GETTING THE SKINNY ON THE MARGARITA

It's summer, it's hot it's time for a margarita- make mine skinny please!


I did some much needed research on the Skinny Margarita craze last weekend. In the name of science, of course, I tested Bethanny Frankel's uber successful Skinny Girl brand as well as Jose Cuervo's light brand. Both are touted as being around 100 calories per drink, but on closer inspection it appears that that number is for a 4 ounce drink.  Four ounces-that's a taste, a taunt, certainly not what I would consider a proper margarita drink!  So let's rework the numbers-a 6 ounce drink is around 150 calories, still way below 500 for the frozen fishbowl variety I slurp at my local Mexican haunt.  On the taste front, they were both good but not fantastic. I wasn't getting the fresh lime taste I crave in a good margarita.  (I did prefer the taste of the Jose Cuervo brand out of the two-but the Skinny Girl bottle is fantasatic)

I made my own light variety and it was a snap. Three ingredients and your choice to salt the glass rim or not. A 6 ounce glass is 130 calories.
So easy, so skinny-I feel better already! Have a great weekend!


Easy Skinny Margarita
1 ounce premium or silver tequila
1/2 ounce Cointreau liqueur
1.5 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
Shake with 3/4 cup of ice; garnish with lime.

SUNFLOWERS FOREVER

We drove from Madrid to Seville, a five hour drive through the area known as La Mancha (you remember the book!) Miles of arid landscape stretched before us and I suddenly knew why everyone I know takes the 2 hour super train. Clusters of tall white windmills punctuated the desolate landscape and we began a game of counting them as the trip drew on.  Suddenly a field of sunflowers appeared, their bright yellow heads forming a yellow ocean that stretched for miles. The Spanish de girasol farms were a lovely surprise on a very monotonous drive and reminded me of how much I love the enormous sunflowers sold at the local farmer's markets in the Hampton's.  My favorite way to showcase these fun flowers is to pair a handful of them with my collection of blue and white tableware. Fresh and fun-an instant summer classic! 


What summer flower are you enjoying today?

PICK UP STICKS

A visit to Spain wouldn't be complete without at least briefly touching on the fantastic epicurian experience waiting for you. I threw my diet out the window the day we arrived without regret as we passed storefront windows filled with glistening Serrano ham and barrels of stuffed green olives. Spain is an epicurean nirvana-a place to taste, try and enjoy with reckless abandonment. I loved the concept of the tapas--really just a small plate or canape with something delicious on top. The small portions allowed you to try several different tapas without the bulk or commitment of a big meal. After working our way through the tapas of Madrid, Seville and Marbella, I found my favorite haunt on the last leg of our trip in beautiful Barcelona. Walking through the narrow streets of the old city one night we came upon a tapas bar bustling with people flowing out into the street.  We elbowed our way into Sagardi and was handed a plate from the bartender. Dozens of small tapas lined the bar elegantly dressed with Iberian ham, potato frittata, fresh tuna and hot croquettes. The tapas were all skewered with a wooden toothpick--take what you please and leave the toothpick on your plate.  After you've had your fill, the bartender counts your toothpicks and bills you 1.80 euro for each tapas. Brilliant!  Most of the chic hipsters  had three or four tapas as a starter before they went for dinner.  We enjoyed trying each of the tapas so much that we ate our dinner there--the telltale mound of wooden toothpicks a reminder of our delicious dinner!

Let's Meet At The Alcazar

I fell head over heels in love with Seville.  The worn cobblestone streets, beautiful horse drawn carriages and ancient architecture are spellbinding and so romantic. On our first day, we walked the narrow streets lined with tall royal palm trees and made our way to the Real Alcazar, Spain's oldest palace. Originally built as a Moorish fort, the Alcazar is the royal palace in Seville and is still used by the Spanish Royal family.

Inside the Alcazar is the palace's true jewel, the Mudejar Palace of Peter I. I was surprised to see that, although built as a Christian palace, its exterior and design bear a closer resemblance to Andalusian and eastern buildings. Using a style of Iberian architecture and ornamentation known as Mudejar, the palace's distinctive style of design was strongly influenced by Moorish taste and workmanship from Arab and Jewish craftsman. Sensual and romantic, its no wonder that King Peter I of Castille had this magnificent palace built as his home. 

Every wall and ceiling in the palace features intricate carvings and tile work-you can't help but be awed and inspired by the magnificent design and craftsmanship that has lasted centuries.

In the center of the courtyard is a long reflecting pool with stunning sunken gardens on either side. A series of sweeping steps lead down to acres of lavish gardens.

Resting on a bench overlooking the magnificent pool and gardens, I realized that the Alcazar is truly a feast for all senses and definitely a sight not to be missed!

KEEPING COOL WITH GAZPACHO

A quick flight from Milan landed us in sunny Madrid.  With not a cloud in the sky, this incredibly beautiful city was a vision: the storybook castle, Palacio Real de Madrid, was steps from our hotel so we spent the morning exploring the Palace's gorgeous interiors.  The city was a steaming hot 42 degrees Celsius. (when we finally did the math we realized that it was 107 degrees!)  Needing to cool off, we considered a quick dip in the fountain outside the Palace but we decided instead to take refuge in a restaurant with lots of air conditioning and hopefully delicious food.  

