Yippeee the sun is shining

I cant tell you how thrilled we are that the warmth of the sun has finally cut through those horrid bone cold days of our South African winter.

In celebration Prep'ed by Sasha and Pink Vanilla have teamed up with Roedean girls school and Mitchells brewery to bring you our 'favourite way of enjoying summer'....... Our Champagne garden with a difference.

If bubbly, salmon blinis, craft beer and freshly shucked oysters blow your hair back like they do ours you are gonna love it.

Bring your friends, family and kids to come say hello.

Working with some of the best.....

Last week [PS] had the pleasure of working with our very talented little Sis photographer -Mikasa Sonnenberg and her delightful designer colleague Kastine Heap on their Loerie awards campaign.

We cant reveal much but it was a four filled fun day of styling in the kitchen. here is wishing you luck and holding thumbs :-) watch this space....

Teddy bears, baby blue & a high tea

Think pretty little morsels, baby blue labels, tatty bears and a room full of excited ladies. In conjunction with Bianca Jenzen [organiser of everything baby] Prep'ed by Sasha catered for her clients baby shower/ High tea.

The menu was made up of egg mayo and whole grain mustard triangle sandwiches, cream cheese finger sandwiches wrapped in cucumber ribbons, parma ham and winter melon lollipops, firecracker prawns with 7 spice mayonnaise, beef, pesto & caramelised onion bruschetta, warm scones, mini fruit tartlets, raspberry meringues and decadent chocolate cupcakes decorated with Bianca's very cute labels.

 

 

Pretty in Pink 'Fake' Hens night.

Our Beautiful friend Dominique gave us a little surprise visit from the UK last week and because she is getting married in Portugal next year she had [PS] plan a little 'fake' or should we say 'pre' hens night for her while she was in Joeys.

Sugar highs were the name of the game and the table was gorgeously and deliciously decorated with all things pink - Chinese steamers filled with candy floss, mini Chinese take-out boxes filled with sugar coated pink gums, watermelon liquorice strips, jars of gummy lips, musk sweets and  marshmallows.

In between the feathers and pink poppies on each place setting was a scratch card that gave Dominique a list of dares to complete. Daniella from Pink Vanilla cc brought her chalk board along and each guest wrote a message to the bride to be which were photographed and sent to her for keep sakes. The evening was filled with good laughs, giggles and a very Pretty in pink bride to be....

 

Thank you for sharing your memorable evening with [PS] We wish you all the love, luck and happiness in the future with your lovely hubby to be.

A wind mill, bunting flags and a very beautiful wedding...

The lovely and creative Adri married her prince, Francois, at The Cow Shed in Lydenburg on the 2nd April and Prep'ed by Sasha was there to feed the  hungry tummies.

After a comfortable 3 hour drive The cow shed is a sight for sore eyes as you drive down their windy sand road, lined with tall grasses and see the welcoming farm house with its traditional stoop, corrugated iron red roof and its story telling big trees.

The weddings are held in the big shed which Ari decorated beautifully with bunting flags, veld flowers, old books and jam jar vases.

[PS] designed the menu around Adri's relaxed theme to look like a deli style table with little Delicious morsels in funky little spoons and bamboo boats.

Beginning with canapes served by our waiters [ wonton hearts with smoked salmon and wasabi caviar, warm pea soup and mini caprese skewers] which then proceeded onto the self service 'buffet' of mini tarts, fresh salads served in perspex cubes, Asian prawn skewers, lamb cutlets served on pea puree, mixed mushroom and springbok carpaccio bruschetta, Chinese boxes filled with tabbouleh and seared beef  and decadent cheese boards.

The day was brought to an end with a scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream. mmmm


Congratulations Adri and Francois [PS] wishes you all the happiness and love in the world.

Thank you to Di and her team at The cow shed for their helping hand at making this all such a great success.

Oh how time flies.....

In this case we are so happy that March has flown by because we are only a few days away from our next Goddess in the kitchen cooking class at Buddha ta.


As they say.... time flies when you are having fun and that is exactly what we had last month, to feed the curious cat inside you click here to view images from the last class.


Besides learning a few tricks to impress in the kitchen this month you get a chance to have your specially created cocktail put onto Buddha ta's menu until the next Goddess class. Each person is given a selection of ingredients to create there own cocktail and the best creation wins.

So to book your spot mail Daniella@pinkvanilla.co.za - R350 per person for a cocktail, meal and gift.

Classes are held on the second Tuesday of every month, this months is on the Tuesday 12th April and the menu has the following on it:
Fresh oysters
Vietnamese rice paper wraps
Asian fish cakes

Want to get your hands dirty and learn a few tricks to impress in the kitchen?

Prep'ed by Sasha is very excited to present our Cooking Experiences held at our beautiful new premises on Corlett drive.

