AN AMERICAN ICON CONQUERS ITALY / UN'ICONA AMERICANA CONQUISTA L'ITALIA

Up until recently bagels were relatively unknown in Italy.   When I lived in New York, almost everyday after work, I used to stop by a delicatessen on Fordham Road in the Bronx and get a fabulous bagel and cream cheese. I am a bagel addict so I really miss them.  A few years ago Dunkin' Donuts opened in Rome but, much to mine and my daughter's disappointment, closed down after about a year or so. Now it seems that bagels are becoming popular in Italy . They can be found in Milan:  The Bagel Factory;   Bologna: Zoo;  and Rome: Haus Garten.  The best ones however, are the homemade ones.  Here is how to make them.

Finalmente i Bagels invadono l'Italia. Quando abitavo a New York li compravo praticamente ogni giorno in una delicatessen nel Bronx. Alcuni anni fa Dunkin' Donuts, dove si mangiano i migliori doughnuts e bagels, aveva aperto a Roma, ma chiuse praticamente subito. Che delusione per me e mia figlia. Adesso invece i bagels si possono trovare a Milano dalla Bagel Factory, a Bologna allo Zoo, e a Roma a Haus Garten. Comunque i migliori sono quelli fatti in casa.  Ecco come:

Ingredienti:  500 g. di farina, 1 cucchiaino di lievito in polvere,  circa 260 ml. di acqua tiepida, 1 cucchiaio di melassa.

Mescolate la farina, lievito e acqua. Fate lievitare a temperatura ambiente per almeno un'ora. Formate delle ciambelle e fate riposare per 20 minuti. Nel frattempo bollite dell'acqua in una pentola grande, aggiungete la melassa. Fate bollire i bagels per 1 minuto circa per lato. Disponeteli sulla teglia con carta da forno e infornate a 220 gradi. Cuocete per 10 minuti, abbassate la fiamma a 180 gradi e cuocete per altri 20 minuti.

Freddie of Pinewood and Pretty Parcel

It's been raining for the last week but today the sun came out and it feels as if summer has come back .... if it werent't for the cold gales. The wind is blowing like there's no tomorrow, at about 40 kms. an hour. I was going shopping with my trolley and when I let it go for just a second, the wind blew it away, I had to run after it. 

Anyway, it was warm enough to wear summer clothes so I took the chance. In between photoshoots of course I wore my woolie hoodie.

The yellow saddle top is by Freddies of Pinewood, the color is beautiful and it suits me just right. I love this online shop, I have tops and jeans by them.

The cute fast food skirt is by Pretty Parcel of Australia. It's the perfect skirt for foodies.

Get slim with FeelinGirl

Summer is almost over and if you put on some weight by all the parties, happy hours and just lazily lying around the beach the whole day long, then I have the solution. You can visit the online shop FeelinGirl , offering all kinds of shape wear, and choose a shape wear  that is suitable for you. They have so many products that you will be lost for choice. The wide variety of shape wear they offer will make it difficult for you to choose an item. In fact I am sure you will want to try out one, two or maybe more of their items. They have gorgeous fitness leggings, sport bras, shorts, yoga pants, high waist butt enhancer, thigh and arm trimmers, and many other useful items to help you achieve your perfect fit. By the way, they even sell men's items. I suggest you visit FeelinGirl online shop as soon as possible to take advantage of their discounts. They are offering 50%, 60% and 70% discount on various items. 

What attracted me the most were the waist cinchers. They can be used not only for workouts but even on an evening out, when you want to look your best.

Waist cinchers are normally made from a latex material which increases thermal activity in the body, thus producing sweat. A cincher tightens and compresses the midsection of the wearer and during a heavy workout sweat will accumulate on the targeted area and cause weight loss. Here you can find  some examples of  

cheap waist cincher from feelingirl

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Dopo le grandi abbuffate, aperitivi, pizze e gelati dell'estate, adesso è tempo per pensare a perdere quei chili in più. Come fare? Iscrivetevi in palestra e usate le cinture dimagranti, chiamate anche corsetti. Basta metterle intorno alla vita e cominciare un tenace allenamento, dovete sudare! Più l'allenamento è forte, più suderete e più peso perderete. Attenzione però, non aspettatevi miracoli. Dovete stare attente anche alla dieta, una dieta bilanciata insieme alle cinture dimagranti vi aiuterà a perdere il peso che volete. Non solo a perdere il peso, ma anche a farvi sentire sexy ed avere un fisico tonico. L'ideale sarebbe ottenerlo con la dieta e un programma personalizzato in palestra. In mancanza di ciò, indossate un bel corsetto stringivita ... ma mi raccomando, toglietelo prima di andare a dormire.

Ecco alcuni dei loro prodotti. Sono ben forniti e spediscono in ogni parte del mondo. 

cheap waist cincher for women

Corset Trimmer Belt Body Shaper Zipper

latex body shaper 3 Hooks Latex waist Cincher

FeelinGirl 4 Bone High Power Embossing Waist Shaper

latex waist  trainer vest for women

FeelinGirl Neoprene Blue Control Body Shapewear Side Zipper Vest

FeelinGirl  Women's Sports Bras With Removable Padded High Impact Support

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween has already been quite popular in Italy but here in Sicily it is still a bit controversial ... some love it, some hate it. The kids of course are crazy about it. Many shops are now selling Halloween costumes and supermarkets are competing in selling Halloween candies and decorations. 

My daughter and I wish you all a Happy Halloween!

My kind of town ..... Bronx, New York

Those of you who have been following me for a long time know that I am Sicilian. But few know that I grew up in New York, in the Bronx precisely. Here are some pictures that my friend and high-school classmate took of the building where I, my mother and grandmother lived in the Bronx, in the 60s and 70s. Gloria and I met in High School, we both attended Mother Butler Memorial High School on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. When I met Gloria, we had already moved from 2394 Belmont Avenue, and surprise surprise .... we moved across the street from Gloria's house. 

By the way, 2394 Belmont Avenue and 187th Street, is located in the Italian neighborhood of the Bronx, just a few blocks away from the famous Arthur Avenue Italian open market. Needless, to say, we also had Egidio's Pastry Shop just down the block.

Thank you so much dear Gloria for bringing back such lovely memories!

Here are some pictures that Gloria took for me a few days ago:

Here is Gloria at Egidio's  Pastry Shop

Egidio's

VA TUTTO BENE ....THAT'S WHAT TALLY WEIJL SAYS.

According to this dress from Tally Weijl, VA TUTTO BENE...in Italian it means "Everything is going well".