Never Assume

Buon giorno, Good Day,

 

Hello to all my new found friends I have met at book signings, events, from my website, and any other places we may have crossed paths.

 

. Just the other day I was going into the Dr.'s office, and someone called out 'cookbook lady',  "I saw you on Show Me St. Louis, and the pasta dish you made looked great". Assuming she made it, I said, "How did you like it"?  She replied, "Oh, I don't cook, I just like to watch the shows". What a gratifying answer!   Just what I wanted to hear.

 

But, I will say, I did indeed find some real cooks at one of my recent book signings.  It was at Left Bank Books.  The very prestigious, old, and quaint bookstore in downtown St. Louis on the corner of McPherson and Euclid. Just to walk into the store gives one a sense of historic pride. Anyway, it was an evening event, and I decided to make some Red Sauce over Penne Pasta, Spiedinis with Peppermint Sauce, and my old favorite, Italian Cream Cake. 

 

 People were gathering in when we got there, and when they saw I had samples, they quickly gathered at the table.  I immediately started filling bowls with my handouts.  When I noticed most of them were women, I again assumed these would be my biggest fans.  However, two stately gentlemen appeared and right off started talking cookbook lingo.  I said, "Do you guys cook?"  "Oh yes, we love to cook, and we want a couple of your cookbooks".  They not only wanted the books, but wanted to know what city or province my grandparents came from, what kind of dishes we cooked during the holidays,was I going to Italy soon, and so on.  Quite interesting, they kept me on my toes the entire evening.

 

It was a lot of fun, being down with the stately ones, the beautiful lamplights outside the windows, and people browsing  round the bookstore eating my Italian food and telling others, the 'cookbook lady'.is here.  I assumed it would be just another book signing, but looking back, it was probably one of the most memorial. 

 

So, never assume; things usually turn out different than you think.  There are a lot of men who do the cooking out there, and thank God for it.

 

This reminds me of the father who taught his three sons how to run the family business.  They all became very rich and famous. But when it came time for the father to die, he gathered his sons and said "I've been generous with you all of my life, but when I die, I want to take all of my money with me. Make sure it is in cash bills, and lay it across my body in the casket.  Soon, the father died, but when he was laid out there was no cash in the casket.  The funeral director, also aware of the father's wishes, asked the boys why they did not honor their father. "Oh, we certaintly did keep his wish, said one of the sons, "Why, just under his pillow there, we wrote a check".

 

So ends the story of assumption.  Never take anything for granted, appreciate every day for what it is and follow the leading of the Good Lord.  You'll never have to assume, He will be a faithful friend.

 

Arrivederci, and Goodbye for now

Rosalie Fiorino Harpole  rosalie.@rosalieservingitalian.

 

 

*Tours of the Hill*

Buon giorno, Good Day!

For all of you folks that do not live in St. Louis, Missouri, let me give a little explanation of what we call "The Italian Hill".  This is a small Italian community located in Southwest part of St. Louis. At the turn of the century, Italian immigrants settled there. They came mostly from northern Italy as young couples with their children and babies, many of them leaving family members back in Italy.  This section of the city is actually set apart with big flags marked "The Hill" mounted on tall lamp lights, so you know exactly when and where as you enter the place.  A beautiful section of quaint but dated small homes, line the streets with manicured yards and nice landscaping. People come from all over the world come to spend a day or two picking up their treasured Italian commodities. 

 

"The Hill" boasts of Italian bakeries like Amighetti's. Many restaurants, such as   Rigazzi's, Charlie Gitto's, and Cunnetto's are very popular.  Grocery Stores are plentiful with imported oils, pastas and spices, not to mention the wonderful daily baked bread.   Just a few of these stores are Urzi's, DiGregorio's and Viviano's.    There are two bocci gardens well maintained and beautiful. The monumental St. Ambrose Catholic Church is a tourist attraction where many have their picture taken with the historical bronze statue of Italian immigrants, with the lady holding her baby, in front of the church.

 

Truly, a must-see place called "The Hill", will give you all-day entertainment, plus a wonderful place to eat at the end of the day.

 

So this brings me to my real topic, "Tours Of The Hill" with Jennie. This is a group of ladies and gentlemen who get on their "Hill Bus" and tour around the state of Missouri.

And last Wednesday, August 8^th, they all (12) decided to come to 'Rosalie's Kitchen' for an authentic Italian Feast.  Of course, I had no other thing to do but to accommodate them.

