Very, very special

Made my way over to visit the newly opened location of A Special Place, the home furnishing store that ran out of a small shop at Yonge and Davisville for several decades. It’s now relocated to a much larger showroom in the Castlefield Design district. The new store is gorgeous – filled with Canadian-made bedroom and dining sets in solid wood, lovely accent tables and lighting, delicious bedding and wonderful accessories such as throw blankets and pillows.

There’s also a decorating service to help style-challenged shoppers (like me) make the right choices and stick to the budget. One of the pieces I loved the best was a wing chair in an oversized toile pattern in a pussy willow grey.

Look for more from this store in upcoming Hot Home columns.

Happy 150th, Inglis

It’s a big birthday for Inglis, a company that generations of Canadians identify with dependable and affordable home appliances (and a great big sign on the Gardiner.) The company, which began in 1859 as makers of machinery for grist and flour mills, is celebrating 150 years in business. To mark the milestone, Inglis has launched a contest in which it’s asking Canadians to contribute to a virtual time capsule that will represent what Canada was like in 2009. Until July 15^th,  you can go to the Inglis website to pick from a predetermined list of options of items to add that best represent Canada right now, or add an original submission. It’s fun to read some of the suggestions — a white dove to signify our contributions to peace-keeping is my favourite “serious” submission.

On a lighter note, I’d include a recipe for Cheese Wiener Wind-ups** , among my favourites of the  Kraft recipes that were aired in the good old days during Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts. This is indirectly related to 2009, since this was the year many of us finally accepted that we would never again hear the old HNIC theme song on Saturday nights on the CBC again.

Think hard to come up with your own best suggestion, as the best original idea will win a full suite of Inglis  kitchen appliances.

**Take one wiener, wrap it in a slice of Kraft processed cheese, and then in a dinner roll (the kind you buy in a cardboard tube at the supermarket, of course). Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. I think the last time I enjoyed one of these was the same year the Leafs won their most recent Stanley Cup, which - come to think of it -  was also about 150 years ago!!!)

More cottage gotta-have's - and some delish summer drinks

This week’s Hot Home Products column looked at great stuff for the cottage. I’ve added below some pics that didn’t make it into the paper, including  PC Home forged knives, the Lokkii grill and Adventure Medical Kits. I also promised to share a couple of blender recipes. The first one listed below (Cranberry Thyme) I found on Dana McCauley’s blog, which I often read when I’m ignoring a deadline, when I need to do important research. Seriously, though, this is one great blog, whether you’re a dedicated foodie or merely an enthusiast and curious home cook.The second blender recipe comes from the folks at Breyers, who have just added three new flavours — Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate Cheesecake and Dark Chocolate Velvet — to their line of double churned ice-creams. (The second churn gives it a creamier, smoother texture.) Below Dana’s recipe are a couple of ideas for yummy ice-cream based treats. Hamilton Beach,  which has just launched a clever thermos blender (see pic at left), also has good recipe ideas on its website. And yes folks, I did test the Breyers double-churned ice cream, although my son James insists we’re not done until we do a blind taste test with it against his fave, Kawartha Dairy, when we’re next at the cottage.

Cranberry Thyme

3/4 cup cranberry juice

3 1/2 cup each ice cubes and frozen cranberries

1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry

3 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Mix on high speed until well combined.Dana suggests that a shot of vodka adds a lovely grown-up element to this drink.

Banana Cream Pie Bellini Freeze
Blend 1 scoop of Breyers Double Churn Banana Cream Pie ice cream, 1/4 cup peach nectar and 1 cup of ice. Serve in a martini glass.

Mocha Smoothies
Blend 2 cups Breyers Double Churn Dark Chocolate Velvet ice cream, 1/2 cup cold espresso or double strength coffee and 1/4 cup milk. Serve and enjoy immediately.

 

 

Meet Venie – my new BFF

I am SO excited. I’m finally ready to start my bedroom make-over, after putting it off for months and months and months. The project is fairly big — I’ll be building a closet with the help of Yvonne Patton of Total Confidence, then installing new flooring, doors, lighting and a ceiling fan, as well as painting and decorating. One thing holding me back was confusion over co-ordinating all the décor and design elements. Such a puzzle - so many misteps that I could make!

Fortunately, I have found the solution — I’m going to be working with a “Project Guide” from Rona. In a nutshell, this is a personalized service that lets you work one-on-one with a Rona staffer who has experience in all aspects of reno and design. Basically, it’s like having your own project manager. One major difference is, of course, that the service is FREE. Hello, people, could this be the city’s best-kept design secret?

