Life’s a beach! The Mishtery Survival kit!

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So that extra kilo you have picked up, can be credited to ‘Woopah Gammon Style’! LOL A trifling desert, a few tiny bubbles and everything was divine right? Right! So what’s next?



The Beach
Obviously spending time at the beach, if you live along the coast, this stop is paramount! As a colleague of mine would say... It NEED to happen!  I mean, what else are you supposed to do with this gorgeous weather and lazy holidays? And after 19 years in Cape Town, I think it’s time to start calling myself an honorary Cape Tonian. All my life, I have lived along the coast of this AWESOMETACULAR country... East London, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town.  Love the beach!

Survival of the Kitted!
Let’s jump right to the survival kit! Recently I got sunburnt to a crisp at an outdoor event. I pretty much resemble a top deck. White shoulders and brown arms... Come on! This is what I sould have done. For a great time at the beach, you are going to need the following things in your kit:

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-         Sunscreen
When you think of soaking up the sun, always remember sunscreen. For a lighter complexion or darker complexion I would say, go for SPF 30 or higher! Reapply every 3-4 hours to be safe. It is also wise to swop your regular lipbalm for one with an SPF because you never know! Sun kissed doesn't mean sore lips!

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-        Hydration

Water in the blazing sun is your best friend! Stay hydrated during the day when you are in the sun. Pair it with biltong as part of your snack kit! Sodium-filled foods hold water. This is a tasty trick for staying hydrated.

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-        Accessorise

To become the ultimate beach babe... Invest in a wide brim hat, a cool kaftan, a pair of Jacky O’s or cat eye sunnies, hair accessories and a good hair product to treat your hair after!

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-        Umbrella-ella-eh-eh-eh
Get yourself an umbrella or a little tent for those breaks you will need after splashing in the waves. The more covering you get, the better!

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-       Gorgeous snacks
Go healthy! Low in kilojoules and best fuel for the fire, choose fruits! Watermelon, spanspek, strawberries and grapes. These fruits are filled with water and fill you. Opt for biltong, nuts, healthy sandwiches. Your body needs a break after the Christmas lazy lunch. This is a time saving and money saving tip. Buying snacks at the beach can really hurt a recovering pocket after the silly season!

My friends, stay cool, stay hydrated, soak up vitamin D and be safe on the roads! This is the Mishtery signing off 2012!

Get the January 2013 Oprah Mag and page to pg 41 write down those resolutions for 2013 and make your dreams come true, one at a time! Rock out the new year!

Ps. The best time to get to the beach is in the morning or late afternoon. Avoid the hot traffic!
Happy New Year!

Mish's art of gift giving

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It is the silly season and everyone are falling over their feet to get to malls and shops! It drives me up the wall. Christmas time has become a very stressful holiday with giving gifts to friends and family, coordinating parties, the grand tradition of Christmas lunch with planning the ‘not so traditional-tradtional’ menu! LOL

I personally have a minor freak out session because most of the people nearest and dearest to my heart are born in or around the festive season! Like my mom, dad, grandfather and the man in my life and friends. You can’t really be too stingy with gifts for the people closest to you. So you can imagine how crazy it gets for me and having bought a car earlier in the year, there really isn’t that big of a budget to speak of... Let’s face it, we all want to live the glamorous life but let’s be smart about it. You also want to give to extended family, colleagues or party guests. This is why I have decided to write this post.

This brings me to the art of gift giving... The thing that you must remember is that Christmas is not about going overboard because January lays waiting like the Kalahari desert... Kirkdroog with little to no cash flow.

The rules

My top rule for giving a gift is always that you give you a gift based on what YOU would like to receive. Don’t give anything that will make you cringe if someone stuck it in your Christmas stocking.

Expect nothing
Don’t give a gift to someone and ever expecting ANYTHING in return. This remedies disappointment forever! Giving is good for the soul. Seeing someone’s face light up should be enough.

Coin it!
Stick to your budget. I saved R5, R2, R1 and the rest of the coins during the year and came to a decent amount. Debulk your wallet and save for the office gifts!

Local is lekker!
As far as possible, go for local. We live in Africa where everything rocks! We have so many Christmas markets at our disposal. Why go for Made in China?

When to buy
Get up early and make your way to the place you want to get to for the gifts you have in mind! Don’t buy during the busiest time. This is when you end up buying things you didn’t plan on. This just adds fuel to the fire, called stress and depletes the moola! Besides, if you get up early, you catch a cool morning before the heat wave.

What to buy
I like to give treats! A good bottle of wine, books, stationery from the not so local Typo was on my list, any homemade treat like fudge or dried fruit is a winner and CHOCOLATES! Tip: Buy a gifts ranging in price, so that you have a couple extra small gifts for the unexpected.

My local favourites:



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Bee Natural products! It’s made with honey, Honey!

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Chocolates by Tomes! Delectably creamy chocs that can go toe to toe with Lindt!



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Ken Forrester Wines! This is the most beautiful wines you can find.

Anything Rooibos! Good for you! The skin care products and even the not-so-good-for you chocolate!

Have a Merry little Christmas! Above all else, remember the true meaning of this holiday!

Mish experiences the goodness over lunch time!

