Lamb Stew

3 carrots peeled and sliced into small peices

3 handfuls of small finger size potatoes cut in half

1 onion fine chopped

1 bulb of garlic peeled and choppe

3 stalks of celery chopped

Leftover roasted lamb chopped

1 tablespoons olive oil in sauce pan heat add chopped vegetables and meat sauté 5 minutes then add .

Salt and pepper to taste.

1 quart of stock note* I saved the liquid from the roast and used it and added 2 cups of water

Boil until vegetables are tender

3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 cup cold water

Add to stew and cook 5 more minutes then turn off and serve hot with bread or biscuits .

Note* you can use roasted beef in place of lamb or roasted chicken it’s a good way to use leftover roasted meat

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Harsha (Moroccan Semolina Bread ) Double recipe

3 cups Semolina flour find grind (11/2 cups for single recipe)

1/2 teaspoon salt (1/4 teaspoons salt single recipe)

2 teaspoon baking powder (1 teaspoon baking powder single recipe)

Mix dry ingredients together until well blended

4 tablespoons of honey ( 2 tablespoons honey single recipe)

8 tablespoons melted butter (4 tablespoons melted butter)

Mix the butter and honey into the flour mixture until it looks like wet sand then add in the milk

1 3/4 cups milk to 2 cups depending on how the batter is ,(3/4-1 cup milk for single recipe)

Batter will be a bit wet set a timer and let sit for 5 minutes then shape into round shapes using a biscuit cutter to mold make a ball then flatten in the biscuit cutter I flatten on aluminum foil or waxed paper

Heat pan on stove to medium high then turn down to medium cook each side for five minutes

Serve hot with butter, honey, jam , cream cheese or serve savory with Moroccan olives and scrambled eggs seasoned with cumin and salt can add pepper if you want .

Can make a double batch and cool down they freeze great to freeze place on wax paper on a cookie sheet and freeze then place in a freezer bag .

To reheat use oven or microwave until hot . Goes great with Moroccan mint tea and coffee

Things I have learned from exclusive pumping Part 1

This post is long over due I am writing about my personal experience as a exclusive pumping mom and let’s start at the beginning in the beginning it’s hard and overwhelming and you have very sore nipples. My journey was hard and fought with some problems , the first being a premature baby who’s mouth was too small to latch on so I pumped every time I feed her day and night and I drank lots of water and electrolytes as well as eating enough calories and carbohydrates as well as protein then I would pump for about 30/45 minutes depending on how full my breasts felt .

The most important thing to remember about pumping is effective removal of milk equals more milk

The number one rule removal of milk equals more milk

A good pump schedule is a must when baby was first born I pumped every time she ate for the first 4 months here’s a sample of a pumping schedule

Sample exclusive pumping schedule

I had more milk then my baby would eat because I had a oversupply which isn’t as fun as it sounds because I was very prone to clogged ducts and mastitis so I had to frequently pump and take horse size pills of sunflower lecithin to help thin the fat so it didn’t stick and cause problem .

Power pumping is your friend if you feel like your breasts aren’t emptying it can also help increase your supply too if you feel you need more milk.

Cluster pumping mimics how babies cluster feed it’s good to cluster pump around when your baby is cluster feeding below cluster pumping is explained .

Cluster pumping mimics cluster feeding

Here’s a important note pace feeding is a must for babies eating breastmilk in a bottle I’ve attached pace feeding information

Pace feeding explained

Pace feeding

Flange sizing explained

Examples of too small just right and too big

When to change pumping parts when they wear out if exclusive pumping it’s more often than occasional pumping or part time pumping

How big babies stomach is in pictures

Normal pumping amounts per pumping session

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

12 tomatoes 5 giant ones the rest small

2 bulbs of garlic peeled and crushed up

1 white sweet onion chopped

Sweet basil 1 bunch

Oregano 1 bunch

Marjoram 1 bunch

1 cup mushrooms chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Place in saucepan and cover with water bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until everything is mushy remove from heat add salt and pepper to taste . Remove herb stems and cool down then run through a blender and serve with pasta or can use as pizza sauce

I cooked my sauce for about two hours

Sauce before blending

Sauce after running through a blender

Miscarriages and pregnancy loss a poem:

Whether you lost your baby at 6 weeks.

Whether you lost your baby at 12 weeks.

Whether you lost your baby at 16 weeks.

Whether you lost your baby at 20 weeks.

Whether it is your first loss.

Whether it is your second loss.

Whether it is your third loss.

Whether is is your fourth loss.

Whether you have not had a child.

Whether you already have a child.

Whether you have two children.

Whether you have three children or more.

Whether you lost your baby in your teens.

Whether you lost your baby in your twenties.

Whether you lost your baby in your thirties.

Whether you lost your baby in your forties.

Whether you lost your baby through ivf.

Whether you lost your baby through unplanned pregnancy.

Whether you lost your baby through planned pregnancy.

Whether you lost your baby through surrogacy.

Your pregnancy loss matters.

Your grief matters.

Your tears matter.

You matter.

#iam1in4 #pregnancyloss #miscarriage

Easy fridge Pickles

These are spicy dills and they are not sweet. So adjust spices to your liking. We use regular cucumbers. They are great on hamburgers and sandwiches or just to eat out of the jar. Once the jar is empty, add more cucumbers to the pickle brine that way you can get a few uses out of the vinegar and spices. I made 3 quarts last weekend and we’ve already emptied one jar.

