Mish's art of gift giving

Image source

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:



Image source



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

Image source

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



Image source



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!!

Mish gets medical assistance

It has been a while since I have posted on my blog. At the moment I am between a busy and an exciting place! I have been hard at work in the background trying to improve my life in order to impart authentic, real and healthy messages about a cultivating a positive body image. So I decided to take a bit of a detour but so stay tuned! What I have in store is going to be worth the sporadic posts which I am not fond of but will in the end lead to something I feel in my spirit is going to be HUGE!

The Detour!
I was invited by my friend Angie to join her at the Equinox Building to visit the doctor last week! Don't worry, I was not sick or in denial about being sick. Angie and I simply had the pleasure of being in the audience as part of The Dr Mol Show.

So what's up doc?
For those of you who do not know the show, The Dr Mol Show is a health and lifestyle show similar to The Dr Oz Show but homegrown, so you know what they say... Local is lekker! This show covers a wide range of topics from what to eat to stay in healthy to addressing issues like living with Diabetes and interesting topics like Sugar addiction (Which I didn't think was real but apparently is!). The show regularly does interviews with celebrities and sport personalities, including a host of leaders in a specific field to add value to the viewer experience.

What was it like?
It was an experience like no other. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I grew up watching Michael Mol present on Top Billing, so you can imagine that I was a bit starstruck upon meeting this man. I have always dreamed of being a guest presenter alongside the likes of a Top Billing presenter! I mean... Living the good life for a day...

The show has an amazing crew Angie and myself were in stitches as their set manager cracked jokes on command to keep us entertained during the recordings which was from 09:00 until 13:00. Four shows where recorded and will be aired from the 14th of December. So if you want to catch a glimpse of Angie and the Mishtery, keep watching the show and you will see us!





Michael hand picked Angie and myself to be part of the show. I apologise in advance friends. I was honestly so nervous I got my guestimations in my insert so wrong! I had to guess how many calories in a single portion of fruit and chips etc. Angie completely rocked as she got 99% for her insert and getting almost every single question right! I loved it!

During our break we had snacks compliments of Kauai Seapoint on the set of Expresso Show overlooking the beautiful Mother City! We are so blessed!

After the break we were joined by cricketer, JP Duminy and his Wife Sue to talk about his injury and Dr Chris Barnard's granddaughter, Karen covering Sugar Addiction. Delightful!

Was there a goodie bag? 

Yes there was and it was packed full of fantastic Vital Foods products!

Here is the money shot! ;-)

I wanna live the best life! :)

Join Dr Mol on SABC 3 on Friday: 15:45 and for the repeat Thursday 08:30. 

You can also become part of his community on
Facebook by joining his fan page. Click here to join. 
Or you can follow the showonTwitter: @DrMolShow

Body Love: Happy distraction

image source

I switched on the radio on my way to work and had such a blissful drive. Why? Because I was singing along to tunes that tickled me happy. In that moment I forgot about the stress that awaited me at work or the traffic that was bumper to bumper. I just hummed and sang ever so falsely along to Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.

So it got me thinking about body love... When I eventually got to work, I was still on such a high but then… Dun-dun-dun-dunnnn! I was brought back to earth by an alarming statistic I found during my research on body love... 97% of women will be cruel to their bodies today. This is horrifying! That means you will say or do something bad to your body and feel bad about yourself. This is not good at all.

This got me thinking of my feel good morning distraction. The music I was listening to was so uplifting and so invigorating that it made me happy from the inside out. So I asked some of friends to send me their favourite, get-out-of-that-rut-pick-me-up-tickle-me-better-feel-good-songs to share with you! Phew… What a mouthful.

Remember that if you feel good, it is easier to love. It is easier to be kinder. It is easier to make better choices. So with this in mind, when you start feeling down, play that pick me up song that gives you that burst of happiness. Press play and soak up that joy!

Here are a selection of songs from a few of my friends! Hopefully you will find your burst of happiness in here.

Don’t let anything or anyone steal your happiness.

This is my happy song during this week! 

A tune for everyone! Take your pick and enjoy! 

I’m walking on sunshine  

Good life by One Republic 

Party by Beyonce 

Superstar by Lupe Fiasco

Closer by Goapele   

Three little birds by Bob Marley   

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

Suddenly I see by K Tunstall  

Open arms by MC Jin 

Dancing in the moonlight

I’ve got you under my skin  

What u starting by Donn T 

A whiter shade of pale by Procol Harum 

New York New York by Frank Sinatra

Friday Food Fest: Berry Important Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I love breakfasts. If I had more time in the mornings, I would make more of an effort to experiment with it. I want to share two breakfasts with you! A quick one and a fancy pants one! Both recipes contain berries that belong to the superfood group.

The Mishtery says:  Don't skip breakfast because you want to sleep in late over the weekend. Use that lazy day to roll out of bed and make your favourite brekkie. Enjoy!

• By eating breakfast, you wake up your metabolism and burn the kilojoules you need to lose weight.  True story!  

• All berries are considered to be superfood.
  
  Berry-licious

Recipe from Fast Food for Sustained Energy

1 c frozen or fresh berries (125 g)
1 large banana (150 g)
1½ t oat bran (7.5 ml)
5 T fat-free or low-fat milk (75 ml)
3 T fat-free or low-fat plain
yoghurt (50 g)
ice cubes (optional, but unnecessary if frozen berries are used)

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Berries not only give this smoothie the highest fibre content, but they also provide generous amounts of phyto-nutrients and antioxidants. 

French toast with berry compote

Image from http://www.taste.com.au/

 4 eggs
    1/3 cup light cream
    1/3 cup reduced-fat milk
    1/4 cup caster sugar
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    25g butter, chopped
    8 slices of thick bread
    200g vanilla yoghurt, to serve

Berry compote

    1/4 cup caster sugar
    300g frozen mixed berries

Make berry compote: Place sugar and 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high. Bring mixture to the boil. Cook for 3 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Stir in berries. Set aside.

Place eggs, cream and milk in a bowl. Whisk until combined.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Melt half the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Dip 4 slices of bread, 1 at a time, in egg mixture until soaked. Cook bread for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan. Toss in sugar mixture to coat. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter, bread, egg mixture and sugar mixture.

Serve toast with compote and yoghurt.