Birthday Weekend

So Mr E turned 30 last Friday and I set up a whole weekend of fun for him to celebrate.

I took the day off work and woke up early to decorate the flat. There was no doubt it was his birthday when he woke up to balloons and ‘Happy 30th Birthday’ signs all over the place!

That evening we went out for dinner at the Malmaison in London. Very posh place and it was nice to get dressed up and go out.

On Saturday we had tickets to go and see Manchester United play at Old Trafford {which was a childhood dream of his} but unfortunately our train to Manchester broke down and we ended up missing the game, which we were gutted about!

We finally arrived in a very cold Manchester and met up with family and friends to have a celebratory birthday meal together.

 

We had a great dinner at Beluga Manchester and it was so nice to catch up with people, some of whom we hadn't seen since the wedding!

On Sunday we went to pick up our new car! We have been praying and trusting God to provide/direct us in the area of a car and He has a wonderful way of answering prayers. He has blessed us with a great car that is within budget and suits our needs perfectly!

All in all a great weekend!

Happy Birthday my love! Till next year.

     

In My Kitchen: Make Your Own Suya

A couple of weeks back, Mr E was having crazing for Suya and we were about to make a journey into London to go and find some. I asked for some feedback on a place I had heard about {Facebook is great for this} and the general consensus was that it wasn't all that great.

For the people who had tried Suya in Nigeria {us included} they really didn't rate the place, so rather than us go all the way to the place and be disappointed, I decided to find a recipe to adapt and figure this thing out. Surely it can't be that hard!!!

The great thing is for those of you who would like to make your own Suya, it is so easy to do.

Below I have put down the steps I used and it turned out really good.

Ingredients:

Meat {preferably beef}. I used beef strips which I normally use for stir fry. They were already pre-cut into the right size. You can use any

For the marinade:

• 3 teaspoons of finely ground roasted peanuts {I was surprised about this but it is an essential ingredient unless you're allergic to peanuts! I used ground nut we brought back from Nigeria.}

• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper or red pepper, or red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon black pepper*

• ½ teaspoon jerk seasoning*

• 1 teaspoon chilli power*

*my personal preference – you do not need to include.

Above is the ratio of spices I used. I had to make some more as it wasn't enough to coat all the meat I had and you need some of the spices left to sprinkle on the Suya once its cooked.

Steps:

1. Grind the peanuts. You can use a rolling pin or food processor. Try not to grind it too much other wise you will end up with a peanut paste which is not what you want. If you find the peanut to be too oily, place between kitchen towel paper to absorb the excess oil.

2. Mix in the other spices with the peanut powder.

3. Take your meat and dip and roll in the peanut-spice mix, making sure the meat is completely coated.

4. Allow meat to marinate for thirty minutes or more.

5. At this stage depending on the size of the meat you can place them on skewers. I didn't have any so just cooked the meat on an oven tray at 400 degrees for 20-30 mins. Remember to pre-heat the oven. You can also cook the meat on a barbeque if you prefer.

6. Once cooked, chop one onion {red is better} and sprinkle on top.

7. Serve and Enjoy!

Have a go and feel free to add other spices that you like to tailor the taste. {If you want it more spicy add more cayenne pepper, less so substitute with paprika.}

Let me know how you get on!

Happy Birthday Mr E!

Today is Mr E's birthday.

A milestone age.

We give God all the glory and thanks because He has done so much in Mr E's life. So much in our lives.

This time last year we were in a very different place, but God restored everything back to us and has blessed us so much more.

Happy Birthday my dear husband. I thank God for your life. I thank Him for bring you into my life and for choosing me to be your wife. You are a wonderful husband and I love and cherish you so much.

Looking forward to what the future holds ahead.

Mrs E x

Learning To Love My Kitchen

My mum came to visit us the weekend and it was wonderful.

I haven't spent time with my mum properly in a long time and it was nice to talk and catch up. She gave myself and Mr E lots of great advice about marriage, communication and dealing with conflict and we were so blessed to have her with us.

On Saturday we spent a bit of time in the kitchen where she showed my how to make moin moin and ogbono soup! She also talked me through other meals and preparation of meat and fish {which freaks me out!}. We have been eating very since she left!

I'm pleased to be able to add two more dishes {actually make that three if you include the Suya I made last weekend} to my list of meals I can cook. It's funny because if I met up with the Chichi of 18 months ago, she certainly wouldn't be loving the kitchen as much as I do now. I especially love baking and managed to also squeeze out a cake on Saturday as well.

