I’m showing this quick and easy white bean and herb salad for several reasons, not the least of which is to give you a perfectly delicious way to use up the end of that already used once bunch of parsley or cilantro. 

You told yourself you were going to add them to your next stock, forgetting you don’t make stock, and the sheared remains end up in the back of the vegetable crisper where they die a slow, slimy death. Well, this may be the answer.

Both cilantro and Italian parsley have tender stems that pretty much taste exactly like the leaves. By slicing the last half of the bunch thinly, across the stems, you have a perfect addition to any simple, cold bean salad. Besides herb stem recover and utilization, this recipe deserves to be in the rotation for two other very good reasons. It only takes like five minutes to makes, and goes beautifully with any and all of the traditional grilled or barbecued summer meats.

This video also reminds me that you wannabe food snobs need to stop making fun of people that don’t like cilantro. For about 10% of the population, due to certain receptors on the tongue, cilantro tastes nasty, which explains why so many people detest the stuff. The good news is that parsley works even better, so everybody wins.

On a spice note, I used Aleppo pepper here instead of cayenne or pepper flakes, and I hope you do the same. I only discovered this pepper recently, and just love it. It’s hot, but not too hot, and has a bright, fruity flavor I think you’ll really enjoy. Please note: In the video I said it was my new favorite pepper, but I only did that to make cayenne jealous. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1/2 bunch (the stem end) Italian parsley or cilantro, chopped

1 can (15-oz) white beans, rinsed and drained

3 cloves minced garlic
1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Aleppo pepper to taste
2 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar (or rice vinegar if you want it a little sweeter)
3 tbsp olive oil

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by Salman Hameed

I still have not seen the new Star Trek yet. I was disappointed and sad by the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek franchise last time, as it kicked aside the optimism and curiosity in exchange for brainless action sequences and problematic politics. It seems that the Into Darkness is a slightly better film but it goes even further in militarizing Star Trek. Compare this to the fact that  Gene Roddenberry created the series to challenge and bypass established norms of the 60's America. After all, it was Star Trek that featured the controversial interracial kiss (between Captain Kirk and Uhura). Here is a wonderful segment from a documentary Pioneers of Television: Science Fiction that presents the context for Star Trek (it also talks about the story behind the episode with the interracial kiss):



At the same time, yes, I also found the original Star Trek to be cheesy. But, I loved Star Trek: The Next Generation (of course). With episodes like All Good Things...,The Best of Both Worlds, Yesterday's Enterprise, The Measure of a Man, and Ship in a Bottle, it could compete with the best of science fiction literature. I did watch the Deep Space 9 and then Star Trek Voyager. However, I never really got into Voyager. Part of the reason was that the series was set 70,000 light years from the Earth and all the familiar villain alien races were missing. However, here is a fantastic article that provides a different context for Voyager and argues that it is the Trekiest of all Treks - and I think he has a point (though it has only a few memorable episodes). It is a feminist Star Trek and it shows the horrors of war. So while we fret over the mutilation of Gene Roddenberry's vision at the hands of JJ Abrams, here are some excerpts from this article about Voyager:

As we mourn Abrams’ macho Trek obliteration, it’s a good time to revisit Voyager, at once the most Star Trek-ian of accomplishments and the most despised object of fanboy loathing in the franchise's nearly 50-year history. From 1995-2001, it offered American audiences something never seen before or since: a series whose lead female characters’ agency and authority were the show. It was a rare heavy-hardware science fiction fantasy not built around a strong man, and more audaciously, it didn't seem to trouble itself over how fans would receive this. On Voyager, female authority was assumed and unquestioned; women conveyed sexual power without shame and anger without guilt. Even more so than Buffy, which debuted two years later, it was the most feminist show in American TV history.  

Voyager wasn’t some grrl power screed in Starfleet regalia. The ideas and emotions it explored were very much in the Star Trek wheelhouse; it just came at them from a fresh--and to some viewers, off-putting--angle. Led by Kathryn Janeway (Obie-Award-winner Kate Mulgrew), the first female Trek captain to carry a series, Voyager brought us some of the most convulsively inventive humanist science fiction this side of early Stephen Moffat-era Doctor Who.  

