Caraway Kraut with Sausage and Potatoes

I know this may not be your thing, but I wanted to cry while I ate this. I told my friend I wanted to just put my face in the bowl and cry as I slurped it all up . This is food I grew up with, it's my comfort food. If you don't like sauerkraut, then keep steppin', sister.

Please do not use hot dogs for this recipe. If you do, it will break my German heart. So put down those Hebrew Nationals (unless they're their knockwurst or polish sausage) and find yourself a better substitusky. We are not talking about hot dogs and sauerkraut here, like the someone who replied with that on my Facebook page. Take your apple pie and your Chevrolet and drive away. But if you want the real deal, read on my liebe Freundin, no lederhosen required.

I found the original recipe in Real Simple. I adjusted it to better match my childhood food memories, feel free to use their version or mine or a medley of this, that, and your own. There is a photo on the Real Simple site, too. I forgot to take one.

Caraway Kraut with Sausage and Potatoes

1 dozen red potatoes, washed and quartered
2 cans Bavarian-style sauerkraut (with caraway), drained
1 large onion, chopped
3/4c vegetable broth
pinch of salt (optional)
dusting of pepper
1-2t mustard seeds
4-6 halal brautwurst, knockwurst, or chicken sausages
3T fresh chopped parsley or 1T dried parsley
Slices of pumpernickel bread for serving

Place potatoes, kraut, onion, broth, and seasonings in slow-cooker/crockpot and stir. Nestle in the sausages. Put on the lid and let it cook on high for 5 hours. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. I used wide, shallow bowls and served with bread.

Go cry now. It's ok.

Remembrance

I have been studying dhikr for the past few years for my personal growth and healing. I want to share some of the things I have learned, if they might be of benefit to another. And all benefit comes from Allah swt. Of all the obligations given to us by Allah swt, they each have exclusions or exemptions. We don't make salat when we have menses, we don't have to fast when we travel, etc. But there is one obligation we can never be excused from. It is dhikr: remembrance of God.

'Ali b. Abi Talha relates that Ibn 'Abbas said, "All obligations imposed upon man by Allah are clearly marked and one is exempted from them in the presence of a genuine cause. The only exception is the obligation of dhikr. Allah has set no specific limits for it, and under no circumstances is one allowed to be negligent of it. We are commanded to 'remember Allah standing, sitting and reclining on your sides,' in the morning, during the day, at sea or on land, on journey or at home, in poverty and in prosperity, in sickness or in health, openly and secretly, and, in fact, at all times throughout one's life and in all circumstances." Fiqh us-Sunnah 4:100

I feel it can be said then, that part of the essence of being Muslim is that we cannot forget God. Every moment, every breath, every sensation of this life, we can never forget Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, the singularly Merciful, the universally Compassionate. Our very existence as a being of creation prevents us from forgetting our Creator. This births our taqwa, ibaadah, and iman. (God-consciousness, worship, and faith). This realization has led to my re-birth, healing, and blossom, and insha'Allah, it will be upon my lips at the moment I leave this body.

"Call on Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness and ask of Me] I will answer you." Qur'an 40:60

Audible dhikr, dhikr that is spoken aloud, even if it is done according to the sunnah, is sometimes condemned by certain groups. I am not a scholar and my knowledge is small. But I want to share and quote some things I've learned from those that do:

 Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Raising the voice in takbeer following every prayer is good." al-Muhalla (3/180).

 al-Bahooti said in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (1/366), referring to Ibn Taymiyah’s view regarding reciting dhikr out loud as mustahabb: The Shaykh (i.e., Ibn Taymiyah) said: It is mustahabb to recite tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer out loud following every prayer.  Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen was asked about the ruling on this issue and he replied:

"Reciting dhikr out loud following the obligatory prayers is Sunnah. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhaari from the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the people used to recite dhikr out loud when they finished obligatory prayers at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said: I used to know when they finished (the prayer) by that, when I heard it. This was also narrated by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawood. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say when he finished the prayer: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah… (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate…).” And words cannot be heard unless the speaker says them out loud.  

 Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and a number of the earlier and later generations favoured this view, based on the hadeeths of Ibn ‘Abbaas and al-Mugheerah (may Allaah be pleased with them). Reciting out loud is general and applies to every dhikr that is prescribed after prayer, whether it is tahleel (saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god but Allaah), tasbeeh (saying Subhaan Allaah (Glory be to Allaah)), takbeer (saying Allaahu akbar (Allaah is Most Great)) or tahmeed (saying Al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to Allaah)), because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas.
There is no report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to suggest differentiating between tahleel and other dhikrs, rather in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas it says that they would know that the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had ended from the takbeers. Thus the view of those who say that the voice should not be raised in tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer is refuted. With regard to those who say that raising the voice in these dhikrs is an innovation (bid’ah), they are wrong. How can something that was known and practised at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) be a bid’ah? Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Sahmaan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It has been proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that and approved of it, and the Sahaabah used to do that at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after he taught it to them, and he approved of them doing it, so they acted upon the teachings of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); they did it and he approved of that after teaching them and he did not criticize them. 

As for the argument that reciting out loud is disapproved because of the verse “And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons” [al-A’raaf 7:205], we say: the one who was enjoined to remember his Lord within himself, humbly and with fear, was the same one who used to recite dhikr out loud following obligatory prayers. Does the one who says this know better what Allaah meant than His Messenger did? Or does he believe that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) knew what was meant but went against it? Moreover, the verse speaks of dhikr at the beginning and end of the day (“in the mornings and in the afternoons”), not the dhikr that is prescribed following prayers. In his Tafseer, Ibn Katheer interpreted reciting out loud as meaning too loud or extremely loud. As for the argument that reciting out loud is disapproved because of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “O people, take it easy”, the one who said “O people, take it easy” is the same one who used to recite dhikr out loud following the prescribed prayers. There is a place for this and a place for that, and truly following means following every text when appropriate. Moreover, the context of the phrase “take it easy” indicates that they used to raise their voices in a manner that caused them hardship, hence he said “take it easy”, i.e., be kind to yourselves and do not exhaust yourselves; there should be no hardship or undue effort in reciting dhikr out loud. As for the one who says that it disturbs others, it may be said to him: If you mean that it disturbs those who do not have the habit of doing that, once the believer understands that it is Sunnah, it will no longer disturb him. He also said: When voices are mingled with one another then there will be no disturbance." Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (13/247, 261) 

And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way. Qur'an 2:186

Surely (as for) those who believe and do good deeds for them will Allah bring about love. Qur'an 19:96 

May we all remember Al-Wahid, the One, who has created us all and made us beautifully, masha'Allah. He is the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal.

Helena Sweater

I started this sweater for my second niece before she was born, as in last summer. Thinking I had great foresight, I knit it in the six month size. But between having a post-due date baby, a hectic school year with the kids, the court drama, and nearly a two week stay at Children's Hospital with an RSV goobered up newborn, I didn't do much knitting. So now Adrianna is very likely going to be too big for it, but I'm sending the ding dang sweater anyway.  There is love in these stitches, really.

So I don't have a girl to model this sweater and Adrianna lives many a mile away, so here is my son Tig modeling it instead. For yarnies that want to know, this is the Helena pattern from Knitty. I used Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in Lemon. Find the deets and pattern link on Ravelry:

Muslim Essence

I met six of my friends at a new Muslim clothing store. Our metro area has seen a lot of shops come and go, but none this spacious, bright, organized, and professionally done. Lots of variety and reasonable prices (same or better than pricing at the Somali malls). Abayas, shirts for layering, tailored pants, skirts, pashminas in a rainbow of shades and colors, Turkish scarves, amiras, tasteful lingerie, and even some contemporary styled Kamani brand thobes for the bros. Leather armchairs are arranged through the store for comfortable seating. There are many changing rooms, elegant with full length mirrors, excellent lighting, and full doors for privacy. 

The staff is welcoming, knowledgable, and helpful. Khadijah was delightful as I opened and unfolded thobe after thobe deliberating whether I should get an urban styled one for my husband, then only to decide not to and grabbed a tiny jelaba styled one for the Little Sultan instead, gray with sporty black stripes on the sleeve and hood.

Hannan has done a beautiful job, masha'Allah, on the designs for promotional items and marketing. She also made our iECFE video featuring my Little Sultan at 1:20 toward the end of the video :)

Stop in the store and check out their Facebook page or visit their website. I believe online shopping is coming soon!

