Perch Furniture

Finding the right piece of furniture can be hard.  How about having one ‘made to order’?  We found a place that now has all their furniture made to your specifications.  Perch Furniture (503-208-5128) in the Pearl in downtown Portland believes that you can have the perfect piece of furniture in your home no matter what your budget.  We met with Jonathan and Willi the owners of the store to learn more about their store and how you go about designing your own furniture.  They start with 4 basic components when you design your furniture.  The first one is style.  Some people have a certain ‘look’ that they are trying to achieve or match and you can do that when you have a piece custom made.  Next we talked about size and that doesn’t just refer to the size of the piece, but how it fits into the room.  A larger loft will take a larger piece just to fit proportionately into the space.  Older homes tend to have smaller rooms and then you will want to adjust the size accordingly.  You also want to make sure that you can get the piece through the door.  Next we moved to another part of the store to talk with Willi about comfort and durability.  Comfort can not be underestimated.  That is one of the main reasons for buying a piece of furniture is so it fits you and your dwelling comfortably.  That comfort starts with the structure of the piece.  The frame should be durable.  At Perch they use kiln dried hardwood.  Then you consider springs, which provide support for the cushions.  There are different styles of springs and you should ask and determine the type for the amount of wear and tear you anticipate having.  Then the cushions… they can be filled with a number of different materials depending on your needs from foam cores to even feathers.   Durability doesn’t stop at the frame; you have to consider the fabric too.  Micro-fiber has become one of the hottest materials for general wear and tear but there are other polyester blends that will work just as well.  As you can see there is a lot to think about.  If you are looking for a certain piece of furniture and are not finding it anywhere else, check out Perch in the Pearl.

Kaboodle Back to College

The younger kids have gone back to school, but those older college aged kids are just now getting packed up and ready to go.  The problem for most of these kids is that they will need a lot of their own utensils and appliances for their dorm rooms or apartments.  To get some ideas of what to send them off to school with, we stopped by Kitchen Kaboodle and talked with Maryann.  The first thing she recommended was a microwave.  This is the ‘must have’ appliance for nearly everyone.  There are some warnings though… Oregon and Oregon State have policies about what you can have in your dorm room and what is prohibited as appliances go.  You will want to check with your college or university to see their specific rules.  If you are able to have a microwave in your room you will need things to cook in and one thing that Maryann brought out was a popcorn popper.  This bowl is great for making that typical ‘study time’ treat and even for heating up soup.  You will also want to make sure that you get a complete assortment of microwave safe items like egg poachers, plates and cups.  Another thing that they will need at school include silverware and plates.  Get heavy duty, unbreakable, utensils and dishes; they will be taking a beating and need to last.  Maryann brought out a special gadget next.  This is a battery operated hand blender.  This can be used for frothing milk for coffee, mixing protein drinks and even scrambling eggs.  The next items we looked at were coffee cups and brewers.  Kitchen Kaboodle has a wide assortment of bean grinders, French press and hot pots to make any hot drink.  We also looked at cutting boards, knives and spreaders.  These are perfect for cutting up apples, cheeses and hard meats for quick snacks.  The final item we looked at was the collapsible laundry bag.  This is great for carrying your dirty clothes to the laundry room and then it crushes down for easy storage.  If you are looking to outfit your student for the coming year, stop by Kitchen Kaboodle for some great and functional items!  

Shrimp and Pilsner Ceviche Recipe

Beer in cooking is an underused ingredient.  Recently we had the opportunity to attend a Barley’s Angels event and we picked up a great recipe there!  The Barley’s Angels encourage education and interest in beer and brewing among women.  They had a day of classes and seminars at the Rogue Hopyard outside of Independence Oregon and we were able to hang out with them.  Christine Jump is one of the leaders and she shared one of the recipes that you can find here or on the Craft Beer website.  You start out with 1 pound of shrimp and poach them for 30 seconds and then immerse in an ice bath for a few minutes.  Next, in a bowl, combine lime juice, beer olive oil, sugar, salt and garlic to create a marinade.  Dry the shrimp and add it to the marinade and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.  Pull it out and add red pepper, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.  Mix it all together and then spoon it into martini glasses or small bowls. 

If you like this recipe you can find more at the Craft Beer website.