The thought of a plate of Pan fried Steak with Parmesan shavings, soft Garlic on a bed of Rocket salad made me smile.
As I tucked into each bite I missed my friends and the bi weekly, Pub meal treat we used to have (pre lockdown century). it does feel like a century…
The only way I knew how not to dwell on the feeling of ‘loss’, was to treat myself to a simple Steak cooked perfectly for me.
I like my Steak Medium Well, how do you like your Steak?
For the ingredients,
Grab 400g of any Steak you can afford
1 tablespoonful of Butter
5 tablespoonful of Vegetable or Peanut Oil
Half a teaspoon of freshly milled black peppercorns
2 medium Rosemary stalks or 1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary
4 cloves of Garlic
Salt to taste
300g of Rocket Leaves
30g of Parmesan shavings
METHOD
Watch how I prepared my Steak below;
Please don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Love is gentle, love is kind , love is beyond what the eye can see, it’s an unwavering connection that stands against all seasons of life.
With that being said, the greatest love is the kind we give ourselves. The kind of love that forgives our past mistakes, that repairs our brokenness, that strengthens us and that makes us look for a deeper connection with everything we do.
How can you love another when you don’t love yourself?
How can you give love when you doubt yourself and capabilities?
How can you give love when you put yourself down and thus increase your self doubt?
How can you give love when you feel you’re not deserving of love?
How can you identity what is love, when you’re busy pleasing everyone else instead?
How can you give love when you hide your true self for the fear of being hurt?
How can you find love when you relate love to material things?
Loving yourself means discipline, self acceptance of your strengths and weaknesses, appreciating the priceless moments that makes you smile, listening to your inner voice and relating to people the way you will like to be treated.
Understanding being vulnerable and walking away when a situation doesn’t suit your needs is strength and not a weakness. This realisation only comes from loving yourself.
Love will make you vulnerable and strong at the same time. You can’t accept love without pain, they go hand in hand. However how you see ‘pain’ is based on your interpretation.
Loving yourself allows you to be selective with the kind of people you want around you. People that compliments your personality, your vulnerability and help you grow each day.
Loving yourself means you can only love a selected few and tolerate others if you want to. This means you’re exerting your power of choice.
Loving yourself means you have a deeper understanding you’re not meant to be loved back by all and by the same token others will also tolerate you or avoid you altogether.
Loving yourself means you’re at peace with yourself and connected to your spiritual self.
Loving yourself means maturity and understanding the complexities of humans. A realisation that exposes you to the strengths and weaknesses of others, which you can choose to love, tolerate or walk away.
Loving yourself means you don’t seek revenge on people who have betrayed you. The experience should teach you exactly what you don’t want and seek what makes you complete.
Loving yourself means you’re responsible for your actions and reactions. Understanding whatever decision you make comes with a sacrifice. A sacrifice you’re willing to give and not coerced to giving.
Understanding your physical self will attract all sorts, however your inner beauty will keep those that are meant to be to stay in your life.
The realisation that the roots of the kind of love you want lies solely with you, gives you the freedom to love in your own way.
Why not begin the self love train by treating yourself to an amazing recipe below;
Enjoy this easy to follow rustic Fisherman’s soup recipe packed with natural flavours. Use any firm white Fish of your choosing and about 10g of salted fish in the absence of fish sauce.
Ingredients
300g of de-scaled and gutted Tilapia
300g of Red Mullet
300g of Wild Seabass
200g of shelled Prawns
1 tablespoonful of Coconut oil
2 large Onions
3 cloves of Garlic
2 Habanero chillies
150g of Garden eggs or Aubergines
1 tablespoonful of fish sauce or Lemon juice
Salt to taste
Spice mix
20g of Ginger
1 medium Onion
2 cloves of Garlic
1 tablespoonful of Aniseed
2 African Nutmeg or a pinch of grated Nutmeg (optional)
1 teaspoonful of Guinea Peppers (optional)
1 tablespoonful of smoked Paprika
Salsa mix
1 large diced Tomato
30g of chopped spring Onions
20g of chopped Parsley
Half a medium sized charred and diced Red Pepper
To serve
Best served with Ciabatta or Sourdough bread.
Watch how to prepare this recipe below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
‘Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation’.
Oscar Wilde
Finding reasons to host dinner parties, lunches etc in the comforts of your home should not be difficult.
Coming up with obscure reasons to host my guests gives me the inspiration to display my heritage. The conversation always gears towards knowing the history of my country (Ghana) and food.
With years of experience organising such private events, I have compiled a few videos covering table setting, how to set an African inspired table and how to include your heritage and personalise your table setting for the festive season.
After watching the videos were you inspired?
Tell me a bit about your culture and what pieces you will incorporate into your table setting.
Please your comments below with your answers and thoughts.
Imagine having a bad day and reading an email that changes your mood for the better. What bad day? Please ‘bad day’ my appointment with you is over, I’m busy filling my head with good thoughts ooh!
The email acknowledged and praised my sense of creativity including my style and an offer to visit Ghana briefly for a campaign shoot. Did I read ‘billboards in over 6 African countries, magazines etc…’ Mama where are you? I’ll surprise her instead.
My last visit to Ghana was to bury my little brother hence this email was a welcome distraction from my grief.
The realisation of seeing Mum again made me happy as I impatiently counted the days to immerse myself into this incredible experience.
Vlisco Group was founded in Helmond, The Netherlands in 1846 and produces fashion forward African Wax prints. Vlisco fabrics are an integral part in most African homes particularly in the Central and Western part of Africa. I grew up knowing about Vlisco from my Mum as it was her favourite in terms of design and quality.
Mums vintage African fabric pieces are from Vlisco and they still look new (I rummage through her wardrobe and wear them whenever I’m in Ghana).
Vlisco Group’s brand portfolio consists of four brands: Vlisco, Woodin, Uniwax and GTP..
INTRODUCINGOURCAMPAIGNSTARS |
Fafa Gilbert @ndudu_by_fafa puts Ghanaian cuisine on the world map via social media. Coming from the Volta region in Ghana but living in London, she skillfully interweaves both cultures in her recipes as well as in her unique fashion approach.
Fashion by @lumierewoman.
The positive energy on set was electric as each creative individual expressed themselves through the entire shoot. I’ll talk more about this later in another post; including the two amazing ladies I worked with during this campaign.
The theme for the campaign was ‘NEW BOLD ROMANTICS’ and they certainly made me feel like a ‘Queen’.
Link below to purchase the fabrics directly from their website.
The designers chosen for my outfits were Lumiere Woman and Sadia Sanusi, Hair by Kush Taylor, Jewellery by Chyba Jewellery, Make up by Woena Makeup Artistry, Photographs by Matthew Miziolek with Creative Directors Grietje Schepers and Sanne Huijsmans.
The gentleman sitting opposite blatantly stared as I held his gaze for what seemed like eternity. His gaze told a brief story of worry and anxiety as I smiled to say it’s okay ‘today to shall pass’.
I sipped on my chilled glass of fresh Watermelon blend as another gentleman approached in a pensive mood. Oops! Why the stern look, I asked myself.
The conversation between the two gentlemen explained both their moods. My ‘konkonsa’ ears were activated 🙈
Seemed Mr. Worried Gaze has been naughty at work and was getting an earful of ‘blasting’. I decided to walk away from where I was sitting to save the gentleman from any further embarrassment.
I found myself by the poolside (which was quiet as I set my plan in action to surprise Mum and cousins for breakfast.
This surprise could go two ways, they either surprised me by declining my invite or better still honour the invite and interrogate me. I preferred the latter but not the interrogation.
The look on my Mums face was priceless coupled with the exuberant conversations that ensued thereafter. I managed to have an informal interview with Mum, however I missed recording most part of the interview (maybe due to my excitement 😢).
We headed to a local Chop Bar as I craved Fufu and Goat Meat Light soup with a chilled glass of Star Beer.
The next 3 days were packed with the main reason I went to Ghana (which will be revealed at the opportune time).
Accra’s aura felt so different this time round; maybe because I looked at it from an artistic and creative point of view.
Accra exuded confidence in its warm embrace of hardworking individuals who either gave you the occasional smile or blank stare.
It felt good to be home, however I knew I had limited time and couldn’t catch up with everyone (which was disappointing).
The atmosphere felt positive as mothers dropped their kids off to school, the Police doing their random checks on vehicles, hawkers balancing their wares on their head whilst skilfully dodging on coming traffic as we traveled to different locations across the city.
The smell of charcoal roasted ripened Plantain filled the vehicle as we all had a bite of this wonderful Ghanaian snack, whilst driving past the Accra Supreme Court
The entire crew had dinner at the Gold Coast Restaurant and we ended the night at Carbon Night Club which was an incredible experience.
The final filming was done as the crew headed back to Europe and I had 12hrs free to spend with Mum before heading back to London.
Watch excepts of my short time spent in Accra. Hope you’re intrigued enough to visit Ghana soon.
I arrived in London on Monday morning, dropped off my luggage’s at home and dragged my tired self straight to the office. Phew! What a memorable weekend and a priceless experience.
Watch Accra through my eyes in a compiled video and photography below;
Don’t forget to like the video, share and subscribe.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Today is going to be a ‘Me’ day, said ‘I’ who stretched out of bed at 5am. Can I make it to the Carnival today? I knew the answer already (🤫) if I had to even ask myself that.
I spent yesterday spring cleaning the house and my wardrobe; which meant today was scheduled for a self indulgent ‘dress up’ day!
The few bags of clothes could wait till tomorrow for the charity shop as I began to run the bath for a long relaxing soak.
Why am I writing this?
Over the years I have been working relentlessly towards my dreams and pushing myself even when I should have taken a break. I achieved most of the things I wanted but I also lost a great deal. I lost the little priceless things that made me feel alive, connected to my spirit and outrageous.
I did not realise this till I lost my little brother and became grief stricken. I could not hide from this pain, I couldn’t brush it aside… I tried picking myself up but I couldn’t… So I decided to write a letter to my brother instead. The one letter has turned into 6 letters so far. I didn’t realise I had so much to say…phew
I decided to do some self loving this bank holiday weekend, (feeling lighter and positive) by changing the ambience of my environment starting with the house.
Just as I was about to put on something comfortable after my bath, I had the thought to dress up instead and go about my day. I grabbed my puffy Gold Kimono gown from Lumiere Woman, cowrie necklace from Malene Birger and cloth from Vlisco (head wrap).
Wrapping the headpiece took me back to my childhood, where I dressed up wearing my Mums vintage dresses (and quickly placing them back before she got home) and dreaming of being a Princess one day 😂😂😂.
Dressing up for me was a perfect escapism for a life I wished for, a dream I held close and the courage to pursue them. Growing up in an environment where being different (especially with your thought process) wasn’t encouraged, made it difficult to be expressive and creative. However I found a way of expressing myself with no inhibitions by dressing up (this time not hiding from my Mum) as I imitated her mannerisms and looks which made her laugh, to convincing my cousins Francisca and Jeanette to sing ‘Long Time Ago in Bethlehem ‘ at an Aunts wedding 😂😂😂 inclusive of the dreaded dodgy dance.
I had to take a few pictures for my memory bank about today. I feel lighter, I miss my brother (I told my cousin Juliet whilst writing this piece how much I miss Theo) I’m actually ‘welling’ up…phew.
