Strawberries!

It has come to my attention that Strawberries are more potent and useful than I originally thought!

Did you know that Strawberries have healing and drying properties? Well I didn't! It contains a very gentle exfoliating acid which can be used on your skin to get rid of dead-skin that may build-up - sounds grosse I know but very real on any face!

I also once read years ago in a women's magazine an article about Catherine Zeta-Jones allegedly rubbing strawberries on her teeth as a whitener. Turns out this is not a whole of rubbish and that strawberries do contain a bleaching property also which if used daily can help us all get rid of the fearful coffee stains!

Here in New Zealand strawberries are currently in season and you can pick them up so cheap from the supermarket or fruit store - So go spend a dollar or so and try this easy method - eating a few strawberries daily will also do you justice and is also an easy way to make sure you have your fruit intake!

So here I share with you 2 recipes; one a simple face wash for oily-normal skin and an easy strawbug-bleach-brush!

Strawberry cleanser:

This is not to be stored and just made as needed :) I have used Lemon essential oil as it contains acidic properties that help to eliminate oily conditions of the face and leave it feeling so fresh and so clean clean! Lemon also contains a mild bleach which if used regularly can help to even skin tone.


Ingredients
4-5 strawberries (make sure these are super ripe and easy to mash!)
1-2 drops of lemon essential oil

Method
Mash the strawberries in a small bowl
Strain through a small sieve or coffee filter
Taking just the liquid remaining add the lemon essence
Apply to the face and neck with a cotton pad and massage into skin
Rinse and pat-dry your skin - NEVER dry your skin vigorously as this is very delicate and can be damaged easily!

Strawbug-bleach-brush:

Ingredients
Strawberries

Method
You can work this recipe simultaneously with the cleanser and use the juicy pulp left over
Put some on your toothbrush and brush gently into teeth for 2 minutes
Rinse your mouth well

Let me know if you try these and have any feedback - I tried both for the first time today and really enjoyed them both. I found the Strawbug-bleach-brush a little strange to start off with but if it whitens my teeth and it is that cost effective I really have no complaints!

Happy cleansing!

Megan X

The Pavlova Challenge

I am proud to say that I successfully made my very first homemade pavlova for our Le Wolfe Magique Christmas celebration.

In my mind a Christmas meal is just not complete without a traditional Kiwi pav. Crisp on the outside, soft and marshmallowy in the centre then piled high with freshly whipped cream and fruit. Yum!

Ironically I used an Australian Woman’s Weekly recipe purely because you bake the pavlova on a plate. A genius idea which eliminates the potentially risky step of transferring the pav from the baking tray to the plate.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons cornflour

5 egg whites

1¼ cups caster sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour, extra

300ml cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 punnet strawberries

1 punnet raspberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Grease a large, round ovenproof plate with melted butter, leaving a 3cm border. Sift cornflour over greased area.

2. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until frothy and soft peaks have started to form. Gradually add the sugar (I started with 1 tablespoon at a time until half was gone then added 2-3 tablespoons at a time), beating well until dissolved between additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold in extra sifted cornflour.

 3. Pile the mixture into the centre of the prepared plate. Use the back of the spoon or spatula to spread out into a circle, making a shallow well in the centre.

 4. Reduce oven to 100°C just before putting in the pav. Bake in the lower half of the oven for 1½ hours  or until dry and crisp to the touch. Turn off the oven and let cool with the oven door ajar.

5. To serve, whip cream and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread over the cooled pavlova, top with strawberries and raspberries (of course you can decorate with any fruit you like).

For the original recipe, visit http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/8174360/classic-pavlova-baked-on-a-plate.