What To Eat In Sicily

I'm so excited! It looks like I will be leading another private tour of Italy and Sicily at the end of summer. ( Glam Italia II). 

I was just thinking the other day that if I were to find out I was never going to set foot on the magnificent isle of Sicily again, I would probably just curl up and die right there on the spot.

Sicily is one of the most magnificent places I have ever traveled to. And I can never wait to get back.

I think about Sicily every day.

There are so many things to love about Sicily. One of them is the food.

American Sicilian food is nothing like the food in Sicily. Sicilian food is spectacular. Everything has been grown locally in nutrient rich volcanic soil, the seafood is caught in the pristine waters of the three seas that frame the island, and the exotic blend of flavors reflect the multicultural history of this place.

If you are heading to Sicily make sure don't leave before you try each of these:

Arancini

These are rice balls filled with ragu and deep fried. They are soooo good! And very filling. Your eyes might be bigger than your stomach!

Seafood Antipasti

seafood antipasti at my favorite restaurant in Giardini Naxos. Alici bottom left.

Especially Alici. (anchovies)
There is something about the way Sicilians prepare their anchovies. You couldn't pay me to eat them at home where they are horrible, salty and pungent. But there they are sensational. The first time I ate them I didn't know what they were, and probably wouldn't have even tasted them had I known they were anchovies, now I eat them every day in Sicily! And every day I eat the local seafood. The restaurant menus change all the time as they are based on today's catch, not on what is in the freezer.

Pasta Alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma

At some point during a trip to Sicily you have to try this dish of pasta made with fresh tomatoes, fried eggplant, basil and fresh firm ricotta. 

Fresh Peasant Salads

Eolie salad, Blu Caffe, Canneto Beach, Lipari

We ate this salad at a little cafe on the beach in Lipari on the 2014 Corinna B's World Glam Italia tour. It looks simple enough, but was so amazing we went back three times! Simple "peasant food" in Sicily is so good 

Cannoli

This is another food that I really don't care for stateside, but in Sicily (where they are from) fresh cannoli are just amazing. Crispy shells filled with fresh sweet sheep's milk ricotta flavored with chocolate chips or local pistachio. There's just nothing quite like them! 

Granita

Breakfast granita al cafe con panna, Canneto beach, Lipari

You can't beat an icy cool granita on a hot, sunny Sicilian day. They come in a variety of flavors are super refreshing and are nothing like Italian ices in America. The texture, consistency and taste are completely different.

In Sicily, when the days are long and hot and start early, granita and gelato are also breakfast food. A coffee flavored granita with cream ( beware - they add a very generous serving of cream) or a limon granita make a divine way to start the day. 

Brioche With Gelato

Brioche con gelato, Sicily

The first time I went to Sicily my friend Silvana made me a list of foods I HAD to try. One of them was brioche with gelato, a combo I would otherwise have passed on. Believe it or not this is another breakfast food! Warm sweet brioche filled with the creamiest gelato on earth. It is super sweet, gets a little melty, and is the food of the gods.

Pistachio Anything.

Pistachios were introduced to Sicily during the Arab rule, and now find their way into all kinds of foods. There are so many pistachio flavored foods to try - don't miss out on them!

New Travel Bags from Stephanie Johnson

If you are starting to work out and diet to get ready for summer, and planning summer vacations, spring break getaways, long weekend mini-breaks, or a honeymoon its a good time to start thinking about how you will be traveling your makeup, skin care and haircare products. 

Chic air travel

I travel all the time both for work and for pleasure, and being that I am a makeup artist and a devotee of makeup, skin care and hair products its really important to me that I have an organized system to move everything around the country and around the world, and have it all arrive in one piece. Anyone who has ever traveled anywhere knows what a nuisance it is to arrive somewhere and find your makeup has broken, lotions and potions have leaked, or even worse the debris from this has migrated into your suitcase.

I have found that the key is to have incredibly well made, structured, strong cosmetic bags that are designed to hold up to the rigors of travel. Years ago I started to realize that all the celebrities I was working with traveled with beautiful, stylish travel cosmetic bags by Stephanie Johnson. Allowing for the fact that my actors and musicians traveled even more than I did, I knew they had to be onto something!

Gelato in Turin

Consequently I too became a devotee of Stephanie Johnson travel makeup bags. I have used them for years, and if you have been a follower of this blog you will know that I have blogged about them frequently.

 

I'm busy organizing spending the summer in Italy again this year, so was super excited to see the new Stephanie Johnson Torino collection.

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection

Isn't it lovely?

It's an update of the Turin collection. The gelato hued zigzag weave is offset by a luscious raspberry patent leather trim and raspberry tassle zipper pulls. Inside the lining is fresh lemon.

Each bag is available individually, or if you're like me you can choose an assortment, or the full collection.

I sometimes use the smaller bags as chic little clutch purses when I go out at night, and love to use the smaller bags as cosmetic purses inside my handbag year round.

Here are the bags individually

I use the Jenny Train Case to death when I travel. Its super sturdy and is easy to organize all my items and see them clearly. 

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection Jenny Train Case

Hanging bags are ideal for travel. You can clearly see all your things and don't lose valuable counter space.

Stephanie Johnson Hillary Hanging Bag, Torino Collection

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection Hillary Hanging Bag

 The Large Fiona Trapezoid sits upright on your bathroom counter, and is surprisingly spacious.

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection, Laura Trapezoid Bag

The Fiona Dome Cosmetic case slips into your handbag and is nice and slim. The extended zipper opening enables you to not only fit a lot inside, but to access it easily, as it opens wider than most bags.

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection Fiona Cosmetic Bag

The Mary Brush Case hold both makeup and brushes

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection, Mary Brush Case

And a girl has to have a color co-ordinated iPad case when she travels!

Stephanie Johnson Torino Collection iPad case

For those of you getting married this spring/summer, Stephanie Johnson Travel Cosmetic bags are ideal to take on your honeymoon, and also make deliciously stylish and chic bridesmaids gifts.

Everyone knows that kisses taste better in Italy!! ~ Kissing in Turin...

If you are a travel enthusiast (like me!) or if you just enjoy looking at other people's travel, Stephanie Johnson has a fantastic blog that gives you a window into her chic and exciting life of travel, called 

Stephanie Johnson Style Compass. In her blog she introduces you to fabulous places to go, where to stay and what to wear. Last year my entire wardrobe for Capri was based on the advice in Stephanie's blog!

If you are an Italophile (like me!) and want to look at life in Turin,another blog I adore is 

All Roads Lead To Pecetto. This is the lifestyle blog of an expat American girl now living in Turin with her handsome Italian man. It doesn't get much better than that!