MiltonSearch.com Home and Garden

Hiring a contractor is one of the most difficult and nerve-wracking things a homeowner ever has to do. Seeking out the right person to do a great job for a fair price can feel like an endless search as you wade through over-priced quotes. Trust your instincts, and keep this list of troubling phrases in mind when you’re looking for your next contractor.

Phrases that mean trouble
“We happened to be in your neighbourhood.” Be wary of anyone who comes knocking at your door looking for work. Driveway paving and roofing companies may solicit business this way, but make sure you check the company out thoroughly before agreeing to have any work done. Never hire anyone who says the offer is only good if you sign up right now, or who can’t provide references. Homeowners and reputable contractors agree: the best way to hire someone is by word of mouth.

“We require payment in full before we start work.” Any pressure tactics to make the full payment or a larger than normal deposit before work begins should set off alarms, even if the contractor claims they need the money to buy materials. A reputable contractor won’t need to pay for materials in advance because he’ll have an account with his regular suppliers. The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) recommends a prepayment of 10 to 15 percent of the total price.

“We can offer a special deal if you pay cash and we skip the paperwork.” While it can be tempting to save money on your renovation by paying cash, always get an agreement in writing. The contract protects you from certain liabilities, and proves what you and the contractor have agreed to in terms of the scope of the work, the work schedule, warranty, and the price and payment schedule. You should also steer clear of any contractor who can’t justify why his quote is much higher or much lower than the others. A very low price may leave you liable for accidents, injuries or damages caused on the job.

“Custom made, custom size.” While sometimes you will do a custom job — to create the kitchen of your dreams or a built-in cabinet in an oddly shaped nook—the word “custom” usually means dollar signs.

Sins of omission
Lies about business record and insurance. Before you meet them, check your potential contractors out with the Better Business Bureau and your local Home Builders’ Association to see if anyone has lodged a complaint against them. If they aren’t registered with at least one of these, cancel the meeting. During the meeting, be sure to ask about their record, as well as proof of Worker’s Compensation coverage and Contractor Liability insurance.

Not asking any questions at all. A good contractor should listen to what you want, but also tell you what you need and ask about things you may not have considered. He should bring to the table expertise about how best to do the job, where you might be able to cost-share, and what you need in terms of permits or permission from the neighbours.

Not mentioning the cooling off period. Even after the contract has been signed and the deposit paid, there is a “cooling off” period (normally 10 days) during which you can cancel the contract and get your deposit back. A professional contractor should mention your right to cancel.

Actions speak louder than words. Your prospective contractor may be a fly-by-night operation if the quote he gives you is printed on plain paper instead of letterhead, if it doesn’t have an itemized breakdown of all costs involved in the project, or if he hasn’t bothered to spend the nominal fee to put the company name on his truck.

When looking for a contractor, keep your radar on and your ears open for anything that just doesn’t sound right. Be a smart, informed consumer and never let your lack of knowledge of the industry deter you from investigating further or asking questions. A contractor might suggest you cut corners or try a temporary solution, but in the end, you’ll be the one left footing the bill to get the job (finally) done right.

Deciding how to eat up Thanksgiving leftovers is more than half the fun

Planovers: An excess of food cooked so as to have leftovers for future meals.

It’s a good word, one I stumbled upon in an article about hip, 20-somethings who cooked a turkey the day before Thanksgiving and then transformed the meat into sandwiches and various other concoctions for the big day.

Most of us deliberately buy turkeys that are just a little too hefty for our gatherings so we can enjoy the leftovers for days to come.

Turkey sandwiches are great, but here are four new ideas:

Turkey Enchiladas With Pumpkin Sauce

Turkey & Wild Rice Skillet Cakes

Curried Turkey Salad With Dried Cranberries & Yogurt Dressing

Turkey Hash

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Roasting turkey usually is a no-brainer (just throw it in the oven, stuffed or unstuffed and wait), but here are key tips from the Turkey Farmers of Ontario:

- Preheat oven to 325 F.

- Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan.

- Insert meat thermometer in deepest part of inner thigh, without touching the bone.

- Roast uncovered or loosely covered with foil.

- Cook until juices run clear and the thermometer reads 170 F (77 C) for an unstuffed bird, or 180 F (82 C) for a stuffed one. (Remember, the temperature will rise after you take the bird out of the oven, so you can take it out a few degrees early.)

