Valerie's Tips
From time to time we will use this page to share fashion tips, recipes, interesting and useful products, or just things that make us smile. Contact us if you have any questions or comments about items you see on Valerie's Tips page.
From time to time we will use this page to share fashion tips, recipes, interesting and useful products, or just things that make us smile. Contact us if you have any questions or comments about items you see on Valerie's Tips page.
PLEASE NOTE TEMPORARY OPENING HOURS CHANGE
For personal reasons, Valanne' Style will be closed from November 24-28, 2013. We will reopen at 1130am on November 29, 2013.
For personal reasons, Valanne' Style will be closed from November 24-28, 2013. We will reopen at 1130am on November 29, 2013.
Autumn is here,
Go ahead bake some chocolate bread. Many years ago I received this delicious recipe from a friend....many thanks to Judy ["a Legend"]
Go ahead bake some chocolate bread. Many years ago I received this delicious recipe from a friend....many thanks to Judy ["a Legend"]
Chocolate Zucchini Loaf
2 1/2c flour
1/2c cocoa
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4c butter
2c sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2c coarsely shredded Zucchini
1/2c milk
1c chocolate chip [can add an extra 1/2 cup ]
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt ---set aside.
With a mixer combine [room temperature] butter and sugar until smoothly blended. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. With a spoon stir in vanilla and Zucchini. Alternately the dry ingredients and milk as the last addition add the chocolate chips.Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan or a large loaf pan...any extra batter? it can also make great little muffins.
Bake @350 degrees for 1hour and tests clean with a tooth pick.Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to finish cooling.Slice,put pieces of parchment paper between each slice and put in the freezer to use for work lunches.
2 1/2c flour
1/2c cocoa
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4c butter
2c sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2c coarsely shredded Zucchini
1/2c milk
1c chocolate chip [can add an extra 1/2 cup ]
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt ---set aside.
With a mixer combine [room temperature] butter and sugar until smoothly blended. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. With a spoon stir in vanilla and Zucchini. Alternately the dry ingredients and milk as the last addition add the chocolate chips.Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan or a large loaf pan...any extra batter? it can also make great little muffins.
Bake @350 degrees for 1hour and tests clean with a tooth pick.Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to finish cooling.Slice,put pieces of parchment paper between each slice and put in the freezer to use for work lunches.
How To Tie a Scarf!
It's cooling down, time to get out those scarves and wraps and start preparing for the cooler weather. And to help you display those scarves to their best advantage, Valerie is offering a few tips on how to tie scarves in various ways. It might take a minute for the audio and video to load, depending on the speed of your internet connection. For more scarf-tying ideas, check out the jewelry scarves on the Accessories page and the Jewelry page.
See Hot New Merchandise and New Fall Fashions for samples of the latest scarves and wraps.
Bring your own scarves in for fun ideas on how to wear them.
It's cooling down, time to get out those scarves and wraps and start preparing for the cooler weather. And to help you display those scarves to their best advantage, Valerie is offering a few tips on how to tie scarves in various ways. It might take a minute for the audio and video to load, depending on the speed of your internet connection. For more scarf-tying ideas, check out the jewelry scarves on the Accessories page and the Jewelry page.
See Hot New Merchandise and New Fall Fashions for samples of the latest scarves and wraps.
Bring your own scarves in for fun ideas on how to wear them.
The Summer Scarf.
The Braided Knot.
The Tube Scarf.
Narrow Scarf That Doubles as a Shawl.
The Simple But Elegant Knot.
The Flower Clip - Dress Up Any Outfit Easily.
The Triangle Scarf.
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A RARE DAY IN WINE COUNTRY
It's not every day that we get the chance to tour this beautiful valley but on Labor Day, we did it. Valerie and her husband Ed took off for the day to visit wineries, have lunch over looking the lake, and were even treated to a sight of the Kettle Valley Railroad steam engine! You notice that Valerie's wearing the 3-way tunic top in turquoise, perfect for a day in the sun! 
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Perfect Summer Sipper! Just when you think summer's almost over, we get another heat wave. And the perfect drink for the hot summer day is sanpellegrino and tequila. Give it a try! just a splash of tequila and lots of ice in any of the sanpellegrino flavours and you will be a huge hit with your patio guests. |
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Easy parmesan prawns
Here's an easy appetizer that is a staple in our house. Valerie's husband Ed is an excellent cook and this is one of his specialties. Simply delicious!
