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 (recently in my world) and a quick solution that solves a problem but not particularly well. But life hacks mean a trick, skill, shortcut or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency in all walks of life, hopefully. Some of these may be useful to you. “If you have leftover coffee…
Author: Melanie Behrens
Time for some baking! Texas cookies 1 box chocolate cake mix 2 eggs (whisked) 1/3 C oil Frosting: 1/2 C butter 2 TBS cocoa 3 TBS milk 2-1/2 C powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cookie ingredients in large bowl and mix until completely incorporated. Note: Dough will be thick. Using a medium sized cookie scoop (or heaping tablespoon), scoop cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes and then remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Repeat until all of the dough is…
She said, “It was so fast” … the robbery, that is. Peggy Wilson (Marysville class of ‘64) and her friend went to Easton Town Center for a cooking class last Saturday. It was to be a day of cookie making at Sur La Table. They ended up taking five cookies home. Peggy said, “They are good, but a lot of work to make.” But in the end, she had to pay a high price for those cookies. Just after the class, they decided to purchase a few cooking utensils from the store and were taking the packages to the car.…
Here are three great main courses. Famous shrimp and pasta 1 lb. spaghetti or your favorite pasta of choice 1-1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 1 lb. boneless chicken, chopped) 1/2 TBS olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 tsp. paprika 1 TBS fresh parsley black pepper to taste For the sauce: 1/2 C Hellman’s mayonnaise 1/2 C Thai sweet chili sauce (in the Asian isle) 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 TBS lime juice 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 TBS onion powder In a large bowl, mix all ‹sauce› ingredients together then set aside. Cook pasta…
Farmers and cowboys both spend a great deal of time outdoors for their work. That allows them time to think and has produced some of the most interesting and thoughtful expressions I have heard in a long time. These expressions don’t just apply to working outdoors. They carry over to life in general. The time spent when these people are riding their tractor or on a horse on the range provides opportunities to think about life and how the world operates. I want to share with you some of my favorite thoughts from them, which will undoubtedly bring moments of…
This is a week for easy recipes. Easy sweet ribs 4.5 lbs. boneless country style pork ribs 2 cans Dr. Pepper soda, divided 3/4 C BBQ sauce (your favorite – we like our Sweet Baby Ray’s!) Place ribs in bottom of a slow cooker. Pour 1 can of soda over them. Cover and slow cook for 7 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil then place a wire rack over the top. Combine 3/4 cup BBQ sauce with 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper soda. Carefully remove ribs from slow…
“If you’re lucky, a dog will come into your life, steal your heart and change everything.” They only see the good in you, that is, unless there’s just too much bad. This story is about Jeanne Poling Huffman (MHS class of ‘64), who has a new dog. Well, it’s relatively new. In fact, she has lived in Jeanne’s house for six months. Apparently, in the home before there had been abuse. It’s the beginning of a semi-success story, maybe. Here’s how this went. Jeanne’s former dog died and she was lonely and missed the companionship of a pet in her home.…
There should be something here for everyone. The best egg salad 6 large or jumbo hard-boiled eggs, cooked, peeled and chopped 1/2 C onion, diced finely 1/2 C mayonnaise 1 TBS yellow mustard 1/2 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dill pickle juice 1/2 tsp. black pepper Fill a large pot with cold water and place eggs inside making sure that they are covered about an inch in depth. Turn heat to high and bring eggs to a boil. Once boiling, allow them to cook about 11 minutes. Remove from heat, empty hot water out and fill with ice-cold…
Marysville Councilman Henk Berbee and four other Marysville and Union County officials, Union County Commissioner Chris Schmenk, Economic Development Director Eric Phillips, City Manager Terry Emery, and Mayor J.R. Rausch recently returned from a trip to Japan. The trip was to promote our Innovation Park geared toward autonomous vehicle production and other engineering businesses. They spent three days each in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Yorii, traveling by train. Last week was part l. This is part ll. Population of the city of Tokyo is 19.8 million people. In greater Tokyo, it is 30 million. The Olympics will be held there…
How’s this for healthy eating! Baked salmon cakes Salmon cakes: 2 14.75-oz. cans of salmon, extra liquid drained 2 TBS chopped dill 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 C gluten-free cracker crumbs 1/2 onion, shredded on a grater 1 TBS Greek yogurt 1 egg Easy tartar sauce: 4 TBS mayonnaise 1 TBS lemon juice 2 tsp. capers, chopped 1/2 tsp. chopped dill Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place crackers in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to roll them until they are fine crumbs. Drain excess liquid from cans of salmon. Mix salmon with chopped dill, Dijon mustard, cracker…
He said, “If I’d known how pleasant the experience would be, I would have gone there 30 years ago.” That was Marysville City Councilman Henk Berbee commenting on his recent trip with other city and county leaders to Japan. They were there for about two weeks. Travel time was 24 to 26 hours each way. In my opinion they really had to want to go! Well, he did want to go and had a fantastic time, even though the temperature was in the 90s most of the time (he said it felt like 107). Air conditioning in Japan is quite…
Football season is here. Try these recipes for your next game day party. Warm ricotta dip 1 C ricotta cheese 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 TBS olive oil 1 TBS lemon juice 1 TBS rosemary, fresh, divided salt/pepper to taste 1/2 C mozzarella cheese 1/4 C Parmesan cheese baguette bread, sliced and toasted, for dipping Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/2 TBS of rosemary. Stir to combine and season with salt/pepper to taste. In a 6-in. pan, spread mixture evenly. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan on top. Place in…
I recently told you about my history of being an Ohio State football fan and sitting in Ohio Stadium for many years. Here was a story I forgot to tell. I think it’s worth my time and yours. It involved three Marysville High School grads from the class of ’61 who were in the OSU stadium watching a game. Two of them were in post-graduate school at Ohio State and the other had already graduated in microbiology and was working for the Food and Drug Administration. He was just home visiting for the weekend. He will be the character we…
We have two great peach recipes and some easy brownies. Best peach pie Piecrust recipe yielding two crusts for a 9-in. pie or 1 pkg. pastry for a 9-in. double crust pie 5 C sliced peaches (slice peaches about ½-in. thick) 1 egg beaten 1 TBS lemon juice 1/4 C all purpose flour 1/4 C cornstarch 3/4 C white sugar 1/4 C brown sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 2 TBS cold butter Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sliced peaches and lemon juice and gently toss together. Place sliced peaches in a colander to…
Love these sweet things! Gooey bars 1 15.25-oz. white cake mix 1/2 C canola oil 2 eggs 1/2 C butter, melted 1/2 C milk chocolate chips 1/2 C peanut butter chips 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, canola oil and eggs – then separate batter into halves. Press one half of batter into bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. In a small, microwaveable bowl, mix together butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir. Keep microwaving and stirring in 15-second intervals until mixture is…