Category: House & Home

When you have the right tools, it’s amazing what you can accomplish. And According to Chef Craig Harding, the executive chef and owner of Campagnolo restaurant in Toronto, Panasonic’s new stylish suite of kitchen appliances will help you cook with precision and achieve professional culinary feats from the comfort of your home. The suite includes a high performance Induction Cooktop ($2,999), a sleek Built-In Convection Oven ($3,299) and a powerful Genius Prestige Inverter Microwave($399).

These new products come with advanced design and safety features and are easy to clean. Of course, cooking is also about style which is why Panasonic provides the lustrous finishes and illuminated displays that will have you redefining your vision of a “dream kitchen.”

Chef Harding' s Flapjacks with Peach and Lavender Preserve

Here is a recipe developed by Chef Harding for Panasonic’s Induction Cooktop. Cooking times may vary depending on the type of cooktop you use.

Flapjack Ingredients and Preparation
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. soda
½ tsp. salt

- Beat the egg and add remaining ingredients in the order listed and whisk until smooth.
- Heat a nonstick pan to heat level 7 on the Panasonic Induction Cooktop, and make a small tester flapjack to see if it browns to your taste.
- Pour the batter from a ladle and flip when the batter becomes full of bubbles but before they break.

Peach and Lavender Preserve Ingredients and Preparation
2 cups of white sugar
2 cups of water
4 sprigs of fresh or dried lavender
8 fresh peaches
1 lemon

- Bring the water, sugar and lavender to a boil and simmer until it becomes syrupy.
- Fold in quartered peaches and soften for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the juice of 1 lemon and chill before serving. Yields ten 4-inch portions

For more info www.panasonic.ca

For most Canadians, the holidays are a chance to reconnect with family and friends in the most cherished gathering place – home. And nothing brings those special memories back like our favourite holiday scents, whether it’s aromas of freshly baked cookies, homemade eggnog, fresh pine needles or Christmas apples.

This upcoming season, Glade®, SC Johnson’s renowned air care brand, will be introducing a new limited edition Winter Collection to help set the festive mood in Canadian homes with captivating scents sure to bring back most cherished holiday memories.

Glade Holiday Candle: Apple Cinnamon

Glade® Winter Collection Jar Candle infuses any space with light, warmth and a delicious fragrance that sets the festive mood. The Jar Candle fragrance selection includes the following six delectable scents and scent combinations:
-Apple Cinnamon
-Shimmering Spruce
-Frosted Cookies™
-Nutcracker Crunch™
-2 in 1 Shimmering Spruce & Apple Cinnamon
-2 in 1 Apple Cinnamon & Creamy Custard™
The manufacturer suggested retail price is $5.09
Glade® Winter Collection Jar Candle is also available in a value pack of four (in Apple Cinnamon or assorted scents). The manufacturer suggested price is $12.99

Fragrance Mist: Fuji Apple & Cardamon Spice

Glade® Winter Collection Fragrance Mist is a sleek, stylish refillable home fragrance spray that will instantly create a festive mood with a long-lasting seasonal fragrance. The Fragrance Mist is offered in the following two festive scents:
-Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice
-Holiday Pine & Bayberry™
The manufacturer suggested retail price is $4.99 (holder) or $4.19 (refill)

The Collection is available for a limited time this fall and winter on special displays at most food, drug and mass-merchandise stores across Canada.

For more info visit www.glade.ca or www.facebook.com/gladecanada

Lavender & Juniper Berry

Are you looking to update your home decorating scheme this spring without having to spend a lot of money? Internationally known design expert, journalist and broadcast personality Kimberly Seldon shares a few of her spring home décor tips.

“Cleaning is always a sign of spring – start by washing the windows and let the sunshine in.” She adds, “To be successful at a decorating project you need to be organized and focused. Typically, when consumers want to redecorate they reach automatically for a can of paint. It’s far better to take a deep breath, slow down and create a plan. A good plan begins with editing and purging any items you no longer love.”

“Next, consider the mood or feeling you are trying to create. Then, make sure every purchase speaks to that mood or feeling. Once you’ve finished purchasing new accessories and painting the walls, consider adding a home fragrance to underscore the mood or feeling you’ve created.”

Kimberly elaborates, “Creating memorable décor is as much about the collaboration of the senses as it is about finding the perfectly matched side tables. Aim to provide a sensual experience that you’ll enjoy and your guests will remember long after their visits. The new Glade Expressions^Tm  Collection features fragrances that open up note-by-note and will add a sophisticated finishing touch to any space.”

She suggests using a delicate fragrance like Glade Expressions Cotton & Italian Mandarin if you’ve created a zen, quiet space. For a more vibrant design scheme, then you’ll want a fragrance that matches that intensity like the Pineapple & Mangosteen. If you’re looking to sell your house/condo then adding a lovely scent diffuser – perhaps Lavender & Juniper Berry – will create a welcoming environment.

Glade Expressions^Tm  Collection is available in the air care aisle of most food, drug and mass-merchandise stores across Canada in four fragrances:

- Pineapple & Mangosteen (Fragrance Mist & Oil Diffuser)
- Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice (Fragrance Mist & Oil Diffuser)
- Lavender & Juniper Berry (Oil Diffuser only)
- Cotton & Italian Mandarin (Fragrance Mist only)

The manufacturer suggested retail price is $4.99 for the Fragrance Mist (refills $4.19) and $8.99 for the Oil Diffuser (refills $6.49).

Available at Walmart, Canadian Tire and grocery retailers across Canada at a suggested retail price of $9.99 (starter kit) or $4.99 (refill).

A recent Bathroom Confidential survey conducted by Vision Critical, revealed some interesting attitudes that Canadians have about cleaning. If scrubbing your toilet is at the bottom of your household chore list then you are in good company – 40% of Canadians confessed they would rather engage in other tasks like vacuuming, mopping floors or washing dishes. And 55% would rather go to drastic lengths – like going to the dentist, entertaining the in-laws or doing taxes – to avoid this unpleasant duty.

Melissa Maker is a home-cleaning expert and owner of Toronto cleaning service, Clean My Space. She knows first-hand how to tackle the messiest and least pleasant cleaning chores efficiently. “I was on a show yesterday and the host said ‘people quietly judge you on your bathroom.’ And it’s so true … with the holidays coming up and the hosting of house parties, guests will use your bathroom at some point in time. So, I came up with some quick tips on how to get the bathroom clean and an idea to keep your toilet fresh.”

1. As a cleaning expert, I say that organization is half the battle. Basically, you want to have a clean uncluttered space. You can use big-sized baskets to hold towels and toilet paper rolls and small baskets to house your cosmetics, hair accessories, etc. When your guests are coming over, just place the baskets into a linen closet.

2. You know that guests will be using your bathroom mirror to check themselves out! Rather than cleaning the whole mirror, you can save time by using glass cleaner on a microfiber cloth and in a circular motion just wipe off the little spots.

3. We all know that a bathroom rug can attract hair, dirt, etc. If you don’t feel like taking the time to get out the vacuum, just use a lint roller on the rug!

4. If you use shower curtain liners you will notice that pick orangey buildup at the bottom. Remove the liner, throw it into the washing machine, add some white towels into the wash along with your regular detergent. Here is what happens; the towels will scrub off buildup and protect the shower liner from shredding in the wash!

5. The next thing I like to do is to put soap dishes, soap pumps and toothbrush holders into the dishwasher. Place on the top rack on the sterilization cycle – you don’t need any detergent. They come out beautifully clean and sterilized!

6. Because the toilet is the biggest pain point for Canadians, I use Scrubbing Bubbles® One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It’s an amazing product which anyone can use. Simply clip the nozzle over the rim inside the bowl then effortlessly spray the bowl with a tap of the foot pedal. Let it sit for a minute or two and then flush it away – the 360-degree sprayer even cleans under the rim! Use twice daily; first after the morning rush and at night before going to bed. Your toilet will not only look clean and smell good but you just removed yourself from toilet cleaning duty!

Melissa concludes by stressing the importance of investing time into your heavy duty cleaning then coming up with a routine and using products to support it. “The more you get into the habit of a routine, the more it will save you time and reduce the added drama that comes with cleaning.”

Juicy Tip: Go to www.facebook.com/ScrubbingBubblesCanada and stay updated on various promotions, savings and tips.

Have you had the experience of smelling a certain perfume or cologne of someone you used to date and then have a sudden flash of memories and emotions associated with that person? Toronto Psychotherapist Kimberly Moffit says that most Canadians don’t realize the power scent has over us – after all, our sense of smell is our most powerful memory trigger.

“There is a part of our brain, the olfactory bulb, that specifically connects memory with stimuli. When we sniff a scent for the first time our brain actually forges a link between the scent and the experience that we were going through; when we smell that scent again, we will experience some of the emotions that were with us that very first time.” The good news is that 90% of the time this experience will be a positive one because most of the things that we originally smell are in childhood, so most fragrances will conjure up pleasant childhood memories.

Retailers know how to harness the power of scent by putting certain fragrances in stores. This technique not only enhances the shopping environment but makes shoppers feel good while browsing and helps them to remember the brand. Teaming up with Scentsy (a company that specializes in scented, flameless and wickless candles) Kimberly offers some tips on how you can use scent to improve your moods and environments.

- Scentsy has over 80 fragrances … their Baked Apple Pie scent is an effective aid in triggering people’s positive childhood memories which, in turn, will make them feel at ease. Works well if you are looking to sell your house or having a dinner party.

- Kimberly has a busy practice and most of the time when clients visit her office for the first time they are a little nervous. She uses Scentsy’s French Lavender which helps them to relax and unwind.

- Spicy scents can actually increase our appetites and help with digestion – Kimberly recommends using Scentsy’s Clove and Cinnamon for dinner parties.

- Vanilla is a long known aphrodisiac and can enhance those feelings of romance. Scentsy’s Vanilla Cream can encourage eager Moms and Dads to get in the mood!

- Citrus helps to make us feel more energetic and motivated; using Scentsy’s Sunkissed Citrus in the morning will facilitate that get-up-and-go feeling. Kimberly suggests that you plug a light timer into the same electrical outlet as your Scentsy Decorative Warmer and set the timer for ½ an hour before you open your eyes. When it turns on you will awaken to a lovely burst of citrus.

- With so many Scentsy fragrances to choose from, it’s a good idea to put your nose to the test and find out what works best for you. To find out more info or where to buy Scentsy products, visit scentsy.ca and find a consultant near you.