Dinner Anyone?

Empanadas Espana

Delicious & Easy! I've developed this recipe over a couple of tries. I tried this a couple of nights ago. Friends, Family and I enjoyed them very much and they were very easy.

Part 1:

Filling:

1. 1 1lb ground meat, tofu, cream cheese

For ground meat:

1 medium bell pepper diced

1 small onion diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery

1 small boiled potato or 1/2 bag of precooked frozen chopped potatoes

1 can of ortega peppers or two small jalapeños

2-3 cloves of garlic smashed, crushed

1 tsp. chili powder, cumin, & paprika

1 small bunch of finely chopped cilantro

pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:

Toss together ingredients into skillet, cook till meat is throughly cooked and veggies tender. Drain and set aside till ready to used. When adding filling to crust, you can add a little grated cheese.

For Non-meat:

2 pkgs. cream cheese or 1 pkg. or tofu

1 cup grated cheese (sharp cheddar, jack cheese)

1 medium bell pepper diced

1 small onion diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 can of ortega peppers or two small jalapenos

2-3 cloves of garlic smashed, crushed

1 tsp. chili powder, cumin, & paprika

1 small bunch of finely chopped cilantro

pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:

Toss together ingredients. Cover & refrigerate until used.

Part 2:

Crust:

1. Two refrigerator pie crusts (pillsbury or flat rolled up kind)

2. cold water

3. melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven 350. Unfold dough, press the top of a cup or jar into the dough and use a knife to cut out small circles. Drop a tablespoon of preferred filling on half, fold dough over and dab water on the edges. Use a fork to press edge closed. Brush with butter. Cook for 8-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Where do I get off saying being Married wouldn't Rock...

FOR MEN

weight: 26 grams or 3 quarters and a penny

how many diamonds? : 12.21 ctw

How much? : $15,000

FOR WOMEN

weight: it will make your finger ache ladies

how many diamonds? : 9 ctw

How much?: $2 million

War, What is it a good for?

I have been interning for the last 9 months at a Adult Day Care center. You might ask why in the world? You must not really have ever spent much time around a group of active, feisty seniors. They are more of a handful than a group of high school seniors. Old women survey the atmosphere like hungry cougars on the prowl. Old men can run your blood pressure up with just a look. One day in group of 65-90 years old is never a repeat of the last. They exhaust me and my 23 years. I had to start taking B vitamins...in case your wondering their are numerous supplements...number in the 100s at your local supermarket. On top of upping my IV of caffeine from two big cups a day to 3 big cups a day.

Up till yesterday I loved every minute of it. Its amazing the challenge and the reward in Social Working them. Essentially this is how it all happened...I looked over at a coworker noticing a occasional sigh, downcast face...etc...and asked, "Hey Monique, You alright?" she preceded to turn to me, give her nicest scowl and give me a lecture on how bad of a human being I was, that she had a very low opinion of me and that I was profiling her and judging her based on her appearance. The lecture ranged from simple to complex forms of insult.

Suffice it to say, that I was a bit surprised. Up until today, I was under the naive assumption that Monique and I were comrades of sorts. Yet, in this world of human frailty I never am failed to be surprised by how often you can anger and miscommunicate without trying. What exactly did I do? In my opinion I was being a friendly coworker, concerned about the low lying body language of a comrade. But to her what nerve exactly did I strike?

Well Cyberspace, Thanks again, for sharing my sorrows and wonders!

Back in 2010!

I am going to give blogging another try. I have been so busy in the last two years, that I gave up blogging. I suppose you can say I've had a slight identity crisis. Not much different than that experienced by the American economy. Yet, I am going to try and make it back. Wondering how some of the old blogger friends are doing. Want to send a Shout out to Mr. Stark, How is it going? I've got the summer ahead of me. I think i will be doing a lot of late night blogging. I may change the name of my blog form the softhearted hardhead to the Sleep deprived MSW student. Geez...it has been a long time. I am not even sure where to start back. But here we go cyberspace, Welcome me back with open arms.

Hard times...

All around the world hard times, are a way of life...Yet in America we don't expect to be hit by recessions, housing market troubles, lost mortgages, declines...etc. Arrogance abounds that we could grow continually with no trouble, that we could have more, do more, eat more and give less and survive. This is a reality check, that we are no better than anyone esle, that we can't expect to live in a world of unending blessings. These thoughts cloud my mind, I wonder and question my own values, theories and thoughts. The last year was extremely hard for me, I hardly blogged, I lost clients at work, I have no money and I haven't found another job to fill the gaps. Yet, on the upside I have food to eat, a home to live in, family to support me, all my legs, arms and fingers. Life has treated me well, tragedy is really only something I understand through empathy, proxy and love...to be continued...

