…..to Fashionista heaven…..

….. Milan….. the chicest city in the world!

….. and a trip to Milan surely means a visit to Corso Como….. the chicest street in the world….. and of course that includes a visit to the sprawling shop and art gallery at number 10….. the chicest shop therein. It’s owned by Carla Sozzani, the super-thin blonde sister of Franca Sozzani who edits Vogue (yep, you guessed it: the chicest publication in the world).

This huge space is home to a superbly curated selection of product design, art, and of course cutting-edge men’s and women’s fashion and accessories…… think Paris’s Colette with added dolce-vita class.

And to make the trip even more glamorous….. I will try to book a room in the three-bedroom boutique hotel, with the imaginatively named Three Rooms, that Sozzani also owns.

10corsocomo.com

But this doesn’t mean I’m only eating green salads….. having forced gently persuaded my love to resolve to widen his repertoire of fruit and vegetables (while narrowing the one for roast pork and ham), I decided it’s only fair I should conquer some food fears myself.

There are very few things I don’t eat….. as avocado (I just can’t eat them!)….. otherwise, on the top of that No list is: beetroot (unless they are served as soup - strangely enough - I love beetroot soup).

Here are the virtues of beetroot: They’re full of Vit A, a series of Bs, and C, and iron. There’s also sodium, potassium, Vit K, calcium, magnesium and protein….. and miraculously, boiling boosts the content of some minerals in this root…… So tonight I am giving it a go with a:

Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Pine Nut and Rocket Salad

This is a really tasty dish which is perfect for preparing the ingredients ahead of time and simply assembling them at the last minute to create a pretty impressive salad. If you don’t want to roast the beetroot yourself, you can by precooked vac packed ones in the supermarket.

Salad (Serves 6)
6 medium sized beetroot
75g pine nuts
250g goats cheese, cut into bitesize pieces
60g rocket leaves
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Half a clove of garlic, minced
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Do this:
You can cook the beetroot ahead of time if you wish, simply wrap them in tinfoil, place on an oven tray and bake for about an hour at 190C or until you can insert a fork smoothly.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then peel with knife and slice into quarters.

On a large frying pan, over a medium heat, toast the pine nuts, until golden brown, make sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quite easily.

In a large bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, arrange the beetroot quarters and goats cheese pieces on each plate.

Toss the rocket leaves in the dressing and place a little on each plate.

Finally scatter each plate with the toasted pine nuts and serve straight away!

Enjoy

Lizzy

via: Thegoodmoodfoodblog

….. you can buy beetroot in so many different ways - raw, cooked, marinated - today, there’s so much more to that little root, than the pickled one most of us remember from our childhood.

Beetroot soup
1kg beetroot
450g carrots
8 shallots
2 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
1 stick of celery, chopped roughly
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp caraway seeds
enough stock to cover the vegetables with about half a pint left over
salt and freshly ground black pepper

garnish: parsley

Do this:
Peel and roughly chop the vegetables. Place in a large pan with the bay leaf and caraway seeds.

Cover with the stock. Bring to a rapid boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf and place the soup in a food processor, liquidize the soup until smooth. Adjust the seasoning.

Reheat gently (do not allow to boil). Serve the soup with parsley and soured cream.

Photo: private, woman-hood

Now it’s time to take the spoon in the other hand….. to jump on the horse again….. it’s on with the mittens….. as from today I am back on carrots and cold water….. and maybe a simple tea bag now and then!

68,5 kg

dear tea….. i’ve missed you.

although i strayed briefly, i’ve realized that

coffee can’t calm or soothe me the way you can.

shh, dont worry….. mamma’s home.

photo: svimmel

….. and the landscape radiates universal balance…..

I feel how rays of peace penetrate my skin and how it adjust my soul…..time passes….. the golden colors of autumn enhance the feeling of purity.

….. the kind of purity you only find….. in companionship with wet dew….. on a beautiful September morning…..

….. I stroll down the gravel path….. towards the fresh thrill….. a dip in the wonderful blue….. a dip that leaves my body and soul purified….. refreshed…. and ready for another wonderful day.

Photo’s: private, woman-hood

….. although it’s technically still late summer, it’s definitely cooled down a lot, and I can’t wait for autumn weather!

I know that when fall is in full swing, I’ll probably be wishing for beach days again, but for now, I’m excited to start bundling up again, and seeing my breath when I walk outside in the mornings.

How ’bout you?

I wish you all a lovely sunny day

XOXO Lizzy

….. weather gets cooler and color fades out of the season…..

….. it’s time to add that splash of color to your winter wardrobe….. with for example a chic new clutches…..

Via: Mrs. Lilien

Jewel encrusted or satin dusted - anything less is just plain busted! If you haven’t a clever collection of clutches just yet - you best make haste and get yourself out of clutch debt!

1. Nancy Gonzalez Croc Clutch 2. LuLu Guinness Hot Pink Lips Clutch 3. Judith Leiber Wildcat Clutch 4. Vintage Feather Clutch 5. Paparazzi Gold Stripe Clutch 6. Inge Christopher Grey Clutch 7. Flutter Flower Clutch  8. Pop Art Pearl Clutch

Have a lovely weekend

Lizzy

….. and if you need an idea for a book that will creep up your backbone and make you tremble with excitement and disgust….. then this book is for you:

For me, Bagsværd (a town close to where I grew up) has always been a place I associated with pleasant jogging around the lake and old villas with apple trees….. but after reading Lotte & Søren Hammer’s debut “Svinehunde” (translated to: Barstards), Bagsværd has transformed to a gloomy and creepy place.

And it is in Bagsværd this book takes its start. On an early morning, two schoolchildren find five men hanging naked and mistreated from the ceiling in the gymnastics hall at their school. Who are they? Who has done this? And not least - what is the cause of such violent killings?

Chief Inspector Konrad Simonsen and his colleagues are summoned and investigative work is started….. there is a link to the past, and as the net tightens, more crimes are committed.

“Svinehunde” (Barstards) is probably one of the books which has received most publicity (both before and after release), and that has created high expectations - at least on my part. I think the book comes to a real good start, and I quickly became trapped by the cruel atmosphere in the gym.

The characters in the book are good and realistic and I quick felt sympathy for the Chief Inspector….. and also a hint of sympathy for one of the criminals, as it dawned on me how it’s all connected……

….. a kind of sympathy is also what the population in the book feels, and that complicates the investigation…… as there are acts of nature so ugly, that you can almost justify vengeance.

No….. I don’t think so…..

I just adore the décor that Louis Vuitton has just installed at their giant luxury space on Bond st. in London.

I am in awe……how incredible are these windows? Life sized Ostriches with wonderfully elongated necks fill the huge space (some across two floors) and carry the latest gorgeous Ostrich skin merchandise in jeweled tones.

Ostrich eggs, some are whole and others are hatched….. revealing the most desirable shoes.

Lots of humor in these window presentations….. and this concept has given me renewed hope (that future window presentations will become more exciting - there are too many boring presentations out there).

You must go and see this new decor for yourself. Even if you don’t buy LV products and your budget is more H&M….. at least looking is free …… and I guarantee that you will love it.

The end of this beautiful summer month is already upon us, and I for one, am sad to see it go. This month for me, included:

- Rekindling my love for swimming in the ocean
- Soaking up lots of sun
- Warm nights outside with friends
- Ice cream cones
- Taking lots of photos
- Experimenting with new recipes on food and drinks

What were some of your favorite, or most memorable things you did this August?