 

 

Yummy Suya!

I have noticed my relationship with my kitchen has grown a lot over the past few months. I'm always on the look out for good recipes whether in magazines or online so I can add variety to our meal times and I genuinely enjoy cooking.

Kemi posted a fantastic recipe for Jamaican Curry Goat which I will be trying out very soon and I had this Potato Gratin at my friend Moyo's house and it was AMAZING.

Where do you find your recipes from and do you enjoy spending time in the kitchen?

20 Things I Learnt Planning My Wedding

 

I hope you enjoyed Reflections.

It's been a pleasure to take you on the journey that was our wedding.

Planning our wedding was one of the most challenging but growing experiences I have ever been through. I quickly learned that whilst your wedding is about you, the day is not. It is shared by so many people who have their own expectations of how they think things should be and while it can be incredibly frustrating, you just learn to accept it. Despite the frustrations, I learnt a lot and would like to share 20 of those things with you.

In no particular order...

1. It's all about the baby family. This is your first project together, working as a team. You will have to make decisions that are a reflection of you and are based on your values and opinions. Not your mother's or your fathers. You have to be courageous and make choices for your family, your new family. It’s not about taking sides but understanding the importance of your upcoming union together.

2. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate. Don’t be a control freak {like moi} and let people help you!

3. Don't break the bank. Negotiate, call in favours. Forgo certain things that you don't deem necessary.

4. Trust your instincts. You know yourselves better than anyone. Not Cosmo Bride or Martha Stewart Weddings. If it don't feel right, leave it out.

5. Communicate. With yourselves, with your parents, with your vendors. So important.

6. Make sure you have a honeymoon. Even if it is a few days locked up in a hotel away from it all, you will need that time together. You deserve that time together. {More on that in a future post!}

7. Organise your thank you cards before hand. We still have not sent ours and I feel B-A-D! {Edit – Following this post on APW, they have now been ordered and will be sent out very soon!}

8. Don't kill yourself trying to be something your not. Don't like flowers? Don't have them. Don't want your bridesmaids in matching outfits, let them reflect their own style. You make the rules.

9 Stay off the biscuits. You want your dress to fit, right? {I'm really talking to myself there}. 20 mins on a cross trainer is the equivalent of one kit-kat stick. So. Not. Worth. It.

10. Don't forget your other family. Embrace your in-laws. Make efforts to build a relationship with them, especially your mother in law.

11. Put things in writing. Having evidence is always good {especially when dealing with vendors}.

12. Surround yourself with the right people. Positive, prayerful and kind people. Stay away from the haters. In fact don't even listen to them or let them into your space.

13. When you've had your 25th argument over seating arrangements or what things to keep/scrap remember it will be over soon. This is the road to marriage, people. Once you say 'I do', you are also saying 'bye, bye' to all the craziness.

14. Order your rings in advance. We did not realise that jewellers do not stock every ring size and had a mad dash the week before the wedding trying to sort out our rings. Funny thinking about it now. Not funny then.

15. Get yourself some counselling. Pre-marital counselling is ace. Not only is it good to talk about things together, but it is necessary in ensuring that you're both on the same page. Your church might do it. An older, wiser couple might do it. But definitely get yourself some because beneath all the glitz and glamour of the wedding, the marriage comes first.

16. Get stuff done when you can. Have a free afternoon one Wednesday, crack open one of your DIY projects. Otherwise you will end up 3 days to your wedding, with a million and one things not started, which you were certain you would have time for, but then life got in the way!

17. Realise that weddings do things to people. Even people you think should care about you and be on your side can let you down in a BIG way. Try not to let it take over your life. Remember the end game. Forgive and move on with your life.

18. People don't and won't notice the detail you do.

19. Remember your spouse. It's their wedding too! Take time out together throughout the craziness to remind each other why you’re doing this!

20. Finally and most importantly, commit everything to God in prayer. That fact that you made it to the altar in one piece is no mean feat. Marriage is God's creation and the devil hates it. He will try and do whatever in his power to stop it happening. Need examples...Mr E and I can give you plenty!!!

When all is said and done, marriage is a gift from God and it is wonderful. While for us, the wedding day is a distant memory, married life gets better every day!

Have a great weekend!