 

My husband spray-painted the driveway with white, green, and red huge strips, put big 'Rosalie's Hill' signs at the beginning of the road to our house, and welcomed each guest with green, red and white balloons.  The leader was Jennie Garegnani, the bus driver, and 10 other ladies guests.  When they came through the door, the first thing they did was kiss me on the cheek and hug me.  I knew right then, all Italians are related somehow.  They took notice of my beautiful summer-theme table settings and clapped hands with glee.  After all the introductions and more kisses and hugs, the meal was underway.

 

I started them off with the hot Italian Bread and Salad.  Next, I made the Pasta with the Fresh Basil and Tomatoes right in front of them; it is so fast and fun to watch.  They each got a big bowl, topped with the fresh ground Romano Cheese.  They were well into that when I brought out the big platter of Italian Breaded Pork Chops.  The bus driver took the biggest chop and with a broad smile on his face, said "I make no regrets". Next came the summer Italian Vegetable Stir-fry with fresh tomatoes and garlic.  After about an hour of eating, they were asking for carry-out plates.  I promised them anything they wanted to carry home, as long as they had their dessert.  They all moaned, but gladly took a generous piece of the Italian Pineapple Cake.

 

The day was not complete until I had personally signed 9 of my cookbooks for them. 

So, holding their books, they took their token of a flower napkin holder, their food and memories.  Out in the big yard by the flower garden, my husband, Bill, took several group pictures with me and our guests, and of course the big white tour bus with the green and red lettering "Tours of The Hill".

 

This is another chapter in the life of Rosalie Serving Italian.

 

Love,

Rosalie

Interview with Post Dispatch

July 27, 2007

 

Buon giorno:

Hello my friends:

 

Recently I was at a large church service where there were about 1,500 people in attendance.  It was an evening service,  about 7:30pm.  I received a phone call from a journalist representing the Food Section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  I stepped out into the vestibule of the church and heard her say, "Rosalie, do you mind if I do an interview over the phone about your cookbook"?  I said, "oh, that will be fine."  I didn't realize this would take an hour.

 

So, I'm out in the vestibule with unruly kids, bathroom goers, booth browsers, and condemning faces noticing me pace around with my cell phone glued to my ear.  Not to mention this was the worship time in the service agenda, so the orchestra and praise singers were at their peak sound level.

 

Every now and then I would hear the lady say "so, tell me about your book".  During breaths I was ducking in and out of all sorts of rooms, trying to find some quietness, some of which included the music room, bathroom (no reception), kitchen, janitor closet, (no reception) nursery, Sunday school room, all of which had the wonderful loud Pentecostal music piped in. 

 

After 10 minutes of this, and me asking her, "could you please repeat that question"?,  I thought, " I'll just go outside". This would have been great, except that a great storm was brewing and the rain was inevitable.  Finally, the music subsided and I was able to think a little.  I didn't realize they were taking up the evening offering, and after the short prayer, the 120 member choir would be featured.

 

"And how long did it take you to complete the book?  Where did the recipes come from?  What prompted you to write a cookbook?  Who took the food pictures? ....are you still there?"   "Oh yes", I replied, while retreating to my own display booth, sitting on the floor behind my table with one finger in my other ear, and saying  "yes, yes, I can hear you well".  "Oh, good" she said, "and your story is so interesting, why I could just go on and on".  "Just take your time", I said, hoping no one would actually come over to my table and behold the sight.  Anyway, by this time, most everyone should be in their seats, including me.

 

I've not seen the article out in the Post Dspatch yet, but I am concerned. I can just see the lyrics of the choir song mixed in with the interview.  At any rate, after an hour of telling my story, I did finally join my husband, just in time to hear the announcement, "And please turn off your cell phones in courtesy of the evening speaker.  Wow, that was a close one!  I almost missed an interview!

 

All in fun, God's timing is always perfect, even though you may have to hide under your table for awhile, He has a way of finding you.

