D's Cheeseball

I got this recipe from a friend back home in California and it is a must have for game night, family get together, holiday party or just a tasty snack.

3 packages of softened cream cheese
2 packets of Ranch Dip
1 cup of shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl and then form into a ball. Once you have formed the cheese ball roll if desired in your choice of nuts. (I prefer to use the salad topper slivered almonds that I crushed up into smaller pieces.)

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

1 coffee mug
4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional, but I highly recommended it!)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well
Add the egg and mix thoroughly
Pour in the milk, and oil and mix well.
Add chocolate ships and vanilla and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and ti[p it out on a plate to eat.

I know this sounds weird, but I had to try it - I did not use the chocolate chips and found that the cake was rather plain with little to no taste. I was hoping to use this idea as a great neighborhood gift, however, I decided that it was not such a tasty treat and was not going to subject my friends to such a test. :P

My Little Ole'Man's Obituary in the SLO Tribune

Bonar D. Collinson
Bonar D. "Jerry" Collinson was born in August 1913 and passed away peacefully Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009, at his Paso Robles home. Born and raised in Scobey, Mont., Jerry attended Rollins College in Florida. He worked for the Corps of Engineers and traveled to faraway places, including Guam, Hong Kong, and Africa. He was in charge of the defense perimeters in the Los Angeles area during World War II. Some of his work was used to revamp several areas of defense throughout the world during the Carter administration and the Vietnam War. He received a letter of appreciation fro President Carter thanking him for his dedication and work during that time. Jerry moved on to the General Service Administration (GSA) with a specialty in appraisals. After his retirement from government service, Jerry and a friend formed a company in Southern California that specialized in appraisals of commercial projects, such as airports, factories and large-scale operations worldwide. Jerry became an expert in appraisals of nuclear power plants. He traveled the world while he worked on these jobs. Jerry had a passion for history and a love of archaeology. He loved to share stories about his adventures to places such as Africa, Scotland and South America and all the interesting people he had met. He collected many treasures from his travels. However, one of his favorite collections was of model trains. He had an elaborate track system complete with trees, buildings, rivers and mountains. Jerry loved meeting and learning about people. He believed that "we each need to take responsibility for our own lives and that nothing is free. You have your freedom and the ability to balance your life." He loved living in Paso Robles and having meals at Wilson's and Touch of Paso. He was active at St. James' Episcopal Church and the Paso Robles Library for many years. He appreciated his good friend and caregiver, Irene Wilson, who took excellent care of him in his last years. Jerry is survived by his cousin, Hazel. J. Stabler. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas W. Collinson and Lily Dale Collinson. There will be a memorial service at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, at the Paso Robles Masonic Lodge, 320 Sherwood Road in Paso Robles. In lieu of flowers, donations to your favorite charity are requested. http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000124262185X

Happy Valentine's Day - 2009

Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy the snow! Micah and I awake to a blanket of snow this morning. Well before he had to rush off to work we ran a few errands and were home in time to snow blow our portion of neighborhood snow. When I say 'we' I mean me - Micah is sick and only had an hour to get ready before he left for work so I took on the task of snow blowing!

I did decide to take a few pictures so that everyone back home in California know - - -> you may have had some rain for a few days, but your rain brought snow to Utah. And I am not happy about that!

Here we are mid-day and I decided to come up from the basement where I have been making some birthday cards and noticed that it is warming up a bit and the sky is the most beautiful blue outside. And thanks to the view of the neighbors across the way (Hi Lynette) I saw the biggest icicle that I have ever seen.

2008 Tax Return Completed

I just have to brag - I did our taxes for the FIRST time! I have been going to H & R Block in Paso Robles, CA since I had my first job and have only ever trusted my H & R pal Becky, but this year I wanted to save some money. So Micah's co-worker recommend www.taxslayer.com.

I was able to complete our Federal and State taxes. It was really easy and only costs $ 14.95; rather then Turbo Tax who costs $ 49.95. I got my confirmation tonight that our tax return was accepted by the IRS.

Go Tanya!

Valentine's 2009

So I am having to revise Valentine's Day since Micah has his gift now. I never know what to get Micah, but I know for sure that food of any kind always is a good thing! And since he is so busy these days I thought he would enjoy having some treats in his truck during a long day at work. So Micah got a bag of pistachios, beef jerky, peanut butter pretzels, and a bag of his favorite chocolate fruity pebbles with 1% milk (Since I do the shopping he usually only has Non-fat milk).

