Memorial Day is right around the corner and that means it's time to get in gear for barbecue season
Joining us this morning with the hottest trends in outdoor cooking gadgets is Sara Leibowitz of kitchen couture.
VacuVin Instant Marinator - $40
Who doesn't love a barbecue? And sometimes you just want to throw one - spur of the moment. With this innovative instant marinator - you can tenderize and marinate meat, chicken, fish or vegetables in minutes, eliminating the need to marinate for hours before grilling.
Features include:
- Vacuum marinator tenderizes and marinates in minutes.
- Creates a vacuum that opens up pores and fibers of the meat allowing for deep and instant marinate for intense flavor
- Includes a 48-page recipe book.
VacuVin Barbecue Cooler Plate - $55
When cooking outdoors in the summer heat, the last thing you want is for your meat to spoil, pre-grilling. The Barbecue Cooler by Vacu Vin consists of a base, a transparent cover, a stainless steel plate and a cooling element. Simply keep the cooling element in the freezer and place under the stainless steel plate before heading outdoors. The transparent cover makes it perfect for picnics and barbecues, as well as salads, cheese and sushi.
OutSet Magnetic Light for BBQ Tools - $15
This great new gadget is perfect for those who like to barbecue well into the night, as it functions like a mini-flashlight for your grill. Easily attaches to most barbecue tools like a magnet, the light swivels in any direction providing a full range of motion. Batteries and instructions are included.
OutSet Chrome Flex Grill Basket - $29
This innovative gadget is perfect for handling larger items on the grill since it contours to the lines of your food allowing it to stay in place when you flip. Simply place your food inside, lock the handle, and you can safely cook your meat evenly on both sides. In addition, the chrome design is nonstick so your meats slide right off and cleaning is a breeze. The extended handle keeps you at a safe distance from the heat source while you cook.
Viking Portable Induction Cooker - $500
A hot new trend in outdoor cooking is creating a working "makeshift kitchen" outdoors and offering guests innovative foods that go beyond typical burgers and kabobs. This portable induction burner magnetically transforms your cookware into a heat source, enabling you to cook with ease. Since there is no flame, and only the cookware becomes hot, it is an incredibly safe and effective cooking tool.
LeCreuset Lobster Pot 16qt Red Lobster Stockpot - $90
Lobster has become really popular for outdoor parties and this enamel-on-steel stockpot works really well with the portable induction cooker, since you can boil the lobster on the burner, prepare it on a cutting board outside and place it right on the grill. It's a great size for a large crowd - plus it's so stylish and fun, it's sure to add some pizzazz to your summer cookout.
For more information, go to www.kitchencouture.net
Kitchen Couture
5213 13th Ave. Brooklyn, NY
718-686-8200
-----MOTHER'S DAY BRUNCH-----
It's Mother's Day - time to let your mother or wife know how much she means to you and your family. So how about starting off her day with a nice brunch the whole family can enjoy?
Joining us this morning with some ideas is Julie Mulligan, floral lifestyle expert for 1-800 flowers.com.
Product List:
Use herbs to create the centerpiece. The fragrance alone is utterly delightful.
Each place setting could be decorated with a sprig of lavender or rosemary attached to a kitchen utensil such as a wooden spoon, whisk, etc. and a blank recipe card.
Each placemat will be made up of bay leaves.
Have a scrapbook ready either with stories and photos about memories of Mom's cooking (or the best take-out she orders) already in it that you have gathered from the family.
As Mom shares her recipes and cooking tips, they would be written on blank cards. One person would be designated the "recording secretary" and a book would be created during the brunch including the recipes and your favorite memories with your mom.
For more information and some good deals, go to www.1800flowers.com
Use the code WABCMOM for a 15% discount off of any same-day arrangements ordered by 11am EST. Just enter the code online, or if you call, provide the code to the 1-800-Flowers.com sales and service specialists.
-----SUNDAY IN THE PARK-----
Making its American premiere, the roundabout theatre company's "Sunday in the park with George" is guaranteed to be one of the most visually stimulating shows you'll ever see.
Joining us this morning are the award-winning actors Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell.
The Roundabout Theatre Company's Sunday in the Park with George
1) They both received Olivier awards (the London equivalent of the Tony awards) for this performance in Sunday in the Park with George.
2) THIS PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING love story takes inspiration from painter Georges Seurat's masterpiece, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," bringing the painting's colorful setting and characters to vibrant, comic life.
3) The visual element of the production is unlike anything we've seen before.
4) The production seems to ride a delicate line between being sophisticated for adults yet, it can be enjoyed by the whole family. It's a limited engagement through June 29th.
