From
beauty
secrets
to
cooking
tips
By
Giovanni
Paolo
J.
Yazon
"I
am
happy
with
what's
going
on
with
my
life
now...
very
much
fulfilled
as
a
wife
and
mother,"
Michelle
said.
The
brown-skinned
beauty
and
her
two
sons
are
here
in
the
country
for
a
one-month
vacation.
She
was
actually
on
the
verge
of
stardom
a
decade
ago
when
she
suddenly
bid
showbiz
goodbye.
Her
Mutya
ng
Pilipinas
1993
and
Miss
Asia-Pacific
1993
titles
opened
a
lot
of
opportunities:
modeling
stints
here
and
abroad
as
well
as
a
very
promising
movie
career.
Among
the
films
she
did
were
Ikaw
Ang
Miss
Universe
Ng
Buhay
Ko
(1994),
Ober
Da
Bakod:
The
Movie
(1995),
Ang
Pinakamagandang
Hayop
sa
Balat
ng
Lupa
(1996),
Hawak
Ko
Ang
Buhay
Mo
(1997),
Extranghero
(1997),
Hindi
Pa
Tapos
Ang
Laban
(1995)—
where
she
was
paired
with
the
late
action
king
Fernando
Poe
Jr.
and
the
highly
acclaimed
Segurista
(1996),
directed
by
Tikoy
Aguiluz,
where
her
portrayal
of
an
insurance
saleswoman
in
Manila
at
daytime-cum-club
escort
girl
at
nighttime
got
good
reviews
from
film
critics.
With
all
this
success
going
on
in
her
life,
why
quit
showbiz?
"Because
of
love,"
she
then
giggles,
"I
had
a
boyfriend
when
I
did
Segurista
and
was
engaged
to
be
married.
I
also
had
other
priorities
like
finishing
my
education."
After
graduating
from
UP
Diliman
with
a
degree
in
European
Languages
in
1998,
Michelle
moved
to
Germany
to
live
a
life
far
from
glitz
and
glamour.
"But
I
would
go
back
once
in
a
while
to
host
Mutya
ng
Pilipinas,
Miss
Asia-Pacific
and
Manhunt
Philippines
pageants."
She
walked
down
the
aisle
with
Christoph
Heinermann
in
Marl,
Germany
on
June
9,
2001.
The
couple
now
has
two
sons,
five-year-old
Dustin
and
20-month-old
Kai.
In
2002,
they
migrated
to
South
Africa,
where
her
husband
now
works
as
a
director
of
Gateway
Communications,
a
telecommunications
firm.
They
also
own
The
Midlands
Forest
Lodge,
a
20-hectare
indigenous
forest/wildlife
sanctuary
with
luxuriously
furnished
timber
chalets,
and
Eurasia
restaurant,
which
serves
modern
Western
and
exotic
Asian
foods.
"As
a
wife
and
a
mother,
I
somehow
lose
a
part
of
myself
because
I
have
to
disregard
my
needs
to
give
way
to
the
needs
of
my
family.
But
I
have
no
regrets
about
it,"
she
said.
Food:
This
is
what
the
33-year-old
former
beauty
queen
misses
the
most
here
in
the
Philippines!
"Especially
the
laing.
I
want
to
learn
how
to
cook
it
because
ang
sarap-sarap
talaga,
and
of
course
the
sisig!
Our
local
ingredients
are
so
hard
to
find
there.
And
if
there
are,
napakamahal.
I
have
to
go
to
a
faraway
Chinese
grocery
pa
para
lang
maka-mura,"
she
smiles.
For
this
international
beauty,
cooking
is
not
just
a
hobby.
"Now
that
I'm
a
homemaker,
it's
already
a
necessity.
Puro
processed
foods
na
lang
kasi
ang
madalas
na
nabibili
sa
labas.
My
kids
grow
and
as
much
as
possible
I
want
to
give
them
nutritious
foods."
