The Beauty Of The Nigerian Left Over…

The beauty of the Nigerian left over. Okra soup from the night before, warmed up with slightly cold eba; eaten right before it’s time for school. It was either you stayed home from school to hit the snooze button or you went to school to take a long nap. And if you went to school; thinking you’d beat the sleep, I can bet365 online that you would even drool on your desk while napping 🙂

Some days ago I had some left over Egusi soup and eba. There was something about that meal that had me speaking in different languages. If not for the various dialects of Igbo that I was speaking, I’m sure Hungarian would have made the list of languages that I spoke on that day. After my meal, it got me thinking if Nigerians liked left overs and what their favorite leftovers are.


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Navigating Wine On A Date

When embarking on a first date, it’s only natural that you want to impress. Many men go through the trouble of consulting their date on their tastes and choosing a great restaurant, only to let themselves down when it comes to selecting a wine. On the Russian dating scene, wine is an important part of an evening and can make or break a date. Most restaurants offer a baffling selection of wines at varying prices and navigating the options can be tricky for the uninitiated. Whether you’re dating an English lady, an American gal or one of the many beautiful Russian women out there, nothing sours a date faster than picking a bad wine. Nobody is expecting you to become a connoisseur overnight – and the idea of the evening is to get to know your date, not to show off – and so the following simple guide will help you to avoid embarrassment and net you that all-important second date.

Choosing Your Wine
First and foremost, don’t forget to ask your date about her preferences – if she’s a fan of a full-bodied red, she won’t thank you for selecting a sparkling white without consulting with her. If your date does not have a preference, don’t be afraid to ask the sommelier for a recommendation – it is, after all, what he’s there for. A good sommelier will recommend a wine to suit your tastes and to complement the food that you are ordering. Continue reading →

Up And Coming…New Ways To Thrill Your Taste Buds In 2018.


There are a handful of spices that are used today in pretty much every part of the world. There are salt and pepper, the basics of seasoning, and spices like oregano, basil, curry leaves, bay leaves, and such, that can be used to round out the taste of dishes and give them an exotic spin. But these are all pretty standard today – you’ll find them in stores all over the world, and not even specialty stores but supermarkets and groceries on the corner, too. But new spices and aromas are always emerging from various parts of the world. This year, we can expect quite a few of these – sometimes a bit strange and thrilling – to emerge into the spotlight. So, let’s take a look at what new aromas will spin the food roulette and thrill your taste buds in 2018.

Floral flavors

The only (relatively) widely known flower-based spice in the world is saffron. But high-profile chefs routinely use other flowers as spices – and these are expected to become much more widespread this year. Edible petals will be all over the place this year, with dishes and drinks ranging from lavender lattés to elderflower drinks, but don’t be surprised if more interesting petals – like violets – start showing up in salads all over the world.

Dish to try: deep fried elderflower fritters (Austria).

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Are You In? Ramadan Kareem…

Every year, the Muslims do the yearly Ramadan fast. It’s a month of fasting done on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The fast begins everyday at dawn and ends at sunset. During this time, every Muslim is to abstain from anything considered sinful. But we are not here to talk about what is considered sinful or areas where they are to show restraints. We are here to talk about the yummy foods and ways in which you can stay nutritionally sustained during the period of Ramadan.
During this fast, you are required to wake up before dawn to feed your body and this meal must last until the sun sets. This means you must eat foods rich in protein and plenty of fruits that are nourishing to your body; also drink plenty of water. What I’m trying to say is, as much as fasting helps in improving your health, during the times you’re allowed to eat, your meals must be nutritious; they must make up for the hours in which you don’t eat. This helps to keep your body and organs from breaking down.

Making your foods from fresh ingredients, staying away from foods and juices with artificial flavoring, sodium filled foods and keeping a balanced diet can seem farfetched, but planning your meals daily and weekly or using a meal time table such as this one from My active kitchen can help you stay on track. Keeping a healthy life style like working out, staying well away from coffee and sugary foods is also paramount to have a successful fast.
There is a tendency to over eat at dawn and especially during sunset. During these times, it’s best to always start with water and fruits; while making sure that whatever spread you have contains all the classes of food and are halal friendly. Eating healthy grains and lean meats while staying away from fried foods and foods high in starch goes a long way during Ramadan. You cannot tell me that 30 days of fasting and healthy eating won’t restructure your digestive system for the better and give you a glowing skin.

If you are a food traveler, this is one of the times for you to travel and eat. Many travel to Mecca or even Dubai. These are Islamic friendly countries where you know everything is halal. You can go from Lagos to Dubai with cheap flights to Dubai and you know your meals at these countries will be top notch; considering, Ramadan, fast, halal etc ?