Perfect Parmesan Prawns…by Chef Ed
Large style prawns 21-25 count /bag
Melt 1/3 cup butter with garlic in a sauce pan
Add the prawns cook 1 ½ minutes or until they just turn pink
Generously sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese, take off the heat. Wait for the cheese to melt, serve with baguettes slices or crackers
Do not over cook, prawn become tough if over cooked. Enjoy as an appetizer or with steak for dinner.
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Great Place for Lunch or Dinner in Oroville!
We've found a new place in Oroville for lunch or dinner! It's called Pastime, 1307 Main Street, right across the street from Betta's. Big place with great atmosphere. Live music on weekends, an outdoor patio, pool tables, shuffle board table, beer on tap, local wines, and lots of seating. A professional chef created the menu and the food is amazing. Here's the day and night menus, dessert menu, and beverage list. They are also sourcing fresh produce from the area and have a list of their "fresh" ingredients. It's worth a visit. 
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Summer means fun nail colours. We have found a place for great nails! Visit Heidi at Solterra Spa at Spirit Ridge (N'KMip) for long-lasting beautiful nails. And stop by the store for a look at our new rings in sterling silver.
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Take Care of your Feet!
We're going to be seeing a lot of your feet this summer as you break out all those fancy sandals. You can get a pedicure, but what else can you do to make those feet as beautiful as the rest of you? One of our customers reported on a special lotion from Dr. Scholl's that solved the problem of cracked heels (thank you Shirley!) and we just had to try it. Well, we're here to tell you that it works. So if you want that extra bit of pampering, run to Shoppers for your overnight lotion kit. |
Get the Ultra Overnight Foot Cream from Shoppers and rub it into your rough spots before you go to bed and then put on a light slipper. All to be found at Shoppers for a reasonable price. The lotion is thick but will rub in and after just a few days your feet will be much improved.
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Not Fashionable but Worth Knowing!
We live in an area with very hard water, which causes annoying porcelain stains in the bathroom. FINALLY we found a product that can clean those horrible rings without having to use caustic cleaners. Yes, not a real fashion tip, but it sure has saved us a lot of time cleaning when we'd rather be out on the deck. It's called the Bath Stone and you can use it without any cleaning products to get rid of those persistent water stains.
We live in an area with very hard water, which causes annoying porcelain stains in the bathroom. FINALLY we found a product that can clean those horrible rings without having to use caustic cleaners. Yes, not a real fashion tip, but it sure has saved us a lot of time cleaning when we'd rather be out on the deck. It's called the Bath Stone and you can use it without any cleaning products to get rid of those persistent water stains.
Okay, here's the problem. In the past, it took a lot of chemicals to get rid of that stain.
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And here's the solution. It uses a bit of pumice stone, which does NOT scratch the porcelain. I found it at Bed Bath & Beyond, and was thrilled to discover that it actually works!
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And it's not terribly expensive, no more than the price of a good sponge.
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Okay, One More Tip For the Bathroom
You can tell I've just had a lot of company and am planning for a lot more for the summer. Here's one fun thing I found to dress up your bathrooms - coloured bathroom tissue! Remember the good old days when we didn't care about the environmental effects of paper dye? Well, someone has finally found a safe way to put colour back into bathroom tissue. I got mine in my Mother's Day basket. Nice find by my daughter at London Drugs. |
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Something Else for Easy Entertaining
Now that we've got the house clean and decorated, here's something else I like to have around for easy company desserts (again, to preserve more time around the pool!) These light and yummy cookies are from Costco, and make an excellent simple addition to a summer meal. For dessert, use them to serve with gelato or sherbet, or use local cherries or strawberries to make a sauce for them. |
Yes, they are coated with chocolate on one side, making them an excellent companion with cherries or strawberries. Or red wine. Or just sunshine!
To make the dessert, mix your local pitted cherries with a teaspoon or so of corn starch, sugar to taste, and then a splash of the secret ingredient: Kirsch Liqueur!
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Here's the lid, you can find them at Costco, which means you get a lot for a reasonable price. Easy summer dessert!
Serve the cherries with vanilla yogurt and the laceys in a champagne glass. They'll think you spent hours on dessert!
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Fluffy Flowers
One of the things we love most is to entertain family and friends in a beautiful and fun way. Part of the fun is deciding on a theme and decorating the table accordingly. This weekend, the colours of choice are orange and pink, and so we needed some big fluffy flowers to decorate the table and chairs. These puffy flowers are easy to make. Check out the video below for a quick demonstration.
