Just two weeks ago Mattel released a gender-neutral line of Barbie dolls called “Creatable World”. This week, they announced that is Career of the Year doll is a judge, after learning that only 33% of sitting US state judges are women.
Judge Barbie is available in a range of different skin tones and hairstyles, with a customary black robe and a lacy collar. Each one also comes with a gavel and round block “that kids can use to help her call the room to order and make important decisions,” Mattel said.
The doll is available in the US at Walmart and Target, and on Amazon, for $12.99. It does ship to South Africa, and costs around R380, which includes the shipping fee of R177.
Barbie has also partnered with GoFundMe to raise funds to help “close the dream gap”, and support non-profit organisations that support female empowerment.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemon meringue pie, and when Nestlé sends you a box of ingredients with which to bake, you make… lemon meringue pie.
I love lemon meringue pies – the tart and sweet flavours, and the three textures – crunchy, smooth and fluffy. I’m also going through a condensed milk phase – I’ve started adding it to my coffee and hot chocolate and some days I’m not at all moderate with my consumption.
This recipe calls for two tins of condensed milk, which basically just meant I had two tins to scrape out after pouring the condensed milk in the lemon mixture. No complaints.
This recipe comes from Yuppiechef – it’s a really easy one, and needs few ingredients. My advice is to always use freshly squeezed lemon juice, and don’t forget to beat the egg whites very stiffly. Turn the bowl over if you’re not sure – if they’re firm enough, they won’t budge.
This recipe calls for a springform tin, which is my preference, but you can also use a pie dish.
Ingredients: 1 packet Tennis Biscuits (200g) 50g butter, melted 3 eggs, separated 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons) 2 tins Nestlé condensed milk (385g each) ½ cup castor sugar
Method: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. 2. Spray the inside of the spring form pan with non-stick spray. 3. Crush the biscuits using a food processor or you can bash them in a bag with a rolling pin. 4. Add the crushed biscuits to the melted butter and mix until they are combined, and then press the mixture into the cake pan. 5. Beat the condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks together for about 2 minutes, and pour on top of the pie crust. 6. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. (For more tips on making great meringue, have a look here). 7. Slowly add the castor sugar and mix until the meringue is stiff and glossy. A stand mixer makes this whole process pretty easy. 8. Spread the meringue on top of the lemon curd. 9. Bake until the top is golden, about 10-15 minutes. 10. Switch off the oven, and allow the meringue to cool. After it has cooled, you can store it in the fridge.
Yuppiechef note: If you prefer a more ‘tangy’ lemon meringue, you can also add a tablespoon of lemon zest to the curd. And if you want a higher meringue layer, you can double the ingredients and use 6 egg whites and 1 cup of castor sugar.
November the 29th (Black Friday) might seem like a lifetime away, but this year is flying, so there’s nothing wrong about prepping your shopping trolleys and hoping they’ll be on sale (in fact, I call filling your trolley for later checkouts is getting ahead – you usually get what you want, for less).
I’ve start “shopping” at Superbalist’s online shopping site in anticipation of Black Friday and their usual incredible savings. Here’s what I’m lusting over…
I was never a fan, but I’m now quite fond of Birkenstocks – I bought my first silver pair a few months ago. I like this slip-slop style too, and there are other colours that I wouldn’t say no to, including white and silver.
A bit like shoes and red lipstick, one can’t have enough of decent frying fans. Scanpan is one of my best cookware brands.
Good to know
When you use the app for the first time, you’ll get R250 off your first order. A good idea is to sign up for their newsletter for specials, or to check the specials on the app – there are often amazing discounts available.
Disclaimer: I received a Superbalist for this post
Two weeks ago I casually popped into the Facebook offices to chill and chat, and share some of my social media tips.
Who am I kidding? The only accurate thing is that I was there, but as part of a media group, where they shared insights and tips into safety on Facebook and Instagram.
Me, on the right. Doing what one does when visiting Facebook
Facebook is such a mixed bag for a lot of us, and our kids. It opens us up to incredible connections and content, but there’s quite a bit that we often don’t feel we can control – the type of content we see, plus trolling or hacking.
After the event, Facebook shared some safety info with us about we can help protect our kids online. Though most of us might have kids younger than Facebook-using age, I featured them here anyway, as some of them apply to adults too, for example the safety settings. Many a Facebook stalk has shown me that even grownups have their profiles wide open for people like me to look at all those holiday pics, and all those emo posts.
According to Facebook, they work with external experts, including a Safety Advisory Board, and gather feedback from our community to develop policies, tools and resources to keep users safe.
“We’ve designed many of our features to remind young people to be aware of who they’re sharing information with, to only accept friend requests from people they know, and to know how to protect themselves online,” say Facebook.
“In South Africa we work with partners likeDigify Africa who we launched Ilizwe Lam with in 2018. This is a programme aimed at training teens on the importance of Internet safety. We know that the use of social media by youth is different to adults, and that is why we believe programmes like Ilizwe Lam are so important.
“Parents also have a critical role to play in educating teenagers about online safety. Here are a few tips on engaging with youth and discussions their online safety.”
Here’s what they advise:
1. Under 13s are not allowed on Facebook or Instagram. Facebook and Instagram require everyone to be 13 years old before they can create an account (in some countries, this age limit may be higher dependent on local laws), and we encourage parents to have these conversations with their teens
2. Let your teenager know that the same rules apply online as offline. Your teenager can avoid most potential dangers and concerns online by simply stopping to think before they submit a post or accepting a friend request. Teach them to think before they engage with strangers online.
3. Engage early. Research shows that many children as young as six have access to smartphones or tablets. Talk to them about technology, before they are on social media.
4. Help them to check and manage their privacy settings. Once your teen has set up a social media account, they can use Facebook privacy settings to control who can friend them, who can see their posts, and if they share details such as their location by default. This can help them to control their exposure to bullying, harassment and other potential concerns.
5. Show them the tools they can use to filter content and people from their feeds. Instagram offers many flexible tools to keep teens safe online – keep them informed about the options. We’ve rolled out keyword filtering, bullying filtering and sensitivity screens, for example. People can also restrict unwanted interactions on their profiles and easily report accounts, comments and posts for bullying.
When Jynsen Fitz asked his mom Ashley, a photographer in Indiana, to take some pics of him and his baby doll, Three, she did so happily, and the pictures are just beautiful. She shared the pics on Facebook, and they went viral, with a mostly positive response.
Here’s what she wrote on Facebook when she posted the pics:
“This evening as I was editing, my youngest son informed me that his baby girl, named “three”, has not had her pictures taken. I warned him that “three” was slightly too old to get all of the curly newborn poses. He wanted to give it a go anyway. Little booger was wide awake the ENTIRE time 🙄 But, I still managed to get some super cute shots!”.
Ashley’s husband is in the military, and when he was deployed, she took her boys to Walmart to get a present. Jynsen chose a baby doll, and picked out a pram and bottles for her too.
She told Popsugar: “There is nothing wrong with him playing with a doll, and one day he will make a very caring and nurturing person — and maybe one day a dad if that is what he chooses to become, but I will leave that up to him.”
“It was important for me to share it from my own perspective to show others that it’s OK to play with different types of toys. Toys do not have genders. Girls should be allowed to play with trucks and get muddy, while boys should be allowed to play with kitchen sets and dolls, if they choose. I hate that a lot of people have standards on what is the ‘normal.’ Playing with a doll will only make my son more caring and affectionate.”
