Our Turkey Pardon and Thanksgiving Menu
Ciao, guys. I apologize for the inconsistency in the last few weeks. I have been working on some fictional work for the blog, as requested by several readers. This was after great feedback from "The Adventures of Saudiq Amao" and "Blue Twine". Older readers also loved the "Tiide series", which I should bring back one of these days. Anyway, after a ridiculous number of drafts, I believe I may have found the one I’d like to refine and edit the heck out of. Look out for it!
Right now, I am getting ready to host our first Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. First, we aren't having turkey, so somewhere, somehow, a turkey is walking around free as a bird, pun so intended! Prez Obama also pardoned his last two turkeys today, his last pardon as president, it was a bit sad. Anyway, we are having baked hens instead because I'm allergic to turkey. Don't ask.
It’s going to be a Nigerian Thanksgiving; puff-puff and a lot of fried rice and jollof rice. It'll be my first time baking cornbread from scratch, I snubbed all the ready-made ones at the store. Now, I'm thinking I should have bought one, just incase things go wild. For dessert, I chose to make an Apple-Walnut cake, which I intend to serve with some vanilla ice-cream. This is also my first attempt at making desserts *crickets*. I don't have vanilla ice-cream. I have a tub of strawberry and a tub of cookies and cream. *taps chin*. This is going to be fun.
Thanksgiving Menu
Appetizer
Puffpuff (made by my friend, Funmi)
Goatmeat pepper soup (this bit makes my heart beat a little faster)
Entrée
Baked Hens (they ousted the turkey)
Stewed Gizzards (Ed’s recipe)
Sides
Jollof rice (I’ll share this soon. Jollof hack, that will prevent your rice from burning)
Fried rice
Fried plantains
Cornbread
Dessert
Apple-Walnut cake
Ice-cream
Are you hosting Thanksgiving? What would be on your menu?
Travel: 6 Reasons I’d Revisit Washington DC
If I had to summarize my visit to Vegas in one word, it would be hedonism; my trip to New York, diversity; my trip to Nashville, music (naturally); my trip to DC, power. You can almost touch it. Another word, of course, would be traffic *straight face*. Nevertheless, DC has become my second favorite city in America! Boston, still at the top. During this trip, I explored DC with my dad, who was in town at the time. My explorer genes are all from him, so it was a superb adventure!
Einstein chilling with a book and no shoes #nerdgoals
Unfortunately Fortunately, we couldn't complete my exploration of DC during the visit and so I will be returning soon. Here are 6 reasons I'm sure I'd be returning:
1. Museum sugar-rush: If you love museums as much as I do, DC is the town for you. It has a wide selection of Smithsonian museums located within the area called the National mall and also at other locations. Here is the part which would tickle the soul of any museum-lover. Admission is free. If you didn’t utter the expression “Muhehehe”, then you don’t love museums. You would love the experience. We could only complete 2 museums and a bunch of memorials, so I definitely will be returning! You can find the list of museums here!
The new National Museum of African-American History and Culture designed by Ghanian architect, David Adjaye
2. Political celebrities: DC is like the Beverly hills of politics. I'm sure we was about 1000 feet away from Michelle Obama at some point, when a motorcade that looked very "first-lady-like", drove past us near the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (photo above). One evening though, I saw John McCain (Republican nominee who ran against Prez Obama, in 2008) walking down the street! I had little chill.
3. To revisit Ab: I’ve always wanted to see Abraham Lincoln's memorial for some reason. There’s a scene from a movie where the protagonist is standing in front of Lincoln at night…and speaking to him… Wait, am I making this up?Lol. I just checked: Legally Blonde 2. Anyway, I’ve always been infatuated, so to speak. Yeah, so, finally I saw Ab, he says "Hey". I have to revisit him at night. It must be so spooky in the dark.
Lincoln's view
4. Partial fulfillment of my Foodie Degree: The best thing about tourist cities is the vast availability of restaurants. After burning ourselves out exploring museums and memorials, we found this Mexican place that served fajitas and plantains. And as the wise men say, "Where there are plantains, there is life." Amen.
5. To live out my espionage fantasy : Exhaustion and a food coma eventually set in. I'm not the girl with the red cape from Krypton you thought I was. We stumbled on the International Spy Museum at about 5PM. The attendant was brimming over with so much energy, which made me dizzy because I had just stuffed my face with the feast above. Apparently, we were supposed to perform some espionage stints of adventure, perform stunts, slay the villain and rescue the girl. Err...not with this induced food coma we won’t. We made a note to return on our next visit. And this is why 007 never eats. Note: the spy museum isn’t free. It costs about $15- $30 and probably about 2700 calories.
6. To relive the best pancakes of my life: There are a few situations in life, where you experience remarkably memorable breakfasts. This was one of them. My cousin took me for a beautiful breakfast in Bethesda, Maryland, which isn't in DC but really was just a few minutes away. I felt like Goldilocks at Baby bear's table. The pancakes weren't too big, they weren't too small, they were just right. And they didn't give me a food coma, unlike Goldie.
And that was how DC became my second baby. Donald, take care of her for me! I will see you very soon.
DC is listed in the top 5 most expensive cities to live. I stayed at an Airbnb in Palisades, which is on the west side. A peaceful, quiet suburb. An Uber to Union Station costs ~$35. Union Station is your friend, if you plan to travel by rail. It's good to know that DC doesn't have an airport. Dulles and National are in the state of Virginia and BWI is in Maryland but they are close enough and accessible with uber, taxis or the train. We ate here and here. If you visit, enjoy!
What was your last memorable travel experience? What's your favorite city in the world? Tell us!
5 Easy Peasy Ways to Enjoy Your Flight
More than ever before, holiday-makers are choosing to take their vacation and travel during the "-ember" months, which means Autumn has totally snatched Summer's thunder! Sorry, Summer. Traveling in Autumn is a great way to save on your trips, with reduced travel fares and relatively reduced accommodation rates- one less reason to be sad about the end of Summer!
If you are back from your travels, don't feel bad and there's absolutely no reason why you should feel left out of this post; let us know if you tried any of these 5 points during your flight. Also, let us know if you have been meeting "people of interest" on your travels like I have:
5 easy peasy ways to enjoy your flight
1. Bring your own stuff (BYOS): No matter what class you will be flying, nothing makes a trip better than personalizing your experience. Using your own stuff during a flight adds a layer of increased comfort. Items that are always a good idea are: I) Chewing gum/breath mint II) Socks III) Headphones IV) Tea, coffee, hot chocolate in a sachet V) Snack e.g cashews, gummy bears VI) Sleep gear**
2. Chat up your neighbor: You never know who you might be seating next to on a flight. I once sat next to a regional director for one of the largest Pharmaceutical Multinationals. Hello, LinkedIn bestie. The easiest way to initiate a chat with your neighbor is by showing kindness. A great way to engage your neighbor is by offering them a snack or gum. Gum/breath mints are the most important items on a journey, as you can see.
3. Plan your inflight activities: Planning your inflight activities ties everything up nicely. It ensures that you create time to walk around, which helps your blood flow; also you get to plan your rest times, work and entertainment: watch in-flight movies, solve puzzles, play two dots or whatever games you enjoy, talk to your neighbor with your new, improved minty breath. At the end, your journey feels well-rounded and productive-ish.
4. Moonwalk down the aisle: It always feels like a good idea to take the potato-couch status on board a plane and just sit all through the flight, binge-watching movies, binge-eating weird airplane food and binge-sleeping. However, being docile on a flight, no matter how short, is never a good idea. Flights lasting 8-10 hours pose the greatest risk of the formation of blot clots (aka Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)). Ensure you make as many trips down the aisle, to the rest room or just moonwalk down the aisle and stare awkwardly into people's faces... just because you can.
5. Hug the free seats: On long haul flights when fatigue makes you anti-social, and you want to skip chatting your neighbor up and you are just content the way your breath smells, ask the flight attendants about free seats. They usually ask you to wait until take off, by which time you might be asleep anyway. If you stay up, move to your new three-seat empire! Oh and don't forget to tell them to wake you for dinner.
