The only thing that will make me love you more...

Some people will read my title and say, "What is she talking about?". Well don't worry at all, I will explain myself in a second. This thing that I am talking about is my best friend, my brother, my sister, and it is something I grew up with when I was living in Ghana with my family. This particular thing is what my mother uses to make me happy when I'm sad. But what you guys don't know is that, this thing is not human or an animal. It is my favorite Ghanaian food called Banku and Okro stew.


My mother's way of making banku and okro stew is the best way. She knows exactly how I want my okro stew and what I want her to put in it. Just like how I can be very picky with my smoothies, my banku and okro stew have to be perfect. I don't eat this food anywhere else apart from my house. I do not allow anybody else to make it except for my lovely mother. When I am feeling emotional, my sweet mother cooks my favorite food just for me.


                          

Let me give you guys some facts about my favorite food. Okro itself rested firmly in the bottom of mother Africa, but not anymore. Okra originated from Nigerian Igbo word Okuru. And banku is the starchy side dish that is eaten with the okro by the Ghanaians. In different parts of Africa, people eat the okro stew with something different from banku but it is a bit similar. In Kenya and parts of Eastern and Central Africa, the starchy side is Ugali, a maize-based side similar to polenta. In Zambia and part of Southern Africa, there is nshima. In Benin and Togo there is pate (pronounced as "pat"). In Ghana there is one and only banku. All these foods share the common element of near tastelessness.

Now that I am not back home anymore, I crave for this food every single day of my life. My sweet mother is not with me anymore so there's no one else to prepare it the same way she does. I always like my okro stew with shrimp. I never eat mine with any thing else but shrimp.To learn how to cook banku and okro stew, it is very simple. Lets begin with the Okro stew:

Okro Stew:
1 pound of Shrimp
1 pound okro (Note: Ghanaians call okra "okro")
2 cloves garlic
3 medium tomatoes
1 large onion
2 chili peppers
3 garden eggs
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup palm oil
2 cubes of maggi
And salt

Banku:
2 cups of water
1 portion cassava dough
2 portion corn dough
And salt

The last thing I am about to talk about is the most important thing that all Africans know when they are eating banku and okro stew. Okay first you might think it wierd or unnecessary but it's the truth and nothing can change that. While you were reading about my favorite food, did you wonder how the food is actually eaten? Well there is a special way this food is eaten by the Africans or non Africans who have had it before. We do not use a spoon, fork or knife. These things are not needed. We actually use or hands to eat this food. Africans in general, mostly use their hands to eat almost everything...

Why I make my own smoothies...

Why do you like making your own smoothies? I get this question a lot. I become very picky when it comes to smoothies. I use a certain type of milk, ingredients and I like to start with frozen fruits. My smoothie cannot have any other fruits but banana. And my smoothie will have to be a certain texture. Okay to help you understand this more, i'll start with the milk.

My smoothie cannot be made from whole milk, regular soy milk, almond milk or any type of milk that is not vanilla soy milk. Without my vanilla soy milk, I cannot drink the smoothie. It is not because of an allergic reaction or anything bad, it's just that I personally prefer vanilla soy milk. I also use a certain amount of the milk in my smoothie. For every banana I use, I put one full cup of vanilla soy milk. Like I said earlier, the texture of my smoothie will have to be perfect. It cannot be too thick or too watery. It has to be just right.

The next important ingredient is the sweetener. Some people think I am talking about white sugar when I say "sweetener". No, that's not what I mean. I do not want any white or brown sugar in my smoothie. My sweetener will have to be fresh raw honey. Yes, the honey will have to be raw. The honey will have to be measured as well. For every one cup of vanilla soy milk I use, I will have to put one tablespoon of raw honey in my smoothie.

I have two secret ingredients that I will like to share with everyone. This first one is very special and important to me. This ingredient is my one and only vanilla extract. I put three tablespoons of that in my smoothie. I use this ingredient because I love the smell of vanilla in my smoothie. Each time I take a sip of my smoothie, the rich smell of vanilla is so satisfying. Without my vanilla extract, a smoothie is not good enough or rich enough for me to drink.

My second secret ingredient will be... Well before I tell you guys, just be prepared to know that nobody has ever added this ingredient in a smoothie before so don't judge me okay. Also, stay calm and be prepared to find out what this ingredient is. Um, one more thing, my mother even thinks that I am crazy for always adding this ingredient to my smoothie. Are you ready to know what this ingredient is? I am pretty sure you are because I kept you waiting for so long. It is called french vanilla. Yes the coffee creamer, french vanilla. I feel a little embarrassed by this but trust me, french vanilla enhances the sweetness and richness of the smoothie. I always put two tablespoons of that in my smoothie. So, what do you think about that?

The last but not least of my ingredient is raw oatmeal. I'm pretty sure most people put raw oatmeal in their smoothies. The reason why I use raw oatmeal is because it is healthy and it gives me the right amount of fiber I need. I always put one-forth cup of raw oatmeal in my smoothies. These are the reasons why I make my own smoothies. Ever since I left my home to Penn State, I have not tried any smoothies because it's so hard for me to not have my ingredients in the smoothies.

Bobby's Burger Palace

Okay first, let me talk about the burgers. No actually let me talk about the steaming hot sweet potato fries. Actually no I'll first start with the milkshakes. Before I do that, I'm pretty sure some of you guys know what Bobby's Burger Palace is, and where it is. If not, Bobby's Burger Palace is a restaurant that presents signature burgers, fries, milkshakes, salads and sandwiches. It is inspired by Chef Bobby Flay, the American celebrity chef, and restaurateur.

This restaurant is located at 3925 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104. It is located right in front of the University of Pennsylvania. The hours of operation is Sunday through Thursday: 11 am to 10 pm and Friday to Saturday 11 am to 11 pm. Now back to the milkshakes. My all time favorite is the chocolate chip milkshake. I personally think that's the best flavor. Meanwhile my mother disagrees with me and said the best flavor is the mint vanilla flavor. Well, whether it is chocolate chip or mint vanilla, I think Bobby's Burger Palace has the best milkshakes in Philadelphia. The milkshakes are so creamy, thick and slushy. There are eleven ounces of ice cream in every shake, not eight, not ten, but eleven ounces. It takes a lot of ounces of ice cream to make a good shake.
     
                                                                                    Now lets talk about the burgers. The Nacho Burger is definitely the burger of the month. Did you know that it was also Bobby Flay's favorite? Well, it is. This burger is topped with tomato - Chipotle salsa, nacho cheese sauce, pickled jalapeno, and blue corn tortilla chips. The rich taste of this burger will make you want to eat 50 more of it. The burger sauce is like a steakhouse sauce, a little sweet and a little thick and rich. The chipotle sauce is smokey and fiery, and the jalapeno hot sauce has green chiles for heat. My goal to you is to crave this burger. I want to make people crave this burger rather than the ones they eat everyday from places like McDonald's, Chick-fil-a and so forth.


Last but definitely not least is the sweet potato fries. If you haven't yet tried it, I think you should. I am not the only one who enjoys eating these fries, no. I am telling you, it is everyone's favorite. The sweet potato fries comes with a sauce that has honey, mustard and a little bit of horseradish. This is the only restaurant in Philadelphia that cooks its fries from an actual potato and not from frozen fries. The potatoes are cut up and soaked overnight. The fry sauce is mayonnaise sauce with chipotle. Side dishes can be combined, ordering half fries, hot onion rings and so forth. I recommend anybody who hasn't tried Bobby's Burger Palace yet to go and try it. I would literally travel back to Philadelphia just for that.