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EPISODE #51- SATURDAY AUGUST 28, 2010
Summer is drawing to a close
and soon the kids will be back in school. The
weather will start to turn, the rains will start again (are you getting
depressed yet?) and cold winds will blow. What am I hinting at? It is
time
to think about how you are going to spend your winter days! A new HD TV
set
is probably a good idea! We take a look at them in this week's show. We
also change over you bed for the season and enjoy the final days of heat
and
sun with a seasonal martini! Enjoy!
HD TVs
The conversion from analog to high definition has finally
happened and for most people it has been great, in fact it has some
people
looking for new TV's so they can get the most out of the programs they
watch. To find out what is available and new on the market we stopped by
Standard TV and Appliance (503-619-0500) to talk with
Tony
in the TV department. First of all if you are on cable or dish network,
or
you have a newer HD TV you should have no problems getting an HD signal.
It
should be ready to go. However, if you have an older set or you are
using
an antenna or 'rabbit ears' you will need an HD converter. If you want
to
get a new set to enjoy the great picture and sound of HD then you will
have
to choose between plasma, LCD, LED, or even laser (the newest version of
HD). LED is very thin, very bright and very energy efficient. LCD is
just
like your computer screens and is the most popular way of viewing HD
signals. Plasma is the choice for a very large and flat screen. Tony
also
told us about DPI or 'Dots per Inch'. The more dots the better the
picture.
The standard right now is a 1080p. If you have that you are in great
shape.
Any questions about which is best for you or any concerns about HD TV's
can
be answered by the experts at Standard!
Bed Makeover
Like a lot of things in your home your bed
can really benefit from a makeover! To help us make a seasonal change in
the bedroom we stopped by
Ste. Maine
(503-232-1880) in the Westmoreland/Sellwood area. Elizabeth joined David
to show him how to do it, but before we got started he needed a little
education about the bed linens and what they are there for. We started
with the headboard. It is great to have so your pillows and other
decorations don't slide off the top of the bed. As a bed-covering we had
a quilt which will work for most of the year here in the Northwest. If
you need a little more coverage you can add a duvet. Usually this stays
folded at the bottom of the bed. At the bottom is the 'dust ruffle',
this covers the box springs and the metal frame of the bed and makes a
nice accent to the look of your bed. There were numerous pillows on the
bed and they were covered by shams and Euro Shams. The Euro shams are
large coverings that protect the larger decorative pillows. These can be
used for sleeping but generally they are just decoration. The regular
bed pillows also have a sham (covering). These protect the pillows and
like most of the coverings, they can be changed to match the season. The
bed we saw was a classic white bed that looked light and summery. Then
Elizabeth and Erin took over and with a few changes of covers and the
duvet, they created a more 'earthy' appearance. They kept the 'white'
look which is more neutral than other colors, but added a splash of
color to really change the look.
How to Choose a Wine
Choosing a wine can be a pretty intimidating thing. You might
get lucky and find one you like or you may waste a lot of money on
something
you will never finish (or drink again). To take some of the fear out of
it,
we visited with Todd at
Metrovino (503-517-7778). The first thing he
recommended was to not pick a wine by the label. A pretty label doesn't
mean a good wine. Todd recommends that you find someone that understands
your tastes and can help guide you. There are even some grocery stores
that
have good wine selections and knowledgeable people to help you. Look for
someone who asks the right questions and is truly helpful. You can also
attend tastings at local wine shops and wineries. Metrovino also offers
tastings and has over 100 wines by the glass for you to try, 25% of
those
are from the northwest alone. If you want to change your taste, say you
want to try a red wine instead of your normal white, you should start
out
with softer wines with less tannin. These will have less 'bite' to them
and
will help ease you into the new flavors. Metrovino has a system of
Enomatic
wine machines that serve small samples of various wines so you can just
get
a taste before you buy the whole bottle. This system is great since it
serves the wine at the perfect temperature for both reds and whites.
They
also have a system for sparkling wines too. The Perlage system keeps the
bubbly in top form as well. If you are looking to choose a new wine or
want
to experiment, stop by Metrovino and let Todd and his knowledgeable crew
help you.
Watermelon Basil Martini
Watermelon is one of the fruits of the season. Late summer is
greeted with the sweet, succulent taste of watermelon. We decided to let
Chef David come up with a drink recipe that would use this fruit and he
came
up with a real winner! He combined the flavors of watermelon and basil
that
knocked our socks off. We met him at
Standard TV and Appliance
(503-619-0500) where he had all the ingredients set out on the counter in
one
of their demo kitchens. It was really simple with just watermelon,
basil,
lime juice, simple syrup and gin. Just get the water out of the melon,
add
the basil, pour all of that in a shaker with the lime juice, simple
syrup
(sugar water that has been boiled into a syrup) and gin. Just shake and
enjoy! If you would like to try this recipe for a refreshing late summer
drink, you can get the recipe here.
Garbage Disposal Fix
It always happens... usually at a dinner party or some other big
event. The garbage disposal gets stuck and it doesn't work. We stopped
by
George Morlan (503-224-7000) to get some tips for fixing it from Dave Charvet. He told
us
the number one reason for the clogs in the first place... not enough
water!
You have to be running water through the unit to make it work at its
best.
Water first and then add the garbage (don't pack it full either). The
sound
will also tell you when it is empty. Now if you have a clog the first
thing
you need to do is to shut off the power. Not just at the switch on the
wall, but also at the circuit breaker in your power box. Next try to
dislodge the clog from the top. Don't use your hand; there are sharp
objects in there! Use a broom handle or the handle from your plunger. A
lot of times that will knock the object loose and it will work again. If
you hear a hum that means that there is power to the unit. If you hear
nothing you may have tripped the circuit breaker on the unit itself.
Open
the doors to your cabinet and look under the unit for a red button. This
is
the breaker switch and it may need to be reset. While you are under the
unit you may also notice a hole in the center of the unit. This hole is
for
an 'Allen wrench' or 'hex key'. This will allow you to turn the blades
from
under the unit and that could help in breaking a clog loose. If any of
these options fail, call a plumber! It is better to have a professional
take care of things than to ruin a dinner party with a trip to the
hospital.
For all your plumbing questions you can do what we do, check with the
experts at George Morlan Plumbing!
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