- Let your turkey stand 15 minutes before carving to let the juices set.

To these tips, may I add: Don’t forget to remove the bag of giblets from the neck cavity. I did last week after stupidly confining my search to the body cavity.

For more detailed roasting info, along with recipe ideas, check out turkeyrecipes.ca or turkeyfordinner.ca.

Butterball.ca has lots of cooking info and recipes, too. On Oct. 6, 7 and 8, you can email or call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372).

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Put it where?

Thanksgiving isn’t usually a time of humour, but I loved the news release from Mr. Rooter Plumbing noting that this holiday is the busiest time of the year for plumbers because people stuff turkey bones and skin, potato/onion peels, celery stalks and grease into their garbage disposals.

“Disposals aren’t designed to replace the trash can,” said Derek Moreland of the Greater Toronto franchise. “When a house full of family and friends try to put their leftovers down the drain, there’s a good chance it’s going to clog the pipes.”

Who knew?

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Catered turkey

For those with no time/interest in cooking, there are plenty of takeout Thanksgiving meals available from hotels and restaurants.

Orders for the Fairmont Royal York’s Turkey to Go (a local, free-run turkey dinner) must be placed by 5 p.m. Friday at 416-860-5050. Best of all, for every turkey that is ordered, the hotel donates one to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Complete meals are are $140 for four, $240 for eight and $320 for 12.

This article was written by Jennifer Bain, Food Editor at the Toronto Star

A neutral coat of paint throughout your house can give you the most bang for your buck

Can’t stand your scary, cobwebby basement one more minute? Is it past time to replace the pink-and-aqua tiles and porcelain in the master bath? Maybe you’re sick of the curling, chipped vinyl floor, the tacky cabinets, and cramped layout of your kitchen. Perhaps you’re trying to convince your partner that the siding is sad and stucco would be stupendous. But your partner wants to build a deck…

What are the best home improvement projects to undertake? It depends on your goals and plans. If you’re trying to sell your property soon for the highest possible price, your priorities are likely somewhat different than if you’re planning to stay for a few years and want to improve your family’s quality of life.

If you’re selling, focus on the renovations a buyer would be most likely to undertake, not those you’re most itching to do. You might dream of putting French doors and a Juliet balcony in the master bedroom, but if your kitchen is twenty-five years old—or even fifteen—you’re better off directing your home improvement dollars there. Buyers generally focus on kitchen and bathroom quality, along with overall living and storage space. Kitchen and bathroom remodelling projects are among the most disruptive undertakings, so buyers especially appreciate upgraded fixtures, appliances and décor in these rooms.

Here are ten worthwhile home improvement projects and the percentage of cost typically recouped at resale (in a seller’s market):

1. Painting
If you’re only going to do one thing, paint. Interior/exterior painting is one of the very few improvements on which you are likely to realize a profit—as long as you choose tasteful, current, neutral colours and the work is very professional. Payback: As much as 300%

2. Kitchen remodelling
Typically one of the most expensive improvement projects, and you can quickly run up a huge bill. Careful planning and shopping will help minimize costs here. When remodelling the kitchen, remember to keep the project in line with the style and quality of the rest of the house and neighbourhood. Just as there’s no point in putting a pricey granite countertop on dated-looking 1970s cabinets, there’s no point in installing a $50,000 kitchen in a $200,000 house. Payback: 68-120%.

3. Bathroom addition
If your home has only one bathroom and is meant to house more than two people, a bathroom addition should be one of your top priorities. If most homes in your neighbourhood have two, three or more bathrooms, and yours has just one or one-and-a-half, you will definitely increase your property value by adding a bath. Payback: 80-130%.

4. Bathroom remodelling
Upgrading a pokey bathroom will enhance the value of your home and add to your daily comfort and enjoyment. White porcelain is the safe, timeless choice here. Payback: 65-120%.

5. Finishing unfinished space
Whether it’s an attic or a basement, by finishing these spaces you add significant value to your home, increasing square footage without having to build. Payback: 50-90%.

6. Window/door replacement
If your windows or doors are wasting energy or simply decrepit-looking, replacements can be an excellent use of your home improvement dollars. Stick to standard styles; odd shapes and highly customized arrangements do little for resale value. Payback: 50-90%.

