EPISODE #84 -
SATURDAY JULY 30, 2011
Can you
believe it? We are nearly half way through the summer. We
still haven’t hit 90 degrees yet, though I’m pretty sure our
friends and family on the east coast would trade us weather
forecasts in a New York minute. The one thing I have noticed
with all the recent heat is the number of bugs that have found
their way into our house. These little critters are just
looking for a place to build a home and a break from the heat.
Still it is good to see who you are sharing your house with…
Chef David thinks he has some termites moving in. Because he
caught them early he is pretty sure that there is no damage.
Take some time and check out the little crawly things in your
home and you could help avoid a long term problem.
Ste. Maine Tablescapes
The summer
entertaining season is here and with it comes weddings, showers,
bar-b-ques and picnics. With all that entertaining you may be
strained, looking for a way to dress things up (or down)
depending on the occasion. To get some ideas for ‘tablescaping’
we stopped by and chatted with our friends at
Ste. Maine
(503-232-1880) in Westmoreland. Elizabeth first showed us a
bridal shower table setting. This one was pretty formal but
simple. She recommended that you ‘color theme’ a table when
setting it for an event. The white of the table cloth was
matched by the white of the flower arrangements. There was also
a light blue/sea foam color scheme that complimented the white
of the rest of the table. This allowed even more creativity in
putting the table together. Elizabeth was able to use these
colors to pair napkins with seat covers (which just happened to
be the same napkins pinned onto the seat cushions). Lovely name
tags tied to the chairs were a nice finishing touch and were
simple to make by just printing them with a computer printer. The next
setting was a little bit different! This one had a rustic,
country feel to it. This table started with the centerpieces.
These small topiary trees were a striking feature to this
table. They are not only decorative, if taken care of, they can
last a long time and can even be transplanted into the garden.
The place card holders for this table were simply apples that
had the cards pinned to them. The table settings were simple in
their design and consisted of plates, napkins and silverware in
earth tones. The menu was placed on the plates and the glasses
were all numbered. There is no way of losing your drink at this
party! The ideas were simple and when you put them together
they made for a great display. If you are throwing a party (or
two) this summer and are looking for some ideas to liven it up,
stop and see the ladies at Saint Maine for some great
suggestions!
Picking a Color
Picking the
right color for a room can be a daunting task. The right color
can be the key to a successful room design. Amy Troute from
Amy Troute
Interior Design (503-805-0811)
walked Robin
through some of the rules for picking colors at the
Sherwin Williams (503-222-1200) in the Pearl, and some
common mistakes. Mistake #1 in choosing a color is not taking
the whole room into consideration during the process. There are
a number of elements in a room that go into creating a ‘look’
and you need to look at all of them. That leads into mistake
#2, don’t use small paint samples. Small paint chips can never
give you the right impression of the final color. Paint a large
piece of cardboard to give yourself a good visual of the color
and how it will look. Mistake #3, don’t get frustrated and give
up. Amy called this the ‘give up and go beige’ syndrome. But
even choosing a neutral color like beige still can create a huge
number of choices. Instead of getting frustrated at the paint
store, you should look a full range of colors and then pick out
colors that you are drawn to. This means that you will start
out with a group of colors that you already like. One other
design tip… look at possibly using more than one color in a
room. Paint different colors on different walls to make a
statement. If even this seems tough you can always give Amy a
call to walk you through it!
Simple Strata
Chef David
decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to share a simple recipe
that you can put together in an hour one evening so you can
simply put it in the oven for a quick and easy breakfast the
next morning. The recipe he came up with was this wonderful
strata. We met at the NW Natural Appliance Center in SE
Portland to use their wonderful demo kitchen. For those that
don’t know, strata means ‘layers’ so you can probably guess that
we will be layering in ingredients. It is mainly eggs and cream
and bread. You can add other stuff to it to make it to your
taste. First you layer in the pieces of bread in a glass pan.
The glass pan works well for a couple of reasons; the best one
is so you can keep an eye on the strata through the sides to see
when it is done! After the bread, add the cooked and dried
sausage and some cheese. More bread for a second layer, then
the cooked peppers and more cheese. Finally you ladle in the
cream and egg mixture. Let it sit overnight and bake it the
next day. It is an incredibly tasty breakfast or brunch treat
for those lazy mornings.
For the
complete recipe click here.
Iorio Cooking Class
One of the
best restaurants in the Portland area is
Iorio
(503-445-4716). This restaurant is Italian at heart with a
commitment to all things local! One of the best things they
offer are cooking classes with Chef Chris Thompson. Not only
does he tell you about his philosophy of cooking, you get to do
a little hands-on as well. The evening we joined his class we
were not just there to observe, he had us helping to prepare the
meal. For this class he talked about keeping your menu simple
and not trying to mix too many things. If you have a recipe
that is using more than 4-5 ingredients, it is too much to
balance. ‘Less’ can be ‘more’ when you are in the kitchen. He
also talked about layering flavors. They should compliment each
other and not fight for attention. For this class Chef Chris
made a tomato soup which became more of a sauce. Next he did an
Italian twist on a grilled cheese sandwich, which had a
mozzarella cheese and basil layered between bread. The main
course was a pork dish that had figs, fennel and onions covered
with an orange flavored sauce. This class is only one of many
that Chef Chris hosts through out the year. He has themed
classes and even ones that deal with Glutten Free products.
Chef Chris emphasizes technique and that will help you with all
your recipes in the kitchen. All the dishes we had were
fantastic and there is no way to describe the tastes, you just
have to schedule your own evening class and let Chef Chris and
his wife Hillary show you how to make something magnificent!
Uses for Salt
Salt is the
number one seasoning in the kitchen, but there are other uses
for this all-purpose seasoning. By adding a half teaspoon to
your boiled eggs it can help prevent them from cracking. Salt
can also help you clean. If your iron has some goop on it you
can clean it by sprinkling salt on a paper bag and sliding your
hot iron over it. Salt will help you clean your drains as
well. A hot salt water solution will clean out simple clogs in
your sinks. If you spill wine on a piece of clothing you can
just sprinkle some salt on the stain and then pour boiling water
over that to remove the stain. Salt is also good to use with
ice. Everyone knows that you can spread salt to melt ice in
your drive during the winter, but you can also use salt and ice
to chill your wine very fast. Just mix layers of ice and salt
around your wine in a container. In just a few minutes you will
have a chilled bottle of wine. It is just like making homemade
ice cream. So the next time you have a clog or a stain, or any
other tough chore around the kitchen, check out your salt before
you buy an expensive product. You might have the answer to your
problems in your cupboard! |
||||
Website design and content ©2009-2011 Gustin Creative Group.
Please send website inquiries to
gustingroup@comcast.net. |