home magazine eastern edition

Special Section to: The Valley Gazette I The Oxford Gazette I The Stratford Star I The Milford Mirror I The Amity Observer I The Trumbull Times I Fairfield Sun I The Huntington Herald I The Monroe Courier I The Easton Courier

HOMEMAY 2009 HERSAM ACORN NEWSPAPERS

Cooking With RachaelMarch Menu Mania

Bloominghill Springs ForthWith Outstanding Collections

Brimming With PossibilitiesCenter For Green Building

11

Wayne Ratzenberger photo

• 2 • • HOME • Hersam Acorn Newspapers • • May 7, 2009 •

by Isabelle Ghaneh

Dennis Leahy likes the outdoors. He likes trees, he likes plants and he likes fresh air. After spending 17 years in a corporate environment, Dennis changed his career and opened his own landscaping and masonry business six years ago.

He was born and raised in Connecticut and is an alumnus of UConn. He lived in California as a developer of educational technology back in the mid-1980s. His gig out West lasted for over 12 years, and then he was sent to England for two years.

“In one year I traveled 150 days for my company, and I was getting very tired of all the constant traveling and wanted to

BREN LANDSCAPING

Brighten up with color

1000 Bridgeport Avenue, Shelton CT 06484

Copyright 2009, Hersam Acorn Newspapers, LLC

Jackie Perry, editorBryan Haeffele, designer

•Thomas B. Nash, publisher

•For advertising information,

call 203-926-2080MAY 2009 VOL III, ISSUE 5

Special Section to:The Valley Gazette, The Oxford Gazette, The Stratford Star, The Milford Mirror, The Amity Observer, The Trumbull Times, Fairfield Sun, The Huntington Herald, The Monroe Courier, and The Easton Courier.

Bren continued on page 10

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Cooking with

RachaelSara Mayer’s

March Madness

As Rachael watches, Sara tops off her Chick ‘N’ Ranch BBQ Crescent Squares.

by Joanne Rochman

Basketball fans are familiar with the term March Madness. That’s when basketball cham-pionship games are played across the country. Television talk-show host and 30-Minute

Food Network cook Rachael Ray caught the spirit of that March competition and came up with the idea of March Menu Mania!

Her staff devised a contest to find the country’s top casual party recipe. When the contest was announced, e-mails and phone calls started coming in to Sara Mayer of Trumbull. Not surprising, since most people who know Sara agree she’s pretty darn good in the kitchen. After receiving links to the contest and being repeatedly prompted by many of her friends, the 28-year-old looked through her recipes and found one that was always a hit with family and friends.

She submitted her Chic ’N’ Ranch BBQ Crescent Squares via e-mail.

“I knew it was a good recipe, because the first time I made it, I placed it on the table, left the room to get some-thing, and when I returned there wasn’t a crumb left,” said the delighted cook. More than 1,200 recipes were submitted for consideration. As the entries poured in, Rachael’s staff started the elimination process and ultimately chose the top 16 recipes to submit to the voting public.

“I submitted my recipe for Chic ’N’ Ranch BBQ Crescent Squares one eve-ning, and the next day I got a call from Rachael Ray. At first I thought it was one of my friends fooling around. I mean, she said, ‘Hi, this is Rach,’ and I was stunned,” said Sara. She knew it was no joke when “Rach” put the show’s staff on the phone and Sara answered a lot of their questions regarding the recipe.

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“I have this habit of dipping my pizza crust in my salad dressing,” Sara explained. “One evening when I didn’t have dough for pizza, I used crescent rolls instead. I also decided to drizzle some ranch dress-ing over the chicken and bacon which I put on the pizza. It was an immediate hit at home.”

Apparently, it was an immediate hit across America. Sara was informed that she was in the running, and her recipe was voted as one of the top 16 entries. “I was told that if I ended up in the top two, a television camera crew would come to Trumbull where I live with my parents and shoot me cooking in the kitchen and entertaining friends.”

Sure enough, each week, Sara’s original recipe rose through the ranks from 16 to eight to four, and finally the cook-off between the top two contestants — one of whom was Sara. As promised, camera crews pulled into the driveway of Sara’s parents, Barbara and Paul Mayer. Both parents and two younger brothers were great support and enjoyed watching the whole process.

“They videotaped me cooking in the kitchen with my mom. Then they had me change my clothes, so that it looked as if it were another day. That’s when I had a few of my friends over, and we were taped as if we were having a party.

“Everything happened so quickly,” said Sara. When news spread about this young Trumbull cook, WTNH television invited her on the Connecticut Style show where she prepared her recipe. However, it was when she met Rachael Ray in New York that cooking on television took on a whole new dimension.

“Rachael Ray is so nice,” said Sara, pointing out how quickly the celebrity made her feel comfortable. “I had my own dressing room with my name on it! Before I knew what was happening I was rushed into the hair and make-up room. Then we did this coin toss, which determined that I would cook my recipe first.”

The audience determined the winner of the “tastiest 2.” The grand prize was $5,000 of free groceries. Sara came in a close second, and won a complete

set of Rachael Ray pots and pans. The talented cook is a corporate-event plan-ner by day and jokes about her marital status — “I’m still looking for my Prince Charming,” she said. One thing’s for sure, when that prince comes along, he’ll never go hungry. This girl can cook, and though she’s not a champ, yet — she’s a winner!

Chic ’N’ RanchBBQ Crescent Squares

Ingredients

2 tubes Pillsbury crescent rolls

1-1/2 cups hickory barbeque sauce

1 package ready-made chicken strips, chopped

6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

2 cups cheddar or colby jack cheese, shredded

1 cup ranch dressing

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon scallions, chopped

1 sandwich-size re-sealable bag

Preparation

Heat oven to 375˚F.

Roll out the crescent rolls and place them on a cookie sheet. Pinch 2 sheets together in the middle to cre-ate 1 large dough. Bake 8-11 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn on broiler.

Spread the barbeque sauce over dough. Sprinkle the chicken, bacon and cheese over the top. Place the cookie sheet under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 3 to 5 min-utes.

Combine the ranch dressing and chili powder in a small bowl. Pour into re-sealable bag and cut off a small tip at one end to make a pastry bag. Drizzle the dressing over the top and garnish with the scallions. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Yields: 4 servings

An enthusiastic audience samples Sara’s second-place winning recipe.

The Food Network crew films Sara at home as she puts together her March Mania entry.

5

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by Jeannette Ross

Lovers of Japanese maples won’t want to miss visiting Bloominghill — a private garden at 95 Wilson Road in Easton — when it welcomes visitors on Sunday, May 31, from 10 to 3, as part of The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. It will be open again on Sunday, July 12.

Bloominghill is the aptly named work of Lois Bloom, who has designed, planted and maintained the property herself over the past 20 years. “This is an informal garden,” she said. “It’s just filled with the things I love.” They include small ornamental trees, dwarf conifers and her beloved Japanese maples, of which she has 25 varieties.

The garden rambles along three acres of the more than four-acre property. Something is in bloom all year long, Lois said, even in January when the early blooming Dawn viburnum gets things started.

Visitors in May should be treated to a spectacular display of Lois’s Japanese maple collection. The trees leaf out at the same time in a variety of vibrant hues, from pink to orange, chartreuse, red, and green. “They are so varied,” Lois said, “they look like flowering shrubs.” By mid-summer they will all have turned red or green, and in fall they change to their autumnal hues at different times. Spring is the only season they are all vibrant at the same time.

The Japanese maples are of all sizes, from the petite Red Filigree Lace (Acer palmatum) to the taller Golden Full Moon Maple (Acer shiraswanum aureum). Some are grouped

BLOOMINGHILL GARDEN IN EASTON

Springing forth with outstanding collections

Lois Bloom’s garden is an informal one, filled with things she loves.

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together to maximize their color, leaf shape and overall profile, while others stand alone as specimens.

There is also an impressive collection of conifers, including a Dr. Seuss-like Serbian spruce, a blue-green Himalayan pine, Arizona cypress, and a small, boulder-hugging Hane pine. Among the specimen trees are a Styrax of the Pink Chimes variety, which should be in bloom this month, a Camperdown elm, a Heritage River birch with fabulously peeling bark, and a Katsura tree by the pond.

Also in bloom in May will be lilacs, rhododendron and perennials, including amsonia and peonies. There are also ferns, stonework and sculpture to enjoy on this tran-quil parcel.

