A cake for your heart!

Nowadays, the fear of cholesterol makes us try healthier food and prepare less fatty meals. Cakes have always been most people's favorites, so , a recipe of a lighter cake can be quite popular and no less tasty! I have tried the following recipe and I recommend it to all those who avoid eggs. Here it is: The Egg-free cake A light cake for those who avoid eggs and butter. Ingredients ¾ -1 cup sugar ½ cup olive oil 1 low fat yoghurt 1 cup semolina (fine) 1-2 cups self-raising flour 1 vanilla essence 11/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 orange(juice) ¼ cup brandy ½ cup sultanas soaked in water ½ cup chopped walnuts Some olive oil to grease the tin ------------------------------------------------ Mix well sugar and olive oil. Add yoghurt and semolina . Add some of the flour and the rest of the ingredients till the mixture is smooth and thick. Pour into a baking dish previously greased with olive oil. Bake at 150C for about 45 minutes or until golden. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can put less sugar or replace it with honey or fructose. Also, you can put chocolate chips (dark chocolate) inside before baking. Dark chocolate is good for the body and has got no cholesterol. Sometimes I add chopped dried figs and apricots, leaving out sultanas and even nuts. You can create your own recipe! It's fun, give it a try!

Talking about Music

The Melos Brass ensemble was created in 1989 within the framework of the Philippos Nakas conservatory. Its members also belong to the National Symphonic Orchestras of Greece, and as a quintet have established themselves as a formidable presence in the area of brass chamber music, performing concerts in Greece and Europe. In 2003 they established the annual Ionian Summer Music Academy in Corfu, in partnership with the Music Department of the Ionian University and the Municipality of Corfu. The goal of Melos Brass is to promote brass chamber music by interpreting works from the international repertoire, and to encourage Greek composers to write for brass instruments. A number of contemporary Greek composers have created outstanding works for the ensemble. "Melos" is the Ancient Greek word for melody. CALENDAR

20 September
Concert in Ilioupolis, Athens. Ilioupolis Municipal Festival

11 November
Concert in Ilioupolis, in memoriam of Yannis Zouganelis (tuba) (Venue soon to be announced)

4-13 December
Tour in Japan

7 December
Concert at Yotsuya Civic Hall, Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the Ochiai Boys and Girls Choir. Conductor, Moriyama Takashi

9 December
Concert and masterclasses at the Tokai University Sagami High School, Kanagawa

10 December
Concert at Yamaha Headquarters, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka

12 December
Concert and open lessons at the Senjoku Gakuen College of Music

To learn more about the team go to
www.melosbrass.gr

A day in the life of a Corfiot

Anastasia runs a bakery. Her shop is located in Corfu town, in Alexandras Avenue. It’s a small bakery but it’s got practically everything a customer would expect and a lot more! Her products include bread and cakes, pies and biscuits of all kinds. She also sells milk and a small range of dairy products as well as soft drinks and water. Her day starts at 6.00 am. Anastasia has to cook and do some housework before she gets ready to go to her shop, which is just a hundred meters away from her house. She’s got a family and two kids and she also takes care of her elderly mother. “I have to get up early and start moving around to tidy up and cook” she says. “My kids are still sleeping when I leave for the shop. I must be there at 7.30, just when my first customer arrives. He is an old man who likes going out early in the morning to do his shopping. The other customers come a bit later on. Nearly the whole neighborhood comes to my bakery to get their fresh bread every day. In Greece we love fresh bread and people buy lots of it. The best selling product is brown bread, especially the handmade one. It is made in a village stove and is sold very fast. I’ve got a big variety of bread. Some customers like smooth bread, white bread or toast bread. This is soft and suitable for the old who have a problem with their teeth! The fresh croissants vanish in a few hours, kids love them! I also bring some spinach and cheese pies every morning. Sometimes people want cakes with chocolate or fruit. The apple cake is my favorite. It comes from a village bakery, as well as other homemade cookies and ‘pasta flora’, which is Corfiot pastry filled with jam. At Easter, and then all the months that follow, I sell the traditional ‘fogatsa; which is a Corfiot sweet bread made from eggs, flour and masticha essence, and is puffy and sweet. It can be eaten at breakfast or for dessert at all times. I close the shop at 4 pm and I go home. I am exhausted by then, I only have something light to eat and go to bed to have a nap. At 6, I do my housework, see my mother and sleep, not later than ten. I sometimes watch some TV, but when I am very tired I just go to bed and sleep. On Saturdays I keep the shop open only till 2 at noon, and then I have a free weekend. But sometimes I have to open the shop in the afternoons to refill it with products. My husband helps whenever he can , but this is my bakery and I love it!”

