~Forgiveness~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters...
(and whoever else may be lurking about my blog)

Insh'Allah this finds all of you ladies in the highest imaan and good health.  Alhamdulillah everyone here is doing well.  Keeping busy, recovering from colds and all of those fun things that come around this time of year.  I've been seriously considering purchasing one of those French Press coffee pots, do any of you ladies have any experience with those?  I've heard the coffee tastes amazing, and they just look so fancy and elegant that I've always wanted one.

Anyways, I digress...this post is NOT just about coffee.  (I can hear the sighs of relief)

This post will be brief, to the point, just a quick reminder for all of my sisters (and lurkers) out there....and of course for myself.

I wanted to chat a bit about forgiveness. 

I can remember before converting to Islam, seeing people on the TV whose loved one had been badly hurt, or killed by someone speaking to the press about how through forgiveness they were able to move on with their life and I would think to myself  "They're CRAZY!"  First of all, how could you forgive someone for something like this, and second of all....how does forgiveness have ANYTHING to do with moving on in your life?

Well...I didn't have something quite THAT bad happen to me.  Alhamdulillah no one in my family was killed or anything by anyone else, but I personally was badly hurt by someone close to me a couple of years back.  And when I say hurt I mean kicked in the gut, doubled over on the ground, sobbing kind of hurt.  I mean the not wanting to get up in the morning, forgetting to brush your hair, not wanting to eat kind of hurt.  In short...I was a MESS.

In time, I was confronted with the choice of forgiving this person, or keeping my heart hard toward them and hating them forever.  I prayed A LOT.  I made TONS of du'a.  I fasted, I attended the masjid, I made dhikr....and I prayed some more. 

And eventually...I forgave them.  I don't think it was even a conscious decision I made.  I honestly think it was a change that Allah swt made in my heart for me.  He knew what was best for me (as He always does) and He emptied my heart of the rock that had formed there, and replaced it with forgiveness.

The funny thing is...sometimes it's the actual moving on part that is even harder than the forgiveness.  You see, if you turn to Allah swt HE will take care of the forgiveness...and of course He helps you with the moving on too....but that's something you have to keep trying at.  Every.  Single.  Day.

Alhamdulillah, it's taken time.  There have been ups and downs.  Lots of tears.  Sleepless nights.  And many days I asked myself if I made the right decision.  But that doubt in my decision only lasted until I realized that it wasn't a decision I had made, it was a path that Allah swt had chosen for me.

So you see ladies (and lurkers) forgiveness takes a long time.  A lot of patience, and tons of prayer.  But in the end....

Alhamdulillah it's worth it.

Ma'Salaama and Remember:
"Those who control their anger and are forgiving towards people; Allah loves the good." (Qur'an, 3: 134)

Forgivingly Yours,
The (Insh'Allah I too will be forgiven one day) Mujahada in Prada

~What to say....what to say....~

aSalaam uAlaikum waRamtuallahi waBarakatu!

Good evening my Stylish Sisters!  It is about midnight here in Southern California, and despite the fact that it is barely the 8th of January, it has been sunny and warm for the past few days.  Before I forget....

Alhamdulillah, so far this year has been good.  Unfortunately both of my princesses and I caught some kind of a virus while we were traveling over the Christmas holidays and it's clinging on to us for dear life.  It's been tough because my oldest daughter, who is three, has never ever ever ever ever been sick in her entire life, and my youngest (who is still a baby) now seems to be making up for all of those missed sicknesses for her older sister.  *sad face*  Ahhhhh well, that's the way it goes.  Alhamdulillah it's nothing worse.

Anywho, I struggled for a while to decide what I should chat about for my first 2012 blog post.  At first I was considering a post about New Years Resolutions (to be more patient with my daughters, and to get back down to the weight I was when I met the hubster), or the latest fashion trends (Owls- LOVE, Skinny Jeans- OVER THEM!), or my most recent home improvement projects (trying to make more room magically appear for all of my daughter's toys) but I've already talked about all of that, so instead I've decided to tell you about the super fun time I had last night baking with Princess Curly Q. 

As I've said before, Princess Curly Q is three years old, a lover of tutu's, a hater of jeans (they FRUSTRATE me, Mama!) and THE most creative little three year old genius I know.  (Yes, I have to say that....I'm her Mum)  Like me, she loves to cook, loves to clean, loves to bake, yet somehow manages to still maintain the most un-domesticated attitude.  Hehehe.  It's quite hilarious actually.

