Having children growing up is a big challenge when it comes to food. Some children love to eat and some dont. When a child is fond of eating, mothers have to look for more kinds of dishes to satisfy him/her, for those kids who are fussy when it comes to food, mothers have to go an extra mile to find what food will attract him/her. My son enjoyed food, I had to look for different kinds of recipes and ingredients to prepare for him. It feels good to know someone love, relish and appreciate your efforts. On the whole, the experience made me a good cook "Thank you son".

In Nigeria during holidays or festivals, I took my kids to fast food joints, like "MR BIGGS, BIG MACS, CHICKEN GEORGE, LAND MARK ETC.", Many snacks and meals were available, among all , my interest fell on doughnuts stuffed with jam. I knew many children loved it and I was very keen to learn, but no franchise will disclose its recipe and those days internet was not available either from where I could have had an access to online recipes. I couldnt find any cook book with this kind of recipe. With trials and errors I could make it on my own and not only my children liked , even their friends did. In Tanzania we have our own kind of doughtnuts as well, its called "Maandazi", the main ingredients are the same, white wheat flour,sugar and cooking oil for deep frying. Tanzanians use coconut milk in them. I am going to post both recipes, Tanzanian and Nigerian with my own twist, I hope mothers will try them.

LETS LOVE OUR CHILDREN AND GIVE THEM HEALTHY AND YUMMY FOOD.

Spices in the Market

Since time immemorial people have searched for taste. The tongue seems to ask for something to work at, as we all know there are 4 region on the tongue which distinguish taste, sweet, bitter, salt and sour. In the process, man stumbled upon SPICES. I can't imagine eating without them. They make food lively and appertising. Still some people looked for more and hotter sauces, pickle, chutneys and preserves were discovered. They compliment every dish, giving that special kick to please everyone. Some nations adopted very spicy food and some opted for bland food, wonder how they were left behind, dont be mad with me, you can still join the race, you are all welcome to experiment and fall in love with spices. I came from a family where we ate less spicy food. When I moved to Nigeria after I got married, I was not able to savour any nigerian food as it was spicy and I was teased "Oyinbo peppe" though I am not oyinbo(white). I took a challenge and decided to take the bull by its horns since then , no looking back. I enjoy so much spicy food.
Moving to Ghana, I was introduced to "shitto" a pepper sauce, commoly used in Ghana with many dishes. I surprised Ghanians when I told them it is not that HOT at all!!!! If anyone could eat Nigerian food , could eat any spicy food in the world.
My daughter having grown in Nigeria, she has fallen in love with shitto. When I didnt have any stock in the house for a week, she had withdrawal symptoms. I had to rush to the market and got all ingredients needed to make it. It includes dry prawns and fish, chilly powder, ghanian spices, onions, garlic and ginger, all ground and fry in a lot of oil, I stood for one hour to prepare it. I was sweating and my face felt burning sensation, nevertheless the sauce turned out wonderful!!!

There are many kinds of breakfasts eaten in Tanzania but one of the most common is a flat bread made out of white flour. You can see women outside their homes making and selling them. It costs as less as 10cents but is so filling and delicious. You can have it with bean stew prepared with coconut milk or fried fish or just plain with our famous milk tea. Today I made it for my breakfast with chicken gizzard cooked in onions, tomatoes and spices. It's a little hard to explain the technique to make this bread so I will be posting a video up soon. It basically involves kneading the flour, folding it a certain way, rolling it out and then frying it with ghee or oil on a frying pan. Mmmm mmm!

It seems time flies faster than light!!!! Already a month since my kickblog was born, HOORAY!!! My baby is growing up and on its annivessary I am gonna celebrate with snacks (finger food). It's a norm to start with snacks in most of occasions, whether it is wedding party , birthdays or get togethers, by time the main course is served, stomachs are full.  During my daughters 17th birthday, following the same trend, I had made "biryani" as the main course , I ended up with 3/4  of it not eaten. I know  you may ask why not freeze and use someother day, electricityy was erratic in Lagos and I couldnt run generator all the time. I had to give who ever was passing by. Wonder why it should be this way? I wish I could change this kind of system, unfortunately , it has eatern deep in our society, nothing can be done that easily. Anyway if u cant beat them!!  join them, as easy as that.
 It is celebration time today and lets do it African style. Lots of food~food and drinks. On the menu,fried crispy prawns, sambusas, meat pies, kababs, plantain chips,fish patties,kose(bean dumplings), all these can be enjoyed, just click on recipes!!  So tell me how do you celebrate with food???  Leave a comment.

LIVE, ENJOY AND CELEBRATE!!!