Are you hungry?

You are tired of walking around the town, so now, the only thing you really want is to find a cosy place to sit down and have a delicious Corfiot meal. That’s easy! There are so many nice places around to have a rest and enjoy a fresh meal at any time of the day, or even at night! If you are downtown, near the square, the best place to stop by is a good taverna. You can have anything you like, from meat to fish and vegetables, but I suggest fresh fish, which is their specialty. So, the taverna is called BARBAS and is located at the PLATI KADOUNI area, which is a wide side street leading to the square. You can sit outside, under the plants or inside. See the top picture to get a taste of it. If you feel like drinking something cool or hot, find CHEVALIER café which is in the same area, PLATI KADOUNI. Cool bar with a cosmopolitan atmosphere, good for every taste. For a quick meal, why not try a pitta? Popular for all ages, this Greek take away is the perfect meal for hungry kids and …parents! You can get a pitta and go or sit at the pitta center at EMPORIKO, by the new port. You have a view to the sea and enjoy not only fresh pittas but ice cream as well! You see, you’ve got a lot of choice. You can find the right place for you and your family and enjoy a drink or a meal at reasonable prices. For more information about places to eat and drink, visit the following site and then click on the right red banner called: My Guide. http://www.aggelia-online.com/ Enjoy yourself!

Some History

HISTORY IN BRIEF Due to its important geographical position the island is the border between the East and the West. Mythology mentions Pheakes, the first inhabitants of Kerkyra whose hospitality to Ulysses when he shipwrecked on the island was made known through the works of Homer in Odyssey. Mythology also mentions the myth of Kerkyra, one of the twelve daughters of Assop and his wife, Metopis. Poseidon, the god of the sea, fell in love with her, kidnapped her and brought her to this island to hide her from his wife, Amphitreti. However, Pluto, the god of Addis, envied Poseidon's success, and one night he kidnapped Kerkyra and took her down to Adis, leaving Poseidon their baby, Phaiakas. Therefore, in the years of Ulysses the island was named after him and was called the island of Phaeceans. The island was also called by the Greek name of ‘drepanon’, because of its shape, and ‘Corfu’, because of the two peaks of mount Pantokrator. In 734 the island was a Korinthian colony. Herodotus mentions that Kerkyra was at that time the best nautical force after Athens. The fact that Corfu possesses a vital strategic position was certainly a main cause for the island's occupation by various invaders such as Romans, Byzantines, Goths, Venetians, Sicilians and Catalans. Romans took over the island and then the Venetians in 1205. . In 1537 the Ottomans attacked the island and the Venetian aristocrats ordered the residents to destroy their houses so as the Ottomans will not be able to take shelter and then settle down. It is said that over twenty thousand inhabitants were captured during the siege and then were sent to Istanbul. If the island did not have strong fortification it is certain that it would fall in the hands of the Ottomans who eventually surrendered and withdrew from the island. Later on, additional fortresses were built and the defense of the island was fortified. Kerkyra remained under the reign of the Venetians until 1797. That year, Napoleon occupied Venice and the island was taken over by the French for the short period of one year. In 1799 the Ottomans occupied Corfu and next, after an agreement Turkey and Russia signed, the island was divided into sectors. That also lasted for a short time because, in 1815, the area was occupied by the British who kept the island until 1864, when they finally withdrew and handed it over to Greece. In 1824 the British built the Ionian Academy, which still exists. Till today, on the 21/05 every year, The Corfiots celebrate the anniversary of their freedom from the British by organizing church prayers, sport events and school parades. So, in 1864, Corfu joined Greece. But despite the fact that Corfu became Greek, the Italians never stopped desiring the possession of the island, so, in 1923 they bombed Corfu. In 1941 they occupied the island where they remained until 1943, when the Germans occupied it. The island was freed in 1944. ARCHITECTURE It is influenced by the west since the island was connected to the west for seven centuries. The Italian influence is shown at Liston area (Venetians 1205-1214) (See Liston in the picture above).