After being stuck in the apartment for a week with a raging fever, she decided yesterday (after her fever broke) that to finally bring in the New Year, we should bake cookies.  And, being the cookie lover that I am (there goes New Years Resolution #2) I of course agreed.  We pulled out an ancient recipe that was my grandmother's, for Peanut Blossoms, and got to work.

Peanut Blossoms are actually just little slightly Peanut Buttery tasting cookies that have a chocolate kiss in the middle.  In case you've never seen these culinary masterpieces, you can find a recipe HERE.

Well, we got through adding all of the ingredients without her insisting on changing the recipe (which happens a LOT when making anything with this girl)....until she decided the normal Peanut Blossom color was just too boring. 

So she decided on creating this lovely Teal Green color....

See how pretty that color looked all rolled up in the shimmering sugar coating??

We also decided to use dark chocolate kisses, instead of the normal milk chocolate, because I am a HUGE dark chocolate lover...and really, those little purple wrappers are just so much prettier than the regular old silver ones!

So...the first few out of the oven looked like this:

Other than the odd coloring, they look pretty normal.  Which was NOT satisfying for the Princess...who then decided that the kisses looked like beaks, and we should start making them look like birds.   And here are our final Peanut Blossom Kiwi Bird Cookies......

We had so much fun....she even cracked the eggs herself, and we haven't run across any eggshells in the cookies yet!  I swear this girl is a Mini Martha Stewart.  I can't think of any way I would have rather rung in the New Year (even if it WAS a week late).

Ma'Salaama and Happy New Year!!!!

Fashionably Yours,

The (okay, now I'm REALLY going to start my diet!) Mujahada in Prada

~Remember Her 70 Excuses~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters...

This will be a quick, happy post to let everyone know (who may not know already) that Aisha Khan has been found.  She returned to her parent's house safe and sound this evening.

Although it is easy to get annoyed, or frustrated that after all of this effort and worry was for naught, we must ultimately be thankful that she returned home of her own free will, instead of the alternative.

We must also remember that we do not know the circumstances surrounding her choice to "get away" for a few days, there may be issues in her life that we are unfamiliar with. 

Most importantly we need to remember that she is our sister in Islam and deserves her 70 excuses.

Alhamdulillah she is back home, and insh'Allah whatever caused her to disappear can be resolved with the understanding and patience of her family and the mercy of Allah swt.

Ma'Salaama and Thanks to Everyone Who Helped.

Thankfully Yours,
The (relieved) Mujahada in Prada

~Find Aisha Khan~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters...

Tonight I am writing you with fear and dread in my heart, begging you to assist in any way possible to help raise awareness for a situation of a missing young Muslim lady from Kansas.

In short, Aisha Khan...a 19 year old student at University of Kansas, who has been married only three short months, went missing this past Friday, December 16th.  (Read the whole story here) She was sitting at a picnic table on the campus of her school, studying for a final, when she called and left her sister a panic-stricken voice mail telling her that a man who she thought was drunk had started harassing her and tried to kiss her.  She said that she slapped him out of reflex but was extremely confused and terrified about the incident.

When her sister called her back she never answered.  And she has been missing ever since.

Sisters....this is our sister in Islam.  Other followers who may not be Muslim, this is our sister in humanity.  We would never want this type of situation to happen to ourselves or any one of our family members or friends.  We as women, as Muslimahs, as sisters in humanity need to join together to do everything in our power to help bring this young woman home to her family.

Please, keep her family in your du'a, your prayers, your thoughts.  Please make your FB profile picture her missing poster, "like" the FB page dedicated to finding her,  print the poster below out and hand them out, contact any relatives who may live in the University of Kansas area, and contact (816) 474-TIPS if you have any information.

Jazzak Allahu Khairun and Thank You.

Ma'Salaama and Help Find Aisha insh'Allah!

Apprehensively Yours,

The (scared beyond words) Mujahada in Prada

~An All American Boycott~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

Please forgive me for my lack of pleasantries and usual bantering on about tea, or coffee or such, but tonight I have something real, and discouraging, and downright depressing on my mind.

I'm talking about the withdrawel of Lowe's home improvement store's advertisements from the show 'All American Muslim'. Now, I KNOW some of you don't like the show, don't approve of the show, think it's disgusting, immoral, haraam, or whatever. I get it, and I will keep my own opinions to myself to prevent any fitna between myself and my sisters....BUT your opinions about the show are insignificant right now because we are facing only what can be called a media-enforced hate crime.

