Saturday Scoops

Advertiser Staff

•	What you will need: For the interior: old paintbrush, upholstery cleaner, glass cleaner, vacuum cleaner For the exterior: lamb's-wool mitt; leather chamois; terry-cloth towels and soft cotton rags; worn sponge; worn toothbrushes; manicure sticks; nonwax car-wash cleaning solution; paint work cleanser; carnauba paste wax; whitewall or mag-wheel cleaner; chrome polish; bumper black.

Instead of scouring the malls for a last-minute Father's Day gift, here's a suggestion bound to delight Dad: Offer to detail his car — in other words, clean it inside and out.

Granted, it takes a full day to do a professional-grade job. But if you don't have that much time, you can always do a simple wash and polish; Dad will appreciate your efforts, as well as the weekly chore you've saved him.

Here's a step-by-step outline to get a full-scale job done right.

• Once you've gathered your supplies (see box) and found a shady spot, start with the inside of the car. Use a paintbrush to push dirt, insects and other junk out of crevices, then vacuum.
• Next, vacuum the upholstery with the brush attachment, and the rugs with the nozzle. Follow up by cleaning and conditioning the upholstery.
• Get rid of that grimy film that develops on windows with a standard household glass cleaner and a lot of elbow grease.
• Now move to the exterior, using a soap specifically for automotive finishes (dish soap will strip wax) and a lamb's-wool wash mitt. Start from the top, working downward, and rinse the dirt off the mitt frequently.
• Dry the car with a leather chamois, following up with a soft, damp terry-cloth towel in wells and cavities.
• To strip an old layer of wax, use a damp, worn sponge or a very soft cotton rag to apply a paintwork cleanser.
• Apply carnauba paste wax with a damp sponge to an area the size of a car door. Let wax set. Go over the surface with a terrycloth towel or cotton rag, rubbing lightly back and forth to remove residue, leaving a smooth layer of protection.
• Use an old, very soft toothbrush and/or a manicure stick to remove trapped dirt and excess wax anywhere that sponges can't reach, such as around door handles.
• Finally, tend to the surfaces that require special treatments, such as tires, chrome details and bumpers.

Pump some iron

You've been doing cardio like crazy but just can't lose the love handles? Consider weight-lifting: One pound of muscle burns more than nine times as many calories as a pound of fat. A University of Florida study says one set with weights heavy enough to fatigue your muscles completely by the end of 12 to 15 repetitions yields nearly the benefit of three sets. Bye-bye bulges.

Here's a relatively healthful and painless meal that you can dress up with wine, a salad and dessert to impress a dinner guest, or dish up quickly with zucchini on the side for the family:

Chicken Parmesan with Fusilli Pasta

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 3 or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or enough to feed four)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 pound fusilli

Combine cheese and bread crumbs on a large plate. Beat egg in a wide bowl. Dip chicken into egg, then into crumb mixture to coat.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet set over medium to medium-high heat. Cook chicken 10 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Serves four.

Here's an easy way to surround Dad with aloha: Get him a vintage aloha shirt during the Kahala Mall's Father's Day celebration, "Aloha Dad!" 11 a.m.-3 p.m. today. Events include a book-signing by Dale Hope, author of "The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands," and a display of vintage ones from Bailey's Antiques. Shop owner David Bailey will appraise old shirts. There'll be music, and Goodwill Industries will accept aloha shirt donations. 732-7736.

Dads' bonding time

Today's dads are more involved in their kids' lives than ever before, as role models and mentors. This advice from the National Coalition of Girls' Schools on bonding with daughters really applies to kids of either gender:

• Cultivate communication. Kids notice when parents make the effort.
• Encourage risk-taking. Many successes come only with taking a chance on failure.
• Take time for sports. Sports engender a sense of competitiveness, a tolerance for risk and an appetite for adventure.
• Make time for your kids.

Family outing

Take your children's imagination to play where everything's A-OK as "Sesame Street Live" brings the Muppet gang to Blaisdell Concert Hall. Titled "Everyone Makes Music," the show teaches that music can come from everyday objects all around you. Show times: 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, 2 p.m. tomorrow, with more shows planned for next week. Tickets: $15, $11 at the Blaisdell box office and all TicketPlus outlets. 526-4400.