Archive for February, 2012

Entrepreneur Magazine Names Mr. Appliance to its Franchise 500 List

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Congrats to Mr. Appliance!

Mr. Appliance ranked No. 209 on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2012 Franchise 500 list. This is the 12th consecutive year the company has made the list.

The magazine also listed Mr. Appliance No. 165 on its Top Global Franchises list and No. 51 on its Top Home Based Franchise list.

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 is known as the most reliable and comprehensive list of franchises. The magazine bases its rankings on financial strength, stability, growth rate and size of the system.

“It’s an honor to be included on the list,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance. “Our success depends on the hard work of our franchise owners. This achievement is a direct reflection of their dedication to customer service.”

Winter Weekends

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

By Lillyan Baker

Warm up this winter from the inside out with this delicious potato soup with shrimp and corn recipe. Nothing says, “Home” like warm soup, a cozy fire and one of your favorite family movies. Gather your entire family this weekend for memories that only the Heart of the Home can produce.

Potato Soup with Shrimp and Corn

By Jim Reynolds

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced  (optional)
½ green or red pepper, diced
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced (or processed with garlic machine)
4 or 5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained
2 cups milk (more if needed)
1 can chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with water, for thickening (repeat if necessary; see below)
Crumbled bacon bits, for garnish  (optional)
Sliced green onion tops, for garnish  (optional)

Cook potatoes in salted water until fork-tender. Drain off water and reserve potatoes in the warm pan.

In a separate 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper, and carrots until all are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes, milk, and most of the chicken broth.

Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the heavy cream, salt, and pepper.

Mix the cornstarch (in, say, a coffee cup or measuring cup) with just enough water to form a mixture about the consistency of heavy cream. Pour this mixture into the hot soup (stirring the soup constantly, or the cornstarch mixture will form lumps). After a minute or so the soup will thicken. If it doesn’t get thick enough to suit you, repeat the cornstarch step, this time using about ½ the amount of cornstarch. (Too much, and you’ll have oatmeal.)

Add the shrimp to the soup and stir well. Simmer until shrimp are heated.

(Optional: Serve soup sprinkled with bacon bits and sliced green onion tops.)

Hope In the Community

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of The Central Valley is passionate about helping families of the community who are in need. Their organization is committed to changing lives. They believe change starts with the members of the community.

When Mr. Appliance® of The Central Valley, heard that they could help RMHC by fixing a broken refrigerator, they decided to step in and help. Thanks to Mr. Appliance of The Central Valley, RMHC of The Central Valley can spend less time worrying about their appliances and more time with the families.

Dylan Conner, owner of Mr. Appliance of The Central Valley, makes it his goal to build relationships not only with his customers, but also with the community. Conner says that its opportunities like these where relationships are formed and lives are touched.

Conner believes that Mr. Appliance of The Central Valley commitment to RMHC comes from Mr. Appliance’s code of values, where respect, integrity and customer satisfaction are the priorities.

“The first code of value is to treat others as we would like to be treated, and that value is the foundation of our Mr. Appliance partnership with RMHC,” said Conner. “Mr. Appliance of The Central Valley considers it a privilege to partner with an organization like RMHC that gives so much to families in need.”

Mr. Appliance of The Central Valley hopes to encourage other companies and organizations to join in warming the hearts of those in need. Any act of service can make a difference. Whether it’s fixing a refrigerator, replacing a sink or providing a meal, hearts will be touched.

“The Ronald McDonald House® program provides a ‘home-away-from-home’ for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost to families,” said Jennifer Smith, senior director, RMHC. “Our Houses are built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on healing their child- not where they can afford to stay or where they will get their next meal.”

Show your Appliances Some TLC on Valentine’s Day

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Show Some XOXO

Dedicated support, attention to every detail and caring for every need sounds like the ultimate valentine…for your appliances. Forget the hour-long dinner reservations and cook up a romantic meal for your sweetheart. Show your appliances some tender loving care this Valentine’s Day to avoid kitchen heartbreak before your dinner.

“The periodic up-keep can increase the life of your appliances and improve operation,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance®.

Take time to love your appliances and they will love you back. Follow these steps from Mr. Appliance to cook up some romance, instead of frustration with inefficient appliances.

Give Your Oven Some Lovin’

  • Don’t run the self-cleaning cycle within one week of a big dinner – ovens have a tendency to fail during or right after a self-cleaning cycle.
  • Clean the reflector bowls under the burners to help cook more efficiently.

XOXO For Your Dishwasher

  • If you’re unsure whether or not an item is dishwasher safe, just wash it by hand.
  • Run an empty dishwasher with a cup of white vinegar to eliminate odors and buildup.

Keep Your Garbage Disposal Smelling Like Roses

  • Place a handful of ice cubes in the disposal. Add lemon, orange or lime peels and run disposal with cold water for 15 to 30 seconds. Continue to rinse with cold water.
  • To avoid clogging your garbage disposal, remember to not pour grease down the drain.

Rekindle Your Refrigerator

  • Unplug your refrigerator and use a vacuum to remove any dust from the coils. This will help it run more efficiently and trim your utility bills.
  • Make sure it’s loaded properly. Contents should be evenly distributed.

If your appliances need a technician’s tender loving care, call a professional at Mr. Appliance to play cupid for your appliances on Valentine’s Day.

Live, Laugh & Learn with Lillyan: Way to the Heart

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

By Lillyan Baker

Make His Knees Go Weak for a Change

The past, present and future of a popular proverb has weaved through women’s lifestyle magazines, love stories and Katherine Heigl romcom movies since the 1950s. This common cliché serves as a golden piece of wisdom from the female’s mighty book of knowledge on the opposite sex. Sometime between braces and Sweet 16 parties, grandmother’s and mother’s alike spend a day in the kitchen passing down this ageless note of advice on not only how to catch a man, but how to keep him.  While sifting flour and tightening apron strings, it is a guarantee that someone will say, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Now whether or not this pithy piece of advice is true or not, all women in less than a week will start to think about how to impress their significant other on the upcoming love-filled holiday. This Valentine’s Day forget the courtside tickets and hour-long dinner reservations and give him what he really wants; meatloaf.

My Valentine

Esquire Magazine’s Manly Meatloaf

By Michael Symon

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs coarse ground beef (preferably with 20 percent fat)
1 1/2 lbs hot Italian pork sausage, removed from casing
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Coarse salt and ground black pepper to taste
Blended olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat and sweat onions and garlic until translucent. Let onions cool.

3. Place remaining ingredients and onion mixture in large bowl and mix with your hands.

4. Oil a 9-by-5-inch meat-loaf pan with blended olive oil and place mixture in pan, pressing down and packing medium tight (or mold into a meat-loaf shape and place in shallow roasting pan).

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Remove from pan.

Try to Purchase Tuscan Kale instead of Curly Kale

Jenny’s Kale Chips

1 bunch of organic kale
1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground black pepper

1. Wash and pat dry kale. With hands, rip the leaves into chip-sized pieces away from the stem until you have ripped up entire bunch of kale.

2. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.

3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.