Holiday @ Home

A person’s home is their ultimate sanctuary and place of comfort. Hence, when a child feels threatened, his first instinct is to run home, as home is the place of safety. As our homes are our private places, meant for our comfort and happiness, we tend to spend both time and money on ‘doing up’ our homes until they meet our desired level of safety, comfort, beauty and efficiency.

This is easily witnessed in the money that we spend on painting, tiling, alarm systems, electric fences, state-of-the-art appliances, furniture, linen, Italian flooring, granite counters, German bathroom fittings, air-conditioning, and so on. In fact, some people are so particular in this regard that every room of the home has its own theme to which the curtains, carpet, BIC (built in cupboards), linen and even light switches and plug points have to match!

After all the effort is undertaken and money is spent, the result is a home that is ‘tailor made’ to the exact ‘spec’ of the family living in it. Their home is exactly as they designed, providing comfort, security and even entertainment. Hence, many a home even has its own swimming pool!

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Honey and Garlic Chicken

Season one chicken cut into pieces with:

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp crushed green chillies

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp dhana jeeru

½ tsp lemon pepper

Roast 3 tsp crushed garlic in 2 Tbsp olive oil.

Add chicken and braise.

Add

4 Tbsp lemon juice

2-3 Tbsp runny honey

5 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp mixed herbs

¼ tsp rosemary

Cook till almost done. Add 2 Tbsp of Steers garlic sauce. Simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust chillies.

Meal Guidelines

People are generally particular regarding WHAT they eat. However, equally important to WHAT we eat is WHEN we eat. Ideally, a person should only eat when hungry, and should stop eating when satiated, before completely filling the stomach.

Haarith bin Kaldah, the renowned Arab physician, was once asked, “What is the best medicine?” He replied, “Necessity i.e. hunger.” He was then asked, “What is disease?” He replied, “The entry of food upon food.” The explanation of this statement can be found in the remark of Ibnu Sina who is reported to have said, “Never eat a meal until the one before it has digested.”

Since the norm in society is for three meals to be eaten daily, it is important for the times of these meals to be fixed so that each meal can be digested correctly.

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Thai Butternut Soup

An exotic twist on an old favourite

Braise one chopped onion and 1 Tbsp ginger garlic in 1 Tbsp butter.

Add:

2 ½ cup of cubed butternut

2 ½ stalks of celery roughly chopped

2 Tbsp of brown sugar

1 ½ cup of vegetable stock

20ml of Worcestershire sauce

20ml of sweet soy sauce

1 Tbsp of chilli sauce

Cook till tender.

Add 1 can of coconut milk and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Liquidize.

Add salt, pepper and more chillies to taste.

Safeguarding the Secret

Imagine a woman who possesses an exquisite piece of jewellery. She values it, cherishes it and guards it, always fearful for its safety.

One day, in a moment of negligence, she confided in a person whom she had wrongfully regarded as a friend, informing her of the jewellery, its location and even its worth! Shortly thereafter, the home was burgled and her precious jewellery was stolen. In the aftermath of this tragedy, she wrung her hands in regret, lamenting to herself, “Why did I reveal the secret?”

Similarly, all women associate and interact with other women. As Allah Ta‘ala has created all people uniquely and blessed them differently, one woman may have some feature that is exceptionally attractive, while another may be attractive and blessed with beauty in a different aspect, and a third woman may be blessed with beauty in all aspects!

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