7. Deck addition/improvement/expansion
Decks are one of the few exterior improvements with any significant return, apart from painting. Payback: 65-90%.

8. Additions of bedrooms, family rooms, sunrooms, conservatories, garages, etc.
Increasing square footage is almost always an excellent use of remodelling dollars, but don’t expand your home so much that there’s little outdoor space left. Payback: 50-83%.

9. Home office remodelling
This project is becoming increasingly popular. Be sure to plan for plenty of electrical and cable outlets to accommodate all the required machines and gadgets. Payback: 60-73%.

10. Energy efficiency retrofits
If your primary concern is return on investment, proceed with caution. Some retrofits, like better insulation and high-efficiency furnaces, pay for themselves relatively quickly. Others, like solar panels, heat recovery ventilators, and tankless water heaters, may take years to pay for themselves. Payback: Highly variable.

Two projects that are unlikely to pay off at resale: swimming pools (which may even adversely affect your property value) and excessive landscaping (buyers may admire it but few will pay extra tens of thousands even if that’s what you spent to improve the grounds). And remember that badly done remodelling/renovation projects will cost you in two ways. You won’t pay just for labour and materials; you’ll pay when buyers see a project that has to be redone.

From licences and terms to contracts and reference checks, hiring a contractor for your home gets a little easier with these great tips from Mike Holmes

Licences and Insurance
Each contractor who comes onto your property should have a valid licence. Make sure you ask to see it and inspect it closely. Licences are offered by the government and expire yearly, so make sure you check to see if their licence is valid. The government supplies permits for renovation, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling. The licence doesn’t insure quality but it is the first step in investigating your contractor. It is also your right as a home owner to demand that your contractor carry valid insurance which covers you in case of any accidents on the job site (i.e. someone dropping an expensive vase or scratching an original oil painting). If a contractor doesn’t have valid insurance, they can attain temporary insurance to cover the work on your property. Some contractors may threaten to not do work on your property if you demand insurance but do you want someone like that working on your property?

References
If your contractor is a good one, they will have a list of references detailing at least 10 different clients with up-to-date contact information including: name, address, phone number(s), and info on the work done including quote. Once the contractor has supplied such a list, call a number of them. Ask the home owners important questions like: Did the contractor start/finish on time? How much down did they ask for? Did you have any problems on the job? Was the contractor pleasant to work with? Did they surprise you with extra prices you did not expect? Furthermore, try to go see at least three other properties which have had similar work done. This is important as you don’t want a fence expert doing a stucco job on your $30,000 addition.

Contracts
Before you agree to have the contractor do work on your property, it is the contractor’s responsibility to provide a contract containing all their contact information and detailing the work which will be completed on your property, supplies they will be using, sub contractors (if any) who will be coming onto the property and a detailed payment schedule. It should also be stated in the contract that you will not pay any costs above the quote unless agreed to in writing.

Terms
It isn’t a bad idea to put some terms on your contract, i.e. times the property is open to them and that the contractor agrees to clean up at the end of each work day. Some contractors ask for an outrageous amount of money before they even lay a hand on your property. Our first episode “Whole House Disaster” tells the story of Dave and Anna who were taken for over $100,000 when they hired a contractor to renovate their entire house. The contractor asked for $20,000 upon singing and $20,000 the first day of work. That’s $40,000 (or 40%) up front.

A good landmark to use depending on the size of your job, is an average “good faith” down payment of $2,500 which is basically booking a contractor’s time. When they arrive at the job site with their tools ready to work, you can give them another 10%. Never agree to a payment schedule based on time. Agree to a payment schedule based on work completed. For instance, if someone is renovating a spare room in your home, agree to pay just 10% on their first day or work, 25% when electrical is completed, 25% when insulation, vapor barrier and dry wall is installed, and 25% when priming and painting is completed. It is your right to hold back 15% for up to one month after completion. This gives you time to make sure nothing falls apart within 30 days of the job being completed. Never give the balance of the quote due before the contractor has finished all of their work. Make sure you never pay in cash. Always pay by cheque or certified cheque. It is important to keep a paper trail in case you ever have to go to court. It is always important to get a receipt for every payment you pay the contractor, signed and dated by the contractor.

