EPISODE #106 - SATURDAY APRIL 14, 2012

What is going on?!?! The ‘home improvement’ hosts appearing at a garden show??? That’s right, the Fusion host will be appearing at the GardenPalooza event this Saturday from 8-4 to support all our garden friends and to offer a few surprises of their own. If you come out to see them you can take home a free viola while supplies last. We can also enter for a chance to win a set of cookware or a design class from our friends at Geranium Lake Flowers. It promises to be a full day of fun. Plus you can also pick up a great garden plant or some art for your garden as well. We hope to see you there. Check out the GardenPalooza website for more information.

Antique Jewelry

Everyone has that box of old jewelry from grandma and we are not sure what to do with it. Maybe we should sell it at a garage sale; maybe we should just give it away. Wait a minute! That old jewelry may be worth more than you thought. We caught up with Gary Germer (503-235-0946) and he showed us how some old pieces of jewelry can add up to some neat prices. We started with some Victorian era jewelry. The pieces he showed us were from 1840-1860 and were fantastic in their gold details. We then moved to white gold and platinum setting of rings. As Gary said there is no such thing as a used diamond. These were from the 1920’s to the 1040’s and were still stunning in their classic settings. A couple of the most interesting pieces were the axe motif pieces. These were Carrie Nation pins. They are from the days of Prohibition. Carrie Nation led the temperance movement and the axe represented the tool she would use to attack kegs of beer and bars that served liquor. A piece of jewelry with a history!

If you are interested in getting some piece of jewelry with its own unique story you can stop by and see Gary at his retail location in the Pearl District.

Pan Fried Oysters and Sorrel Mayonnaise

David made a return to one of his favorite places, Tina’s in Dundee (503-538-8880). It is one of his favorites because of the food AND it was also one of the places where he got his start in cooking! We met up with co-owner and chef David Bergen in the kitchen to learn more about the restaurant and one of their most requested recipes, pan fried Oysters and Sorrel Mayonnaise. Tina’s is celebrating their 20th anniversary and they have been successful because they have been working with local growers long before ‘farm to table’ became a catch phrase! They are really involved in the community and if you walk through the restaurant you will see all the plaques and awards of thanks from numerous local groups!

But we were here to learn a tasty recipe! First David was put to work getting lemon juice squeezed when the blender was working to blend some eggs, Dijon mustard and sorrel leaves fresh from the garden. Once that was blended well, owner David added some oil and continued to blend it. This made a great home-made mayonnaise!  Next we moved to the pan fried oysters. We got some clarified butter to cooking temperature. Clarified butter is just butter that has been boiled to get rid of water and to solidify the milk solids. Those solids are removed and that allows you to cook in the butter at a higher temperature. Lightly bread the oysters in flour and then cook them in the hot butter until they are slightly brown around the edges. Once that happens you can pull them off the heat and serve them with the mayonnaise. These are simple to do and are a hit at any gathering.  You'll find the recipe here.

If you get a chance to drive through Dundee, don’t just treat it like a speed bump on your way to the coast. Stop by Tina’s and really enjoy the best the mid-valley has to offer. You won’t be disappointed.

Bathroom Fans

This is one of the most used electrical appliances in the house and yet no one focuses on it. The bathroom fan is a necessity for every home. It gets rid of the stagnant air and excess moisture. And these fans can do so much these days. They come with heaters, lights and various levels of performance. To help ‘clear the air’ we stopped by A-Boy Plumbing and Electrical Supply (503-287-0776) and Lisa told us about features and things you should be looking for in a new fan. If you are looking for a new fan you need to bring the dimensions of your room to the store. This will help them determine the volume of air you need to move. This is determined by the CFM, Cubic Feet per Minute. This will make sure you have the right sized fan for the area you have. They are also easy to install, most of the time you will just need a screwdriver. The one thing you will need to check is the ducting. Older fans used a 3 inch ducting, but the newer fans require a 4 inch ducting to help more the air quicker, and make sure the ducting is vented to the outside. Just venting into an attic or crawl space will create problems with dry rot and mold issues. Also some areas require timers on any new installation of fan so be sure to check your local building codes to see what is required. To get answers to all your fan questions, stop by your local A-boy location!

Ludeman’s Patio

Spring is here and that means it is time to head outside to enjoy the wonderful weather, and the best way to do that is to have the right patio furniture for your deck or patio. We stopped by Ludeman’s (503-646-6409) to talk with Mark Ludeman to see what the newest trends are in outdoor furnishings. The latest trends are ‘deep seating’ and ‘chat height’ which help people enjoy their outdoor entertaining in comfort. Deep seating refers to large, wide comfortable chairs. These chairs come with an all-weather covering and repel rain and dirt a lot better than the older styles and fabrics. They are paired with ‘chat height’ tables and fire pits. Chat height is lower than dining height and higher than a side table. It is designed for entertaining and visiting. The tables at this level include fire pits, and areas for dining. Grills are also changing. Grills are now more than just a place to cook food. They are designed as areas for entertaining and built-in grills are becoming more common. You can even get them with extra burners and even refrigerators!

Weather doesn’t always cooperate with our outdoor plants and for that we have a couple of different ideas. Umbrellas come in all different styles and colors and can really extend your time outdoors. Also outdoor heaters have become more popular as well. There are simple models that can mount on your umbrella and wall mounted ones for your home that will cycle on and off so you don’t waste all that energy for too much heat! If you would like to see some of the new styles and learn more about being comfortable outdoors, stop by Ludeman’s and ask Mark and his staff for some help.

Parr Cabinet Organizers

Organizing your closet or garage can be a challenge, but there are systems out there that can help you get rid of the clutter. We stopped by Parr Cabinet Outlet (866-214-7277) to chat with Fabio to learn about one of the newest and easiest systems to use. He showed us the Freedom Rail system. This system just has one rail that mounts to the wall and then your shelves hang from it. The connectors in the wall are strong enough to hold a grown man and so they can handle just about anything you want to get off the ground and into storage. The first system was for a bedroom closet. This not only held closet rods for hanging clothes and simple shelving, it also had drawers as well. Drawers are not a normal item in a storage system. They are usually too heavy for most systems. This one can handle the weight! The next system was for the pantry and it had shelves for food, but also had baskets for dry goods and even a wine rack. Finally, we moved to the garage organizer. This unit had shelving for camping and gardening equipment and it also had a simple rack that could hold clips for hoses and cleaning supplies and even a mesh basket for sports equipment. The Freedom Rail system can organize just about anything! If you are interested in learning more, contact Parr Cabinet Outlet or check out their special page at www.FreedonRail.com/174.