Midnightmom

Most of those comments are SPOT ON! "Tree huggers" and democratic/liberal policies have let our forests' overgrowth get out of control. Lots and lots of people are building in the "country" but not following the defensible space recommendations. PG&E is most definitely being "blamed" for the previously mentioned contributors to the fire danger that are totally out of their control. The "Public Safety Power Shut off" debacle is a recent LAW that NEWSOME SIGNED and PG&E has no choice but to comply - and yes, it is mostly because of lawsuits. The power shut off itself may only last 24-48 hours, but............................................ PG&E has to physically inspect EVERY INCH of transmission lines, etc for damage before they re-energize them. THAT is what takes so long and why people will be without power for upwards of a week in some cases! This was the first power outage as a result of this new law. I was "in the dark" for 3 days. I'm glad it wasn't cold like it was this past January when we had that massive snow storm affectionately referred to as "snowmaggen." I'm pretty sure I posted about it back then. You can look up that thread if you wish.

Here is the original thread with the "announcement" and information on how to "get in" the group.

Do you have a "Mexican" market nearby? Lots of times you can find stuff there that you can't find in big box stores - even those that have ethnic "specialty" isles.

(Bertolli's) IF it is a mixture of oils, it is SUPPOSED to say so on the bottle. There is a "test" to see if your olive oil is "pure." Put the bottle in the fridge and if it solidifies at all, it is NOT pure olive oil! If you are reacting to olive oil, it may be because of the "lectin" content/quality in the oil. I clicked on one of those "This doctor says...." type "articles" a while back - it turned out to be a very long advertisement/sales pitch for the brand of olive oil that HE was selling, but it was kind of informative along the way. He pretty much said that the olive oil you buy in the stores (and not from HIM) can have some issues with the "lectin" content because of: How old the olives were at the time of pressing The mixture of olive varieties and the country they were grown in used in the batch How long they sat in storage before being processed or how long they sat in storage (after processing) before being distributed to stores A brand that says "Produced/Bottled in Italy" doesn't necessarily mean that the olives were GROWN in Italy. If the brand has a "Best By" date instead of a production date - (olive oil has a 2 year window before becoming "rancid") so you have no idea how much of that 2 yr window was used up in the picking, pressing, and processing of the oil in that bottle. He said that "rancid" olive oil develops "free radicals." I have no idea how true these statements are or aren't, but some of the points may be worth looking into if you are having issues w/ olive oil. I'm still using olive oil that I bought with coupons when it was on sale over FIVE YEARS ago! Didn't know any of this back then, but the oil doesn't smell bad and I don't use a lot at a time so, I'm NOT tossing it out! Besides, he spent all of that time bashing regular grocery store olive oil BEFORE revealing that HE SOLD the bestest, freshest, purest olive oil available anywhere in the world - and, of course it isn't inexpensive! So, I take his "advice" with some amount of skepticism. BUT, If I was having issues I would probably try to independently confirm what he said; as YOU might consider doing. (If you see the "medical advice" about getting rid of your olive oil, and the source is Dr. Gundry, you can watch the presentation for yourself. It is NOT a fast read.)

BTW - cakes & brownies = olive oil or MCT oil (liquid coconut oil) or just melt some coconut oil I loooooooooooooove these emoticons. They are the best ones on the interwebs!

Olive oil is generally not a good idea for high heat cooking (neither is butter as you know). The choice would be coconut oil - yes, it is "solid" at room temp - depending on how cool/warm the room is - the other option would be good old fashioned lard. And I mean old fashioned because I guess you have to make sure your lard isn't hydrogenated!

"Veggie" oil is NOT made from vegetables at all! In reality it is industrial seed oil and burning it for emergency lighting is practically the only "safe" use FOR it! It is certainly NOT GOOD for your health!!! --------------------------- These "vegetable oils," which from now on we will call what they really are - INDUSTRIAL SEED OILS - are ultra-processed and require a lot of steps before they are safe to consume. Because of this, these are oils that were completely unavailable in the human diet until technology in the 20th century made it possible to extract and process these oils to make them non-toxic and palatable. This makes them very different from healthy oils from olives or avocados, which release their oils simply through being pressed. The process to bring industrial seed oils to you is far different, and includes a number of steps that require chemical solvents and exposure to heat that oxidizes these oils well before they get to you. Let’s look at how vegetable oils are made. (The process includes) chemical solvents, degumming, processing, cleansing, bleaching and deodorizing to make (them) palatable. Not to mention, most seed oils are from GMO plants. Or, if you prefer YouTube:

I have tried using olive oil in the past - without success. It just occurred to me that it MAY be because it was the "light" version and NOT extra-virgin. What do y'all think???

It is a "mortal sin" to use butter or bacon fat in this manner! Just sayin................................

Harbor Freight Tools recalling 1.1 million knives due to laceration hazard The recall involves Gordon folding knives sold at Harbor Freight Tools stores nationwide, via telephone, and online from July 2008 through July 2019 for $5. Anyone with the affected products is asked to stop use and return them to a Harbor Freight Tools store for a refund or store gift card. https://fox17.com/news/local/harbor-freight-tools-recalling-11-million-knives-due-to-laceration-hazard

That is WHY someone invented the plastic lettuce knife. Yep, I've got one. Looks very similar to this: Nope, I don't use it. I discovered it "bruised" the lettuce WORSE than cutting it with a metal knife! But I DO use it for getting the air out of my canning jars when I pack them for processing.

Never thought of that!

The damage is found when they do an inspection of the lines before re-energizing them AFTER the weather alert shut-off is completed. They report the find and comment on the length of time needed for repair and restoration of service.

The only aluminum cookware I have are my Guardian Service roaster and a stock pot. Don't see myself getting rid of them any time soon.