Facebook…Who, ME?
A few months ago, a friend of mine talked me into signing up for Facebook, an online social networking site. At first, I thought, “no way, I am too old for that type of thing!” Well, I researched it a little bit further, and discovered that I could connect with people that I had went to high school and college with, and many others, without much effort. 
Before I even knew how to maneuver my way around the site, (I still would not consider myself an expert by any means), I had received a few “friend requests”…one of which was unexpected, and a great surprise, an old high school friend stationed in Iraq. I have not seen him in a few years, but we have been able to communicate and exchange some photos. For him, Facebook is a highlight in his day, and one of the only connections to the “outside world.”
I have enjoyed learning how to use the Facebook site, and anticipate enjoying it even more, as I become more familiar with its different features. With busy lives and schedules, it is a great way to stay connected to those who are, or were once a part of your life. We sometimes forget how important it is to stay connected in our fast moving, technology rich society. I know I do. So get connected!
Feel free to share…
Angie
Posted in Uncategorized on April 29th, 2008 by Angie | | 0 Comments
Marvelous Marble Countertops!
When it comes to natural stone, granite is by far the best choice for kitchen countertops because of its strength, durability, and beauty. Marble however, is another popular choice that has a time-less beauty and appeal all of its own. Marble has always been a popular choice for bathroom vanities, flooring, fireplace surrounds, etc., but there has been an increased interest, over the last several years for its use for kitchen countertops.
Since marble is softer than granite, it is more susceptible to scratching and staining, so care must be taken with every day use. However, with many new sealers on the market today, some staining issues with marble have been eliminated. Marble is also susceptible to etching, so acidic foods such as lemon should be wiped up immediately.
If you are looking for a natural stone countertop for you kitchen other than granite, you may want to consider a marble countertop. Marble comes a variety of colors including both soft and bold tones.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite, Industry News on April 28th, 2008 by Barb | | 2 Comments
2008 Builders Product And Service Show—A Success!
The 2008 Builders Product & Service show sponsored through BATC, Builders Association of the Twin Cities, proved to be another successful event. Paramount Granite Company participated in the show again this year, which was staffed by several of our sales and customer service team members. This year, we not only brought in several granite countertop displays and samples, but also brought in a full slab of granite, which proved to be a good draw for our booth.
The show was held Wedenesday, April 23, 2008 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and was open to builders and remodelers throughout the area.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Following are some photos from the show:
Posted in Granite, Company, Industry News on April 24th, 2008 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Granite Countertops—Top 10 Program A Success!
Some of you may be familiar with our Top-10 program promoting our most popular granite colors. The program, which we started several years ago, has been very successful. We offer our Top-10 colors at a reduced price in comparison to our standard colors. Since we buy them in volume, we are able to pass the savings on to you.
The slabs are hand-selected by us for beauty and quality, and are stocked and on display at our fabrication facility. For a limited time, we have an additional 3 bonus colors that we are also selling at the Top-10 pricing. If you, or your customer are interested in viewing our stock, please stop by our showroom. We’d be happy to assist you in your granite countertop selections.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Following are our Top 10:
Brazil Black
Chestnut
Cooper Gold
Dakota Mahogany
Golden Bordeaux
Labrador Green
Opalescence
St. Cecilia
Tropic Brown
Verde Butterfly
Bonus 3 Colors:
Ivory Fantasy
Mahogany Blue
Tropical Green
Posted in Granite, Company, Industry News on April 22nd, 2008 by Barb | | 2 Comments
Live Your Light!
Spring was definitely in the air yesterday here in Minnesota, as temperatures soared into the 70’s. After a long, cold winter, I think many of us have been wondering if spring would ever arrive. It is funny how the change in season, along with some warm temperatures can just boost your mood and outlook on life. I started this beautiful spring day by taking my dog for a long walk. Later…I did a little yard work, took a bike ride, etc., and ended the day with the Santana “Live Your Light Tour” Concert at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul.
While I thought the show was excellent, it got some mixed reviews. Apparently, some people felt Carlos was a bit too “preachy.” They played however, for a whopping 2-1/2 hours, and managed to play several classics, so who cares. I personally don’t think there is anything wrong with sending out a message of peace, harmony, hope, and brotherhood. Frankly…I think we could all use a little more light in our lives, and these spring days sure do help!
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Here’s a re-cap of last nights playlist:
- Peace/Jingo
- Life Is For Living
- Everybody’s Everything
- Put Your Lights On
- Africa Bamba
- Capri
- Maria Maria
- Foo Foo
- Corazon Espinado
- Incident at Neshabur
- Batuka/No One to Depend On
- Taboo/The Calling
- Shake Your Money Maker
- Brotherhood
- Yaleo
- Right On/Umi Says
- Gypsy Queen
- Apache/Smooth/Dame
- Soul Sacrifice
- Angel Chant/Into the Night
Following are a few photos from the concert:
Derek Trucks Band (warm-up band)
Derek Trucks Band (warm-up band)
Santana Concert
Santana Concert
Santana Concert
Santana Concert
Santana Concert
Posted in Uncategorized on April 21st, 2008 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Recipe: Chicken Breasts in Lemon Caper Sauce
Here’s a good recipe I tried the other week for my husbands birthday, from Chef, Antonio Cecconi, from the Betty Crocker Italian Cooking book. It is easy to make, and has a really good flavor. I served it with garlic mashed potatos and steamed mixed vegetables. For dessert, I served the Macadamia Fudge Torte from a previous blog.
