Author: Osemhen

Friday is for Food: Easiest Lemon Pound Cake Ever

Published by Osemhen

So what are you doing this weekend? How about “bake a cake”? The first cake I ever baked was a coconut pound cake. It remains an all-time favorite in my family. This lemon pound cake comes a close second. It hits all the right notes. Citrusy, check. Melt in your mouth, check. Visually appealing, check. Amateur-proof, check.  That said, I made it a few weeks ago (adapted from a recipe on Martha Stewart) and this time I took pictures so I could share with you. I hope you try it. I’d really like to know how it turns out.       [recipe title=”Lemon Pound Cake” time=”1hr 15mins” difficulty=”easy”] Yield: 2 Loaves Serving Size: One slice (don’t be greedy 🙂 ) Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 3 cups all-purpose flour, leveled (sift before measuring) 3/4 cup milk Zest of two lemons, finely grated 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 5 large eggs Directions    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in middle position. Grease and …

A Grief Lived

Published by Osemhen

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Winnie The Pooh. This is how it happened, Okha. November 12, 2014. I am chatting with Ozoz about a dessert table for the wedding. Discussing macarons, I think. And candy buffets. Then Daddy calls. And he calls me Osemhen. Not Ose. Osemhen. In a tone that makes me feel like I am about to be scolded. You know that tone. And he asks me where I am. And I am afraid. Because he already knows I am at work. I’m at work. I force cheer into my voice. We are both prevaricating. I have some bad news. I think I asked, what? And he says Okhafo is dead. I think I heard someone sob in the background. I stand from my chair. Suddenly the air in the office building isn’t enough and I need to get outside. I tried, Okha. I almost make it. But my legs crumple at the door. I cannot stand and I cannot push the door open. Our horror stares at …

Internet Shopping in Nigeria: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Published by Osemhen

So I’m very lazy when it comes to shopping. (The husband would disagree but it’s true. Lol.) I love shopping online. It’s so…precise. I want x, I google whether someone sells it online in Nigeria, I make it happen. Clothes, I’ll google. Beauty products, I’ll google. Food items, Google! Even if they don’t sell online, simply confirming that they have what I want is enough for me. So if their Facebook page has a contact number, I’ll call first before I make the journey to their shop. That said, a few weeks ago, I had a bad experience. I needed an outfit urgently for an event happening a week later in Lagos. I wasn’t in Lagos, and my usual tailor is the kind that simply cannot meet a deadline so tight. I needed someone to buy fabric of a particular hue and then sew it based on my measurements. I turned to the internet, specifically to Instagram. I have a few friends who make outfits often so I reached out to a vendor one of them …

"Blessed Are The Merciful": Practically Living the Works of Mercy

Published by Osemhen

Pope Francis is pretty much everyone’s favorite Pope at the moment. It’s not difficult to see why. No disrespect to Pope Benedict (Emeritus), but Pope Francis inspires us every day with his simplicity, his dislike for ceremony and his willingness to demonstrate God’s mercy and compassion to the poor and sinners. He takes it all back to the basics. Love. Mercy. Compassion. Forgiveness. Understanding. Like Jesus told us to do. Last week, I read his message for Next Year’s World Youth Day in Poland. It’s not very long, and it’s absolutely worth the read. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7) That’s the verse on which the WYD theme is based. There’s a fair bit of history and theology at the beginning of the message and then he gets to the really practical bit: how can we as young Christians live the virtue of mercy? James 2: 14 – 26 talks about the relationship between faith and works. Sometimes, I forget what works exactly I’m supposed to be doing. Every day, I …

