Loft Restaurant Food

An Italian home says welcome and has a very welcoming atmosphere. Therefore when you are thinking about Italian furniture you should start with your kitchen as that is the heart of any Italian home. Creating that atmosphere in your kitchen is not that difficult as you may think. All you need is a little paint, arrangement of the right furniture and a few other accessories.

You can start with adding a few decorations to your walls, such as a picture of spaghetti and meatballs or a picture with olives on it. Olives are a staple with Italians, so why not incorporate it into your dishes. Try using trays that have grapes or olives on them. It will make a world of difference. Once you have started this you can build on it and before you know it you will have Italian all over your kitchen in no time. In your kitchen you can add a wine rack and some old wine bottles place some glasses around it to get that Italian effect. This will make a wonderful addition to your Italian home.

When it comes to your walls, they should be colorful. You should use rich earthy tones like the ones you would see out in the vineyards of Italy. They should also include some type of texture and you can do this by using a sponge or rag while you paint the walls or if you wish stucco can be used. Finish your room by adding a decorative molding between the top of the wall and the ceiling.

Another important addition to your Italian kitchen is fresh herbs in terra cotta pots on your window sill. These not only can be used but they also add a wonderful fragrance throughout your kitchen. If you don’t use that many fresh herbs, then you can find the pots that hold artificial herbs and will give the same effect.

By: Jim Poniente

About the Author:

Website content

Remember when you were a kid and couldn’t wait for Halloween – dreams of candy swirling in your head? Valentines Day is like that for chocoholics dreaming of gourmet chocolate gifts. Chocolate lovers dreams come true when you also tell them it’s good for their heart.

In a recent Japanese study, researchers found that dark chocolate rich in flavonoids can actually improve coronary blood flow. People who ate 550 milligrams of dark chocolate a day showed vast improvement of coronary blood flow after just two weeks compared to participants who ate white chocolate without flavonoids. Flavonoids are what gives chocolate it’s antioxidant power. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage to our cells by free radicals – formed by environmental pollution and normal cellular activity. These antioxidants are what helps keep plaques from forming in our arteries. Good news for gourmet chocolate lovers.

Dark chocolate contains the most flavonoids because it is the less processed than milk chocolate or white chocolate. Flavonoids also give dark chocolate a stronger flavor. As a cocoa bean goes through fermentation, alkalizing and roasting (more processing), more flavonoids get lost.

Other chocolate research has shown dark chocolate and cocoa powder may raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels by up to 10%, while keeping bad cholesterol (LDL) levels at bay. Stearic acid, one of the fats in chocolate, can actually boost HDL levels according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And although, one would expect bad cholesterol levels to rise because of the increased fat intake, this was not the case. This is more good news for chocoholics.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, chocolate in moderation may be a close second.

By: Sarah R. Parker

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress