7 things I hate about myself!!

I don't know where did I get this post's idea from or why did I choose number 7! I just thought maybe confessing some of my weaknesses will make me feel better.

  

1. I get nervous so easily and this affects my performance badly sometimes.

2. I sometimes can't handle criticizing people no matter how close to me they are.  

3. I get emotional fast and sometimes cry in front of other people when I really don't want to.

4. I regret a lot and it takes me too long to get over stuff.
5. I get sick (REALLY sick) whenever my husband travels.
6. I can't get over fear of getting old and I get freaked out when I see any signs of this!
7. I can't be as good/strong Muslim as I wish to be.

I'm tagging you all to list the 7 things you hate about yourself. 

I'm in pain :(

I've been having a sore and tender gum for more than two weeks now. It's really bad that I bleed everytime I brush/floss my teeth or eat dry food. Besides the sore gum I started to have toothache one week ago. As soon as I felt the pain I decided to go to the dentist, I though was not happy to go because I know dental visits during pregnancy are not recommended but I had no other choice with all that pain.

I went to the dentist last week, and she told me that I have pregnancy gingivitis, which is very common during pregnancy. It is caused by the hormonal changes that increase the blood flow to the gum tissue and cause the gum to be more sensitive, irritable and swollen. She recommended scaling (deep cleaning), but she wanted a referral from my gynecologist first. For the toothache she told me that I need x-rays to tell what's wrong with my tooth, and that she doesn't recommend it unless the pain is really bad. She wanted a referral for the x-rays and any treatment I will need for that tooth.  I decided to get a referral for the scaling because I read online that gingivitis can cause preterm babies, and it should be treated during pregnancy. However, I decided to take the pain caused by my tooth and wait until I give birth. 

Unfortunately, the tooth pain is getting really bad that I can't stand it anymore. It's getting really bad that I can't even drink or eat. I don't think I will be able to wait on it nor ignore it, so the first thing I will do tomorrow is calling the women clinic to get a referral.

I just pray it won't be harmful to the baby.

Baby, baby, baby!!

Nowadays I can't stop thinking about my baby who will be coming late September early October. I can't stop looking for a name, buying new clothes, and looking for baby shower ideas. I really can't wait to see him, take him in my arms and hold him tight!

Baby names: I have been looking for a name since we have known the gender of the baby six weeks ago. My husband has already picked a name that he really likes so much. The name he has picked is Abdurahman. I really love the name but I find it a little bit long. Unless we find a nicer name in the remaining couple of months, Abdurahman will be the name of our baby, inshallah :)

Baby clothes: I really can't stop clothes shopping for the baby! Since I have two girls, I don't have any clothes for the coming baby boy. I'm trying to get the things that I really need and trying to convince myself that the baby will grow fast so not to buy too much! I took shots for some of the stuff I got in the last few week. Aren't they so cute? :)

Baby favors: I haven't started working on those yet. I still need to pick a theme, and make the decorations. My sister got me the chocolate from Amman but I still need to decorate them. I found some incredible ideas for baby favors online.

Can't agree more :)

Home design - Living room (Cont'd)

This is the fireplace wall in my living room. I finally found the sunburst wall mirror I was looking for to hang over the fireplace. My next project is to mosaic the fireplace. As you see in the picture, it has those big black slates, which are really ugly and hard to clean. I'm thinking about getting multi-color mosaic that contains green, orange, and brown patterns. I will surely post a picture as I'm done with this project.

I'm working on decorating the guest bedroom now. My sister is visiting us this weekend and I want it to be ready by the time she is here. We painted it last week. Now I need to buy new drapes, bedding set, and some wall paintings. I'm also planning, if I get time, to build a headboard for the bed. It's a big project, I know, but I will try to finish it in the coming two days. I will post a picture for the whole room when it's ready. I'm so excited :)

Sayadeyeh (صيادية سمك)

I cooked this dish last Friday. It was really good! I'm sure there are many other ways to make the Sayadeyeh, but I always try to make the dish appeal to me better. And as always I'll be glad to hear from you. Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

2 pounds fish fillets (I used haddock fish)
2 cups rice (I used Basmati rice)
5 medium onion, sliced
1 cup flour
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
all fish spices
water (about 4 cups, note that this amount depends on the rice you're using)
2 fresh lemons

Cooking instructions:

• Soak rice in warm water for 30 minute.
• Wash the fish and dry it good
• heat 1 inch of oil in a skillet
• Dip fish fillets into flour mixture.
• Fry fish for about 3 minutes on each side; remove to a platter.
• In another skillet heat one tablespoon of oil and fry sliced onions until they are brown.
• In a deep pot arrange fried fish in the bottom and then add the fried onions until it makes a a layer over the fish.
• Wash the rice and rinse it, then add it to the pot over the fried onions.
• Add water, 2 tablespoon of the oil you used to fry fish, salt and pepper, and all spices. Bring it to boil and then cook the rice on low heat as you usually cook your rice.
• When the rice is ready flip the pot in a serving plate (so the fish will be on the top).
• Serve with sliced lemon

Note : If you want the rice to be darker you need to use more onions.

Kofta with tahini sauce (كفتة بالطحينة)

Yesterday I cooked kofta with tahini sauce. This dish is popular in Sham countries (Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria). In my recipe below, I do it differently than the traditional recipe, which I will summarize at the end.

Ingredients:

Kofta:
2 lb lean beef meat, minced
2 big onions, minced
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon all spice
salt and black pepper

Tahini sauce:
1 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt salt
3 cups water

Optional:
Two large potatoes, sliced


Directions:

• Mix meat, parsley and onions in a big bowl. Add spices and salt and mix them all well using your hands
• Mold the meat mix into finger shapes and place into a large pan
  
• Bake them in a preheated oven (350 degrees) until it's brown (I do this step to get rid of all the fat)
• Mix tahini, yogurt, salt, and lemon juice together well until it forms a smooth paste.
• Slowly add the water while stirring to keep the mixture smooth.
• Pour sauce in a cooking pan and put it on the stove at medium heat until it boils
• Add meat fingers to the sauce and let cook at low heat for about 30 minutes
• Pour in a serving plate
  
• Serve with white rice
  Optional:
• Slice potatoes and fry until lightly golden on each side
• Add them to the sauce when you add the meat
  

In the traditional recipe, the raw kofta is spreaded in a pan and then covered with sliced potatoes and some water, baked in the oven until the potatoes are cooked, then covered with the tahini sauce and baked again until it absorbs most of the sauce. At the end it's going to be thick and it's served with pita bread.