Kolokolo

Before football, basket ball and rugby, Africans did play many games , from racing, jumping, hopping to running. I used to compete in running with my brothers.Rope skipping,hop scotch and high jump with friends (this was my favourite sport) . We used to put two sticks apart about 4 feet long, and one fitted in the middle, changing height as we progress. I had so many bruises, but didnt deter me from achieving higher heights. Boys loved to play with marbles, chased each other and made toy cars. They used discarded bicycle wheels with a stick placed on the outer rim and they pushed them crossing the streets with precision. On Saturdays, my mother allowed us to play hide and seek in the house, if we promised her not to turn the house upside down and made sure we placed all items back as we met them earlier.. The best part was after a day of play and fun, we came back home to a delicious meal, as we had to replace back the energy we  have consumed. The adults loved to play cards and Bao (kiswahili) under the tree shade, infront of the house or even at the market place. Groups of six to ten men gathered, divided into two teams, with zeal and determination of winning the opponent. Among all the games men used to  play, I like most  "Bao" and I would like to explain about it, as it is peculiar to Africans. It is played on the board made from wood, comes in  different designs with 32 deep holes of about two inches deep and four inches wide. Stones, big bush seeds or marbles are used  in this game. At the beginning of the game , two stones or seeds are placed in each hole to start with.  The game's aim is to empty your opponent's front row, or deprive him of any moves which is legal and allowed in the game, while still protecting your own front row. When I was living in Nigeria, I played with my children and they loved it, it is called "Kolokolo". The board is different , it has 16 holes and 4 stones are used in each hole at the start of the game. Whatever the difference , the game is almost the same, played with passion and high spirits. It is energizing and brain teaser, keeping you focused. No boredom moments . Perfect stress remover, AFRICAN WAY.

Normally, I go to Accra for shopping on the weekends, but this week was a disaster. Stuck in traffic for THREE hours! I don't understand why so many roads were blocked when President Obama himself was in cape coast! We tried to find ways to escape the horrendous hold-ups but eventually ended up on Nima highway, along with everyone else who had the same idea! My A/C died and my fuel was so low that I was so worried the car would die mid way! If only I KNEW it would be THAT bad, I would not have embarked on this epic journey at all and would have settled for good old Tema for the weekly shopping.

And I wonder, Can this kind of situation happen outside Africa? Will people accept this kind of trouble? Jam-packed, held-up traffic in the capital, that too after a week of NO petrol!!! Even the airport was shut down, my husband's flight to Lagos delayed for the special occasion.

Anyway, to make the day worthwhile, we decided to have lunch at Agbamami here in Tema, community 2! Jollof rice and fried fish, as well as fufu and palm nut soup for my daughter. What an amazing and satisfying meal after 3 hours of hot traffic!!! The service was great, the food sumptuous and the post-meal siesta was divine! Lol. Check out the pictures!

Cup of Spicy Tea

It is common to hear this phrase "Anytime is tea time" in Tanzania especially in coastal areas. It can be as hot reaching 32C still you may see Tanzanian drinking tea. Today, it has been raining here in Tema, Couldnt go walking as I normally do (good excuse not to go anyway). I get bored sometimes walking 45mins up to an hour sometimes. This morning I decided to chill at home with a cup of spicy tea, divine!!! couldnt wish for something better. Home sweet home.

I wish, I could eat without worrying of putting on weight. Food is Good and any good thing comes with the price.  Lunch is going to be meat balls in tomatoes as my husband is veggie guy, gonna put boiled eggs for him in the same dish. And after lunch, I will enjoy a wonderful siesta in this beautiful African weather.

RAIN  RAIN IS HERE TO STAY
A CUP OF TEA FOR ME TODAY!!

Growing in Africa is wonderful thing, next to nature and basics. I noticed very little  difference from one corner of Africa to the other. Due to  modern technology and globalization, we started losing some of our principles and values, but in some parts of Africa still they do exists in full swing. I pledge to keep them alive no matter where I am. I am a proud African. Sometimes, I think why we Africans should put (oyinbo) foreign wigs when we have beautiful natural hair!? When I was growing up there was a comedian groundnut seller, a man named Majambo who used to wear wigs to entertain and attract customers, but as children, we used to get scared and run away! Even today when I see wigs on people, I remember him and get scared! Why should you change the color of your skin, God-given gift, with bleaches and other such products? I want people to like how beautiful they are and should be proud of who they are! 
Most parts in Africa before foreigners invaded our way of life, they started the day with Uji (kiswahili) which may be called in different names in other part like Ogi in Nigeria, Koko in Ghana. It is a filling and energetic breakfast. Many kinds of cereals are used to make this dish such as sorghum, millet, corn, cracked wheat , rice etc.. When someone is sick with no appetite, this beverage is the best.

I am a tea lover, but there are days I feel like having porridge, and that day was today. It brought back memories when I was fasting two years back in Tanzania. We used to open our fast with the porridge as is common in Tanzania during fasting period. My sister Nasra makes it so good. There are a variety of ways to make the porridge depending on which part of Africa you come from.  My mother  used to make it with sorghum flour mixed with spices like cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper and added lemon juice for that tangy tasty which stimulates the taste  buds.  Sugar can be used to sweetened it . Before my mother passed away,  the last meal she requested for was porridge. This is how special porridge is. She departed this earth honouring her heritage. I am proud of you, Mom.