6) Following are some quotes on Daniel and Jenna:
"Exquisite. Truly enchanting. This glorious revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical shimmers with a new humanity and clarity that make theatergoers see it with virgin eyes. Sondheim's ravishing score, performed with gleaming delicacy, seems made of painterly flecks of light and color. A ravishing epiphany of artistic harmony." -Ben Brantley, New York Times
"Daniel Evans gives precisely nuanced, very funny and expressively sung musical portraits." - Clive Barnes, New York Post
"Daniel Evans delivers a extremely sensitive, nuanced performance that allows 'Sunday' to resonate emotionally like never before!" AM-NY
"Jenna Russell is a revelation, bringing both Dot and Marie to vivid life in an astonishingly natural and moving performance. When she sings, Sondheim's artistry comes into sharp focus". -Roma Torre, NY1
"Jenna Russell is incandescent. Her songs are fine-grained character portraits, bristling with humor, unpretentious wisdom and bittersweet sadness." -Variety
http://sundayintheparkonbroadway.com
Daniel Evans (George) is an Honorary Fellow of the Guildhall School. He has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse and Menier Chocolate Factory, among others, in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, J.M. Barrie, Peter Gill, Caryl Churchill, Christopher Hampton, Sarah Kane and Christopher Shinn and musicals by Bernstein, Wright / Forrest / Yeston and Sondheim. Daniel received Olivier Awards for his performances in Merrily We Roll Along (2001) and Sunday in the Park With George (2007). Television: "The Passion," "Doctor Who," "The Virgin Queen," "Love in a Cold Climate," "Great Expectations," "Daniel Deronda," "To the Ends of the Earth." Concerts include Barbara Cook's 80th birthday celebration, Sweeney Todd with Bryn Terfel.
Jenna Russell (Dot / Marie). Broadway debut. She has played many leading roles in the West End, most recently Amy in the revival of David Hares Amy's View, directed by Sir Peter Hall; Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park With George (Olivier Award, 2007); and Sarah Brown opposite Ewan McGregor in the Donmar Warehouse production of Guys and Dolls directed by Michael Grandage (Olivier nom., 2006). Other theatre includes leading roles at the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court. Her extensive television credits include "Born and Bred" (four seasons), "On the Up" (three seasons) and was recently killed by a Dalek in "Dr. Who" (all BBC).
-----MOTHER'S DAY CRAFTS-----
Happy mother's day! Joining us this morning with a last- minute craft idea your kids can whip up this morning is Amanda Kingloff, lifestyle editor at Parents Magazine.
MOTHER'S DAY BOUQUET
Dad! Help the kids put together a sweet, easy-to-make gift.
What you'll need:
solid-color paper dessert plate
green plastic cup
pencil
adult scissors
jumbo paper clips
masking tape
plastic coffee-can lid
various patterned papers
colored pencils
kids' scissors
flowers
(Dad) Trace opening of cup on back of plate and then trace the base inside larger circle. Cut out. Cut 1/2-inch-long slits around the hole about 1/4-inch apart.
Tape 6-8 paper clips around the back of the plate.
Trace a plastic lid or soup can 6-8 times onto different papers and cut out. Help your child write notes to Mom on the back of each and insert a "petal" in each clip. Place cup with flower in the center hole.
For more information, go to www.parents.com
-----PORTION SIZES-----
A new study from the New York City health department shows the city's rates of obesity and diagnosed diabetes is increasing faster than the national average. To blame, the portions of food and the types of food New Yorkers are eating.
Here with some tips on portion control is Paris D'jon, creator of portionpals.
Let's talk about:
1-what is the biggest problem you've seen with portion sizes?
2-what is the average helping someone serves versus what they should eat?
Portion sizes in American restaurants and homes have grown significantly over the last few decades, and many studies support that this dramatically affects the amount of food we eat and could be, in part, to blame for the rising rates of obesity. Portion control often uses complicated scales and measurements, but what if there was an easier way to monitor portions at home and on the road?
Port Washington, NY resident Paris D'Jon created portionpals to do just that. As the "diet" alternative with a list of users that reads like a Hollywood's "who's who," portionpals contain five silicone cutting boards that help measure the proper size portions of Meat, Chicken, Fish, Sides, and Dessert. I'd love to schedule a segment where Paris can demonstrate how these easy to use, color coded discs show you the correct portion sizes making portion control simple. portionpals are microwavable, dishwasher safe, can double as cutting boards, and work great at home and during travel.
Retail Price: $17.98 for a set of five - www.portionpal.com.
Doughnut - 470 calories
portionpals portion - 190 calories
Steak - 1,230 calories
portionpals portion - 370 calories
Hamburger - 1,013 calories
portionpals portion - 365 calories
Cheesecake - 610 calories
portionpals portion - 315 calories
Eat what you want, just eat in the right portions.