Oh and he got a new Chevy hat - and what does he say once he puts it on? "You should of bought two; one for me and one for Bud!" And this last picture of Micah in his hat is being posted because when I asked for a photo of him and his hat he kept showing me his food and then made this disgusting face.

Here we are in February 2009 - Micah is off working for Larry H Miller at the Engry Solutions Arena; it's Monster Trucks weekend.

Thursday night Micah was such a sweetie and came home with my favorite roses, a heart shaped pizza with bread sticks from Papa Murphy's. Since he knew he was not going to be home that was his way of making sure I had a special dinner for Valentine's day.

Chicken Enchiladas by Amers!

So a few years ago my best friend Ame came to visit while her hubby was away in Kuwait and made the most awesome dinner one night it was Chicken Enchiladas. So here is the receiepe

2 large chicken breasts
1 large can of green chille sauce
1 small can of green chillies (I added the extra chillies to the sauce)
1 medium block of shredded cheese
Corn tortillas
8x8 pan

Cut the chicken into small pieces and boil - once cooked drain the water.

Place a small amount of green sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent tortillas from sticking . . layer pieces of corn tortillas, layer of cheese, chicken and then sauce. Repeat until there is no more room. Bake at 350 covered with foil until it reaches 120, then remove foil and bake until the top is golden brown and bubbling.

Let it set for 10-20 minutes to set up . . . and by the way it makes for great left overs!

Micah's 3rd Job - Bud

Micah has been super busy working; not only is he working for De Walt and E.S.A, but he picked up a third job this week. He is spending 2 days a week for four hours entertaining a 89 year old man named, Bud. Apparently, Bud would like to snowmobiling in March with his family and in order to do so his daughter has asked him to attend physical therapy to make sure he is up for the task.

For the next six weeks Micah will be taking Bud to the indoor pool to work out at the pool. The second day they will head down to the Senior Center to play pool. Micah is excited to get to know Bud; Bud served in the Army Air Corp during World War II and again for the Korean War. To top it off - Bud loves Chevy's and the Utah Jazz, likes to do carpenter work, and enjoys airplanes.

I already told Micah that he is only paid for the hours scheduled - any extra time is his own time! And it will be unacceptable for him to run off and play with Bud to escape me.

Yummy Lasguna for Dinner

Lasagna Sauce:

1lb of ground beef or mild Italian sausage
2 tbsp of minced garlic
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 small can of tomato sauce
Season to taste

Also if you like fresh veggies in lasagna I like to use mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, but I refrain when making this for neighborhood gatherings.

• Sautee olive oil and garlic until garlic turns darker in color and your choice of meat; from time to time I like to use half hamburger and half sausage.

• Sautee until meat is about 3/4 of the way cooked, add one jar of spaghetti sauce (pick your favorite), one can of tomato paste, one can of tomato sauce. For seasoning I add about 1tsp of garlic powder, 1tsp ground pepper, 1tsp of Italian seasoning, 1tsp of Oraegon & Basil and top it off with a few shakes (about 3 shakes for a mild tasting) of Red Pepper flakes.

Lasagna Cheese:

1 Package of mozzarella cheese
1 package of Italian blend cheeses
1 package of cottage cheese
1 can of Parmesan cheese
1 medium sized egg

• I prefer to use a cottage cheese mixture rather then Ricotta cheese; I don't notice a taste difference, but do find the cottage cheese mixture to be cheaper. To make the mixture take a 16oz container of cottage cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and one beaten egg. Mix until well blended and refrigerate.

• Prepare a package of lasagna noodles as instructed. In order to not have to cook this for 3 to 4 hours I prefer to make my lasagna when everything is still warm. I use a throw away lasagna pan; place a small amount of sauce on the bottom and then a layer of noodles, top with sauce and grated mozzarella cheese, second layer is noodles with a topping of cottage cheese, a small amount of sauce and more grated cheese, and repeat until you run out of noodles.

• The finally layer is a mixture of sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 covered, once all the ingredients are heated to 180 degrees - remove foil and bake until top is golden brown and bubbling at the edges. (To speed up the process I will use the broil and cook my garlic bread)

Let it set for 20 minutes and then serve.

New Addition to the house . . .

The day before I left for California my mom came to town and bought me the final piece of furniture for our living room. Right now it is a great storage place for table clothes, miscellaneous kitchen towels and other kitchen items. Before I put in the China Micah's Grandparents gave to us for a wedding gift I am going to have Micah bolt it to the wall to prevent it from being knocked over.

I learned the value of making sure things are secured to the wall from living in California; thanks to the Cambria, California Earthquake Dec. 22, 2003.