She
admits
that
her
first
crack
at
the
kitchen
"was
a
total
disaster!"
"My
husband
was
in
London
when
this
thing
happened.
I
was
writing
a
postcard
for
a
friend
and
I
forgot
that
I
was
heating
oil
in
a
pan
din
pala
(because
I
was
frying
chicken).
Nang
maalala
at
balikan
ko
na,
there
were
flames
already!
And
so
I
covered
it.
But
when
I
brought
it
to
the
balcony,
bumukas
ang
takip
(maybe
because
of
the
pressure)
and
it
spilled
on
me!
I
thought
my
hair
and
face
got
burned
so
I
phoned
our
friends.
I
was
brought
to
the
hospital
and
for
two
weeks
they
changed
my
bandages
almost
every
day.
Good
thing
it
didn't
leave
huge
scars.
I'm
accident-prone
in
the
kitchen
really."
Sometimes
to
come
up
with
a
"superb
meal,"
Michelle
gets
inspiration,
"from
what's
left
over
inside
the
fridge.
Like
if
there
are
mushrooms
and
blue
cheese...
I
extract
my
'creative
juices'...
mix
them
together,
and
presto,
a
new
recipe
is
born!
If
I
have
time,
I
also
watch
BBC's
Food
Channel
to
get
new
ideas."
A
cookbook
for
Michelle
is
a
very
good
culinary
ally.
That's
why
whenever
she
travels,
she
buys
cookbooks
from
different
countries.
"It's
my
way
of
experimenting
and
bringing
the
food
of
some
parts
of
the
world
on
top
of
our
dining
table,"
she
enthused.
Michelle
cooks
pastas
often
"It
may
be
unhealthy
to
eat
but
it's
the
easiest
to
prepare.
My
kids
just
love
eating
noodles."
Looking
for
the
good
meat
to
cook
isn't
a
problem
in
South
Africa,
she
said.
"You
don't
need
to
marinade
them
kase
malasa
na.
You
just
have
to
season
them
with
salt
or
pepper,
let's
say,
before
you
do
the
braai
(barbecue)."
Meanwhile,
wooden
ladle,
pizza
cutter
and
colander
are
the
top
three
kitchen
utensils
that
she
can't
live
without.
"These
three
are
my
best
kitchen
companions."
Whenever
she
entertained
guests
in
their
home,
Michelle
would
prepare
something
that
the
visitors'
taste
buds
wouldn't
be
familiar
with.
"It
also
depends
on
their
ethnicity.
If
they're
European,
I'll
cook
an
Asian
cuisine
for
them.
If
they're
Asian,
I'll
cook
something
European."
Just
one
basic
tip
from
Michelle
when
cooking:
"Always
use
fresh
(natural)
ingredients!"
Ingredients:
500
grams
sliced
tenderloin
beef
1
can
of
coconut
cream
1
can
of
coconut
milk
brown
sugar
fish
sauce
100
grams
of
peanuts
(dry,
roasted
or
boiled)
red
curry
Procedure:
•
Take
the
coagulated
plug
of
the
coconut
cream
and
fry
on
the
saucepan
until
it's
fragrant.
•
Pour
the
rest
of
the
coconut
cream
and
coconut
milk.
•
Add
the
mixture
with
curry
paste,
about
2
to
3
teaspoons
or
depending
on
how
strong
you
prefer.
•
Mix
all
the
ingredients
very
well.
If
the
"red
oil"
floats
on
top
of
the
mixture,
add
the
sliced
tenderloin
beef.
•
If
the
beef
is
almost
cooked,
season
it
with
brown
sugar
and
add
fish
sauce.
"The
most
outstanding
characteristic
of
beef
panaeng
is
its
sweet
and
salty
taste.
You
must
find
the
balance
of
this
through
the
sugar
and
fish
sauce.
You
may
add
more
peanuts
and
then
garnish
it
with
basil
leaves
before
serving,"
she
concluded.
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