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By Linda Toga

The Facts: My father died last year and I was issued letters testamentary by the Surrogate’s Court. When going through my father’s desk, I found a bank statement dated June, 1999, for a savings account I did not know existed. The balance in the account in 1999 was nearly $5,000. Unfortunately, the bank that held the account no longer exists.

The Question: How can I find out if my father removed the money from the account prior to his death?

The Answer: If the statement you found had been dated within the last five (5) years, you could likely find out which bank took over the assets of your father’s bank and contact them to see if the account still exists. However, in New York State, if a bank account is dormant for an extended period of time, after five years, the bank can hand over all of the money in the account to the State Comptroller’s Office.

In other words, after the requisite waiting period, the account will escheat to the state. While bank accounts escheat to the state after five (5) years, other types of assets and property such as insurance policies escheat after only three (3) years and checks issued by the state escheat after only one (1) year.

If you believe the money in your father’s account was escheated to the state, you can obtain information by calling the New York State Comptroller’s Office, which oversees the New York Office of Unclaimed Funds. You can also go online to www.osc.state.ny.us/ouf/ and search under your father’s name and address for any of his property that may have escheated to the state.

If your father ever lived outside New York, you may also want to search on the sites maintained by the offices of unclaimed funds in other states to be sure you don’t miss anything.

While you are searching for assets belonging to your father that may have escheated to the state, you should also search on your own name and address. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that a rent or utility deposit you forgot you even made or dividends on stocks that you once owned have escheated to the state and are available to you. There is no statute of limitations on unclaimed property, and online searches are free, so you have nothing to lose.

While it is highly unlikely that you will find you are entitled $6.1 million like the largest unclaimed property recipient but, you never know!

If you are lucky enough to find that the balance in your father’s account did, in fact, escheat to the state, you can request that the funds be sent to you. To do so, you must file a claim and provide sufficient information to establish your entitlement to the funds. Since you are the executrix of your father’s estate, you will be asked to provide your letters testamentary as well as documents establishing that your father was, in fact, the person named on the account. Any unclaimed funds that you collect as executrix should be considered as part of your father’s probate estate and distributed in accordance with the provisions in his will.

The process of recouping unclaimed property can be very frustrating because it takes quite some time. It is not unusual to be asked to resubmit paperwork previously provided or to provide documents that were not initially requested. However, being able to get your hands on “found” money is exciting and usually worth the effort.

Linda M. Toga, Esq. provides legal services in the areas of estate administration and planning, real estate and litigation from her East Setauket office.

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Trump's diet has been brought to the forefront during this election year.

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Donald Trump could learn a thing or two from Bill Clinton. No, we are not talking about politics; we are talking about health. Trump is a public persona, and his diet has been brought to the forefront. As was Clinton’s when he was the United States’ 42nd president. An Aug. 8 New York Times article discussed Trump’s love for fast food and his ironic obsession with cleanliness (1).

Trump’s approach to diet seems to be eerily similar to the standard American diet — with the added detriment of fast food. Though he likes the cleanliness of fast food chains, his arteries may not like the “dirtying” effect of atherosclerosis, or arterial plaques.

Admittedly, I don’t know anything about his family history, including whether or not cardiovascular disease is an issue; nor his blood chemistries, such as cholesterol levels; nor whether or not he has high blood pressure. However, one thing is clear: He is overweight with a significant amount of visceral fat, or belly fat. This type of body fat is considered the most dangerous because it surrounds the internal organs such as the heart (2). This promotes potential cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

For a long time, Bill Clinton also had a love for fast food and the standard American diet. However, this resulted in atherosclerosis, which caused significant blockage of coronary arteries and resulted in coronary artery bypass surgery involving four arteries in 2004. Since then, he has been on a mission to reform his diet. Through the influence of physicians like Drs. Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn, both advocates of plant-based diets, Clinton has done much better and lost significant weight, as well.

Thus, this is more about the standard American diet, with its high saturated fat, high sugar, refined grains, processed meats and elevated salt versus the nutrient-dense, more likely plant-based, approach with fruits, vegetables and whole grains and their respective effects on cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis and even mortality.

These type of plant-based diets include the Mediterranean-type diet, the DASH diet, the Ornish diet and the Esselstyn diet.

If we look solely at the differences between saturated fats and unsaturated fats, a recent study involving over 120,000 participants showed that when just 5 percent of pure saturated fats in the diet were replaced with unsaturated fats, this resulted in a significant reduction in all-cause mortality of up to 27 percent over 32 years (3). For more details on this study analysis, see my recent article, “Let the dietary fat wars begin,” which can be found online at www.tbrnewsmedia.com.

I am a firm believer in leading by example. I think it is a powerful way to get patients to follow through with lifestyle changes, especially diet and exercise. That is why the dietary changes I ask my patients to make, I also have been following for years.

Data on cardiovascular disease

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data about cardiovascular disease that is downright depressing. From 2000 to 2010, the risk of dying from this disease was decreasing by almost 4 percent a year in both men and women (4). However, from 2010 to 2014, this decrease slowed precipitously to 0.23 percent in men and 1.17 percent in women. The reason for this slowdown is that we may have reached a ceiling in the effectiveness of traditional medical interventions. The suggestions are that we concentrate more efforts on lifestyle modifications, specifically diet, physical activity and not smoking.

At the same time, 2011-2012 NHANES data showed a significant increase in obesity and diabetes (5). The bad news is we have not changed our lifestyles enough, especially diet. The good news is that there is a large upside for change and progress!

Reversing heart disease

This research includes both Ornish and Esselstyn. Both physicians have shown it is possible, through a plant-based approach, to have a significant impact on cardiovascular disease, reversing atherosclerosis and preventing a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack.

Esselstyn’s research includes a small study with 24 of his own patients (6). Of these, 18 patients completed the five-year study. These 18 patients had experienced 49 cardiovascular events in the previous eight years. Results show that with a plant-based diet, none of the 18 had a cardiovascular event. Eleven patients chose to have angiographic analysis to determine stenosis, or blockage. None of the 11 progressed; in fact, eight showed regression in atherosclerosis.

Though this was a small study with no control group, the duration, the reversal of atherosclerosis at the study end point and the severity of cardiovascular disease prior to the study make these results intriguing and impressive.

This study was extended to 12 years with similar results and only one additional patient dropping out. Interestingly, those who discontinued the study had a subsequent total of 13 cardiovascular events. One of the key study markers was keeping total cholesterol to lower than 150 mg/dL. The diet emphasized fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains.

Then, Esselstyn’s group looked at 198 patients with cardiovascular disease (7). The results were similar to the smaller initial study, with those in the adherent group following a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet experiencing a most astonishing cardiovascular event rate of only 0.6 percent, while the 21 who were nonadherent (the unbeknownst control group, per se) experienced an event rate of 62 percent over 3.7 years.

What about Ornish’s research? Not surprisingly, the results were very similar to Esselstyn’s. In the Ornish study, results showed a reversal in atherosclerosis of 7.9 percent in the treatment group compared to baseline, whereas those in the control arm over the same period showed a 27.7 percent increase in atherosclerosis or plaques in the arteries (8). Also, the control group experienced more than two times as many cardiovascular events as seen in the treatment group. The patients in the treatment group were on a plant-based diet.

There were 48 patients with moderate to severe cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study, with 28 patients in the treatment group and 20 assigned to the control arm. Of these patients about 75 percent in each group completed the study. The duration of the study was five years. Again, these results are intriguing, and each study reinforces the others.

A clinical example

In my practice, I recently had a 69-year-old white male patient with cardiovascular disease and an extensive family history of the disease, who went to the cardiologist prior to working with me. The initial carotid Doppler (sonogram of the neck arteries) showed a 16 to 50 percent blockage in both carotid arteries. After a year, the carotid Doppler results had been reduced to between 1 and 15 percent blockages in both carotid arteries. The patient’s total cholesterol had dropped to 146 mg/dL, and this result included discontinuing his cholesterol medication, though it was not a statin. Of course, this is anecdotal, but it is consistent with the results mentioned in the studies above.