Lemon Chicken Couscous Soup

Last summer, I tore this recipe out of one of Toni's Rachael Ray magazines. I knew on any given day I would most likely have all of the ingredients on hand, so that alone deemed it worth a try. Yet, it sat in my recipe binder for nearly a year before I got around to putting it into the week's meal plan. You can find the original recipe online. Everyone enjoyed it, even the picky Lad. Toni doesn't mess around when it comes to couscous, yet she even liked this unorthodox use of couscous in soup! I served it with Garlic Parmesan bread from my husband's bakery. You can swing toward Paula Deen and use buttah instead of olive oil. Here is my slightly modified version of Rachael's soup:

Sorry, folks! The natives devoured this, sans photo op.

Lemon Chicken Couscous Soup

2T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
32oz container chicken broth (I only had vegetable broth so I used that)
1/2c couscous
Grated peel of 2 lemons
1T dijon mustard
1-2t Spike or other vegetable seasoning.
3 eggs
1/4c fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, cooking until golden, turning once (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a plate. (I made the recipe with 1.5lbs of chicken as Rachael calls for, but I think 1lb would be just fine, it was a lot of chicken.)

Add the garlic to the chicken crusties left in the pot, adding a bit more olive oil or some buttah, and saute for less than a minute, just scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pot to give it some flavor. Pour in the broth, 2c water, and put the chicken back in. Bring to a boil, then simmer on med-low for about 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken again (a slotted spoon works well) to a plate. Add the couscous and grated lemon peel to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, carefully shred the chicken using two forks. Put the chicken back in the pot along with any juices. Add the dijon and Spike. I was out of Spike so I used some organic salt-free all-purpose vegetable seasoning from Costco.  Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together. Slowly add 1c of the warm soup continuing to whisk, then stir it all back into the soup pot. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Taste, add more lemon juice, salt, pepper as needed. Serve with garlic bread.

I'd love to hear from you if you try this recipe with:

• rotisserie chicken instead of the chicken thighs
• vegetarian version with white beans and vegetable broth instead of chicken 
• orzo instead of couscous (similar to Greek Avgolemono soup)

Bismillah!

Call on Me, and I will answer you.

Allah has said, "Call on Me, and I will answer you" 40:60, and 

"Most beautiful are My Names, so call upon Me by them" 7:180

There have been times of sadness, anxiety, or physical pain, where it was hard to bring any words to mind, or prayer to my lips. During these times, it has been helpful to call on Allah's beautiful names. Saying even just one name, over and over, quietly to myself or in my mind, becomes a duaa (prayer) in itself, breaking through negative thoughts, quieting, calming, and focusing the mind and heart. In all the many lengthy prayers written by people over the course of time, it is powerful that a single word, a name of Allah I called out as a weeping creation unto my Creator (Al-Khaliq) are the prayers that can speak so much.

Pain, of body or of heart, does not always leave me upon the moment I call out to Allah. Whether it is immediate or not, in a way we understand or not, Al-Haqq (the Truth) promises to answer.

"and Allah is the Hearing and the Knowing." 2:256

"...and Allah swt will not fail in His promise." 39:20 

Green Chile Taco Soup

I modified this recipe from one found in my mother-in-law's Paula Deen Family cookbook. It appeared to me as a rather unassuming, basic recipe, so I almost skipped over it. I'm glad I didn't because my whole family enjoyed it. Even my rather picky lad asked for a third bowl! I think the guacamole and sour cream are a must; they add a fresh, rich flavor. Allrecipes is home to my favorite guacamole recipe. But I use store-bought Wholly Guacamole when I'm in a crunch for time.

This recipe is going in my recipe binder with a label for Fast & Easy as well as MealTrain friendly.

Green Chile Taco Soup

(modified from Deen Family Cookbook)

Serves 6

3T vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

2 cans Rotel (20 oz canned diced tomatoes with green chilies)

1 can black or red beans, drained and rinsed

2c beef broth

4oz can green chilies, undrained

1t cumin

1/2t each salt and pepper

For serving:

fresh cilantro, chopped

green onion, chopped

shredded cheese

sour cream

guacamole

tortilla chips

Saute onion in oil in dutch oven (or other large pot), until golden. Add ground beef, brown. Pour in tomatoes, beans, broth, chilies, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well, simmer until well heated and blended, about 20 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with a bit of shredded cheese, cilantro, green onion, and a good dollop of sour cream and guacamole, with tortilla chips on the side. Bismillah!