This week, I met my project guide, Venie, at the Rona Stockyards location (great store, btw). I’m already crazy about her. She started by looking at my plans, and pointing out where I’d missed important measurements (in a  nice way, of course.) Then we walked the floor, looking at the paint, lighting, flooring and door departments. I’ve already got a couple of great tips from Venie, including advice on which aspects of a  job you can save on by doing yourself. She talked me out of trying to install a hardwood floor, telling me that it would probably take me three to five times longer than a professional and that you can end up wasting money by making mistakes with the cutting (how does she know that arithmetic is not my strong point?)

To avoid the longest blog entry ever, I’ll stop here for now. Look for the “before” picture of the room here next week, frequent blogs over the summer and a big reveal in the New in Homes section of the Toronto Star later this summer or early fall. In the meantime, look for frequent blogs on the project, tips from Venie, and — as soon as my Twitter account is up and running — many tweets. Oooh – can you tell I’m excited?!!

Green insulation we love

Why am I sharing that Roxul recently opened a 700,000 sq.-ft. production facility in Milton? On top of the fact that it will create about 100 new jobs, I think it’s a really good product. Roxul's green insulation is made from a combination of basalt rock and recycled material that’s melted and then spun into fibre which is the bound into a dense, wool-like material. It’s fire-resistant, water-repellent and resists mold and fungi growth. The production process recycles waste material so nothing goes to landfill; storm water is used in the manufacturing process and heat from the production line is recycled to heat the building. Clever, no?

By the way, just because the weather is warm doesn't mean you shouldn't be thinking about insulation. Because folks, you all know what comes after this steamy weather.... In fact, I have an insulation project to get done this summer, which I'll tell you about soon. Stay tuned.

Lowe's likes Scarborough - and vice versa

Lowe’s has just opened two new stores in Scarborough. One is at 6005 Steeles Avenue East and the other is located at 800 Warden Avenue. I took a few moments out of my very busy schedule to pop by the opening of the latter (okay, okay – I’ll take any excuse to roam around a home improvement store). Since entering the Canadian home improvement market a few years ago, Lowe’s has really forced other retailers to raise their game. These stores are bright, clean and well laid-out. I’ve never yet had in a Lowe’s the frustrating experience of having to squeeze past a skid of cargo that’s waiting to get unloaded to get to the item I needed. They have a good product assortment, and I’m a big fan of Lowe’s house brands, especially the no-VOC Olympic paint line. If you’re in the neighbourhood this weekend, stop by the Warden Avenue location — apparently they’ll be grand opening events, including prizes. Bryan Baeumler, host of HGTV's Disaster DIY,  will also be there to conduct a deck, fence and spring maintenance clinic from 11-12 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.

Picture this, Pops

Fujifilmhas a couple of new cameras that might make the perfect gift for Dad. If he’s more conversant with mowers than megapixels, the user-friendly J250 has features designed to make taking family pics a snap — including face detection, auto red-eye removal and a wide angle optical zoom lens. This point and shoot sells for about $219. Sporty dad might go for the Z33WP, shown at left. This ten-megapixel waterproof/sandproof  camera works on the beach, the ski slope and just about anywhere in between. Superslim, it has a blog mode that lets you to crop and upload pictures in a blog-friendly size directly from the camera.  It sells for $229. Oooh, now I want one.  

Is Daddy a foodie?

Lots of ideas for gifts for Dads who love to eat. Come to think of it, is there any other kind? If Pops  loves lobster, Longo’s will have it on special in their stores between June 19 and 21. If you're near Oakville and want ideas for a fatherly feast, check out gourmet cooking sessions by such chefs as Michael Bonacini and Jeff Ward of Oliver and Bonacini Cafe Grill at  Oakville Place Mall.  This Saturday, June 20th there will also be a draw for $2500 worth of Umbrella Cabinetry - the environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly kitchen cabinetry in bamboo, coconut bark, recycled glass and aluminum, some of which is shown in the pic at left.

Does the Big Guy love BBQ?

Ontario Gas BBQ has created its own list of great gifts for Father’s Day - all BBQ-related, of course. Here they are:

• Cattleman’s Branding Iron Kit (in case Daddy wants to brand his steak)

• Weber Poultry Roaster (a fancy-pants version of Beer Can Chicken)

• A digital thermometer, perhaps the Thermapen, which reads internal temperatures in under three seconds (my personal fave)

• Charcoal Chimney Starter

• Rotisserie kit

• Smoker kits

• Pizza Stone

• Butt Rub (Hey folks, I don’t make the news – just report it!)

More about the Bluenose

Just found a good video about wood refinishing on the Bluenose, which I blogged about the other day. Click here to see Minwax expert Ralph Swan offer tips and techniques for getting a perfect wood finish. Great information, with simple to understand instructions.