Mission Viejo Plumber

I believe I have posted blogs about this in the past.... But nevertheless "Here it goes".

As I "man the phones" here in the office it amazes me how many people call in looking for prices and are willing to compare our rates to a competitor as far away as Corona!

My question is "Why would you hire a plumber to work on your Mission Viejo home when he is 50 miles away?"
Now I understand that our office is not exactly in Mission Viejo .... but come on!!!!!
We have Technicians that live in Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Buena Park, Orange and other surrounding cities - we truely access and serve Orange County with some of the best plumbing service around!!

Here's an example of what I am talking about.

Last month I had a new client call in and request a quote for a water softener system for his Ladera Ranch home. As I arrived for our afternoon appointment I was greeted by the Owner and he was in "panic mode". Ironicaly, a leak was coming from the upstairs Master bathroom just as I arrived and our attention quickly went from the quote to the leak.

I was quickly able to diagnose what I thought the source of the leak was and guess what? Turns out he had contracted a plumber from Chino Hills to come out and install some new toilets for him AFTER the new tile was put down .... approx 9 months ago. Wel'p they did not extent the closet flange up to the new tile height and tried to just "stack gaskets" to make up the gap. Needless to say this is not a code compliant method of installation but rather a way to "cheat".

I suggested to the client he should try and call the company he originally hired to come out and warranty any installations. He did and guess what? "Sorry sir ..... it is late in the afternoon and our Tech's live in Chino .... we can't get there for a day or two!"

Although that did not surprise me and this was a painful lesson for this Owner. He did admit that "the price was great and they did great work ..... but now I guess I got what I paid for ...... lowsy service and follow through"

Now don't think for one second we did not help this guy out ...... of course we did. With one push o f button, one of our Technicians was onsite in 30 minutes! That's because we live and work in the areas we service!

To any and all people reading this blog, please consider situations like this when making decisons to hire companies outside of your (or their) area!

Talk to ya soon!

Illinois Sweet Corn

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2010)

One of the most comforting sights for me are the rows upon rows of corn that shoot by when I take the train to southern Illinois. It's probably politically incorrect to admit this. Most of the corn grow in Illinois is subsidized and ends up as cattle feed or corn syrup. I don't support the subsidies or approve of their impact: the artificially low price of beef and the omnipresence of corn syrup in the American food system.

Yet, I treasure the taste of sweet corn and believe it's one of the most underappreciated gifts Mother Nature provides this time of year. I love sandpaper-like feel of the husks and the silky softness of the tassels. I love how the taut, plump kernels pop in my mouth after a quick boil, like perfectly ripened berries. They're sugary and savory. I never add salt or butter. As far as I'm concerned, it just gets in way.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2010)

At the farmer's market I carefully pull back the husk and tassels by an inch or so to make sure each ear is fresh. I look for plump kernels. During a recent visit, another shopper told me that smaller ears are more flavorful. She also recommended smelling the tip as part of the freshness test, but I didn't know what scent was the right one.

Anyone know about the smell test?

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2009)

BOILED SWEET CORN

Bring a pot of water to boil. Make to add enough water to cover the corn.

Add corn and boil for about 4 minutes.

Remove from heat. Drain water.

Spicy Thai Shrimp Roll

 
The thought of making everyday dinner makes me feel so sad. I don't like to eat rice as dinner, so I try to make it simple, easy and yet filling and tasty dinners.
Today I also wanted to eat something fried so I thought of making these rolls using the spring roll wraps and eat them as my dinner. These served as dinner for me and Shoj (my husband) and a snack for Anush (my little boy). They are quite filling and satisfy my cravings too...  :-)

Ingredients:
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1 lb Shrimp, cleaned and de-veined.
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 egg white
salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Pepper powder
1 packet spring roll wrap (can find in any asian mart)
1tsp Oyster sauce (optional)
1 tsp Sweet red chili sauce (optional)
2 green chillies
1/2 inch ginger
1/4 cup oil for shallow frying
1/2 cup water

Method:
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1. Clean the shrimp and de-vein it and wash it in cold water. Drain all the water and add it to a chopper, along with green chillies, ginger, and cilantro.
2. blend it so that it is almond kind of thick paste but not to smooth paste like texture.
3. put this mixture to a bowl add egg white of one egg, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet red chili sauce, and salt if needed and pepper powder. mix well.
4. take one spring roll sheet and wet the border with water. keep one 1 tbsp of the shrimp mixture on one end of the sheet.
5. fold that corner over the filling and bring together the other two ends and again brush with water a bit and again fold it join the forth corner of the spring roll sheet. Thus forming a packet as shown.

6. This mixture makes about 12 spring rolls.
7. heat oil in pan, when the oil is medium hot, place 2 rolls at a time and cook for about 3 mins on each side and drain the excess oil by placing them on a kitchen/paper towel.

8. These can be served with your favorite sauce like ketchup, sweet chili sauce or sauce made from soy sauce, chili flakes and sugar.