Valentina

It’s RED Hot ! | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

19 Oct 2012 20 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #BlogTalkRadioREDHot, #DesigningWithRed, #REDColor, #RedFashion, #RedInteriors, #RedOutfits, #RedVoyageIntoColors, Colors

“Valentina, I’m having a lot of fun reading your book RED. I cannot refrain from marking these points that I found super original and very Valentinians! Page 28: In a highly creative country such as Italy (….) it is only normal that red traffic lights bring out a creative touch of disobedience in any driver. Page 39: Stunning effects such as these (…) try them on, walk proud (…) but before you do that, let’s have a lemon muffin (followed by recipe). Page 44: In Spritz Veritas(…) how tasty this page is!”

As I am running a promotion for my book launch, some comments are already coming in from readers who purchased the book on Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB – and this comment above is from one of the readers. I am so pleased that she is amused reading my book. That is exactly the goal of my book, to inform, entertain with wit, add some personality and allow the readers, through some story telling, to understand the process of designing on the real field, often undermined with many challenges.

Today, my BlogTalkRadio interview took place and we talked about colors in fashion we wear, color in interiors we live in, colors in food we eat and even color in astrology. It was a colorful and inspiring show. Here is the link, if you want to listen to this fun radio show. It’s about an hour-long: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/carra-riley/2012/10/18/red-hot

I am so happy to have done what I have done, this book #3 is right in line with what I am supposed to do and where I am supposed to be in my life at this time. The book is sending lot of vibrations and I am vibrating too.
I am offering – to the first 100 people who purchase ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB – One hour of design consultation, FREE of charge, through Skype line (proof of the receipt needed). Take advantage. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer and former Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe since 1990. She blends well fashion with interior and colors the world of her clients. She has been described as “the colorist” and loves to create the unusual.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

In The Light Of Chartreuse | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

12 Oct 2012 18 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #1700FashionStyle, #ChartreuseColor, #ChartreuseFashion, #ColorCoordination, #HistoryOfCostumes, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #VenetianFurniture

Hot – Cold – Yellow – Green. Luminous. Undecided, yet strong. What is this chartreuse color? There is character in this color and it takes courage to wear it or live in it. Personally, I love it and have wore it ever since I can remember. I found the way to incorporate it in my mises, even when it was not in fashion. In the history of the costume, light green was considered a manly color. Men wore jerkins embellish with hand made silk embroiders and lace ruffles. Men wore brocade, damask, silk and velvet fabric just like women. Often a chartreuse fabric was designed or embroidered with patterns of pink color with shoes to match. Men were confident with their sexuality and carry chartreuse, pink, or both together, just as good as women.

(Photo above: Wikipedia – Watteau, L’Enseigne de Gersaint)

Men of today, confidently still wear these two colors, they think of them as just another way to jazz up some boring ensemble, which men have plenty of those boring garment occupying their closets. In the 17th century Europe, Chartreuse was the color of many highly decorated or carved Venetian furniture from trumeau to commode (a low cabinet or similar piece of furniture, often highly ornamental, containing drawers or shelves and not a toilet, as in the English language).

(Photo above: Hand painted Venetian chest by BG Galleries)

In today’s fashion this color persists and has invaded every closet I have seen so far, but who can really wear this color? A person whose skin’s color temperature is considered warm. That means golden-brown hair, brown eyes and yellow-brown skin, or ivory tone skin. This person might choose all the colors in the warm palette, reds, yellows and oranges with the warm undertone of each color. This person also is allowed to choose the cool colors temperature, as violets, blues and greens with the warm side of each color to wear in combination with the reds, yellows and oranges. If you are this person, imagine your chartreuse warm summer palette as in my photo below.

Composition Chartreuse Summer by ©Valentina Interiors & Designs

(Above composition by ©Valentina Interiors & Designs)

This combination will be perfect for home interior as well, we tend to decorate in the same colors we like to wear. Imagine chartreuse walls, yellow-orange seating area with leopard print pillows or rug, chartreuse accessories and chartreuse window treatment, add warm tone lighting.

A person with a combination of warm color skin, green or blue eyes and light brown, ash blond or red hair has a temperature of sun/moon. This person have a mixed color temperature, thus can choose all colors from the cool and warm palette, as in my chartreuse compliment colors palette. Again this combination can be used for the interior as well. Imagine chartreuse seating and walls, blue-green accessories, black pattern pillows, black chandelier and lampshades. To this picture I would add one wall covered with black pattern fabric and chartreuse window treatment.

Composition ©Valentina Interiors & Designs

(Above composition by ©Valentina Interiors & Designs)

Putting together unusual color combinations will show your all-round self-confidence. On my Pinterest, there is a board dedicated to Chartreuse, ideas and a few color combinations: http://pinterest.com/vcvalentina/chartreuse/

Transforming your image or your spaces is a challenge, but working together with me and my ”step-by-step” approach, you can reach your owns special milestone. Ciao,
Valentina

Design Website: http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior and Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe since 1990. She blends well fashion with interior and colors the world of her clients. She has been described as “the colorist” and loves to create the unusual. Her latest book on colors: ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors is published. Find it:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Roll In The Cheese | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

06 Oct 2012 3 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #CheeseGadgets, #CheeseSelection, #CheeseTools, #CheeseVariety, #DinnerItalianStyle, #DinnerWithCheeses, #HolidayFood, #HowToServeCheese, #ItalianDinnerCustoms

Hello everyone,
I am back after one month of vacation and preparation of the launch for my book #3 , just published last weekend.

(Find cheese utensils at: MyHabit.com)
(Find cheese markers at http://www.napastyle.com/home.jsp)

It is so vivid in my mind how many times I have eaten cheeses at the end of each lunch and dinner in this last trip back home to Europe.
Europeans eat cheese with ease because they walk a lot, thus burn those calorie day by day. Cheese is not seen as something to entertain with, but something to enjoy everyday with a glass of wine.
In Europe we serve it without any pretense, we take cheese out of the refrigerator while we are preparing dinner and we leave it on the counter at room temperature to bring out the full bloom of each taste. The same is valid when serving cheeses at parties.

(Find cheese pots and boards at: MyHabit.com)
Many serving utensils are part of the ritual of putting cheese on the table, from knives, cleavers, marker signs to fondue pots, raclette grill and cheese cart.
There is nothing sophisticated about serving plain cheese. It comes from the milk of an animal and often is kept in rustic stone cellars, or left to ferment for months.
I can’t wait to have a bunch of boisterous friends sitting around a fondue pot tasting the latest cheese I brought from Europe. I have a Canestrato Pugliese, aged in caves for a year, with a hard rind and dark yellow interior color. The mature version is savory and aromatic. Best paired with a red Primitivo from Manduria, a wine with a lot of round body.

The vessels needed to serve any cheese are slate stones, wooden boards, marble slabs, or clay platters, the rougher the better. It is good to mark each cheese with the proper marker fork to distinguish goat cheese from cow or sheep milk products and in the absence of these small markers, a hand-written tag placed near each specialty will suffice. The basic cutlery is simple: a cleaver and a semi-heart shaped knife will cut hard and semi-hard cheeses; a thin blade knife will cut a semi-soft cheeses and a round knife will be the spreader for soft cheeses; a shaver will help shaving the cheese, although this utensil is more used at the table to shave a hard cheese directly over the plate. If you want to get fancy and make a good presentation add grape scissors to all cheese cutleries.
One of my favorite cutters is the Swiss scraper “Girolle” used with “Tête de Moine” or Monk’s Head, a cheese from switzerland. The Girolle will shave the “Tête de Moine” cheese in small florettes, or ruffles. It is an expensive cheese, but it is worth it.

(Photo above found on: http://cookingguide101.blogspot.com/2010/12/tete-de-moine-cheese-real-gourmet-swiss.html)

I have seen cheese paired with jelly, grapes, edible flowers or other extravagant food. My favorite accompaniments are raw celery or fennel slivers, olives, nuts, or chicory heads to cut the sharp smell and balance the flavors. Don’t be afraid of serving smelly cheeses. The fermented cheeses at the end of a dinner are good to help the digestion. If you add truffle sliced paper-thin over any soft cheese, mamma mia, what a kick in flavor and in the presentation!

Stores are filling up with all kinds of food and table accessories. This is the right time to get some of these fun utensils and make your food look really good for the holidays.
Once they are in your kitchen repertoire, you will find that it is easier to treat yourself everyday, rather than waiting for the holiday to roll around to use them again.

