Cooking Diaries: French toast by a Nigerian

My first taste of French toast was at Transcorp hotel during the Calabar trip I went for in December 2015.
It was part of the breakfast buffet options we had during our stay and I probably had it all the time.

I remember telling my roommate/coworker B* on our last day "I don't know what they put in this bread, it tastes creamy and chewy", she then suggested I google the recipe and try it myself (can you imagine; I had been so caught up in going to the same spot and selecting the same options that I never bothered to check the name of the dish/food!). I practically forced her to try it out and she agreed it was delicious.
I took note of the name and when I got back to my room, i bookmarked the French Toast recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that there were different variations of French Toast including savoury flavours.
Its so easy to prepare  and I love that the main ingredients are 3 everyday items you can find in any kitchen: Bread, Milk, Egg.

1. Whisk the eggs and the milk together.
2. Cut each bread slice into 2 diagonal or rectangular shapes.
3. Lightly grease a large frying pan with butter.
4. Soak the bread slice into the egg and milk mixture.
5. Fry the soaked bread slice in the frying pan.

This is the basic foundation for any french toast recipe however I wanted to make it in a unique way. I decided to make three flavours: Honey & Cinnamon; Basil; Suya spice.
I made the suya spice from the scratch using the recipe I got from Kadirecipes. To flavor the toast, simply add the condiment to the egg and milk mixture.

Here are the pictures:

Basil

Suya spice 

Honey & Cinnamon 

My favourite was the Suya flavoured toast hands down. That nutty taste combined with the sweet creaminess of milk ehn, it was a "gustatory lituation".
I invited my family members to a tasting session however the old folks in my house picked Basil (*rolls eyes all the way to my village*). I guess at the end of the day, it's a matter of preference and any french toast is better than no french toast 😋.
On the weekend when you're less busy, why not try it and let me know what you think?

Thank you for reading.
Love,
Tope.

Friday at HSE Gourmet Cuisine

If you are active on Instagram and/or you read eat.drink.lagos, you've probably heard of HSE gourmet cuisine (P.S. is it HSE gourmet cuisine or HSE cafe 🤷🏾‍♀️?). I had seen several pictures of the restaurant when it launched last year, particularly its avocado, bacon and smoked cheese salad which seems to be a customer favourite (if the pictures I see online are anything to go by) and I thought it seemed like to good place to check out whenever I wanted to eat out. Fast forward to last week, I had an appointment in Lekki which took most of the day.
When I was done, I decided to check out HSE since I was in the neighborhood.

Its a quaint space, quite cute. 

They had an ipod stand and I was told you can play any song you want. I think that would be suitable for groups i.e. office groups, bridal showers etc.

I ordered:

• The insta - famous salad
• Chicken croquettes
• Peach & Passion Fruit Sangria Iced Tea

I had no prior plans to order the salad but when I saw the menu, I decided to go with the safest bet. I ordered chicken croquettes because I enjoyed eating them at Bistro 7 in Victoria Island a while back. Unfortunately, HSE's croquettes had more flour than chicken 🤦🏾‍♀️. Oh well.......at least the salad and the Iced tea were lovely.

They're located at Plot 2 Emma Abimbola Cole Street, Lekki 1, Lagos. 

You can also find their menu online here (which is great if you're on a budget and want to plan your restaurant spend).

BTW, I've been thinking of incorporating some healthier Nigerian meals (preferably vegetarian) into my diet, what do you guys think? Your suggestions will be much appreciated either on my instagram or in the comment section below.

Thank you for reading.

Love,

Tope.

Lagos Rains: A Calm After The Storm

A few days before my birthday (April 30th), I made the decision to document my personal style via my Instagram.
To know me is to know that this was taking me out of my comfort zone.
Waaaay out.

I like my privacy. Because I've worked in a mobile technology group, I'm well aware of how much information people are able to get about one's life from social media. It has made me wary of social sharing, online payments and anything that involves a username.
However, one of the things I learnt over the past one year is how transient life is and the importance of making the best use of one's time, doing the things that glorify God. I am at my best when I'm doing this which I believe, explains why I'm at my best when I'm designing fashion pieces or styling looks.
Its been over two months since i started this "sharing activity" and although I do not post everyday (I would love to.... but life 🤷🏾‍♀️), my outfit posts are still being updated regularly on Instagram.

Last week was the calm after the storm called Lagos rain. I was relived that the rains had stopped and I dressed up accordingly.

P.S. Am I the only one that finds it annoying when I spend a lot of money on "Aso-Ebi" only to never wear it again or wear it a few times to church on Sunday? It just seems as though a lot of money is being spent on these outfits and one gets a really high cost per wear. 

This thought prompted me to pair one of my old Aso-Ebi skirts with a chic white shirt.

I then rounded up the week makeup-free and stuffed at HSE cuisine in Lekki (What can I say, good food is always in style 😋).

Thank you for reading.

Love,

Tope.