We'll show you to cut, chop and dice professionally without butchering your finger tips, bake homemade bread from scratch, to making your very own rolled pasta! with a maximum of 8 cooks per class we have a intimate, hands on approach to not only learning the basics but how to implement them into a 3 course meal which you will get to tuck into after the session.

This month's schedule is below and will be changing throughout the year to include guest chefs and because we are dedicated to being as green and sustainable as possible we'll take into account the changing of the seasons and the produce available.

Each class costs R250p/p. For bookings contact Sasha on either 071 509 3131 or via e-mail on info@prepedbysasha.co.za
Aprons are provided so wear something with short or tight sleeves and comfortable closed shoes.

Soft drinks are provided however if you would like to chanel the likes of Rick Stein and have a glass of wine while you create you are welcome to bring your own.

3 ways with wontons and a quick noodle salad later...

Last week we held our first 'Goddess of the kitchen' at Buddha ta in the Design Quater, we all had so much fun that I had to share some of the photos. The next class will be on the 12th April 2011 and bookings are coming in fast so if you are interested in joining us pop a mail to daniella@pinkvanilla.co.za of info@prepedbysasha.co.za

Sneak peak at next months menu: oysters, 2 ways with vietnamese rice paper wraps and fish cakes.

Goddess in the kitchen

Something every lovely lady imagines being and every man looks for in his wife? screw that!

This is no 1950's traditional idea that the woman's role is as the homemaker, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Yes there will be shakers filled with martinis and some pretty little aprons however this is all about empowering women to embrace their creative side, network and learn a recipe or two that can quickly be whipped up to impress the most discerning guest.

[PS] grab a few friends, let your hair down and come join us for a great night out.

phase 2...

I cant tell you how delighted we are to be entering phase 2.... We have fallen in love with our new home.

This week has dealt us so many happy cards - first there was the day the gas stove was connected and with a flick of the switch and the ticking of the igniter there was fire! Then the filling of the gorgeous glowing 2 door glass fridge which keeps us company on those 4 am curtain calls with its comforting hum. Thirdly we had mommy and daddy Sonnenberg over for dinner round the antique table/island [that evening the grilled halloumi, giant mushroom, dukkah and pepperdew burgers were the first cooked in the Prep'ed by Sasha kitchen] last but definitely not the least we held our first cooking class [The first wives club] last night and it rocked!

We are working on the final class outlines and will have that out to you all soon, however we are going to be collaborating with Pink Vanilla and Buddha ta at the design quarter in doing a Asian style ladies cooking experience  every 2nd Tuesday of the month.... all those details will be on a separate blog post.

 

the lovely Cath and Svenn at our first cooking class

Phase One.

The moving, the cleaning and the interior decorating...

Snapshots of our day in the studio

Back stage on our Easyfood shoot this week....

Here I am creating the Apricot Glazed Ham for the April issue - perfect for a delicious family fueled Easter brunch.

 

 

 

[PS] For the recipe keep an eye out for the April Issue on shelves beginning of March.

Mmmmm we got LOVE in our tummies....

Easy chocolate mousse

Serves 6

250g good quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

30g butter

120ml water

3 egg yolks

25g sugar

300ml whipped cream

1.    Melt the chocolate, butter and half of the water over a pan of simmering water, taking care that the bowl does not touch the water. Once fully melted and well combined, leave to cool for 10 minutes.

2.    In a small saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Stir over a low heat for approximately 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate mixture.

3.    You will need to cool the mixture quickly, so place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water and stir the mixture until cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Gently fold in the whipped cream and then spoon into your serving dishes. 

4. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Love Prep'ed by Sasha

 

* Styling by Prep'ed by Sasha, photograph by Richard Webb and recipe by Easyfood

Ching Chong of the Chinese new year.

Ever city has one! we frequent it and enjoy every MSG filled mouth full; all the different aromas and absolutely love wading through the supermarket shelves and purchasing an abnormal ingredient that will probably never be used and slowly be hidden in the back of our pantries.

China City is a way to escape from our normal every day routines and this Chinese new year we have booked our seats at the restaurant closest to all the action to watch the dragon meander through the streets bringing luck, love and adventure into our lives.

Asian food has always been slightly daunting to prepare, the fear of the unknown kicks in and the Asian cook book gets closed and something more familiar gets picked up. What allot of us don't realise is that the innovative Asians have made it very easy for us to replicate their meals, ready made wonton wrappers; frozen spring rolls; heat and eat individually packed noodles, pre prepared seafood and our all time favourite 'ready to steam Dim Sum' - which can all be found at your local Chinese supermarket.

