Author: nancy

Better than Dairy Queen Cake

Ice Cream Cake
Ice Cream Cake
This is my family’s most frequent request for their birthday cake. Originally it was a “Peanut Buster Bar Dessert”, but my family liked it better without the peanuts and with different flavored ice cream. So if you want the Buster Bar dessert, just add a layer of Spanish peanuts on top of the chocolate and use vanilla ice cream.

  • 1 package Oreo cookies, crushed
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine

Combine and pat into bottom of 9×13 inch pan. Freeze for a couple of hours.

  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Combine the above ingredients and boil for 8 minutes, let cool.

Spread 1/2 gallon softened ice cream, on the frozen cookie crumb crust. My family likes cherry chocolate chunk. Use any flavor that goes with chocolate! Refreeze and then spread cooled chocolate sauce on ice cream.

Freeze and top with cool whip and freeze again.

Balsamic Vinaigrette from Creede Hotel

Salad
Salad
I am vacationing in a cabin in Colorado. Today I went to the grocery store to buy food. I decided to make grilled chicken on salad greens for dinner. I always make my own salad dressings, but opted to buy bottled dressing instead of buying all the necessary ingredients to make my own. I prefer an oil and vinegar dressing, so I bought a bottle of Balsamic Vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil. I can’t believe that they bottle this stuff. The first ingredient listed was………….water, then vinegar, then olive oil, followed by soybean oil and corn oil!
I decided to share my favorite vinaigrette recipe that I got from the Creede Hotel in Creede, Colorado. It is really my favorite and is so easy to make. Just remember to always use good quality oil and vinegar.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice (o.k., I do use bottled lemon juice sometimes)
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 1 Teaspoon Minced Fresh Garlic

Directions

Mix all ingredients and serve over fresh greens.

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Grandma Tasher’s Homemade Navy Bean Soup

Bean Soup
Bean Soup
This is an old family recipe that must be close to 75 years old. My Grandma made it and my Mom made it and she is now 87. I’ve tried other recipes, but always come back to this one. I think the shredded carrots give it the perfect color, great consistency, and perfect flavor. My Grandma gave me the recipe with very loose instructions. She just said to start it @ 1:00 to have dinner @ 5:00!

  • 1 piece of pork (I prefer a leftover ham bone)
  • 1 1/2 cups navy bean, sometimes I add part pinto beans
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 medium potatoes, diced
  • 4 pieces celery, diced
  • 4 or 5 grated carrots, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • garlic powder or salt (I like lots of garlic)
  1. Cook the beans in about 2 to 3 quarts of water for about 1 hour.
  2. Add the pork and cook for another hour.
  3. Add potatoes, onion, and celery and cook for a hour.
  4. Add shredded carrots and cook for another hour.

Best Ever Guacamole

Guacamole
Guacamole
This is an easy and delicious recipe that my daughter made in Home Economics Class, back in the 90’s.

  • 2 large, ripe avocados
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped chile serrano
  • 1 Medium tomato, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  1. Peel avocado and cut into chunks, remove seed.
  2. In a bowl, mash avocados with a fork until smooth.
  3. Add remaining ingredients.
  4. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Put one avocado seed in container and add a squeeze of lemon juice.
  6. Cover tightly.

Nani’s Favorite Summer Salsa

This is the salsa that I love to make at the end of the summer when the garden is overflowing with red, ripe tomatoes. I got this recipe from an ex-coworker’s husband. He used to make it for all of our potlucks.

Salsa

Mix together the following and let stand a minimum of 1 hour or up to a few days.

  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1-5 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and chopped
  • 1-2 onions, chopped
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

    • Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and Enjoy!

    Categories
    Commentaries

    T-SHIRTS T-SHIRTS T-SHIRTS

    Recently a link to T-shirt Hell was put on this website. Out of curiosity I clicked on it and could not believe the t-shirts that these people are selling. Really unbelievable! Take a look at them, do people really wear these shirts??? Would you buy one?

