|
EPISODE #49- SATURDAY AUGUST 14, 2010
Summer heat is tough. Last
week we told you to enjoy the cooler weather and
get out and enjoy the summer with your family. Now the heat is telling
us
the same thing. It is too hot for projects. It is a good thing that we
are
focused on indoor projects this week. Of course we even have a couple of
tasty tidbits from two of our best local restaurants, Clay's and Iorio. In
fact the story from Iorio focuses on two great Northwest things; digging
razor
clams and eating them! Enjoy!
Preserving Your Shades
You have your beautiful new lamp shade and it is covered in
plastic. It is well preserved and safe, right? Wrong! Bea Searles from
Naomi's Lampshades
(503-636-1884) in Lake Grove joined
Robin to show us how to preserve your shades and extend their life.
Leaving
the plastic on your lampshade can shorten the life of the shade by
holding
in the heat and causing it to fade faster. Most shades will also have
better color if uncovered. If you need to clean your lampshade Bea
recommends that you use a soft bristle brush and not your vacuum. A
vacuum
will sometimes transfer the dust and dirt from other areas to your
shade.
You can also use a soft clean cloth to wipe the dust away. It is the
dust
that ends up destroying your shade. Heat is another thing that will
destroy your shades. Remember to use the correct wattage of bulbs in
your
lamps. Most lamps are designed for a certain type of bulb and using the
wrong bulb can ruin your shade and even create a fire danger with your
lamp.
If you have any questions about lamps or shades, you can always call
Naomi's.
Clay's BBQ
The taste of bar-b-que is truly a taste of the summer. Everyone
has a recipe or technique for grilling a tasty treat, but we think we
found
the perfect summer BBQ and it wasn't in our backyard. We found
Clay's
Smokehouse Grill (503-235-4755) on SE Division and it has some of the best bar-b-que in
Portland. Mike Slyman is the owner and operator of Clay's and he took us
on
a tour of his smoker, the key to his great meats. If you want to use a
smoker at home you need to remember 3 main ingredients; smoke, heat and
moisture. If you are missing any of those, your smoked meat will not
turn
out well. Once the meat is smoked it is cooled. When it is ready to be
served they put it back on the grill to crisp up the skin and caramelize
the
sugars. Plus, all of the smoked meats have a seasoned rub on them. The
rub
contains 50 percent rub and 50 percent sugar, plus some special
seasonings
(you can add your own at home). The rub is used before smoking and also
before the meat is grilled again. The marinade that they use is made up
of
oil, garlic, lemon juice and other spices. It is used on other
non-smoked
meats and makes a tasty compliment to their other menu items. The use of
rubs, marinades and smoke is based on the different types of meats and
depends on what you want the meat to taste like and what it is used for.
If
this seems like it is too much to remember there is good news! Clay's
Smokehouse caters for any size group! Stop by and get a taste for real
bar-b-que!
Quick Tip - Cleaning Stemware
Enjoying your favorite wine is a wonderful experience. But if
you have noticed a funny taste, the problem may not be with the local
vintner, it may be your stemware! We dropped by
Metrovino
(503-517-7778) to chat with
Todd
Steele to learn why your wine is tasting so 'interesting'. Todd told us
about the importance about clean stemware. 'Clean' stemware still could
have the taste and fragrance of the laundry detergent that you use on
your
towels. Todd recommends that you keep a supply of clean and lint-free
towels around your bar or kitchen, just for your wine glasses. Metrovino
uses lint-free microfiber cloths reserved just for polishing their
glassware. Fragrance free softener and detergents are very important!
Treat your glasses right and they won't come up smelling like roses!
Iorio Clams
One of the benefits of living near the Pacific Ocean is the
availability of fresh seafood. Right now fresh clams can be harvested on
the coast with a little elbow grease and some local knowledge! Still
there
is that chore of cleaning your catch once you bring it home. Chris
Thompson of
Iorio Restaurant (503-445-4716) showed us the secret to helping your
clams come out of their shells. Tip number
one: Once you dig your clams, transport them home in a bucket of sea
water to
keep them fresh. Once home place the clam in a little hot water for a
couple of minutes and they will open up and are easily separated from
their
shell. Clip off the bi-valve and cut the clam up the 'zipper'. Clean out
the dark parts and/or hard parts... this will leave the clam pretty much
filleted. Now you can put the clam into a breading mixture (for the
complete recipe, including the breading ingredients,
click here) and pan
fry
them in butter and oil. They can be paired with some great locally grown
vegetables. Iorio uses lots of locally grown veggies on their menu and
even
offers classes so you can learn how to prepare your own special dishes!
We
found the clams to be perfect! Next time you are at the coast, try your
luck digging clams. Check with your local bait shop or hotel to find the
best places to dig. The limit is 15 per person so buy a license and go
dig
your dinner! Better yet, stop by Iorio and have the whole meal!
Fixing a Plug
If you have an appliance that doesn't seem to be working, before
you toss it out, check the electrical plug. For a lot of our home
appliances the plug may be the problem, and replacing the plug may be an
easy chore for the homeowner. David showed us how easy it is to replace
a
plug and get that appliance up and running again. Most of the time the
plug
fails because we pull on the cord and not the plug itself. If the wires
become exposed you should cut the plug off and replace it. The first
thing
you want to do is check the appliance to make sure that you know what
the
power requirements are for the unit. The appliance that we had required
a
15 amp/125 volt plug. There are lots to choose from at the hardware
store
so we looked for one that was designated for a small appliance. As far
as
tools go, you really only need a couple of items. You will need a
Phillips
or flat head screwdriver and a wire stripper. To replace the plug, go at
least 1 inch past the damaged area on the cord. Cut the old plug off
there.
Then strip the cord down about 1 and ½ inches per the instructions on
the
plug package (always follow the directions). Your wire will generally be
made up of 2 different wires and the insulation on one of them could
have a
silver color on the outside. This silver color will mean that you will
attach that to the silver terminal on the new plug. The other wire will
go
on the brass screw (terminal). Make sure that your wires are secure on
the
terminals and that there is no pinching of the wire when you close the
new
plug. Test your plug in a GFI circuit to make sure it works and you
should
be done. If you have any problems, check with your local hardware store.
Remember you are dealing with electricity and it should be treated with
caution and respect. Be safe and you will have a working appliance again
in
no time. |