4 Interesting people I've met on a plane because I offered them gum
(1) a girl who apparently detests flying and wouldn't stop talking about death *side eye*;
(2) a chef who worked on a rig and missed his family all the time;
(3) an Israeli with the clearest blue eyes who hates Tel Aviv and doesn't speak with his relatives;
(4) a man who told me the history of Nigeria for 5 hours, straight, until I started dozing, which didn't stop him. You'll be amazed the kind of information you'd be privy to with just one act of kindness!
What's your absolute must-have on a flight? Headphones and gum for me. Do you do in-flight exercises? **Do you change into pajamas on long-haul flights? Any interesting people you've met on-board a flight?
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Travel: Nigerian Girl Under Lookout Mountain! (Chattanooga)
For someone who claims not to be cut from the cloth of adventure and thrill-seeks, I seem to have a thing for mountains! You'd think I'd stick to low grounds, huh? Anyway, please "Take me back to Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls!" Location: Chattanooga.
Last Summer, Ed and I went on a road trip to some of the southern cities of the United States. Our first stop was Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville, because a certain someone loves country music and listens to David Nail, Florida Georgia Line, and Sam Hunt all day long. Plus, that certain someone also loves the idea of honky-tonking wearing a skirt and cowboy boots. Stating the obvious, Ed doesn't wear skirts.
I recognize 4 out of 5
Anyway, after roof-top bar hoping, eating ice cream, dancing on the street at the traffic lights (there are speakers at the traffic lights constantly streaming music) in that mean ol' sun, we drove to Chattanooga to ride the steepest train in the world and to see the underground waterfallbeneath it, known as Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is a 145 foot waterfall named after the wife of the geologist, Leo Lambert who discovered it in 1929.
Cool candle wax-looking rock formations
No one has been able to trace the source of the water of the waterfall, which sounded spooky to me. Actually, that day, at 1,120 feet below the ground, everything sounded spooky to me. Barney and the Telly Tubbies would have sounded spooky to me on that adventure. *pensive* The Telly Tubbies scare me already, so that kind of weakens my argument. Anyway, truth, being 1,120 feet under a mountain is darn-spooky. We walked for over a mile through this dark, narrow path with crevices of rock formation on either side. The formations grew out of the walls and the ground like little trees; to my palms, they felt like marble and to my eyes they looked like huge blotches of candle wax pretending to be rare.
Our guide was thrilled by the fact that we were in the dark and we were a bit spooked, so he told us that there were bears in the cave. He was joking, of course, and found this very funny. I didn't and I made sure I was close enough to Ed as possible. It was all very Shaggy-and-Scooby-Doo.
"The previous week", The guide said, in his perfect southern drawl, "the elevator got broken, everyone was stuck here for a long time and we had to walk up the fire exit, all the way up!" then he chuckled and kept walking. He was a fun guy. He also mentioned that they had a Halloween tour edition. Lol. And why would I want to attend that, pray tell?
Scooby mode
Did I think we would be stuck there forever?
Yes
Did I believe the bear story?
Yes
Did I wonder about volcanoes and earthquakes at the moment?
Yes. Very much.
How steep was the train track?
Steep. Steepest incline in the world. Looked like something out of an old Okeke Physics text book. "Inclined planes" chapter. It had a 72.7% gradient. Hello, falling over!
Best part about the tour:
When we got out. I'm kidding, when we saw and heard the waterfalls...and then when we got out.
What did we eat for lunch?
All the junk food we packed for the trip! Gummy bears. Jollof rice and chicken (for sure), corn chips!
Would I recommend checking out Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls?
Absolutely, you'll love it, unless you are claustrophobic and really, really not cut from the cloth of adventure, which is completely fine by the way. That makes two of us.
If ever you are in the area - you know, Georgia, Tennessee, the Lookout mountain and Ruby falls tour is a really good idea! Let me know how it goes?!
Are you cut out for adventure or not really? What is your all-time most favorite adventure memory?