Cheeses are a good source of calcium and protein. Don’t be afraid of having small bites everyday. Visit my Pinterest board for food inspiration – http://www.pinterest.com/vcvalentina/food-with-character
Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola has been a lifetime designer in fashion and interiors. Her extensive knowledge of colors and materials led her in both directions successfully. Besides her regular work, Valentina is now teaching etiquette, table manners, table setting and life-style. Her deep interest in food led her as an autodidact in the studies of food in history, natural remedies, nutrition and well-being, then finally she wrote two books on Italian regional cuisine and one book on the subject of colors. Find Valentina’s three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Travel Theme: Foliage | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

02 Oct 2012 11 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #CaliforniaArchitecture, #DesigningWithColors, #DesigningWithFoliage, #FountainDesign, #GardenSolutions, #TravelThemeFoliage

From Ailsa’s travel theme: Foliage
http://wheresmybackpack.com/2012/09/28/travel-theme-foliage/
She says: “anyone who tries to tell you it’s a small world hasn’t tried to see it all”.

This setting, over 100 years old, some described it Spanish, some said it was Tuscan and some called it plain California style, has remained in my memories as the most beautiful place I lived when I first arrived in California from my native Italy.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

At night it was magical, we fantasized seeing Humphrey Bogart coming through the gate, or Clark Gable holding one of us in his arms. It was easy to make up these images, the suffuse light emanating from the old street lamps and the smell of the juniper threes, helped us creating romantic imageries.

The stairs to my studio were a set for many weddings’ photography and many painter’s inspirations, who came with empty canvases and left with the interpretation of their imagination imprinted on. Virginia Klassen, a German flamboyant woman, then 83 years old, impenitent single, harpist player in many European orchestras, often sat with me on these stairs to invite me in her memories of a life on the Orient Express, passionate lovers, lavish living and famous theatres of the world.

The gate to a perdition, as I called it. We were all artists of some kind, or musicians living there, all without kids and family. An architect, a designer from Italy (me), an image consultant from Sweden, a chef, a novel writer, a furniture designer, an opera singer, a flute player, a software engineer from Germany, a pottery designer and an expert in custom laws from Mexico. Every day, after 6:00 pm, as we closed our business, we would meet around the fountain with wines, food and music and spent a few hours together, but often we went into the small hours of the night. Conversation around many topics was interesting and enticing, friendship got tighter and tighter as we got to know each other better.

This was my small world away from home, where people welcomed me as their friends and where we all shared our pains, jokes, aspirations, concerns and family matters. Unfortunately, this place doesn’t exist any longer. An architect firm abated it to build high-rise, high-priced office and condos.

In my work as a designer, I often find a way to preserve something with a meaning, or history and incorporate it in the new design. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola, is the principal designer and owner of Valentina Interiors & Designs. She is a trained designer and has been in business since 1990. She works on consultation and produces design concepts for remodeling, upgrading, new homes, décor restyling and home fashion. She also offer on-line consultations through Skype line. “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Colors For Humans | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

28 Sep 2012 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecoratingTips, #HumanaeColors, #PantoneColorsHumanae, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SkinColorsForHome

“Spanish artist Angelica Dass has conceived ‘Humanae’ for Pantone. The project applies the alphanumerics classification of the Pantone coloring system to human skin tone, communicated through a photographed portraiture series. The background of each piece is dyed the exact shade extracted from a sample of 11 x 11 pixels from the very face of the people depicted, with the ultimate aim being to record and catalog, through a scientific measurement, all possible complexions” says Pantone.

Well, this is good news for people like me in the design world. I can add more personality than ever into people’s home. It has been my trait to include in my color palettes the eyes and hair colors of the main people living in the house, often also the color related to their zodiac sign. Now, I can add different skin colors to the décor or to the walls for a total harmony.

Living in our skin color season, with the right color temperature, the right color value and color intensity can only improve our feeling good in the home environment. Is it not the same when we choose our clothes? Yes, it is. That is the reason people consult image-makers to learn about the season of the skin they live in and to select related wardrobe colors in the right season that will make them feel good and project a confident aura.

I just want to make an example. If you have golden-brown hair, brown eyes and yellow-brown skin, or ivory skin tone, your skin color temperature is considered warm. You can choose all the colors in the warm palette, reds, yellows and oranges with all their warm undertones. You will feel at ease with color from Pantone 62-6 C (photo below), for the walls of your home or a few walls in some rooms. Due to your warm skin temperature you are also allowed to choose the cool colors temperature, as violets, blues and greens, but only the warm side of these colors in combination with the reds, yellows and oranges. Therefore your room or rooms will be the result of a series of furniture and accessories enclosed in an upbeat and vibrant color combination, made just for you.

(All photos are Pantone property)

These same color combinations are also perfect for your wardrobe and will exalt all the beauty of your warm temperature skin.

