Welcome to the rush before the holidays. It
seems like we start rushing right now to get
ready for Thanksgiving and it doesn’t stop until
we get into the New Year. For us at Fusion we
are rushing to get as many stories done as
possible before we finish our season next week.
That’s right, we are close to the end of our
season for 2009, but don’t worry we will be
returning on March 6th of 2010. It has been fun
bringing you the best information in home
improvement, design, and cooking, and we look
forward to researching new stories for next
year. But before we take our break, here are a
few more informational stories for you…
Designing with Color
Once again we visited with designer Kimberlee
Jaynes of
Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs
(503-407-9525) at her favorite paint store,
Kaleidoscope Paints in SE Portland to talk about
using color in design. Kimberlee told us that
most people start with paint as a first step
when it should be the last step in designing a
room. Kimberlee told us that she starts with a
favorite painting or area rug. This gives her a
wider range of colors to choose from when she
starts her design. That favorite piece will give
her the background for all her choices, from
upholstery to throw pillows. She also showed us
how artwork and contrasting colors can really
pop in a room. Kimberlee also used some
different, subtler tones that helped make the
transition from outside colors to her inside
design, to that palette she also added some reds
to make a striking statement. The main thing to
think about when designing your room is how it
looks to you. If it speaks to you, then you will
love it in the end!
Al’s Create Your Own Wreath
With the holidays around the corner the need to
decorate our homes is at the top of most of our
lists. To help make it easy
Al’s Garden Center (503-726-1162) is getting
geared up by offering to make your decorating
easier. One way they are doing that is by
offering their ‘Always in Bloom’ container
inserts. These inserts can be bought in a
completed form and then you just drop them into
your pre-purchased container. The best part
about this is when spring comes around you can
just buy a completed container with flowers and
drop that in your pot in place of the winter
decorations. The other way that you can make
some easy decorations is with the Al’s Holiday
Buffet. This buffet consists of ornaments,
candles, ribbons and more. You simply choose a
wreath or centerpiece of greens and then add
whatever you want to personalize your creation.
Starting the 21st of November, the buffet will
be open through Christmas or while supplies
last.
Now, if you want to build your own wreath or
tips on making yours last longer, Al’s has some
ideas to help you. They have strippers that can
remove extra greenery from the ends of your
boughs. They also recommend a product called
Wilt Stop which will prevent your decorations
from drying out too quickly over the holidays.
Cutting Boards
One of the most used and most over-looked tools
in the kitchen is the cutting board. Most of the
food you prepare in your kitchen comes in
contact with a cutting board and your choice of
a board can make your meal prep go easier. Once
again, we were joined by Laura at
Sur La Table (503-968-8015) who walked us
through the differences in boards and why one
may be better than others for your needs. One of
the most popular is the basic maple cutting
board. This one is good because the wood has
natural anti-bacterial properties, but it
requires a little more maintenance than other
types. Maple will need to be treated with a
mineral oil to keep the wood fresh and not have
it dry out. Do not use a bleach to clean it,
just basic soap and water. The next one we
looked at was the new hot product, bamboo. This
type of cutting board also has natural
anti-bacterial properties and it is sustainably
grown. It will also need a little mineral oil to
keep it looking good. The next one was a
favorite of Laura”s, it was made out of a type
of particle board and it was dishwasher safe. We
moved to some vinyl cutting boards that had
pictures of meat, veggies, chicken and fish.
These are good for people who may be concerned
about cross-contamination while they are
cooking. Next we looked at one that was made out
of flax and was completely recyclable. When it
starts to wear out, you can compost it! Our last
cutting board was a plastic composite and it is
a favorite of professionals. The can really take
a beating and a heavy cleaning and not be
damaged. Remember, the use of a cutting board
can dull your knives and so you need to keep a
knife sharpener close-by and use it at least
once every 6 months. To learn more about knives,
cutting boards or any other kitchen tools, stop
by the closest Sur La Table.
