I have seen cases of breaks left unattended for days in empty homes
that caused up to $100K in water and mould damage. And insurance
does not cover that, if the home is not inspected at least once every
24 hours.
That's a bit draconian. Every 24 hours can put a major
crimp in one's style.
But it's necessary so that moderate water damage does not become
major water plus mould damage. Back when I did property management I
So if a homeowner takes the family to Disneyland
for a week, someone has to be contracted to look
into the house daily for that period in order for
insurance to cover leak damage? Speaking of which,
Bonnie tells me about an incident where an interior
pipe managed to burst while she was out of the house
(many years ago), though the heating was set to a
vacanct setting of 55 (13). I don't know about the
state of the insulation then, but now it seems
adequate to keep the house above freezing even if
the heat is set to even 10 degrees below that.
What's the minimum safe vacancy setting for the
heat for an averagely-insulated house?
made the rounds on the vacant ones twice a day during the heating
season. I also installed "Winter Watchmen" in front windows. That a thermostat that will activate a red light if the room temperature
dropped below a set amount, say 60 F, I would look up the neighbours
As energy costs rise, homeowners such as my
friends might be inclined to shave some degrees
off that very conservative figure.
beside the home and also directly across the street and tell them to
call me immediately if they ever spotted a red light regardless of
the hour and then give them my card with my 24 hour cell phone
number. I saved more than a few places from major damage and
expenses that way.
Prudent but requires unimpaired and cooperative
neighbors.
Title: Mushroom Filling for Zeppelins (Cepelinai)
Somewhat yummier-looking than usual. [...] I'd eat them,
unlike some of those Lithuanian things you've posted.
"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" to steal a phrase. Actually I got
tired of publishing the nasty ones after a while and purged a whole
bunch of ones with buckwheat, rye, caraway, herring and/or
fermented beets in them.
It's doubtful that anyone would make any of them or
be interested anymore after a few typical examples.
I hope you've kept a few of the more amusing rejects
around for zingers should the need arise. I just
daydreamed a dish inspired by one of Nancy's
taglines. Freeze solid an ounce of foie gras or
ankimo and let it thaw partway. Roll in cornstarch,
then quail egg wash, then panko. Deep-fry just until
the outside is crisp. Chill, then stuff into small
squid bodies. Do the cornstarch, egg wash, and panko
thing to the stuffed squid and then fry until crisp
and golden. Slice into threes with a sharp knife.
Arrange on a plate garnished with microgreens and
sauced with a reduction of an auslese Gewurztraminer
simmered with a ginger slice and corrected with soy
sauce. The question is the length of the two fryings.
I'm pretty sure the dish will taste good.
PETA was started by Big Meat to make animal rights activists look
bad.
Plausible, in that paranoid way that taglines seem
to have devolved into here.
I posted a bunch of paranoia based ones I found a little amusing.
I think that nonrandom taglines are the only way
to go and will read them under the assumption that
they are on some level intentionally placed.
Title: Lithuanian Goose or Duck Cracklings
Save skin from very fat ducks or geese, cut into small pieces.
Remove fat from insides, soak in cold water, blot dry, cut into
And please do something with the fat from insides.
small pieces. Fry all pieces in a heavy bottomed, deep frying pan,
on low heat and stirring constantly. When pieces are browned, pour
off rendered fat. Season remaining crackling pieces with salt,
pepper and fried onion, blend well. Cracklings are eaten with
black bread or cooked potatoes with dill pickles and sauerkraut.
And a wonderful food it is.
Be sure to save that drained fat! It doesn't say what to do with the
bay leaves but one could either place them in the frying pan to
flavour the cracklings, extruded fat and the onions, then fish them
out or grind them up very finely and add the result to the salt and
pepper.
I seem to recall reading somewhere that bay leves
help inhibit premature oxidation of fat.
... Climate Change: When you start having 100 year floods every 3 years!
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00
Title: Melomakarona * Phoenikia
Categories: Greek, Desserts
Yield: 40 servings
1 1/2 c Honey 2 Oranges' strained juice
1 1/2 c Sugar; granulated 2 tb Cognac or brandy
1 c -Water 1/4 ts Cloves; ground
1 tb Lemon juice 1/2 ts Nutmeg; ground
1 lb Walnuts; finely chopped 1 ts Baking powder
1 1/4 c Butter ; softened 1/2 ts Baking soda
4 ts Cinnamon; ground (or more) 6 c Flour; all purpose
(or more
1 1/2 c Oil; vegetable 2 oz Walnuts; finely chopped
1/2 c Sugar; icing
(Author's Note): Ancient and traditional small, spicy baked syruped
cakes,
these are perfect for a large buffet. The nickname asserts their
introduction into Greece by the Phoenicians, but not with these
ingredients! Within my lifetime I have seen the oil give way to butter
and
semolina succumb to flour. Combine the honey, granulated sugar, water,
and
lemon juice in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Combine the 1 pound finely chopped walnuts with 1/4 cup of the softened
butter, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 5 tablespoons of the syrup.
Reserve the remaining syrup and set the filling aside while you prepare
the
dough. Using an electric mixer, cream the remaining butter (1 cup) with
the
oil until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar,
beating
on medium speed. Add the orange juice slowly to the batter, along with
the
Cognac or brandy, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the other spices. In a
small bowl, sift the baking powder, soda, and 2 cups of the flour
together.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter and beat for a few minutes.
Continuing to mix by hand, add only enough remaining flour to make a soft
dough. Knead. Break off small pieces of the dough and shape with your
fingers into oblongs about 2-1/2-inches long and 1-inch high. Flatten
between your palms and place 1 teaspoon of the filling mixture in the
center. Work the dough around the filling to enclose it completely and
press firmly to seal. This procedure sounds difficult, but with many
hands
it is quite simple. Place on a cookie sheet and continue until all the
cakes are shaped. Bake in a moderate oven (350 F) for 25 minutes, then
cool on a rack. Bring the syrup back to a boil. Dip each cake into the
syrup and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped
walnuts and teaspoon cinnamon, or more if desired. Cool before storing.
Note: You may bake and cool melomakarona, store a few days in advance and
dip in syrup as described above a day or so before serving. The flavor
improves after a few days.
From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Avenel Books,
New
York. Karen Mintzias I-Cooking Source: Karen Mintzias -I-Cooking
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