RAKASA

Good morning MENA. Well, it's official - there is absolutely nothing left of the dance studio where I've been teaching dance for the last 7yrs. I was co-founder of this studio and now there is NOTHING left... a pile of burned out rubble. A fire started in the building on Friday morning and it took 30 firetrucks, more than 85 firefighters over 50 hours to finally get it all out. The estimated loss of the center where our studio was is over $10 million. My morning has been spent searching for a temporary space to continue my classes and emailing students & other teachers.

My husband & I celebrated our 3 yr anniversary last night! Had a wonderful evening, then, while trying to rest today & watch a bowl game, I kept getting texts & phone calls asking if I knew the shopping center where my dance studio is was on fire!! It was a huge fire and is, in fact, still burning now (~10 hours). Abt 14 fire & emergency rescue vehicles were there and smoke & flames were billowing out of the building. I don't know the extent of our damage yet, but it's not looking good. If it's not toast, there's at least major smoke & water damage. Won't know til tomorrow or later what we're looking at for damage. I hope this is the door closing so that a brighter & better door will be opening for us. Definitely quite a start to the new year! B)

Happy New Year's Eve everyone.

In 3 days we will be married for 3 yrs - been together almost 5.

Aidell's sausage company makes great chicken sausages...I forget what animal though they use for casings.

http://www.aidells.com/sausages/facts/index.cfm?faqID=7#7

They use pork and sheep casings. The chicken one they have is delicious and made w/ sheep casings.

I Aidell's sausage and knew the chicken ones didn't have pork casings (I remember checking), but couldn't remember what kind of casing it was. Thanks for the info! They are really hard to find here and I usually have to "stumble" across them at Sam's club on occasion. We make an awesome tagine of the little "smokies" ones w/ tomatoes....Mmmmm!

Oh! The spelling & grammatical errors in this thread just keeps me in stitches!

Next time when Im emontional, I will make sure to use spell check for your enjoyment and grading.

Its a sad, emontional thread, let's be civil and respect another persons feelings please.

One last thing, to make clear, my husbands visa was NOT denied, the petition was put into AR due to me, and not him.

With my back ground of a marriage from 25 years ago, they was something there in question with the officer that interviewed us . 11/25/2009 Per the Dept. of State, they have finished the review..... petition sent back to Paris embassy, Visa was not denied, no bans for him, etc. issueing visa is up to me, and that is all Im saying from here on this subject. Now its time for me to think long and hard of next step of MY life. Everybody have a wonderful hoilday weekend!!

FWIW, I was not calling you out specifically, but there are so many, not just here but all over the board. So, yeah, I'm a sick pup who gets giggly @ other folks typos, grammar mishaps, & blatant spelling errors. What can I say? I'm a horrible person because of it and will probably suffer miserably for it all. If that's the worst thing I do in life & online, I'm in like flint!

**it also bugs the crud out of me when I'm reading books & magazines w/ these mistakes. Like, why the heck don't they have ME proofread? I could make a mint as a proofreader!**

Sorry for your situation, I hope it works out however will best serve you in your future. I am thankful to be SO VERY BLESSED. Good luck.

good luck out there. i'm staying home where it's safe!

Hi Charles I'm going to work, where it's safe! I can earn $$ instead of spending $$.

Oh! The spelling & grammatical errors in this thread just keeps me in stitches!

Ahhh, if only everyone would live by this quote:

"You can’t expect to draw people into your life who are kind, confident, and generous if you’re thinking and acting in cruel, weak, and selfish ways. You must be what it is that you’re seeking—that is, you need to put forth what you want to attract." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

ouch!

It wasn't meant as an "ouch" - it was meant as well.... I think you understand how it was meant.

Ahhh, if only everyone would live by this quote:

"You can’t expect to draw people into your life who are kind, confident, and generous if you’re thinking and acting in cruel, weak, and selfish ways. You must be what it is that you’re seeking—that is, you need to put forth what you want to attract." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

Wow! I didn't realize you were expecting again Henia. I hope all goes well and that baby is out soon. I need to visit your blog, it's been a little while.

Wow, Sister! I am so sorry things did not work out for you. I wish you well and I sincerely mean this.

Thank you so much! I just found out from my uncle that it's common knowledge back where I'm from that Arab men are lazy. I didn't know that! I thought it was just my husband! Is that true?

Certainly not my husband - he's one of the hardest working men I know and he takes care of me and our home like he promised when he was there. He also still treats me like a queen. I also love & respect him and treat him like a king. So, no, it's not true and that is a horrible generalization. Sorry it didn't work out for you and I hope things brighten for you soon. I know you're upset and angry and yeah, you got burned, but try not to stereotype & generalize. Men can be f***tards from anywhere. So can women.

