EPISODE #69 -
SATURDAY APRIL 16, 2011 Welcome to
another Fusion show. We have had another interesting week. We
thought we would be talking about getting outside for the spring
and here we are stuck inside with another cold wet weekend! We
don't really care... it is a good time to relax before the
weather turns for the better. In fact we talked to a weather
forecaster friend (who shall remain anonymous) who has said that
the pattern looks like it is ending at the end of this month.
We will see! While you
are staying warm and dry enjoy this week edition of the Fusion
show!
Geranium Lake Easter
Eggs
Easter is a week away and it
is time to dye those Easter eggs, but this
year we decided we needed to add a little
twist so we stopped by
Geranium Lake Flowers
(503-228-1920) to get some ideas from one of the most
creative people we know, Kim Foren. She
brought out her recipe for ‘botanical
inspired’ Easter eggs. These eggs are made
by using onion skins or beets to create a
dye. First you need to get some raw,
unboiled eggs. Then you take some small,
pressed flowers and foliage from your garden
and then hold them in place with a small
piece of nylon. You pull the nylon tight
over the egg (don’t break the egg) and tie
it tight with zip-tie or string. Then you
boil the water with vinegar and the onion
skins in the water bath. After it boils
about 10 minutes you pull the egg out and
let it cool down. After it cools, cut off
the nylon and rub a little vegetable oil on
it to give it a sheen and you are done.
People will be amazed how great they look
and they add a great touch to your holiday
table! You can find the
step-by-step directions here:
word document -
pdf file
Sour Dough Biscuits
The
taste of homemade sourdough is fantastic. A couple of weeks
ago we showed you how to make your own Sourdough starter.
It is really easy to make and we promised you that we would
show you some recipes for how to use it. For his first
‘sourdough’ recipe Chef David came up with a tasty one,
Sourdough biscuits. This recipe is good for a leisurely
Sunday breakfast or a compliment for a dinner. He made a
‘savory’ biscuit with chives which means it isn’t a ‘sweet’
biscuit, but still very flavorful. The ingredients include
flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, shortening and the
chives. Once those are all blended together you want to add
a couple of cups of the sourdough starter. Gently mix that
together and add a tiny bit of milk until you have a nice
dough that is not too wet or too dry. Roll it out to a half
inch thickness and then use a round cookie cutter to make
your biscuit shapes. Put them in the oven for 15 minutes
and they are done. We will have more sourdough recipes for
you in the coming weeks.
Here is the recipe
for Sourdough Biscuits. You can also
check out this link
for recipes for making your own starter!
Hot Stove Tops
Things
are heating up in the kitchen! This week we stopped by
Standard TV and Appliance (503-619-0500) to learn about
the newest in cook tops. Tony Gayaldo took Robin through a
couple of their design kitchens to show us the ‘hottest’ in
gas and electric stove tops. First we looked at gas. Gas
is great for most cooks because it is so responsive and it
heats up quickly. The only problem is that they wouldn’t go
very low for simmering. The newest models have a feature
that allows them to barely have a flame so they can do the
low simmer that you may need sometimes. Also the materials
have improved. You now have brass fittings that will resist
corrosion and the surfaces allow for better cleaning and
they also hide the smudges better!
Next we
moved to the latest in electric cook tops. We checked out the
induction cook tops. These burners are actually magnets that
place all the energy at the base of the pan and so none of it is
wasted heating the air around the pan. It was really freaky
when Tony actually touched the stovetop near the pan while it
was in a full boil! The whole crew had to touch it! It showed
that all the energy was just going to cooking the food and none
to heating the unused surface. Tony also showed us how
responsive the burner was. He turned the heat down and it went
from a full boil to a simmer in just a few seconds! To see
these and the newest in other appliances, stop by Standard TV
and Appliance.
72 Hour Kit
With all
the disasters around the world in the last few years we can
see how important preparedness is for the safety of your
family. We took a cue from the recent Japanese earthquake
and Tsunami to pay a visit to the Oregon Trail Chapter of
the American Red Cross to get some tips on putting together
a preparedness kit for your family. We met with Steve
Eberlein who does preparedness talks for the Red Cross and
he walked us through the steps of putting a kit together.
The first
place to start for preparedness is with 5 simple rules… Talk,
Train, Take Stock, Tell and Test.
First you
want to talk about what disasters could happen in
your area. For some it would just be an earthquake, for others
it could also mean a tsunami or a wild fire.
Next you
want to train. In this case you need to train in
how to use a fire extinguisher. Locate your shut-off valves and
also to train in how to evacuate from your home or office in an
emergency.
The 3rd
step is to take stock. Check the supplies you
have on hand. You may already have supplies that you can use,
but you want to make sure that you have enough for 3 full days.
4th,
you will want to tell everyone about your plans.
Everyone in your house should know where the supplies are kept,
who your emergency contacts are and what to do for any emergency
in your area.
Finally, you
will need to test… this means reviewing your
disaster plan with your family and updating your emergency kit
and supplies on a regular basis.
Some things
to think about, food and water (for family and pets), a first
aid kit, portable battery operated radio and flashlight (with
spare batteries), blankets, extra clothing, shoes and gloves, a
can opener, duct tape and plastic sheeting, and medications, eye
glasses and comfort items.
For a great brochure on preparedness you can click here or
stop by the local chapter of the American Red Cross. |
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