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.