Sick of hotdogs and Twinkies?

Heading off to the bush for the long weekend, but want to make sure your camping cuisine is comme il faut? Check out Coleman’s Camping Cookbook & Meal Planner iPhone application. You can use it to find recipes based on food type and ingredients, to rank kid-friendly meals, or share summerlicious desserts and recipes that work on the boat. Just remember - beer on the pier - water on the water!!!  You can also plan an entire trip menu - just plug in the number of days and campers and the app generates shopping and equipment lists. Look for it in the Apple iTunes store under the Lifestyles category, or click here  for more information. Yes, I’m sure you can find a recipe for S’mores on it.

If you love camp cooking, you should also take a look at the new George Foreman propane grill. While it’s really just a souped-up camp grill, it’s pretty nifty, as it has grill pan that can be turned over and used as griddle. Pancakes, anyone? The non-stick plates make clean-up easier (although that’s what teenage children are for, right?) and 200 square inches of cooking surface means you can use it for a crowd. And at about $100, the price is right. I wish it got a little hotter a little faster, but overall, I like it. Now get out there and have a happy (and safe) Canada Day. I myself am off for a few days R&R, so I’ll see you back here next week.

A woman who knows her paint

 
I’m not gonna lie, sometimes interviews with corporate types can be as exciting as, well, watching paint dry. So much like sitting through an infomercial! Sometimes, though, you get to meet somebody who’s intelligent, energetic and full of ideas and information that are worthy of you, dear reader. Eileen McComb, director of corporate communications for Benjamin Moore definitely falls into the latter group.

After chatting with Eileen while she was in town recently, I walked away feeling inspired, rather than overwhelmed, about my current paint-related tasks, which include doing several rooms at my cottage and coming up with some fun and creative ideas for my appearance at the Toronto Fall Home Show (more on that later).

When I asked her about the long-predicted, but so-far little seen, consumer rush toward colour in decor and design, she said that it’s really only been in the last year or so that homeowners have really begun to embrace colour. We talked, too, about how colour is being used now – in feature walls, to delineate open spaces and to highlight or showcase architectural features, as seen in the pic above.

Of course, I also had to ask why Benjamin Moore has such a good rep with designers and paint pros. Because, let’s face it, it does. Without a beat, McComb answered that the coverage and colour are unparalleled, in part because of the formulation, and in part because they manufacture their own pigments, unlike some other paint purveyors, who purchase pigment from a third-party.

Since our meeting, a great, big fat BM colour deck has landed on my desk. I find myself hovering a lot in the sunny yellows (sparkling sun is a fave) and cool greens (celery ice). And no, it’s not procrastinating folks, it’s research! More on great new colours from BM (and others) in an upcoming column.

Night lights

While researching a column on solar lights, I actually got too much information from Canadian Tire spokesperson Askshata Kalyanpur to fit in the paper, so I’m including the overflow here: A few fast facts:

Regular output solar lights contain Ni-CD rechargeable batteries. High output lights contain Lithium Phosphate rechargeable batteries. (I was also told recently by a Black and Decker product specialist that lithium batteries don’t like extreme cold, so I’m trying to find out if that means you need to bring lithium-powered lights in during the winter – I’ll report back on the answer to that.)

LED bulbs can last anywhere from eight to ten years. No individual LED bulb can be replaced; the entire top housing with bulb is the replacement. Rechargeable batteries will usually last two years.

Replace batteries when you notice the the light is weakening.

For optimum performance,  it's best to install regular solar lights in full sunlight to charge for ten to 12  hours. Solar LED lights can charge faster in partial or full sunlight. On a full charge, batteries will power the light for more than eight hours, unless the product has a built-in timer.

Kalyanpur also suggested dirty panels can be cleaned simply by wiping  a damp cloth across the surface. But, thinking that a dirty film on the panel might be the problem, I’ve tried that with some under-performing solar lights at my cottage -- to no avail. A reader had slight success using diluted vinegar and/or CLR rubbed on the solar collector while held upside down. I’ve decided that it’s probably not in fact dirt that’s the problem but that the panel itself is damaged or worn-out. But I’d be interested to know if other readers have had the same issue.

One of my fave solar lights this year are the colourful disks from PC Home (see above) which I’ve used as tabletop lighting for outdoor dinners. Love ‘em!

We love colour - sort of

We keep hearing that when it comes to decor, colour is back. But while consumers may be embracing big, bold colours in accessories, tabletop and textiles, the majority of homes I enter have neutral wall coverings. That may be why Pittsburgh Paint's latest offering is a collection of 100 "complex" neutrals.

Dubbed Atmospheric, these new neutrals are additions to Pittsburgh's Voice of Colour system and are designed to blend seamlessly with textiles, flooring, and furniture in complementary colours. While Atmospheric includes a full slate of the typical neutrals - grays, khakis and beiges - the palette also includes a soft blush pink (Adorable) Pinot Noir and a signature colour used by Frank Lloyd Wright in designing Fallingwater (Cherokee Red). I found myself looking for a long time at the mauves, purples, smokey greys and amethyst, as seen in the pic below. Pretty, isn't it? (Although the room in the image has  a bit too much pink for my taste. I  would have added more greys and creams.)   