 

Ciao, and watch for my next blog,

Love, Rosalie

 

 

 

Seek And Ye Shall Find

Hi and Buon giorno:

 

Did you know the Bible has some profound statements in it?  One that I have discovered lately, is the Seek and Ye Shall Find principal.  I really use this one when I'm driving all over St. Louis trying to find where I'm supposed to be at a book signing, that I'm already late for, or trying to find the place of business or store that would just love to consign my book (even though they don't know it yet).  It seemed last week, almost every day I was on this mission, trying to find my destination.  Every time I got lost for the nth time, I would just pull over, read the directions again, pray, read again, think about scrapping this one, turning around and going back the other way, or I don't know what.  Finally I got really spiritual and started claiming scripture.  Doesn't the Bible say just keep seeking?  Yes, that's it!  Surely, I'm going to find this place. No, I would not resolve to giving up. I would conquer these one way streets, avenues that are named for two but only have the old one listed and overpasses newly constructed that sent me the wrong way.  Yes, after much Seeking, I can say I finally did Find my destinations.  So what if it was 3 days later?  It's the end result that counts. 

 

All in fun, this cookbook has brought me to some awesome places.  Take the Cozy Corner Bookstore in Louisiana, Missouri, last July 14th.  I was there for a book signing, and to speak to would-be authors, (although, I had no idea I was the main speaker).  But, what a beautiful town!  Especially Georgia Street, with all of its stately Victorian mansions.  I just couldn't help getting lost looking at these beautiful homes.  Thankfully, I only had to call the bookstore twice for directions.  The book signing went great as they sampled my Italian fried ravioli, cauliflower, and eggplant.  Then they sampled my Italian Cream Cake and Cannolis.  After much eating, talking, and signing, the president of the book club announced the main speaker, which to my surprise, was me.  He introduced me and said, we have about an hour left, so just take your time.  To myself I said, Lord, "why do these things happen to me"?

 

Since this was not the first time I've been asked to speak on the spot, the one thing that I knew to do was to just be myself.  Tell my story, of which I did. All about how the book came about, how the good Lord directed my path, how I turned my 'passion into action', and so on.  After the 1 hour was up, and I felt that I told the would-be authors everything I could think of, they began to come to me, hug me with tears in their eyes, and tell me how I inspired them.  One little 12 year- old girl gave me a copy of all her poems, and wanted me to give her advice.  I told her to keep plugging, and put them in her school newspaper.  She said she did that, but no one really got excited, and that she keeps looking for her break.  So after much encouragement, I told her of a simple, but profound principal right out of the Bible..... Seek and Ye Shall Find!

 

Hey, guys, don't give up, even if you have to stop along the path of life and ask directions, you will find your opportunities.  You may even have some beautiful scenery along the way.

 

 

Pasta Puffet with Antacids correction

I'm sorry folks, there were only 10 students, not 12.  Also the fee for that session was $25, not $30 per student.  Just wanted to set the record straight.  Watch for my next exciting blog.

 

Love to all,

Rosalie Fiorino Harpole.

Pasta Puffet with Antacids.

I recently hosted a cooking class in my home entitled "Pasta Puffet".  The class advertisement being:  learn the technique of serving perfect pasta "al dente".  Build sauces from simple to extravagant, using your own creativity.  There were 12 students, and upon arriving, I told them to wash their hands thoroughly, put on one of my many aprons, and get ready to put together an array of pasta sauces.  I put them in groups of four, in order to give everyone a chance to participate. We started with the Pasta with fresh Basil and Tomatoes,  and while some were chopping up the fresh basil, another group was peeling and dicing up the fresh garlic.  We used the vine-ripe tomatoes, and that group was dipping the tomatoes in boiling water, peeling and coring.  This dish goes so fast, that the group over boiling the pasta wanted me to come quick and check "al dente".  They knew everyone was in trouble if they overcooked the pasta.  The one thing I'm emphatic about is boiling the pasta to "al dente".  I told them all right off, "don't boil the pasta to death", or I'll have to kill you.  It is the one thing that will totally kill your dish!.  I emphasize this in my book and since this dish called for angel hair, I knew 3-4 minutes was the limit.  So everyone was buzzing around, while the large pasta bowl was ready with the basil, tomatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Using a spaghetti spoon, I had them lift the pasta right out of the boiling water and into the bowl.  That way we saved the pasta water to moisten the dish.  We then covered the dish with freshly grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.  Since this dish must be eaten immediately for the best flavor, they all dug in and had a bowl.  I cautioned them to just sample, since we had five more dishes to prepare.  They all assured me this was the "best" and the complete pound of pasta and sauce vanished. As the evening went on we made Alfredo sauces:  plain, Fettuccine Alfredo,with chicken and spinach, ( Pasta Florentine) with broccoli and mushrooms(Pasta Con Broccoli ), etc. Of course we stop after each dish to "sample".  Next, the red sauces:  Marinara over Stuffed Jumbo Shells, and a Light Red Meat Sauce over linguine.  Mid way through this, one of the young students, who was soon to be married,and so enjoying the class, says "Can we make a dessert"?.  I stopped amid all the buzzing around and said,  "well, I guess so".  So I quickly got the Pineapple Upsidedown Cake going, since I knew we could at least put this together in about 10 minutes.  Because so much was packed into this one session, I could see the class going on forever.  I said, "well girls, maybe we should cut down on some of these dishes".  "Oh, no", they replied", "we can stay late since this is the night class".  This of course was okay with me, and since they were content to cook and eat, cook and eat, and cook and eat, who was I to stop the fun.?  The class started at 5:30pm  It was now 9:00pm, and someone was making coffee for their freshly out-of-the-oven dessert.  Reflecting back on the last 31/2 hours, they consumed 6 pasta dishes and now they were on the dessert.  I could just visualize my name in a class-action law suit for exploding abdomens at Rosalie's Cooking Class.  I guess the one thing that might save me was the fact they paid for it.  But, at $30 a student, and me paying for the ingredients, I can tell you right up, this one was definitely a loss.  Something tells me, I'd better revise my fee.  All in fun, what a memory!