Set in the 2370s, Voyager episodes ping-ponged wonderfully between genres and modes. We got a revolution fought in the safety of dreams (“Unimatrix Zero”) and a metaphor-rich engagement with childhood violence and memory (“The Raven”). Some episodes spotlighted the kinds of spiritual engagements that frequent Voyager scripter Ronald D. Moore would import whole-hog to his post-9/11 remake of Battlestar Galactica.
And yet to this day, Voyager is often despised in the most grotesque terms, as a Star Trek apostate.

Here is the bit about the choice of lead characters and how it played with the expectations:

As the critic Alan Sepinwall reminds us, a great show teaches us how to watch it. With Voyager, the fanboys would have to learn how to live without a default male lead to identify with, a hero in Kirk/Picard/Riker mode. They would have to learn to identify beyond gender, and the challenge didn't end at the captain's chair. Along with Mulgrew's fascinating, maddening Captain Janeway—bullheaded; childless by choice; at once doctrinaire and impulsive---the showrunners gave us a prickly/brilliant Chief Engineer named B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) struggling with her biracial half-human Hispanic, half-Klingon identity. By season four, ship botanist Kes (Jennifer Lien) left Voyager; her screentime was filled with a 103-episode-long redemption tale about a bemused, tragic and insanely svelte de-assimilated Borg called Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).  

The show also expected viewers to spend time with an Asian Operations Officer (Garrett Wang), a half-black, half-Vulcan tactical officer (Tim Russ), and a Native American First Officer (Robert Beltran) before finally meeting the crew's significant male Caucasians, none of whom fit the traditional Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon/Luke Skywalker/James Kirk descriptors. One was the hilariously arch medical hologram played by Robert Picardo. The other was helmsman Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill).  

In the context we're exploring here, Paris is particularly fascinating. In theory, he was there carry the flag for straight male heroic signifiers, but there were clues that he was actually there to tweak people's expectation that science fiction adventures had to put a straight white guy at center-stage. The character spent his off-time saving helpless women in his virtual reality simulation of ‘30s SF serials, Captain Proton -- a sweet spoof of the brand of outer-space swashbuckling that  Roddenberry embraced on the original Star Trek, and that continued, in a more intellectualized way, on The Next Generation. 

Here is the about its depiction of war:

This series wasn't built around officers that could project military force, which is itself essentially masculine, whenever they needed to, and expect to be backed by the full faith and credit of Starfleet, even when they'd done something wrong or stupid. They were isolated, deprived of the usual political-military support network that made all other Trek adventures, including Deep Space Nine, so comforting to fans. 

The story began when the USS Voyager was hurled by an energy wave 70,000 light-years, to the butt end of the universe. After that, her mission was simplified: aim Earthwards for a 75-year journey home that the crew was unlikely to survive. 

And that was it. No Starfleet hijinks, no strutting around the galaxy, just 150 or so people stuck together for life. Voyager often feels less like a continuation of Trek as we know it than a challenge in the form of a question: "So you think you know what Star Trek is?" The series is an anti-action, existential feminist family drama, shot through with a persistent melancholy that reflects the crew’s desperation. 

Yes, it's still Star Trek, but the sheer unfamiliarity of the crew's predicament was disorienting. This far end of space is haunted by the violence of war. Mass violence carries more weight here, arguably, than in any other incarnation of Star Trek, and it's no stretch to suggest that the show's tragic attitude toward war comes out of its female-centered perspective. 

Here, military violence is portrayed not as a stereotypical male general might see it, but as it might be viewed by the equivalent of a diplomat, or a representative of the Red Cross, or the United Nations. It's a catastrophic event that engulfs whole civilizations, displaces whole species. It causes wounds that don't heal for generations, or starts new conflagrations. Voyager constantly meets races and species that are starting a war or recovering from one, and keeps stumbling upon the ghostly remnants of obliterated civilizations. This strain of sadness is so persistent that the show often feels like gentle critique of the military-macho strain that ran through the original series, the films based on it, as well as many episodes of the more self-aware The Next Generation.

Read the full article here. 

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Before I begin to teach this song, I will have the children sing the Noah verse of the song "Follow the Prophet."  Optionally, you may choose to spend a week teaching the children the ASL for the chorus of this song, found here.  

Next, I will review the story of Noah with the video found here.   (TIP:  These videos are all available on the Mormon Channel iPad app under Children, Old Testament Stories.  I find that this is a quick and convenient way to share videos with our small primary.)  Explain to the children how the story of the flood relates to baptism.

