From Mount Fuji to Sicily! Dal Monte Fuji alla Sicilia!

As you all know by now, especially those of you who have been following me for a long time, my favorite pastime is looking around for new shops and new products.

One of my latest discoveries is a little shop selling biological products, gluten-free products and all kinds of healthy food. It's called "La Piccola Bottega del Vivere Sano" which is located in Casa Santa, Erice. You can find them at this link Facebook

I was impressive by this TOFU which I found in the shop. Silken and Smooth Japanese Organic Tofu.  It's unique because they use spring water from Mount Fuji to make this particular tofu. Plus, obviously, organic soya beans and Nigari, a coagullant derived from sea water.  

Below are some pictures of the tofu, miso soup, rice and Japanese utensils.

Happy Valentine's Day with a HOT Italian Newcomer! Buon San Valentino!

There is a new kid on the block and it's a chocolate spread which has conquered Italian hearts, and not only Italian. Speaking of hearts here are the cheesecake hearts which I made today to celebrate San Valentine's day.  I frosted them with PAN DI STELLE CHOCOLATE SPREAD, which has sent Italians searching high and low in every supermarket because what happened is that as soon as this spread appeared on the supermarket shelves, it disappeared. People were so curious to taste it that it finished quicker than the producers (Barilla) expected so it left many customers empty-handed and running around like headless chickens trying to find a supermarket or shop that still had it in stock. To this day it has not reappered on the market but Barilla is working hard to bring it back on the shelves as soon as possible.

Pan di Stelle chocolate spread is  made of hazelnuts, chocolate, sunflower oil and with pieces of  Pan di Stelle cookie pieces. In short  Pan di Stelle Crema is Barilla's answer to Ferrero's Nutella.  Italians are divided .... some say it's better than Nutella, others say it's no way better than Nutella. 

From Las Vegas, Nevada

Tatyana Boutique is a fabulous shop where you can find the most gorgeous vintage inspired and retro dresses and separates to make you swoon. 

This pretty green dress came straight from Las Vegas and it's just right for this kind of weather ... a bit on the cool side, but when the sun comes out, it's rather quite warm. Looking at the pretty blue sky who would imagine it's winter? But remember .... Sicily is the island of sea, salt and sun, and the sun shines pretty much the whole year round. 

Rohan

This is one of the most useful gifts ever:  a light-as-a-feather waterproof jacket  ... and it's RED, my favorite color. 

It's from ROHAN a clothing company, based in London, which is famous for its practical travel and outdoor wear. 

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, it's raining quite a lot here in Sicily these days. This morning it was very nice and sunny, perfect for a walk in the fresh air ... maybe a bit too much air actually, Trapani is renowned for its strong winds, so I never go out without a hat and scarf. This jacket has a hood. Perfect for windy weather. Since it looks like it's going to rain any minute, I am in fact going to wear it now.  

The sales continue

Most of you know that I save on clothes and shoes because I wear hand-me-ups from my daughter. Whatever she doesn't like or doesn't wear anymore, she gives to me.  Well, here is a sweater which I "pinched" from her. She doesn't know I borrowed it, so I am hoping she won't see this post. 

It's a glittery sweater, very warm and soft,  from Terranova, one of several popular shops here in Trapani. It's a low-cost brand but very fashionable and high quality. Terranova also sells online obviously. 

Sales / Saldi

Here in Sicily it's the time for sales. I took advantage of the discounted prices to get a few turtlenecks from one of my favorite shops:  ZUIKI.  



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In Sicilia è tempo dei saldi. Ecco alcuni coloratissimi dolcevita della Zuiki. Anche i jeans sono Zuiki. In verità sono di mia figlia, ma visto che mi stanno bene, glieli ho rubato.

White is indispensable, it goes with everything. 

Pink Lady

The jeans are also from Zuiki. Actually, I stole them from my daughter. 

A pretty prune/purple color