I like this new discovery in the colors adventure very much, it opens new opportunities and allows me to run free with many more solutions.

Let me know if I can help you with colors in any way. I offer consultations on-line through Skype line. Share me freely. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer and former Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe since 1990. She blends well fashion with interior and colors the world of her clients. She has been described as “the colorist” and loves to create the unusual. Valentina’s book #3 ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors is almost ready for the market. Stay tuned!

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Good Day Sisters! Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

11 Sep 2012 16 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #BenefitsOfSisterhood, #GirlfriendTime, #MindBodyConnection, #SelfHelp, #SelfImprovement, Friendship, Self-Improvement

Today I am going off topic from my usual design and style. I like to repost a piece from one of girlfriends and artist who wrote it after she attended a talk at Stanford University.

©Valentina Cirasola

Tiffany (left) Valentina (right) having fun at a restaurant.

“They Teach It at Stanford:
In an evening class at Stanford University the last lecture was on the mind-body connection – the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health is to nurture her relationships with girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but the professor was serious.
Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time” helps us to create more serotonin – a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well-being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very GOOD for our health.

He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. There’s a tendency to think that when we are “exercising” we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged? Not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking! So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky.

Let’s toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it’s very good for our health”.

I am taking this opportunity to thank Jamie, my new-found friend here on WordPress
http://www.grandmothermusings.com for my nomination of “One Lovely Blog Award”. Jamie says that “Sharing little slices of life makes the journey more exciting!” I could not agree more.

Rules for the One Lovely Blog Award:
1. Give credit to the awesome person who nominated you and post the Award on your site.

2. Describe 7 things about yourself.

3. Nominate 15 other bloggers. I will tweak it a little.

7 Things about Home Designs Master
1. A few moons ago, I moved away from the Old World to only find myself doing things in the Old World style in the New World:

a. My laundry yard is where I hang my clean laundry to dry in the sun and wind. Will never own a clothes dryer.

b. Microwave cooking is not for me, it’s very bad to cook in it. Will never own a microwave either.

c. In my garden, I created an orchard, where I grow many types of food, Summer is harvest time. I preserve them for the winter, going through so much cooking, stuffing, canning and pickling, but my winter looks colorful, abundant and healthy.

d. If I am not using parts of my home at night, the lights stay off in those area; only keep lit the rooms I am using at certain given time of my evening.

e. For a good health of the home and the health of people living in it, I keep windows open to circulate fresh air all through the day. In the morning, when I get up, I open the windows and when I cook, the windows are open also. During remodeling process, I make sure to include plenty windows in clients’ kitchens and bathrooms. It is important these two spaces have egress for steam, vapors and odors.

e. I learned to make facial masks and skin, hair, or body treatments with food in my kitchen.

My way of living is in tune with my eco-friendly designs, which I offer to my clients, if they care to save money and live in a natural way.
The government didn’t have to tell me what to do to respect the Earth, I was born into a saving mentality.

Allow me to tweak the rules of the award and nominate the following 10 exceptional blogs for the One Lovely Blog Award. Many thanks to all of you for spending time with my writing and sharing your experiences and thoughts with me. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

*******

These are my nominees:

http://healthdemystified.wordpress.com/
http://zenandgenki.com/
http://openplatforms.wordpress.com/
http://myhomefoodthatsamore.wordpress.com/
http://cancerkillingrecipe.wordpress.com/
http://jeffsinonphotography.wordpress.com/
http://bluebutterfliesandme.wordpress.com/
http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/
http://thebigbookofdating.wordpress.com/
http://thismansjourney.net/

Valentina Cirasola has been a lifetime designer in fashion and interiors. Her extensive knowledge of colors and materials led her in both directions successfully. “Vogue Italy” magazine featured Valentina as the guru of staging in the theatrical way. Among designing and remodeling homes, designing custom-made furniture and writing books, Valentina is now teaching etiquette, table manners, table setting and life style. Her new book on the subject of colors is almost ready to be published. Stay tuned for ©Red-A Voyage Into Colors.
Check out her books on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Reflection | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

07 Sep 2012 18 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DesigningWithMirrors, #JakesprinterPhotoChallenge., #ReflectedImages, Reflection, Sunday Post: Reflection

In my world of design, Reflections are very important, as they can make or break a perfect space.
The placement of objects must communicate with all the elements in the space and be in harmony with the people living in a given space.
Mirrors play a large role in our life, they are supposed to tell the truth about our image and appearance, giving the opportunity to fix whatever is necessary.
Mirrors also reflect beauty and art on its own. The image reflected is often repeated to infinite, especially if the mirror is placed across a window or a light source.