3-4 Cucumbers
4 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tbsp dill weed
2 crumbled bay leaves
2tbsp dill seed
2 Tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic per jar

Slice cucumbers into 1/4 inch slices or spears.

Brine: combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and swirl to make sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Add cucumbers to jars. Do not pack them super tight. You want room for the brine.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add 2 tbsp to each jar. Add 1 tbsp garlic each jar. Finish by adding enough brine to cover the cucumbers. Seal with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator for at least one week. We actually start eating them after 24 hrs. Pickles should be good for at least 6-8weeks keep refrigerated .

Can use cucumbers, tomatoes, or hot peppers .

Baked Vegetables

1 large zucchini sliced in circles

5 big sweet meat eater tomatoes sliced

2 onions slice

3 bulbs of garlic peeled then cut into half

1/2 cup olive oil place zucchini in bowl coat with oil

In baking dish I used a rectangle one oil bottom and sides with some of the olive oil

Make rows of zucchini, onion and tomatoes then take chopped garlic and sprinkle between the rows I got 3 rows then take bowl that you tossed the zucchini with oil using a rubber spatula scrape remaining oil over vegetables then salt to taste can use pepper if you want to

Bake in oven 375 for half a hour Serve hot enjoy

Old School Muffins

Blueberry sugar free muffins

Dry ingredients

All purpose flour 2 1/4 cups * see note

Baking powder 2 teaspoon

Baking soda 1 teaspoon

Salt 1/4 teaspoon

Combine all dry ingredients together and set aside.

Wet ingredients

Sugar 1/2 cup * I replace the sugar with apple sauce 1/2 cup

Oil 1/2 cup * I replace the oil with 1/2 cup of apple sauce if I feel like it

Eggs* 2 large if they are small I use 3

Yogurt 1 cup unless dairy free then replace with apple sauce*

Bits and pieces 1-2 cups mix with dry before mixing into wet

Mix wet together then fold in dry .

Bake in muffin tins at 375F for 18-20 minutes

Yields 12 standard Muffins or 24 mini Muffins

Note* yogurt can be replaced with mashed banana , nut butters depending on which kind of Muffins you are making

Note* if egg free replace egg with
Replacement: 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds and 3 tablespoons of water = 1 large egg

Note* I use oatmeal rolled old fashioned 1 cup in a blender until it’s fine like flour . I use 1/4 cup flaxseeds ground in blender and bran flakes 1/4 cup and I use wheat flour instead of white flour

Bits and pieces can be dried fruits , Chocolate chips , nuts ect

Baghrir Made With Sourdough Starter

1 cup active bubbly sourdough starter

https://iamhomesteader.com/sourdough-starter/
Bubbly sourdough starter
I used this recipe to start my sourdough starter

1 1/2 cups semolina flour

Pinch of salt

1 to 1 &1/2 cups warm water enough to make soupy batter

Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend on high for 3 minutes then let sit for 15/25 minutes until doubles in size then cook in hot nonstick pan until bubbles pop and it’s dry

Baghrir mixture is soupy thick and bubbly mix before cooking

Cooking has bubbles that pop when done

Cooked baghrir

Baghrir

Serve hot with a mixture of honey and butter melted together or honey and olive oil melted together

Millwee

1 cup semolina flour

1 cup white flour

1 teaspoon salt* if watching sodium intake omit the salt

1 cup warm water

Butter 1 stick soften

Olive oil 1/2 cup to pour over soften butter

Olive oil as needed for coating hands and dough

Place the flour and salt in a kitchen aide mixer mix with your hand until combined make a well in flour and add water then using a dough hook mix until blended then beat on high for 15 minutes once throughly mixed take dough out and oil well and let sit for 15 minutes then divide into ball I do 6 for this recipe coat balls in oil let rest for 15 minutes then take one ball oil hands well and surface your working on .

Note you can mix this by hand it just tires the arms and takes a while longer you mix the liquid into the flour then knead it for 15 minutes

Using hands and some of the oil and butter flatten and stretch thinly without breaking once thin rub butter and oil onto it sprinkle with a bit of semolina flour and fold into thirds thin roll into round rolls and stretch the ends and tuck into the center then set aside after you oil it , repeat until done.

Note some people just fold and make square instead of rolling into tubes and flattening either way is fine I’ll post pictures of both

To cook use a cast iron pan or if you have a Moroccan bread pan for stove top cooking use that a griddle will also work.

Heat over medium heat pan is hot enough when a few small drops of water dance and disappears

If doing the round kind flatten to about 1/4 thick cook until golden brown on one side flip and cook until golden brown

Ways to serve

Serve hot with tea can put jelly on it ,

Serve as base for marshooes the chicken recipe tear into small pieces https://diaryofarevertmuslimah.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/marshooes/

Can store in freezer and reheat later if doing this make sure they are completely cooled down and place waxed paper between the breads then wrap in plastic wrap and place in gallon size zipper freeze bag and freeze

To thaw take out and place on counter once thawed can warm on stove top or oven

Note there’s a variation to this recipe where you add 1 teaspoon yeast and follow the same directions

Folded into thirds before rolling

Round roll