Rainy Sunday in Arizona

Awoke to the sound of rain spattering on the roof. Not sprinkles, but drops, large drops. First slowly, then faster and faster. A regular rain. Being an Oregonian, I know about rain. I went back to sleep listening to the drumming on the roof.
About 7:30 I thought it was time to walk the Peaches and Mollie. The rain had lessened but not quit. I donned a coat, found an umbrella stowed in the pickup and hooked up the girls. Luckily they were ready to "take care of business" so we didn't have to walk very far. Because of all the concrete in the Phoenix retirement park where were staying, much of the water did not sink into the ground but ran down the street. The problem with the city - Pavement. .62 inches of rain means flooded streets.

Hilda's 1,1,1 Cookies

Hilda's 1,1,1 Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Makes about 25 small cookies

Double amounts for larger batch

Mix together and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

for a variation add 1 cup of chocolate chips

Yummy Cookies !

3,2,1 Cake

3, 2, 1 CAKE



These individual little cakes are amazing
and ready to eat in one minute! They are perfect
for whenever you feel like a treat without all the fat
and calories that cake can have. Genius idea!



INGREDIENTS:

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 box Cake Mix - Any Flavor

2 Tbsp. Water



Makes 1 serving.



DIRECTIONS:

In a ziploc bag, combine the two cake mixes together
and mix well. For each individual cake serving, take
out 3 Tablespoons of the cake mix combination and

mix it with 2 Tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe
container. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and you have
your own instant individual little cake!



KEEP remaining cake mixture stored in the ziploc bag
and use whenever you feel like a treat! You can top
each cake with a dollop of fat free whipped topping
and/or some fresh fruit.



Helpful Tips:

This recipe is called 3, 2, 1 Cake because all you need
to remember is

"3 tablespoons mix,
2 tablespoons water,
1 minute in the microwave!"



TRY various flavors of cake mix like carrot, red velvet, pineapple,
lemon, orange, etc. Just remember that one of the mixes has
to be the angel food mix; the other is your choice.
The flavor possibilities are endless!



NOTES:
The best thing is, you open both cake mixes into a gallon
storage bag, one that 'zip locks' or 'self-seals', or a
container that seals tightly. Shake the two cake mixes to
blend and then make the recipe. Storage of mix is simple,
put it on a shelf. No need to refrigerate, since the mix is dry.

Always remember that one of the cake mixes MUST be
Angel Food. The other can be any flavor.
The Angel Food is the cake mix that has the eggs whites
in it. So, if, anyone is allergic to egg whites, you CANNOT
serve this recipe

QBQ again

This morning was our umpteenth trip out to Quitobaquito. Nice sunny day. temp in the 60-70. The road has een graded so is much better than it was the first trip this year. No surprises. LE have been told to be less visable and so they are. Our guests seemed to enjoy themselves.

Time Change

Oh Dear what do I do? Is it Fall Forward? Spring Back?

Oh wait, I'm in Arizona.

Nevermind !

Taxes

Last night I finished our taxes for 2011. For the third or fourth year in a row I used Turbo Tax. I waited for the coupon, purchased at Costco, stowed with the 2011 paperwork until all the 1099s and other crytic tax info that is mailed out at the end of the year.
After about 8-9 hours of hunting for papers and arranging them, and typing the numbers into the program, Turbo Tax tells you that you have successfully completed your federal taxes and for an addtional $20 TT will do your state taxes for you. OK
So it's done and I'm done. It's like a have just completed a term paper, or just run a marathon. It's great to get it behind me.

Sonoyta

For the first time in my life I have driven into Mexico. In 1971, while we were stationed at MCB Twenty Nine Palms in California, R and I rode with friends down to Ensenada, Mexico for the week-end. Now, 41 years later, we again ventured into the country to our south.

The reason for the trip was food. Food can be a powerful draw. We were invited to dinner at the home of a friend who lives in Sonoyta. So six of us volunteers piled in our pickup, four in another vehicle and we drove the five miles down to the border. I had emptied the bed of the truck and rolled back the tonneau cover so that the border agents would not have any questions. I cleaned out the interior and even washed the truck. I’m not sure why I washed the truck. Maybe the border agents would treat me better or be less suspicious if my truck was clean.
With apprehension, I eased my vehicle slowly across the international threshold. A series of speed bumps, a couple of stop signs, a wave-on by a uniformed agent and we were in Mexico. No explosions, no gun toting drug runners, no dirty barking dogs. And the road was even paved!
Just past the entry gate I located (with help of my passengers) the small office that sells Mexican insurance. Full coverage for my truck was $20 for 24 hours. The insurance form required my vehicle vin number, my Oregon license number, and either my drivers’ license number or my passport number. All that was easy and after a signature and a twenty dollar bill, the paperwork was completed. By the time I got back to the truck, our hostess arrived and we followed her through downtown Sonoyta. I was paying close attention to my driving and trying to follow the other car, so I did not see much of the town, but what I did see reminded me that we were no longer in the US.
A couple of left turns and a right brought us to our destination, a modest but nice house. The interior was neat and clean, with large tiles on the floor. Two tables were placed end-to-end with extra chairs around them in anticipation of the guests and a wonderful smell was coming from the kitchen.
In a few minutes we were sitting down at the table. Sopes ( so PEE ahs) were the fare for the evening. I’ve never had sopes before. Not sure what all the ingredients were, but it was good! The initial portion on my plate consisted of three sopes, but I managed to consume another.
After plenty of great food and great conversation, we reloaded our truck and the mini caravan headed back toward the US. After a short drive we were back at the crossing. I rolled down all of the windows before reaching the northbound speed bumps. I gathered up six passports and handed them to border agent. I was expecting to see him stamp them but I guess they just scan them now. After less then five minutes, the agent called out our names and handed the passports back to us. No frisking, no body searches, no hassles.
My passport is not a virgin any more. Yipee!