Strawberry Facial Mask

Treat yourself to a facial, once or twice a week. Apply a stimulating mask before going out or a relaxing mask before bed. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Always use fresh ingredients. You can prepare mask on demand or keep it refrigerated.

The proper application begins with covering the chin area with the maskthen move up to the cheeks and forehead.

Apply to nose next, moving outward towards the cheeks. Always leave space around mouth, eyes and eyebrows open. Lastly spread on throat moving from bottom to top.

Try to use soft or distilled water when preparing the facial masks. Hard water contains high concentrations of minerals and other gunk that provoke an allergic reaction. If you use tap water, boiling or filtering it is a good idea.

Strawberry Mask

4-5 very ripe, medium sized strawberries
2 tsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. honey

1. Carefully rinse strawberries in lukewarm water and dry with clean cloth or towel.
2. In a small bowl, mash the fruit with a fork.
3. Add the cream and honey and mix well.
4. Apply the paste generously to the face and throat, keeping it away from the eyes.
5. Leave the mask on for 20-30 minutes.

Contraindications: People with sensitive or sunburns skin could have an adverse reaction to strawberries. Teas on small area first to assess your skins reaction.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL WOMAN MONTH

Did you know that it's Beautiful Women Month? Well, it is and that means you and me !!!


Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips , speak words of kindness..
For lovely eyes , seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair , let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise , walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands ; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others. If you share this with another woman, something good will happen. You will boost another woman's self esteem, and she will know that you care about her.

Candy Time

Divinity

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Cook the sugar, water and syrup until thread will spin 6''-8'' long. have beaten egg whites ready with vanilla or the almond extract beaten in. Pour the syrup on the eggs slowly and continue heating until thick enough to drop from.

Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1 cup peanuts

Melt the sugar in saucpan. cook over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Add the peanut to the sugar, then pour all at once onto a cookie sheet and spread into a thin sheet. Break when cold.

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

1 1/2 lb. sweet chocolate
2 cups sweetened condensed milk
3 cups whole peanuts

Mix the chocolate and milk, heat until melted, when melted add the peanuts and mix will. Take a tablespoon full of the mix and make drop onto wax paper. let cool.

Day Of The Dead

Pan de Muerto
(Bread of the Dead)

¾ cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons powdered yeast

4 ½ cups flour

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

1 cup of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, mix water and yeast, make sure the yeast disperses well. In a kitchen aid mixing bowl, add flour and the yeast mixture. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, oil, orange peel and vanilla mix with the flat spatula of a kitchen aid for 5 minutes. You will obtain a greasy mix. Otherwise mix very thoroughly with hands until you obtain a greasy mix.

Place this mix in a deep bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place overnight until it doubles in volume. Take the mixture from the bowl and place on a surface, cut in half and take out about 1/3 of each half. Shape the larger bits into two balls, place on an oiled baking tray.

Take a little dough from the other smaller bits, these can be turned into large ropes that are going to be cut in half and placed on top of the bread in the shape of a cross. The little bit left will go on top of the bread. Brush with milk and sprinkle some sugar on the breads.

Bake in the oven at 160 degrees (fan assisted oven) for 20 minutes, then reduce to 140 degrees (fan assisted oven) for 20 minutes and then reduce to 120 degrees (fan assisted oven) for another 20 minutes

Leave to cool down, it should sound hollow when baked, if not carry on baking for a little longer until thoroughly baked. Makes 2 breads

Mexican Hot Chocolate

2 teaspoons good-quality ground cocoa

1 teaspoon sugar, plus extra to taste

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground almonds. You can add more if you want a thicker texture

250 ml milk

Make the chocolate mix by putting all the ingredients, except the milk, together in an empty, clean glass jar. Shake until completely combined.

Heat the milk in a pan, add the chocolate mix. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat.
Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly; use a small whisk to froth the mil.
Serve hot.

Beef & Barley Vegetable Stew With Corn Bread

These recipes where given to me by my mother-in-low, Vivian. The last time that I where at her home, was one of the best time we had.
She love her family and kept then worm with her yummy food.

Beef & Barley Vegetable Stew
With Corn Bread

Beef & Barley Vegetable Stew
3 pounds Lean Beef, cubed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup flour
2 quarts beef broth (or water)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
1/4 Tablespoon Pepper
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
2-3 potatoes, diced
1/2 cup Barley
1 cup Carrots, cubed
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
2 cups Canned Tomatoes, drained
1 cup Peas

Coat beef in seasoned flour Brown meat in oil. Place meat, broth, seasonings and parsley in a soup kettle. Cover tightly and simmer 1 hour. Add barley and potatoes and simmer another hour. Cool and skim off excess fat. Add carrots, celery and tomatoes. Simmer 45 minutes. Add fresh peas and continue cooking 15 minutes.

Corn Bread

2 cup water ground white cornmeal
½ cup flour
1teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon backing powder
1 ½ cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon soda
2 eggs
3 tablespoon melted shortening
Mix day ingredients together. Add remaining ingrediens and beat well. Pour into a greased pon and bake in a 450 oven or till golden brown. About 20 to 25 minutes.

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

This recipe was given to me by a good friend.

Flour, for work surface1 frozen puff pastry5

1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus

1 tbsp olive oil, Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1" in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2" intervals.

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise in side the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

I Made this tasty shrimp dish for my family, when they can to visit. We have the best times together, but it was very hot that weekend. Too hot to be outside, so we didn’t do much grilling and it was killing my husband.

Wooden skewers (4-inch)

24 large shrimp
1 cup Asian with sesame&ginger vinaigrette

Four cloves garlic, finely chopped
Two tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper


Soak 4-inch wooden skewers in cold water for 1 hour. Thread shrimp onto each skewer so that the shrimp lie flat. Whisk together the garlic, vinaigrette, and lime juice together in a small bowl.

Place shrimp skewers onto a dish and drizzle with same of the vinaigrette to lightly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Heat grill. Grill shrimp 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Place shrimp on a platter, drizzle with vinaigrette..