Uuuuuh! 😃
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4 Things To Do When You Don't Have WiFi
Have you ever been somewhere without WiFi and you've been forced to stare into thin air or at the springy tendrils of a stranger's nose hair? If you haven't, good for you. This is about to be the situation of my day on this wonderful, sunny Friday and I have come prepared with 4 things you and I could get around doing, during that situation that gravely threatens human survival- the moment you have no wifi!
Here are 4 things to do:
1. Empty your e-mail box
Argh! So no WiFi, huh? Don't despair, there's always a sunny side to everything. It's time to finally open those 6,547 emails that you have ignored all this while! No Wifi means more free time to organize. [Why do I feel you don't think that's sunny?]
2. Finish that book you've been reading since the year before
We all have that one book that stares at us from our night stand or that sighs every time we take it out and instead of reading it, spend all our time on our phones. Read it! [Note to self]. I still don't know if Evie ends up with handsome, melancholy heir Robert McAndrew in Hester Browne's Vintage girl. And I haven't known since I started reading it last year. Lol.
3. Talk about the weather
Slowly but surely, talking about the weather and every other form of necessary, unnecessary subject of small talk is slowly disappearing from our social culture, with everyone hunched, poking and giggling at their screens. Myself, most of all. I miss talking to strangers! Ed and I spoke to a stranger recently and he turned out to be an awesome photographer. He took a "family portrait" of us on the street! Check it out on my Instagram page!
Taking a break from screen time provides opportunities to connect with real people and what's cooler than that?
4. Restore the ancient hobby of people-watching
People-watching is really fun, as long as you don't witness a murder while watching and then have to be on the run. If you think about it, we spend a lot of time on social media "watching" other people. Well, people-watching is like Snapchat without the filters and time-constraints! Also, if you are a creative writer, you and I know that watching people is a great creative trigger.
Another sunny side to not having WiFi is that your battery lasts. *shrug* That's got to count, right?
Hey, do you have any ideas for me? Help! Do you do any of these already?
5 Random but oh-so-true Reasons to Pack your Lunch
I know, I know, packing your lunch doesn't sound like fun at all, well, not unless it looks like the photo above. Let's skip through 5 reasons it may not be so bad after all!
1. It's a great lunch-time conversation starter, assuming your food doesn't contain locust beans (iru, the world's most sensational ingredient). If it does, you shall be sitting by yourself, my friend!
2. It's probably cheaper than buying lunch.
3. /4. You should take your lunch to work or school, well, because you are such an awesome cook and someone does have to eat it or because you are the worst cook who ever walked the face of the earth and you need to improve your cooking skills with practice! It's a win-win!
Psst! YouTube is great for learning how to make new dishes and to improve your culinary skills!
5. Taking your lunch with you is probably healthier than buying lunch-you get to control the quality and quantity *side look*.
Do you take your lunch to work or school? Do you get questions about your food from colleagues? Wait, do you get a free buffet at work? Are you guys hiring? *Grin*
Travel light: Your Relaxed (Glam) Weekend-Away
At first.....
Conversation with myself as I stand in my closet.
Me: Do you really need a lint roller on a weekend trip?
Me: Yup. Even though, I'm taking zero dark colored clothes.
Me: How many bottles of perfume do you need?
Me: Two
Me(gives me the look)
Me: OK, one.
Me: What else do we need?
Me: Lotion, shoes and bags- for every occasion and there may be 4 or 5 occasions, 2 cameras, a towel and 2 changes of clothes per day and also two changes of pajamas.
Me: It’s just two nights.
Me: *blank look* So?
I don't travel light. It's just not something I do. If you travel light, I'd like to praise your skills of prioritizing and decisiveness-please, be very proud! I'm currently trying to join the club. I've been slowly moving over to the minimalist camp, ever since I married Ed, who is chronically allergic to people bending over at airports, to rearrange their overweight luggage! Lol!
I've embraced minimalism all around- less furniture, less junk in my bag (Yeah, right), less stuff on my desk and in my drawer, less keys and cards on my key-holder, less carbs on my plate (carbs-control), fewer shoes but MORE bags *grin* Can't go minimalist there, sorry. I'm a bag hoarder.
