Pounding fufu....

yams with mortar and pestle

Fufu is to Western Africa cooking like potatoes are to Americans.  It is a staple food and eaten frequently in an African household.  My husband tells me that where he grew up in a village of Beme near Kpalime, fufu is eaten more then in Lome the capital city of Togo.  Fufu is made with yams or at times combined with plantains and is pounded until it is the consistency of bread dough.  The yams are white yams and not to be confused with sweet potatoes.

When my husband first came here to United States he thought his favorite food was a food of the past.  We thought that we would never be able to make it here in American... well we were wrong.   We were able to buy fufu flour from a store here in the upper peninsula of Michigan ~~ who would ever guess that the small town of Houghton, MI would have fufu flour but it does and probably because the university here has many people of  many countries going to it.  So, we were able to make it... not pounded but stirred on the stove.  On one of our trips to Indianapolis, I decided to google "African Market" to see if there were any near by and low-and behold there was and we found real yams... the kind that is found in Africa... Now we can make true fufu, but we needed a motar and pestle... Luckily they had that too... It was small but my husband said that it would work.  Our first meal of fufu from pounded yams was excellent.... and my husband felt like he was back home again.  Over the last few years, we have had fufu from pounded yams and also from flour and on a trip to Milwaukee we found cassava yams, which was a treat.   My husband also brought home a bigger motar and pestle from his last trip to Togo... So now we are all set.

                               

                                                            FUFU

fufu with fish/egg plant soup

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds cut yams

water

Boil yams in water until soft.  Once soft place small amount in mortar and start to pound, adding more yams as you go.  If pounded yams start sticking on pestle, dip pestle in water and continue pounding.  Pound until yams are in dough state and soft ~ approximately 20 minutes.  Form into a round shape, place on wet plate and serve with soup, fish, chicken or goat.  To find my chicken soup go here and goat soup here.

That's it... easy right?, and you get your work out prior to eating.  What more could you ask for?  Lets see what you say after you see all the pictures...   Sorry, for so many pictures but I felt that this was the best way for you to see the progression of the fufu. 

boiling yams

place yams in mortar

start pounding

......

and pounding

and pounding

starting to get  dough like

continue to pound

and more

looking good

shaping the dough

finish product

Still think it is easy?

cassava yam

And just so that you don't think I let my husband do all the work.... I even do some of the pounding... not much as I get to tired and I have a hard time getting it to the right consistency.  But I do pound it every time we make fufu and one of these times I will be able to surprise my husband and have it ready for him when he comes home from work or school.

and one last picture..... Fufu served in Africa.  You will notice that there is a pot of water on the table.  The water is there for you to wash your hands ~ or I should say your hand as you only eat with your right hand, before eating.  To eat fufu you tear off a small piece with your fingers, roll into a ball and use it to scoop up the soup.  A spoon is also used to take a small amount of soup, this is used with your left hand.  At times if the fufu is a little hard you can spoon some of the soup on top of the fufu and eat it that way, it will soften the fufu up some.

Enjoy.....

                        til next time <3 <3 <3 Marlys

The Versatile Blogger

Last week Skye from  A Virtual Essence nominated me for The Versatile Blogger and I am very honoured to receive this award from her.  Skye, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  A Virtual Essence is a wonderful blog, has a little bit for everyone and if you haven't been there.... You should not go anywhere else but there and I will provide you the link one more time A Virtual Essence ~ so don't hesitate, do procrastinate... just do it... Jump right over there and have a look, you will be back to thank me... I know you will.

  Now, lets get back to my award... Yes, I got one, Surprised!  Me too! but there are rules for everything so here are the rules for this award and I hope I can follow them:

1.  The rules for this award are:

2.  Thank the Blogger who nominated you

3.  Include a link to their site

4.  Include the award image on your post

5.  Include the award image on your blog

6.  Give 7 random facts about yourself

7.  Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award

8.  When nominating other bloggers, include links to their sites

9.  Let those bloggers know that they have been nominated

Seven Random facts about myself:  Well this one is going to be the hardest of the rules, but here goes....

