Green tip #6 - Garlic

To fight pimples apply fresh garlic juice and lemon juice for quick relief. It will pinch but will show results.

Process the garlic cloves in a food processor or blender until pureed. In the absence of a food processor, you can simply crush with a garlic press, over a small bowl.

Pour garlic puree through the mesh strainer into a small bowl. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula to retrieve all juices. Press the garlic through the strainer with the spatula. Discard pulp left in the strainer.

Refrigerate your homemade garlic juice in a glass container.

Mix some garlic juice with a couple of drops of lemon and apply to affected areas.

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Eggs-traordinary ways with eggs

What's more perfect than an egg? These versatile packages of goodness are the magic ingredient in the kitchen.

QUICK AND EASY:

 • Fry eggs in a little good quality olive oil for a different taste sensation

 • Chop a few green olives and fresh dill into scrambled eggs for a great taste and texture comibination

 • To make tartar sauce, stir chopped Italian parsley, spring onions, gherkins, hard-boiled eggs and capers into home-made mayonnaise

 • Simmer hard-boiled eggs in a little green curry paste and add coconut milk. Serve with fragrant rice.

 • Fry some onions in butter and balsamic vinegar until slightly caramelised. Use as a filling for omelettes.

 • Heat cream in a pan with chopped chives and garlic and cool. Break an egg each in small ovenproof dishes. Pour over the cream and bake for 6 minutes at 180 degrees C.

 • A pinch of nutmeg makes delicious scrambled eggs

 • Fry some drained butter beans and sliced chorizo before pouring on your eggs for a great omelette.

 • Add a dollop of wholegrain mustard to creamy scrambled eggs and serve with hot, buttered toast.

 • Next time you fancy egg on toast, pop a cookie cutter into a nonstick frying pan. Heat up and gently creack an egg inside. Cook over low heat until just right.

 • For Spanish picnic eggs, shell 4 large boiled eggs and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Slice the chorizo in diagonal slices and serve with the boiled eggs, black olive pesto and breadsticks.

 • Make the best-ever egg roll by mixing 1/3 cup of mayonnaise with 4 hard-boiled eggs, grated, and spoon onto a buttered fresh roll with some rocket. Top with a dollop of mango chutney

Info from Woolworths TasteMag

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Green Tip #5 - Make a frozen flower block

Winter is setting in here in South Africa now, but for my Northern Hemisphere friends who are just going into summer, here's a lovely idea of how to keep cool in the heat of summer.

Fill an ice tray halfway with cold water. Place a flower, slice of lemon/orange, a small block of chocolate or herb of your choice in the centre of the container and fill to the top. Place in the freezer and serve the ice cubes with sodas, iced coffee and fruit juices.

 

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Preserve the taste of summer

Winter is on our doorstep here in South Africa and although most perennial herbs will go through Winter, their growth slows down, which means that you may not have enough of the fresh stuff to meet both your culinary and medicinal needs. This is particularly true of herbs like, Thyme, Sage and Peppermint that are particularly good for relieving coughs, colds and sore throats.

There are other herbs like Oregano and Bay that are better when dried. Bay leaf is much more palatable and less bitter in the dried form. The stronger and sharper flavour derived from drying Oregano is well-suited to Italian dishes, marinades and roasts.

Sweet Basil and the various Mints are also coming to the end of their season and they need to be preserved if you want to keep the taste of Summer going through Winter. Because they lose most of their flavour when dried, it is better to chop the leaves, put them in ice trays with water and freeze. The ice cubes are then stored in a plastic bag and used when cooking.

DRYING HERBS
Drying your own herbs is very easy and there is simply no comparison between home-dried herbs and those bought from a supermarket.

You will need a sharp pair of pruning shears, a sharp knife or a sharp pair of small scissors and a basket or similar container to carry your harvest in.

DRYING METHODS
The main aim of the drying process is to remove the moisture as quickly as possible, while losing as little colour, taste and aroma as possible.

Air drying is the most satisfactory method and a dark, dry place is best for this. Drying the herbs in sunlight will cause the colour, taste and aroma to face.

The herbs can be formed into small bunches, tied with a piece of string and hung up in a cool place. Alternately you can use a table or other flat surface and lay them out on an oven rack, a looking rock or something similar to dry.