Minimalism is really refreshing. It reduces clutter, provides more space, better time management because I don't spend ages looking for my keys in a near-stark living area and I don't spend the end of ages looking for the right key on my bunch. It also helps you relax and think clearly. When traveling, it helps to have the exact items needed for the trip, no knick-knacks. It makes you feel more organized and less worked-up. A study actually shows that, having too many options for one event may lead to depression.
I'm definitely learning to travel light with the least minimum number of functional items possible. God help me.
I decided to make a weekend-away travel items list, so that I don't have to have this conversation with myself every time I have to go on a trip, convincing myself to take just one bottle of perfume.
Downsized a little...
Relaxed Weekend Away (with no chance of glam)
✔️Comfy shoes
✔️Liners/socks
✔️1 sling bag (how generous of me *pout*)
Bedtime
✔️A pair of PJs
✔️Head scarf (if needed)
Toiletries
✔️Toothbrush
✔️Toothpaste
✔️Mini mouthwash
✔️Mini Floss
✔️1 bottle of Perfume/body splash
✔️Day face cream/ Night cream
✔️Nail hardener (brightens manicure/doubles as plaster/band-aid)
Clothing
✔️Hand towel**
✔️3 changes of underwear (plus 1, just because)
✔️2 bottoms (including a pair of shorts)
✔️2 tops (including a tank)
✔️1 dress
Electronics
✔️Phone charger
✔️Phone
✔️Earphones
✔️Camera
Entertainment
✔️1 book
✔️1 magazine
Personalize your experience
✔️Your favorite snack
✔️5 individual packets of your favorite beverage (mine is mint or berry infusion tea) 😍
✔️3 capsules of your Multivitamins
Relaxed Weekend-Away (with a chance of GLAM) add-on items
✔️Cocktail ring
✔️Earrings
✔️Heels (this kills the "relax" factor, for sure)
✔️Clutch purse
Are you a light traveler? Please share your secret! Are you are heavy traveler? When last did you have to open you luggage and rearrange at the airport? Lol! What items can't you live and leave without? Are you taking your vitamins? (in mum's voice)
** I like to travel with my own towel but a bath towel is frowned upon by light-travelers, so a smaller hand-towel will have to do. Sniff.
Travel: The Weekend New Yorker
Last weekend, I realized why all Marvel-comics fictional villains try to take over New York City. Asides from the fact that Stan Lee, the creator of many Marvel villains is a New Yorker himself and probably chooses his city as the default setting for villain autocracy, New York is pretty amazing and if I was a villain with the long term goal of taking over the world, let's just say NY would be my 5-year starter project. It's like a mini earth, brimming over with so much activity and diversity!
It seems to run on this self-generating energy that feeds off the charged cloud of dissimilarity caused by diversity. I loved it! My ears perked up as I heard a woman speaking in rapid Italian to her son and a few feet from her, clusters of friends speaking French, German and other languages I couldn't decipher. Of course, I was speaking Yoruba too, adding to the cloud of dissimilarity and coolness-hehe.
What we did in New York
Slept like babies
Our Airbnb was situated in Brooklyn, my new crush. It was a peaceful, newly-renovated home with a minimalist design, where we got a lot of night rest. I didn't pull the dresser across the door this time or stare suspiciously at the sheets, but I did bring jollof rice!
Explored Flea market(s)
The Brookyln Flea market was more fun than I expected. Usually, I go to open markets for the sizzling food served out of the trucks and the tangy fruit drinks but I actually didn't remember to eat during this expedition.
I also bought a frog-brooch, well, my brother-in-law, Kenny bought it for me. I stood there deliberating whether I was eccentric and rich enough to wear it. Then he got tired of waiting and paid for it. I’m still deliberating! We, very well, could have been there at that stall up until this very moment.
Frog in question👀
♥️
Walked the Brooklyn bridge
The 1.1 mile (1.6 km) long bridge was a highlight. We walked from Brooklyn into Manhattan and loved every second of it, even when it began to drizzle. For a minute, I stood on the bridge and watched the cars pass swiftly below.