1)  My mother who was my best friend and always a support to me in whatever I did, passed away when I was 20.  She is still here with me guiding me while I cook, saying you need a little of this and a little of that.

2)  Every year my grandmother (paternal) and I would make a trip to Alberta to see her sisters until I moved to the states.  I miss these trips with my grandmother.

3)  I had to travel to West Africa to meet my husband... something that my father never thought I would find a husband..

4)  I have lived here in the states for coming on 12 years and on July 18, 2012 I became an American Citizen.

5)  I am willing to try any type of food once... except blood pancakes ~ which are served in Finland... I just can't get around what they are.

6)  I bought a new camera just as I started to blog and my husband thinks I am crazy as I have billions of pictures of you guessed it FOOD!

7)  I am allergic to exercise... ANAPHYLACTIC and that is the reason I look the way I do... I eat and I can't exercise  :)

Now on to the hardest part of the rules... Nominating only 15 other bloggers... I would love to nominate more, but the rules are rules... So this is who I am going to nominate.... DRUM ROLL please....... and there is no particular order in my list and I apologize if I miss anyone.

1.   Rich and Sweet 

2.   Cooking with Mel

3.   A'lil Country Sugar

4.   Hun...What's for Dinner

5.   Let's Eat

6.   Rich Fletcher's Good Food Revolution

7.   Chef in Disguise

8.   Baking by Precious

9.   Baking in Saskatoon

10. The Brooklyn Ragazza

11. French Whisk

12. ...And then I ate it!

13. Simply Gourmet

14. ChinDeep

15. The PaperCup Kitchen

  Many of these bloggers were ones that I followed before I started my own blog a few months ago and they have been very supportive and have help me along the way.  Others I have just met and even though we just met, I have learnt from you.  But from each one of you I have learnt something, from reading your blogs, looking at your pictures or making your yummy recipes... I want to thank each one of you.

                                    Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #4

It is close to the weekend and that means it is time for another

 Linky Party with Foodie Friends Friday.

Come and join the fun.

I am so excited to tell you that last week at Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party my Lemon-Lime Sugar Cookies, came in #1 in the Top 3 Voted.

#2  and # 3 spot goes to Spatulas on Parade for her recipes Fish Tacos and Sock it to me Cake.  Congratulations Spatulas on Parade.

image from Foodie Friends Friday

The Most Clicks went to Spatulas on Parade for Sock it to Me Cake, #2 for most clicks went to Chef Picky Kid for Teriyaki Pulled Chicken and #3 went to Country Girl at Home for Chocolate Gravy.

picture from Foodie Friends Friday

YUM! All these recipes look so good and I know that all of you would love to jump over to all of these sites and check out the rest of the wonderful recipes they have...  If these are anything to go by the rest of their recipes have to be amazing... So don't be shy, run right over and check their blogs, just remember to let them know that I sent you.

One great thing about these Linky Parties is that you have so many great recipes at your fingertips and last week as I was going through the links I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner that night.... but as I was looking at all the links there was one that I just had to go to.  The picture looked so mouthwatering, I had to find out what it was and when I clicked on the picture.. and read the recipe, I knew I had to make it.  Thank you Baking by Precious for making my dinner that night taste so good.  I used her recipe Baked Tilapia and a super colorful topping.  As you know if you follow my blogs, I use recipes as a guide and very seldom make anything the same.  So here is what I did..

                                                            Fish with a mango-avocado salad

For Fish:

1 lb white fish

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp Maggi seasoning liquid

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste.

Marinate fish in last 5 ingredients for 1 hour, place on baking pan and Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.

For Salad

1 mango, diced

1 avocado diced 

1 kiwi diced

1 roma tomato diced

red onions to taste

3 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp orange peel

3 tbsp olive oil

Dice vegetables and fruit and place in bowl.  In small bowl add last 5 ingredients and mix thoroughly and pour over veggies and fruit.  Let sit for about 20 minutes or so for the flavours to mingle.  Top cooked fish with veg/fruit salad.  

this salad tasted good just by it self..