BTW, I met Eileen McComb, director of corporate communications for Benjamin Moore, this morning. Such an interesting, knowledgeable person. Did we talk colour! More on that soon. And yes, of course, I asked her opinion on colour choice for the bedroom and family room at the cottage. She had FABULOUS advice.

Tell us what you really think, Frank

Want to know what legendary architect Frank Gehry thinks of LEED?I caught it on Inhabitat (one of my fave green design sites to visit) and thought it was noteworthy.

Green house gets gold award

The eighth season of My RONA House ended with a win by the hard-working Landreville-Kérouack family, who now get  their home and its furnishings, valued at $350,000. What makes this reality show stand out is that both houses built during the season received their Gold level LEED Canada certification, becoming respectively the first and second homes in Quebec to do so. 

Throughout the run of the show, participants and viewers learned about LEED, a system introduced in March 2009 for evaluating eco-responsible homes. To obtain LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), homes must be built with special attention paid to energy efficiency, efficient water use, and indoor air quality.

The houses featured used eco-responsible materials and resources, including lumber and exterior wood sourced from Forest Stewardship Certified forests, low VOC or low urea-formaldehyde-emitting paint, adhesives, waterproofing and other materials, recycled or partially recycled materials, local supply sources, recycled paint, low-flow faucets and shower heads, and 4/6-litre dual-flush toilets. Energy Star-rated windows, home appliances, light bulbs, ventilation systems and air exchangers were also used, while an air exchanger reduced indoor pollutants. Rona’s own ECO line also figured prominently in the build.

Grilling is hot (d'oh!)

Is it my imagination or has grilling suddenly gotten um, extra hot, this summer? Every time I turn around, I’m faced with another press release about a new grill or BBQ product. This week, the cool kids all want to talk about ceramic grills. Except, a-hem, I did write about one of these, The Big Green Egg — shown above — last year which does put me, a-hem, slightly ahead of the trend.

According to the World’s Largest BBQ Store Ontario Gas BBQ, ceramic grills are typically egg shaped and charcoal fuelled, and use less fuel than almost any other cooker. Because the ceramic shell provides excellent insulation, they can reach very high temperatures, and the dome-shape aids in convection cooking (very even heat).

The technology can be traced back 3,000 years to the days when meals were prepared in clay pots over fire or coals. Today, the same technology has given rise to what’s known as kamado style ceramic barbecues. It’s found in the tandoor ovens of India and the mushikamados of Japan - round clay pots, fuelled by charcoal that have a removable domed clay lid, a damper and draft door for heat control. This ancient cooking technique, which takes its name from mushikamados, apparently came to North America after World War II.

Greener gardens

I’m noticing a surge of garden tools and accessories being made out of both recyclable or biodegradable materials. Shown here are the latest from Garant, which has an “Enviro” line that includes rakes and shovels made right here in Canada from recycled materials, and which have wooden handles made from Forest Stewardship Certified wood. There’s also a new line of six- and nine-inch planters — made from 80 per cent sustainable, renewable resources, such as bamboo and rice. They last about three years and then are completely biodegradable. Of course, you need to ask yourself whether it doesn’t make as much sense to buy something that lasts longer and places, therefore, less stress on manufacturing resources. But it’s all a step in the right direction. I also like the fact that Loblaws Garden Centres will take back plastic pots for recycling. Bring back a minimum of $25 and you get a coupon for $5 off your next garden purchase (but it's got to be $50 or more).

 

A great garden with almost no water - why not?

This week's Hot Home Products column is all about green gardening. In many places now, that means gardening without pesticides. To find out what the rules are in your area, check out the handy guide on the Canadian Tire website.  While we're on the topic, water conservation is a huge part of green landscaping. If you are really serious about reducing water use, consider zeriscaping, which is a landscaping practice that radically reduces the need for watering. The City of Toronto’s website has good information on the topic.

Close your eyes and look the other way - but get the shot

Remember getting that Tetanus shot as a kid? Did it scare ya? Of course it did. Now, think about it – have you ever had a Tetanus booster since that fateful day? If the answer is no, or at least not in the last ten years, it’s time to get one, because it’s important that you’re protected. That’s why the Canadian Coalition for Immunization Awareness and Promotion has teamed up with outdoor living expert Carson Arthur, host of HGTV’s Green Force, to raise awareness about the importance of getting a Tetanus booster. Most of us still think that Tetanus bacteria comes from a rusty nail or rake. In fact, the harmful bacteria that cause Tetanus live in soil, dirt and dust; even a small amount can make you very sick. So if you haven’t had a booster in ten years. It won’t hardly hurt a bit, certainly less than the symptoms of Tetanus will. If you’re a big brave boy or girl, you have my permission to go out and get ice cream afterwards. Yes, you can have two scoops. And a waffle cone with sprinkles. Just remember to brush your teeth. Because cavities are a bad thing too.