Slow But Steady Progress

Although Lois and her husband have lived in the house on the property for 40 years, she didn’t begin gardening in earnest until about 20 years ago. They had a vegetable garden and a large bed devoted to asparagus. But when one year the woodchucks devoured the asparagus before the stalks could rejuvenate , Lois decided it was easier to buy vegetables at the farmer’s market.

It was a renovation project that really got things going. The house that originally stood on the property had been built with a massive stone foundation in the 18th Century. That house burned down in the 1930s and was replaced with the current home, but a wall from the original foundation, which had been built into a hillside, remained. It was just outside her kitchen, and Lois decided she wanted a patio to butt up against it. The work was done by Bill Wargo, who included a few planting areas that got Lois started.

“I’m a collector,” Lois said. On display in her home are her collections of blue and white china and antique maps and prints. “When I filled up the inside,” she said, “I started on the outside.” One thing led to another, starting with the patio, and she worked her way across the lawn creating one island bed after another. “I know the popular thing to

call them is garden rooms,” Lois said, “but I just call them spaces because they don’t have any walls.”

When she started, the entire place was very primitive — the hill outside the kitchen a jungle. The property had at one time been a farm, and all that remained were three ancient apple trees and two very old pear trees — all of

which are still living — as well as a collection of forsythia and lilacs, which also remain although some have been moved around. Original stone walls stand up straight once more after some tidying up.

Lois worked her way across three acres with no plan in mind. “I just bought things I loved and found a place for them,” she said. Sometimes they get moved and sometimes they stay put. At first she focused on planting perennial flowers and shrubs, and they have provided an easy-to-maintain foundation for the garden. Today there are thousands of bulbs and a number of flowering trees as well as all the other plants. Lois also gets lots of ideas from the New York Botanical Garden, where she is a docent. When Lois saw the sun shine through the botani-cal garden’s Himalayan pine, she knew she had to have one. “It’s absolutely stunning,” she said. Hers is small, but thriving.

Ten years ago, Lois hired master stone mason Tim Currier of Newtown to build a fountain at the end of the kitchen patio and create a rock garden on one of Bloominghill’s slopes. Lois has also punctuated her garden with sculpture by Lubomir Tomaszewsky of Easton.

Visitors who attend the July 12 Open Day will have a dif-ferent experience. While the Japanese maples will be in their summer colors, the hosta, astilbe, Japanese prim-rose, meadow rue, hydrangea, and a riot of day lilies will all be in full color.

Bloominghill is new to the Open Days program, and Lois said she joined in because she enjoys sharing her garden with others, and is looking forward to meeting other gar-den lovers. “I love to have people come and look at the garden,” she said. “You enjoy it so much you like other people to enjoy it as well.”

Admission to the garden is $5, which is a donation to The Garden Conservancy. Visitors will be asked to park along Wilson Road. For information or directions, visit gardencon-servancy.org or call 845-265-5384.

Japanese maples, such as Red Filigree Lace and Golden Full Moon Maple, are featured in an Easton Open House Garden.

7

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by Robin E. Glowa

Going green is a powerful movement gaining momentum. From home-build-ing and cleaning supplies to beauty products and clothing, consumers are becoming increasingly inspired to learn more about green products and how they can benefit from their use. Utilizing sustainable, renewable and natural resources positively impacts the world and its inhabitants by providing alterna-tive methods for a safe and comfortable lifestyle.

Many individuals seek the protective power of green solutions for health reasons. Erin Buckley became passion-ately interested in finding clean, green products when her husband, Jonathon Tuminski, continually arrived home covered in fiberglass-induced rashes. As owners of Measure to Measure, a carpentry business, Erin and Jonathon experienced first-hand the toxic quality of many building products.

Erin recalls, “When I had my first baby, Thandi, I became so concerned about the health of both my husband and son that I started doing research and dis-covered that as a tradesman, Jonathon

was 46 percent more likely to con-tract esophageal, nasal and lung can-cer. When I became pregnant with our daughter, Amaris, I started to take a long look at the world. What are we doing? What are we leaving?”