Caution
Most importantly—BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SIGN. A good contract should be typed, legible and easy to read. There should be no fine print. And remember—always trust your first instincts as they are usually correct.

Next week, Mike will discuss Contractor Red Flags.

One day your kids might devour the healthy sandwich or salad, or wrap in their lunch. The next, it can all change.

Don’t forget image, peer pressure, the fickleness of youth

Egg salad and tuna will get you dissed in the lunchroom. Every kid knows that. Bagel and cream cheese? B-o-oring. And what teenaged male sporting baggy pants and earbuds wants to be caught dead sucking the straw on a juicebox, even if it is 100 per cent pure?

It’s September and the mind-numbing, thankless chore of school lunches has resumed. As dread-inducing as nightly homework dramas. A battle of wills. A test of creativity. And so petty in the scheme of life’s problems, it is to laugh. Yet a mere two weeks into the school year, aren’t you already grinding your molars?

Sadly, after 12 years of shopping, packing, planning and cajoling kids into making their own damn lunches, I have little wisdom to offer. Except this: there are no secret recipes. No foolproof meals. No guarantees that just because a child is rapturous about a prosciutto, goat cheese and red pepper wrap one day means doesn’t mean he won’t toss it into the compost the next. Or that what he gobbles during summer, at the dinner table or anywhere else on the planet will hold any interest once packed in the lunch bag.

Nowhere is the current school lunch angst more clear than in the daily newspapers and parenting magazines. As surely as the leaves change colour, autumn brings a deluge of clever tips from the experts on how to ensure our offspring will chow down on tasty, nutritious lunch fare that will help their brains retain the finer points of algebra and ward off the scourge of obesity that’s sweeping the nation.

These tend to range between the obvious (instead of just using bread, switch it up with buns! Or pita! Freeze juice boxes to keep the lunch cold) to the utterly unrealistic. (Homemade sticky toffee pudding was recently featured in one newspaper. And as one online reader responded, “Are you serious? I’ll make that right after I finish dinner, do the dishes, help the kids with their homework, give them a bath and read them bedtime stories.”)

Among my personal favourite lunchtime hints are: “stock the fridge with food they’ll eat” and “don’t give your kids food they don’t like.” Not because it sounds obvious. But because when it comes to lunches, every parent knows that kids’ tastes are best described as Subject to Change Without Notice.

We’ve all been there. Five straight weeks of insisting on turkey and lettuce and then they refuse to ever touch it again. Or one of the cool kids brings Lunchables and suddenly plain old rice crackers, cheese and apple slices doesn’t cut it.

Some years ago, after someone in my household uttered the phrase “cheese strings,” I rushed out and bought a mega-pack of low-fat mozzarella ones. Brilliant invention! They love cheese! Two days later, the cheese strings had fallen out of favour. Ditto for those yogurt tube thingys, which joined the ranks of overpriced edibles you can’t bear to throw out and end up consuming late at night in front of CSI reruns.

The truth is there’s a lot more to school lunches than the food. Image, for example. Peer pressure. The fickleness of youth. And all the other things they would rather be doing than eating.

A word of advice for those of you with wee ones pleading for Lizzie McGuire lunch satchels or SpongeBob thermoses: enjoy it while you can. Because one day, you will find your teenager furtively unpacking ham and cheese on rye from plastic tubs, wrapping everything in foil and stuffing it into a plastic bag, years of eco-conscious training be damned. Apparently, lunch bags are lame when you are of a certain age. And Tupperware takes up too much room when you are lugging a 45-pound knapsack plus a saxophone on your bike.

Dipping is a big trend this year. Fruit dunked in yogurt, veggies with dip. That’s grand if you have a child who will actually be bothered to open all the containers and lift the baby carrots one by one over to the mound of hummus. Not mine. They’d rather cram something in, wipe their mouths on their shirts and get out to the soccer field ASAP.

Pasta salad is another frequent suggestion that makes enormous sense. But never underestimate the reasons your kids can come up with to nix a sensible meal. Not long ago while watching one of mine polish off a plate of tabouli, I suggested the leftovers might be ideal for lunch the next day.

“No thanks,” he said. “It’s too unmanageable.” As in, it requires a utensil. Whatever.