Because most of the children already know this song, I plan to do only a quick overview of the lyrics, using a parroting technique.  I will sing one line at a time and have the children repeat after me.  To review, I will print the pictures below and create a posterboard that looks like this:  

Have the children sing through the song, listening for the first missing word.  Have one of the younger children see if he or she can find the picture that represents that word.  Tape it in place and repeat until all of the boxes are filled.   Use the pictures as a prompt to discuss the meaning of difficult words and concepts such as "ponder" and "forgiven." 

For the activity:

For flipchart:

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Because the song "Follow the Prophet" has so many verses, I wanted to teach the children the sign language for the chorus.  I thought it might help keep their attention.

I love this YouTube video because the presenter gives two options, one for nursery/junior primary and one for older primary members.

Another resource for teaching Primary songs in ASL is found on the church's website, here.

To help the children remember the words to the verses themselves, I wrote the first letter of each word on the blackboard.   For example, the first verse would look like this:

"Adam was a prophet, first one that we know.

In a place called Eden, he helped things to grow.  

Adam served the Lord by following his ways.

We are his descendants in the latter days."

A W A P

F O T W K

I A P C E

H H T T G

A S T L

B F H W

W A H D

I T L D

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You know I always feel a little uneasy when I use a cut of meat that you may not be able to easily find, but in this case I’m posting guilt free, since this will work beautifully on whichever animal’s ribs you happen to use. I’ve never actually had this on anything other than lamb, but I’m going out on a limb. There’s just no way this isn’t going to be great on a rack of baby back ribs.

The root beer and sesame combination really works beautifully here, which is no surprise since we used that same one-two punch in a braised lamb shoulder recipe a few years ago. I’d just returned from foodie nirvana known as the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and was anxious to share a recipe adapted from one I learned from chef Richard Blais.

He originally used lamb ribs, and as great as my shoulder chops were, I remember promising myself that I’d try it on ribs someday. It took a while, but it was worth the wait. The subtle gaminess of the fatty rib meat is a perfect foil for the sweet and spicy glaze, which seems even richer scented by the toasted sesame.

By the way, these are lamb ribs from the breastplate of the animal, NOT a rack of lamb from the loin, which also has a sort of similar row of bones attached to the meat. Rack of lamb is crazy expensive, and if you want to waste a lot of money, cooking it for 3 hours would be a great way to do it!

You’ll notice I didn’t slash the membrane on the back of the ribs this time. I’ve decided on small ribs, like these and baby backs, that it really doesn’t make much of a difference. Also, I forgot and didn’t realize until I was doing the voiceover! Anyway, I hope you find some lamb ribs (call a butcher and they will hook you up), or wimp out and use some pork ribs, but either way, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 racks of lamb ribs (aka bone-in lamb breast)

salt and pepper to taste

For the marinade:

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 to 2 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce, or other chili paste/sauce

2 tsp salt

1 (12-oz) bottle root beer

For the glaze:

reserved marinade, boiled down by about half

3 crushed garlic cloves

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp sambal or fresh minced hot red chilies

*Roast lamb wrapped in foil at 250 F. for 2 1/2 hours, or until almost tender, then uncover and glaze with sauce every 5-6 minutes at 400 F., until tender and gorgeous.

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The Truth about Shab E Barat:

The month of Sha’ban is the eighth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fifteenth night of this month is known as Laylatul Bara’ah or Laylatun Nisfe min Sha’ban in the Arab world. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., it is known as Shab-e-barat.

THE BELIEVES ABOUT THIS DAY:

1. Some people believe that in Surah al-Dukhan (44:3-4) there is a reference to this night as Allah says, “We sent it (the Qur’an) down during a blessed night. We are truly warners. In that night is made distinct every affair of wisdom”

-But the night referred to here cannot be a Sha’ban night, because it is said here clearly that the Qur’an was revealed in this night. We know from the Surah al-Qadr (97) that the Qur’an was revealed in the night of Qadr and we also know from the Qur’an (Al-Baqarah 2:185) that the Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, so it is obvious that the night of the revelation of the Qur’an was in Ramadan, not Sha’ban, and that it was Laylatul Qadr not Shab-e-barat (or the Sha’ban night).

2. Some people also say that in the 2nd year of Hijrah, the direction of Qiblah was changed from Jerusalem to Ka’bah (Makkah) on the 15th day of Sha’ban.