Ramadan Mubarak…

5 Traits You Must Have To Cook The Perfect Nigerian Jollof Rice.

They say Jollof rice is for the Senegalese…Did you hear that? Mba! all I hear is crickets!…Abeg, since when?! Then you have to see the Ghanaians and how they now want to join body like gummy gummy jollof rice and say they invented it too. The most annoying thing is when Liberians want to now talk inside…People are talking, una sef wan join mouth. How many pots of gummy gummy jollof do you have to make to understand that you should stick to your light soup? abeg no vex. Na question I ask. You don’t have to answer it sha 😛


*To cook the perfect Jollof, you have to be a Nigerian:

1)You have to be like Linda Ikeji. The color of your rice has to be screaming “look at me, see how red I am…notice me o; or I die!” The color of your rice must carry designer bag and nack designer shoe. It must be the reddest and show itself on a leaf or in a Gucci bowl like Linda Ikeji shows herself in a mansion in banana island.


2)Cooking Jollof rice entails steaming with a little water. And to get that perfect water content, you must posses the spirit of wickedness. You must be wicked like the Nigerian economy. Be stingy with your water like Oga Buhari is stingy with oil money…Sai Baba! That kind of wickedness that makes you let your enemies rot in hell instead of sharing your water if asked. This makes the rice stand apart like the Nigerian Naira. it has to stand one one in the pot(it’s a must!!!!)…Don’t come and cook Llojof abi Jolomi for us to eat.

3) To cook the perfect Jollof, your spices must be sweet like them Apc lies. Have you heard Lai Mohammed speak before? Unemployed youths, remember your 5k? That’s all I have to say 🙂

4)When frying your tomatoes, you must remember how fried your edges were with relaxer before you now joined natural hair gang. Those days when your mother took you to get a perm and your hair came out looking like fried oyel? You must let that tomato done! Cook it like your hair cooks with the relaxer. The tomato must die and resurrect! Natural fire!

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10 Minutes With RMD(Richard Mofe Damijo). Your Favorite MCM

When I was a growing girl Richard Mofe Damijo was every young girl’s dream and prince charming. These days he seems to even swoon more grown women without even knowing it. Richard Mofe Damijo AKA RMD never seems to age. In fact he ages backwards. The more grey his beard grows in, the better he looks. In fact, if Deyemi’s beard is the real Black Panther, RMD’s salt and pepper beard is the entire Marvel team. He is the only Nigerian actor with a very popular and recognized initials(RMD). He has played in a lot of classics like “Violated,” “out of bounds” and “diamond ring.” He always played the handsome love interest who would almost die for love.  These days my favorite of his movies is “The wedding party.” He also plays Mr. X on his family series.

I remember telling myself when I was a growing girl that I would marry RMD 😀 Please don’t roll your eyes at me because a lot of you still have such fantasies and still post his pictures as your future baby daddy 😛 These days, RMD is more like an uncle to me. He is easy to talk to, he recognizes hard work, he encourages where it’s needed. Talking to him felt like talking to the real Hercules; a demi god. It was so surreal and I literally had to stop myself from screaming when he agreed to interview with me.

When it comes to RMD’s dress sense, he is a very versatile dresser. He can go from casual to dressy to traditional and very dressed down all in one day. Your favorite #MCM is also your favorite #zaddy 😛

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Einstein Bros…The Real Einstein.

Adjacent to the Imax theatre in Lawrenceville; Duluth highway to be precise, is the coffee and bagel house Einstein Bros. I found this little gold mine in 2017 while I was searching for a Star bucks. Prior to that time, I had never been in an Einstein Bros before. I even thought the place was owned by Albert Einstein the scientist. Yes laugh at me, I know I sound silly 🙂

Finding the perfect bagel shop is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. So if you have ever had a freshly made bagel sandwich from Einstein bros, you would understand why it is called the home of the Bagel. You would understand why little things matter when it comes to bagel making.

On walking into the Coffee shop, the left wall is plastered with an illustration of the different types of Bagels they make; and as much as I want to pick fit fam over bagels, bagels always win. Good thing they have a “fit fam” friendly menu to choose from.

I had a late morning appointment of which I had forgotten the time that I had to be there, so I went a little early, popped into my favorite coffee shop in the area and grabbed a small cup of tea. While I waited, I could smell the bagel goodness and all my fit fam fighting went out the window. I immediately walked up to the front counter and ordered a Southwest egg white sandwich on a cinnamon raisin bun to go with my mango tea. At first I told myself, “na you sabi. Be eating what you don’t know.” Oh well, my sandwich arrived promptly. They even had someone bring it to my table and it looked and smelled so delicious. This sandwich was actually dripping in finesse. I took a bite and I had to stop myself from walking up to the counter and getting another. This was not the first time I had been here; but honestly, this was my first time having this sandwich and I really don’t think I have ever had an egg white sandwich this good. There was the freshness and sweetness of the bagel, the fluffiness of the egg, the spicy cheese, tomatillo salsa and the sweetness of the cream cheese to tie it together. My sandwich was made with such precision that one ingredient did not over power the other. And for those who count calories, this sandwich is only 360 calories 🙂

southwest egg white sandwich and a good read 🙂

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10 Minutes With Deyemi Okanlawon.

