EPISODE #63- SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2010

Thank you, thank you, thank you... as we end our second season of Fusion we have to say it three times to make sure we thank everyone. First, a 'thank you' to our stations: KOIN, KWVT, KEVU and CGN who have given us a lot of support in bringing Fusion to you every week for this past year.
A second 'thank you' goes to our sponsors. Without their financial support we would not be able to put a show on the air. We are a small company and the advertiser support means everything to the life of this show. If you stop by one of our advertisers, say thank you for their support!

Finally, the biggest 'thank you' goes to you, our viewers. You have welcomed us into your homes every week and every week your ranks have grown! We hear back from you and we take your ideas and make our show better.

We will return in March of 2011, but you can keep up with us during the off-season by checking out the Fusion website.

Happy holidays from the whole Fusion Crew: Robin, David, Ron, Therese and Jeff.

Rejuvenation Factory

Finding the right light fixture when you are remodeling a vintage home can be like finding a needle in a haystack, and if you are looking for a safe, high quality fixture it can be even tougher. But did you know that you can get a hand-made, light fixture right here in Portland? We were invited to tour the Rejuvenation factory in NW Portland where we had a chance to learn how they make custom vintage style fixtures for your home. Nicole from Rejuvenation (503-238-1900) started our tour back in the research and development area of their factory. Here is where they receive old fixtures for refurbishing and sometimes they find one that is really outstanding and decide to recreate it. They even have a library of catalogs from the 1800's to help them in designing pieces. The vintage piece is then disassembled and re-engineered for reproduction. Rejuvenation has to make sure that it is safe and up to current building and safety codes. Once this is done the parts are sent away for manufacture. The new parts are kept in a warehouse where they are catalogued for assembly.
Once they receive an order for a lamp or fixture they send a list of parts to the warehouse. The parts are then gathered and treated with one of 12 standard finishes which may include multiple steps of buffing, sandblasting and polishing. The standards are fairly tight so that multiple lamps will match and quality will remain high. The parts are then assembled and wired. They are so proud of the work they do that each piece is signed by the craftsman who puts it together. If you are looking for a quality lamp for remodeling or new construction check out the wide selection at Rejuvenation.

Terra Casa Ornament Rules

Did you know that there are rules for how many ornaments you should have on your Christmas tree? We didn't either, so we stopped by Terra Casa (503-577-8242) to learn what we should be doing to achieve a balanced Christmas tree for the holidays. Diana Talked to Robin about how to achieve that balance and about some of the other 'problems' with decorating your tree. She took us to their signature upside-down tree to explain these 'rules'. The number of ornaments can easily overpower a tree. Recommendations for ornaments include 15 to 18 ornaments per foot of tree. Of course you will have more at the bottom than at the top, but the rule is to help people from 'packing them on'. Other recommendations we have heard about include 100 miniature lights and 10 feet of garland per foot of tree. Diana cautioned us to also take into account the size of the ornament when trying to follow these rules. Small ornaments could mean putting more on the tree then the 'rule' recommends', but that is ok. Remember it is your tree and your taste counts!

Another problem is too many ornaments. A lot of families have a mix of ornaments including hand-made ones from your young school kids. After a few years they can be beat up and needing to be replaced, but it is hard to get rid of the sentimental ones. She recommends a second tree just for those treasured heirlooms. Place the second 'memory' tree in a place where the kids can enjoy their work and decorate a 'parent' tree in another area. You can also help the kids replace their old ornaments by taking them with you when you go shopping and letting them pick a replacement ornament for those old ones. Of course you can then start building a theme tree with each new ornament. Don't throw those old ones away, you can send them with your children when they leave the house so they have something to start their own tree.

If you would like to find a great selection of holiday decorations you should stop by Terra Casa in Damascus. We always find something we need when we visit to shoot stories and we're sure you will too.

Heathman Holiday Tea

The holidays are full of traditions. One of the newest and tastiest traditions for some Portlanders is the holiday tea at the Heathman Restaurant (503-790-7752). The Heathman has a tea service, but it takes on a different flavor when the holidays arrive. Culinary Director at the Heathman Restaurant, Philippe Boulot (he is also the culinary director at the Multnomah Athletic Club) joined David to tell him about the special tea he helped develop for the Heathman. This tea is designed to be enjoyed and so you have a full two hours to relax during each seating. There is an adult tea and a children's 'Peter Rabbit' tea for you to enjoy. This tea and the trays of edibles were created with a Northwest flair. You start by ordering your tea from a selection of a dozen teas and when you are served the 3 tiers of munchies you start at the bottom. There you will find scones and mascarpone, English cucumber sandwiches and butternut bread. The scones are fantastic and Chef Philippe was generous enough to share the recipe with us. You can find it here! The second level is the savory level of tastes. There you will find deviled eggs, little Salmon sandwiches, goat cheese with roasted peppers and pita bread with chicken salad. Finally the top layer is the sweets! Here you will find a selection of treats that can appease any sweet tooth. Small chocolate muffins, chocolate cake, a coconut cake, a lemon tart and homemade marshmallows are all on this layer. We even had a chance to meet the pastry chef, John Gayer, to learn how the scones are so good and how they make the marshmallows. He is an artist with these pastries! In fact the whole staff is wonderful including our server during the story, Rose! If you would like to make a reservation to enjoy this wonderful holiday they tell us that you should call quickly since spaces fill up quickly.

Manners for Kids

Good manners seem to be disappearing from our society, so we decided to see if you can find a place where we can learn some good manners for kids and hopefully have a refresher course for ourselves. We didn't have to look far, David's wife Mary Jane teaches an etiquette and manners class called 'Charmed to Meet You' for fun and she agreed to share some of the basic rules for table manners with us and our little volunteer, Tess. Mary Jane decided to show us how to have good manners at the table. First she had Tess practice her introduction manners. This included learning how to shake hands and be polite when meeting. Then Tess approached the table from the right hand side of the chair. You sit down with your back straight and your feet either flat on the floor or crossed at the ankles. You place your napkin on your lap with the fold close to your hips. One of the most confusing things for people at dinner parties is figuring out which water glass is theirs and which bread plate is theirs. You can easily figure this out by making OK signs in front of your eyes. Pull them away and you will see a 'b' and a 'd'. This tells you that the left side is 'bread' and the right side is 'drink'. See how easy manners can be! If you would like to book a class in manners you can contact Mary Jane at Charmed2Meet@aol.com.

Ya Hala Stuffed Eggplant

This week we returned to Ya Hala restaurant (503256-4484) to learn a new Lebanese recipe with Chef Mirna Attar. Last week we enjoyed Stuffed Grape Leaves that were a lot easier to make than we thought. This week she shared a 'Stuffed Eggplant' recipe called 'Sheikh El Mahshi'. Eggplant is not a favorite of most people. Usually it is because they have not had it prepared properly. Chef Mirna's recipe will change your mind! She starts with 4 Italian eggplants and you slice off about ½ of the outside peal evenly around the fruit. Then you deep fry them for about 8 minutes. While they are deep frying you can make the meat stuffing mixture. The mixture includes ground beef, salt, allspice, black pepper, and olive oil. You will brown the mixture and then add diced onions and pine nuts. By now the eggplants are deep fried. You cut a space in the eggplant and place the stuffing mixture in the space. Over the top you add a mixture of beef broth, and tomato puree. You bake it for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Once it is done you serve it over a bed of rice and enjoy. And trust us, you will enjoy it! In fact you can try it at home with this copy of her recipe! Mirna and her husband John have become friends since we met them a few months ago, but we have found that everyone is a friend once they meet them! You can enjoy some of Chef Mirna's recipes at the Ya Hala restaurant or at the deli at Barber World Foods (503-244-0670). Stop by and treat your taste buds to something great!