Category:

Simply Eat Italian....

23/3/2020

I do realise that many of you in the early stages of restrictions on your movements really won't care a hoot (umderstandably!) about what I am eating here in Venice, but when you are quarantined, as we have been for about 10 days now, food and mealtimes become even more important than usual. lWe can go out to shop for food. Beautiful fresh food is plentiful. There are no empty shelves, or panic buying. Here are some photos taken on Saturday.

Fresh meat, fish, fruit and veg

So many kitchen and toilet rolls they have to stack them in the aisles..

Easter eggs....

Beautifully wrapped Panetonne

Having said all that....

I was delighted to find a copy of one of my favourite books about Venice here in the apartment.

Heather loves to cook.

How lucky am I?

She made risotto di asparigi e scampi.

It was absolutely delicious with a wine from the Veneto.

From the same book I made us a Rossini (like a Bellini but with strawbeerries).
A cup of strawberries blended with a tsp of lemon juice and a tsp of sugar topped up with prosecco. Beautiful.

This thoughtful gift of a lightweight portable blender has come in handy for smoothies and Rossinis. Thanks guys.

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Simply..favourite breakfast....

13/3/2020

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Ricotta dolce al limone

Best eaten on the balcony in the sunshine.

Be assured we are following and keeping up to date with directives and washing our hands continually! The argument might justifiably be made that we are in fact safer here in Italy where every possible precaution is being taken to avoid the spread of coronavirus, than in uk where they are just beginning to talk about such actions.....

At the moment we are focussing on, and grateful for, work, food and wine.

All shops are now closed 'except those selling basic necessities'.
;-)

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Simply Venice..shopping at the theatre..

12/3/2020

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This is where we did our shopping yesterday.

The most beautiful Spar you have ever seen.

Frescoes, ceiling paintings, even a stage.

(Spar is a very ordinary grocery chain of small shops in uk.)

And you exit through red velvet curtains.

Who knew shopping at Spar could be so beautiful?

No shortages or empty shelves.

Wonderful.

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Simply..succumbed....

26/2/2020

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Chocolate and choolips.

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Simply..Mmmm....

25/2/2020

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Stock markets are tumbling, the retail sector here in uk is making huge losses, but Hotel Chocolat (a brand - not actually a hotel) are reporting increased chocolate sales of 15 per cent!!

Haven't resorted to chocolate myself yet, though if I lived nearer the shops I may have.

It's an ill wind as the saying goes..

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Simply..in the warm glow....

23/2/2020

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..of a fabulous Super-Healthy Family Feast which was everything I could have hoped for, I am trying not to think of the words Venice and coronavirus!

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Simply..a February Feast....

22/2/2020

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Hopefully, tomorrow we are having a family feast.

In the last hour we have had sunshine, rain, horizontal hailstones, lightning and the biggest rumble of thunder I have ever heard. I do beleive the house shook. There is snow on the hills and the wind is 53mph. But, weather permitting, almost the whole family will be here for dinner. There are lots of different dietary requirements and everyone is bringing something - their favourite Super-Healthy dish.

As a family we are pretty health conscious and we will be sharing our best tips and recipes. I am making soups, hot vienna bread and several big salads from my most used cook book. I think I will photgraph some pages from it to take to Venice with me.

The weather in Venice today - Full sun, 13 degrees, zero per cent likelihood of rain, and winds of between 1 and 4 mph....

Have a good weekend.

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Simply..a fresh start....

3/1/2020

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I will of course start eating sensibly again, but first I have to finish off the leftover cake, biscuits, ice cream and chocolate covered raisins because I can't possibly eat well while they are in the cupboards and the sooner I scoff them all the sooner I will be eating healthy again. I know there is a flaw in this train of thought but I can't quite see a way out. I mean it would be wrong to bin all that nice food and I have given away as much as people are willing to take (they all have their own hoard).

However, after a day of indulgence, which I didn't really enjoy, I am ready for a fresh start.

I like new beginnings, a new notebook, a new resolution, a new page, a blank canvas...

So, open all the windows - even if its raining and blowing

Empty the rubbish bins, recycle the bottles.

Ear vegetables, drink water.

Clear off one surface - even if that means just piling it all up on another surface for now...

