If you look up the definition of "family" in most dictionaries it usually involves the words " parents" or "parent" plus "children". It is inferred that the parent raised the children or lives with the children to form a bond or unit or family. To be honest, the traditional definition of family does not always reflect society today. As you know, the family may not always involve people who share the same biology or genetics. Family may not always mean…
I really liked the last house we lived in with its large deck, sky lights and vaulted ceilings but, it was small, dated and did not have a formal dining room. We moved into a larger house a few months ago and I immediately fell in love with the large gourmet kitchen, modern appliances and open concept. Another major bonus besides the extra space and extra bedroom was a formal dining room, even though it was not large. For a…
It has been awhile since I last wrote a blog post or life update and so much has happened since then! For example, last fall in 2018 my father visited from Nigeria for the first time in about 30 years! Yes that was interesting. Then there was the time I worked and lived in South Carolina for 6 months as a locum Internal Medicine physician. This May our second son, Karim, graduated from high school and started college. We moved…
Let me tell you something! You need to try this sauce! If you are looking for a dipping sauce, salad dressing, sauce to pour on plain rice or satay dressing for your grilled meats, QUICK and EASY, then this will be your go to ! It is a DELICIOUS, creamy, savory, spicy, sweet and tangy sauce that can be dipped or poured on almost anything and you can make it at home instead of waiting until you go out to…
Did you know June 12th is International NASH Day? To be honest neither did I up until a few days ago. Apparently there is an organization set up to promote International NASH day to educate those of us who didn’t know of its existence and significance. If you are non medical you may not know that NASH stands for Non-alcholic steatohepatitis. What is this you might be wondering? Basically, it is a condition that happens after the progression of “fatty…
I woke up today thinking the last few days have been filled with tragic news but today would be different . Today I was going to be upbeat. I reached for my cell phone to check my social media sites and the first thing I saw was “tribute to Anthony Bourdain”. My first thought was : it must be about some award he is getting. I continued to read and learned he had died today ! One of my heroes…
Let me start by saying I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK sharing my thoughts, stories, and inspiration with you! I have really missed writing this blog. So much has happened over the last year and although I may have been absent from the blog I have remained active on my other social media sites which you can access. Why did I wait so long to post another blog? Well besides some technical issues I had that have since been…
I started a YouTube channel a few years ago as a fun outlet away from medicine. I didn’t post much on the channel and eventually deleted most of the content. It was not until summer 2016 that I began uploading videos consistently because I wanted to document an important part of my life: closing our medical practice after 10 years and moving out of our country house to live somewhere new. Like most people I was already on Facebook and…
As a little girl living in Nigeria, West Africa, I remember walking around our lush garden admiring the bright tropical flowers like the hibiscus flowers with their red petals, yellow and orange marigold flowers or the oversized green leaves of the elephant plant gently moving in the breeze. During the rainy season the garden seemed so vibrant and alive not only with color, but with little creatures like the lime green grasshoppers or the red velvety caterpillars. Then there were…
Yuca or Yucca is something I remember eating as a child in Northern Nigeria We simply called it Cassava and it was often served boiled with a stew. In other parts of Nigeria and West Africa as a whole Yucca is very common and often sold pre-cooked in the form of a flour or flakes called “gari” or “garri” which can be further cooked to make various dishes. In secondary school I remember the Yoruba children eating it as a…