Drying times can range from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the drying method and moisture content of the herbs at the time of harvesting. the easiest way to check whether the herbs are dried, is to rub them between your fingers. If the herbs crumble and break, they are dry enough.

Microwave drying is not suited to large quantities and aroma and taste of herbs dried in this manner is not as good as those that are air dried. Most herbs should dry within 2 to 3 minutes in a microwave. Test your herbs every 30 seconds.

Oven drying is also a popular method, but once again the quality is not as good as air drying. the exception to this is cut roots, which dry very well in the oven

STORING DRIED HERBS
As soon as the herbs are dry, store them in air tight containers in a cool, dark spot. rub the leaves off the ranches, but try not to crumble them unnecessarily. It is better to crumble the herbs just before you use them

Remember to label the container with the name of the herb and the date they were dried.

WHEN TO HARVEST
Herbs for drying or other processing should be harvested early in the morning, once the dew has evaporated.

Never harvest more than you can process quickly. Try to avoid harvesting many different herbs in one basket. Discard any leaves that are diseased or yellowing.

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Summer! Home-made Iced teas

Forget Lipton's in the tin - how about making your own iced tea this summer? There is nothing more refreshing than a glass of ice cold tea prepared the old-fashioned way.

First of all, here's the BASIC RECIPE for iced tea :

- Brew your tea in the teacup so that it is slightly stronger than what you usually drink.
- Add sugar or honey if you prefer a sweet tea.
- Pour the tea into the glass of ice and stir it with a spoon until it is chilled.
- Add more ice if the cubes melt completely.
- Add a slice of lemon or sprig of mint to the glass.

APPLE & HONEY ICED TEA
Ingredients:
• 3 cups water, boiling
• 4 tea bags
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 cups apple juice
Preparation:
Steep tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes. Strain out tea bags, and stir in honey and juice. Mix until honey is dissolved. Chill and serve over ice.
Serves 6-8



Iced tea with lemon

BOSTON ICED TEA
Ingredients:
• 4 quarts water
• 1 cup sugar
• 15 tea bags
• 12 oz frozen cranberry juice concentrate
Preparation:
Heat water to boiling, and add sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add tea bags, remove from heat and let steep for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, and add cranberry juice concentrate.
Stir until melted and mixed, then allow to cool to room temperate before refrigerating. Serve over ice.
Serves 14

And just to add a bit of spice to life, here's a

COGNAC ICED TEA
Ingredients:
• 4 oz cold tea
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• 1 tsp sugar syrup (see below for recipe)
• 1 1/2 oz cognac
Preparation:
Mix ingredients and serve over ice, with a lemon slice.

And for those Latté lovers amongst us.... !

ICED CAFFE LATTÉ
Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cups coffee, cold
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups crushed ice
Preparation:
Blend all ingredients until frothy. Serve over ice.




Lipton Iced Tea from the liquid kitchen mini book of Lipton

What you'll need:

(Makes 1.5 L or approximately 8 drinks)
4 bags of Lipton Quality Black Tea
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
4 tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juice
2L boiling hot water

What to do:
1. Add dry ingredients to jug.
2. Poor in hot water and allow ingredients to infuse for five to ten minutes. Stir occasionally to help dissolve sugar.
3. Remove tea bags and lime wheels before chilling.
4. Before serving add ice and garnish with fresh lemon wheels.

And for something really special -

ICED TEA LATTÉ
What you'll need:

(Serves 1)
3 quality Tea bags
6 ice cubes
Fresh boiling water
100ml cold milk
2 teaspoons raw sugar
Cinnamon sugar

What to do:
1. Place tea bags in a heatproof measuring jug and pour
in fresh boiling water to measure 75mL. Allow to infuse
for 2 minutes. Remove tea bags.
2. Add sugar. Sit until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add ice cubes and the milk. Strain tea into a glass and
sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
4. ENJOY!

Hint: Leave ice cubes in the tea for a really icy drink.

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Coffee prayer

Coffee prayer

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm watercolour paper

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Caffeine is my shepherd;
I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures,
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz,
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness
for it's name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of addiction,
I will fear no Equal
for thou art with me;
Thy cream and thy sugar
they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me
in the presence of Thy Starbucks,
Thou anointest my day with pep;
My cup runneth over.
Surely richness and taste
shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of Mocha forever.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
- Author Unknown

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Celebrate every moment

Our time on this earth is sacred, and we should celebrate every moment.

