~Beautiful Planet Earth~

The poetry of the earth is never dead. There is a pleasure

in the pathless woods.

 There is rapture on the lonely shore; there is society,

where none intrudes, by the deep sea,

And music in its roar: I love not man the less,

but Nature more.

-George Gordon

~Almond Milk Hot Chocolate~

Almond Joy Hot Chocolate
yield: 2 small mugs of chocolate

Today we're going to take that delicious almond milk -what's that? You haven't made almond milk yet? Well, what are you waiting for? It's awesome! Go make some right now. I'll wait.

You're back? Wonderful. As I was saying, almond milk is a great addition to many recipes. Aside from drinking it plain or using it in cereals, its natural creaminess makes it a perfect fit for smoothies, coffee, and best of all, hot chocolate. And when you combine that almond milk and chocolate with a little coconut flavor...you have a ridiculously good cup of thick, rich sipping chocolate, inspired by a classic candy bar.

• 1 cup almond milk, preferably homemade (make this with soaked whole blanched almonds in water for around 4 hrs and then remove the skin & drain the water.  Liquidise this with the milk and sieve from muslin cloth to get creamy almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut milk - Option as I have not used this.
• 3.5 oz (about 1/2 cup) milk or semi-sweet chocolate, or mix of chocolates. Don't use dark chocolate unless you like a slightly bitter cup of chocolate
• toasted coconut
• 1-2 drops almond extract (optional)

This first step isn't mandatory, at all, but I must recommend it because it makes your hot chocolate mugs look ever so cute. Melt the chocolate, and dip the tops of the mugs in the chocolate about 1/4". You can leave them like they are...

Or dip the wet chocolate tops into the toasted coconut! This gives your mugs a lovely rim of chocolate and coconut, and not only does it look great, but it adds a little extra flavor as well. Place them in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the hot chocolate.

Combine the almond milk and the coconut milk in a small saucepan. If you want to boost the almond flavor, add a drop or two of almond extract. You cannot be too careful in adding the extract! Few things are worse than an overpowering almond flavor, so start small and taste as you go. The extract should add just an extra hint of almond, and should barely be noticeable.

Once your liquids are mixed, add the chocolate you previously melted to the saucepan, and place the pan over medium heat.

Whisk the chocolate and milks together over medium heat. At first, they'll resist combining, and you'll have little specks of chocolate floating in your milk. Don't give up hope! Keep whisking and heating...

And as the chocolate heats, everything will even out and become beautifully thick and smooth. Taste the hot chocolate--if your milk and your chocolate are not very sweet, you might want to add a litttle sugar or honey to balance them out.

Serve your almond joy hot chocolate in your beautifully crafted mugs. This is a very rich "sipping chocolate," and I have found that a little goes a long way--even with my sweet tooth. It also thickens as it cools, so be sure to drink it when it's warm. Enjoy!

 

~Fairy Tales~

Well now this is different to the other theme.  I have always been a dreamer and thougth to dream this now... “I had read somewhere this words ~ For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” ~

Once upon a time, I thought faeries lived only in books, old folktales, and the past. That was before they burst upon my life as vibrant, luminous beings, permeating my art and my everyday existence, causing glorious havoc.

I am going to show you all the beautiful things that exists in our daily lives, because many of us don't see it. Lets wonder into my dreamland.

 

I set on a journey into wonderland and lo behold I came aross a beauty of a white horse to take me further inland...

I honestly believe that fairy tales exist in our lives and not only in books, and they are made up of all the beautiful things in our lives. Many of use tend to take these things for granted, but they really are very

beautiful.  There is something very magical and mysterious about the costume, the way their body seems to tell a story, and the melodious tunes of their movements.

Maybe it is because we don't look hard enough, or we choose to ignore it, but I just want everyone to know they exist everywhere in your life in your thoughts.

I tiptoed into the forest and saw lovely fairies enjoying the siesta time. 

I did not want to disturb them and went on wondering into the wonderland and got to see some lovely things as in the pictures: 

Maybe you can believe

If you take the time to dream

In the places in between

Things aren’t always as they seem.

“Magic exists. Who can doubt it,

when there are rainbows and wildflowers,

the music of the wind and the silence of the stars?

Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic.

It is such a simple and such an

extraordinary part of the lives we live.”

T

Look out for them and maybe you'll be able to enjoy and appreciate your life a little more, and maybe you'll be able to find the fairy tale that exists in your life as it does exist in MINE!!

When clear on a flute of purest gold
A sweet little fairy played.
And wonderful fairy tales he told
and marvelous music made.

~Oud or Bakhoor~

 I am rebloging from a very good blog on this subject. 

If u visit UAE, u will notice the predominance of scent overpowering u , whether from burners or perfume. The concept of smell is an important part of society and is used under various guises. Many people wonder what the smell actually is, and so I will try to explain.

There are essentially two types of perfume, OUD and BUKHOOR

 Oud is basically wood that has a certain smell to it and in its purest form is used as a kind of perfume for both men and women. Pure Oud will be burned to make the clothes smell nice from the smoke that it emanates. The issue that we like to make a a easy way of smelling nive and in the same time the white kandoora’s or dish dashes remained untouched by oil who will ruin our clothes.