Oh! So! Yummy

NOW LET'S GET THIS PARTY ROLLING:
First I am going to post the list of all the members.  Please take a moment to go over to each of there blogs, they all are great and I am sure you will find something in each one of them.  Remember to let them know that I sent you.  Then I am going to post the rules of this linky party, please read them as they have changed slightly.  Lastly and I am sure what you have come for the link to share your great recipes.   Have fun!

Members:

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com

Robyn at Robyn's View  http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com/ 

Angie at A lil Country Sugar  http://alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com/  

Wayne at Passione Per Cucina http://www.passionepercucina.blogspot.co.uk/p/welcome.html 

Sarah at Everything in the Kitchen Sink  http://everythingkitchensink.blogspot.com/  

Michelle at From Calculus to Cupcakes  http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.blogspot.com

Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/

Erika at Chef Picky Kid and Me  http://chefpickykid.com

Lindsey at Family Food Finds  http://www.familyfoodfinds.com

Cindy at Cindys Recipes and Writings  http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com

Skye at http://www.avirtualessence.blogspot.com

Sheri at http://www.homemadeservedhere.com/

Keira at Luscious Delights www.lusciousdelights.blogspot.com.au

Amber at Mama's Blissful Bites www.mamasblissfulbites.com

Rhiannon at Baked In The South http://baked-inthesouth.blogspot.com/

Brianne @ For the Love of Food (and Eating!) http://www.fortheloveoffoodandeating.blogspot.com/

Pooja at Saffron N Appetite http://saffonnappetite.blogspot.com

Directions:

Step 1:  Make sure that anything you link up is:

• A Recipe...and is made and photographed by you
• Not part of a sponsership/sales/giveaway or other promotions/linky parties
• Linked to a specific page of your recipe, not your homepage
• Please limit your link-ups to 3 per party

Step 2:

• Show some love and link back to my blog and Foodie Friends Friday (http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com ) on the post of the recipe you are submitting.

* for example:  This recipe is featured on "Host Blog Link" and  http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com  Linky Party)

If you want to be the very best Foodie Friend Ever...

• Grab our button at http://foodiefriendsfriday.com and put it on your page and share Foodie Friends Friday!
• Take some time and check out other submitted links and the blogs of all of our gracious hosts
• Come on over and "like" us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and Pinterest

***Please note that by linking up you are transferring rights to Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications to use photos/links/recipes for any reprint, republishing and distribution without monetary compensation to you.  If photos/recipes are used, proper credit/ linkbacks will be published with them.  We just want to share your amazing recipes and spread some foodie <3 !

Have Fun and Thank You for Visiting!!

Fish with Mango- Avocado Salad

       Last week I found this recipe on our Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party and made it for dinner that night.  I adapted this recipe from Baking by precious and to find the original link go Here.

                                   Fish with a mango-avocado salad

For Fish:

1 lb white fish

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp Maggi seasoning liquid

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste.

Marinate fish in last 5 ingredients for 1 hour, place on baking pan and Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.

For Salad

1 mango, diced

1 avocado diced 

1 kiwi diced

1 roma tomato diced

red onions to taste

3 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp orange peel

3 tbsp olive oil

Dice vegetables and fruit and place in bowl.  In small bowl add last 5 ingredients and mix thoroughly and pour over veggies and fruit.  Let sit for about 20 minutes or so for the flavours to mingle.  Top cooked fish with veg/fruit salad.  

this salad tasted good just by it self..

Oh! So! Yummy

                      til next time <3 <3 <3 Marlys

Links: Food on Friday, Mango Blog Hop

And you thought cooking was hard.....

While I was in Africa, cooking took on a whole different meaning.  I was lucky enough to have a camp stove in the place that we rented after we were married.  It had two burners which I didn't use as I only had one pot so could only cook one thing at a time anyways... One pot, one spoon and a spatula and I made due for 6 weeks.  The only problem about my stove was that the small cupboard it was sitting on had quite the lean to it... One night I was preparing a stew -like meal for company that we were getting and I was cooking on in my one pot.... stirring my meat and trying to get everything ready for dinner.  Well Murphy decided to show up for this meal too and as I was stirring the whole pot came tumbling down to the floor... Well, you say that is ok, just pick it up from the floor. NOT! the floor that we had in this kitchen was quite all there, parts of it was dirt.  I was ready to throw the whole thing in the garbage but my husband came in as I was picking up the dropped stuff off the floor and he would not let me throw it away.  Well, there was no way I was going to serve it to company, so into the fridge it went.  Now the dilemma, what am I going to make for our company... no more meat as we bought fresh meat every day as the power isn't always on, but I did have bread and eggs and fruit.  So, I decided to make french toast and used the fruit to put on top... fresh mangoes, papayas and pineapples that I mashed altogether and it was so yummy. I can still taste it.
I am sure you are wondering what happened to the meat I had prepared and wouldn't serve.. Well, I did cooked it and cooked it and cooked it... I think I boiled the meat for about 5 hours and it was the most delicious meat I have ever tasted.. I think the dirt and possibly the cock roaches gave it some flavor... (no there weren't any cock roaches, or at least there wasn't anything crunchy in the stew).
But, a lot of the people that I saw didn't have a portable camp stove and most cooked over an open fire or used a propane tank  to a single burner to cook on.  Their kitchens are only small and most of them are in a place where there are not windows and it is hot preparing on the one little countertop that they have, although alot will cook their meals outside.  We have lots to be thankful.

my camp stove

cooking outside

preparing food in the kitchen 

      

                            

cooking over an open fire

carrying water

                                  

a bakery

a bakery

stove in a bakery

I wonder how many of us could cook in these conditions and not only for a short while like I did, but every day.

                          Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

How does your garden grow?

Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.

We all grew up with this nursery rhyme but it doesn't really mean a garden and flowers but torture.  Sometimes that is what I think my gardening is.... torture.  We have been attempting to garden since we moved into this house, but if it isn't the cold weather, the rocks or the bugs that keep it from growing ~ this year it is critters... Yes, critters in our garden...... we at first thought it was the chipmunk that has been playing havoc to our garden... oh! he probably is, at least my flower gardens but we have found a rabbit eating through our fence to get into our garden... So....My fairy tale is Peter Rabbit and Farmer McGregor and me being Farmer McGregor...

this is me trying to chase the bunnies out of my garden ~
picture from  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14838/14838-h/14838-h.htm

But even with all the problems we have, we strive forth and try to grow fresh vegetables.  Even though I am not a gardener... I do love getting fresh veggies from my own garden and so each year we strive to have a wonderful garden.

Here is pictures from the beginning of our garden... June 15/12 ~~ when the veggies started to come up:

potatoes

onions

cabbages

beans

peppers

tomatoes that we started from seed!

the fence we placed around the garden

Now some pictures from this past week on how our garden is growing:

Egg plant... first time for planting this

beans are coming back!

spinach

beets

peppers

tomatoes are looking good

onions

the cukes are flowering!

looks like we might get
potatoes this year!

okra..second planting, so
hopefully they come up!

bunny had a good feeding 

how they get in.

we keep fixing the holes...

Hopefully, with fingers and toes crossed we get some fresh veggies this year... But, even if our veggie garden only gives us a small amount of return, I have been enjoying my flower gardens.

not sure where these came from... they are in what will be the
wild flower garden.

Love my orange lilies... Reminds me of the
Saskatchewan prairie lilies

found this idea on pintrest.

So how does your garden grow?....... Do you grow a garden? or do you get your fresh vegetables from the farmer's market or just from the grocery store?  Nothing is better then fresh vegetables ~ you can always grow them in a pot....

                         Happy Growing!  Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys