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EPISODE #5 -
SATURDAY MAY 2, 2009
The weather is getting warmer, and even if you are tempted to
head outside there are still a ton of projects for the homeowner
to tackle inside the house. We are looking at some of those in
the coming weeks, but this week get ready for more fun stories
from the kitchen, bedroom and all around the house. Also, we
wanted to let you know that effective on
May 9th, we will be moving to 8:00am on KOIN-6 in Portland.
The time change will mean you will be able to get a little more
sleep on Saturdays and still be able to learn how to make your
home a showcase! Thanks for watching!
Window
Coverings
Picking the right window covering can be a
very tough job with all the choices out there. We were joined by
our friend Amy Troute (503-805-0811) from
‘design for
home’ to try to take some of the confusion out of the
process. She introduced us to the people at
Premiere Window Coverings (503-533-0922). They have a ton of
different examples to choose from. First of all you have to
decide what function you want from your coverings. Do you want
shades or drapes for light control, energy conservation, or
privacy? Then you have to look at the style of covering and how
it works with the type of window you have. Will a crank window
interfere with the shade? Do you have high ceilings… the list
goes on. The type of covering can also help you save some money
too. There are many styles that are designed to minimize heat
transfer. Now, if you are narrowing down your choice, don’t
forget to take color into consideration. A warm color can cast a
warm glow into your home and a cooler color can set a different
mood. The prices can be very cheap or very expensive (especially
with the remote control ones that Ken loved). So check out all
the choices at Premiere Window Coverings or contact Amy to help
walk you through it.
Kids' Room
Design
Making your kids' room a special place
doesn’t require a ton of money. Sometimes it just takes a little
imagination and some shopping to get a room that can be creative
and fun! We were Diane Martin a designer who works with
Riverside
Homes (503-645-0986) to help stage homes. She took us to a
room that she had done in a pirate motif. The first tip Diane
gave us was to determine a budget. This will help you stay
focused and may drive you to be more creative. She actually
found a bunch of the decorative materials at local store like
Sears and Ikea. Next you will want to figure out a theme. This
is the main area where you will need the input of your children.
Also, don’t forget to try and incorporate the theme in the other
pieces of furniture in the room, and then try to ‘live’ the
theme as you build the room, for Diane that meant wearing an eye
patch as she worked. That makes the whole job more fun! You can
see some of Diane’s work in the model homes in Riverside
neighborhoods and contact her through Riverside Homes.
Cutting Boards
One of the most used and most over looked
tools in the kitchen is the cutting board. Most of the food you
prepare in your kitchen comes in contact with a cutting board
and your choice of a board can make your meal prep go easier.
Once again, we were joined by Laura at
Sur La Table
(503-968-8015) who walked us through the differences in boards
and why one may be better than others for your needs. Laura was
partial to a basic maple cutting board. This one is good because
the wood has natural anti-bacterial properties, but it requires
a little more maintenance than other types. Maple will need to
be treated with a mineral oil to keep the wood fresh and not
have it dry out. Do not use a bleach to clean it, just basic
soap and water. The next one we saw was made out of a type of
particle board and it was dishwasher safe. We moved to some
vinyl cutting boards that had pictures of meat, veggies, chicken
and fish. These are good for people who may be concerned about
cross-contamination while they are cooking. Finally we looked at
the new hot product, bamboo. This type of cutting board also has
natural anti-bacterial properties too and it is sustainably
grown. It will also need a little mineral oil to keep it looking
good. Our last items were about keeping your knives good and
sharp. The use of a cutting board can dull your knives and so
you need to keep a knife sharpener close-by and use it at least
once every 6 months . To learn more about knives, cutting boards
or any other kitchen tools, stop by the closest Sur La Table.
Kitchen Herbs
There is nothing like the flavor of fresh
garden herbs in your best dishes. A twig of this, a sprig of
that, and your meal has more zest and zing. We stopped by
Drake's 7
Dees (503-256-2223) to learn about growing herbs inn your
kitchen from Lynn. First, the choice of herb is important. Some
herbs do better outside and others are perfect for indoor use.
Lynn recommended using Italian parsley, peppermint and thyme.
She also told us that basil was a good indoor herb that you will
find many uses for. The important thing is to remember the
growing conditions that are required by each plant, mainly
enough sunlight and enough water.
Wine Tools
The Northwest is known for the large
number of great local wineries. People in the Northwest have
become experts in fine wine, but it is hard to enjoy the wine if
you are trying to get into the bottle. Instead of wrestling with
the bottle we found some tools at
Sur La Table
(503-968-8015) that will make your enjoyment of local wines much
easier. The first we found was a foil cutter. This will get rid
of the pesky foil top to the wine! Next we found a wine opener
that is the next step in cork removal. The Peugeot opener from
Williams-Sonoma is a battery operated opener that can be
recharged. Simply put it on top of the bottle and push a bottle,
once the cork is removed simply reverse the button to get the
cork out. Very cool. We also saw the Schott Zwiesel wine glass
which is break-resistant because it is made from titanium.
Finally, for our red wine lovers that can’t wait for their wine
to ‘breathe’ we found the Vinturi Wine Aerator which mixes air
into the wine as you pour it so it has a better taste.
Basic Sauces –
Barbeque Sauce
A couple of weeks ago we met with Chef
David Musial who showed us how to make a good basic tomato
sauce. This week we use that ‘base’ sauce to make a ‘kicker’ of
a barbeque sauce. The tomato sauce that we made was pretty good
and with just a couple of other ingredients we found that we can
make a good all-purpose sauce. David used items like brown
sugar, ketchup, dried chili and even a little beer. In just a
few minutes we had a very delicious sauce that could be used for
ribs or brisket. Print
out your own copy of the recipe and try it for yourself.
Energy
Efficient Windows
Did you know that you could be losing up
to 40 percent of your heat energy out of your windows? Glenn
Ziegler joined us from
Milgard Windows
(1-800-Milgard) to show us how they produce the most energy
efficient windows on the market. These windows are produced in
Tualatin and they can make over 4 million combinations of
windows at the factory with all the different styles and
materials they have. The manufacturing process that Milgard uses
includes using a spacer that is extremely energy efficient. It
helps prevent heat transfer between the panes of glass they use.
Plus the glass is a ‘sun coat’ glass that blocks out solar heat
gain. This type of glass also reduces the amount of UV rays
coming through the glass which is better for you and your home
furnishings. The best part is the quality of the work. The
guarantee is the best in the business. Right now the federal
government has some tax stimulus moneys available, so these
windows are the most cost effective than they have ever been. To
learn more you can learn more at a free Milgard seminar. Check
with Milgard for the time and place of the next seminar.
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