Erin’s resolution to ensure her fami-ly’s good health propelled her to locate products that would eliminate or great-ly minimize their exposure to trouble-some chemicals, allergens and other poisons. For the last three years, Erin and Jonathon have stocked the results of that intensive research at the Center for Green Building. A marvelous resource for a myriad of green products, the cen-ter’s showroom is large and bright and brimming with possibilities for a more beautiful world.

“A big portion of our business is educa-tion,” notes Erin. “We offer a workshop series on Thursday evenings with speak-ers who are experts in all kinds of fields — from radiant heating to biofuels to emissions reductions. We want everyone to feel confident using our products and to have as much education as possible.”

Erin’s own research has developed into partnerships with companies offering

CENTER FOR GREEN BUILDING

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incredibly creative products. Eager to offer an insulation material that would eliminate those horrifying rashes, Erin discovered an option manufactured from blue jeans. “It’s a dream to work with,” she says, “soft, not itchy and fire retardant. People have been thrilled with the results.” She goes on to say, “With 500 pairs of jeans you can insulate a 2,000-square-foot home!” The Center for Green Building is currently hosting a denim drive, which will be used to help Habitat for Humanity.

While some contractors or home owners may be slightly reluctant to use green products, Erin’s extensive research ensures that the products are of superior quality. “I have to make sure the product works,” says Erin “I also have to make sure my customers know

how to use it. I check the safety content, the chemical content, and I make sure the prod-ucts contain no formaldehyde. Ninety percent of my customers are moms,” she says, “look-ing to lower the chemical content for their kids.”

“People want to see and touch the prod-ucts,” says Erin. All around the center show-room, there are samples of different prod-ucts. EcoStar Roofing is made from recycled rubber and plastic to look just like slate or cedar shingles. Cork flooring from Portugal is richly textured and available in stunning hues of amber, green, purple, and brown. Erin notes, “This flooring contains a natural

Expert advice is available on a host of products to enhance both the style and safety of your home.

Green continued on page 12

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spend more time with my family,” Dennis said.

Finally in 2003, he found himself at a crossroad. He had the option of continuing to work in software development, which would mean moving back to the West Coast, or going into business for himself.

Dennis’s family is in the excavation busi-ness, and while he pondered his options, he worked for his family, mostly outdoors. He also was a production manager on several small software jobs. A good family friend, Ed LaFlamme, owner of a land-scape company, suggested that Dennis go into the landscaping business. On March 15, 2003, Dennis put an ad in the paper to see what response he would get.

“I received 40 calls in 10 days, and 20 of those callers became my customers. By June, I had five people working for me,” he said.

Dennis discovered he loved working out-doors, but he still did software jobs in the winter. He picked up a job in software development as a consultant. “I was at a meeting for a technology group in the

early months of 2004, and I swear that meeting took place in a room that was 12 feet by 12-feet, with no windows. Ten of us were in there. The whole time I was inside all I could think of was being outside work-ing on trees. I loosened my tie, I rolled up my sleeves, and I finally stood up and said I had to go outside. I said to myself, ‘That’s it, I shouldn’t be here.’ The meet-ing was starting to sound like a Charlie Brown cartoon with everyone going yak yak yak. At that point I made my decision, and I concentrated on my landscape and masonry work exclusively. Now I do snow plowing and winter maintenance during the off season,” he said.

Dennis usually has around seven employ-ees working for him, and he works close-ly with Leanna Kearney, his landscape

designer and the head of his planting crew. “Leanna does all the purchasing of the plants. She has a master’s degree in art therapy and she is a true artist. When she was growing up, she lived near the White Flower Farm in Litchfield, and several of her aunts worked on the farm. Leanna has a great love of flowers and plants, par-ticularly their colors, textures, shapes and sizes,” he said.

Dennis has an ongoing project with a cli-ent who lives in the backwoods of New Canaan on 10 acres. He handles all the landscaping, and he has developed sev-eral small gardens around the property. “Leanna and I wanted to have big and bright swatches of color in the client’s gardens. We used boxwoods, hydrangeas,

Bren Landscaping’s team has the expertise to transform the mundane to the marvelous.

Bren continued from page 2

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weeping Atlas cedars, along with lilies, astilbes, and redbuds,” he said.