For those of you unfamiliar with what I am talking about, 'All American Muslim' is a show running here in the United States that follows five different Muslim families living in the Dearborn, Michigan area and shows their normal everyday lives. Lowe's used to be one of the major companies advertising during the time slot that 'All American Muslim' showed every Sunday, until recently a group of bigoted, right wing, hate mongers contacted Lowe's urging them to withdraw their advertisements.

And....surprise, surprise. They did withdraw their advertisements.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the First Amendment was a freedom of religion, speech, and media. I understand that it is totally up to Lowe's to decide when and where they should advertise, but to me it is very depressing that they were bullied into making this decision based on the desires of what can only be described as a hate group.

To me, Lowe's can be described as nothing more than a spineless, cowardly company willing to contribute to the Islamophobia that is ailing my country and causing the slow erosion of our First Amendment rights.

I am asking you sisters to assist me in spreading the word about this prejudism and to blog about it, tweet about it, make your FB status about it, and to send an email if you choose. I've included a template (that was well written by a dear sister I will refer to as "S"),  for an email to send them below, feel free to use what you choose, and add what you think necessary. 

Jazzak Allahu Khairun my sisters in helping us fight this fight.

Ma'Salaama and Boycott Lowe's!

Fashionably Yours,
The (I've always liked Home Depot better anyways!) Mujahada in Prada
__________________________________________________________________________________
To: customercare@lowes.com
Sent: Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 1:04 PM
Subject: Why I wont be shopping at Lowe's anymore
...
Dear Lowe's,

I was extremely disappointed to hear that you had pulled your advertisements from the TLC show "All American Muslim" because of pressure from a bigoted, right-wing "family" organization. This was a cowardly move to appease a small, but loud group of ignorant, prejudiced people who would rather that Muslims continue to be portrayed as subversive terrorists than be seen as the law-abiding, decent Americans that they are.

My family, friends and I will all be taking our business elsewhere until you reinstate your ads for this show and make an apology for succumbing to the pressure of hate groups.

Sincerely,

~The Prophet Liked Pumpkin~

Anas b. Malik reported: A tailor invited Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to a meal which he had prepared. Anas b. Malik said: I went along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to that feast. He presented to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) barley bread and soup containing pumpkin, and sliced pieces of meat. Anas said: I saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) going after the pumpkin round the dish, so I have always liked the pumpkin since that day.

Sahih Muslim ,Book 023, Number 5067

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Morning My Stylish Sisters!

Ever since I was little, one of my favorite things about this time of year were all of the different flavors that no one seemed to cook any other time.  Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are used in abundance to make delicious cookies, pies, cakes and soups.  In fact, I believe I was munching away on a piece of pumpkin pie last time I posted on here.  :)

My most recent issue of 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazine (which I loooove) has a whole spread about the hottest holiday dessert this year: Trifles.  Yes, trifles!  Gone are the days that they are reserved for stuffy, royal luncheons and formal holiday dinners.  They are delicious, beautiful, and very easy to make; which definitely appeals to me.

When making a dessert that I am presenting to someone else, or serving to a large group of people I feel that presentation MUST be taken into consideration when choosing a recipe.  That's why I thought I would share a recent recipe that I whipped up last time I was baking pies, because I'm pretty sure if you ladies are pumpkin lovers like I am, that you will find it just as drool worthy as I do.

I came upon this recipe totally by mistake.  As any baker knows, there tends to be a sizeable amount of the pumpkin filling left over after filling the pie crusts when using canned pumpkin paste ( I recommend Libby's).  So, this year, instead of pouring the leftovers down the drain, I poured them into a cupcake pan, sprinkled the tops with a bit of cinnamon sugar and nutmeg, and baked it right alongside the pans.  (be sure to use heavy duty cupcake liners, because the filling is quite runny before baking)

Here's how they looked once I pulled them out:

They look yummy, already, don't they?  The cinnamon sugar and nutmeg that I sprinkled on top made a nice little crispy crust.  Don't worry if your pumpkin cupcakes have a little hole in each one, that is caused by the excess moisture in the filling which is usually drawn into the crust when baking a pie.

