This week the Democrats did it in Philadelphia, but last week the Republicans kicked off their nominating events in Cleveland. Both are part of the process in the presidential election of 2016. State Representative Dorothy Pelanda, from Union County, felt privileged to be one of the 4,000 people able to attend the Republican convention in Cleveland. She was not a delegate, and tickets, just to attend, were difficult to obtain. Dorothy’s ticket came through her husband, Sam Gerhardstein, who is a lobbyist for Columbia Gas of Ohio. It was her first political convention and one she’ll never forget. Not only…
Author: Melanie Behrens
Ah, dessert is a wonderful thing! Peanut butter cup brownie pizza FILLING: 3 oz. cream cheese, softened (from 8-oz. pkg.) 1 egg ¼ C peanut butter 3 TBS sugar BROWNIES: 1 box (1 lb. 2.3 oz.) fudge brownie mix 1/4 C water 1/2 C vegetable oil 2 eggs 1/2 C coarsely chopped cocktail peanuts 3/4 C peanut butter candy in a crunchy shell 3/4 C minis peanut butter cups, halved (from 8-oz. pkg.) Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark or nonstick pan). Generously spray or grease 12-in. pizza pan. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer…
I remember when I was a little girl, I would occasionally stay with my grandmother. She would tuck me in at night saying, “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I didn’t know what those were, but was pretty sure they were nasty. It turns out that bed bugs are nasty. In recent years, there seems to be a resurgence in infestations. I haven’t heard much about them lately, until now, and had forgotten to look around when I entered a hotel room. My research tells me bed bugs live solely on blood and are active mainly at…
Try this tomorrow for dinner. Cheesy chicken pasta 2½ C uncooked penne pasta 2 chicken breasts salt pepper 2 TBS all-purpose flour ½ C sour cream 4 oz. cream cheese, softened ¼ C half and half or whole milk 1 pkg. dry ranch mix 5 oz. frozen spinach or half of a batch of fresh 1¼ C shredded mozzarella cheese Butter a 2-qt. baking dish. Set aside. Cook pasta according to instructions on package. Drain and keep warm. Dice chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over chicken and toss to coat. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add…
At First English Lutheran Church we have a new pastor, the Rev. Tonya Brittain. She and her husband, Gene, have recently moved here from North Carolina, where they have lived all their lives. It’s quite a change to come to Ohio, but we’re glad she did. She is an interested and interesting person, very open to conversation, and has a wonderful sense of humor. Oh yes, I should also mention she has a beautiful singing voice. It is a joy to listen to her. I thought of her as I came upon these stories involving religion. You know, you have…
How’s this for a good summertime meal? Chicken taco bake 1 TBS oil 1 green pepper, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 C chopped cooked chicken 1 can (10-1/2 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained 1 C ranch dressing 1 tsp. chili powder 1-1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese 12 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into strips 1 C tortilla chips, coarsely crushed 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add vegetables; cook 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Remove…
According to some experts, “A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.” I know that is really disgusting! Before we continue with that thought, I want to review my history with cockroaches. Admittedly, it is limited, but even the thought of them gives me the creeps. All my incidents involving them have been while in Florida, where these creatures live and I should say, thrive. When there, we are warned to keep drains closed and plug up any entrances to inside a wall. They live there all the time and want to come out…
Here are three great recipes for summer. There are two easy dishes to cook on the grill or in the oven and a refreshing sorbet. Taters in foil 1 pkg. (28 oz.) tater tots 1 C tomato ketchup 1/4 C A.1. Original Sauce 4 C frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas), thawed 40 small meatballs 1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese Heat grill to medium heat. Place potatoes on 8 large sheets of heavy-duty foil sprayed with cooking spray. Mix ketchup and A.1. until blended; drizzle half evenly over potatoes. Top with mixed vegetables, meatballs, remaining ketchup mixture…
Almost every day we hear of a new fraudulent scheme on the telephone or the computer. I have personally experienced the IRS phone call, about four times. In case you haven’t received this, it’s what we call a Robo call, a recorded message saying this is the IRS and you owe thousands of dollars on your taxes. If you do not send a check immediately you will be arrested. Then it leaves a phone number for you to call back and find out how much you owe. That has been going on for about four years and recently six people…
Summer parties often need appetizers. Why not try these. Nuts with curry 1/2 C sugar 1/4 C water 1 can (10 oz.) cashews 2 TBS curry powder 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne) 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper 1/4 C flaked coconut Heat oven to 300 degrees. Bring sugar and water to boil in small saucepan on medium-high heat; simmer on medium heat 4 to 5 min. or until sugar is dissolved and thickened to syrup-like consistency. Add nuts, seasonings and coconut; cook and stir 2 min. or until nuts are well coated. Remove from heat; spread onto baking sheet…
I recently ran across these things called “life hacks.” The word, hack, has been defined as – to cut or chop, a worn out horse, a basketball foul, a cab for hire, or a writer whose services are for hire. It can also mean an untalented professional, a cough and a quick solution that solves a problem, but not particularly well. Another meanings is to explore problem-solving capabilities of a computer. But life hacks mean a trick, skill, shortcut or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency in all walks of life. I decided to research these “life hacks” and…
This could be dinner tomorrow. Easy chicken piccata 3 large lemons, divided 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb.) 1/4 C Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayonnaise 22 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed 2 TBS olive oil 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley 1/2 C chicken broth 1 TBS butter 1 TBS capers Cut half of 1 lemon into 4 thin slices; squeeze juice from remaining 2-1/2 lemons. Coat chicken with mayo, then cracker crumbs. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 10 min. Turn; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until chicken…
Road rage is a crazy thing. I believe, sometimes people are really angry about something else and when a little thing goes wrong while they’re driving, they take it out on others. Occasionally, it has been reported that there have been serious consequences to people who are angry at each other on the highway. I recently had an interesting experience I thought I’d share with you. I’m not sure what this guy’s problem was, but we both got out of it alive! I was just on my way to do a sort of good deed. I was buying a gift…
Lorry Evans sent the first recipe. She had this to say about it – I am trying out new low sodium meals for a family member’s dietary need. I adjusted this recipe to make less sodium baked spaghetti. It serves 5-6, as I did not use the entire box of spaghetti. Baked low sodium spaghetti 3/4 box spaghetti or linguini 1 lb. ground chuck dash of pepper & dash of Mrs. Dash seasoning 1/2 C green peppers, chopped 1/2 C onion, chopped 1 can No Salt Tomatoes 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce (check sodium) or 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce (some…
Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a beautiful place and we just spent the last few days there. Its elevation is a little over 6,000 feet and that alone is something to get used to. When I first went out for my usual morning walk, as I picked up speed, I noticed it was harder and harder to breathe. When you hit the golf ball, it goes a little farther due to the altitude, but the really beautiful and difficult golf course we played had elevated greens where you sometimes had to climb straight up 10 to 20 feet to get to…