EPISODE #101 - SATURDAY MARCH 3, 2012

It is the start of our 4th season.  We can’t tell you how excited we are to be back for our 4th season.  David and Robin have been thinking of some new and exciting stories for us to cover this coming year and we have been out on the road getting some great tips to share with you this year.  Plus, as always, we will be featuring some of the best restaurants in the state and getting special tips and recipes from their chefs.  We hope you have a great time and that you learn a little along the way.  Don’t forget you can also get some great home tips in the month issue of Garden Time Magazine. 

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!

Deviled Eggs

We just showed you how to make the prefect boiled egg.  Now we will show you a couple of ways to make the perfect deviled egg.  We were at the NW Natural Appliance Center (503-220-2362) to tackle a couple of tasty variations of this classic recipe.  For most people is it just mayo and mustard mixed with their egg yolks to make the filling, but Chef David had 2 very different recipes for 2 great tastes.  Robin did the recipe that included truffle oil, cayenne and mayonnaise.  David’s recipe included mayo, red pepper, and sherry vinegar.  Robin finished hers with a garnish of chives and David finished his with smoked paprika.  For the complete recipe click here.

Table & Chair Affair

It is time to take a seat… for charity!  We took some time to meet with the organizers of the Table & Chair Affair to learn about this event and to see some of these incredible works of art.  The event benefits the Community Warehouse.  Executive Director Kristy Wood told us that this organization assists families and individuals that need help in setting up their new homes and living areas.  They take gently used household items and distribute them.  You can’t just go and shop their warehouse though.  They only work with families that are referred by one of the hundred different social service agencies in Oregon and SW Washington that partner with the Community Warehouse.  They have a couple of ways that you can help support the Community Warehouse.  The first is the Estate Store.  This store is full of antique, vintage, and unique retro furniture for anyone with great taste.  The second way is to attend a wonderful local event. 

That brings us to the benefit for the Community Warehouse, the table & Chair Affair.  This is the 6^th year for this great event and it is named for the numerous chairs that are designed and decorated by local artists.  Mariam Hecht, the volunteer chair of the event, told us that this year’s event is taking place on the 15^th of March at Castaway at 1900 NW 18^th Ave. in downtown Portland.  The event has 2 ways that you can show your support.  The first part is a Hot Seat party from 5-7pm and that is followed by a Reserved Seat Dinner from 7-8:30pm. At the benefit dinner party you can bid on the table settings.  And these are not your usual dishes and cups.  Each of these tables has a theme and you can purchase the one that fits your mood or décor.  If you would like to buy tickets to the event you can go to their website, or if you can’t make it to the event you can still bid on the chairs (or even buy them) by going on-line to the event website.  This is a great event and it is your chance to help families get a head start on a new life with much needed household items.

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.   

Dryer Sheets

We have been doing a series of stories on the multiple uses of everyday household items and this week we are using our old friend, the dryer sheet.   The dryer sheet was designed to keep clothes from clinging and to help them smell fresh.  Because of this anti-static feature you can use them all over the house for things like dusting furniture, cleaning computer screens, removing pet hair from upholstery and even untangling sewing thread.  Because they are scented sheet you can also use them around the house to help freshen things up too.  Place them in suitcases that you are storing to keep them from smelling musty.  You can also place them in old books or even shoes to accomplish the same thing.  Dryer sheets are not just for the dryer!