Nine Health Benefits of Jollof Rice

Published by Osemhen

Jollof Rice courtesy KitchenButterfly.com When you Google “Health Benefits of Jollof Rice” (because you’re feeling guilty about the copious amounts of Jollof Rice you’re consuming), you get recipes. Recipes, I tell you. No one has bothered to write down the health benefits of Jollof Rice so I decided to do myself (and you) a favour by documenting them. This list is in no way, exhaustive. Feel free to add your own health benefits. Jollof Rice makes you happy. A study carried out in my house showed that family members are generally happier when lunch (or dinner) is shown to be Jollof Rice. It may be related to the release of oxytocin in the brain as our eyes register the pleasure that is a steaming heap of sinfully orange rice. And fried plantain. Jollof Rice contains tomatoes, peppers and onions. Tomatoes are good for you. They help prevent cancer. Peppers are good for you. They contain lots of vitamins. Onions are good for you. They reduce inflammation and heal infections. Jollof Rice contains rice. Rice is a well-known …

The 3 Types of Morning

Published by Osemhen

The Perfect Morning Wake at 4:00 am. Wash face. Study till 5:00 am. At 5:00 am Read Bible. Read Mass Readings. Meditate. At 5:30, change into sneakers and workout pants. Go for morning walk/run. At 6 am, shower. At 6:30 am, review work plan for the day. At. 6:40 am, sit down to “fit-fam” breakfast of oatmeal, boiled eggs and one slice of bread. At 7:00 am, brew first cup of coffee and start the day with morning meeting. The Imperfect Morning. Snooze alarm till 5:15 am. Wash face. Read Bible. Read mass readings. Meditate and say a vocal prayer (just in case you don’t get time to say it later.) At 5:45 change into work out clothes. Notice slight cramp in right part of abdomen. Debate the wisdom of running/walking around till it goes away. Decide to do simple, non-calorie burning stretches. At 6:00 am, check Whatsapp messages. At. 6:15, shower. At 6:50 sit down to breakfast and scoff down (fat-fam!) fried plantain and scrambled eggs to beat the 7 am deadline. Wrap a slice of …

Funny What Google Sends My Way

Published by Osemhen

Some of you visited my blog because you Googled “how to sacrifice to Amadioha”. Why? Why do you want to sacrifice to Amadioha? And why do you think you’ll get answers on the Google? And would you really go ahead to make a sacrifice to Amadioha with instructions you got from Google?

On Writivism, A Great Book I Read, Klo5 and Holiday Season in Nigeria

Published by Osemhen

I’ve meant to blog about this for a while but I kept losing my drafts… Super late, I know but our Pemi won the Writivism Prize 2015! I say our Pemi because she’s ours… Lol. I’m not famzing, I promise. We’ve shared a bed (now I sound like I’m famzing). Anyhow, I’m super-pleased for her, and slightly envious that she got to go on holiday to Uganda as part of making the Writivism shortlist. And now I want to write more stories, so I can enter competitions that allow me go on holidays. Have you read Pemi’s deliciously scary story? Have you checked out the super-cool blog, Nik-Nak.co she collaborates on? Thank me later! I got this amazing book, The Art of Possibility by Ben and Roz Sander, a year ago from Ozoz of kitchenbutterfly.com fame. It’s slightly strange in that it’s not your typical self-help book. It’s not teaching you how to be the best XYZ but how to get to a point where being the best XYZ doesn’t matter. Here’s an example of one of …

Changes, Mid-Year Reviews and A Book I Loved

Published by Osemhen

Hola! I’m so sorry for the long silence. I’m right in the middle of moving from one flat to another and while it’s not super hectic (because we’re taking our sweet time), it is taking up a lot of my energy. The 21-Day Challenge‘s ended! How did it go for you? I enjoyed it immensely (even though I skipped a few days, sha). I feel more…zen. And it forced me into a habit of only seeing the good things. I might have winked at my reflection a few times. And it’s halfway through the year. How are your plans going? Your resolutions? I feel slightly anxious about work. I’m getting to a place where I feel like I need a change, and soon. We’ll see… What books are you reading? A colleague at work recommended “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion and I gobbled it in two days. Loved it. It’s the kind of love story I like and I could totally relate to the main character because I’m slightly obsessive too. Lol. I still …