The ground was looking a little dry, so it seemed like there hadn't been much rain while I was away, but the plants themselves were still looking fresh.

My little container garden had actually continued growing without me.

The tomato plant that I didn't even intentionally plant had become much bigger. The pepper had grown too, and I'm still wondering whether it is actually a hot pepper or a green pepper.

The way the leaves and flowers are looking makes me think it might be a green pepper, but we'll see.

Even the little cocoyams I had thrown into the container had started producing leaves.

I was so happy to see all of that.

After checking the plants, I had to deal with some of the food I had brought back with me.

I had harvested quite a lot of sweet bitter leaf from my grandmother's garden, so I needed to prepare it before putting it away.

I washed the leaves properly, sliced them, washed them again and packed them into smaller portions before putting them in the freezer.

That was one thing I was particularly happy to have brought back because I had harvested quite a lot.

The herbs I had mentioned in my previous post also arrived safely. 

They were looking a little withered, which was expected after travelling, but they were fine.

I had also brought back some sticks and seedlings that I wanted to try planting.

I've tried planting some of these before, and they didn't work, but I thought, let me try again.

There were also some flowers that I brought back with me.

I didn't plant everything immediately because, honestly, there was quite a lot to do when I returned.

Between sorting the bitter leaf, dealing with everything else I had brought back, and trying to get back into my normal routine, I was tired.

So I eventually got around to planting everything a few days later.

And that's when I realised I had a small problem.

I didn't have enough soil.

The soil I was counting on using was in the bucket where I had planted my yam.

The yam had been looking like it was dying before I travelled, so I had already started thinking that I could eventually use the soil in that bucket for some of the new plants.

But when I came back, the yam had decided to surprise me.

It had started producing leaves again.

Of course.

Just when I had plans for its soil, it decided that it wasn't finished yet. 😂

I was looking at it like, So now what am I supposed to do with you?

I eventually decided to remove the soil bit by bit and use it to plant some of the new plants.

I had brought back several pieces of the same plants, so I first put them together and tried to figure out which ones could share a container and which ones needed their own space.

Then I started planting.

Some of them were simply experiments. I don't know whether they will grow, but I wanted to try.

By the time I was done, the poor yam had almost no soil left.

And eventually, it dried up completely this week.

So I guess that's the end of my yam experiment for now. 

At least I tried.

Hope you are doing well.

It's August, and if you're a parent, especially here in Cameroon, or if your kids are resuming school in September in your country, then most of your thoughts are probably school-oriented at the moment.

It's hard to ignore the school bags and other school items already flooding the markets. I literally have to remind myself that we are still a month away from September so I can relax and enjoy the holiday. 😂

Thankfully, my kids are having a good holiday so far—completely unbothered by all the preparations for next year, of course. Lol

So far this holiday, I've been making interesting snacks to entertain them, including sardine puff-puff, which they love having with milk. I finally figured out the right way to make it after a few failed attempts, and now I can make it quite easily.

Proud of myself. 😂

Remember the walks I talked about in this post? After the few walks I took a couple of weeks ago, I thought I was going to stay consistent and lose a good amount of weight this holiday. Well... that was the plan.

One thing I enjoy doing in the kitchen is experimenting. Sometimes it works on the first try, and sometimes it doesn't. This sardine puff-puff recipe definitely belonged to the second category.

I actually tried making it a few times before I finally got it right.

The very first time I attempted it, the puff-puff came out hard and wasn't properly cooked inside. I managed to make it a little better by adding some water to the batter, but deep down, I knew that wasn't really the right way to do it. The texture still wasn't what I wanted. When I was a kid, puffpuff with fish inside was sold along my street. This one had a different texture from the usual puff-puff, and I wanted to replicate that, but it was a disaster.

The funny thing is that I wasn't even planning to make sardine puff-puff in the beginning. My original plan was to make sardine bread. But I had never baked bread before, and I knew it would take me a while to figure it out. I wanted something quicker, so I started wondering, what if I tried making puff-puff with sardines instead?

I looked online for a proper recipe but couldn't really find one that matched what I wanted, so I decided to experiment until I found a method that worked.

This time, instead of trying to rush it, I prepared the batter exactly the way I would make normal puff-puff. I also used yeast instead of baking powder. Baking powder isn't bad, but I personally had much better results with yeast. The puff-puff became softer, lighter, and cooked much better inside.

If you enjoy trying simple homemade recipes, here's how I made mine.

Ingredients

• Flour
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Water
• Milk
• Margarine or butter
• Sardines
• Vegetable oil for frying

As always, I cook the African way. I don't usually measure ingredients with measuring cups or spoons. I estimate as I go, and after cooking something a few times, you naturally get better at judging the quantities. So don't worry too much about exact measurements.

How to Make Sardine Puff-Puff

- Start by dissolving the yeast in some lukewarm water.

- Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.

- Once it has risen, stir it gently to remove most of the air bubbles.

- Now prepare the sardines. Remove them from the tin and break them into small pieces.

- Heat your oil.

- Fry until the puff-puff is golden brown on the outside and fully cooked inside.

- Serve warm and enjoy!