Insurance

It is absolutely essential for every dog owner to have homeowners insurance or renters insurance, and that the insurance policy does not exclude accidents caused by the dog. Dog owners must review their homeowner and insurance policies to make sure that they have protection against canine-inflicted injuries — and should not purchase insurance polices that excludes it.If you have a dog breed that is not eligible for coverage under you policy, contact us for an animal liability policy for that particular breed.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Though the word tagine refers to the cone-shaped cooking vessel that the dish is traditionally made in, it has also come to refer to Moroccan-style stew preparations. So, in essence a tagines are flavorful Moroccan stews loaded with cooked vegetables and signature spices like cumin, coriander and ginger. This version is a wonderful opportunity for vegetarians to experience international fare at its best. Serve over couscous for a true Moroccan meal. Ingredients: 2 Tbs. olive oil 4 shallots, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1-inch piece peeled fresh gingerroot, minced 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 3-inch cinnamon stick 1 ½ tsp. ground coriander 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin 1 ½ tsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste 1 32-oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks (1 cup) ⅓ lb. green beans, ends trimmed (2 cups) 1 small butternut squash or sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks (3 ½ cups) ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets (3 cups) ½ fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into chunks (2 cups) Vegetable broth or water ¼ tsp. crushed saffron 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas (rinsed if canned) ½ cup pitted kalamata olives ½ cup halved pitted prunes 3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsleyPreheat oven to 350 degrees. In large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, celery andcinnamon stick and cook, stirring often, until shallots and celery begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, carrot, green beans, squash or sweet potato, cauliflower and fennel. Add enough vegetable stock or water to cover vegetables. Stir in saffron. Cover and bake until vegetables are tender, 40 to 45 minutes. About 5 minutes before stew is done, stir in chickpeas, olives and prunes. Stir in parsley just before serving. Note: Type of tomatoes used will determine amount of stock or water needed to cook vegetables. Crushed tomatoeswill require adding about 1 cup water to cook. Diced tomatoes may not require as much water. Stovetop cooking may require slightly more water. The finished stew should be somewhat dry, not soupy, and vegetables should be tender and shapely, not soggy.Try this recipe this weekend and let me know how you like it.Cecil WilliamsEMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884Source: Vegetarian Times

Most states require you to have auto insurance. But they don’t require you to have much. In states that have so-called mandatory auto insurance laws, all you are required to buy is a little bit of liability coverage. This is so you can pay for some of the damage your car does to other cars and other people who are not in your car. How much are you required to buy? Florida has a mandatory auto insurance law, and the minimum needed is liability that provides 1) $10,000 for any person involved in an accident with you, 2) a maximum of $20,000 for all persons in the accident, and 3) $10,000 for damage to the other vehicle(s) involved. That’s not much. In fact, it’s next to nothing. * Tip. The minimum amount of insurance required by most states (especially Florida) is not much. Seriously consider getting more coverage in order to protect your financial health. * Note. Notice that mandatory auto insurance laws do not require you to buy coverage for your own car, or coverage for your injuries, or coverage if you are hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance. If you buy just the minimum coverage required by law, you are leaving your assets at considerable risk. At risk are your car (obviously) and your home, if you are at fault in an accident that causes serious injuries to the other parties. How far do you think $10,000 will go if you total somebody’s Mercedes or Lexus? Not far enough!EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Some businesses find out they need a commercial auto policy to late.  A commercial auto policy is a wise risk management strategy for most businesses.

Let us help you assess your needs and risk exposures.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

