Fabulous Lunch at the Sala La Mandragora and Wine Tasting at Fliorio

Next on our tour was an amazing luncheon in a beautiful garden setting at Sala La Mandragora, including lemon risotto, garden salad, and of course the famous Marsala wines!!!!  We then had the opportunity to tour the Fliorio winery, founded by Vincenzo Fliorio in 1832.   The winery has been in continuous Marsala wine production since then!  After our tour we had a very generous wine tasting with various foods. Needless to say we all purchased their delicious wines to take to our next destination!!!!

The Ancient Salt Pans between Trapani and Marsala

Stagnone is one of the two main areas of salt production and the largest lagoon in Italy. Stagnone is home to the ancient tradition of sea salt production, dating back to the Phoenicians some 2700 years ago! Windmills, first introduced during medieval times, dot the horizon, showing us how things were once done. We had the opportunity to take a boat to the Phoenician archaeological site on the island of Mothya on Isola San Pantaleo. In the bottom photo you can actually see the salt heading for shore.  The salt is 100% natural and contains a higher concentration of potassium and magnesium than common salt but less sodium chloride.  Our guide also treated us to their famous Marsala wine!!!!!!

Walking along Trapani"s Beautiful Harbour

Trapani's sickle shaped harbour was where Peter of Aragon landed in 1282 to begin the Spanish occupation of Sicily. You can see the in the distance, the hilltop town of Erice. After our walk along the harbour, we encountered a parade of locals in authenticSicilian dress.  We then proceeded to have an Arab inspired meal at a restaurant that had the most amazing collection of Marionettes!  Marionettes were first introduced to the island in the 18th century by the Spanish.  They depicted the deepest sentiments of their life, including love, treachery and a thirst of justice! 

An Amazing Lunch at Agriturismo Sanacore, Trapani

A highlight of our trip and one of my favourite meals was at the Agriturismo Sanacore in Trapani. We enjoyed the best caponata I have ever tasted along with their home made bread, olives, cheese and a rice ball filled with meat and mozzarella.   We also had busiate, a wonderful fresh pasta that is rolled around a skewer and forms a corkscrew, with a fresh tomato sauce, served with their own red wine from their vineyard.  For dessert we had fresh fruit in white wine!  As a special treat I brought back their lemon olive oil.  If you are ever in Sicily be sure to visit them!!!!  www.sanacore.it

 

Erice.... One of the Wonders of Sicily

The hilltop town of Erice in western Sicily is famous for not only it's magnificent views, but for it's sweets such as "le genovesi". You can smell the scent of sugar and almonds as you walk through the historic streets, as there are many pastry shops in town. The most famous is the shop of Maria Grammatico, who learned the secrets of pastry making from the nuns in the convent where she spent 15 years of her young life! Le genovesi are made from 2 disks of soft cookie with a crisp exterior, filled with a creamy custard. They are a favourite of our awesome Sicilian guide Lorenzo, seen in the photo  below in Maria Grammatico's pastry shop.

Monreale and the Cathedral ( Duomo )

Monreale is a historic hill town just outside of Palermo.  The cathedral in Monreale, is regarded as the most beautiful of the Norman churches in Sicily. In 2015 it was granted status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With it's cycle of mosaics on a gold ground and it's extraordinary open gallery, the cathedral can rightly claim a place in Europe's art history!

Palermo Street Food & Street Style

Tasting the street food of Palermo is a great way to experience Palermo's culture!  Some of the most typical street foods are arancina  (rice balls, deep fried and stuffed with meat, fish or cheese) panelle & crocche (chickpea and potato fritters) and the famous pain ca' meusa (spleen sandwich)  yes you read it right.....I was not adventurous enough to try it!!!  I did try the cannoli and loved it!!! It was also a great place to people watch and I found some serious fashionistas!!!!

Palermo Market

The most famous market in Palermo is the Vucciria market. Palermo's historical ties with the Arab world and it's proximity to North Africa add to it's amazing array of colourful fruits, vegetables, meats and fish, with vendors noisily telling anyone who will listen about their many bargains of the day!!  As well as all the vendors, we happened on a photographer taking pictures of a young ballerina! As we were there on a Sunday, we also had the opportunity to witness a family taking their young daughter to the church beside the market for her first communion!!!

Our Welcome Dinner at Spinnato in Palermo, Sicily!!

