Christmas is a time for get together and celebrations. It was one of my absolute favorite seasons when I was a kid. People were just more willing to give. I remember the multi colored googles, the long snake like balloons that were somehow only popular during the holidays. The years I lived with my grandmother, I always looked forward to having all the cousins come by. The absolute best part for me was the FOOD!! If you want to learn about religious tolerance, you need to visit rural Nigeria, religious tolerance lives in small communities.

My grandparents were practicing Muslims, so they didn’t necessarily celebrate Christmas per se, however, we had more than enough food during the holidays. Families who were predominantly Christians would cook more than enough food, package them in fancy earth-ware and send them with their well-dressed children. The receiving family would collect the food, wash the dishes and send the kids back home with a gift (usually small amount like 5 or 10 naira). It was amazing! The exchanges were reciprocated during the Muslim holidays with the exact same ritual. As a kid, it didn’t matter if your parents were Muslims or Christians, it was easy to get into the holiday spirit.

Fast forward to when I left Nigeria and Christmas somehow became my least favorite season. It was a little too commercialized and every year I longed for the Christmas of my childhood. Now that I have my own family, I hope I can cultivate the culture of celebration and giving rather than a commercial holiday.

I started the team “a 9jafoodie christmas” about two years ago, since then I have kept up with it. You will find the menu for last year here. My goal with this year’s menu is to actually have recipes that can be mostly cooked or prepped ahead of time. It doesn’t help anyone to actually host a party they cannot enjoy. I encourage you to build on classics and add a few new twists to your holiday menu.

I have created 4 new recipes for this year, they are amazing menu elevators. I do hope you try them and come back with great feedback.

Breakfast | Yam Casserole

Make this amazing casserole the night before and warm it up Christmas morning

Main | The 9jafoodie Rice

The 9jafoodie Rice

This dish was so freaking good when we developed it, I had to name it after the brand.

Protein | Sticky Jollof Chicken

Sticky Jollof Chicken

Need I say more? imagine all the goodness of jollof rice infused into chicken. It’s amazing!

Side

7 layer salad – Recipe to come

This right here is the most decadent salad you will ever taste!

Dessert | Apple Crumble

YES! I baked and I will be doing it again. This recipe is everything you have come to expect from the 9jafoodie brand; simple, straightforward and DELICIOUS.

I look forward to sharing the recipes over the next two weeks.