In conclusion, now you see why Bill Clinton followed the advice of at least two very wise physicians after his quadruple bypass surgery. Lifestyle with a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet not only can prevent cardiovascular disease but may be able to arrest and even reverse plaques in the arteries. Trump would be wise to follow suit and focus on cleanliness of his arteries rather than just cleanliness of the restaurant, as we all would.

References: (1) NYTimes.com. (2) Crit Pathw Cardiol. 2007;6(2):51-59. (3) JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(8):1134-1145. (4) JAMA Cardiol. online June 29, 2016. (5) cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes. (6) J Fam Pract. 1995;41(6):560-568. (7) J Fam Pract. 2014;63(7):356-364b. (8) JAMA. 1998;280(23):2001-2007.

Dr. Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.

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Registered microchips give lost pets the best chance of returning home. Stock photo

By Matthew Kearns, DVM

The bond between pet owner and pet is almost always immediate and lasts a lifetime. Conversely, the thought of losing a pet is terrible. Having one dog and three cats, I sometimes imagine how it would be if any of them were missing for days (or longer) and cringe. I then let out a sigh of relief realizing that since the advent of pet microchip identification, many a lost pet has been returned to their owner safe and sound.

As a matter of fact, microchips have become so common that two major veterinary associations (the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association) have teamed up to celebrate Check the Chip Day annually on Aug. 15.

A microchip is an identification chip and does not contain a power source. Once inserted, the chip will not give off any energy that could be harmful to your pet. The chip is passive, or inert. What that means is, when the microchip scanner is waved over it, the chip receives energy similar to a radio antenna. The chip then gives the scanner back the energy in the way of data, or information.

Pet microchips are very small (about the size of a grain of rice) and can be injected under the skin without any anesthetic. I do not wish to imply that the pets that receive this injection do not feel the needle, but it is far from major surgery. At our hospital we offer to implant the chip at the time of spay or neuter (when the patient is already anesthetized) to reduce the anxiety and discomfort of the patient. These chips do not tend to migrate after implantation and rarely cause any discomfort.

Evidence that microchips cause cancer is not completely true and has been greatly exaggerated in the media and on the internet. It is true that these chips have been documented to cause a type of cancer called “injection site sarcoma” in lab mice and rats. However, these animals are very prone to this type of cancer when any material is injected under the skin. To this date there is only ONE documented case of cancer in a dog that was directly linked to the implantation of a microchip.

Concerns that microchips and microchip scanners are not as successful at identifying pets is outdated information. Currently, almost all microchip manufacturers follow the ISO (International Standards Organization) guidelines. The ISO has recommended a global microchip frequency standard that is consistent worldwide. Also, newer microchip scanners can scan at multiple frequencies to identify both ISO and non-ISO microchips.

A 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association noted 75 percent of dogs and 65 percent of cats that were turned over to shelters were able to be reunited with their owners via the microchip. Of those owners that were not reunited, 35 percent had disconnected phones and another 25 percent never returned phone calls from the shelter.

So let’s celebrate Check the Chip Day and not be afraid to microchip our pets. Also don’t forget to register the chip to your contact information after placement. Enjoy the end of the summer!

Dr. Kearns practices veterinary medicine from his Port Jefferson office.

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The needles of the dawn redwood darken over the summer and turn reddish-brown in fall. Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

By Ellen Barcel

Heritage Park in Mount Sinai has many unique plantings. One really interesting section is the walkway lined with trees representing each of the 50 states. New York’s state tree, along with Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin, is the sugar maple (Acer saccharum). A tree native to Long Island, the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is the state tree of Missouri and Virginia. Both maple and dogwood do well here. Oak, which also grows well on Long Island in one variety or another, is the state tree of Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

But, in planning this interesting homage to the 50 states, it became clear that not every tree that represents each state would be able to grow in Long Island’s climate or was suitable for the walkway. Hawaii’s state tree, the candlenut, (Aleurites moluccanus, also known as kukui), wouldn’t survive in Long Island’s cold climate, for example. So, Fred Drewes, who planned out the walkway, needed to make substitutions. One was the tree for California.