-This report is also not confirmed by authentic Ahadith.

According to most of the scholars of Tafsir, the Qur’an has not mentioned anything about the Sha’ban night. There are some Ahadith that speak about the Middle of Sha’ban and its night. However, the scholars of Hadith say that most of the Ahadith concerning this night are not sound. They are weak (da’if) according to the criteria of the Muhaddithin.
THE SUPERSTTIONS ABOUT THIS DAY:

1. some people believe that the spirits (arwah) of the deceased visit their relatives during this night.

2. Some believe that there is a special Tree in the heaven upon whose leaves are the names of all human beings, and whatever leaves drop during this night, those people are destined to die in this year.

3. Some think that the decisions about the life and death of people are made during this night.

-All these beliefs and superstitions do not belong to the authentic teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

HADITH ON (15TH) MID-SHABAN:

1. The Mother of the Believers Aisha [May Allah be pleased with her] reports I missed the Prophet one night so I went out to al-Baqi` (and found him). He said: "Were you afraid that Allah would wrong you and that His Prophet would wrong you?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I thought that you might have gone to visit one of your wives." He said: "Allah Glorious and Exalted descends to the nearest heaven on the night of mid-Shaban and He forgives to more people than the number of hairs on the hides of the sheep of the tribes of Kalb.

-Narrated from Aisha by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and al-Tirmidhi who said that he heard al-Bukhari grading this Hadith as weak because some of the sub-narrators did not narrate directly from each other.

2. Abd Allah ibn `Amr [May Allah be pleased with him] reports that Prophet [Peace be upon him] said “Allah looks upon His creatures on the night of mid-Shaban and He forgives all His servants except two: one intent on hatred, and the homicide.”

- Narrated from Abd Allah ibn Amr by al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad and al Bazzar with a chain he graded fair (hasan) through the great Tabi’I jurist al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn bi Bakr al-Siddiq.

3. The Mother of the Believers Aisha [May Allah be pleased with her] reports, "The Prophet stood up in prayer during part of the night and made his prostration so lengthy that I thought his soul had been taken back. When I saw this I got up and went to move his big toe, whereupon he moved, so I drew back. When he raised his head from prostration and finished praying, he said: "O `A'isha, O fair little one (humayra')! Did you think that the Prophet had broken his agreement with you?" She replied: "No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but I thought that your soul had been taken back because your stayed in prostration for so long." He said: "Do you know what night this is?" She said: "Allah and His Prophet know best." He said: "This is the night of mid-Sha`ban! Verily Allah the Glorious and Majestic look at His servants on the night of mid-Sha`ban, and He forgives those who ask forgiveness, and He bestows mercy on those who ask mercy, and He gives a delay to the people of envy and spite in their state."

- Narrated from Aisha by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al Iman (3:382) where he comments: “This hadith is missing the Companion in its chain, and is a good Hadith (hadha mursal jayyid). It is probable that al-Ala’ibn al-Harith took it from Makhul and Allah knows best.”

4. Ali ibn Abi Talib [May Allah be pleased with him] reports that the Prophet [Peace be upon him] is reported to have said: “The night of mid-Shaban, let all of you spend in prayer and its day in fasting, for Allah descends to the nearest heaven during that night beginning with sunset and says: ‘Is there no one asking sustenance that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one under duress that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, a so forth until dawn rises’”

- Narrated from Ali by Ahmed and Ibn Majah with a chain containing Ibn Abi Sabra, Mufti Taqi Uthmani says regarding the authenticity of this hadith This Hadith is recorded by Ibn Majah in his Sunan, one of the famous six books of Hadith, and also by Baihaqi in his famous book Shu'ab-al-'iman'. Both of them have reported it without any comment about its authenticity. But after a critical analysis of its chain of narrators it is found that this tradition is mainly based on the report of Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Saburah whose narrations cannot be relied upon. That is why the scholars of Hadith have declared it as a weak (da'if) tradition. his memory was not of the standard required for the Authenticity of a tradition. That is why most of the critics and scholars of Hadith like Imam Bukhari etc. Have held him as weak.
SCOLARS OPINION:

AS THERE IS NO AUTHENTIC HADITH ABOUT MID SHABAN, BUT THERE ARE NUMBERS OF WEAK HADITH’S IN RELATION, THE OPINION OF THE SCHOLARS DIFFERED AT THIS POINT.
SOME OF THEM BELIEVED AS THERE ARE MANY (NEAR A DOZON) WEAK HADITH, SO, MID-SHABAN CARRIES SPECIAL IMPORTANCE, AND SPECIAL ACTS SHALL BE PERFORMED AT THIS NIGHT!
OTHERS BELIEVED THAT, AS MOST OF THE HADITH ARE WEAK OR THERE IS NOT A SINGLE SAHIH HADITH AMONG THEM, PERFORMING ANY SPECIAL ACT ON THIS SPECIFIC NIGHT IS BIDAH (INOVATION).
IN BRIEF, WHAT WE FIND IS-

1. There is no specific prescribed Salaah reserved for this night.

2. There is no specific form of Ibadah prescribed for this night.

-It was the noble habit of Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam to engage in ibadah during the last portion of every night. Ibadah was not restricted to the 15th of Shaban or any other specific night. Ayesha Radhiyallahu anha reports that Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam used to go to bed during the first portion of the night and he would stay awake the last portion of the night (spending it in ibadah). (Bukhari and Muslim)

3. Allah Ta'ala descends to the nearest heaven during the last third of every night. (Bukhari) This is not restricted to the 15th night of Sha'ban.

4. Visiting the graveyard is not a special characteristic of this night; it is proven from other authentic narrations that Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam would visit the graveyard during the last portion of many nights.

5. Fasting on the 15th of Sha'ban is not proven from any Sahih Hadith

- It is a misconception that the fast of the 15th of Sha'ban is Sunnah.
There is only one hadtih regarding fasting on this day but it is extremely weak, as one of its narrators, Ibn Abi Sabirah is extremely weak, has been accused of fabricating Ahaadith too. (Mizaan al-I'tidaal, p. 503)

- Fasting in the month of Sha'ban without the specification of any day is proven from Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Infact, he used to fast excessively during this month. (Narrated by al-Bukhârî, no. 1833; Muslim, no. 1956)

- Fasting on the13th, 14th and 15th of Every lunar month is proven from the Ahaadith.

8. The BLESSED NIGHT, mentioned in Surah Dukhan of the Quran, is the night of Qadr, and not the 15th night of Sha'baan.

9. The name Laylatul Bara'at was intoduced after a few centuries. Earlier Hadith books would mention Ahaadith regarding this night under the heading laylat al-Nisf min Sha'ban (Chapter on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban)

10. The custom of cooking a specific food for the 15th night of Sha'ban has no basis in the Qur'an or Sunnah. Nor does the lighting of lamps or having lighting outside the Masaajid as practised by some people.

11. It is the consensus (ijma) of all jurists that it is better for an individual to perform optional prayers in ones own home.

- It was the practice of Rasoolullah Salllallahu alaihi wasallam and the Sahaabah Radhiyallahu anhum to engage in any Nafl/optional prayers in their own homes.
………………………………………………………………………….
One can conclude from this that the customs and traditions prevalent today where people assemble on nights such as these have no base in the Qur'an or Sunnah.

Don’t engage in any form of Bid'ah, Success lies in obeying the commands of Allah and adhering to the teachings of our Prophet, Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

AND ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST.

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by Salman Hameed

There have been fears and hope since the beginning of the Arab Spring. There now have been democratic elections in Egypt and Tunisia, and in both places, Islamist parties have come in power. The question then is how will they shape the future of their respective countries. If you have an hour, check out this fantastic talk by John Calvert on The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood: Between Ideology and Political Pragmatism, hosted by the Center for Middle East Studies at University of Denver. John traces the history and evolution of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and it is a good reminder not to treat such organizations as monolith or stuck in time. Couple of years ago I had plugged John's book, Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism (See Sayyid Qutb liked "Gone with the Wind?). Now here is John Calvert talking about The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (p.s. this talk is, I think, is from last February, and there is a question in the end about Turkey serving as model for democracy for Egypt. Interesting, that in just a couple of months, the Turkey question now seems a bit awkward):

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رابط الحفظ

http://ia601700.us.archive.org/21/items/sedr5/sedr59.pdf

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I’ll probably never write a book on healthy eating (I know, you’re shocked), but if I did, I’d like to think it would be similar to “Foodist,” the new book by my friend, and favorite neuroscientist, Darya Pino Rose. I’ve never been able to articulate it as well as Ms. Summer Tomato, but have always believed that delicious food is the solution, not the problem; and that relying solely on willpower to change behavior never works, for anything.