Chicken Breasts In Lemon-Caper Sauce
INGREDIENTS
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
DIRECTIONS
Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Coat chicken with flour; shake off excess flour.
Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over mediium high heat. Cook chicken and garlic in butter about 6 miutes, turning once, until chicken is brown.
Add wine and lemon juice; reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Sprinkle with capers.
Enjoy!
Barb
Posted in Cooking in your kitchen on April 18th, 2008 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Locally Quarried Granites Have Gained A Sparked Interest For Countertops
We recently have had more inquiries regarding locally quarried granites here in Minnesota. This sparked interest may be due to the green building movement and consumers interested in using stone quarried closer to home. While the number of imported colors have grown vastly over the last decade, locally quarried granites useage has remained steady. Whereas import colors have grown in popularity for granite countertops over the years because of their colors, flow and movement, and earth tone variety, Minnesota quarried colors have remained popular for buildings, monuments, tombstones, as well as countertops.
If you are interested in looking at some Minnesota quarried colors, we’d be happy to show you samples and help you with your selections.
Following are some granite colors quarried specifically in Minnesota:
Rainbow (Morton, MN)
Rockville White (Rockville, MN)
Rockville Beige (Rockville, MN)
Diamond Pink (St. Cloud, MN)
Iridian (Isle, MN)
Lake Superior Green (Isabella, MN)
Agate (Ortonville, MN)
Mesabi Black (Ely, MN)
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite, Company, Industry News on April 17th, 2008 by Barb | | 0 Comments
It’s a Small World…
I happened to be doing some research for my upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. in May the other day to put together a list of sites we would like to visit. While I have been there numerous times (I love it there!), others that are traveling with me have not. As I was searching online, I came across some information on one of the few monuments I have not visited, including the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in West Potomac Park.
While brainstorming on what to write my blog about, I decided that I wanted to do some research on the granite quarries operated by Cold Spring Granite Company. I came across an article, Continuing to build a successful quarrying operation, in Stone World magazine online. Low and behold, I began to read about all of the prestigious projects nationwide that use Cold Spring quarried granite, such as Carnelian, which is quarried in Milbank, SD. It turns out that 6,000 tons of Carnelian granite quarried from that very location were used in the FDR memorial.
Many of our national monuments and historical architectural buildings are constructed of granite for its durability and natural beauty. I have to admit, I may look at the beautiful city of Washington D.C. though different eyes this time around. I hope that I am able to share some of the sites with you on one of my upcoming blogs.
Feel free to share…
Angie
Posted in Granite, Company, Business on April 16th, 2008 by Angie | | 8 Comments
Recipe: Macadamia Fudge Torte
Here’s another recipe for all of the chocolate lovers out there. I made it last week for my husbands birthday, and it was a hit! This recipe was a $1 million winning finalist in the 37th Pillsbury Bake-Off, held Feb. 26, 1996, in Dallas, and over 12 years later still has award winning taste. Make sure you share, because you’ll be tempted to eat it all yourself.
Kurt Wait’s Winning Pillsbury Bake-Off Recipe
| • 1/3 cup low-fat sweetened condensed milk • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips • 1 package Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil’s Food Cake Mix • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon • 1/3 cup oil • 1 (16-ounce) can sliced pears in light syrup, drained |
• 2 eggs • 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans • 2 teaspoons water • 1 (17-ounce) jar butterscotch caramel fudge ice cream topping • 1/3 cup milk |
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a small saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon and oil; blend at low speed for 20 to 30 seconds or until crumbly. (Mixture will be dry.) Place pears in blender container or food processor bowl with metal blade; cover and blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine 2½ cups of the cake mix mixture, pureed pears and eggs; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spread batter evenly in spray-coated pan. Drop chocolate mixture by spoonfuls over batter. Stir nuts and water into remaining cake mix mixture. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in the center. Cool 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Cool 1½ hours or until completely cooled.
In a small saucepan, combine ice cream topping and milk. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until well-blended, stirring occasionally. To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons of warm sauce onto each plate; top with wedge of torte. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt and garnish with chocolate curls. Makes 12 servings.
Enjoy!
Barb
Posted in Cooking in your kitchen on April 11th, 2008 by Barb | | 2 Comments
Remember Your Graduate For A Lifetime With A Keepsake Granite Laser Etch!
The countdown has begun for many high school and college seniors. The last day is fast approaching with that graduation ceremony just around the corner. Why not remember that special day with a commemorative graduation picture etched in stone forever? It is a perfect keepsake that can proudly be displayed for family, and friends. PGC offers several styles to choose from, or you can create your own. Our commemorative laser etches are etched on 12″ x 12″ Absolute Black granite and come with a display stand.
Please contact us for more information, your graduate will be glad you did.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Uncategorized, Granite on April 10th, 2008 by Barb | | 2 Comments