Below are a few Easy recipes courtesy of Easyfood magazine - Ireland's  number one food magazine which is now being sold throughout South Africa. Prep'ed by Sasha does the styling for their recipe features in conjunction with photographers Richard Webb and our lovely sista Mikasa Sonnenberg.

Chicken and sweet corn spring rolls
makes 18

4 cooked chicken breasts
2 corncobs, husks removed
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely grated ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 pkt frozen spring roll wrappers
1/4 cup (60ml) peanut oil

To serve
sweet chili sauce

Finely shred chicken and place in a bowl. 

Cook corn in a saucepan of boiling water over medium heat for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool under running water. Cut kernels from cobs. Add to chicken with onions, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir well to combine. 

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lay out a spring roll wrapper with the point facing towards you. Place 2 tablespoonfuls of corn mixture on pastry then fold pastry over filling once. Fold in side corners. Brush far corner with water then roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry. 

Place spring rolls on an oven tray. Brush with peanut oil then bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden.
PS if you find spring roll wrappers in your local oriental food shop, buy extra and freeze!

Soy & ginger chicken in noodle broth
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1cm-thick strips
1tsp finely grated fresh ginger
60ml soy sauce sweetened with 1tbsp sugar
100g dried rice noodles
2tbsp olive oil
1 small leek, white part only, washed, thinly sliced
80g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
100g mange tout, trimmed, halved
1L chicken stock
2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2tbsp chopped fresh mint

Combine the chicken, ginger and 1 tablespoon of sweetened soy sauce in a bowl. Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 6 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add half the oil and heat until smoking. Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry for 4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and leek to the wok or frying pan. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the mushroom, mange tout and stock, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken and noodles. Simmer for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the coriander, mint and remaining sweetened soy. Ladle among serving bowls.

  

Pork with aubergine and noodles

Serves 4 

Rice Noodles

For the marinade:

1tbsp dark soy sauce

3tbsp light soy sauce, plus extra to serve

1tbsp cornflour

1tsp clear honey

1tbsp chili paste

2tsp garlic, finely chopped

1tbsp ginger, finely chopped 

500g minced pork

250g thick, flat rice noodles

3tbsp vegetable oil

1 large aubergine, diced

2tbsp fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to garnish 

Make the marinade by mixing together the ingredients in a non-metallic bowl. Add the pork and combine thoroughly until the liquid has been absorbed and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and drain.

Heat the oil until almost smoking in work or large, non-stick frying pan. Stir-fry the aubergine until golden and soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on kitchen paper.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary and stir-fry the pork until well browned and cooked through. Pour in 75ml water and allow to bubble. Add the aubergine to the wok and heat through before scattering with the coriander leaves.

Serve the pork on a bed of noodles with an extra scattering of coriander and some light soy sauce if required. 

When life sends you lemons... plant a tree!

Building, like biting into a big juicy lemon, is not a pleasant experience in the least and when dealing with the contractors and very uninspired builders we are calmly putting into practice our yoga breathing techniques instead of throwing objects against the newly painted walls!

While the universe keeps feeding us lemons we are going to grow them...Every few days throughout the past year I have been sneaking lemons from our neighbour in awe of how rich and abundant their tree was.

According to the gardening guides its very easy to grow your own lemons! The catch: they do have a few requirements.

Tips on how to Grow a Lemon tree:

• Lemon trees don't tolerate the cold very well and wont last through freezing temperatures and frost for to long. If you are in an area where frost appears for several days plant the tree close to the house or building, the radiant heat coming off the building will keep the area around the tree above freezing.
• Sun, sun and more sun. The more the better, at least 8 hours. Lemon trees do however appreciate late afternoon shade on their roots. [picky little buggers]
• Lemon trees like acidic soil, soil can be made more acidic by adding sulphur or ammonium sulfate fertilisers - enquire at your nearest nursery for advice. Dig the hole double the size of the bag of the tree and always make sure the area around the base of the tree is mulchy which will retain soil moisture. 
• Lemon trees like a good watering, water well once a week rather than sprinkling it every few days. 
• 'Feed'! It is important to fertilise the tree before it blossoms. They flower from October onwards and an application of Limestone Ammonium Nitrate (L.A.N) can be done in July/ August. Water well before and after you fertilise. Do not feed the tree with L.A.N after it has bloomed as it will create a thick skin on the fruit and tasteless lemons.
• Lemon trees grow quite quickly and therefor to keep the lemons in reach need to be pruned.When pruning trim all dead branches and branches that are touching the ground to avoid a way for ants and snails to get to the fruit. 
• Snails do love lemons so if you find any slithering around the tree use bait  to keep them from getting to the stem of the tree.
• Lemons can be picked from the time that they start showing a yellowish tinge until fully yellow. Very ripe lemons will fall to the ground. 

our baby tree 27.01.2011

 






organic: indulgent lemon curd, refreshing lemonade, tangy lemon marinades and sweet lemon cakes will be made and sold at [PS] head quarters in the near future.

