Fallon Cash Mob

A cash mob is a group of local individuals that get together to help stimulate the local economy.  Cash mob organizers simply rally the troops via social media, or in some cases, get the word out to local newspaper or stations, and tell everyone which day and at what time to show up ready to spend some cash at a small business in the area. 


Then everyone goes shopping, the store gets a much-needed bit of retail oomph, and everyone wins. Of course, store owners are told ahead of time that they'll be mobbed, so as not to become overwhelmed.


The Fallon mob hits someplace once a week.  If you are in the area, grab your fedora and join the mob!


 Follow the Fallon Mob on facebook:


https://www.facebook.com/groups/Cash.Mob.Fallon/


Here is a link to the local paper telling about the mob in Fallon:


http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20120214/NEWS/120219951/1019&parentprofile=1048


If you don't live in Fallon and would like to start your own mob, here is a pretty good blog that helps you set up or see if there is one already set up in your area:


http://cashmobs.wordpress.com/

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Chip, Butterscotch Chip Cookies

I couldn't decide what kind to make, so I made them all in one cookie!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Chip, Butterscotch Chip Cookies


1 Cup Butter (2 cubes) at room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Super Chunky Peanut Butter
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
2 Cups Chocolate Chips  (I used 1/2 cup each: dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chocolate chips)


blend together:  butter, sugars and peanut butter.  
Add eggs and vanilla, blend until smooth.
Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl:  flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Stir into the butter mixture
Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts


Drop by rounded teaspoon onto sprayed cookie sheet.


Bake 350 for about 12 minutes

Ham and Bacon Rice Skillet

Ham and Bacon Rice Skillet

Saute in a skillet:

2 Tbsp Butter

3/4 Cup Chopped Onion

2 Cups Chopped Celery

1 Clove of Garlic, Minced

Add the rest of the ingredients below and slowly cook 35-40 minutes:

1 Pound Can Tomatoes

1 Cup Uncooked Rice (I used a combination of white and wild rice)

1 1/2 Cup Ham, Chopped

1/2 Cup Bacon (uncooked)

2 1/2 Cups Water

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Parsley

1/4 tsp Thyme

1/8 tsp pepper

bay leaf

I Never Quilt Alone

Mataya on my material stash

Jellie on my sewing chair

Chevron on the new project!

Spring and Gold Fever in February

 The Roads

We came down this road!

The road into the canyon

 With the unusual warm and lack of snow for this time of year, Spring fever has hit!  The best way to cure that is a road trip into the boonies.

Why not combine it with a hunt for some gold?

We found a great place (totally isolated)!

It required going through a few gates and using 4WD.

My son, my grandson, one of his friend, my husband and I enjoyed a great outing of exploration and gold panning east of Lovelock, NV.

Some of the roads had some snow and were muddy, we did a little slip sliding, but that is always part of the adventure!

The views were amazing.  The pictures just don't give it justice.

It was one of those days that when the sun was shining, it was warm (My face is sunburned).  But when the sun went behind the clouds or a breeze came through, the chill went through to your bones.

We lit a campfire to keep warm.

We did not find gold, but we had a fun day.  Even the kids commented that it didn't matter that we didn't find gold, it was just a fun day!

More of the road

The Views

Views

Snow and clouds

More Views

Lone Tree

The Creek

Part of the Creek

Water Falls

P

Test Panning

Using the Contraption

Valentine Cookies and Wishes

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 package Red Velvet Cake Mix
1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, Melted
1 Large Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Tub of Vanilla Frosting and some sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375

Combine cake mix, butter, egg and vanilla extract in large bowl.  Blend until well mixed.  Stir in the chips.

Place dough on a sheet of wax paper, put another sheet of wax paper on top and roll out dough until 1/4-inch thick.  Cut with cookie cutter and place 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until set and cookies have slightly soft centers.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet before removing cookies to a cooling rack.

Cool completely, frost and sprinkle.  Store in airtight container.


These cookies are very rich!



Duncan Hine's Cupid's Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies were the inspiration:

http://ww2.duncanhines.com/recipes/cookies-bars/dh/cupids-triple-chocolate-chip-cookies


Here ia a little Valentine's Day Card for all of you:

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=3372939021333&source=jlfb&cont=2

February Block of the Month

I finished February blocks.  I made two of each.  Sorry about the quality of the photos.  I left my camera at the dentist's office Thursday and they are closed Friday.  I am serious thinking of a new camera as the one I usually use is an oldie but a goodie!  The phone camera just isn't cutting it!

Anyway, back to the quilt blocks:  They are called Chunky Chevron Block Pattern and Balkan Puzzle Block Pattern.

The technique is from Craftsy.  They have a free block of the month course.  It has been a lot of fun.

http://www.craftsy.com/class/The-Craftsy-Block-of-the-Month/50

I am learning some really good techniques!

The second picture is all blocks for January and February.

I need a new camera!!!

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

1 Cup Fresh Raspberries (I used some frozen ones)

3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 Cup Flour

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/8 tsp Salt

1 egg

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

3 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds

Icing:

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Milk

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

In a small bowl combine raspberries and brown sugar: Set aside

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a small bowl whisk the egg, sour cream butter and vanilla.  Stir into the dry ingredients just until moist.

Spoon and spread the batter into a 9 inch cake pan (spray pan with pam).  Top with the raspberries.  Press the raspberries into the batter.  Sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the icing ingredients and drizzle over the coffee cake.  Serve warm.

Dixie Valley, Nevada

Dixie Valley was once a thriving agriculture area in the remote desert of Nevada.  It is now part of the training range for the Navy's Top Gun training.  Most of the ranch houses were burned, but there are a few remaining ranches that are standing.

I have put in some of the pictures that I took today.  It is an amazing area to explore!

This link will take you to a newsletter from the Center for Land Use Interpretation.  It has some great information and history:

http://www.clui.org/newsletter/summer-2004/nevadas-dixie-valley


This video from youtube is narrated by someone who actually lived in Dixie Valley before the Navy purchased the whole area for their top gun training:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onvzrZy9Csc

Driveway

Someone's dream home at one time

A lot of work was put into this house

Back Yard

Stone building

For cattle??

Root Celler

Front of house

Dodge Brothers Inc, Fallon NV

Back of house

Nice Yard!

Take your shoes off and stay awhile

Lemon-Lime Salmon with Veggie Saute

Lemon-Lime Salmon with Veggie Saute

6 Salmon Fillets (4 oz each)
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Lime Juice
1 tsp. Seafood Seasoning
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Medium Sweet Red Peppers, sliced
1 Large Red Onion, halved and sliced
2 tsp. Olive oil
1 Pkg. (10 oz) Frozen Corn, thawed
2 cups Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
2 Cups Fresh Asparagus (1 inch pieces)
2 tsp dried Tarragon (or use 2 TBSP minced fresh)

Place salmon in a 13 X 9 inch baking dish;  add lemon and lime juices.  Sprinkle with seafood seasoning and salt.  Bake, uncovered, at 425 for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, saute peppers and onion in olive oil for 3 minutes.  Add the corn, mushrooms, and asparagus:  cook and stir 3-4 minutes longer.  Stir in the tarragon.

To Serve:  On plate, place a bed of cooked rice.  Put the salmon the rice and top with the vegetables.

Wigwam Pie Sauce

I got this recipe out of a family cookbook that was put together in 1997.  My cousin submitted this recipe.  I made it this morning to make sure it was the right stuff.  It is!  Yummy!  Although the Wigwam in Reno is gone, this sauce is still served on apple pie at the Wigwam in Fernley, NV.

Better yet, I now have a batch at my home!


Wigwam Pie Sauce

 Place on stove and heat to 180 degrees (do not boil)
     2/3 cup milk
     1/2 cup half & half
     1 cup water

In a separate pan, melt on slow heat 1/3 cup butter, slowly add 1/4 cup flour and stir well.  Add 2/3 cup sugar and stir well.  Then add one large or two small egg yolks

Turn up the heat on the egg mixture and slowly add the milk mixture from step #1.. Bring to a boil stirring constantly.  When it starts to boil, remove from heat and put in another pan to cool.  When it is cool, add 1 TSP vanilla.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

To use, reheat in double boiler, not on direct heat. Do not boil, as boiling will cause mixture to break.

Brandy may be substituted for vanilla.

My cousin wrote: "This custard sauce was served on hot apple pie at the Wigwam restaurant in Reno.  Whenever we were downtown we had to stop in for hot apple pie and this famous sauce."

Found in the Middle of the Desert

 Traveling the dirt roads of the desert may seem boring, but there is always something new to discover and see.

We were traveling a dirt road and came across this sign.  A boat Ramp?  A Camps Site?

We had to check it out!

After driving about a mile, we came to the campsite, complete with pit toilet!













There is a running creek on the other side of the campground and a very cool bridge




The road continued and we were still looking for the boat ramp.   About another 3/4 mile, we came across this huge observation point!  The views were fantastic from the top!  

All this time, our GPS is showing us between two lakes.  The only water we have seen is the creek so far.  The lakes are all dry!  So the mystery of a boat ramp continues.  Another quarter of a mile and bingo:  

Boat ramp!  Some actual water!  About the only boat you could launch now are model ones!  Plus the road ends here, so we head back

The campsite from the bridge doesn't look quite so barren!

This would be an amazing place for star gazing.

In the past when there were lakes, I can imagine there were many birds and lots of wildlife.  We did see some great herrings and a glimpse of a coyote.  Also a lot of cows free-ranging.



Where is this place?  All I will say at this point is that it is somewhere between Fallon and Lovelock!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

2 TBSP Butter
1 1/2 LBS boneless skinless Chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1 TBSP Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Salt

1.  Melt butter in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.  Add Chicken, onion and lemon juice;  cook and stir 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add all of the spices except red pepper;  cook and stir 1 minute.

2.  Stir in tomatoes until well mixed.  Stir salt and cornstarch into the cream until smooth.  Gradually stir into skillet.  Stir in red pepper to taste, if desired.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low; stirring frequently, simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3.  Serve with cooked rice.