EPISODE #126 - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

Summer is over?!?!  Not by a long shot!  Just because the kids are back in school doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a few more weeks of warm weather and outdoor enjoyment in your garden.  Already I’m starting to look around the house for projects to do once the weather gets cooler.  There are things I’m starting to think about for the up coming winter…. But they will have to wait.  I’m headed back outside for a few more minutes of hammock time!

By the way you may have heard a rumor.  OK, I guess it isn’t’ a rumor if you read what I posted on Facebook.  Fusion is moving in Portland!  We are staying on KOIN, but we are moving from 8am to 9am, right after Garden Time!  You get an extra half hour of sleep on Saturday mornings.  So, starting September 15th, get up at 8:30 and catch Garden Time and then hang around for the Fusion crew.

Rejuvenation Door Hardware

When you are trying to create that perfect atmosphere or style for your home, don’t forget the doors.  We met with Nichol at Rejuvenation (503-238-1900) on SE Grand to get some tips for dressing your doors.  The first thing you need to do before you come in is to figure out what style you would like to have.  Check out books, search for pictures on the internet and then get lots of measurements.  Figure out the dimensions of the door you are working and what you want it to do.  Do you want it to lock? Is it a newer door or an older door?  Does it have holes in the door already or do you need them drilled?  Bring all this information with you when you shop and you can eliminate multiple trips.  Once you get to the store you will need to pick out the type of finish you are looking for.  Remember to take into account what you currently have in the house.  The wood, tile and paint color can all make a big difference in the type of hardware you choose.  The best part is that you can pick matching finishes in other hardware (door stops, pulls, locks, etc.) so you can match just about anything.  They also have a factory here in Portland so the turnaround on these pieces is pretty fast.  Stop by and check out all the cool stuff.

Chipped Pastrami

Sometimes a twist on an old favorite makes a new recipe outstanding.  We stopped at Produce Row Café (503-232-8355) to visit Chef Justin Wisneski and learn his take on the old ‘chipped beef’ recipe.  He calls his special concoction ‘Justin’s Surprise’ or ‘Pastrami Chipped Beef’.  He started with a chopped onion and sautés it until they are slightly translucent.  At the same time he puts some diced, steamed potatoes on to sauté in butter.  When the onion is ready he adds 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, salt and pepper, diced cauliflower, and pastrami, and cooks it until it gets a tiny bit crispy.  As that browns up he adds spices to his potatoes and browns them.  The pastrami mixture then gets 1 quart of cream.  After reducing, Chef Justin cuts the rich flavor with 2 teaspoons of horseradish.  Finally he added parsley to his dish, though you could add any fresh herb from your garden. 

The chipped pastrami is served over toasted bread and topped with a fried egg.  The potatoes are served on the side.  Chef Justin called this dish the ultimate hang over cure when served with a Bloody Mary.  If you would like to try this dish you can stop by Produce Row and enjoy it as part of their expanded breakfast menu!  

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

We all want to take all the necessary precautions to be safe and keep our loved ones from harm.  Because of this, most of us have installed smoke detectors to warn us in the event of a fire.  But what if the danger was silent and unseen?  That is the problem with Carbon Monoxide.  This odorless and tasteless poison can sneak up on you in a closed space and can be undetected until it is too late.  Because of this, the Oregon Legislature mandated that all rental properties, group homes and new home construction be required to have a carbon monoxide detector installed as of April 1^st of last year.  To learn more we stopped by A-Boy Plumbing and Electrical Supply (503-287-0776) to chat with Lisa about the new rules.  She also told us about the newer models that don’t require a lot of tools or know-how to install.  You may want to look at a combination model as well.  These models combine Smoke detectors and CO (carbon monoxide) detectors together.  You can even get them with long-lived batteries so you don’t have to worry about them going dead when you need them!  To get answers to any of your questions, you can stop by any of the A-Boy locations around the metro area.

Fixing a Hole in the Wall

Fixing a hole in your sheetrock is a pretty common thing around most homes.  It could be a hole from a doorknob or from a sharp object.  Either way repairing the hole can be an easy process. We stopped by Parr Lumber (503-531-7277) to get some help from Chris.  Chris helped us pick out the items we would need to fix a small hole, but even if we didn’t have Chris to help us, all the Parr locations have easy to follow ‘how-to’ booklets for customers to use to get the job done.  For our job we needed a patch kit, some sheetrock mud and a can of spray texture. 

To fix the hole we first sanded down the rough edges of the area around the hole.  We then applied the adhesive patch to cover the hole in the wall.  If the hole had been bigger we may have had to do a lot more work to fix the hole, but Chris read our measurements of the hole and knew that the patch would work (you can get the same help at your local Parr store).  Once the patch was in place we applied the mud around the patch to help cover it up and hide the edges of the patch. We then had to wait until the mud dried.  Once dried, we sanded the mud to smooth it out, and then sprayed the wall with the ‘texture’ to get it to match with rest of the wall.  If the project looks a little rough or you are not happy with it, you can simply sand the texture off and try again.  When everything is dry you can repaint the spot and it should blend in pretty well and your hole is fixed!  For help with any of your other do-it-yourself projects you can stop by any Parr location.