Be careful where you place mirrors in the house, you don’t want to reflect an unpleasant view, a mess, or an habitually dirty home. Be creative.
This is my version of Reflection for Jakesprinter weekly photo competition.
Now, go around your home and pay attention to what your mirrors reflect. Love to hear if you like or not the reflected images you see. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com/

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian interior designer in business since 1990. She is passionate about colors and all expressive arts. She is a “colorist”. To her, selecting art means to bring out the best energy of her clients and nourish their soul. She is the forthcoming author of her book on colors: ©Red-A Voyage Into Colors, which will be released by the end of September 2012. Check her books on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Free Spirit | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

02 Sep 2012 12 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #CityStreetPerformances, #FreeSpirit, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SanFranciscoStreetPerformance, #StreetTheathre, Mimics

San Francisco is a musical city, quaint, vibrant and modern to a point. The colorful Victorian houses, called ‘Painted Ladies’, recall the ‘Belle Époque’ and the gold rush of the 1800’s. The city distinguishes itself from the rest of the American cities in a sort of quirky way. Everything and anything goes on in San Francisco, from nudity, to impromptu art, from traditional cultural parades to extravagant theatre plays.

The fog rolls in at around 5:00pm, changing the free-spirit atmosphere into a cold and gloomy city. San Franciscans say is magical and feel the mysticism of this grey cotton enveloping the city. Perhaps because San Francisco forms one the points of the esoteric, magic triangle of the world: Turin in Italy, San Francisco in California and Sydney in Australia. I really don’t like the fog, it makes me really sad and damp in the bones.

I like the other face of the city, its colorful houses and colorful people with all their creative arts. One day on a Sunday, walking around the pears, I stumbled in a group of students from the California Film & TV Acting School, playing their mimics roles in the streets.

Their costumes, as you can see from the photographs, are not designed theatre costumes, but their own clothes put together haphazardly. They are colorful, show inventive and suit the actors in their free street roles. The students want to show to the public how cleverly they can stand in one pose without moving for at least 15 minutes, before changing to next pose. Mimicking is not an easy acting to do, but these kids were superb in their free spirit and didn’t care of the passerby. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian interior designer in business since 1990. She is passionate about colors and all expressive arts. She is a “colorist”. To her, selecting art means to bring out the best energy of her clients and nourish their soul. She is the forthcoming author of the book on colors: ©Red-A Voyage Into Colors, which will be released by the end of September 2012. Check out her books on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

The Right Way | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

29 Aug 2012 8 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ItalianCulture, #PugliaTravel, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #TasteOfItaly, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, ItalyTravel

A couple of days ago, Joanne Mathis interviewed me on her BlogTalkRadio show for a talk on the “Taste of Italy” as the launch for my 2013 three trips packages to Italy based on my three books. The trips are in the making in conjunction with various establishments in Italy. Soon, I will be ready to take registrations.

Some parts of the radio talk were really funny, as most of the time happens when talking about Italy, a country, which thrives with free-spirit people and lives on not so many rules. During my next radio talk in October, with Joanne Mathis again, I will highlight some of the things and customs not very proper for foreigners and other useful tips for travelers to Italy.
We were really laughing on the show and having a good time on what Italians consider the “right way”.

• In Italy the woman walks on the right side of the man and inside of the sidewalk near the building and not near the street. It’s an old custom to protect the woman from dangers, still used today.

• To drive in Italy one must think and act like a racecar driver. Accidents are fatal on freeways, where speed limit is not respected much, but are rare in the cities, because our cities were built in the Middle Ages, therefore streets are truly small, often have only one or two lanes, but one must know how to get disentangled to avoid causing a huge traffic jam. Driving through an intersection, one must give the right away, meaning must yield to cars coming from the right, unless otherwise noted by street signals.

• At a dinner party, the man of the house always sits at one of the head table and the wife on the opposite head table. The wife changes her seat to the right of the men of the house when there are special guests. In this case, usually the male special guest sits at the opposite head table across from the man of the house and his wife on his right. In the Middle Age, the women’s place was set at the right of the men as a form of respect and to receive morsels of food the man cut for her and presented on the tip of a knife. Women did not cut their own food. Mind you this was when tableware did not exist yet.

• In Italy we stir coffee to the right, clockwise.