The only way not to go completely mad is to take one’s cues from Naked Chef Jamie Oliver. The celebrity chef has been leading a campaign to improve the quality of school lunches in Britain, dumping chicken nuggets and fries for healthier low-fat alternatives such as lentil burgers and mushroom tagliatelle. The result? Two years into the program, 424,000 students have opted out of school meal plans.

Oliver isn’t giving up, though. Over the next five years, he says, “we’ll see that negative turn to a positive.”

I’m adopting the same approach. Besides, in five years my youngest will graduate.

What’s for lunch? Here are some unique suggestions:

Use cookie cutters to make sandwiches into different shapes. Or a zigzag garnishing knife for vegetables. It’s all in the presentation, as long as the eaters aren’t over age 10.

Make kebabs of cheese chunks, cherry tomatoes, meat and cucumber slices. Or for dessert, use chunks of melon, pineapple and grapes.

A tub of cereal and a container of milk, maybe with some berries to sprinkle on top, might do. Of course, just because they eat it morning, after school and before bed doesn’t mean they’ll go for it at midday. But why not try? It’s healthy.

Pack fresh apple slices in a thermos of lemonade, which theoretically keeps the apples from turning brown. Untested, but interesting.

Pack fruit chunks instead of whole fruit, with a toothpick for eating and maybe some fruit-flavoured yogurt for dipping.

Invest in a sectioned lunch kit, with lots of compartments and only one lid to open for the finicky child.

Written by Andrea Gordon of the Toronto Star

It’s getting into the Fall season and every homeowner knows what this means in the months ahead: heating system check up, caulking, weatherproofing, etc. The following checklist touches on a few of the most obvious areas that should be checked before winter sets in.

Check all window and door locks for proper operation.

Windows that can be opened by breaking the glass and unlocking them, are less effective deterrents to criminals. Check with the hardware store for window lock alternatives. All exterior doors should have deadbolt locks.

Check your home for water leaks.

First of all, know where the main water shut off valve is located in your home and check it frequently to make sure it is operational. Then, check the following areas:

Outside Your Home
Leaking roofs, poor drainage, and clogged gutters and downspouts can lead to significant water damage inside your home.

General Tips
• Disconnect garden hoses from all spigots before the start of winter.
• Fill in any low spots around the house so water drains away from the foundation.
• Inspect caulking around windows and doors and replace as needed where cracked or deteriorated.
• Repaint wood siding as needed.

Roof
• Keep roof, valleys, gutters and downspouts free from buildup of leaves, twigs and other litter preventing proper drainage.
• Proper roof and eave ventilation may help extend the life of the roof by reducing the buildup of heat and moisture in the attic.
• Preservatives available for some types of roofs may help limit weathering effects of moisture and retard growth of molds and mosses.
• Avoid walking on a roof to limit wear and tear. Only necessary repairs or inspections should warrant walking on the roof.
• Keep trees trimmed to prevent them from rubbing against the roof or from providing excessive shade.
• Watch for these warning signs:
• Missing, curling, cupping, broken or cracked shingles.
• Damage or deterioration around the flashing at chimneys, vents and other junctions.
• Damage or deterioration in valley areas of the roof.
• Water stains on your ceiling. If possible, check your attic around flues, plumbing vents, and chimneys.
• Pooling or ponds of water that fail to drain from flat or low sloped roofs may indicate low areas and inadequate drainage.

Gutters/Downspouts
• Clean debris from your gutters and inspect them regularly.
• Consider purchasing gutter shields if your gutters frequently fill with debris.
• Downspouts should extend several feet away from the house to carry water away from the foundation.

Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs.
Other safety ideas for stairs:
• Tile and painted wood or concrete stairs can be slippery when wet or when a person’s shoes are wet. Resurface the treads with slip-resistant strips near the stair nosing.
• All stairs of at least three risers should have a handrail.
• Do not store items on the stairs.

Have a heating professional check your heating system every year.
Woodburning stove connector pipes and chimneys should be inspected by a certified chimney sweep at least annually.

Protect your home from frozen pipes.
Many families have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted each winter, all because of water pipes that freeze and burst.
And recovering from frozen pipes is not as simple as calling a plumber. A three millimetre crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons (946 liters) of water a day. Both plastic (PVC) and copper pipes can burst.

By taking a few simple precautions, you can save yourself the mess, money and aggravation frozen pipes cause.