    But anyway it got me thinking about t-shirts and about what a large part of our culture they have become. When I was a little kid, the only t-shirts we had were Hanes or Fruit of the Loom and they were strictly worn as underwear. You certainly would not have worn a t-shirt as your outer garment.
    Even as a little child, the only person who saw you in your t-shirt (called undershirt) was your parents and maybe your little brother.

    Then James Dean came along and made the t-shirt sexy and rebellious by wearing it on the outside with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve.

    The t-shirt as a medium for expressing your views and opinions about everything from religion to sex had arrived. Now everyone wears t-shirts. You can plaster your favorite band, sports team, designer, or event on your shirt. You can make a political, religious, sexual, or social statement. You can boast about your travels, athletic endeavors, educational achievements, or career .You can display your taste in food and drink, literature, music, computers, designers, cars, boats, airlines, politicians, etc. Every event that you attend now sells t-shirts. One report on the web states that 2 billion t-shirts are sold worldwide each year.

    When my kids were in junior high the big thing was to have a t-shirt from “The Hard Rock Cafe”. If you were fortunate enough to travel or know someone who did, and could get a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt from some far off place, you were not only lucky, you were cool! The lines to buy t-shirts at the Hard Rock Cafes would wind around and around city blocks. What a marketing homerun that was!

    And of course every kid got the t-shirt that said, “My parents went to blah blah and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”. That was the ultimate insult, in my opinion.

    So many t-shirts are just downright tacky. One time my husband bought me this t-shirt from some bar that said,” Liquor in the Back, Poke her in the rear” and he actually thought it was funny and that I would wear it! NOT!! (It actually became a very popular White Elephant gift at the annual family Christmas party, now how tacky is that?) WWJD

    And then there was the time he bought one that had a picture of an obviously intoxicated cat that read, “Happiness is a tight pussy”. OMG I am glad to report that now he mostly wears t-shirts that sport hunting and fishing logos. Some things definitely improve with age, husbands being one of them.

    Next time you are out and about, notice the people around you and the t-shirt that they are wearing. It really does tell you a lot about them. They are great conversation starters. I have met great people while traveling or just at the market because of the t-shirt that one of us is wearing.

    I love t-shirts and what they represent about us and our beliefs and our sense of humor.

    This website sells some really good looking t-shirts as a means of advertising. Check them out.

    Categories
    Consumer Reports

    Bucking Starbucks

    For at least 10 years Starbucks has been my favorite coffee shop.  In fact I’m sure some of my friends considered me a bit of a coffee snob, because I would only go to Starbucks.  You see I enjoy 1 large cup of coffee a day, usually mid-morning.  I expect that cup to be rich, dark, and satisfying and Starbucks never disappointed.  I finally understood what Folgers meant by “Good to the last drop”.  

    But not anymore.  Every time I go to Starbucks now, I get a lousy cup of coffee.  In fact I haven’t even been able to finish the cup.  It is that bad!  And this has not been at one location, it has been at different stores and different cities.  The coffee is not rich and strong and satisfying. It is weak and tasteless and  boring.  What’s going on?  Are they using less coffee ?  Are they buying reject beans?  Are they reheating yesterday’s coffee?  Oh, I hope the staff isn’t pissed off about something. UGH

    Today I had coffee at Panera Bread,  I had their dark roast and it was very good.  Tomorrow maybe  I’ll try Caribou or Dunn Brothers or I’ll just make it at home.  I have discovered Sam’s Club’s Members Mark Free Trade French Roast whole beans.  It is excellent and 1/2 the cost of Starbucks.

     Yup, think I’ll just make my own and Buck Starbucks!

    Categories
    Consumer Reports

    Diving at The Dump

    Why would anyone name their business “The Dump”? I thought it was because it was clever and attention getting. I never dreamed they named it that because it was the TRUTH!

    In case you are not familiar with “The Dump”, it is a furniture clearance warehouse. Not sure where they originated, but I recently got ‘dumped’ in Phoenix.