Light a fresh candle.

Get outside. I was only going to the bottle bank but bumped into a friend and went a much longer walk. You know you will feel better for it.

Then make a cup of coffee and sit down and write about it!

Even if you don't write a blog - a new diary? Your own Thought For The Day? A new list?

Blogging is an odd thing in many ways, but it certainly makes my life more fun!

I'm off to do Fly Lady's Home Blessing Hour - I listen to her as I do it - she's so wonderful and makes me laugh.

Laughing as I do the housework? Who'd have thought it!

Have a great day.

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Simply..talking of health....

19/12/2019

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Have you heard of G bombs?

It's a list of foods to boost your body's immune system. I keep it in my purse and make sure I buy something from every category when I am food shopping.

G greens
B beans
O onions
M mushrooms
B berries
S seeds

Do you have any other tips for avoiding the dreaded lurgie?

Mary mentioned hand washing, which I have to confess to forgetting quite often. As children we had to wash our hands before every meal. Wiping doorhandles and light switches with disinfectant now and then is probably a good idea too. While travelling on public transport can be a hazard with people coughing and sneezing, being out in the open air going for it maybe counteracts the risks! Though city air may be a risk in itself....

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Simply..Grand....

29/11/2019

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I LOVE when someone is playing in the piano garden at Central Station.

And I really liked the view from the restaurant

and the elegance of the decor

in the Grand Central Hotel

which also comes in a seasonal gingerbread version!

Grand, but welcoming and not too expensive for a light lunch. Today is the first time I have been in here and I am thinking what a great place to wait for a train, or to meet someone. I could get used to this!

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Simply..exploring....

1/11/2019

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..our own city.

I have an excellent new book about Glasgow called 111 Places In Glasgow That You Shouldn't Miss. My friend Ann and I grew up in Glasgow but on our first foray with the book we found three places we didn't even know existed. The Russian restaurant mentioned in yesterday's post and The Cup Tea Lounge, once the Bank of India with an amazing Victorian tiled interior....

A full day menu and at night it's a gin bar. Really nice.

The third place lies behind this fine facade in Trongate - the world's oldest surviving music hall apparently! Pretty grim and seedy looking inside and certainly atmospheric (it really felt like Halloween) A group of people are aiming to restore it. See more about the incredible Brittania Panopticon here.

I am listing all the entries that have restaurants and Ann and I plan to eat our way through the book this winter!

We also have the version for Edinburgh - we are going to have fun.

There may be one for a city near you....

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Simply..new discoveries....

31/10/2019

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Cafe Cossachok Glasgow

folk decor

the whole ceiling covered in Russian shawls

hot borsch in an (edible) ryebread bowl

and for me, selyodoschka pod Vodoch'ku! Herring with gherkin, onion, sour cream, crispy potatoes and a shot of vodka. Delicious,

Can't wait to go back!

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Simply..can't resist....

29/10/2019

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..fruit with the leaves still on!

How beautiful is that?

Spanish clementines in a natural basket for the princely sum of £1.50. I've had my eye on the cheerful mug from Dunoon ceramics (sadly no longer made in Dunoon) for a while. A fun shopping trip.

What have you treated yourself to lately?

If the answer is nothing, what will you treat yourself to the next time you are shopping?

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Simply..warming....

12/10/2019

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Cranberry green tea with a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg and a couple of raisins and an almond dropped in. We were served spiced drinks like this in Stockholm one December.

I bought the Alessi coffee spoons at The Hepworth gallery lovely shop. Simple, with a nice weight to them and perfect for scooping out the juicy raisins and almond.

Simple pleasures for the darker months.

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Simply amazed....

7/10/2019

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..at how my body's defence systems actually work!

I am really enjoying this book. It's a big read, but not a difficult one.

The author describes how our body's five defence systems work to protect, heal and regenerate,
and explains how foods are now being tested in the same way as drugs to assess their effects on diseases.

It's specific and detailed (which accounts for the size of the book) and I am finding it fascinatng.

Along with Eat Right For Your sight by Jennifer Trainer Thompson I am using it to refine my diet bit by bit adding more and more beautiful (normal and readily available) foods!

Another source of inspiration is the Blue Zones newsletter.