I am back from an amazing tour of Sicily and I am very excited to relive and share it with you! Our first night in Palermo was a welcome dinner at the elegant Spinnato Restaurant. We began our dinner with Sicily's famous caponata, made with eggplant, tomatoes, olives, capers, celery, onion, red wine vinegar and olive oil. It was served with their home made bread, an assortment of cheese, olives and grilled and deep fried vegetables. After that we ordered from the menu, either fish, meat or pasta, followed by an assortment of delicious desserts.  I chose the chocolate mousse with shaved Sicilian chocolate! I almost forgot....the wine... Red... White... and Prosecco!!!!!
I would like to thank Paula from MPtours, Maria from Relish Cooking Studio and our guide Lorenzo Di Palma for making this a trip of a lifetime!!!!

     

                                                                                                   

Bags Packed, off to a Culinary Tour of Sicily!!!

I'm flying to Rome today and then to Palermo Sicily on Saturday! Looking forward to sharing this exciting trip with you!! From Palermo we will visit Trapani and Marsala, the home of the famous Marsala wine. From there we travel to Castrofilippo for a culinary experience. Then off to Ragusa, Catania and Mt. Etna, finishing off with Taormina!!! Ciao for now

The Many Benefits of Lemon Water

Drinking lemon water daily ensures your body is getting a sizeable amount of vitamin C, fighting damage caused by free radicals. It also aids in digestion and detoxification, rejuvenating skin and body healing. Especially of benefit is having a cup of warm water with lemon first thing in the morning!!! Also, lemons contain a fibre commonly found in fruits called pectin. Pectin helps you feel full longer, which means you will probably eat less during the day. Additionally, just the scent of a lemon has been found to reduce stress levels and improve moods. Will drinking lemon water help you to live longer? My maternal Grandfather dank a warm glass of lemon water every morning and he lived to 94, my Mother never drank lemon water and lived to 97!!!! I definitely drink lemon water every day because I enjoy it and hopefully reap the many benefits as well!!!!

Bringing Hygge into your life this Spring!!!

The Danish word Hygge (pronounced Hoo-ga) does not have an equivalent word in English, but means a feeling of cosiness and wellbeing.  We know that in the winter this means being warm, curling up in front of a fire......basically being comfortable in your surroundings.  Think a delicious hot cup of coffee, reading a good book and just enjoying life's simple pleasures.  In the spring to get that same feeling of wellbeing get outside and enjoy nature at it's best.  Take a walk through the woods, breathe in the fresh spring air, open your windows , plant flowers and bring some inside. Danes believe that to live a hyggelig life you need to get rid of things that do not bring you joy. The Danes are listed as the happiest nation in the world. Maybe by taking on some of their ways of living we can add to our own happiness!!  Think about what makes you feel good and give it a try!!!!

My Favourite Crusty Bread Recipe

I first heard about this method of making bread at a cooking class at Relish.  There are many variations of this recipe, but this is my favourite.  It is so easy to make that I make it weekly!!
This bread is light and airy on the inside with an amazing crust on the outside.  I prefer half whole wheat flour and half white flour, but you can use any combination that you prefer!  In a medium size bowl combine 3 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. instant granular yeast, 11/2 tsp coarse salt....mix well, add 11/2 cups room temperature water...cover with saran and leave for 10 to 16 hours or overnight. This mixture will double in size and be very bubbly.  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place your baking pot is the oven to heat as well.  I use a 6 quart enamelled pot with a lid.  Cut out a square of parchment paper that will fit in your pot and dump your yeast mixture into the middle....no kneading necessary.  Place the parchment paper with dough into the pot and cover with the lid.  Bake for 30 min. with the lid on and then take the lid off for 15 min. I guarantee that it will be the best bread you ever tasted!!!!!

What to do when your Fitness Band Breaks!!!

I like to give myself a self-imposed goal of walking at least 6000 steps a day.  I have always used a fitness band to track my steps....yesterday my band broke!!!!  While searching the web for a replacement band,  I found out that I can use my iPhone the same way that I use a fitness band!!! If you have an iPhone 5 or newer there is already a sensor that detects and measures motion....it can efficiently and precisely measure how many steps you are taking.  I also downloaded a free app called pedometer++.....it displays a step data in a very clear fashion using a bar graph.  The taller the bar, the more steps you have.  It also lets you set up a daily step goal...your bar will show in red, turn orange if you get closer and green once you've reached your goal!!  This really works for me as I use my iPhone as my primary phone and always have it with me!  I also love the fact that I don't need to wear a wrist band anymore and I don't need to be concerned that my steps aren't counting if my arm is not moving, like when I am carrying a parcel etc. Also the best part, it is free!!!!!!!