The dawn redwood has been planted at Heritage Park to represent the state of California. It was chosen since the giant redwood, California’s state tree, is not an ideal tree for the walkway. The giant redwood becomes an enormous tree, overwhelming the surrounding area with an extensive root system. It produces a tremendous amount of shade so very little will grow under it. Its shallow roots mean that the tree can be easily damaged by wind. Hence the decision to plant the related tree.

The dawn redwood (Metasequoisa glyptostroboides) is sometimes called a living fossil. Scientists believed that the tree had gone extinct until it was “rediscovered” in 1941 in China. The fossils of the tree have been found in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere as well going back to the Mesozoic Era. The Mesozoic Era (the time of the dinosaurs) ended approximately 66 million years ago. Since its rediscovery, the tree has become a popular ornamental due to its attractive pyramidal shape and rapid growth.

A conifer, it has another distinction — it’s deciduous. Usually we expect conifers (cone-bearing plants) to be evergreens, keeping their needles through the winter. Dawn redwood, the smallest of the redwoods is still potentially a large tree. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, it is fast growing and can easily reach 100 feet or more. It does well in zones 5 to 8 with Long Island being zone 7. It prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil but even tolerates clay soil. While it is widely adaptable, it does best in a soil pH of 4.5 (that’s very acidic), great for Long Island’s soil. It’s pretty much maintenance and disease free.

One of the advantages of a deciduous tree is that with the leaves (or needles in this case) gone in winter, the sun can warm a nearby house. But come the heat of summer, the tree provides shade to cool the area. Needles appear in the spring as light green, darken over the summer and turn reddish-brown in fall. Since it’s fast growing, it can provide privacy fairly quickly. It is somewhat deer resistant (we know that no plant is completely deer proof if the deer are hungry enough) and tolerates pollution; so it can be planted near roadways or in cities. Its deeply grooved bark and branches give the tree winter interest.

The small female cones are uniquely shaped and are on the same tree as the male ones. If you’re really interested in growing one or more dawn redwood, the website www.dawnredwood.org will provide more detailed information.

Take a walk around Heritage Park and look at the various trees planted there. This will give you a good idea of what trees you may want to plant in your own garden. If you decide to plant a dawn redwood, remember that this is a big tree. Give it plenty of room and don’t make the mistake of planting it too close to your house.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Most market tomatoes are recent varieties created in university and commercial farms since 1940. Stock photo

By Elof Axel Carlson

The tomato is botanically a fruit or more specifically a berry. We think of it as a vegetable because of its use in pasta sauces, soups and stews. The Supreme Court in 1893 ruled that for taxing and tariff purposes, it is a vegetable because of its usage in cooking.

The tomato belongs to the species Solanum lycopersicum. Thus, it belongs to a family of some 3,000 species worldwide. But tomatoes arose and were cultivated in the Andes and made their way to Mexico where they were domesticated. From there they were imported to Europe in the 15th century.

Because they are classified as members of the Solonaceae family, which includes the deadly nightshade, they were sometimes regarded as poisonous. But the domesticated tomato varieties began appearing in Spain, Italy and England and soon spread as far as China, which is now the world’s largest consumer and producer of tomatoes.

The tomato gets its name from the Aztec word “tomatl.” Until 1940 the domesticated tomatoes throughout the world came from the Mexican varieties the Spanish brought back in the late 1400s and early 1500s.

The tomato plant cell has a total of 24 chromosomes, and its pollen or ovules have a chromosome number of 12. Their genome was not worked out until 2009, and a comparative study of 360 varieties and species of tomatoes was published in 2014. The pre-1940 tomato varieties for food had very few of the mutant gene varieties found in the wild species in South America (less than 10 percent).

Thus, most market tomatoes are recent varieties created in university and commercial farms since 1940.

The farmers buy hybrid seed, and tomato seed companies make sure that their seeds are hybrid to keep farmers from planting crops from the tomatoes that are harvested. This was a policy first started by agribusiness for hybrid corn beginning in 1908.

The genomic analysis of tomatoes and their related species give an evolutionary history of tobacco, then peppers, then eggplants, then potatoes and finally tomatoes as the sequence of species emergence. The molecular insights into plant genomes, by sequencing their genes, have led to a controversial field of genetically modified foods.

One of the first was short lived. I remember buying “Flavr Savr” tomatoes in a supermarket in Setauket. The manufacturer had inserted a gene for delayed ripening and thus longer shelf life in stores. I could not tell any difference in taste or texture from those manufactured by inserting genes from other varieties of tomato plants.

Just as people in the 1500s feared tomatoes when first introduced into Europe as likely to be poisonous (they weren’t), the fear of genetically modified foods led to their quick demise in the market. Today it is almost impossible to buy foods (grains, vegetables, fruits, fish, fowl, or livestock) that are guaranteed to be free of genetic modification.

Elof Axel Carlson is a distinguished teaching professor emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University.

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Green beans mature in about two months. Photo by Ellen Barcel

Now that it’s August, you’ve been enjoying your garden’s produce. Some varieties of tomatoes have already ripened. The fresh corn has been delicious. You’ve had beans and salads fresh from the garden. But, it’s time to start thinking about your second harvest of quick growing and cool weather veggies.

The average first frost on Long Island is the end of October (central North Shore and North Fork) to early November (North Shore of western Suffolk and Nassau counties). These, of course, are averages. I remember a December when I still had geraniums blooming while I was putting out my Christmas wreath. And, there have been early Octobers with frost, times when I’ve rushed to get my houseplants, which were summering outside, back into the house.

Radishes mature in under a month. Photo by Ellen Barcel
Radishes mature in under a month. Photo by Ellen Barcel

First, look at the packages of seeds and see how long it is from planting to maturity. For something like green beans, depending on variety it can be anywhere from 50 to 60 days. So, knowing that the end of October is just about the last of the growing season, count backward. You need to plant the last of your green beans, again depending on variety, by the beginning of September. That will give you the two full months you need for plant maturity. Start now, and plant another row each week, finishing up the beginning of September. Lettuce is another quick growing crop. Leaf lettuce is a cool weather crop and matures in 40 to 50 days. So, the last sowing of lettuce needs to be mid-September. Head lettuce takes longer — 70 to 90 days, so chances are it won’t have time to mature.

Some varieties of cucumbers will mature in 60 days, while others take longer.

Summer squash will mature in about 60 days and radishes under a month. You can plant your radishes up to the end of September and still have a harvest before frost.

Green onions (scallions) will be ready to be picked in 50 to 60 days. Again, plant up until the beginning of September. Okra will mature in 50 to 60 days. Corn will mature, depending on variety, in 65 days and beets in 55 to 70 days. Kohlrabi will mature in 50 to 60 days.

Green tomatoes, if large enough in autumn come frost, may ripen in the house. Photo by Ellen Barcel
Green tomatoes, if large enough in autumn come frost, may ripen in the house. Photo by Ellen Barcel

Tomatoes are interesting in that the plants you put down in spring will continue to set fruit into fall, as long as the weather doesn’t get too cold. This means that you may have a lot of green tomatoes at the first frost. If they are large and with a tinge of orange, try to ripen them indoors. Some people swear by the brown paper bag method. Or, consider either making fried green tomatoes or pickled tomatoes. This latter treatment is more reliable. I’ve had some tomatoes I’ve tried to ripen just go to mush, especially if they were very small.

Remember that the above, and any dates listed on seed packages, are for optimal conditions. A sudden cold spell can delay plant maturity. Second crops can be less reliable than planting in spring, but, all you’ve invested is the cost of a few packages of seed. If it’s very dry, remember to water well. Use fertilizer, especially for very heavy feeders like tomatoes. Good luck and enjoy your second harvest!

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. Send your gardening questions to [email protected]. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Lemon Tea Bread

Lemon Tea Bread

Lemony herbs and lemon juice give this bread its flavor.

YIELD: Makes one loaf

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon balm

1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon thyme, and/or 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon verbena

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

Juice of two lemons

Confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter a 9- by 5-inch 3-inch-deep pan. Heat milk gently with herbs, set aside and let cool. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add the lemon zest. Gently fold in flour alternately with the herbed milk, until the batter is blended. Put the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove from pan onto wire rack that is set over waxed paper. Pour lemon glaze (juice of two lemons and 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar) over the still-hot bread. Garnish with some freshly grated zest.

