‘Make a gingerbread house. In February. Or at Easter. Whatever happens, before Christmas 2012!’ Well, we didn’t make it before Christmas 2012, but we certainly did it before January the first, 2013. I think it crowned the year for my entire family – as in husband, myself and the children as we built the gingerbread house from...
Here’s an update on a Nigerian classic: Stir-fried Jollof rice. And this isn’t to buck tradition – this is about how travel shapes who we are, opens up our eyes to new possibilities and redefines our boundaries. For Nigerian Jollof is typically ‘stewed’, not stir-fried or oven-baked. Right now, Nigerians the world over are planning...
I know, tinned foods aren’t virtuous, especially from ‘self-proclaimed’ foodies. Mind you, that’s not me talking, that’s the ‘Voice of the world’. Because I know better. I know that virtue can be earned in a myriad of ways: fresh, frozen and canned. Like everything else, they have their time and place, their season.
New York. Fruitcake. Me. I’m in New York. Again. I arrived via Paris a few days ago. Via Paris because if you had a choice to transit through a European city, you too would choose Paris over Frankfurt. Even over Amsterdam. Just for some great, if rubbery airplane bread. And wonderful cheeses. And Fromage Frais....
In most parts of the world, the leaves are turning, the days are getting shorter and it’s a fresh 14 degrees or so. Pumpkins and all things orange, russet and gold are the rage. Desserts too are the norm – pumpkin pies and apple tarts, custards, puddings and heartwarming eats. In Nigeria, some leaves are turning but the days stay the same. There are no...
A lemon-caster sugar topped galette de Pérouges Some call in armchair travel. I, on the other hand, think ‘travelling by plate’ or ‘belly travel’ is far more endearing, more involved, more inclusive and accessible, more embracing…of history, culture, cuisine, people. Through cookbooks, dining in cultural spaces, Food TV channels, street conversations, and more. This time my...
Healthy 6am weekday conversations in our home are rare. As I guess they are in most households with children of any sort: pre-teen and post teens! Usually, moaning and grumbling tend to dampen the chit-chat of the blue tits and red robins; and even the cocks crowing-a dawn. The kids channel crackles with dragging feet...
Calling all the New Yorkers out there. Before we moved from the Netherlands (I know I keep going back to those days….), I tried my hands at making bagels. And succeeded too. And because I promised you bagels and Nigerian stews (not served together mind you) – here it is. See I feel that for...
I’m thankful for autumn and fall. For churros. For pumpkin puree. For pumpkin churros. For sugar, and chocolate and spice. For taste notes called toffee and caramel. For New England autumns, for deep-fried. Dough. I’m thankful for new beginnings, for children that love freely, for hope, for joy. For life. And the occasional wave of...