Before the cold hits
• Insulate pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic. These exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Remember - the more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.
• Heat tape or thermostatically-controlled heat cables can be used to wrap pipes. Be sure to use products approved by an independent testing organization, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., and only for the use intended (exterior or interior). Closely follow all manufacturers’ installation and operation instructions.
• Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out and the heat in. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
• Disconnect garden hoses and, if practical, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house.

Replace your furnace filter.
Furnace filters need to be replaced frequently to allow your heating and cooling systems to operate properly.

Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel tank is empty.
By doing this, you are removing flammable liquid storage from your garage. At the same time, make sure you aren’t storing dirty, oily rags in a pile. They can ignite spontaneously.

Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper.
Soot and creosote, which build up inside the chimney, can ignite when a fire is lit in the fireplace.

Remove bird nests from chimney flues and outdoor electrical fixtures.
Bird nests on top of light fixtures are a fire hazard. Bird nests in chimney flues can prevent a proper venting of combustion gases and can catch fire from sparks. You should exercise great caution when working on your roof or consider hiring a qualified professional to take care of any work that needs to be done.

Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Remember, only WORKING smoke alarms save lives.

Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss.
Check glazing for loose or missing putty or glazing compound. This will also help reduce water damage to the windows and door frames.

Make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooring.
Check for cracked or missing caulk around the base of your toilet, bath tub, and bathroom cabinets. Properly sealing gaps between your bathroom fixtures and flooring material can prevent damage.

Insulation
A well-insulated house literally can provide hundreds of dollars of energy savings throughout the year by keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Look:
• In your attic — is it secure, insulation side down, within the studs
• In the walls (if not you may need to have it blown in)
• The unfinished basement or crawl space (you may need to staple it to rafters).
• Attached garage, primarily against any exterior wall or roof
• Underneath a room that does not sit on a concrete foundation

Once you’ve done these few maintenance chores, they should become second-hand next season, and, consequently, easier and easier to finish. Preparing your home for winter in the fall can make life so much easier for you in the cold, dark winter weeks ahead. And you’ll rest easier knowing that you won’t have to fight the elements when the inevitable emergency or problem crops up, as it always does. You can sit back in front of your fireplace with your family and enjoy those cold months secure in your well-protected home!

At Buddha Dog on Roncesvalles Ave., co-owner Andrew Hunter displays some of his little dogs with toppings such as brie, basil pesto, red pepper jelly and pepper jack cheese.

Do you like your dog straight from the street or handcrafted in Ontario and served in a restaurant?

There’s a new dog in town, a haute dog that’s puny but ethical.

Impressive to some, a travesty to others, this dog is at the very least a springboard to reconsider the much-maligned hot dog.

It’s the creation of Buddha Dog, a Prince Edward County shop that has expanded to Roncesvalles Ave. At roughly 10 centimetres (4 inches) long and weighing about 30 grams (1 ounce), this dense dog is more pepperoni stick than hot dog. (And you could fit three of them inside a standard street dog.)

It’s made by butcher Ted Aman of Aman’s Abbatoir in Wellington for Buddha Dog. He takes Prince Edward County beef, ages it three weeks, grinds it (but not as finely as bologna-like hot dogs), adds spices plus the legal minimum of preservatives, packs it into a beef collagen casing without filler, hand-rolls everything into links, then smokes, chills and freezes the end result.

Buddha Dog thaws the dogs, trims their unsightly link ends, warms them on a panini grill and tucks them into lightly grilled, 10-centimetre-long white buns made by Picton baker Peter Grendel at Pastry House. Optional: a thin strip of cheese (one of three types from Black River Cheese Co. in Milford, plus Quebec brie on Fridays) and a squirt of homemade sauce. County chefs created 11 regular sauces and one rotating “dog of the day” options. Toronto sauces are planned.

A dog with cheese and sauce costs $2.50. Most customers, apparently, order two. Co-owners Andrew Hunter and Andrew Mackenzie sometimes call their concoctions appetizer dogs, dessert dogs and even tapas dogs.

“We made this dog for certain reasons,” concedes Hunter, “and one is to get used to eating a smaller amount of food. Portion sizes are completely out of whack.”

Yet concern over what and how much we’re eating is mounting.

