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EPISODE #37-
SATURDAY MAY 22, 2010
What happened to the weather?
It sure got cold and wet in a hurry. We are a
week away from the Memorial Day holiday and it seems like the beginning
of
March all over again. It wasn't hard to find a rainy day for David to
tackle the grill like he did in this week's open to the show. Hang in
there; warmth is coming and that means we will soon be dealing with
those
outdoor projects.
Basic Sauces - Bar-b-que
Sauce
A couple of weeks ago we met with Chef David Musial who showed
us how to make a good basic tomato sauce. This week we use that 'base'
sauce to make a 'kicker' of a bar-b-que sauce. The tomato sauce that we
made was pretty good and with just a couple of other ingredients we
found
that we can make a good all-purpose sauce. David used items like brown
sugar, ketchup, dried chili and even a little beer. In just a few
minutes
we had a very delicious sauce that could be used for ribs or brisket.
Print
out your own copy of the recipe and try it for yourself.
Gas Grills
The summer season is here and that means it is bar-b-que
season as well. To enjoy cooking outdoors you need to have a good grill.
To learn more about the newest grills we stopped by the
Northwest
Natural Appliance Center (503-220-2362) and talked to
John
Frankel. The number one trend in cooking is sustainability; not only in
the
foods you eat, but also the grill itself. As far as the grill, it should
be
made of quality products, as locally as possible and include a nice long
warranty. The better the grill the longer it stays out of the landfill.
As
for sustainable cooking, John told us that people are looking to cook a
wide
variety of foods on the grill. Vegetables are one item people want to
grill. The newer grills are designed to cook veggies without any
additional
tools or pans.
The Northwest Natural Appliance Center also carries propane,
charcoal and other styles of grills, not just natural gas styles; though
if
you want to add a natural gas grill to your deck they could give you the
names of contractors that can install it for you. The coolest grill was
the ceramic charcoal grill that retains the heat in the ceramic sides of
the
grill. We finished with the most versatile grill of them all; the EVO
grill. Because of the solid flat top you can grill all 3 meals in a day
on
the top. The best part? It is made right here in Beaverton, Oregon. If
you have any questions about grills the experts at the Northwest Natural
Appliance Center can answer them!
Making a
Cappuccino
In an earlier episode of the show we met Giorgio Milos, the
Master Barista from Illy coffee and told us about how to make the
perfect
espresso. This week we got him to make the perfect cappuccino for us.
Some
people think that a cappuccino is the same as a latte. An American latte
is
made with more milk, less coffee and less foam. In fact if you order a
latte in Italy you will just get a cup of milk, because that is the name
for
milk. Giorgio then started to show us how to make a cappuccino. The
machine he used was at Chuck's Place in Lake Oswego (503-675-7861) and
was
designed for an Artisti del Gusto (Artists of Taste) café. The coffee
was
the regular Illy blend which is a perfect blend of 5 different coffees.
When Giorgio steamed his milk he tested it with his hand. If you can't
touch the sides of your steamed milk container it is too hot. Once your
shots of espresso are done you can add the milk. Now is where Giorgio
got
to show off. He made a leaf and a heart pattern in the cappuccino when
he
finished. At home all you need is the right machine, the right milk, the
right temperature and the right coffee!
If you are interested in Illy coffee you can check out their
website at www.illyusa.com, or you can get a
taste of Italy at Chuck's Place in Lake Oswego.
Cabinet
Goodies
We decided to call this story 'cabinet goodies' because of all
the new features that you can find in cabinets for your kitchen and
bathroom. In the old days all you had was a shelf in your cabinets, but
today you can have all sorts of slide-outs and unique shelves at your
disposal. Fabio from
Parr Cabinet Outlet (503-614-2655) gave us a tour of a
demonstration kitchen to show us the latest and great in organization.
The
first cabinets we saw had pull outs for spices and small jars and cans;
they
even had compartmentalized the drawers for knives, and small gadgets.
There
was even an area for your garbage bags. We then moved to another area in
the kitchen near the refrigerator. This area featured a very tall and
thin slideout that would allow very easy access to spices and canned goods.
The
corner cabinets are some of the most underutilized areas in the kitchen.
Fabio showed us the newest design in a full shelf 'lazy-Susan' and even
a
slide out that is hard to describe, but is incredibly functional. There
is
much more than we could ever discuss in such a short story. From soft
close
drawers to other odd space storage options you really need, stop by Parr
and see all that they have for your kitchen or bath.
Mr. Sandless
Hardwood floors can be beautiful, unless they get a little worn.
To get them back to their prime condition used to require a lot of
sanding,
staining and sealing with all the accompanying dust and fumes. There is
a
new way to re-finish your floors and we caught up with Rodney Goodman to
learn about the Mr. Sandless (888-554-WOOD) process. Instead of taking
a
layer off your floor the Sandless process does an extreme cleaning of
the
wood. Once the floor is cleaned they can detail it and even tint the
color
a little and then seal the floor with an environmentally friendly
sealer.
With all the detailing, most of the scuffs and marks almost disappear.
The
benefit to the Mr. Sandless process is the speed and cleanliness of the
process. The whole job can be done in about a day as opposed to 3-4 days
or
longer with a sanding method. Plus the price is less-than-half the price of
a
sanding job and it is guaranteed for 5 years. Mr Sandless is quick,
clean
and certified green!
Quick Tip -
Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips
We caught up with Tyler Paulson of
Paulson's Floor Coverings
(503-620-7080) to learn about cleaning your hardwood floors without
damaging
them. Tyler said the worst thing you can do is to use too much moisture.
The rule is 'less is more', the less moisture the better. Vacuuming and
sweeping is the best for normal cleaning. If you need to use a cleaning
product you can use 'Bona' Hardwood Floor Cleaner and use it in smaller
areas, working in a 3x3 foot space so the material doesn't set too long
on
the floor. If you can't get the Bona product, you can use a Swiffer or
light soapy water, but don't do a large area, remember that less is
more.
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