It can not be stressed enough how critical it is to maintain a high credit score.  Your good credit score it important not only for lending opportunities but also other cost-saving opportunities. Insurance companies derive an “insurance score” based on your credit score. It’s part of the process with out exception. Rest assured, however, it’s considered a “soft hit” and will not impact your credit score in the same way when trying to secure financing.If your credit score is low, insurance companies views you as a poor risk when it comes to paying your bills on time. If you do not pay your bills on a timely basis, costs to maintain and administer an insurance policy becomes much more expensive to the insurance company. Insurance companies will charge you for this risk and some will decline to even provide a quote.One way to prove  insurance companies wrong is to agree to set up your policy on an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) basis. This keeps your account current and in force. Credit bureaus like to see that you pay your bills on time. This will help to avoid blemishes for late payments as well as any potential collection agency issues.But, we are not the expert in building credit or repairing credit and encourage you to ask the experts for advice. Here is a list, as provided by Experian, of items on a credit report and how long it could affect your credit:1. Open accounts with no negative payment history: remain indefinitely as long as they are open and active.2. Closed accounts with no negative payment history: remain 10 years from the date they are closed. Positive accounts remain on your credit report longer than negative accounts.3. Late payments remain seven years from the original delinquency date. A single late payment is deleted at seven years. If there was a series of late payments (not paid at 30 days, or 60 days, or 90 days) and then brought current, the payments would be deleted seven years from the first one missed in the series. If the account was never brought current and charged off and placed for collection, the entire account will be deleted based on the date the account became late and was never again current. This is known as the original delinquency date.4. Collection accounts remain seven years from the original delinquency date of the original account. Collection accounts are treated as a continuation of the original debt and are deleted at the same time.5. Chapter 13 bankruptcy is deleted seven years from the filing date because at least a portion of the debt is repaid. Chapter 7 bankruptcy remains 10 years from the filing date because none of the debt is repaid.6. Civil judgments remain seven years from the filing debt. A civil judgment is essentially a debt you owe through the court.7. Unpaid tax liens remain 10 years from the filing date. Once paid, the lien will remain seven years from the paid date.8. Inquiries: remain two years from the inquiry date. However, the impact of inquiries on credit scores is minimal and decreases rapidly.There are several tips that could help you when trying to repair your credit. They include but are not limited to:1. Pay down your credit cards.2. Don’t carry big balances.3. Reuse an older credit card to reflect the longevity of your credit history.4. Dispute smaller or older negatives.5. Eliminate significant errors listed on your report.6. Add an installment loan (auto, mortgage loans) vs. revolving credit (credit card) to your financials to prove your reliability to pay bills.We encourage you to  work with a professional if you need to pursue building or repairing your credit whether personally and/or for your business.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY907-677-5884

Fava is a bean’s bean – big, meaty, and toothsome. And so I like to use strong bold flavors when I cook with them. This dish is savory and saucy with lots of garlic, thyme and lemon.  This is one of my favorite dishes, it’s vegan, vegetarian, and my friends that were doing the Daniel Diet find it very filling and satisfying .I use canned fava beans, which can be purchased at most Middle Eastern markets and I highly recommend use the smaller size beans (remember to rinse and drain the beans)If you can’t find cremini mushroom, substitute baby portabella mushrooms (but if you have never had cremini mushrooms, they’re worth searching for) .Most of my friends find that with the meatiness of the fava beans and the mushrooms in this dish, they don’t miss not have animal protein.This dish is great paired with wild rice. I love eating this dish with or over coconut quinoa.  
GARLIC LEMON FAVA BEANS & MUSHROOMS – Serves 4Recipe from – Post Punk KitchenTotal time: 30 minutes || Active time: 30 minutesTo play up the earthiness of this dish, I love to serve this with a wild rice blend. A roasted veggie like cauliflower or broccoli is perfect here, too.2 teaspoons olive oil1 small red onion, cut into thin half moons3 cloves garlic, minced1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced in half2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned)2 cups vegetable broth1/2 teaspoon saltJuice and zest of 1/2 a lemonLots of fresh black pepper3 cups cooked fava beans (or two 15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)Optional: Slivered green onions for garnishPreheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt for 5 to 7 minutes, until slightly browned. Add garlic and thyme, and saute one minute. Add mushrooms and cook to release moisture, about 5 minutes.Add bread crumbs, toss to coat everything and toast crumbs for 3 to 5 minutes. Add veg broth, black pepper, salt, lemon zest and juice and fava beans. Bring to a boil. Let reduce and thicken, 7 minutes or so. Taste for salt and seasoning and serve, topped with green onions.Let me know what you think.Cecil Williams Owner/AgentEMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884