The giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. Please enter through the PunchTab widget below

Halal Food Fest Toronto 2014: Event Review

Last weekend was indeed a treat for lovers of halal food as the Halal Food Fest Toronto returned to the International Centre in Mississauga after it's huge success last year.

 I was privileged to get a media pass as well as two VIP tickets for the event which meant that my family and I could enter through the Speakers' Entrance. However, I was glad to see that even though the crowd was huge there were no line ups at the Main Entrance this year.

 As I attended the media walk-through with Salima Jivraj, Founder and Marketing Director of Halal Food Fest, I was informed that there were more than 30,000 attendees last year and the numbers were sure to be much larger this year. With over 150,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor fun, the venue was almost double the size of last year's event with wider aisles and over 200 vendors.

Salima Jivraj, Founder and Marketing Director of Halal Food Fest

Osmow's Grill: Restaurant Review

Over the past few years, shawarma joints have sprung up in every nook and corner of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). I have been to quite a few of them but often find myself going back to my of my old favourites - Osmow's Grill located at 251 Queen St S in the Streetsville area of Mississauga.

Pound Cake with Tre Stelle Ricotta Cheese and a Giveaway

When it comes to cheese, Tre Stelle has always been one of my favourite brands. I had some leftover Tre Stelle Ricotta cheese after making my popular Microwave Kalakand ( Indian Milk Fudge). I  tried this Ricotta Cheese Pound Cake and it turned out to quite moist, tender and delicious.

Low-Fat, Creamy Chicken Curry: My Guest Post for Ainy Cooks

It was indeed an honour for me when Ainy of Ainy Cooks requested me to write a guest post for her lovely blog . I decided to share this Low-fat, Creamy Chicken Curry which has become my go-to recipe for Chicken Curry lately.

Low- fat and creamy might sound like an oxymoron but the fact is that it's indeed possible to attain a rich tasting, smooth gravy without using ingredients like cream, butter, nuts or coconut. This recipe uses low-fat yogurt and caramelised onions for the gravy.The key to attaining the rich taste in this recipe lies in taking the time to caramelise the onions properly while ensuring that they do not get burnt. I prefer to use low-fat yogurt but you can of course, use full fat yogurt for a creamier texture. I add a small amount of cornstarch since low-fat yogurt has a higher tendency of curdling during cooking.

Organic Matcha Green Tea: Review and Giveaway

Unlike most people in my family I have never been a lover of any kind of tea, whether black, green, white or herbal. I have heard a lot about the benefits of drinking green tea but still find it hard to bring myself to drink it on a regular basis. Recently, I came to know about Organic Matcha Green Tea which can be used in a wide variety of culinary creations, from smoothies and baked goods to pastas and curries, instead of being consumed simply as a bitter beverage. Not only that, it contains 137 times the antioxidants found in a cup of brewed green tea . I became curious to learn more about it.