Here's a closeup:

  Now, in a trifle there are at least three parts: A fruity part, A bread-y part, A creamy part.  So, at this point you need to decide for yourself what you would like to do for your bread-y part.  I would suggest either whipping up a bit of extra pie crust and baking it separately, or if you don't have time to bake your own pie crust you can just buy one extra pre-made pie crust.  Also, I would personally recommend making your own whipped cream, so that you can add a flavor to it like almond or vanilla, but there is no shame in buying Cool Whip or some other type of whipped cream instead.

Now that you have your three parts, you are ready to assemble.  Because we are using small pumpkin cupcakes, this trifle will look best if served in individual serving glasses.  You can use wine or champagne glasses for a more formal look, or if you are keeping it more casual, small glass bowls work well too.  Just make sure that whatever you use is see-through glass so that you can enjoy the beautiful aesthetics of your delicious trifle.

Start layering your three ingredients, starting with a small amount of crumbled crust on the bottom, followed by the pumpkin filling, then some whipped cream.  Continue layering until you've made as many layers as you want, making sure you finish with whipped cream on top.  Throw a small sprig of mint on top, or garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon and you're finished.  It looks beautiful, and people will think you spent hours on it (which always helps to gain points with the in-laws, your boss at work, or your hubby!)

I wish I could show you a finished picture of the trifles that I made, but unfortunately they were all eaten before I had a chance to take pictures.  So, here are a couple of pictures of other trifles so you can get an idea of the beauty that a good trifle holds:

So, there you have it, my amazing Muslimahs.  Although pumpkin pies, and fancy trifles are traditionally served at fancy holiday parties around this time of year, you don't HAVE to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving to enjoy these decadent desserts. 

Even our Prophet saws liked pumpkin...and served in one of these desserts, I'm pretty sure you will too.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Baking!

Fashionably Yours,

The (you can call me Martha Stewart!) Mujahada in Prada

~Every Day is Thanksgiving~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Happy Thanksgiving My Stylish Sisters!

I know, I know I'm late.  I'm sorry.  Yesterday was a totally hectic, yet totally abnormal Thanksgiving.  As I sit here eating wayyyy too much leftover pumpkin pie with an enormous dollop of Cool Whip, it occurs to me that in reality, I am blessed enough to celebrate Thanksgiving almost every day with my husband and my wonderful in-laws.

Okay, so technically we are not celebrating the day of a peaceful feast occurring between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans, but really....do we even know for sure if or when that day ever happened?  The pictures of 'The First Thanksgiving' that fill our textbooks as children, or hang on classroom walls in the fall seems so staged.  There is always one Native American greatfully accepting a plate of food from a Pilgrim woman, even though it was the Native Americans who knew how to grow the food needed to survive...NOT the other way around.  And the pilgrims are always sitting around, plumply satisfied with a huge feast of turkey, sweet potatoes and other veggies, even though I'm pretty sure they were close to starving and miserable in their new surroundings.  But...as usual, I digress.

Although we're not celebrating Thanksgiving....we ARE celebrating thanks giving.

You see, the average American loves this day because it's a day that families come from far and wide, to simply sit down and enjoy a meal.  To tell stories of the past, share memories, pay tribute to those no longer with us, and celebrate the accomplishments of those who are.  It's usually a day of laughter, love, and gratitude for all of the blessings bestowed on us.

Do you know what that sounds like to me?

It sounds like an average lunch at my mother in law's house. 

Alhamdulillah I married a man whose family feels it is so important to stay close to eachother, that up until a year ago we ALL lived in the same apartment complex!  We have an amazing grandma who loves nothing more than cooking a huge meal, and sitting with us and a cup of tea, sharing stories from times long gone.  My mother in law's door is always wide open for us to come in and eat, and her ear is always available to hear what is troubling us.  A small, weekday lunch at my mother in laws is usually between 15-20 people, and any special occasion that we can use as an excuse to have Mensaf, or Grape Leaves, or a Kharouf usually hosts upwards of 35!  We have days of laughter, love, and showing our gratitude at least three times a week alhamdulillah!

Thanksgiving does not need to consist of an oversized bird, with specified sides and pumpkin pie (although pumpkin pie is absolutely delicious!) all it needs to consist of is giving thanks.  And you can do that any day.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Thanks Giving

Thankfully Yours,
The (who wants another slice of pie?) Mujahada in Prada

P.S.  One thing I am deeply thankful for is all of my customers on my website http://www.lovenyla.com/.  To show my deep thanks, I am having a two day only sale! 25-26 of November.  Check it out, and use coupon code FREESHIP25 in order to get free shipping on top of the amazing discounts I'm already offering.