A new knob design by Amerock,  one of the companies that we represent,  was featured.

Antique Silver

Oil Rubbed Bronze

Satin [...]]]> I was looking at Yahoo news today and an article on hot new kitchen trends caught my eye.  The news item was based on an article written in Woman’s Day magazine.

A new knob design by Amerock,  one of the companies that we represent,  was featured.

Antique Silver	Oil Rubbed Bronze	Satin Nickel

As you can see,  the style is unique and fun,  but elegant.  Here’s the product description from Amerock:

“With an air of elegance,  the new Abernathy collection adds depth and dimension to any space. Accented by three distinct finishes,  these stunning jewel-like  knobs add a classic touch resulting in a sophisticated and timeless look.”

If you’d like more information on this collection,  give me a call.

Especially if you’ve recently had your kitchen remodeled,  you probably want to spend more [...]]]> We’re well in to spring,  and most of us are thinking about whether we’re in shape for bathing suit season!  I try to eat healthy all year ’round,  but it seems like springtime brings with it tons of healthy,  lighter recipes.

Especially if you’ve recently had your kitchen remodeled,  you probably want to spend more time cooking.  My clients find that a new kitchen is much more conducive to cooking,  even after a long day.

If you like salmon, this recipe from Food Network is a winner. 

The natural richness of salmon and it’s high amount of Omega-3′s makes it a great choice for a healthy meal that doesn’t need much added fat. By stuffing a mixture of fresh herbs into the fillets, through a pocket, the fish is infused with bright flavors. A light glaze during the cooking process is the final touch.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 center cut skin-on wild salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1 1/3 cups cooked edamame
• Lime wedges, optional garnish

Preheat the grill over medium-high direct heat. Oil the grill grates. Finely chop the cilantro and scallion and mix in the oil and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut two 3-inch long slits through the skin lengthwise on the bottom of the salmon fillets, going about halfway into the salmon. Evenly stuff the slits with the herb mixture. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

Stir together the lime juice, soy and honey until smooth. Place the salmon, skin side up, on the grill and cook until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon and continue to cook, brushing the tops with the sauce, until the fish is cooked through, about another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle the tops with the sesame seeds. Serve with edamame and lime wedges.

Broiler directions: Position an oven rack so that a baking sheet set on the rack is about 4-inches below the heat source. Preheat the broiler. Prepare the salmon as above and place the fillets, skin down, on a foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil, basting 3 to 4 times with the sauce, until just cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Copyright 2010 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Nutritional analysis per serving (analysis not including optional lime wedges)

Calories 345; Total Fat 15g (Sat Fat 1.8g, Mono Fat 4.1g, Poly Fat 5.8g) ; Protein 39g; Carb 10g; Fiber 3g; Cholesterol 93.5mg; Sodium 306mg

If you try it, let me know what you think.

I was curious about just what May Day is,  because these days,  it seems to pass by without any ceremony.  The only reason I even paid attention is because I had to write “May” instead of “April” on my checks!

According to infoplease.com:

“May 1st,  often called May Day,  just might have [...]]]> Happy May Day!

I was curious about just what May Day is,  because these days,  it seems to pass by without any ceremony.  The only reason I even paid attention is because I had to write “May” instead of “April” on my checks!

According to infoplease.com:

“May 1st,  often called May Day,  just might have more holidays  than any other day of the year.  It’s a celebration of Spring. It’s a day of  political protests.  It’s a neopagan festival,  a saint’s feast day,  and a day for  organized labor.  In many countries,  it is a national holiday.”

The day has different meanings in many different European countries.  Most of us have probably heard of the maypole.  That idea came from England.

But in the U.S. and some other countries,  May Day is associated with protests by workers about poor conditions in factories.  To quote infoplease.com again:

“In many countries,  May Day is also Labor Day.  This originates with the United  States labor movement in the late 19th Century.  On May 1,  1886, unions across  the country went on strike,  demanding that the standard workday be shortened to  eight hours.  The organizers of these strikes included socialists, anarchists,  and others in organized labor movements.  Rioting in Chicago’s Haymarket Square on  May 4th including a bomb thrown by an anarchist led to the deaths of a dozen  people (including several police officers) and the injury of over 100 more.

The protests were not immediately successful,  but they proved effective down  the line,  as eight-hour work days eventually did become the norm.  Labor leaders,   socialists,  and anarchists around the world took the American strikes and their  fallout as a rallying point,  choosing May Day as a day for demonstrations,   parades, and speeches.  It was a major state holiday in the Soviet Union and  other communist countries.

Labor Day is still celebrated on May 1 in countries around the world,  and it  is still often a day for protests and rallies.  In recent years,  these have often  been targeted against globalization.”

So now that you know more about the history of May 1st,  I hope you are enjoying the day.  Even though it’s raining around here,  it’s still a good day to notice all of the green leaves that are popping out on trees everywhere,  and all of the tulips and flowering trees that are in bloom.

If you do celebrate May 1st in some way,  I’d love to hear about it.

Even though we usually think of products such as bamboo as green because they are considered sustainable,  we don’t grow bamboo here in [...]]]> It’s all about going green these days.  In the world of cabinetry,  going green is usually about how the cabinets are manufactured,  rather than the materials that the cabinets are made from.

Even though we usually think of products such as bamboo as green because they are considered sustainable,  we don’t grow bamboo here in the U.S.,  so it has to be shipped from overseas.  So how green is that,  really?

Take Signature Custom Cabinetry,  for example.  To start with,  part of their mission is  “ . . . to be an asset & positive influence in our community . . .”.  One way that they do that is by being sensitive to environmental issues.

Here’s what Signature has to say about their commitment to the environment:

“We are committed to maintaining the health of our environment. Proper disposal of cabinet finishing by-products is one way we can help to accomplish this. Over the years we have partnered with environmental services to assist us in this endeavor.

We are reducing the amount of material requiring disposal, even while production volumes increase. This is not the result of government regulation.  Rather,  we do it because it’s the right thing to do as stewards of the environment we have been entrusted with.”

They do this by using a solvent recycling system, and reducing the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that are emitted during their finishing process.  Additionally,  they have worked with their largest supplier to reduce the amount of materials packaging,  and they recycled neary 40 tons of cardboard last year.

Even that’s not enough for Signature.  They are donating the sawdust that is created during the manufacturing process to local farmers to be used as bedding for their livestock,  and wood scrap is given to a local nursery which uses it to heat their greenhouses.

By building durable products that will last for a long time,  Signature helps avoid the waste from poorly constructed cabinetry that must be replaced more often and thus adding to landfills.

They also support sustainable forestry initiatives and use Forestry Stewardship Council certified hardwoods.

All of these efforts by Signature to support a healthy environment make me proud to offer their products.  And we’re supporting those efforts locally as well,  by recycling here in the showroom.  If everyone does their part,  we can make a big impact on the environment.  We owe it to Mother Nature,  she’s been good to us!

Millions of searches are being done on mobile devices every day.  More importantly,  those searches are resulting [...]]]> Being actively involved and on the Board of the Cranberry Country Chamber of Commerce,  I’m always interested in helping other business owners be successful.  That’s why today I wanted to recommend that every business have a mobile-ready website.

Millions of searches are being done on mobile devices every day.  More importantly,  those searches are resulting in business!  So any business that can’t be found – and navigated easily – on a mobile device,  will be left in the dust by their competition.

Our own Webmaster,  Beth Sobiloff,  owner of Birchwood Enterprises,  can give any business a mobile-ready website.  That means that the content fits into the mobile device window – no expanding the screen or scrolling back and forth.  The menu buttons are large and easy to click on.  There is a clear “call to action” such as “Click to call”.  The visitor can get what they want quickly and easily.

If you own a business and your website looks tiny on a mobile phone screen,  or worse yet,  can’t even be seen,   I highly recommend that you call Beth.  She also optimizes websites so that they rank high in the search engines.  Since she has optimized the Wood Palace Kitchens website,  we are getting lots of calls,  resulting in business for us.

The company has announced their AcuFresh Dual Refrigeration System.  Dual refrigeration has been used by SubZero for many years,  but their refrigerators are in the $5,000 – $10,000 range.  [...]]]> Whirlpool is coming out with some new refrigerators this spring that will combine features of very high-end refrigerators with increased energy efficiency,  at more reasonable prices!

The company has announced their AcuFresh Dual Refrigeration System.  Dual refrigeration has been used by SubZero for many years,  but their refrigerators are in the $5,000 – $10,000 range.  Whirlpool’s version will be Tier 2 Energy Star rated (a level above the standard energy star rating).

The dual refrigeration system means that the freezer and fresh foods sections are cooled separately.  This eliminates issues that occur in refrigerators that have one system doing the cooling for both the fresh food section and the freezer,  such as air flow issues,  odors being passed from one to the other,  and temperature control problems.  It also keeps the fresh foods fresh for longer.

A U.S. based company,  Whirlpool is making strides to be more energy efficient while keeping up with technology.  They will also have available a cartridge,  called Fresh Flow,  that goes inside the crisper.  It increases the life of fresh fruits and vegetables by threefold.

Newer models also include better interior lighting.  It’s more direct,  and comes from the front of the refrigerator instead of the back, so you can see into your refrigerator much better.

These days,  many people are buying the french door style of refrigerator.  The freezer drawer below makes it so that the fresh food section is much more accessible with much less bending.  The french doors are naturally narrower,  so when the refrigerator is open,  it’s easier to walk around the door.  Especially if there’s an island in the kitchen.  Many people really like this style.

If your refrigerator is getting old and tired,  it’s just not keeping things as cold as it used to,  take a look at some of the new models.  If it’s been awhile since you shopped for a new frig,  I think you’ll agree that they’ve come a long way.

I recommend going to Kahian’s Appliance in Hanover, MA and asking for Paul.  He’s extremely knowledgeable when it comes to refrigeration and can explain all of your options.

I hope this is helpful.

A scholarship fund has been set up in her name.  If you feel so inclined,  a donation would be greatly appreciated.  Here’s [...]]]> Very dear friends of mine recently lost their daughter in a car accident.  She was a beautiful young girl,  who probably would still be with us today,  had she worn her seat belt.

A scholarship fund has been set up in her name.  If you feel so inclined,  a donation would be greatly appreciated.  Here’s the information from the Ashley Michelle Donahue Facebook page.

I just ran across a video on AllRecipes.com that tells you how to boil eggs so they come out perfect every time, and the shells don’t stick when you peel them.  So aggravating [...]]]> Coloring eggs for Easter was always a favorite activity when my children were little.  From what I can tell, that tradition lives on.

I just ran across a video on AllRecipes.com that tells you how to boil eggs so they come out perfect every time, and the shells don’t stick when you peel them.  So aggravating when you’re trying to make egg salad!

Basically, you put the eggs in a pot and cover with water an inch above the eggs.  Put the pot on high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil.  Then cover the pot and turn off the heat.  Let sit for 14-17 minutes, depending on the egg size.  Drain the hot water, and replace with cold water.  Gently crack the eggs, and leave in the cold water for about an hour.  This will allow the water to seep in between the shell and the egg.  The shells will slip right off at that point.

Of course, if you’re going to be coloring the eggs, you have to skip the last step.  But I find that if you cool the eggs down quickly enough and they’re not overcooked, it’s still pretty easy to remove the shells.

I used to love making egg salad and deviled eggs  after Easter.  It always made me wonder why I didn’t make them more often.

What Easter traditions do you have at your house?