• Woman sleeping with man: she usually sleeps towards the wall and not towards the entry door to the room, often her place falls on the right side of her man.
• When a woman is in the bus, metro, or in a taxi with a man, the man gets off first to help the woman getting off, just in case her heels get caught in something, or some absent-minded person pushes her out.

• When we greet people, we kiss on both cheeks, starting with the right cheek, so it is my right cheek to your right cheek and then left to left.

Italy is a very modern country and women are also living a very modern, hectic life as everywhere in the world, but certain things have remained untouched. The respect toward women and wanting to protect them is very high.

If you like to listen to my radio talk and laugh with us, it will take only 40 minutes of your time. Enjoy it:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mathisinteriors/2012/08/28/valentina-cirasola-artist-designers-and-things-oh-my

Ciao,
Valentina

www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola will host three trips a year to Italy based on her three books with the intention of showing Italy with the eyes of a designer born in those parts and let people experience the ”wheel of emotions” in the non-commercial Italy beaten down by massive tourism. Valentina will guide the tours through art, architecture, food, shopping and special adventures organized for people who want to live it up! Valentina’s third book is in the printing process. ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors will be soon on Amazon with her others two books:

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Transformation Of A Flower | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

24 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #ComeMiaNonnaReturnToSimplicity, #CookingWithZucchini, #italianCooking, #StuffedZucchiniFlowers, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, #ZucchiniRecipes

The more I read about all secret ingredients hiding in food and less I want to get closer to supermarkets. Becoming an urban gardener for me has been more a choice for keeping my good health than a result of having a large yard to turn into something beautiful. I could have added a swimming pool, designed a patio with flowers in pots, or I could have cemented it all to have a clean space for BBQ, outdoor cabana bar, umbrellas and lounge chairs. Instead I opted to work the land, make it fertile, get closer to Mother Earth, which in turn will gift me with a bounty of natural food and a lot of piece in my heart.

During the summer months I harvest zucchini flowers every day, they grow on top of the zucchini stems from which the zucchini will form, but to make zucchini grow healthier it is better to pick the flowers. Early morning is the best time to pick them, as they are wide open and in full beauty; they will stay open for about three days if kept in the refrigerator. Their size is huge, at time I have flowers as wide as 8-9 inches and 7-8 inches tall; they lend themselves well to get stuffed.

In Europe, zucchini flowers are a delicacy and sell at the open market for a high price. We use them in our food raw or we stuff them with anything we fancy and then we either bake or eat them stuffed and raw. All the ingredients forming the stuffing need a binder, such as rice, potatoes, or eggs; you can choose to stuff them with meat, fish, tuna, vegetables, or cheese, all finely chopped.

I stuffed the flowers in my photo with the Amaryllis in the background with white rice, tuna, olives, capers, onions, ginger and spinach. I stuffed the flowers in the photo with the green leaf plate with brown rice, ground meat (I buy a piece of beef, pork, or lamb and ground it myself, this way I don’t get the nasty pink slime added to the meat), chicory, cheese and garlic. Other types of stuffing to consider are cheese and eggs, or all vegetables with couscous, grains, or quinoa.

I find it is better to sauté the ingredients to allow them to become softer, malleable and easier to handle for the stuffing process, especially if you decide to use fresh meat or fresh fish.

Lightly butter a baking pan, align each stuffed flower tight (tops facing each other), lightly drizzle olive oil all over, sprinkle Parmigiano cheese, or any cheese for grating, add breadcrumbs and bake at 400° F. for about 45-50 minutes. The tops will be crispy, golden and the inside soft and delicious. If you like to freeze stuffed flowers to keep them for the winter like I do, wait they cool down, then box them up and put a label on the lid describing what’s in it. Three months from now, or when you decide to eat them, you will not remember what kind of stuffing is in the flowers.

It will take some time to stuff flowers, they are delicate, you can’t rush this process, therefore plan a good hour of your day to create this masterpiece. In my day there is always space for cooking and caring for myself. Find the recipe in full details in my book:
©Come Mia Nonna – A Return To Simplicity, on Amazon: http://goo.gl/T0eL36
Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer with a passion for kitchens and cooking. She operates in the USA and Europe. She loves to remodel homes and loves to turn unattractive spaces into castles, but especially loves to design kitchens and wine grottos, outdoor kitchens and outdoor rooms, great rooms and entertainment rooms.
Author of two regional Italian cuisine books available on this site on the Books page and on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
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