I was melting away and needed a cold infusion immediately. A chilled bowl of gazpacho soup seemed to be the perfect panacea to the heat wave. The gazpacho I've had in the States is usually chunky, more along the lines of a refined salsa but the soup in Spain was smooth and delicate--so perfect I had thoughts of bathing in the sublime juice. Served with a trio of condiments; little bits of Spanish ham, chopped cucumbers and peppers, the tiny crunch was the perfect foil to the soup's velvety texture.  


If it's heating up where you live, consider a cool bowl of gazpacho, and if your still hot, take a little siesta!

Smooth Spanish Gazpacho Soup

• 3 lbs. very ripe tomatoes
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 5-inch long piece of baguette or two slices of white bread
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. good quality red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional Garnishes:
• Cucumber(diced)
• Red pepper (diced)
• Cubed Spanish Ham
• 1. Whirl tomatoes, cucumber, bread, garlic (if you like), red wine vinegar, and sherry vinegar in a blender until very smooth. Note that you will need to do this in two or three batches depending on your blender.
  2. Run tomato puree through a food mill or fine-mesh sieve to remove bitter skins and seeds and ensure an extremely smooth texture.
  3. Whirl tomato mixture in a blender again, adding olive oil this time (you will need to do this in two batches). Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill at least four hours and up to overnight.
  4. Serve chilled with an assortment of garnishes. Allow each diner to garnish their own bowl of gazpacho.
  5. Serves four.

WHERE'S GEORGE?

Richard Branson's home

I laughed when I saw all the comments about George Clooney and me sharing the same postal code during my stay in Lake Como. Happy to hear that I wasn't the only one with a serious "George Crush" (yes my husband knows); I knew that my chances of running into "GC" would never be better than on the sunny shores of Lake Como.  So when we decided that we would visit Como, I packed plenty of shoes and my school girl infatuation came along for the ride.  I waited a few days so I wouldn't look desperate and decided to ask a woman in the know- Maria, the Villa's sweet housekeeper, about George.  "Oh, yes," she said shyly smiling.  "George has been on the lake for a while.  He and Elisabetta have broken up!"  "Broken up?" I nearly cried,  "How could I have missed this very important news?"  (Time to bring in an interpreter to make sure I understood her correctly!) 


"Poor George.  He's probably nursing a broken heart. Maybe I'll see him in the village trattoria with a bottle of Chianti and pizza Margarita," I mused. So I casually looked for GC wherever we went.  We spent a day in beautiful Bellagio-a delicious al fresco lunch, some shopping and a boat ride- absolutely perfect.  The next day I saw Maria who couldn't wait to tell me that GC had been sighted at a small restaurant in Lenno, two towns away, just the day before.  So close!  I was optimistic--my chances of an encounter with GC was much higher here on the lake than in NYC; surely we would bump into each other.  But it needed to be sooner--we had just two days left and though there had been several sightings, GC had remained elusive. 


The day before we left, we took an afternoon boat ride around the lake.  The beautiful teak boat cut through the crystal water as our driver pointed out stunning mansions and told colorful anecdotes about the lake and its residents.  Click, click went our collective cameras as we passed Richard Branson's luxurious mansion on the water.  We peered through the tall cypress trees catching two maids smoking out the balcony window. Then we passed a lovely Italianate villa with a wooden sign posted to the edge of the property.  Our driver started to laugh--it says "No George," he said and drove us closer.  The Papparazzi had been stalking the house for ages via boat, looking for "GC".  But it wasn't his house, so the owner did what he could to deter the constant unwelcome visitors and posted his "No George" sign.  

NOT George Clooney's home!

I wish I had a better outcome to report to you all, one where I met "CG", and charmed by my witty banter, he invited me for a drink.  Wouldn't that be fantastic?  Maybe next year in Como.

VILLA CAMILLA

As we passed though the quaint little villages that frame the shores of Lake Como, the car was filled with restless anticipation.  Our long-awaited trip was finally here. Destination- a beautiful, 19th century Italian Villa on the shores of Lake Como.  It wasn't my first trip to Lake Como, I had been there at 18 with my family, staying in a charming pensione during the biggest heatwave that Italy had seen in 100 years. Our digs this time were much grander and the entire family would all be arriving for a week to celebrate my father's birthday.  Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and a gaggle of kids aged 3-18 would descend upon the lovely Villa Camilla for a blissful weeklong holiday. 

The Villa Camilla was built in the second half of the 19th century as a summer resort for the Marquis of Rozzano. The romantic park like setting has been kept in tack and features stunning meadows and ancient sequoias, cedars, oaks and palms. There is an ancient cobblestone pathway that leads through rose gardens and takes you to the pool and tennis court areas. The eight bedroom home was the perfect setting for our family celebration, with lots of room for the kids to play and a beautiful pool and tennis court.

Cobblestone pathway that leads to the gardens

I loved the large terrace off the living room where breakfast and dinner was served. During the morning, a pretty red striped awning kept the sun at bay. A chef prepared local specialties like risotto with fried perch fresh from the lake. Fantastic food and an unforgettable setting!

 A family portrait-three generations!

Ciao for now!