Lunch was a quick stop over at the V&A Market on the Wharf ! For the love of food, pop in and take in the aromas and feast on the colours and be tempted into chocolate seduction or international or local delights!

Do yourself a favour and pop in for some culinary fun with cooking workshops for adults or kids, visit the demo kitchen simply for lunch with if you want a lunch date with friends away from the food court! Click here to see what this market has in store for you over the festive season! This sublime food destination is occupying the space that Musica used to have outside the V&A Mall!

Hmmm

Chocoholics need apply!

Buy your fav cookbook!

Some fun!

For my Salmon addiction

Lovely but I am still not a caviar fan!

From the top

Ahhh Xmas Tees!

Seared

Organic MIELIES!

 

Love this!

Got myself a refreshing Bubble Tea from The Bubble Tea Company trading at @V&A_Market_Wharf http://www.thebubbleteacompany.co.za  #ItsPoppin

Cheesy never looked this tasty!

Say Cheese!

http://www.marketonthewharf.co.za/

Friday Food Fest: Inspire the MasterChef in you!

 Last night was the long awaited launch of MasterChef The Cookbook at Exclusive Books Tyger Valley Shopping Centre. Working for a publishing company has its perks. I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the contestants who took part in the MasterChef South Africa competition. They were so much fun to be with. Sue-Ann Allen, Ilse Fourie, Pete Goffe-Wood, Jade de Waal, Charles Canning, Guy Clark, Lungile Nhlanhla, Samantha Nolan and Sarel Loots were the MasterFoodies in attendance.

I had a terrific time with all of the MasterChef contestants but the lady who absolutely captured my attention is the exquisite, Ilse Fourie. She radiates beauty and is the epitome of being comfortable in one's own skin! During the panel discussion at the launch, Ilse told the audience about her love for food and being a model. A love for food and being a model is quite conflicting, so this lovely young woman picked up the phone to her agent and asked... "What are the requirements to be a plus size model?"... Because she wanted the best of both worlds! I had chills running up and down my body when she uttered those words! It was so profound! I love it!  Body Love!

The Gourmet Princess and I. Visit her blog here: http://www.gourmetprincess.co.za/gp/

 She calls herself The Gourmet Princess and completely emerces herself in the art of cooking! I love fish and being the fish fanatic at home, I am ecstatic that this recipe serves one person while the rest of the family devours their choice of chicken or beef! LOL

Try this for yourself!

GRILLED CITRUS SALMON WITH TAGLIATELLE

From MasterChef The Cookbook

Ilse impressed the judges in the first round with this zesty citrus creation and pasta made from scratch! Ps. The Mishtery would not make her own pasta but props to Ilse for it. Here is how she created this flavoursome dish:

INGREDIENTS

PASTA
200 ml white bread flour
1 egg
5 ml olive oil
5 ml salt

CITRUS SAUCE
peel of ½ lemon
100 ml orange juice
25 ml white wine, heated
25 g butter, cubed

SALMON
5 ml olive oil
1 x 200 g portion salmon
salt and pepper to taste
150 g baby spinach

PASTA
1 Mix the flour, egg, olive oil and salt in a food processor until combined. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover in clingfi lm and rest for 30 minutes.

2 Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine 6 times. Dust the pasta sheet with flour and roll up like a Swiss roll. Slice the roll into 5–8 mm wide strips of tagliatelle.

SAUCE
3 Cut the lemon peel into strips and place in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add the orange juice and simmer until reduced to a thin syrup.
4 Whisk in the warm white wine. Add the butter, 1 block at a time, whisking continuously. Keep warm.
5 Bring a large saucepan fi lled with water to the boil. Add salt and the tagliatelle and cook until al dente. Refresh and sauté in a little butter just before serving.

SALMON
6 Heat the oil in a griddle pan over moderate heat and fry the salmon for 4 minutes on each side. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7 Rinse the spinach, drain and place in a saucepan (don’t add extra water). Cook until just wilted, then drain and season with salt and pepper.

METHOD TO SERVE
Dish the pasta onto a plate, place the cooked salmon on top and cover with the spinach and citrus sauce.

TIP
ILSE says: SEASON, SEASON, SEASON!
Salt is your best friend in this dish.

In this picture from left (back): Pete Goffe-Wood, Ilse Fourie,  Sarel Loots, Lungile Nhlanhla, Samantha Nolan,
Charles Canning (front) Sue-Ann Allen, The Mishtery and Angelique Blanckenberg

MasterChef The Cookbook is available from all good bookstores and sells at a Christmassie R350,00.

Body Love: Mish signs the Body Bill of Rights

A friend of mine told me about Marie Claire’s fantastic Body Bill of Rights! This document was featured in the November issue of the Marie Claire!

The Body Bill of Rights is a declaration that encourages women to be kind to 

their bodies and accept their Flawsomeness!



I encourage every woman visiting my blog to read the Body Bill of Rights and visit Marie Clairvoyant and get your copy of this bill.

TarrynJo and I decided it is time to be kind and sign it and live it! 

Check out TarrynJo’s witty take body issues and Nigella Lawson!

This is me signing it! Sign it for yourself! :)

Sign it, tweet a picture of yourself signing The Body Bill of Rights to 

@marieclaire_sa using #MCBodyIssue

 Have fun!!