Scam of the Day : Contact Mr. Benson Smack

Every day, My email inbox receives several emails very similar to this one. Almost with melancholy repetition each day I delete them. Click...Click...Click...Yet, occasionally curiosity gets the best of me, just to see what is out there. Does it really ever work? I mean it has to right? Why would people do it? For the Scammers they should be eternally shamed for tapping into the sympathies of people...but really who is to blame...the greed of the Scammer or the Scammee...

I don't understand the psychology of someone who would fall for emails like this. Money is not free! You can't win lotteries if you don't buy tickets! Money doesn't fall from the sky into your pocket! IF someone asks you to cash a check of large amount of money for them...don't do it...it has to be illegal! Rich eccentric relatives don't leave you millions? Most importantly, people who are dying of cancer...or any fatal disease don't pick some total stranger to inherit all there money!

Right away one should ask three questions: 1. Who is sending me this email...do I know them...is it reputable? 2. How was I picked to receive this email? 3. How much money is involved? All of these emails are bad grammatically, thematically and logically. They contain several misspellings, common mistakes of English is your second language speakers, foreign nationalities and weird stories.

Now, to convince me that I had won millions I would expect phone calls, professional emails and correct spellings....How about you? Would you fall for this?----Scam of the Day

My Dear Friend:

Due to your effort, sincerity, courage and trust worthiness you showed at the course of the Uk Online Lotto winning cheque shipment to your location,I want to compensate you and show my gratitude to you with the sum of$750,000USD (Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) I have authorized the finance house where I deposited the money to issue you international certified bank draft cashable at your bank.My dear winner,I will like you to contact the CEO in charge of the finance house for the collection of this international certified bank draft.

The name of the Person with your Cheque is MR. BENSON SMACK COMPENSATION AND FINANCE HOUSE HEAD OFFICE CONTACT AGENT MR. BENSON SMACK

CONTACT TELEPHONE NO: +234-708-858-2922

E-MAIL: rev.benson33@sbcglobal.net

EMAIL: rev.benson44@sbcglobal.net

At the moment, I am very busy in Sydney because of the investment projects which myself and my new partner Mr. Peter Hills of CTL Express Delivery Company are having at hand. Finally, remember that I have forwarded instruction to MR. BENSON SMACK at the finance house on your behalf to end the bank draft to you as soon as you contact him without delay.Please I will like you to accept this token with good faith as this is from the bottom of my heart. Thanks and God bless you and your family.

Hope to hear from you soon.My sincere advice to you as a christian is that you should endeavour to pay your tithe to a bible believing church when you get the money because noticed it as a fudiciary agent that you were skeptical about your winnings when you ere been ask by the Uk lotto Agency Inc to file out aclaim for your prize. And now the current policy of the Lotto organiser is that if an emerged winner fails to claim up his/her winning cheque of any amount it's now mandatory that this fund can be remitted or forfeited to the fudiciary agent in charge of this winners file.However, I want you to contact him immediately as soon as you receive this information because he is leaving for the US by the end of this month and this might cost a delayment for you to receive this draft.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr Agric Michael

Holiday Fever!

Is it just me or have all the American people become more selfish. The economy is in a downturn but all I hear about is people complaining that they can't give their children ipods and Wii's for Christmas. When the money is short, we used to give gifts like loaves of banana nut bread wrapped in colorful paper, plates of persimmon cookies and knitted pot holders. I mean, I don't even know if we were poor back then...I don't know If I realized there was a difference...I have very fond memories of childhood Christmases and I don't believe my parents ever spent more than 50 dollars on me once. Why is it that as a nation we have come to equate wealth, bling and status with success. Its charming, flashy and sexy...I suppose, but what about what really matters. All of that success eventually becomes meaningless.

Why have the days of caroling been replaced with downloads of The first Noel and Silent night...I mean, I love my ipod as much as the next individual, but it will never replace going and listening to a Christmas choir in person. Every year, I go to at least 6 church Christmas programs they are free and lovely. Not that you have to attend church...its just there is so much in life that can bring joy and holiday cheer that doesn't cost thousands of dollars...All I am really trying to say is...can't we teach our children to look past the dollar signs...

So to ease my conscience a bit, I have developed a list of low cost and free holiday cheer, help me add to it:

1. Homemade Hot cocoa...not Starbucks
2. Homemade Sugar cookies
3. Strings of cranberries and popcorn for the Christmas tree
4. Christmas Cards made on the Home computer (tons less than buying in the store)
5. Listening to the Radio Station with Christmas tunes rather than buying new CDs
6. Reuse wrapping paper and Christmas bags for presents
7. Use Funnies to wrap gifts
8. Bring out the China for holiday dinners instead of the Dixie cups and plates
9. Use the old ornaments from the closet rather than buying new ones this year
10. ...still to come