[PS] why not grow your own lemon tree....

This season Blue is the new Black ....

We always get excited for January; it’s like waking up after a long beauty sleep - A fresh start. 

Most of us are just getting back into our routines after travelling far and wide, refreshed and ready for another busy year, therefore we can’t think of a better time to indulge in fresh berries.... Blueberries in particular!

Not only are Blueberries delicious sweet little morsels they have some fantastic health benefits:

• They are the highest antioxidants of all fresh berries – boosting your immune system and preventing  infections. This is mainly due to the pigment responsible for its blue colour, namely anthocyanin.
• Neutralizes free radicals which can affect aging in the body.
•  Like our orange friends, They have been proven to preserve vision
• These little gems even heal brain cells, neuron tissues and keep your memory sharp for a long time.
• They have the ability to dissolve the bad cholesterol and strengthen the cardiac muscles which aid in curing heart diseases. 
• The high fibre content in blueberries improves digestion and keeps constipation at bay.
• They have been linked to reducing the risk of certain cancers.
•   And our favourite benefit – they aid in reducing the spare tire around the belly.

[PS] how to choose the freshest blueberries:

Choose blueberries that are firm and have a lively, uniform hue coloured with a whitish bloom. Remember the deeper the colour of the blue the higher the anti oxidants. Make sure they are free of water as that will promote the growth of mold. Shake the packaging lightly, if the little berries don’t roll around then they are likely to be too soft, squished or moldy. 

[PS] Tips:

-         In South Africa blueberries are limited to December and January and then become scares or very expensive. So buy a few punnets and freeze them in freezer bags to use in muffins, cupcakes or in sauces throughout the year. Note when freezing make sure there is no air in the bags to reduce the ice damage to the berries. 

 

Homemade fresh Blueberry jam

6 cups blueberries

3.5 cups sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Crush ½ the blueberries in a large pot.
Add teh remaining whole berries, sugar, lemon juice and zest and while stirring often bring to the boil over a medium heat.
Boil for 15-20 minutes or until thick. 

Skim off any foam and ladel into jars, leaving 1cm rim from the top.

White chocolate and blueberry muffins

Makes 12

250g unsalted butter @ room temp

250g caster sugar

4 large eggs whole

1 large egg yolk

250g flour

2 tsp baking powder

150g fresh blueberries

1 tsp vanilla essence

50g white chocolate, chopped

Heat the oven to 180’C
In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy
In a separate bowl lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk
Whilst whipping the butter mix slowly add the egg, bit by bit.
Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir until combined. Carefully fold in the blueberries, vanilla essence and chocolate pieces with a big metal spoon.
Line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases and fill each case to a 1/3^rd full. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
Muffins can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

 

 

Blueberry and Granola breakfast smoothie

Serves 2

1 punnet fresh blueberries

120ml plain yoghurt

120ml low fat milk

2 tbs honey

Handful of ice cubes

2 tbsp granola or chunky muesli

Place all the ingredients besides the granola into a blender and blits until desired consistency. Serve chilled sprinkled with granola.

 

Quick and easy Blueberry rice pudding

Serves 4   

¾ cup uncooked white rice

2 cups milk

1/3 cup white sugar

Pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup blueberries

½ tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan bring 1 ½ cups water to a boil, add the rice and stir. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain and return to the pot.  Combine 1 ½ cups rice, 1 ½ cups milk, sugar and salt. Simmer over a medium heat for about 15 – 20 minutes until thick and creamy.
Stir in remaining ½ cup milk, beaten egg , blueberries and vanilla. Cook for 2 more minutes and serve warm.

[PS] Enjoy...

Honey we're home...

For the last few months we have been bouncing around like little children the day before Christmas and spreading the word, as you might or might not know [PS] is moving into their very own home!

Cookbooks are being packed into boxes, the leaning tower of our all time favourite 'food & home' magazines into crates, pots and pans into recycles shopping bags and many a penny is being spent on bits and pieces to make our home as beautiful as it has been dreamt up to be.

This little blog will be our way of documenting the building, alterations and modification of what is now a shell and the progress of growing our own organic vegetable and herb garden. We would love to hear any creative ideas and tips that you have..... our fingers have never been very green and we'll treasure all the help we can get.

Last week we very happily stumbled upon Fantastic during a google search marathon [http://www.fantastick.co.za/] and have added this inspirational sticker to our interior decor.... below is an image courtesy of Fantastic, however as soon as the paint has dried and the sticker has been applied we'll post a pic of what it looks like in the kitchen.

Don't you just love it?


[PS] watch this space....