There is lots of good news out there on the health front. YouTube is a good place to start I would say.. you can listen to Dr William Li on Ted Talks and at medical conferences - it's all on there.

(I've not forgotten the 12 Rules For Life reviews....just got a bit behind!)

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Simply..accepting....

6/10/2019

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..and enjoying Autumn.

Some repair work and cleaning up under a new-this-year swallow nest, getting ready

for the first delivery of wood.

and swapping summer textiles for the winter ones

None of them new - just brought out of the cupboard and greeted like old friends!

i'm thinking now about stocking up with food. Home cooked meals in the freezer or at least the ingredients to make a good meal for guests, tins of beans to bulk up a stew or to have on toast for an emergency meal (ie when I've run out of food or am too tired to make anything). Covent Garden lovely soups freeze well and are only £1 in the supermarket just now, and I will make more of this easy recipe from my friend Lynne while there are still courgettes available
Cook courgettes, frozen peas and a good handful of mint in some stock till soft. Blend till smooth and drizzle with single cream or a tiny amount of truffle oil to serve.

Any other storecupboard ideas most welcome.

As you know I live a long way from the shops and sometimes I get lazy about shopping and put it off till I have run out of food...

Must do better!

I hope you are enjoying whatever season you are in where you are.

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Simply..making the most....

10/9/2019

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..of what's left of summer.

A glimmer of sunshine and I am out there for breakfast!

It is certainly autumn here, and raining as I write, but this morning with a sniff of the odd sweet pea or two, the late swallows twittering all around me and wearing a cosy jumper I savoured breakfast out of doors.

I'm sure it tastes better. Would you agree?

yum.

Long early morning shadows

Sparks joy!

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Simply..moving....

8/8/2019

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I can't quite get yesterday morning at the Rock Cafe out of my mind.

I was there about 8.15, between buses (it is right at the bus and ferry terminal) and had the unhealthiest breakfast I have had in a long time to fill the hour and a quarter till my next bus. At first I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not, but it was clean and cheerful. The man and woman working there greeted all the customers - quite a few people bought food to take away - by name.
'The usual?' they asked.
And 'How are you this morning?'

It is so entirely without pretension.
Timeless.
It could have been 1940, or 1960, or 2019
The menu may not have changed in all that time.

White bread fried, white bread toasted and buttered and a fried egg with a good strong cup of tea.

I loved it. I loved the Rock Cafe and the people in it and the railings and the shore and the lighthouse and the pier and the gulls and the early morning feeling of the town just starting its new day which would be just the same as yesterday and much the same as tomorrow probably and that would be fine and as it should be.

My stomach didn't love it and the bus journey to Colintraive along a winding and hilly single track road left me queasy!

That was fine too in it's way..

Was it nostalgia?

Or just that thing about liking what's real.

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Simply..a touch of the Med....

27/6/2019

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Holidaying at home with a meal on the deck of the local hotel. 23 degrees. Just right.

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Simply..imposing....

23/5/2019

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..but friendly.

I am so enjoying trying out new restaurants and coffee shops in Glasgow since my favourite closed. and I do like this one..

Rich in maritime history with walls covered in posters and photographs, the coffee is good and the affogato to die for!

And it is across the road from my bus stop.

Just every now and then I do treat myself well :-)

What way do you treat yourself well?

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Simply..the trial....

11/5/2019

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for £1 Thornton's do this little pack of 8 chocolates - perfect for the chocolate mindfulness trial.

The record was 7 minutes and 41 seconds and I could still taste it after 10 minutes (but my mind was all over the place!).

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Simply..lost the knack....

27/3/2019

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My scones turned out like biscuits and my biscuits turned out like scones! Only just edible.

With a disastrous attempt at pastry too not so long ago I am losing confidence fast. I used to be pretty good at baking! Do you think that you can just - for no obvious reason - lose the knack?

I may just give up. .

I need a Plan B.

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Simply..work?

18/1/2019

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Simply..'gloriously dated'....

11/1/2019

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We stopped in amazement that there was a whole bed of roses in flower in the street outside the University and as my friend touched this one in disbelief - it literally fell off into her hand (much to her embarassment!).

The menu is as old fashioned as the decor. I have to go back to this cafe to try their ice cream one day...

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