I know you noticed the title. I feel like I should explain things a little bit more. I love Christmas and this year I am starting it even earlier than normal. Why? Because there is a very high chance that my sister will be visiting us from Kenya for Christmas. Now she is a big foodie and an even bigger Christmas lover than me. I have to pull out all the stops to impress her. So. Step 1 – work on that Christmas menu. This year I want to incorporate okra into the Sierra Leonean inspired menu. My first recipe is this roasted sweet potato and okra salad with a bite from the spring onions and chilli and a tart lime salad dressing. This is my base salad recipe but I will add different veggies, meats etc to it depending on what we have going on the day. I have other okra recipes up my sleeve.
Step 2 – get her stocking fillers and Christmas presents sorted. Bearing in mind her luggage restrictions all items have to be smallish and of course fabulous. And to that end I have spent hours browsing through Dotcomgiftshop range of goodies and made a good start with these four pressies.
First up is a rose pink pendant shell necklace, which I know will really suit her. Then a lovely distressed turquoise picture frame – she said she wanted a picture of the whole family to remind her of us, so thanks to digital cameras, she can have a picture of all of us at Christmas. After that, I also found her a gorgeous pomegranate and green tea scented candle that should help her relax after a long hard day seeing patients. Last but not the least is the foodie gift of 4 ceramic measuring spoons beautifully decorated with song birds which should make cooking fun. Step 3 – Realise that it is still only October, and I have two months to wait until my ideas actually come off. So I guess I just have to think about something else. Like what to do at Halloween. Sierra Leone flavours – is the spot on my blog where I share both traditional Sierra Leonean recipes and West African fusion recipes.