An unfortunate problem developed shortly after he took on the New Canaan project. “My clients bought the property because they wanted to have privacy, and in the second year of their ownership, the land next to them was sold. The new owners built their new house within 70 feet of my clients’ home. When my clients were on their back porch, they could see and hear people entering their neighbors’ front door,” he said.

Dennis was asked to sound- and vision-proof their yard. He planted 25-foot dog-woods and a row of 20-foot Fat Albert spruce trees to create a buffer for their back porch.

Dennis knows that in today’s difficult econ-omy many homeowners are holding back on services and are trying to do some household projects on their own. He rec-ommends that they concentrate on doing a lot of weeding, pruning and deadheading of flowers, since “flowers need to use their energy wisely.” He also suggests putting down hay if you have a vegetable garden, since it acts as a natural weed inhibitor.

“Homeowners can buy flats of flowers for $8 to $12 from any nursery in the area.

They can spend time with their children out back planting, weeding and cleaning up their landscape. Planting colorful annu-als and perennials gives your garden vari-ety and lots of color. Many nurseries have great sales before the summer months of July and August,” he said.

Dennis does small projects as well as large ones. As long as he’s outdoors, he’s happy!

Bren Landscaping is at 98 Bulkley Drive in Fairfield; call 203-373-1327 or visit the Web site, brenlandscaping.com.

No job is too large or too small, and each one is an opportunity to work creatively with the homeowner.

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wax called suberin, which makes the cork flooring waterproof. It’s simple to install yourself; you can cut it with scissors! It is naturally pest-resistant and a good sound absorber. While this product comes from quite a distance, we really try to promote American-made products as well as local companies.”

“There is a whole cocktail of chemicals in carpeting,” says Erin. “The line of carpet-ing we offer is made in Georgia from cot-ton, hemp, jute, natural rubber, and wool, is completely non-toxic, and is the only 100%-all-natural carpet on the market.”

Paperstone is a unique option for counter-tops, tabletops, desks, or room dividers. This product, which Erin tested exten-sively, is made from layers of paper, bees-wax, canuba wax, and a small amount of cashew and macadamia oil. It delighted her with its beauty and durability.

For interior wall plaster, Erin is happy to recommend American Clay. “The plaster is made from essentially the same mate-rial as that of cave paintings,” she says. “American Clay is a living wall. It breathes, absorbing moisture and releasing a little as well. It does not absorb dust or oil from your hands.”

Available from AFM Safecoat are 950 shades of mineral- rather than chemical-based paint. “This paint has practically no odor and applies well. Contractors like it a lot,” Erin says.

Air purifiers will help clear homes of pesky allergens. “We had ours for our kids before we opened the center,” she says. “We sell Austin Air Purifiers, which have the best American-made filter on the market.”

Not just a superlative source of green build-ing supplies, the center has related books and gardening supplies as well as made-in-Connecticut cleaning products, soaps, lotions, jewelry, and accessories.

You’ll find all the expert advice you need at the Center for Green Building to help bring green into your life.

The Center for Green Building LLC is at 3380 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, 203-382-0774, centerforgreenbuilding.com.

Green continued from page 9

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LOCATION: This Colonial-style house is set on a private lake in Oxford.

PROPERTY: On less than an acre, maintenance is low and pleasure is high — with lakeside views, a beach within walking distance and fun on the water.

HOME: Built in 2005, this is a house with many fine details, such as hardwood floors, nine-foot ceilings and a two-story foyer. On the first level is a living room with fireplace and a balcony; a dining room with tray ceiling; a family room with fireplace, vaulted ceiling, balcony and sliders; and an eat-in kitchen with pantry, balcony and sliders. On the second level is a master bedroom with full bath, vaulted ceiling and walk-in closet. There are three more bedrooms, two baths and one half bath.

GARAGE: Two-car attached.

PRICE: $529,900.

REALTY: Century 21 Home Services Richter.

Agent: Sandra Gawkowski, 203-888-4505.

Photography: Wayne Ratzenberger.

Vacation at Home

■ HOME I OF THE I MONTH ■

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home magazine eastern edition

Documents

home hersam acorn newspapers

hersam acorn newspaperscooking

monroe courier

valley gazette

oxford gazette

chick n ranch bbq crescent

trumbull times

good recipe