Perfect for beach picnics, park or porch parties

Famously laid-back Vancouverites are not letting a cool and rainy start to summer diminish their enthusiasm for outdoor recreation and entertaining. In fact, says Fiona Wilson, who works at one of the Home Depots in the city, portable grills that folks can easily take to the beach or the park are big sellers this year. Those include Weber’s Q series. (Shown below at right.)

Speaking of portable, Canadian Tire has a sweet little portable propane grill/oven from Coleman that looks like it would be just the thing for gourmet campers who want to eat mroe than weiners and smores (although there's nothing wrong with that menu, imho).  It has two 6,000 BTU stove burners and a 3,000 BTU oven that will fit a 12-inch pizza, and which will run for about 90 minutes on high. Windscreens shield the grill from gusts.

The Quattro from Stok  (shown below) is also drawing attention from folks who “like toys”, says Reid, as it has special pull-out grills in which pizza stones, veggie baskets and other accessories can be inserted. Full discolsure - I have one of these and like it a lot - mostly because I can cook the entire meal on it including, if I do say so myself, a great little appetizer pizza with tomato, goat cheese and basil-infused olive oil. Served with rose wine, natch.

 

 

Hamilton Beach gets its grill on

 

 

Small appliance maker Hamilton Beach has ventured into the BBQ category, with two new grills that are available exclusively at Sears. The five burner Grillstation has  598 square inches of cooking surface, with four main burners (10,000 BTUs, or British Thermal Units) and one side burner with 13,000 BTUs. The three-burner model has three 11,000 BTU burners. Both (shown above) have rotisserie functions. Grates are cast iron coated in porcelain. It also features an extra large temperature gauge that displays temps for cooking zones, and interchanegable trays and baskets.  It's all designed to enable consumers to customize the culinary experience, which HB has identified as a significant foodie trend this year.Prices start at  about $400.

 

How to have a Canada Day party with pooping out the hostess

Outdoor barbeques are a standard feature of the Canadian summer landscape. Their popularity is well-deserved; after all, there’s nothing quite like enjoying roasted meat or fish on the patio or by the lake on a perfect summer evening, surrounded by friends and family. But let’s face it, BBQ parties do have their drawbacks, especially for the chef, who’s often forced to stand for hours over a hot grill, trying to juggle orders for rare, medium, well-done, cheese or no-cheese, vegetarian etc., etc, etc.

Not only is this sweaty work, but it forces the cook to focus on food rather than friends. That’s why I think the summer sandwich is poised to make a come-back. Sandwiches may well be the new “it” food – they’re easy to prepare ahead, highly portable, don’t require utensils and are easy to customize for folks with various dietary restrictions.

I’ve put together an easy make-ahead Canada Day party menu that I think will delight guests, and allow the entire gang to hang out together. My “inspiration” was a line of plain and flavoured hummus from Sabra, pickled beans and olives from Matt and Steve’s Extreme Bean line and PC’s regular and multi grain baguettes.

The gelato and sorbet were a breeze to make with the DeLonghi’s Gelatto Maker. Unlike previous generations of this type of machine, you don’t have to freeze the inner vessel before preparation - just quickly mix the various ingredients into a bowl, pour it in the bowl and turn it on. For the next half hour or so, the ingredients are churned and chilled. The taste and texture of what you get is, imho, far, far beyond just about any store-bought product on the market – including many premium brands. And you can be making the sweet treat unattended, while guests are nibbling on the main event.  I had such fun testing the machine with the DeLonghi recipe book, and it wasn’t long before I was coming up with my own recipes, including one for maple syrup gelato. 

Here it is:

Vicky’s Maple Syrup Gelato

1 cup minus one tablespoon cold milk

1 tablespoon cold espresso, or a heaping tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in a tablespoon of cold milk

½ cup cream

½ cup sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

Pour into machine and follow manufacturer's instructions. By the way, you can make gelato without an ice-cream maker – it’s just a bit fussier. You can also dress this up by folding in a half cup of chopped toasted walnut or small chunks of dark chocolate (or both!)

A few tips for further reducing the fuss – keep serving dishes simple and practical. I’m not generally a fan of paper napkins, but cheap and cheerful napkins with a Maple Leaf are perfect for a Canada Day get-together.  In some cases, they can replace plates.

I also love the unbreakable serving pieces from Urban Barn that look like slate. They pair beautifully with plain white service dishes and lovely little tea-light holders with sweet little bird motifs in glossy white – also from Urban Barn. When arranging self-serve party food, I always suggest using several smaller platters rather than one or two large, centrally located ones. It means that food is within easy reach of conversational grouping and that there’s never a crush or line up in one spot.  It also tends to make people circulate, which helps any party.

Another tip – rather than having a set meal-time, consider an open-house format, in which you invite guests to drop in anytime between, say, 2 and 7 p.m. It makes it easier for families of different types (young couple with babies, empty-nesters, busy teen-agers) to get to the event, and staggering the arrival of folks also often means that you get more face-time with each.

Since music adds to the atmosphere of any party, you’ll want to crank some tunes outside. For that, I love the teeny iHome stereo speaker system that I found at HMV. It works with MP3 players, iPhones and iPads, delivering remarkably good sound from a small base. Also great on the dock at the cottage. You can pick one up for about $20 from HMV, where I also found a few new must-have Canadian releases; Rufus Wainwright’s Out of the Game, the Cowboy Junkies' The Wilderness and Neil Young’s Americana, which includes a cover version of God Save the Queen. 

Here are my food suggestions. Hope they inspire you.

Appetizers

Spicy hummus served with sliced radishes, baby carrots and baguette slices (for an elegant presentation, slice baguette into rounds, brush with olive oil and place in a 400˚F oven for 10 minutes.)

Pickled green beans wrapped in prosciutto

Cherry tomatoes with bocconcini, drizzled with basil flavoured olive oil

Baguette Sandwiches

Red pepper hummus with sliced red onion, roasted beets, goat cheese and red leafy lettuce on a plain baguette, garnished with a pickled bean

Roasted garlic hummus with Brie, sliced radishes and curly lettuce on multigrain baguette, garnished with a pickled olive (use a Canadian flag toothpick for a fun touch)

Devilled eggs made with black olive hummus (So simple. Slice a dozen hard boiled eggs in half. Carefully remove yolks with a small spoon and place in bowl. Add about a half-cup of Sabra Greek Olive hummus and few tablespoons of mayonnaise or thick plain yogurt. Mix together and spoon into eggs. Garnish with chopped onion. )

Dessert

Mocha maple syrup gelatto served in a chocolate Victoria cup and garnished with a chocolate wafer

Strawberry sorbet served with mashed strawberries and garnished with a lemon wafer

From frugal to fabulous - great Father's day gift ideas

Need more great gift ideas for Dad? Happy to oblige. 

Is Dad an aging hippie, or just an aficionado of amazing harmonies? He might like The Beach Boys new album, That’s Why God Made the Radio.  Available at HMV for $17. If his taste runs to something with a slightly harder edge, Rush's Clockwork Angels, also at HMV for $15.

You love Dad, but not his habit of wearing his old running shoes with short socks — even in public. We feel your pain. Kick up Daddy-O’s cool quotient with Sebago’s Triton Three-Eye (about $140) at The Dock Shoppe; Town Shoes; Little Burgundy; Locale; Browns or online at Sebago.

Also worth a look are Wolverine’s Fulcrum GTX ($300) line. These boots have more than rugged  good looks going for them. Waterproof leather uppers with a mesh lining, and a GoreTex membrane make them comfy and breathable.
But here’s the kicker — there’s a removable insole that sits atop a special disc that allows the wearer to customize support. Clever, no?

Does Dad love his coffee? Go all out with De’Longhi’s Gran Dama Avant Espresso Make, which makes perfect latte, cappuccino, Italian macchiato, espresso or plain ole coffee. It’s got touch-screen operation, an on-board grinder, and a plastic jug that stores netaly away in the fridge delivers milk directly into the cup (no fussing with steamer wands).
If the SRP of $3500 is a little too steep, remember that De Longhi has great lower price-point models the one I have does coffee and espresso (space saving) and comes in closer to $250.

Is Father Dear always running late? And do you have a healthy wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket? Tissot’s gorgeous T-Touch II ($950.00) is a stylish solution.
Other models from the same line start at $695.Just the watch to get if Dad’s taste runs to a touch-screen, Swiss-made watch that gives 13 functions, including an altimeter, compass, thermometer and alarm and is water resistant up to 100 metres.Plus, you can get it a funky orange silicone strap, if Dad happens to be a style-meister.  Available at Birks across Canada.

Pretty papers

 

I love things that feel real to me: glass, linen, wood, stone - and paper. I grew up in a home that always had beautiful embossed stationery, and have always adored the feel and smell of gorgeous paper. So Deborah Norton is a true kindred spirit. 

Norton had been making cards for family and friends for years before she turned her attention to it full-time four years ago, launching The Paper Parade. 

A self-taught artist, Norton says she thinks creativity is in her DNA. “My family is all very artisitic. We were always exposed to the arts, and both my parents are gifted amateur artists. My brother is a professional photographer. So I come by it honestly.” 

Vintage paper, in the form of illustrations, cards, maps and art, have always fascinated Norton, and it’s this love that fuels her work, which includes lovely, hand-printed cards and tags. Until recently, it was all available on her Etsy shop, but a full-on renovation has shuttered the shop temporarily. “My studio is in the house, and we’ve had to move out. I’m still doing custom orders, and I’ve started doing some styling. I also have my lifestyle blog. So one thing seems to keep turning into another. We’ll see what happens next.”

While you may not be able to access Norton’s work, shown here, she has a few  other fave paper places she thinks you’ll want to check out. They are Kozo Studios Tanya Roberts and Pantry Press

 

I'm a big fan of the Dyson Fan

 

The temperate air of Spring can turn oppressively hot and soggy before you know it, as it has recently here in the Centre of the Universe (aka Toronto). Shop now for a fan, while stock is good. The Dyson Air Multiplier is super-cool (in several senses). There are no spinning blades to chop the air ineffectively — or, very effectively, small fingers — and it’s designed to draw in up to 27 litres of air a second, amplify it up to 18 times, and spread it soothingly across your hot, sweat-slick, grumpy self. It comes in two shapes, a round version - great for tabletop and, for larger spaces, an oblong version, shown above with My Close Personal Friend James Dyson (well, not really, but I have met Sir James, who is a delightful cross between your cool uncle and a mad genius.)  Both versions are  gorgeous. Last summer, these babies flew off the shelves and were sold out in no time. Govern yourself accordingly. Prices for the line, available at major retailers, start at about $380. Pricey? Yes. But so worth it if you get years and years of summer cooling out of it.

Keeping it clean in the backyard

Got a space-challenged backyard, or an over abundance of garden and sport gear that's spilling out of the garage and back hall? Rubbermaid has a new shed that offers loads and room, and makes it easy to get at, so you can avoid pronging yourself in the face with the rake just to get to the lawn chairs. The Slide Lid Shed has a sliding roof that makes it easy to get at seasonal paraphernalia, and a profile low enough to sit below the sightlines of a six-foot fence, so it won't impair the neighbours' view. The paintable exterior mimics lap siding. About $500 at Home Hardware

 

The Bay welcomes homegrown talent with DwellStudio

DwellStudio  is now available at three of The Bay’s flagship stores nationwide  ­— Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Founder and designer, Canadian Christiane Lemieux, launched DwellStudio in 1999, fusing modern design, a playful approach to colour and old-world details. 

Her bold geometrics, stripes and abstract florals became a design signature for the Ottawa native, who earned her design chops at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York after graduating from Queen’s University.

Most of the DwellStudio line will be available in stores as well as select styles of DwellStudio furniture. Customers can also special order the complete furniture line through The Bay.

Hot home office pieces

Sadly, there wasn't room in this week's column in the paper for all the great images I had of office furniture. Happily, the wonders of modern technology make it possible for me to share them here. Kind of a ying-yang sitch.

 

Arie shelves by Aril Levy (at Klaus) can do double duty as shelves or room dividers

Domison's office chair (Corian) has a deliberate formality

Mayhew can help with office design from the floor up

The well-designed home office can increase productivity (image from Mayhew)

 

Castor (at Klaus) offers an unsual take on office decor

Martha Stewart thinks a tidy office (with items show here and below) is a good thing

 

 

A (work) room of one's own

Oi has an unusual plan for bringing its product to market

 

An interesting side story to my Hot Home Products piece this week involves a campaign just launched by Oi, a Winnipeg-based company that designs modular furniture pieces that can be configured in various ways to create flexible “cell seating”. The components - made from recyclable plastic -  sit on spiked bases, and come in several colours and coverings, including polyvinyl, polyester and Sunbrella, which can be used outdoors.

Oi cells can be configured to create various seating plans

The twist is that Oi is now offering the pieces at a $399, down several hundred dollars from the original price. The reduced pricing was based on advice from the infamous Dragon’s Den and was made possible by a decision to manufacturer off-shore. Since that price is based on volume, Oi needs to find a minimum of 400 orders to make it worthwhile.

To promote the plan, Oi has come up with a Twitter campaign that can net the top-tweeting “Oi’vangelist” free seating and 400 trees for their community. Clever. I think.

 

 

 

 

Available through a more traditional channel, but in keeping with the theme, Staples  has just launched Martha Stewart’s home office line for Avery, which includes modular trays, boxes, organizers, journals, and accordion files. There’s also a range of sticky notes, including removable chalkboard labels that can be used to label everything from office storage boxes to jars of jelly beans.