MAC Round-Up

Foolproof Papaya Shrimp Cocktail Recipe

Hey Loveys,

One of my goals for 2015 is to become a better cook. Growing up I was never very interested in the kitchen, it was only when I was at university, and found myself living on my own that I became a little interested in cooking (to save money and avoid the trap of eating junk food daily), and my repertoire consisted of, wait for it...salad, Ramen noodles, pasta, and minced beef. Simple things. I still consider myself a Ramen expert actually.

Lately though, I have found myself being inspired by the different textures and flavours of food, and so, I decided that 2015 would be my year of cooking. I've gotten some cookbooks, and have started obsessively looking at YouTube Videos and apprenticing in my mother-in-law's kitchen, since she is the best chef I know. This weekend my mother-in-law and I made a papaya shrimp cocktail, it was super easy to make, absolutely delicious, and most of all, it is 100% foolproof, any novice in the kitchen (like yours truly) can make this with ease :-). See recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp (cleaned: washed, peeled and deveined)

1 lb papaya (also known as pawpaw. peeled, seeds removed, sliced in quarters and then thinly sliced crosswise)

1/4 cup mint (approximately 10-15 mint leaves, chopped in small pieces)

1 celery (thinly sliced, celery is optional)

1 small purple onion (peeled and cut into small cubes)

1 tbsp pepper sauce / hot sauce (this is optional, use if you want to add some heat)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp grated  ginger (use fresh ginger)

salt to taste (use a pinch, or more according to how salty you want it)

Directions:

In a bowl add your papaya/ pawpaw (which has already been sliced), add your shrimp to this (you can steam your shrimp for a few minutes in water, please avoid over steaming the shrimp as this will result it the shrimp becoming 'hard" or "rubbery"), add your mint, add your purple onion.

Then in a separate bowl, mix your olive oil, grated ginger, pepper sauce/ hot sauce, and your salt

Just before you serve your shrimp cocktail, drizzle your olive oil vinaigrette over your shrimp cocktail (after you drizzle it you use a spoon to mix it / work it further into your cocktail),and voila, it is finished, serve it with love, and enjoy.

Thanks for visiting my blog Loveys, I will be updating the blog with new posts each Monday and Thursday from now on (i.e. new posts twice a week), in the meantime, you can follow me on  instagram at @fromstluciawithlove for daily posts on beauty (makeup, skincare etc), fashion and lifestyle.

Have a fantastic week.

XX,

Malika

Take Care of Those Hands!

Hey Loveys,

Today's beauty post focuses on... hands!! Why? Because it is said that hands reveal a person's  true age. I guess you can take the best care of your face, neck, and decolletage to fight or slow the signs of aging, but ultimately, if you ignore your hands, they will "sell you out" and reveal your true age. That is, hands can reveal your true age  as  the skin on your hands loses its firmness over time, and leaves them susceptible to wrinkles, sun spots other signs of aging (I wonder if this is why Madonna wears those gloves all the time? hmmm #FoodForThought).

Here are 5 tips to take better care of hands and nails:

1.  Keep Hands Moisturized and Sun-Protected: To remain supple, your hands (like the rest of your body) needs moisture, so keep them moisturized. Further still, given the fact that sun damage can cause wrinkles and dark spots, protect your hands from the sun's ravaging effects by using a  sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Cheeky side-note to all my chocolate and mocha sisters out there: us coloured girls  need to use sunscreen too! Just cause we're not tanning, or just 'cuz we don't tan, does not mean that we do not need to use sunscreen, we need to use sunscreen ladies. It is an absolute must for every person of every ethnicity,  if you chose to go without it and want to take care of your skin, then, at least avoid, or reduce the amount of time you spend in the sun.

2. Take Care of Your Cuticles: Nails, like hands, need to be moisturized, moisturizing your nails and cuticles keeps those areas more pliable and less at risk for cracking, tearing and hangnails, which can open the door to skin infections.  I will be honest with you, I need to take better care of my cuticles. If you already take care of yours, I salute you, and will be joining you. If you don't, let's start doing this together then! You can moisturize your cuticles by rubbing your hand moisturizer into the base and sides of your nails, including the cuticles. If your cuticles are very dry, you can consider applying nightly cuticle oil to give it an extra dose of moisture.

3. Wear Gloves During Chores: Protect your hands by wearing a pair of cotton-lined rubber gloves when you are doing chores since hot water can strip the skin of its own natural oils (perhaps this is why it is suggested that you immediately apply lotion or oil to your skin after you've had a shower), and some chemicals in certain cleaning products can cause contact dermatitis. 

4. Remove Polish: It's important to remove your nail polish after a week of wearing it rather than leave it on for weeks at a time, and then apply a fresh coat to it when it starts to fade or chip, because an old coat of nail polish (especially if it is a darker shade of polish) can cause your nails to become discoloured and/or yellow, and can also weaken your nails. Side-note: Use a non-acetone polish remover, as it is gentler on your nails that a nail polish remover with acetone.

5. File Your Nails: I've just one tip to share for filing nails, and that is simply, to file nails in one direction only—using a sawing motion can create microscopic tears that make nails more likely to split.

Now, loveys, after all of this talk about nails,heading off to give hands some tender loving care, and hope you will be treating your hands to the same as well. Until my next post,

XX

Malika

Happy New Year

Hi Loveys,

Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I know that its been a hot minute since my last post, and I hope that you will forgive me for the delay. The holiday season was  hectic (as I juggled the demands of work and holiday tasks) and wonderful . This was my first Christmas and New Years in Saint Lucia, and whilst I love the soil on which I was born (Trinidad & Tobago)  I am so fortunate to be able to say that I truly am able to call my adopted land of Saint Lucia home.

I made a cheesecake over the holidays, and will be posting the recipe over the weekend, in the meantime here are some snapshots of my holidays:

Cheesecake

Christmas Lunch

Our Table

Yours truly: meeee ^_^

Spent New Years Eve/Old Years with family in PJs having  #Caviar #Shrimp #Cheeseplate #Champagne

How were your holidays Lovelies? Let me know in the comments section below.
See you over the weekend with my post on my cheesecake (pictured above).

XX
Malika