EPISODE #132 -
SATURDAY OCTOBER 27, 2012
You know what is really
scary? And I don’t mean David! It is the fact that we may not be ready
for winter! We have gone through and checked our list, but you can never
be too careful. In fact things can surprise you! This past week we have
had to check with fence companies to see if they can come out and fix
our fence. The winds of a week ago blew a portion of the fence over.
Just one more thing we forgot to check. To see if you have some of the
basics checked, watch our story on our ‘Fall Checklist’ in this week’s
show.
Al’s Christmas Tree Trends
It is hard to believe but Christmas is right
around the bend. It is time to start thinking about the holiday season
and one of the major symbols of the season is the Christmas tree. We
stopped at
Al’s Garden Center (503-726-1162) where they are gear up for the
season with the latest in Christmas tree decorations. Juanita joined
David to fill him in on what we should be looking for this season. One
of the best selling trees every year is the crystal tree. This tree is
covered by white and crystal clear ornaments. They customize it every
year with a different accent color, this year it was with purple
ribbons. That is what makes the tree popular; you can change the look by
just adding a different color. Next we moved to a ‘comfort’ tree. This
one had a homemade Northwest feel to it. It was covered with earth-toned
ornaments and some even looked handmade. That brought up a good point.
If you are looking at freshening up an old tree you can start by moving
into the Northwest look. The old ornaments from the kid’s grade school
can be accented by new ornaments and when they get older you can pass on
those old ornaments to them and slowly add more Northwest (or even
crystal) ones to the mix. Of course you can also add a new tree so you
can decorate one old and one new. Finally we moved to a specialty tree.
This one was for pets and the pet lover. It was covered with cat and dog
ornaments, even ones that you could personalize for your pet. Pet lovers
are not the only ones who like a personalized tree, don’t leave out the
sports fans! Another trend is for the sports fanatic to have their own
tree. Al’s has a huge collection of Duck and Beaver ornaments for the
local fan. You can find all these decorative trees and ornaments at the
Sherwood and Woodburn stores. You can see them up close and personal
during the annual Evening of Lights. It takes place in Sherwood on
November 1st from 4-9pm and November 2nd from 4-9pm at the Woodburn
store. Stop by and check out the trees, sample holiday foods, listen to
live music and enter to win prizes.
Lonesomeville Scarecrows
Getting your yard ready for
Halloween can really tax the creative mind. If you are looking for
something creative, you may be stuck with something plastic and mass
produced. To get a different twist on decorations we stopped by
Lonesomeville
Pottery (503-774-5387). Every year the guys at Lonesomeville go over
the top in their decorating. They have learned that the best decorations
are not from the store, they can be from your backyard. Wayne joined
Robin in the backyard to show her how they make scarecrows (effigies,
according to Wayne) out of spare twigs and branches. They simply look
for branches that can be used for any body part (think hands, feet,
torso or legs) then they bind the various branches together with twine
or florists wire and screw on a clay Jack O’lantern head that they make
at Lonesomeville. They use battery lights on the inside of the head
because the body is made out of dried wood. They also make a pretty good
fake spider as well.
Wine and
Tapas
What a great match, Wine and
Tapas. In fact that is the name of an event coming up on the 29th,
Spain’s Great Match.
This event is all about wine, food and design. Every year they pick a
couple of locations around the country to do the event. This year it was
New York and Portland! For the local food and wine lovers, you can
experience Spain at its best; you can learn about Spanish wines, get a
look at contemporary designs from a Spanish furniture designer and taste
tapas from 8 different Spanish restaurants.
To see what was on tap we
stopped by
Andina Restaurant (503-228-9535) and met with some of their great
staff. First Chef Hank Costello made a signature Spanish tapa with
Spanish and Peruvian ingredients. He started with Spanish and Peruvian
peppers, a Peruvian black mint, garlic and octopus. He started by
creating a pickling mixture. He added about 2 cups of distilled white
vinegar and a cup and a half of water, plus about a quarter cup of salt
to a bowl. This was mixed until the salt was dissolved in the mixture.
Then he added about a cup and a half of whole garlic cloves and the
black mint to the mixture and then started to cut up peppers. While he
was doing that we had a chance to chat with Doris, one of the owners of
Andina who is from Peru. She talked about how the Spanish influences on
Peruvian cuisine have been a blessing for both. The Peruvian ingredients
really bring some different flavors to the dishes. We joined Hank again
after he had cut up the peppers and had added them to the mix. This was
set aside to pickle for 2 or 3 days. Then we prepared the boiled
octopus. To clean the octopus you cut along the side and the outside
skin comes right off. Once that was cleaned he placed the pieces on a
skewer alternating with the pickled peppers. It was covered with some
olive aioli and tasted incredible!
Mama Mia
Cocktail
Mama Mia’s
(503-295-6464) is a well known Portland restaurant known for great food,
but they also have some great cocktails. To get a sample of one of their
tasty cocktails we met up with Jared in the bar. He pulled out the
recipe for a ‘huckleberry amaretto sour’. He started by pulling out his
favorite liquors for this recipe. That included the 44 North Huckleberry
vodka, Disaronno Amaretto and Bol’s Blue Caracao. You will use an ounce
and a quarter of the huckleberry vodka and the amaretto to start. Pour
those 2 in a glass over ice, and then add some sour mix, about a ½ cup.
Shake it and strain into a chilled glass, add a dash of blue caracao to
give it a little color, garnish with a twist of lemon and you are ready
to serve. If you are not a cocktail drinker they can also make you a
mean cappuccino. Jared even decorated David’s with a spider web just for
Halloween!
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