They always say New Yorkers are on the go, they don't care, they hurry past and ignore you but as I looked down, a woman in her car, of course, bored in the newly formed traffic, blew me a kiss and waved cheerfully at me. I guess they are wrong about the New Yorkers, then?
Bought "impromptu shoes"
After walking on the bridge in block heels. It happened! My feet went to sleep, so I had to find inexpensive flats. We ventured into China town-by now, I'm all but crawling on the floor. Lol. Who sent me? My sister-in-law and I eventually got a pair of inexpensive, impromptu shoes each. We fell in love with our shoes, maybe because they rescued us*shrug* Mine has quickly become my default shoes this season. I guess wearing the wrong pair of shoes out might have its perks. Wish i could buy impromptu handbags, hmm. *Pensive*
Flea market Tea break
I downloaded AirPnp
Guys, Airbnb's bathroom cousin, Airpnp is probably more genius than anything I've ever seen. There I was in our second flea market of the weekend and then *ting* I had to go. It didn't help that I had woken up that morning determined to meet my 3 liter a day target and I'm a bit of an over-achiever at the oddest times! Anyway, I was in the middle of an outdoor market and I couldn't find a public rest room. It was then I downloaded Airpnp with the speed that'll make light give me the side-eye. As I filled in my login details for this app which would direct me to the nearest rented home bathroom, I found a public restroom right in front of me after minutes of loitering and searching frantically! I didn't get to use my app. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get a chance to, on one of my over-achieving days in the near future.
Didn't get to eat out
I know, who doesn't eat out in NYC? Even hot dogs would have sufficed but we didn't get the chance. We walked by all the restaurants and hot dog vendors when we weren't hungry and then we got hungry on Broadway. We also were unanimously hungry for Thai, which made it more complicated. We eventually found a place, which had a waiting time of 2 hours. 2 hours. I blinked once, muttered a "thank you" and spun on my heels. "Back to our Airbnb!" We ordered Thai on the phone (another long story) but we had dinner eventually! Last weekend was an adventure nothing less.
Would i go back there? Umm yuh-uh, of course! Planned another trip already.
Jaw-dropping experience: I met a New Yorker squirrel, who by the way, is a little bit of a terror and chases humans. These city rodents smh
Were the people nice? In my experience, they were. The uber driver was too nice (and didn't play a harmonica), I got my watch strap fixed for free and I got a kiss blown at me- never gotten that anywhere.
Did I feel inspired by being in New York? Yes, I believe I was inspired. "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of**", yeah?
Have you ever been to New York? Do you live in New York? What's your favorite part and activity?
Related Posts: What happens in Vegas; 5 strange things i do in an Airbnb
**Line from Empire State of Mind-JayZ & Alicia Keys
Foregone
Fiction
It is abominable, that which I do.
But I hurry to it anyway.
I follow the stream by the white light of the moon, stilling myself at every sound of crunching leaves or rustling bushes. I have wrapped myself in the darkest Ankara, on top of it, is my father’s hunting tunic, darker than night. I have smeared his tobacco and spice behind my ears to ward off any strangers or their dogs.
A traveling stranger is less interesting if she smells of tobacco and roots, than of hibiscus and lemons.
In my hand, is my shepherd’s crook. It whacks and chokes, whether it be sheep or person.
This is no man's land, distant from mother's watchful eye. Any assailant would be out of range of father’s arrow.
Now well into the forest, I hear the faint roar of the waters and my heart races. Quickly, I begin to climb the hill.
It is dark but I know where to place my feet, where to grip and brace, where to heave and lift. The darkness amplifies the thunder of the rushing waterfall of Arè. It surrounds, it terrifies. It is enough to fail a heart.
I remove my sandals and wade into the river, she welcomes me and draws me in along the current. I hold unto familiar stones, slippery and some tufty with growth, my feet find ground on the sandy bed. I feel for the rocks and climb out into a cave.
At last.
He is there waiting.
He rises to his feet. My heart thumps, my belly flutters.
Tórę..