One of the things we love most is to entertain family and friends in a beautiful and fun way. Part of the fun is deciding on a theme and decorating the table accordingly. This weekend, the colours of choice are orange and pink, and so we needed some big fluffy flowers to decorate the table and chairs. These puffy flowers are easy to make. Check out the video below for a quick demonstration.
Puffy flowers are a simply and fun way to decorate. You just need tissue paper, scissors, and pipe cleaners.
Flowers on the back of each chair adds a truly festive air to your summer dinner party.
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You just need tissue paper, scissors, and pipe cleaners.
More flowers decorate that hanging light above the table. Here's how they look in black and white. Very classy.
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Fashion Suggestion
Remember the hard and fast rule about "no white shoes before Victoria Day or after Labor Day?" Or no shoes lighter than the hemline of your dress"? Some of those rules don't seem to make much sense any more, or at least we seem to be following them less. But some fashion rules make sense simply because they make you look better. One of Valerie's tips for this summer season relates to leggings. Since they are such a versatile addition to your wardrobe, we wanted to give you something to consider, when wearing these essential fashion items.
Leggings are so useful, they can be pulled up to be long or short, but what's the right length for you? Generally, it's been suggested that you don't want the bottom of the legging to hit the the widest part of your leg. So for example, if you have the choice of wearing it above or below your calf, you'd want to choose one or the other rather than right at the middle or the widest part of your calf. See photos below for a sample of what we mean. You decide what you like.
Remember the hard and fast rule about "no white shoes before Victoria Day or after Labor Day?" Or no shoes lighter than the hemline of your dress"? Some of those rules don't seem to make much sense any more, or at least we seem to be following them less. But some fashion rules make sense simply because they make you look better. One of Valerie's tips for this summer season relates to leggings. Since they are such a versatile addition to your wardrobe, we wanted to give you something to consider, when wearing these essential fashion items.
Leggings are so useful, they can be pulled up to be long or short, but what's the right length for you? Generally, it's been suggested that you don't want the bottom of the legging to hit the the widest part of your leg. So for example, if you have the choice of wearing it above or below your calf, you'd want to choose one or the other rather than right at the middle or the widest part of your calf. See photos below for a sample of what we mean. You decide what you like.
Bring BAck Those lashes!
Back in January I realized that the lashes of my youth had somehow disappeared. I first noticed a loss of the hairs from my legs and underarms, which was not really a bad thing. I was not pleased about the eyelashes though. Oh the wonders of the big
letters "A.G.E." Recently, I heard about products that can grow your lashes so and I decided to give one of them a try. It's called -RapidLash XL. I purchased it from Costco for less than $50.00. Everyone should be careful about using a new product, but I just wanted to share that I noticed a remarkable change, and believe I got my lashes back as a result. 
My sister and I just visited New York and while we were there got a professional make over from the experts. There is always something new out there!
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A Refreshing Summer Drink
When I turned 50, I had a white-themed birthday party, a refreshing change from the traditional all-black parties that seem to accompany certain age milestones. The food and drinks were white and all the guests were invited to wear white. Quite a beautiful look. I found this "white" drink on the Martha Stewart web site (www.marthastewart.com) and thought that it would make a refreshing summer drink suggestion: White Cosmopolitan
Ingredients
Directions
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What You Can Learn Besides Cooking at a Cooking Class
I recently attended a cooking class that the Miradoro Restaurant (at the Tinhorn Winery). Very interesting class, with lots of good cooking tips. One thing that really peaked my interest, however, was the spatula that Chef Jeff was using to move the salmon around. It sure seemed like a handy thing so the next time I went shopping, I decided to see if I could find one. Sure enough, I found not just one but TWO different sizes of these handy lifters at Bed Bath and Beyond. I also learned that these were speciality items, just for fish! Who knew?
I recently attended a cooking class that the Miradoro Restaurant (at the Tinhorn Winery). Very interesting class, with lots of good cooking tips. One thing that really peaked my interest, however, was the spatula that Chef Jeff was using to move the salmon around. It sure seemed like a handy thing so the next time I went shopping, I decided to see if I could find one. Sure enough, I found not just one but TWO different sizes of these handy lifters at Bed Bath and Beyond. I also learned that these were speciality items, just for fish! Who knew?
Chef Jeff Van Geest and a part of his team from Miradoro restaurant.
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The fish spatulas! The smaller one was less than $8 and the larger one was around $18.
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