I was just thinking the other
day... the kids are almost done
with school for this year. Once they are home it will be time to
start
thinking about travel and vacations; and that made me think
about packing!
I remember as a kid the whole family filling the car to the roof
full of
clothes, toys, snacks and everything else that we thought we
needed. Wow,
there were times when we thought there wouldn't even be enough
room for us
in the car. Nowadays people travel by plane to vacation
destinations and
packing has become an art. To help you get ready for travel we
did a story
with Dan Lerma at
The Container Store (503-620-5700). Check it out
below.
No matter where your travels take you this summer, be safe and
don't forget to check us out when you return.
One place you can travel for a day trip is to
French Prairie
Gardens (503-633-8445).
Head on out for a taste of spring, they are just getting their
first crop of
strawberries this weekend.
Backyard Bouquets
You are getting ready for a dinner party and you notice that
the table is not looking that great. Well, this is the perfect
time of year to take care of the problem yourself. Just make a
trip to your backyard! Kim from
Geranium Lake
Flowers (503-228-1920) showed us how you can
use the
flowers that are already in your garden to create a wonderful
centerpiece
for your table. You need a container that will be a good size
for your
table. Don't get anything too tall. That will just create a
barrier at the
table and people will have a hard time visiting. Add some flower
preservative to the water to help your arrangement last longer.
Now you are
ready to start building your centerpiece. Kim started with the
background
foliage. This foliage creates the backdrop to your arrangement
and the
structure for everything else you use. A lot of people forget
that they
have plenty of material at their finger tips. Something as
simple as iris
leaves, herbs and other garden shrubs may not look that great by
themselves,
but together they can really look wonderful. We then moved to
some smaller
flowers stalks like Lily of the Valley and Weigela to the
corners of the
arrangement. This will allow the center to be open for the
bigger, bolder
flowers. For big flowers Kim picked some peonies and poppies.
The poppies
emit a sap, so Kim used a match to burn and seal the stem. This
will help
the poppy last longer. Once they were finished we moved them to
the table
and by creating 4-5 similar arrangements the table really stood
out! Kim
also added a small cordial glass with individual flowers and the
guests get
to keep the glasses. For more helpful decorating tips you can
check out
the Geranium Lake website and Kim's Blog.
Sautéed Mushrooms
It is mushroom season! In Oregon one of the most highly sought
after mushrooms is the Morel mushroom. To learn how to prepare
this
wonderful delicacy we stopped by the
Oregon Culinary Institute
(1-888-OCI-CHEF) to visit with Chef Dan Brophy. A true morel is
hollow in
the center. You tap them gently to remove the dirt. When you
slice them
you want to leave larger pieces so people can see and enjoy the
honeycomb or
'loofah' like texture. Chef Brophy did a simple sauté of these
wonderful
favorites. It was simple with just a few ingredients. First,
after slicing
the mushrooms, he heated a pan with a tablespoon of butter. He
added about
a half a cup of sliced shallots and let them get tender. Then he
added the
mushrooms. After about 10 minutes the mushrooms and the shallots
were soft
and tender. Then he added about a quarter cup of brandy (away
from the
flame) and then burned that off. This added more flavor to the
dish. He
then added about a ½ cup of cream and ½ cup of chicken stock and
let that
simmer to reduce and thicken it. After adding a pinch of salt
and pepper,
and garnishing with chives he recommended pouring it on a bed of
rice or
noodles to make a nice dish!
Lavender Lemon Soda
Lavender is a popular flavor these days. We can find it in lots
of new recipes in the kitchen. The most recent taste treat is
lavender in
drinks. We even found a new product on the market; a lavender
infused drink
from Dry Soda based
in Seattle.
If you can't find this wonderful drink at your local store you
can still
enjoy the taste of a lavender drink by creating your own. Local
author
Kathy Gehrt has written a book called 'Discover Cooking with
Lavender' and
she joined us to share a recipe for a lavender lemon soda. Kathy
starts
with culinary lavender which is an English variety of lavender.
The Spanish
style of lavender is too bitter for this recipe. One teaspoon of
these
culinary lavender buds is added to a simple syrup recipe of one
cup of water
and one cup of sugar over a simmering heat. You can use fresh
lavender from
your garden but you will have to use more buds to get the same
flavor. The
lavender buds are strained out once the sugar is dissolved and
the mixture
is cooled. You add a half cup of the syrup to a half cup of
lemon juice in a
glass full of ice. You top the mixture off with sparkling
mineral water for
a light and refreshing drink. For more information on lavender
you can check
out www.DiscoverLavender.com.
Find the recipe here.
Travel Packing
Soooo, you are getting ready for the annual family vacation, or
maybe you are trying to get too much into your suitcase for that
quick
business trip and you can't fit everything in that you need.
Well, Dan Lerma from
The Container Store
(503-620-5700) joined us to
give us some
tips on travel packing. The first tip is to be organized.
Contact the
destination to find out what they have already there and then
make a list of
things you need to take to fill in the gaps. This could be stuff
like
toiletries, or even maps and brochures of tourist destinations.
Second, if
you are flying, remember 3-1-1. This means your liquids are
limited to 3
ounces or less per item, in a 1 quart bag and 1 carry-on bag. Of
course if
you check your luggage you can pack bigger bottles of liquids
(check with
your airline). Next consider weight. Lightweight bags and
suitcases will
help you stay under the weight limits that airlines have these
days. Now if
all this seems confusing you can check out the Container Store
Packing
Demonstrations at their store through the end of June. A $25
dollar gift
certificate will be given away at each demonstration.