We cook and complain that it's a waste of time, when we should be pouring our love into making that food. 

We work and believe it's a divine curse, when we should be using our skills to bring pleasure and to spread the energy of the Mother. 

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Honest-to-goodness South African home-made Apricot Jam! Made by my dear friend Elizabeth  

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Camera Kodak EasyShare C195

 

Vintages - A niche to dream in

"Plain shelves filled with good editions in good bindings are more truly decorative than ornate bookcases lined with tawdry books."
- Edith Wharton, 1902

Adults love inviting nooks just as children do; such spaces seem protective, made for the imagination. A place apart, where you can gather notes, thoughts and plans. It's simply the idea of a silence in one's self that allows one to think or to feel. Creating a corner where that silence can happen - even in the busiest of households - calls for beauty like the shelf above.

Setting up a reading nook or dreaming niche for yourself is as exciting as building a new house! Lovingly storing your favourite books and stationery in one place where you can relax with a cup of coffee, snuggling under a warm throw, is one of life's blissful pleasures.

Reading is one of the great pleasures of life and an important part of nurturing our soul, gaining knowledge and finding pleasure in fiction. As such, we must make special time for ourselves to pursue our pleasures and make it high on our list of priorities.

Whether you are lucky enough to have a library filled with books and comfortable couches or choose to use a bay window area, filled with light, or a special corner in your bedroom, your reading nook will be YOUR private hide-out where no-one is allowed in except by invitation.

Your first consideration should be a comfortable chair or chaise lounge embellished with all the luxuries like cushions and throws. A coffee or side table will come in handy for a reading lamp, tea pot, some fresh flowers, reading glasses and some extra books.

Incorporating some shelves or a bookshelf for storage of your books and favourite collections is next on the list. Be creative and innovative with your bookshelf - fill blank spaces on the shelves with candles (in case the electricity goes off!) and some of your favourite photo frames. Fill a vintage jug with some pens and pencils for making notes and have a dictionary at hand for reference.

Some extras like a footstool and magazine rack always come in handy and a soft rug underfoot adds a luxurious touch. Also give some attention to the wall colour - find a soothing theme and hang some of your favourite paintings and artwork as a finishing touch.

A corner in the living room used as a reading nook.

A bookshelf and a comfortable chair on one side of the dining room denotes this as someone's dream corner.

Storage for some favourite books

A perfect reading nook

- image from decor8

So settle in with a creamy cup of coffee, your favourite book or your daily journal and enjoy the simple pleasures of life - don't get to the end of your life and find that you have just lived the length of it. You want to have lived the width of it as well.

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Green Tip #4 - Entrance feature

 (Image scsnned from a magazine)

Garden tools displayed at the back door make a nice arrangement as well as being on hand and quickly accessible.

There is nothing worse for me than, when I'm wandering through the garden and I see a branch or two that just needs a quick pruning, to have to go all the way to the garden shed, find the key, unlock the door, and fetch the pruning shears.

Why not just keep it all close and handy and at the same time make a beautiful feature at the back door? An old vintage coat rack with pegs makes an ideal place to keep you most used tools within easy reach, - even a piece of wood with nails hammered in will do the job.

Enjoy your ease and comfort and add a pretty feature to your entrance at the same time! 

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Green tip #3 - Coarse Salt

Add coarse salt in water before bathing . It will relax you and remove all toxins.

Bath Salts have many benefits:

Salts, when added to bath water, change the chemical balance of the water. This change makes it so that less water is absorbed into the skin, reducing the "pruning" effect that prolonged exposure to fresh water can have on your skin.

High concentrations of salts increase the specific gravity of the water and increase buoyancy which makes the body feel lighter in the bath. Flotation therapy has extremely high concentrations of salts in the water.

A Coarse Salt Bath can not only soften dirt and supply salt and minerals in your body, but also lose weight. The reason of this weight loss way is that coarse salt has the effect of sweating, and can speed up the metabolism of the skin, remove the waste in your body, so Coarse Salt Bath can not only help lose your weight, but also can make your skin tender and tight.

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