Lavender Olive Oil Cake with Honeyed Ricotta

The lavender honey gives this cake a fresh, slightly floral aroma, but you can try using different types of honey in this recipe to subtly vary the flavor.

YIELD: 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Pillsbury Baking Spray with Flour

1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

1 tablespoon culinary lavender, crushed, plus additional 1 to 2 tablespoons for garnish

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2/3 cup plain yogurt

3 large eggs

2/3 cup Crisco Pure Olive Oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature

DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan generously with baking spray; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together sugar, orange peel, lavender and pepper in a large mixing bowl until evenly distributed. Add yogurt, eggs and olive oil; continue whisking until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture and gently whisk in until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. Whip cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add honey and continue to whip until stiff. Add ricotta, a dollop at a time, and beat until fluffy. Slice cake. Top slices with honeyed ricotta cheese and sprinkle with lavender.

 

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No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Here are some delicious quick desserts when you just have a craving for something sweet.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

YIELD: 16 bars

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full sheets)

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (not natural style)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS: Line a 8-by-8 or 9-by-9 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and powdered sugar together until combined. Stir in 3/4 cup of peanut butter. Spread into prepared baking pan. In a small bowl, microwave 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with the chocolate chips until melted. Stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer. Chill until completely firm, at least 3 hours. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Bars stay fresh for 5 to 7 days stored in the refrigerator. Serve chilled. (Setting them out for a few hours at room temperature for serving is OK.) Bars can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Two Minute Apple Tart
Two Minute Apple Tart

Two-Minute Apple Tart

YIELD: Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 refrigerated ready-to-use pie crust

1 pound apples, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons cold butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 425 F. Remove pie crust from refrigerator and warm to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes. Unroll crust and place it on large baking sheet. Arrange sliced apples on crust, leaving about two inches of space around edge. Chop cold butter into small bits and scatter over apples. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over apples. Fold two-inch section of open pie crust over apples — this will not cover apples, but contain them inside crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden brown and apples are just soft.

Easy Plum Tart
Easy Plum Tart

Easy Plum Tart

YIELD: Serves 10

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup canned almond pastry filling

1 refrigerated premade pie crust

4 medium plums, sliced

DIRECTIONS: Spread canned almond pastry filling on pie crust (rolled out to 12 inches on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet), leaving 2-inch border; top with plums, fold in edges, and bake at 400 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

 

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Stony Brook University Hospital. File photo

By L. Reuven Pasternak, MD

How can you be sure you’ll get safe, quality care when you go to a hospital? You can consult any of the numerous rating systems created by the government, insurance companies, medical associations, registries, health care report cards, national magazines and patient evaluation websites. However, because there are no common guidelines for rating attributes like hospital quality or safety, it’s difficult to make apples-to-apples comparisons. The same hospital can be rated at the top by one agency and at the bottom by another.

When you’re searching for information, rely only on results from reputable, unbiased sources. And make sure the information is up-to-date. A ranking or a report card based on data that’s more than a year old may no longer be accurate.

With no single source of reliable, relatable information to evaluate health care providers, how can you uncover the facts you need?

Ask your primary care physician for a referral. Your doctor is very familiar with the quality of care that hospitals and specialists in your area provide. Talk to family and friends who’ve had firsthand experience. Ask nurses and doctors if they would send their relatives to that hospital or specialist.

Hospital and state health department websites provide statistics about procedures, results, specialists and facility certifications. Some hospitals also post information about the specialists who work there. If you’re having heart or orthopedic surgery, for example, get specifics about those procedures. Find out how often the surgeon and surgical team have done the procedure and what the nurse-to-patient ratio is, as well as the rate of readmissions and infections, in addition to other indicators of safety and quality.

And, find out what the hospital is doing to improve. Hospitals should always be looking to raise the bar, to pursue excellence. With our Patient Safety First program and other quality and safety initiatives, Stony Brook University Hospital has instituted rigorous systems to identify and prevent potential issues rather than react to them.