Anemomylos

The picture above of Anemomylos was taken in winter and shows the wind mill that was built a few years ago.

Anemomylos or in other words, Mylos, is the palce at the end of Garitsa bay. That place used to have a real wind mill in old days that’s why we call it anemomylos, which in Greek means ‘wind mill’. In winter it is a good small port for the fishing boats, but in summer people go there to have a swim, since on one side the sea is shallow enough for the kids to swim. On the outer side, behind the artificial mill that was built there, there are small stairs for the swimmers. However, the sea is very deep over there, so if you decide to swim in that area you should be careful. Also the bottom of the sea is rocky and rough but if you like sealife, you will have the opportunity to see fish, crabs and even octopuses hidden in the rocks. On that small area there is a cafes/snack bars that offers quick meals, and a hotel restaurant overlooking the sea. For a proper Greek meal though, you can visit the series of grill rooms and tavernas just across the street, in the green park along the bay. What can you eat? Souvlaki, pitta,mousaka, pastitsio and the Corfiot pastitsada. You can have a variety of fresh vegetables and salads and then summer fruit and icecream. For those living in the town it is the best place to enjoy a meal by the sea. At nights these tavernas are open till very late and the peak time is around 10 pm. Since it is very hot in the summer, people have dinner late at night!

Herbs: Corfiot Chamomile

Chamomile is found on Mount Pantokrator. The road you can see in the pictusre leads to the top of the mount. There you can find chamomile flowers in springtime and summer. To pick chamomile flowers collect only the flower top (anthos) not the stem. The best time to pick chamomile flowers is in the morning, before the sun goes up. Leave the fresh flowers to dry under the sun for a couple of days. Store them in a jar and use them like normal tea leaves.

Chamomile is a beautiful small flower that grows on Mount Pantoktrator, as well as in fields and gardens. I remember my mum picked the flowers up from our garden, dried them in the sun and used them to make chamomile tea. It is good for colds, stomach upsets, indigestion, skin irritation and lots of other treatments. The best chamomile is the natural one, but you must know where to find it and make sure this place is not polluted. On the mount it is clean and fresh but not easy to get it! Where to get chamomile: In big supermarkets you can find chamomile bags or dried flowers. You can make chamomile tea the same way you make common tea. Chamomile-how to use it Sore throat and colds In a cup of chamomile tea add a teaspoonful of honey and some lemon juice. Sip at intervals. This remedy provides you with ample vitamin C and rare honey properties that boost your immune system. Stomach upsets Prepare a cup of chamomile tea and add some lemon juice. Drink slightly warm or cold. For best results, drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Insomnia A cup of chamomile tea before bedtime is highly relaxing. For external use: Stiff neck In a pan, simmer some dried chamomile leaves in pure olive oil for a few seconds. When still warm (not hot), apply mixture to affected area. Leave as long as possible and repeat 2-3 times daily. Ear ache Prepare as above and apply some chamomile mix (on some cotton wool) to the back of the ear. Aching joints Apply mixture prepared as above on joints and leave for as long as possible. Repeat several times (use a bandage to hold cotton wool on affected area). Mouth ulcers Prepare chamomile tea and use it for gargling or as a mouth wash after meals and especially before bedtime. However, if mouth ulcers persist visit a doctor. Skin problems Women’s rash Use cold chamomile tea to clean the affected areas. It can be used many times a day as it is soothing and healing. Pimples Cold chamomile tea is soothing and helps restoring the skin’s texture. Bibliography Ody, P. (1997) ‘100 Great Natural Remedies: using healing plants at home’ London, UK, Kyle Cathie Limited. Related Sites www.Englishteastore.com/camomile.html http://greekfood.about.com/