Follow Our Granite Blog Posts On Twitter…
While some of you out there may subscribe to our PGC blog posts, or see them via the PGC Facebook page, you can also find our blog links on Twitter. (Yes-we are getting very social.) If you haven’t checked us out on Twitter yet, make sure you do. Our Twitter page has a new look—very similar to our website.
Send me a Tweet and let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading and happy Tweeting!
Barb
Posted in Company, Granite, Industry News on July 29th, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Granite Countertops—Where does my granite come from?
I actually wrote this for our Ask The Experts section in our Summer 2010, Paramount Peeks newsletter, but I thought I’d share it for those looking for this information on line.
It is not surprising that we get asked this question over and over in our showroom, not only from general consumers, but also from contractors who are eagar to educate their customers. According to the MIA article, Dimension Stone, granite is literally “found on every continent on Earth and global resources of dimension stone are virtually limitless. Significant deposits of granite and marble can be found from Alabama to Maine in the United States. Additionally, the Carrara District in northern Italy has long been a significant producer of marble, along with Spain and China.” Many of the more popular granites come from Brazil, and India. Many of these colors have a variety of flow, veining, and movement to them. Granite is also quarried in countries such as Portugal, Finland, China, Africa, Argentina, Italy, France, Canada, Norway, Russia, and of course, the United States.
Over the last several years, we have received more inquiries from consumers about locally quarried granites, which is most likely due to the green movement. Colors that are specifically quarried in Minnesota include: Rainbow (Morton, MN), Rockville White and Rockville Beige (Rockville, MN), Diamond Pink (St. Cloud, MN), Iridian (Isle, MN), Lake Superior Green (Isabella, MN), Agate (Ortonville, MN), and Mesabi Black (Ely, MN). While inquiries about Minnesota quarried granites are up, many of these colors are still used more in the commercial building industry because of their color pattern and consistency. Mesabi Black however, remains a popular choice for those consumers looking for an elegant black.
To satisfy the curious consumer, many suppliers these days, label their slabs not only with the color name, but also supply the country of origin.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Granite on July 28th, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Recipe: Tempura Fish
Here’s good recipe to try for those fish lovers. Over the Fourth of July weekend, we had a fish fry at our cabin, that was a hit. Troy, our lead installer, made the batter and some home made tartar sauce to go with the fish. He got some rave reviews and was nice enough to let me share his recipes.
Tempura Fish Batter
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
pepper to taste
2 egg whites beaten stiff
1/4 tsp. lemon extreact
1 cold can of beer
1/2 cup seasoned flour (flour, salt, pepper, & cajun to taste)
Mix ingredients together in large bowl to form batter. Place fish in seasoned flour first, and then into batter mixture. Place carefully in fryer and remove when crisp crust is formed. Serve warm with tartar sauce, lemon, etc.
Tartar Sauce
1-1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce
1/3 cup diced onion
3/4 cup black olives
3/4 cup dill pickled diced
1 T coarse ground pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Chill. Serve with fish.
Enjoy!
Barb
Posted in Cooking in your kitchen on July 23rd, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Fun At The 2010 BATC Golf Outing…
For many people, summer is the time to get out and enjoy the weather, and that is just what we’ve been doing. Last week, we particpiated in the NARI golf outing, and this week we spent some time with BATC members for their annual golf event. We couldn’t let the BATC members miss out on our hula hoop contest we sponsored at hole # 6. Thankfully I’ve been practicing my hula hoop skills too.
The event was held at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Ham Lake, MN.
Following are some pictures I wanted to share:
Look for these photos, and others on the PGC Facebook page.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Company, Marketing on July 22nd, 2010 by Barb | | 0 Comments
Summer, Ice Cream & Granite…
Ahh…summer, ice cream and granite—turns out to be the perfect mix.
I don’t know how many of you out there have visited a local Cold Stone Creamery for some ice cream, but if you have, your tasty treat was prepared on granite. And why not? Granite is one of the most durable surfaces for countertops and works great not only for rolling cookie dough, or bread, but also for mixing nuts, fruit, and candy into ice cream. Unlike other countertop materials, granite can also take on some of the temperature properties of what is placed upon it, keeping the ice cream cold, or those freshly baked cookies warm.
If you stop by a Cold Stone Creamery, you will notice the “ice cream artists” chopping, cutting, and concocting your favorite ice cream creation. Yummy—I can almost taste mine (Chocolate Devotion) of course. I can’t wait to visit them again. Otherwise—I might have to just make my own on my own granite! How about you?
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Posted in Cooking in your kitchen, Granite on July 20th, 2010 by Barb | | 4 Comments