When you talk about Nollywood bad boys, I almost always add Deyemi to my list. I first saw him on the show Desperate House girls on Iroko Tv. Then I saw him in the movies “In our trap,” “taxi,” “diary of a crazy Nigerian woman” and “dreams.” After which I fell in love with his style of acting.

It took me a while to reach out to Deyemi because I had this idea that he was this guy who would totally brush me off if I asked him for an interview. After following him closely in our group “VentVille” on Facebook, my idea of him changed. I realized that he is a very approachable person. Every week he makes motivational posts encouraging us to believe in ourselves and he generally posts positive messages to give us something to smile about. He’s all about self worth and being true to whom you are.

One thing I like about Deyemi is his dedication to putting his family first. In his world, family is everything 🙂

To me, Deyemi is effortlessly stylish. He reminds me of the old Victorian men, with their hats, bow ties and fitted jackets. I admire the fact that when it comes to fashion, he can float comfortably between old and modern. It’s just like art 🙂 Apart from RMD, Deyemi is the only one I can forgive for wearing skinny flooded(ankle length/cropped) trousers with no socks. Funny enough, he has been said to be compared to RMD(Richard Mofe Damijo). Even when it comes to the infamous “beard gang” I am NOT a fan. But you see, Deyemi’s beard, it’s a Super Hero. In fact, it’s the real Black Panther 🙂

 

I remember seeing him in a movie and he was actually eating. I thought “this ajebutter!” Little did I know that his favorite food is Amala with Gbegiri, Ewedu and Ogufe(goat meat). I would really like to see a picture or a video of Deyemi with his fingers stained with Nigerian red stew mixed with some silky yellow bean soup(Gbegiri). That would be a million dollar sight 🙂

Amala, Ogufe(goat meat), ewedu(jute leaves)     and gbegiri(silky bean soup). Image by     Chioma Bethel…Pintrest

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10 Minutes With Vivian Irondi…Happy Mothers Day!

There are people who you meet and they forever leave you wanting for more. One of those people is Vivian Irondi. I always celebrate my mother every mothers day, but this time; since we already know mommy, I decided to celebrate Lady V.

I met Mrs. Vivian on a food group on Facebook and I deeply liked and enjoyed her posts. I always wondered who in the world she was. Her talents in cooking and her passion shone through her posts. You could tell she had a story to tell and she still does it through food.

Vivian is a mother and a wife who would go to war for her family. And her loyalty to her family and her husband whom she calls her friend knows no bounds.

Her friends call her a loyal friend, a woman who loves her family and one who never minces her words when it comes to being truthful.

Vivian, the beautiful; as she is known to me, is a woman well travelled with a great sense of humor. She is one who fights for women, and one who celebrates the African culture not only through her cooking, but through her impeccable sense of style.

As one with strong principles of hard and smart work ethics, Vivian not only works her 9-5 job. She also caters organic Nigerian food to many distinguished customers. Like the photo of Afang soup below. I remember when she posted this image, my mouth watered, I got instantly hungry.

 

She is one who would tell you, “don’t just come on social media to slay. Do something tangible with your life.” As blunt as she sounds, I have begun to take her words seriously. I have learnt that people like Vivian will correct you on one hand and on the other, she pulls you into a tight embrace with love.” She is one who was difficult for me to understand, but once I did, it was bliss onwards.

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Green Bean…

Walking into the heart of Union square in down town New Bedford, Massachusetts; you would definitely run into a small coffee shop knows as “Green bean.” I found the green bean during my walk down town. It looked green like Starbucks so I went in to see what they were about. On walking in, I was greeted by a lovely young lady whom I later learnt was their manager. She made me an Americana coffee with a shot of espresso. Her reception and service were as warm as the coffee she made me.

After my first visit, I decided to go by there during another visit. The Green bean, so cozy a place, one visit is never enough. I didn’t meet the beautiful brunette lady this time but the other servers plus the owner were there and they were very sweet people.

I know you would ask “was the coffee that good?” No folks, it was their reception, their service, the conversation and the melt in your mouth chocolate chip blondes. I had my first blonde at the Green Bean. Blondes are simply brownie looking things that are melt in your mouth delicious. I am not aware of how they make theirs at the Green bean, but boy oh boy! It’s one of those things you eat and never forget. It was so good, I brought some home for my ajebutters. Eating a blonde from the Green Bean is an experience every human being deserves to have.

New Bedford is a tiny village with their main trade as fishing but with the treasures they posses, it’s not a town to be forgotten in a hurry.

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