    Here’s my Dumpster Diving story:

    I recently purchased a new home in the Phoenix area. I needed new furniture. I went to all the local name brand furniture stores, but kept hearing and seeing all these intriguing ads for a new store in town………….”The Dump”. So one day I decided to check it out. BTW they are only open on Fri, Sat, and Sun. I read some online reviews that were all less than favorable, but still I had to see it for myself.

    Well,, basically, it is a DUMP. But fortunately (or unfortunately) I found a dining room set that was exactly what I was looking for. It was fairly priced and is decent quality for the price. So I bought it. The salesman was nice and helpful. I paid and scheduled delivery.

    The table was delivered on time, the delivery man was courteous and careful. As he was leaving, I noticed a fairly large chip out of the leg of one chair. I called it to his attention.

    He dialed customer service for me and I talked to ‘Susie’ (all names have been changed) and she asked it I could email a photo of the damage for the technicians to look at.

    “Sure, I can do it right now, but I don’t think it can be fixed”, I said. I took photos and emailed them.

    Well ,a couple of days go by and no response from ‘Susie’.

    I email and ask if she got the pictures……………no reply.

    Finally I call her and she said she had not received the pictures, that seems strange, but I resend them.

    Few more days go by and still no reply from ‘Susie’, so I call again.

    After some prodding, she admits that she received the emails, but there were no pictures, only red x’s.

    O.K. My first thought was to tell her to contact her IT people, but by now I realize that maybe ‘Susie’ is not the best diver at the dump, so I resend the pictures as attachments and not in the text of the email. This time she actually lets me know that she has received the pictures and has forwarded them to the technicians and she will get back to me.

    A few more days go by and no response from ‘Susie’. Again I call her. “Oh, yes, the technician can repair that, but they didn’t tell me when they could do it. What days work for you?” I give her 3 dates that will work for me.

    So the first 2 dates pass by and no word from our little ‘Susie’. So again, I call. Now I talk to ‘Edith’. She talks to ‘Susie’ who tells her that she never received the photos!

    ARRRGGGGGHHHH. Take 2 DEEP BREATHS, IN & OUT!

    Finally after a very frustrating conversation with ‘Edith’ and being put on hold forever she comes on the line and says “Oh, she found them and we need to schedule a technician to fix the chair.” At this point ‘Edith’ is very apologetic and the epitome of what a C.S. Rep should be. So she gives me a work order number and the phone number of the repair company. She assures me that they will call within 72 hours and schedule an appt, but if they don’t I should call them.

    I hang up the phone, feeling pretty confident that this is going to work out after all.

    72 hours pass and I don’t hear a thing from the repair company, which is a completely different company. So I dig out the number that ‘Edith’ gave me and call. Surprise! They have no work order for me.

    So it’s back to The Dump. I call and explain my situation to ‘Linda’, who says she will resubmit the work order.

    The next day I get a call from the repair service and we schedule an appointment time.

    They arrive on schedule and cannot fix the leg. It needs to be replaced. (Told ya so!) They will mail a new leg and when it arrives, I am to call them and schedule a time for them to come and complete the repair. I’m just hoping to have the new chair by Thanksgiving!

    A few days later they call and tell me that they are replacing the chair and schedule a date for the exchange. No explanation why the change of plans, but I wasn’t sure how they were going to change just one leg and this made much more sense. We set up the exchange for the following Tuesday.

    Then the next day I get a call from someone at The Dump that tells me that they will even exchange my chair, I just need to bring it in. I tell him that I had a call yesterday and a new chair is being delivered on Tuesday. He says there is no record of that and I must come in and exchange it myself. He is very insistent. I tell him there is no way I am going to bring the chair in. I will wait until Tuesday and see what happens.

    And believe it or not, a new chair showed up today!

    But The Dump is still a dump and I would not recommend anyone to shop there.

    I won’t be diving in again.