Ship's Blog

Things have been slow in the sailing department. Oh, the weather's been great. But time has gotten used up with such things as . . . work! I have been to the marina just to look at our beautiful sail boat but no time to stay. I have been spending a lot of time learning about new technology to use in my business as well as handling the current workload. I've gotten a web site going at www.lpj-associates.com that explains what Liz's Paper Jungle is all about.

Some of my clients are manufacturers, you can see them on the "Manufacturing" page. The other clients are small businesses needing documents and letters typed, transcription, flyers, brochures and newsletters etc. I've decided to get some advertising going since it's all been word of mouth for the past 17 years. I am looking for new work and I'm especially interested in typing manuscripts. I've placed an on-line ad with Writersdigest.com and place a print ad in the Writer's Digest Magazine. I've also listed in yellowpages.com and signed up with virtual assistance networking associations such as IAVOA and VANA, Home Secretarial Services and Alliance for Virtual Assistance. I have had leads come in from them already.

Over the last 12 years I have spent most of my time with the sales & marketing support side of the business. My clients include:

Cal-Tron Corporation, a plastic injection molder in Bishop CA;

Design Octaves in Soquel CA, - they do reaction injection molding;

Aranki Spring in Santa Fe Springs CA. Springs of course.

Garhauer Marine in Upland. Garhauer makes marine hardware for Catalina Yachts and other shipbuilders; JB Machine is located very close to Garhauer and they work with each other on special projects. Both produce beautiful machine work.

Then in Anaheim you will find M & R Engineering who makes screw machine products and AJ Fasteners.

I also work with Lormac Plastics in Escondido. Lormac's specialty is Vacuum Molding and Pressure Forming.

In Wisconsin I have found a Prototyping & Stamping house that is very specialized and makes volumes of very small medical parts.

You can see all of these companies web sites by clicking on their logos or addresses on my "Manufacturing" web page.

So that brings you up to speed on that part of LPJ.

Now I'm sure you understand why I'm not out there sailing. I have been cooking though.

Always cooking. Try this recipe:

"Old Family Taco Recipe" - I make this on the boat a lot.

I get fresh tortillas a day or so ahead and keep them in the fridge. Break them out about 30 minutes prior to frying to soften them up. (When I buy the tortillas, I check the package carefully...they should be very flexible and no broken or mashed edges.)


Ground Beef
Refried Beans
Sliced or Chopped Black Olives
Minced Garlic
Chili Powder
Salt
Garlic Salt

Brown ground beef in large skillet or kettle (depending on quantity desired) add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended – let simmer for awhile to let flavors set in.

Quantities:

For 1 pound of ground beef try 1 sm can refried beans, 1 sm can olives, 3-4 cloves garlic 1-2 tsp of chili powder (to taste).

I generally use about 2 pounds ground beef, 1 #10 can Rosarita refried beans (sometimes more depending on how it looks) 2 small cans olives, 4-5 cloves garlic, 2-3 tsp chili powder and salt to taste. Mixture should be a little more meat than beans and should be thick enough to hold together so frying will be easier – if it is not thick enough the mixture will flow out of the tortillas and pop all over the stove (and you) what a mess that is.

Directions:

Brown the ground beef then add the refried beans and mix...add the remaining ingredients and heat about 15 minutes or until flavors have blended. Sometimes I will let it simmer on the back burner for a half hour to an hour. (You can make this ahead and just reheat before frying.)

Place spoonfuls of the meat and bean mixture in the tortilla and hold by top edges (fold side down) into hot oil in a cast iron skillet *(about 1/4 inch of oil). (Be careful not to overload the tortilla.) Hold with tongs until the bottom has set (just a few seconds) then lay to one side. When the first side is browned turn to other side till it is brown and crispy. Remove from pan and lay on plate with paper towels to absorb the oil.

Have each person fill their tacos with whatever they like. Here's our list: grated cheese, chopped onion, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and avocados. I like Mexi Pep sprinkled on mine – or Rosarita Green Taco Sauce . . . Mexi Pep is my favorite.

Try it, they are a crowd pleaser. I should send this to Emeril.

Learning to Sail via Blogs

This is so confusing to me. As a nubie, I'm making trails all around the features of this blogging site. I just hope I can find my way back again without having to go back "home" and log in again. It seems easy but perhaps therein lies the problem: I have it figured out and I'm making it harder than it needs to be. We will see.

Too many things to learn in too little time. Why the rush? That's just the way it is now. Rush to get this done, rush to get that done. Have to hurry to get to the next project. Why? Because time flys so fast these days that it's just unbelievable. I've been trying since 1:30 this afternoon to find out how to link my web site to the blog...or the other way around...link my blog to my web site. I'm close but haven't gotten there yet. I have found a bunch of helpful hints along the way. I think this is going to be loads of fun, once I get a handle on it. I love to write and this will give me the opportunity to try some things out. But this is how time flys...just a minute ago it was 2:00, now it's 3:30. You see what I mean?

Meanwhile, back a the marina, our beautiful little boat is sitting there waiting for us to come and spend the weekend. I will have to make some time. It will be better in a week or so when the weather gets a bit warmer. Right now it's too cold for me to sit down there in the wind. I have learned a lot about cooking onboard and thought I'd dedicate most of this blog to that end. Cooking in such small quarters on such tiny equipment takes practice. In the beginning, I took everything (like I did for camping) but the boat just doesn't have room for everything. I have learned to prepare dishes at home and then just reheat them onboard. Dishes like salads and fruit can be prepared and bagged at home. Then add the condiments and dressings when we are ready to eat. Sometimes just taking a salad is nice...we can always dinghy on over to the yacht club and pick up a real nice pizza.

Cooking breakfast on the boat is by far the most fun. The aroma of bacon, onions and potatoes frying get the attention of any passersby. Oh...I have to stop this right now. All I can think about is food. It must be dinner time. Yes, that's what's going on. It's time to get dinner going so we can eat before dark. Bye.

Cookin it up a Notch

Day after day, cooking the same since what seems to be the beginning of time. I'm giving my old recipes a face lift. And they are taking it well! Short cuts and new flavors to the old tried and true recipes are adding new life to same-o, same-o meals. Try this one:

Pot Roast - Classify as at least two notches up...this is a good one!

Place a 3 to 4 pound pot roast in a roasting pan. Lay rings of a sliced onion on top. Pour 1 can of tomato sauce over all and then 1/2 can of water. Add 4 to 5 toes of sliced garlic evenly scattered. A teaspoon or two of vinegar goes in next. Then sprinkle about 7 to 10 whole cloves over all. Salt & pepper to taste. Cover tightly with foil. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 2 to 3 hours depending on the thickness of the pot roast. It will be done when the meat is tender. Adding carrots and potatoes (or yams) during the last hour is also recommended if you want a one pan meal. And they are delicious in this sauce.

Try it and let me know what you think.
Gramma Franicakes