Americans spent $3.9 billion (U.S.) on hot dogs and sausages last year, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. (Canadians don’t seem to keep these stats.) But the dogs nabbing headlines are the health-conscious/ethical/modern ones, like the salmon franks at Franktitude in Miami, the reindeer sausages at Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs street cart in Denver, and the grass-fed, hormone-free beef dogs made for Sparky’s All-American Food in Brooklyn.

The New York Times devoted a Dining In section cover to politically correct frankfurters last year.

Canada, sad to say, has been slow to follow suit, although there are some organic and vegetarian options in stores, and many swear by kosher dogs (Hebrew National, if you can find them).

I recently got a kick out of caribou and bison sausages from a Whitehorse street vending cart called Mark & Paddy’s Funky Fine Foods.

And the deli counter frankfurters/sausages (eight kinds) at Big Franks in Downsview are surprisingly good (try spicy turkey or veal).

But Frankz – which steamed, barbecued and grilled custom-made dogs – failed near the Eaton Centre. So, apparently, did So Sage in Mississauga, with custom sausages. Maybe because customers complained the  27-centimetre, 225- gram, $6.49 sausages were too big and too pricey?

Ikea’s 50-cent hot dogs are a guilty pleasure, and 7-Eleven’s hot dogs are inexplicably popular.

Big news this summer is that Ontario amended regulations so street food can expand beyond hot dogs. Toronto city council is working on applying the changes here, and we might see healthy, affordable, safe, local and diverse street food next spring. Lost in the hoopla, though, is the fact that hot dogs aren’t being outlawed – they’re too popular.

Just ask Marianne Moroney, who has been vending dogs outside Mount Sinai Hospital since 1995.

“In comparison to what’s inside the hospital, families really appreciate spending $3.50 for a hot dog and a drink,” she says. “Personally, I’d love to have free-range meats and less fatty hot dogs, but my customers have told me they won’t pay the price.”

Still, like many vendors now, Moroney offers veggie and chicken dogs alonside beef ones (all $2.50), plus halal beef or turkey sausages on top of conventional Polish, Italian and German versions ($3.50).

Moroney got into vending 12 years ago as a jewellery maker, but soon switched to the tough but lucrative business of selling street dogs.

“I never said I want to grow up and be a hot dog vendor, but I love it now – I love this business.”

And it loves her.

One customer made a documentary about Moroney (details below). Eight more passed on their numbers to vouch for her when they discovered she was being interviewed for this story.

Paul Anthony, a director with the Ministry of Education, frequents Moroney’s stand because it’s “a really, really clean place.” Plus he enjoys the 20-minute walk at lunch.

“Everybody gets bent out of the shape about hot dogs, but I don’t see it as any different than a sandwich with prepared meats from a deli,” says Anthony.

“I think it’s a great little part of our street life during the work days.”

By Jennifer Bain of the Toronto Star

Hot Dog Etiquette:

Although the lazy days of summer are winding down, there’s still plenty of time to squeeze in a few more backyard BBQs. Before you take another bite, read up on this advice from the National Hot dog council, and prevent your hot dog etiquette from going up in smoke.

Don’t…
Put hot dog toppings between the hot dog and the bun
Always ‘dress the dog’, not the bun. Apply condiments in the following order: wet condiments like mustard and chili first, followed by chunky condiments like relish, onions and sauerkraut, finishing up with shredded cheese and spices like celery salt or pepper.

Do…
Serve sesame seed, poppy seed and plain buns with hot dogs
Sun-dried tomato buns or basil buns are considered gauche with franks.

Don’t…
Use a cloth napkin to wipe your mouth when eating a hot dog
Paper is always preferable.

Do…
Eat hot dogs on buns with your hands
Utensils should not touch hot dogs or buns.

Don’t…
Take more than five bites to finish a hot dog
For foot-long wieners, seven bites are acceptable.

Do…
Use paper plates to serve hot dogs
Every day dishes are acceptable; china is a no-no.

Don’t…
Leave bits of bun on your plate
Eat it all.

Don’t…
Use fresh herbs on the same plate with hot dogs
It wrecks the presentation.

Don’t…
Use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18
Mustard, relish, onions, cheese and chili are acceptable.

Do…
Lick remaining condiments off fingers
Never wash.

Don’t…
Send a thank you note following a hot dog barbecue
It would not be in keeping with the unpretentious nature of hot dogs.