 

Arriverderci mia amicos

Goodbye for now.

Visiting the Hill, St. Louis

Buon giorno, mia amicos!  Hello, my friends.

 

This is July 1, 2007.  The cookbook, Rosalie Serving Italian, out eight weeks now, is getting much bigger than I am.  Help!!!, I need an agent or distributor.  If anyone has suggestions, let me know.  I cannot possible market this book by myself.

 

Yesterday I was at a book signing down on The Hill, at DiGregorio's Food Market.   Oh my goodness, talk about feeling like your in little Italy!  The store was buzzing with Italians, tourists, and locals from the time I arrived around 11am.  I was handing out my Itaian Cream Cake samples, and telling everyone how much they needed my Italian Cookbook.  A little Italian lady, who could partly understand me, said "scussi", (pointing to her head) "ecco e mia testa, grazie",  meaning,  "excuse me, it's all in my head, thank you".  Well, she certaintly put me in my place.  I politely said,  "Parlo un po' d' Italiana, ma va bene", meaning,  "I speak Italian a little, but all is well".  She smilled at my "Italian", and shook my hand.  She then said "Buona fortuna!, meaning,  "good luck".  Wow, that was a close one.  I surely didn't want my books ending up in the Missouri River by her Mafia sons.  I vowed to listen to my Italian tapes all the more, so I could throw some peace treaties in the mix, if needed.  Any way, meeting all these Italians, and who knows, half my cousins, I had a wonerful time.

 

About DiGregorio's on The Hill.  Great place to shop. All the imported olive oils, balsamic vinegars, spices, pastas of all kinds and shapes, cheeses, including Fontina, Goat Cheese, Mozzerella, Provolone, Romano, and the items just go on and on.  I really wanted to go shopping, especially because my table was right in front of the deli and meat cases, and everytime someone would select the Italina salsiccia, salami, stuffed olives, and deli sandwiches, I wanted to say "I need some too".  Actually, I was famished by the time the store was coming to a close, and book signing was over, that I restrained myself.  Otherwise I would have spent more than my net.  I'm not into profits yet.  So all of you fans out there, you all must visit the Hill in St. Louis.  The vallet boy in front of Charlie Gitto"s was so young and beautiful, I thought, forget the "ristorante", just park my car.

 

All in fun, the day was great.  Although, I did agree to some things I wasn't planning.  Like, telling the little lady who drives the bus for her ladies group, "of course I will cook you all an Italain dinner at my house when you come to tour Troy Mo."  She readily signed me up and we got the date. $12 per person for a complete meal including dessert.  She also wanted me to arrange places for them to visit.  This is when I said the fee only covered the meal, you people find your own entertainment.  Others standing in line and hearing the conversation started saying, "Will you come to my home and serve my group",  "or can we bring our groups over"?  I thought, now what am I going to do?  Probally all of it.  You all know how much I love to entertain and serve my Italian food.  In answer to one man's question at the book signing, "what all do you do".  I prodly answerd, "Cook and serve Italian food, do fundraisers, community benefits, speak when I'm invited, teach cooking classes, keep up with my website and newsletter, and literally go nuts.  But people, Im lovin' it.

(I know I left out about 20 other things)

 

Arrivederci, and goodbye for now.