Seared Scallops with Garlic, Bacon Wilted Arugula and Lima Bean Puree

Emeril Lagasse’s recipes are some of our favorites and this is no exception. They are all very complex in flavors and ingredients and this is not exception. We use Costco frozen Scallops for this recipe.

Thaw the scallops covered in milk. The milk draws out any fishy smell and helps remove any residual sand. This works on any fish you wish to defrost but is especially important for scallops. After they are thawed we rinse them thoroughly and massage them to make sure all the sand is removed.

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Congratulations Suzanne Fletcher!

Our friend, Suzanne Fletcher has taken on the challenge of building the new Washington Tourism Alliance. The Alliance is filling the void when the State dropped all funding for tourism marketing. As the first Executive Director she will pull together those interested in maintaining and expanding the marketing efforts for our state. If anyone can do it, we know she can. Click here to read the article in the August issue of the Puget Sound Business Journal on this new venture.

Click here for the full article

Sales Tax Reduction in King County

Effective October 1, 2011 the sales tax in King County, for food and beverages, will reduce from 10% to 9.5% as well as the King County special retail car rental tax will decrease by 2 %. This is because the King County Stadium taxes, which were imposed for the construction of the baseball stadium expire at midnight on September 30, 2011.

This tax is only applied to restaurants and bar owners will need to reprogram their cash registers or their POS systems to reduce the sales tax amount before they start business on October 1, 2011.

Sales Tax Reduction in King County

Effective October 1, 2011 the sales tax in King County, for food and beverages, will reduce from 10% to 9.5%. The King County special retail car rental tax will decrease by 2 %. This is because the King County Stadium taxes, which were imposed for the construction of the baseball stadium expire at midnight on September 30, 2011.

This tax is only applied to restaurants and bar owners will need to reprogram their cash registers or their POS systems to reduce the sales tax amount before they start business on October 1, 2011.

The Budget Control Act of 2011

After a last-minute agreement finally brought the stalemate over the nation’s debt ceiling to a close, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law on August 2nd, 2011, enabling the U.S. Treasury to avoid defaulting on existing obligations. The Act left all sides with plenty to argue about.

Click here to read the entire article

Global Economics

The old saying used to be, “When the US sneezed the world caught a cold.” Although we are still an economic juggernaut the US is no longer the major force that drives the world economic engine. the last couple of weeks have shown that the United States is very susceptible to global economic woes. It has not so much that we have slipped, but that the world markets are growing and at a much faster rate than us.

Russell is one of the global investment leaders with offices in 20 countries. They keep their fingers on the pulse of the world and are one of the few places I can get global economic data. US financial media companies rarely bother to keep you up on world economic statistics. Russell recently published two great articles on the global economy. One was a short article on how they evaluate whether a country is developed or emerging.

Ever wondered why is the second largest economic powerhouse, China, is considered an emerging market?

Click here to read the article that explains it all.
John Velis, Head of Russell Capital Markets Research in Europe wrote a very comprehensive overview as well as an answer guide to the Eurozone crisis which includes a glossary of terms.
Click here for the full article

Trenda & Innovations: A "Green" Cremation Alternative

If you happen to pass away in Florida you have the option of being on the first “green” cremation. A Florida funeral home is the first to use a cremation-alternative device that liquefies human remains. The device uses heated alkaline water to dissolve bodies into liquid in about 3 hours. Made by U.K. Resomation it has passed Florida laws for bio-disposablility. The company said it uses one-seventh the energy and doesn’t release carbon emissions like cremation.