Susan Hawke

Monday, 11 November 2013

Include mushrooms in your festive feasting

Enjoy all the season has to offer, and surprise your guests with a tasty mushroom meal.

(NC) With holiday season soon to be in full swing, have you thought about what to serve at your next get together? Why not fresh Canadian mushrooms? Fresh mushrooms are easy to prepare, flavourful, elegant, and are sure to keep your guests entertained.

Basic Mushroom Prep

Prior to use, gently wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth or soft brush to remove any peat moss particles, or rinse them under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Please do not wash mushrooms when you bring them home. They will absorb water and discolour.

Remove the stems if they feel hard or dry. There is no need to peel mushrooms. Portabella and Shiitake mushrooms generally have tougher stems so you can simply twist them away from the cap or remove them with the tip of a knife. All other mushrooms can be prepared with their stems on.

Mushrooms can be served chopped, sliced, or whole. No matter how you serve them they are SIMPLE to prepare and add great flavour to all appetizers, side dishes and entrees.

Serve Mushrooms Cold

Simply wipe fresh mushrooms with a damp cloth, cut into bite-sized pieces or keep whole, and serve with dips, in salads, or as a garnish to your mushroom entrees.

Roasting Mushrooms (20 Minutes)

To get perfect roasted mushrooms, place them in a shallow baking pan, toss with one tablespoon of oil and roast in a 450°F oven, stir occasionally. Roast the mushrooms until they are brown and fragrant.

Seasoning Mushrooms

Mushrooms are easy to season, the same as meats and other vegetables. Virtually any seasoning will go well with mushrooms, so you can enjoy them any way you like.

No matter how you prepare your meal, your guests will be not only entertained but also amazed by the versatility of the mushroom.

Recipe Suggestions

Holiday Nut Stuffing

Savoury Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Oven Roasted Mushroom and Vegetable Salad

Delicious mushroom recipes are available online at www.mushrooms.ca.

Like A Hawke,
Susan

Please check out my current listings and together we'll discover your real estate needs. If you know anyone buying or selling I'd love to help them! You can follow me on Twitter: @susanhawkesells Instagram: @susanhawke Pinterest: @SusanHawke Facebook Page: Susan Hawke Remax Sales Representative Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Canada

The power of local spending during the holiday season

(NC) Preparing for the holiday season is often associated with gift lists, bargain hunting and potentially crowded or stressful shopping experiences searching for the perfect gift.

This year, try exploring your local businesses for unique items and make local purchases to help support neighbourhood businesses during a season that sees a lot of consumer dollars crossing the border or disappearing online with retailers around the world.

“Shopping off-the-beaten path in one of your neighbourhood stores can be a much calmer experience during the holiday shopping season,” said François Ramsay, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Affairs for Yellow Pages Group, a digital media and marketing solutions company. “Additionally, every purchase you make at a local business has a direct impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and the local economy, strengthening it and helping create sustainability and growth in our communities.”

Among the positive impacts of local shopping are:

• Job Creation: Small businesses are the largest group of employers in the country

• Local Impact: Dollars spent within the neighbourhood directly benefit the local economy and tend to be re-invested within the community.

• Neighbourhood Prosperity: The presence and success of small businesses play key roles in giving communities their identities and also influence neighbourhood desirability and growth.

• Customer Service: Independent retailers often personalized service, making shopping a less stressful and more meaningful experience.

There are a number of events across Canada that encourage local shopping, including Shop The Neighbourhood. This initiative of Yellow Pages Group takes place on November 30, 2013, strategically sandwiched between the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping holidays with the goal of raising awareness and encouraging people to make local purchases in support of their neighbourhood businesses. This year's Shop The Neighbourhood event takes place in the GTA with consumers benefitting from exclusive Shop The Neighbourhood deals offered by local merchants specifically for event day.

Holiday sales typically make up a considerable amount of retailers' annual sales. So help support your favourite local store or service this holiday season by supplementing or completing your holiday gift list purchases locally.

Like A Hawke, Susan Please check out my current listings and together we'll discover your real estate needs. If you know anyone buying or selling I'd love to help them! You can follow me on Twitter: @susanhawkesells Instagram: @susanhawke Pinterest: @SusanHawke Facebook Page: Susan Hawke Remax Sales Representative Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Canada

Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Black White Cream and Gold

You can never go wrong with this colour scheme.

More inspiration over on my Pinterest.

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Persian Style Stuffed Lamb

1 3 – 4 lbs leg of lamb (butterfly cut so you can stuff it)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (2 minced and two sliced)
2 tbsps minced ginger
2 onions
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
3 tsps cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
6 – 8 cardamom pod seeds, bruised
1 lemon, juiced
9 oz prunes, chopped
½ cup walnuts
½ cup goats milk greek yogurt
½ cup pomegranate molasses 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In frying pan, add olive oil, and one chopped onion.  Cook until begins to brown.  Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute, stirring.  Add cumin, coriander and cardamom.  Cook gently for another minute or 2.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice, prunes and walnuts.  
Spoon the stuffing on the open leg of lamb.  Roll and tie with string. 
With a paring knife, make several holes in the outside of the lamb and inside the garlic slices.  Brush lightly with olive oil.
Chop remaining onion, carrots, celery and place in bottom of roasting pan.  If you have any stuffing left over add that as well.  Place roast in pan, cover and place in oven for 20 minutes.
Mix pomegranate and molasses together.  After 20 minutes pour over roast and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.  Check after 1.5 hrs to see if done.  Internal temperature should be around 130 degrees.

I served this with saffron infused ‘cauliflower rice’ (if you want the recipe let me know), watercress spinach pomegranate salad, and flat bread.

Is there a “silent killer” lurking in your home? Protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning

(NC)— Known as the “silent killer” carbon monoxide takes the life of hundreds of North Americans every year. It is actually the leading cause of fatal poisonings in North America. You can't see it smell it or taste it. It may be lurking in your home and, if not guarded against, can kill you and your loved ones while you sleep.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless deadly gas that can be produced by any appliance, engine or heating device that uses combustible fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal. Carbon monoxide can leak into the home when a fuel-burning device is poorly maintained, improperly vented or breaks down. Other potential sources include automobiles left running in attached garages, clogged or blocked chimney openings, inadequate venting, malfunctioning appliances or the operation of a barbecue in an enclosed area such as your home or garage.

When inhaled it CO inhibits the blood's capacity to transport oxygen throughout the body. It can poison the body quickly in high concentrations, or slowly over long periods of time.

Exposure to CO can cause flu-like symptoms such as headaches, nausea and dizziness, burning eyes, confusion, drowsiness and even loss of consciousness.

In severe cases, CO poisoning can cause brain damage and death. The elderly, children and people with heart or respiratory conditions may be particularly sensitive to CO.

According to Patrice De Luca, V.P. of Marketing and Business Development for Reliance Protectron Security Services, the best defense against carbon monoxide poisoning is detection and prevention.

“The only way to detect this deadly gas is by installing carbon monoxide detectors,” De Luca explained, recommending that detectors be installed on each level of your home. “At minimum, one should be installed outside every sleeping level.”

De Luca stressed the importance of having the CO detectors linked to a monitoring centre since many of those killed or injured by carbon monoxide are asleep at the time of exposure and timing is crucial for alerting emergency help.

“Protectron carbon monoxide detectors offer valuable protection by alerting you to the presence this gas and notifying the monitoring centre, which will immediately take the appropriate measures to help you,” he added.

What to look for in a CO detector:

• Choose one that is listed with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standard. The logos of the testing agency will be on the product.

• If you have a battery powered unit, make sure you change the detectors battery as recommended by the manufacturer, and test the unit once a month.

• Replace the unit as recommended by the manufacturer (generally between 5 and 10 years).

How to prevent CO poisoning:

• Have a qualified service technician check your furnace and other fuel-burning equipment at least once a year.

• Have your chimneys cleaned and inspected at least once a year.

• Never run vehicles, motor bikes, lawn-mowers, generators, or snow blowers in attached garages, even if the doors are open.

If your carbon monoxide detector alarm sounds, De Luca advises to exit as quickly as possible and call the fire department from a neighbour's home. More information on home security is available at www.protectron.com.

Monday, 4 November 2013

For Sale, Sault Ste. Marie, ON

This immaculate, well maintained home is perfect for affordable family living. Two large bedrooms upstairs, and a room on main floor that could easily be a bedroom. 2 bathrooms - main floor bathroom has wheel chair accessible shower. Finished rec room. Furnace is 2 years old. Detached single garage, fenced yard. This home is in move in condition.

Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Like A Hawke,
Susan

Please check out my current listings and together we'll discover your real estate needs. If you know anyone buying or selling I'd love to help them! You can follow me on Twitter: @susanhawkesells Instagram: @susanhawke Pinterest: @SusanHawke Facebook Page: Susan Hawke Remax Sales Representative Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Canada

Friday, 1 November 2013

Bathroom Decorating Ideas

Pinterest is the greatest place online to gather bathroom decorating ideas. I have a board (please visit) and the main feed is mind-blowing! Happy Weekend Friends!