Ooo, I picked up some quinoa and haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet. I'll have to try this out, especially with your note on using only cooking spray and not oil - AbuS has decided that he wants NO butter or oil used in cooking. Um yeah, there goes everything I know how to cook Did manage to make some decent baked shrimp (cooked in veggie broth with chesapeke bay seasoning) and veggie lentil soup last night that had no butter or oil, but I'm sure they both would have been tastier with a little fat.

I <3 quinoa! As for the oil, yeah, I don't get that either, but most sauteing can be done in a little water or broth.

I'm making my first ever attempt at a gluten free cake. I hope it comes out okay. We shall see.

If anyone is interested in some fantastic veggie burgers/patties - I posted a new recipe in Sultan's Kitchen this morning for Lentil & Quinoa burgers/patties. The were delicious.

Try these tasty Lentil Quinoa Burgers I made.... hubby loved them too!

I made these last night and they were really awesome. As per my MO, I never follow a recipe exactly, so read all the way down for my notes from the original recipe. If you've never had quinoa, try it. It's one of the healthiest grains around, providing extra protein. You can use either red quinoa or regular. Regular quinoa is much easier to come by, but Whole Foods carries both. You can't get the red version in the bulk aisle (sux).

Red qunioa & red lentil veggie burgers

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup pepitas

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup cooked red lentils

2 cups cooked red quinoa (regular quinoa is fine too)

bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

oil for cooking

Combine garlic, pepitas, cilantro, onion and lentils in a food processor and pulse until they come together in a think puree. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and fold in quinoa, egg and breadcrumbs as needed to hold the mixture together. Form 4-6 patties depending on the size you want and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove patties from refrigerator.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the skillet and cook patties, turning over after about 4 minutes. Cook on the other side for another 4 minutes or until heated through. Serve as you would your favorite burger, on a whole grain bun with lettuce and tomato!

************my notes**************

I didn't have pepitas (pumpkin seeds) so I used sunflower seeds instead. I think the cilantro (lots of it) is a key ingredient here. I also thought flaxseed meal would be a healthier alternative to bread crumbs so I used 1/2-2/3 Cup and I also added maybe a scant 1/4 cup of whole flaxseeds. I thought 1/2 Cup of lentils wouldn't be enough IMO, so I used 1 cup uncooked (however much that came out to cooked).

Now, I tend to not follow directions (as I said) so, I cooked lentils & quinoa together (not a problem) and put them in a large bowl to cool a bit after cooking.

Then, I took garlic, onion, cilantro, and added seasoning (which there were none listed above!) - 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt (I used less salt, it needed more) and I think next time I'll also add red pepper flakes or a little cayenne. Put all of this in a food processor and mix until chopped fine and blended together. Add this mixture to the lentil/quinoa mixture and combine. Add the beaten egg, flaxseed meal, & flaxseeds and fold it all in till you get a nice consistency for molding patties.

The above recipe says 4-6 burgers, I made 10! After chilling them for a bit, I pan "fried" them w/ a little olive oil cooking spray. We each had 2 w/ a side of olives and marinated/pickled veggies.

They will freeze well, so I wrapped them in wax paper & put them in ziplocs and put them in the freezer for a quick meal later.

These were really fantastic and I'll make them again & again. I hope you enjoy them too. Let me know if you make any changes that work well so I can try it too. Thanks!

always wise w/ the words Sofiyya

My 2 dirhams - this situations reeks of bad news! That's all I'll say bcuz I'm being nice

G'morning!

Annie, H is such a goofball! You guys looked great and it seems a good time was had by all. Hope all the sickies are feeling better.

It's going to be another gorgeous day here - starting off cool (mid 50's) and ending up warmer (low-mid 70's). Working most of the day, then Rak'ing tonight!

Sorry... meant "All Saints Day" - All Souls Day is tomorrow - Nov 2

good morning and fixed the topic title for you.

thanks...

Sorry... meant "All Saints Day" - All Souls Day is tomorrow - Nov 2

Revering & honoring our beloved lost family members today. Powerful times for contacting old souls. Have a fantastic Sunday! It's a gorgeous one here.

Payday Friday

How many more, Jasman? I know you're counting!

i can't even sign in off computer or blackberry

No FB problems here on iPhone or PC, sending or receiving msgs and updates. Dunno what the problem is for you.... Hope it resolves soon.

I can't haz this... you want it?

Oh! Happy Anniversary M4E & Tam.

It's gorgeous here today & I'm inside working my booty off! It's all good, plenty of work means I'm making $$. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Morning! TGIF!