There are other types of oud which do contain oil. But Oud to the common eye looks like small pieces of wood, and originally comes from India.

Bukhoor is a mixture of scents all together and usually looks like round pieces of coal about the size of ur thumb. This sort of scent is used to burn in the home and perhaps u have smelt it burning in the malls. It’s a kind for refreshment of our rooms, our houses.

To burn either of these, u would need an oud or bukhoor burner, commonly termed as a medhan, coal, and some sort of tongs to handle the coals. U will also need a fire burner or lighter of some sort. Oud burners can also be powered these days by electricity, but the purist will tell u that this doesn't give the smell the justice it derserves.

 Oud, itself is relatively expensive and could cost anything from AED1,000 to AED40,000 a pot

- For the same amount of bukhoor, u would pay between AED100 and AED500

- The Medhhan costs anything from AED50 to AED500, but u can get very expnsives ones which are made of pure gold or silver! Expect to pay about AED50 more if you want it powered by electicity. 

- The coal is very cheap, and u may choose to buy these back home. The "magic coals" which are superior quality, last for longer and will not die cost about AED50 for a small box, and should last u a long time.

U can purchase ur bukhoor from many different shops in the souks, depending on what u like. Well known stores that sell in the malls are Ajman, Al Rassassi or Arabian Oud.These will usually provide u with the best quality available. Be sure to smell a wide variety of the scents to decide on what u like. 

In addition, u could purchase something called Al Misk, which is similar to a body lotion. It looks like a cream, and u can add water to it and spray it on your body. 

For those of u who prefer the traditional scents, Dubai can provide some cut price after shaves and perfumes. If u don't mind the tester bottles, a substantial saving can be made on the retail price. Be wary though of purchasing from the markets, though, as u may be purchasing more toilet water than eau de toilette.

And bcoz we r in this subject i wanna give u some tip about linking out a fake DEHN AL3OUD. I saw it at Tv and it's good to know.

HOW TO LINK A FAKE DEHN AL OUD?

- Get a glass of water , put a drop of real dehn al 3oud and mix it .

If the 3oud will dissolve in the water just the same way as sugar do in the water , it means is it original. But the copy one no matter how much u stir on it the drop, it will remain with water ;)

U  can't ignore the common scents that exist when visiting the UAE, whether u get a waft when someone walks past or u smell it as u walk past some of the stores. Taking some Arabic perfume back home with u means bringing some culture about ur time in the desert. 
Bakhoor or oud could be a good present or a memory of your time in Arabic countries, and many people ask what they need to buy or how much they cost. As a general estimate, this is what u need to know when purchasing:

~Nankhatai~

Nan khatai is an crunchy and delicious biscuit often made using all purpose flour (maida) and butter. But there are several varieties of nan khatai made using different ingredients. This is an eggless recipe of nan-khatai light and crispy biscuit that’s perfect to serve with  tea or coffee made with all purpose flour, semolina and gram flour. This recipe yields 24 to 26 nan khatais.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup all purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
• 1/3 cup fine sooji or semolina
• 1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
• Pinch of baking soda (a little less than 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon green cardamom seed coarsely powder (ilaichi)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sliced almond
• 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 375 degree.
2. In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, gram flour, sooji, baking soda and cardamom powder and set aside.
3. Let the butter come to the room temperature (butter should be soft not melted)
4. Add butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat for two to three minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Add the flour mix to butter and sugar mixture and knead them together to make smooth dough.
6. Divide the dough into about 24 equal parts and make them into balls.
7. Press each ball between your palms lightly; every piece should be about 3/4″ in thickness.
8. With a sharp knife softly draw a tic-tac-toe design on the top and put few pieces of almonds and pistachios and press them into the dough gently.
9. Put Nan khatai on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 13 to 15 minutes or until Nan khatai are lightly gold brown.

After they are lightly golden brown remove the cookie sheet from the oven.  Let the Nan Khatais cool down for two to three minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet.

~Sea Create~

Love is the sea of not-being
 and there intellect drowns…

The moon passes over the
ocean of non-being

 Droplets of spray tear loose
 and fall back on the cresting waves

 A million galaxies are a little scum
  on that shoreless sea

Rumi



Spoon full of Yummies

Let your mouth drip with water slurrrrpppp yummies

fondue and teas with some extras.

~The Dash on our Tomb Stone~

I read of a man who stood to speak,
At the funeral of a friend;

He referred to the dates on her tombstone,
From the beginning - to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth,
Spoke the following date with tears;
But he said what mattered most of all,
Was the dash between those years.
(1904 - 2003 )

For that dash represented all the time,
That she spent alive on earth;
And now only those who loved her,
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars...the house...the cash;
What matters is how we live and love,
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard,
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough,
To consider what's true and real;
And always try to understand,
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
Show appreciation more;
And love the people in our lives,
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile;
Remembering that this special dash,
Might last but a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read,
Life's actions to rehash;
Would you be proud of the things they say,
About how you spent your dash?

~Refreshers ~

Well I came across these lovely ideas of serving Juices etc in the parties.  They surely look good to serve: