FEW THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR COFFEE BEANS IN ISOLATION

Staying at home can be frustrating, especially if you are an extrovert. The Saturday night guy- the life of the party, the man of the moment, the one who the outdoors make come alive! And even if you are not an extrovert, if you stay home for too long, you may be tempted to lose your mind.

One way to overcome this compulsory break in this isolation, is to keep your mind busy. Create a routine that gives you a sense of purpose, that makes you feel like life is going on, and it hasn’t stopped one bit.

Of course, your brain can tell the difference: there is no longer the chase and the rat race that comes with living life and being an adult, but you have the ability to tell your mind differently.

You may be tempted to count your beans, to save time and while away hours, as they will suddenly become more than enough, but don’t do that. There are other ways that you can be creative with your coffee beans. Come with me, let me tell you 10 things that you can do

1. Neutralize odors in your fridge:

In this isolation, one thing that everyone was asked to do, was to buy as much food as possible. If you thought carefully about your health, then vegetables have to be a part of it. Where else is best to store vegetables, if not in the refrigerator. But as time goes on, the refrigerator will start to develop an unpleasant odour.  You really don’t want to be stuck at home with a smelly refrigerator. 

Here is something that you can do: get coffee beans and grind them. Put them in a plastic container, and leave open in one corner of your fridge. The smell of freshly ground coffee is what your fridge will smell of, anytime you open it.

2. Art with your kids:

Staying at home with children can be very exhauasting, especially when you need to work from home. However, one thing that you can do, is to create ways that they can keep themselves busy. Children like to create, and are often fascinated by new ideas to create. Coffee grounds can be used as granules for a beautiful mosaic. 

1. You draw a picture of say a flower
2. Apply wet paper glue on the flower
3. Sprinkle coffee grounds on the wet paper to outline the flower
4. You can be creative with just the grounds on the edges of the flower, or all around the flower

     3. Start a garden:

          You may want to recreate the feel of the outdoor, if you are an outdoor person, and is         already feeling stifled by the prolonged isolation. Start a garden. step outside to your backyard, get some flowers and plant in small pots or tins, and put in your room. Coffee is a good source of nitrogen for your plants and the smell of coffee is truly soothing in this time.

4. Make flower vase: 

    At this time, we are all asked to stay at home and not interact with anyone for fear of being infected with the virus. However, a little act of kindness will go a long way, little act like making a flower vase and putting in front of your neighbor’s house. All you need is a transparent jar, roasted coffee beans and some fresh flowers in the jar as an example, for your neighbor to see what it can be used for. You can even mix the coffee beans with pebbles or sea shells. Whatever appeal to you.

You can be as creative with your coffee baens as much as you want. Don’t forget to brew as much as you want for consumption. Trust me, when everything tries to drive you mad in this stay at home period, you can be sure to coount on a freshly brewed cup of coffee. To remind you that all is well. The familiar aroma of sanity.

  

Written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

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BIG HEAD

People- lovers say that there is something called love language. You know the different ways to show love that resonates with your partner.  In fact, they say that the inability of a partner to understand the love language of another partner, cam lead to a lot of friction in the relationship.

The five love languages are: 

a.Words of affirmation

b. Acts of service

c.Receiving gifts

d. Quality time

e.Physical touch

In this five love languages, many Nigerians think that the one that is most responded to by Nigerians is receiving gifts. However this can be argued if the opinions and pulse on social media can be used as a yard stick.

Let us take a tweet as an example. A tweet where a woman complains about how much her husband neglects house chores usually has a lot of engagement. Under the comment, you would find a lot of women agreeing, and some lamenting the neglect that they face at home by their partner, who they expect to help them around the house.

A woman will usually appreciate simple gestures like picking the children’s toys from the living room, bathing the children to school, assisting in dressing the children up, anytime there is a party or church service, washing the dishes and just doing some little stuff at home. Can we therefore conclude that Nigerian women aside receiving gifts, also appreciates acts of service. Everyone likes being assisted. Can we then conclude that act of service is everyone’s love language?

The experts will choose to differ. 

One love language that excites me is words of affirmation. This is because here in Nigeria, there are various unique ways that lovers use to affirm their love for each other.

Let us call it the Nigerian love language

“ODE” this is a word with Yoruba origin. It is used to describe someone who has no sense. More like a stupid person. It is a word that is commonly used in Lagos. The use of the word is dependent on the countenance and tone in which it is said. Example; “you be ode” if this is said in an angry tone, it is a very serious insult. The person is saying you are very stupid.  However, between lovers, it is a phrase that says the relationship is getting serious. In fact, lovers do not usually call themselves ode, until they are comfortable with each other. Here is how lovers would say it among themselves: “ode leave me joor”

“BIGHEAD” big head is a lingua that is very synonymous with lovers in Nigeria. People who are in a secret relationship do not dare to call their partners big head in public. Even when they post a picture on social media, they refrain from calling them big head. The reason is that, whenever you call someone big head, it is proof that you have something for them. In some quarters, ladies use it as a pick up line, to show they have interest in you, or to prove that you have a space in their heart.

Other synonyms that are used to affirm love includes: FISH and MUMU.this is widely used by the younger generation.

Amongst the older generation of Nigerian lovers, affirming love words are usually “MUMMY” and “DADDY” the man calls his lover mummy, while the woman calls her lover daddy. This is usually common when they are married, and their children are older. it is used to show respect. couples who call themselves these, have over the years developed a loving respect for each other.

Away from just pet names, Nigerian lovers also praise themselves. This is usually done in our own style too. Example: “babe, this your soup sweet” “ah ah babe, this your hair set” “daddy, your mum is beautiful” “mummy, our Kemi has your fine nose” e.t.c

This is not to say that lovers do not call themselves other pet names like: Honey, Sweetheart, Sweet, Hubby, babes, boo, bae and some other western pet names. but, there is a Nigerian way to show love.

Image source:
1st image: freaking news
2nd image: pixabay

                                                                                                          

Written by Mary-Jane Nkechi

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YOUR HAIR LOVES COFFEE.

The hair is the glory of a woman, so some saying goes. Every woman likes to flaunt her hair.

Most women are very obsessed with how good their hair looks, and they go through every length to make their hair look great.

That should not even be a surprising thing, as the kind of hair do, or the volume of hair on a woman's head, gives her a good level of confidence.

In fact, the kind of obsession that women have with their hair, can be seen in the high level of patronage that the hair industry is enjoying.

From the synthetic to human hairs, the patronage is well enjoyed, as every woman wants her hair to look good.

Even though, women are getting creative with their hair looks these days, there is still the desire to have hair that is truly owned by them, that they can be proud of.

The creativity, which is mainly a pursuance of convenience, has lead some women to keep locs and very low cut hair looks, yet there is still a desire to keep the said hair shiny and voluminous.

In maintaining a very good hair, there are lot of challenges that women face, ranging from dryness of scalp, to dandruff, to receding hairlines and very scanty hairs.

Many factors contribute to this challenges. They range from; the kind of food eaten, the whether, the hair care products used and the age of the women.

Some women have resorted to using different chemicals and skin care products to try to savage this, but yet the results are still the same.

Sometimes, the solution to a big challenge, is usually something very small and natural.

Coffee is known worldwide to be the most affordable antioxidant with lots of caffeine that is very very good for the hair.

Coffee, when applied on the hair or scalp, finds it way to the roots and stimulates them.

Because of the caffeine in them, they go down to the hair roots and activates the activities that improves hair growth and thereby prevent hair loss.

So, no need to comb out your hair, and be worried to look at the comb. Buy coffee based hair care products,  or just massage your hair as often as possible with strongly brewed coffee.

You can get ground coffee @oavalzecoffee on Instagram, Facebook or twitter. 

Brew your strong coffee, then pour it into the root of your hair, cover with a shower cap for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse out with a shampoo and warm water.

This process allows your hair to
1. Shine better
2. Be beautifully darker
3. Dandruff free
4. Smell nicer
5. Stimulates blood flow to the scalp that can excite your hair follicles and help to increase the rate of your hair growth.
6. More growth, more volume.

"I always use coffee, in the mix of the hair cream I sell to my customers to use on their locs. The testimonies are great" Amarachi Onele
C.E.O Amy Special Touch.

                     Written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

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YOU LOVE COFFEE, BUT YOU DON'T LIKE CATS

It’s okay. You do not have to. Cats are funny, interesting and complicated animals. Some people love to have them as pets, others don’t. In Nigeria, you will find less and less people who have cats as pets, as compared to the number of people who have dogs as pets. 

Maybe it is because of the Nigerian film industry; NollyWood.  NollyWood has never really portrayed cats in a good light. Most movies with cats in them show them as being possessed with some sort of demonic or evil spirit.

Perhaps, this has something to do with our tradition or something, I really don’t know. But one thing is for certain, if you would do a population sample, to sample people’s opinion, about what they would rather have as pets, most people will choose a dog any day and leave out cats.

Like in most countries, there are stray cats who linger around backyards, front doors and windows. They sometimes become a nuisance, as they defecate and leave the smell of their urine at your backyard or front porch

We have found a solution to keep cats away from your house. The answer is COFFEE. If you do not like cats, one thing you can do to keep them away is by using coffee grounds. I always use Oavalze Coffee. www.instgram.com/oavalzecoffee.  

You can use coffee grounds to scare away cats without hurting them. most cats cannot stand the smell of coffee grounds, so just leave some coffee grounds mixed with citrus peels. That is orange, or lime or lemon peels, in the place you notice they visit often, and say goodbye to stray cats.

                                                                                                      written by Mary-Jane.

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TRAVEL WITH THE BEST OF THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

The stories about Nigeria at the moment are not great stories. It leaves you to wonder if there is anything good about this country. There is not just anything good, there are many things great about this country.

If I want to start, I could start from the tenacity of the people. The will and drive to succeed against all odds. Nigerians all over the world are achievers and world changers. We are a people who strive to make our own little world better. In fact, there is a saying that: if you go somewhere and do not find a Nigerian, you should reconsider living in that place. the reason behind this saying is not farfetched. It is rooted in the fact that Nigerians live in places that thrive. In summary, we make places thrive.

Is it the joy that we bring to a place?  We are happy people. We party hard; we play hard and celebrate hard. We never host quiet parties. In fact, we turn 1 year old birthday parties to big events. And our weddings, we make them movies. We are just like that: A special and joyful breed.

But more than a joyful breed, there is the breed of coffee that we have here. Many people do not know that we have coffee. When they visit Nigeria, they are usually confused on what to travel back with. But that should be something easy. It should be our coffee.

One of the best of the Nigerian experience; is the Nigerian coffee and I will tell you why. People who have had a taste of the Nigerian coffee, have only had one common adjective between them, and that is; “SMOOTH”. Smooth is the word that they have all agreed upon. But they have all had different taste experiences. Like Tobias in Frankfurt Germany. He said “….It has a smooth but full taste with a bit of chocolate flavor (at least that is my personal impression), which clearly makes it one of the better coffees I've ever tried”. 

 For Tobias, it was a chocolate flavor, however for Rednan Daser in Abuja Nigeria, he said; “it is smooth in the mouth with a nutty after tone”.

 Even though our beans at Oavalze coffee are carefully picked and selected from the same region, as we ensure that our coffee is single origin, everyone who has had a sip, has testified to a different experience from our coffee.

It is the Nigerian factor that is in our coffee. The joy, exuberance, warmth, laughter, culture, life, beauty, happiness, diversity and uniqueness that every person in Nigeria carries, has managed to slip into every coffee bean that is found in our soil. And for us at Oavalze Coffee, we have mastered the art of a perfect roast: to roast with love.

So, when you visit Nigeria, or when you want to travel out of Nigeria, don’t think too much about the perfect gift. Just get a pack of Oavalze 100% Arabica premium coffee as a gift for yourself, and your friends and family. Travel with the best of the Nigerian experience. Give everyone in your life the opportunity to tell their own story, because every sip is: A different experience

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Written by Mary-Jane.

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EFO RIRO: more than vegetables.

The food "efo riro" is a delicacy from the people of the south west of Nigeria, the Yorubas. But as with every food that was indegenous to a particular set of people, this delicacy is now commonly eaten and widely prepared by different people in different part of the world.

It is no surprise that this food is now popular, considering how rich it is in nutrients. It is a food that is abundantly enriched with all the classes of food.

Even when it comes to loosing weight, and being fit, Efo Riro is your sure bet to staying fit.

Another interesting fact about this meal, is that it can be eaten with rice, yam, potatoes, beans and any other staple food. The key is to allow one's self to experiment and try different combination.

FIRST:
set out your ingredients
1 cup of palm oil
50g of spinach
Small jar of Oavalze tomatoes paste.( use the peppery flavor, as you'll need pepper)
1 big sized onion
2 seasoning cubes
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1kg of beef/ chicken/ goat meat or Fish
1cup of crayfish
2big sized dried fish, ( smoked catfish)
1large sized stock fish.
Locust beans (iru/dadawa)
Kpomo(locally prepared cow skin)

Preparation:
*pound crayfish
*slice spinash
*dice onions
*unwrap seasoning cubes
*open jar of tomatoes
*dice kpomo (wash first)
*wash locust beans
*wash meat, dried fish and stock fish

Then:
*Boil the meat with stock fish and dried fish, with salt and seasoning cubes.
Cook until meat is tender. Once that is done, set aside with the broth.

*put a dried pot on fire, and pour in your oil

When oil is hot enough, put in diced onions and crayfish. Stir for sometimes, then put in your OAVALZE tomatoes paste and then stir.

* allow to simmer for a while, then pour in your broth, meat and all.

*cover the pot, and allow for 1minute.

Now,
 while your broth and all are in there, put a kettle of water on fire. Once it  is boiled, turn into a bowl and throw in your fresh spinash.

Squeeze until juice is let out, and spinash is somewhat dry.

Then
*pour it into your already boiling stew on fire.
*put in the locust beans and stir.
*allow to boil for 15 seconds.

Efo Riro  is ready.

Serve with any staple dish of your choice.

I hope you enjoy your meal.

                                Written by Mary-Jane

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CHISOM NWANKWO (Tomato Jos)

Greatness, confidence and humility are very rare qualities to find in one person at the same time. but not our TOMATO JOS for this week. All of these wonderful things, can be easily found in her without looking too far. Say hello to Chisom Nwankwo.

Chisom is the CEO of Ciie Luxuries. A social impact business that teaches internally displaced women and girls how to handcraft fashion accessories from recycled waste fabrics. she also makes bespoke fascinatiors, amazing head pieces and luxury items. She is not  just in the business of doing business and making money,  but she wants to touch  and change lives. he is currently doing that as she has training centers in at least two IDP camps spread in Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria.

Chisom thrives for excellence in her dealings, and this has earned her recognition with a lot of top clients in the fashion industry and business industry in  general. e.g; GT Bank and DHL.

She is married with three amazing daughters. On how she manages to take care of her family and still be a force in business, in her words, she said: "it is a juggle that requires practice, patience and planning".

On if she prefers to eat out or cook at home, she said:"aah who doesn't like to be taken out to dinner? but of course I love to cook for my family".
                                                                            

she said that cooking is one way of showing her family that she loves them so much, because it requires time, preparedness and patience. She said that cooking is a life skill.

on whether she can refer to herself as a foodie, she said she is not a foodie, but she likes good food. she said she has had an interesting food experience with food. in her words, "when I went to an Indian restaurant, omo na so pepper wan kill this Okigwe girl"

We are proud to celebrate this exceptional woman who creates all the magic in the kitchen, yet still contributes her quota in changing the world. she is our TOMATO JOS.

you can find her on Instagram:
@chisom.ih
@ciie.luxuries

                                                                                   written by: Ogbu Mary-Jane                            

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