Conquering Lasagna

Lasagna holds a special place in my heart. It has always represented something grand to me. I remember that in the summer of 2004, my mom came to Baltimore to spend time with my sister and I. In a bid to indulge in the fact my sister had her own apartment, I decided I was going to make lasagna for everyone.

Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake

Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake with Cherry Syrup and Salted Caramel Ice-cream

It feels like I have been away from this blog forever. Life has a way of getting in the way of the best made plans. This past week for me has been about handling change. I have had to put a lot of time into coming up with new plans. Thankfully, everything seems better at this point.

On Monday night though, I felt crap. When I feel crap, I often reach for food. I know some people might say that emotional eating is a dangerous thing. I agree. It is a slippery slope that can lead to trouble. For one night only though, I needed to self soothe with food. This led me to make buttermilk pancakes from scratch for dinner. The fluffiness of American style pancakes scares people from making it from scratch. The fluffiness is what has spurned a whole industry of pancake mix. This pancake recipe came out perfectly fluffy, even after freezing it, defrosting and cooking.

Eid Mubarak!

I looked at my blog the other day and I realized that perhaps I have been neglecting this space. The truth is that the last week has been a surreal moment of happiness and introspection. As you may know, Ramadan has been on the final lap.

My Zucchini Affair

Zucchini Tart

When I was in college, I remember telling my stepmom that I wanted to go study abroad. I remember her cheekily telling me, "But you are already studying abroad." Eventually, she and my dad agreed to let me spend a summer at Sussex University in England. England was always the dream. It was the place people talked about in posh tones. When people talked about traveling when I was growing up in Lagos, London was synonymous with foreign travels. I always wanted to see London. When I finally started traveling, I ended up in America so London was still a dream.When I finally landed in the Queen's own country, I knew not a  soul there. I followed instructions sent by the university and made my way to Brighton from Gatwick airport.

Lemon Basil Brew

Lemon Basil

I can't remember if I have talked about this here but I don't drink. Okay! I actually do drink water and such. I guess a better way to frame this is "I don't drink alcohol." Never have, never will. For some people that is so hard to fathom. And just to avoid confusion, "No, I did not grow up in a household with an alcoholic." Some people will point out that it has something to do with being Muslim. Yes, it does but it goes beyond being a Muslim. I generally find that I don't like anything that will alter my body and mind. And no, just a little alcohol is also still going to alter your brain's processes. There is no such thing as being sober with just a little alcohol. So, alcohol for me is scary.