Pomegranate Compote
Did you know that November is pomegranate month?
To celebrate this healthy wonder of nature, Chef
David decided to prepare a special compote for
French toast. First he had to get the seeds,
also called the Aril, from the fruit. This
variety of pomegranate is called the
‘Wonderful’ variety and it is known for its
sweet taste and juiciness. David showed us how
you can cut the end off and then immerse the
fruit in water to keep it from staining your
clothes and to help harvest the seeds. The
Pomegranate has one of the highest
concentrations of anti-oxidants of any fruit,
plus it is loaded with vitamins, iron and
potassium. Once they were harvested he rinsed
them off and got them ready for the rest of the
recipe. The extra arils can be frozen and will
keep quite well for months in your freezer. You
can also get a pomegranate juice in your local
grocery store under the Pom Wonderful label.
Next we move to the stove to prepare a
Pomegranate-Apple fruit compote. This is great
over French toast or other breakfast foods.
First we prepared our pomegranate juice by
mixing it with dried cherries and vanilla. This
is set aside while we work on the rest of the
recipe. In another pan we are going to soften up
2 sliced apples over heat with a little butter.
After the apples soften up we add a little maple
syrup and the cherry mixture. After a couple of
minutes it is ready to serve! You can then spoon
it over your French toast and then sprinkle with
pomegranate seeds and powdered sugar for
garnish.
For a
complete recipe, click here.
Wine Gifts
Wine is huge in the Northwest. We
have dozens of great wineries in Oregon and SW
Washington. That means we have lots of people
that drink wine and love wine themed gifts. We
stopped by
Terra Casa (503-577-8242) in Damascus and
visited with Jodi to check out some of their
unique wine gifts. On top of the list, and the
bottle, are bottle stoppers. There are lots to
choose from including crystal, iron and even
ones with cute messages. A good stopper is
important if you lose the cork or destroy it
when you remove it. The stopper will help
preserve the flavor of the wine and prevent air
from entering the bottle. One way to prevent
cork damage is with a quality cork puller like
the Rabbit. Other wine accessories include
napkin holders, napkins and even salt and pepper
shakers in the shape of wine bottles. They also
have wine art and signs for the wall of your
kitchen or dining room. To go with the wine are
all sorts of cheese knives and plates. They even
have hand painted Lolita glassware in lots of
different themes. Terra Casa is easy to get to.
Just take Sunnyside road off I-205 and head east
to Damascus. It just takes a few minutes to get
there.
Energy Efficient Fireplaces
With the colder weather here we were thinking
about firing up the fireplace and that got us
thinking about the new styles of energy
efficient fireplaces. We decided to stop by and
see the experts at
North Plains Fireplace & Rustic Furniture
(503-647-5336). Dave and Cindy Lorenz are the
owners and they walked us through the different
styles and types to choose from. First Dave
showed us a normal wood burning fireplace.
Actually it was anything but normal this one was
produced by Regency Fireplaces and it is the
Cadillac of fireplaces and can heat up to 2,000
square feet at 87 percent efficiency. This one
even has a cook top for those times when the
power goes out. Another option for heating is
the pellet stove. These have less mess because
it uses a clean pellet that you pour in a
hopper. Some questions to ask when you are
choosing a stove; what are you trying to heat,
do you need a hearth pad, do you want a blower
with your wood stove? You can also get a tax
credit on certain stoves over $1,300 so you will
want to check with a reputable dealer for
details. That credit can be applied to your
installation and chimney pipe under certain
conditions.
We then met up with Cindy to talk about gas
fireplaces. Gas stoves are still the cleanest
form of heat you can get. There is no wood or
pellets to carry through your home. Gas
fireplaces can be very efficient. We saw the
Mendota product that is in the upper 80s in
efficiency. What that means is a gas fireplace
can be as cheap as 50 cents an hour to operate.
You can also customize your fireplace with your
choice of doors, screens and interior liners. If
it seems confusing the experts at North Plains
will make it easy to understand!