Genetically predisposed appearances to the contrary, I live a relatively healthy lifestyle (or “healthstyle” as it’s referred to in the book). I’m quite active, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and generally stay away from processed foods. At this advanced age, I know what makes my body and mind feel good, and I try to eat as many of those foods as possible.

Of course, I’ve based most of my personal eating theories on intuition and anecdotal evidence, so it was nice having someone who actually understands all this stuff explain the science behind it. Besides learning why all those diets you tried didn’t work (spoiler alert: it wasn’t your fault), the smartly organized book is chock full of great tips and techniques, presented in an entertaining, often irreverent style.

I really did enjoy the book, and despite my complete lack of objectivity, I would enthusiastically recommend it to others. For more information, you can follow this link to Amazon, where the book is getting rave reviews (by people who actually paid for it).  Enjoy!

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by Salman Hameed

The elections in Iran are over and the reformist-backed candidate, Hassan Rouhani, has won the elections. Predictably, the coverage in the US has all been about the nuclear issue as if Iranians were only voting for that. For that matter, there rarely is a recognition that the elections are held regularly in Iran and the turnout is consistently high. Yes, The Supreme Leader and The Guardian Council can veto legislation and disqualify candidates, nevertheless, the President is not completely toothless. If that was the case, then the participation in the voting would not be that high. In fact, the turnout in the last US elections was 57.5% compared to 72.2% in the Iranian elections. A recent Pew survey that shows that a majority of Iranians do want a political role for religious figures. Now first, "political role" can be understood to have a very broad meaning, and second, most Iranians follow Shi'a Islam, where there already is a more established religious hierarchy compared to the run-of-the-mill Sunni equivalent.

There are still 30% of Iranians who believe that religious figures should have little to no political influence at all. But an overwhelming majority (82%) believe that Iran's laws follow sharia:

Read the full Pew article here.

In case you are wondering, Pakistan is a very different case, but religious parties received only 5% of the total vote in the recent elections (but religious parties still wield an outsized influence for other reasons). In comparison, 67% of the vote in Egyptian parliamentary elections in 2012 went to Islamist parties (38% - the largest share to The Muslim Brotherhood). However, a recent Pew survey shows that the support for Muslim Brotherhood is declining. This is precisely the reason, why we should let the process of democracy run. These political religious parties have no magic bullet - and when it becomes obvious, their support will decline:

But back to the original question of political influence of religious leaders, here is the landscape of Muslim views around the world (Pakistan and Tunisia have similar opinions on this matter! But also look at the high numbers for Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Jordan, and Bangladesh):

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This spectacularly simple green sauce may be the perfect summer condiment. It requires no cooking, only takes minutes, looks gorgeous, and tastes amazing with anything grilled, and most things not. 

It’s also great for treating a bad sunburn. That’s right, just serve this and chips along with three or four margaritas, and the victim will feel significantly better in no time.

I will admit this is a sauce I take for granted. I’m lucky enough to live near San Francisco’s Mission District, and there are hundreds of taquerias and restaurants, all of which feature some type of fresh, green salsa. Each place uses a slightly unique combination of ingredients, but I’ve never had one I didn’t enjoy. 

Not all contain avocado, but I really like the addition since it adds a wonderful richness, and the extra fat helps carry the other flavors around. As you’ll see next week, this was delicious on some pork tacos, but there are so many other amazing options. Try it on scrambled eggs, use it as a relish for sausage, or as a dip for fried-anything.  I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 1/4 cups:

1 generous cup sliced tomatillos (about 6 oz by weight)

*Note: if you can’t find fresh, you can use canned tomatillos in a pinch

1 tbsp minced Serrano pepper, or to taste

1 large ripe avocado

1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves

1/2 lime, juiced

salt to taste

View the complete recipe

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by Salman Hameed

There has been silence on Irtiqa for the last 10 days. Hmm....and the silence started right after I had a post about the NSA wire tapping story. Unless it is just a coincidence, I think this calls for some conspiracy theories. But here all I can say is that I have been dealing with a new life-form whose DNA has atoms that were processed inside stars, but now this molecule also contains some of my genetic information (Hmm...and this is where you queue the X-Files music):

But as this life-form learns that humans sleep for more than 2 hours at a stretch, the posts will resume their regularity here. In the mean time, here is Spock on laziness in The Lazy Song:


Bruno Mars - Lazy Song from Furlined on Vimeo.

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Every once in a while I get a food wish that instantly takes me back to culinary school. Things like aspic (not happening), larding a tenderloin (not happening), and pulled sugar (sort of already happened) always transport me back to those demos where the instructors fully admitted that we’d probably never use these skills, but since they were considered “classic techniques,” we’d have to spend time covering them anyway. Sure, makes perfect sense.

This fabulous fondant potato technique is a prime example. Made them a few times in school and loved them. Made them a few times at a hotel early in my career and loved them. Haven’t made them since, and not exactly sure why. They taste amazing, and as I try to make clear in the video, the texture this method provides is unlike anything you get by just roasting. The way the crusty, crunchy edges outside, works with the uniquely rich and creamy inside is truly a magical thing. 

I just think that we’re so used to the usual rotation of potato side dishes; fried, roasted, mashed, etc., that it’s hard to push ourselves to do a potato recipe that has multiple steps. In fairness, the multiple steps are super easy, but still. Anyway, if you’ve never experienced the old world awesomeness that is the fondant potato, I hope this video inspires you to try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 fondant potatoes:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 large russet potatoes (other varieties will not work as well)

salt and pepper to taste

a knob of butter (a 2 or 3 tablespoon size chunk)

4 thyme sprigs

1/2 cup chicken broth or stock, more if needed
*Roast at 425 F until tender, about 30 minutes

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I hope you all enjoyed as nice a Father’s Day weekend as I did. I got to take in a baseball game, fireworks, and golf with my father-in-law, Al, who shot a masterful 78 at the Wildhorse Golf Club. 

It was a lot of fun to watch, and I came in a very close second…with a score of 97. If you had any fears that I might quit doing this blog to compete on the senior golf tour, you can relax.

Anyway, I wish I could think of a clever way to segue from golf on Father’s Day to the next video, but I can’t (if we’d played “skins” during the round I would have had a better chance).  So, I’ll simply say, our new video features a very old recipe, Fondant Potatoes. Stay tuned!

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If you thought beer was just a refreshing adult beverage that made your friends seem more interesting and better looking, well think again. I was simply stunned at how a glass of beer poured into a homemade barbecue sauce created one of the most delicious grilled flank steaks I’ve ever had.

If you’re looking for something different for your Father’s Day cookout, consider this super simple preparation. I’m not sure if it’s the bitterness from the hops, or the malty notes, or just the alcohol, but something happens to produce a tender, juicy, and very flavorful steak.

Of course, half the battle is cutting this correctly, so pay special attention to that portion of the video. Cutting in half lengthwise will make life easier, and then straight down across the grain will yield tender slices of the smoky, aromatic meat. Drizzle on a little of the leftover sauce, and you’re in for a real treat.

Any beer will do, but try to use something on the more aggressive side if you can. Don’t forget, you’ll need to drink the other 5.33 beers, so you might as well get something tasty. I went with Belgian ale, and it was a beautiful thing. I hope you give this father-friendly beerbecue recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1 (1 1/2 lb) trimmed beef flank steak

salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup white vinegar

2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup strong beer

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تصفح الكتاب

التحفة العراقية في الاعمال القلبية by مكتبة زاد الفقيه

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Trick question; he doesn’t have one. That type of thing is more for women and food bloggers. In fact, your dad may not even have a favorite dessert, but if he had to pick one, I think a lot of fathers would go with s’mores – the campfire classic that inspired this frozen Father’s Day dessert.

S’mores are a simple, yet brilliant treat that represents everything most males, dads or otherwise, seem to love. It’s made over a crackling fire, the building of which triggers the release of all kinds of manly neurotransmitters in the brain. The same goes for sharpening sticks with knives, impaling things, and burning stuff.

And while you’re not experiencing those primitive pleasures here (except for the blowtorch, which is never not awesome), I think just the connection with the venerable s’more alone will be enough to have dad loving this pie.

If not, there’s always the crispy, buttery graham crackers, chocolate ice cream, and toasted marshmallows to make him proud of you anyway. Whether you make this for Father’s Day dessert or not, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs

6 tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (28-oz) container chocolate ice cream

2-3 handfuls mini marshmallows, or enough to cover the top

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