To enhance the patient experience, we have made and continue to make many improvements. For example, we’ve created “quiet times,” which involve shutting lights during specified times during the day, and we will also be offering noise reduction aids in the near future. To make the rooms more comfortable, we’re improving furnishings and creating a clutter-free environment. And, beyond the walls of our hospital, we’re taking steps to coordinate care among more than 500 countywide organizations to support health care providers and patients in achieving individual health goals.

Finally, don’t wait until an emergency happens to learn about health care facilities in your area. There is a lot of useful information available to help people make good choices, but it’s best accessed before you need it. At Stony Brook University Hospital, we want to answer all your questions — simply call our Department of Patient Advocacy at 631-444-2880 or visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu.

Our goal is to exceed your expectations every time you turn to Stony Brook for your care — by delivering high quality, safe and compassionate care that supports your well-being every step of the way.

L. Reuven Pasternak, MD, is the CEO at Stony Brook University Hospital and vice president for health systems at Stony Brook Medicine

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By Bob Lipinski

‘Drink wine in winter for cold, and in summer for heat.’

— Henry G. Bohn 1796–1884, British publisher, ‘Handbook of Proverbs,’ 1855

For centuries wines have been bottled in glass containers (bottles) and enjoyed by millions of drinkers, novices and connoisseurs alike.

Over the past few decades, wineries have sought alternative containers for consumers to enjoy their red, white and rosé (blush) wines. Some of the ideas are: aluminum cans similar to a six-pack of beer, aluminum bottles, single servings of wine in a plastic glass, plastic wine bottles, bottles made from cardboard (plastic lined), Tetra Pak cartons (they house tomato sauce), AstraPouch (Capri Sun) ceramic bottles (Lancer’s Rosé) and yes even in a paint can!

By far, the best alternative package for wine is the “bag-in-the-box” or BiB for short. BiB packaging refers to a food-grade, plastic bag hidden inside a cardboard box fitted with a tap for serving and a handle for transport. The BiB was invented by U.S. chemist William R. Scholle in 1955 for the safe transportation and dispensing of battery acid. In 1965, the idea was patented and became the Wine Box thanks to Thomas Angove (1918–2010), a winemaker from Renmark, South Australia.

BiB comes in various sizes, including 1.5-liter (2 bottles), but the 3-, 4-, and 5-liter containers are the most common. It easily fits inside the refrigerator and is ideal for dispensing a single or multiple glasses of wine. BiB is ideal for the outdoor locations where glass may not be appropriate or accepted — swimming pools, outdoor concerts, picnics, barbecues, sporting events, parks and beaches.

Once opened, BiB can easily last several weeks before a replacement is needed. In years past, the quality of some offerings was low-end, appealing to the “jug drinkers.” However, the past few years has seen not only the quality dramatically improve but also the offerings. You can purchase cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Shiraz, Riesling and many others.

Two of my recent favorite brands are Archer Roose and Bota Box:

Archer Roose Sauvignon Blanc (3-liters) Central Valley, Chile: Aroma of stone fruit and kiwi is followed by a crisp, clean flavor of tropical fruit, and lemon, with hints of tartness.

Archer Roose Carmenère (3-liter) Maipo, Chile: Full bouquet and flavor of spicy plums, black raspberries, cherries and black pepper. Medium-bodied with subtle flavors of mint, herbs and dark chocolate.

Archer Roose Cabernet Sauvignon (3-liter) Maipo, Chile: Deeply colored with a bouquet and taste of black currants, blackberries and cherries. Medium-bodied with flavors of chocolate-cherry and spices.

Bota Box Chardonnay (3-liter) California: Bouquet and flavor of baked bread, pineapple and apples. Off-dry with just the right amount of citrus to keep it interesting.

Bota Box 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (3-liter) California: Aroma and flavor of melon, mint and orange blossoms. Light-bodied with plenty of flavor.

Bota Box 2014 Night Hawk Black (3-liter) California: Ruby-colored with a luscious bouquet and off-dry taste of blackberries, cherries and jam.

Bob Lipinski, a local author, has written 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need to Know About Vodka, Gin, Rum & Tequila” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He conducts training seminars on wine, spirits and food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com or [email protected].

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