You Really Need that Vacation!!!

A holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official (more common) or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities.

The word holiday derived from the notion of "Holy Day", and gradually evolved to its current form.

The word holiday comes from the Old English word hāligdæg. The word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal days away from work or school.

Aside from the fact you’ll have lots of glorious photos you can post on Facebook and make people jealous, going on holiday is good for your body, mind, and soul. And while doctors can’t prescribe a holiday and nor are they covered by insurance, a vacation is often just what you need to be and feel healthier and more relaxed.

Holidays also inspire creativity, relieve stress, lend themselves to romance, and are great family memories. So if you’re on the fence about going away for a vacation, then hopefully one or more of these reasons will push you to get on the move.

You’ll be able to look back in 2, 5, 20, 40 years and say to yourself, “Wow, remember when we did all that. Crazy!” That’s a lot better than thinking, “Wow, I spent my entire life working.”

You’ll discover a new way of living that may inspire your own.

See things your eyes never could have even dreamed of.

Discover new fruits and vegetables.

Since you’re away from home, you’ll give yourself permission to be silly and have fun.

Vacations promote creativity. Because you’re away from the usual responsibilities of life and routine, you’re more willing to let your mind wander and reflect. Right before Steve Jobs started Apple he was in India for 7 months!

You’ll get better at your job. A vacation can save you from work burnout so that when you do come back to work you’ll have a sharper mind with better focus.

Sun. If you’re like most people you’ll spend a good chunk of your day inside working in an office (unless you’re a park ranger). The sun rays you need to generate vitamin D in your skin can’t penetrate glass, so sitting by a window or in your car doesn't cut it.

Vacations boost your immune system. A large chunk of common illnesses (headaches, colds, backaches, body pain, fatigue, depression, etc.) come from stress. A holiday that relieves you of stress will drastically help your immune system and keep you healthier!

Meet new people. On average, we only interact with a handful of the same people everyday. Go on holiday and you might make new friends.

Gratitude! Having a blast on holiday generally makes you more grateful and by acknowledging your gratitude you’ll almost automatically become happier!

Holidays bring you closer to your loved ones. There are 2 things that bring people together: joy and suffering. I’m not promoting the latter, so why not choose to create stronger ties with your loved ones over a stunning sunset or food adventure in a new environment.

Self-discovery. When you’re on holiday you’re faced with a new scene, new challenges, new sights, sounds, etc. Take stock of how you react to everything and you’ll discover a new part of yourself.

Rarely in our busy lives do we get to sit down and reflect on our past actions and how we feel. When you’ve all the time in the world and you’re chilling by the pool, let yourself examine and acknowledge what you’ve done.

New food! Enough said.

You’ll finally get time to catch up on your reading. Yes, 50 Shades of Grey will finally have its pages turned.

You’ll become a nicer person. Holidays where there’s gorgeous nature (beaches, forests, rivers) will actually make you friendlier. Researchers have shown that just by staring at a potted plant or a forest outside your window will make you nicer.

You’ll live longer. Researchers from the State University of New York found that men who take vacations each year reduce their overall risk of death by about 20 percent, and their risk of death from heart disease by as much as 30 percent. Men who didn’t take any vacations in 5 years had the highest overall death rate and incidence of heart disease of any of the participants.

Lower rate of depression. A study published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal found that women who took more than 2 vacations a year were less likely to suffer from depression and tension compared to women who only went on holiday once in two years. What’s more, the odds of marital satisfaction decreased as the frequency of vacations decreased.

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Christmas Cakes!!!

Christmas cake is an English tradition that began as plum porridge. People ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into Christmas pudding.

Neatly designed holiday cake with gift miniatures.

In the 16th century, oatmeal was removed from the original recipe, and butter, wheat flour and eggs were added. These ingredients helped hold the mixture together and in what resulted in a boiled plum cake. Richer families that had ovens began making fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste, for Easter. For Christmas, they made a similar cake using seasonal dried fruit and spices. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the Wise Men. This cake became known as "Christmas cake."

Christmas cakes are made many different ways, but generally they are variations on classic fruitcake. They can be light, dark, moist, dry, heavy, spongy, leavened, unleavened, etc. They are made in many different shapes, with frosting, glazing, a dusting of confectioner's sugar or plain.

Simple Christmas Cake

Simply Holly designed cake

The traditional Scottish Christmas cake, also known as the Whisky Dundee, is very popular. It is a light crumbly cake with currants, raisins, cherries and Scotch whisky. Other types of Christmas cakes include an apple crème cake and a mincemeat cake. The apple crème cake is made with apples, other fruit, raisins, eggs, cream cheese and whipping cream. The mincemeat cake is made with traditional mincemeat or vegetarian mincemeat, flour, eggs, etc. It can also be steamed as a Christmas pudding.

3 of a kind

"Merry Christmas"

All Christmas cakes are made in advance. Many make them in November, keeping the cake upside down in an airtight container. A small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured into holes in the cake every week until Christmas. This process is called “feeding” the cake.

Gold and snow themed

In Japan Christmas cake is a frosted sponge cake with strawberries, chocolates or seasonal fruit. It was an expression that to call women over the age of 25 "Christmas cake," meaning that they are out of season, as the cake is after December 25th. Now the age is raised to 31, linked to toshikoshi-soba, a noodle dish eaten on December 31st.

Fruit flavoured Christmas cake

In the Philippines Christmas cake is a yellow pound cake with nuts or the traditional British fruitcake. Both cakes are soaked in brandy or rum, a palm sugar syrup and water. Rosewater or orange flower water is usually added. The cakes have a long shelf life, usually lasting many months. Sometimes they are eaten the following Easter or Christmas.

Kiddies Christmas Cake

Simple patterned holiday cake

Since we were colonized by the British, Christmas cakes in Nigeria follows that trend. However most people in Nigeria prefer making the cake with little or minimal designs. At Crust & Cream, we believe that your Christmas cake should reflect the warmth, tastiness and feel of your home. Instead of buying "ready made" cakes that can embarrass your family, give us the chance to make your Christmas visitors visit you on every opportunity they have.

WARNING: Our cakes are addictive and may attract too many guests just to have a piece of its deliciousness.

Simple holiday cake with Santa and the red-nose reindeer

Star themed christmas cake

Ideal Christmas cake to a loved one.

Family Holiday cake

Elaborate star themed holiday cake

Family holiday cake

Another ideal family holiday cake.

Samosa!!!

A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, ground lamb or chicken. The size, shape and consistency may vary, but typically, they are distinctly triangular.They are a popular appetizer or snack all over the world!

The samosa has been a popular snack in the Arabian Subcontinent for centuries. It is believed to have originated in Middle East (where it is known as sambosa). It was introduced to the Arabian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by traders from the region.

Different regions which have inherited the dish have significantly different ways of preparing it.

The samosa contains flour shell stuffed with some filling, generally a mixture of mashed boiled potato, onion, minced beef/lamb/chicken,green peas, spices and green chili. The entire pastry is then deep fried to a golden brown colour, in vegetable oil. It is served hot ! It can also be prepared as a sweet form, rather than as a savory one. Samosas are often served in along with yogurt, chutney, chopped onions, coriander.

At Crust & Cream, we make every bite an experience you wouldn't want to forget in a hurry!

Baby Showers

In some countries, a baby shower is a way to celebrate the pending or recent birth of a child by presenting gifts to the parents at a party. The term "shower" is often assumed to mean that the expectant mother is "showered" with...

Cake and finger foods are often served at baby showers.

Traditionally, baby showers were given only for the family's first child, and only women were invited. The original intent was for women to share wisdom and lessons on the art of becoming a mother.Over time, it has become common to hold them for subsequent or adopted children. It is not uncommon for a parent to have more than one baby shower, such as one with friends and another with co-workers.

According to etiquette authority Miss Manners, because the party centers on gift-giving, the baby shower is typically arranged and hosted by a close friend rather than a member of the family, since it is considered rude for families to beg for gifts on behalf of their members. However, this custom varies by culture or region and in some it is expected and customary for a close female family member to host the baby shower, often the grandmother.

There is no set rule for when or where showers are to be held. The number of guests and style of entertainment are determined by the host. Most hosts invite only women to baby showers, although there is no firm rule requiring this. If the shower is held after the baby's birth, then the baby is usually brought, too. Showers typically include food but not a full meal.

Guests bring small or large gifts for the expectant mother. Typical gifts related to babies include diapers, baby bottles, clothes, and toys. It is common to open the gifts during the party.

Some hosts arrange baby-themed activities, such as games to taste baby foods or to guess the baby's birth date or gender.

At Crust & Cream, we believe that baby showers should be marked with a memorable cake that will liven up the occasion. The themed cake will play a key role in 'WOWing' your guests and make them enjoy the event. Contact us for your heavenly cakes.

Anything & Everything Cakes!

So many cakes, yet so little time to bake them all! The only limit to how superb and unique you want your cakes to be is your imagination...leave the creativity and innovation to us and we'll leave the satisfaction and testimony to you.

Christmas & "Chin-Chin"

Its the eleventh month of the year and as expected, the hype of Christmas is gradually creeping in. When I was much younger, I always looked forward to Christmas for two reasons.....the clothes and the choppies. Having my Mum fry chicken and chin-chin was the ish... for me. Standing by the hot chin-chin on the fire, I had only one wish on my mind..that my mum would ask me to taste the chin-chin if all the ingredients were in place....O! How I looked forward to 'Christmas chin-chin'.

Soft Chin-Chin

However, weeks after Christmas were tough cos that's when everybody's 'Christmas chin-chin' had finished and we have to go hunting for who had some left to share. Yes! We knew the one place to go - Peter Mato's room. He is a friend of the family who always had his waterproof handy every Christmas  for chin-chin take away. He saved for rainy days like this, wonder why we never took cue from him....

Chin-Chin Brittle

Another Christmas is here, why don't you hurry and order for your 'Christmas chin-chin'. Enough to carry you through the season. At Crust & Cream we make our chin-chin so rich that you will be taken you back in time to your childhood days. Our chin-chin looks, smells and tastes home made just the way it should be.

Crispy Chin-Chin