Happy Tax Day!

I was watching The View this morning and they were adding up all the taxes we pay that we don't always think about. Taxes on our phone bill, gas bill, etc. I thought it was interesting and really quickly added up the taxes we paid this past month excluding our 8.25% sales tax here in Los Angeles and our state and federal income taxes.

Fuel: $37.80

• 18 cents per gallon state excise tax
• 14 cents per gallon other state taxes
• 18.4 cents per gallon federal taxes

Phone: $8.95

• Federal excise tax - 74 cents
• Utility User's Tax - $5.22
• Funding to support the Public Utilities Commission - 8 cents
• 911 State Tax - 23 cents
• Temp. surcharge as allowed by Public Utilities Commission - $1.07
• California Relay Service and Communications Devices Fund - 10 cents
• CHCF-B and the CASF - 23 cents
• California Teleconnect Fund surcharge - 6 cents
• CA Universal Lifeline Telephone Service - 53 cents
• CA High Cost Fund-A - 6 cents
• Federal Universal Service Fee - $2.10

Department of Water and Power: $13.59

• City utility tax - $12.07
• Multi-family bulky item fee (WTH???) - 2 months - $1.28
• State energy surcharge - 24 cents

Gas Company: $4.51

• State Regulatory Fee - 2 cents
• Public Purpose Surcharge - $1.17
• Los Angeles City Users Tax - $3.32

Cell: $6.21

• CA State 911 Fee - 44 cents
• CA State High Cost Fund (B) - 21 cents
• CA Teleconnect Fund Surcharge - 11 cents
• CA State High Cost Fund (A) - 11 cents
• Lifeline Surcharge - CA - 97 cents
• CA Advanced Services Fund (CASF) - 21 cents
• CA Relay Service /Comm Device Fund - 17 cents
• Redondo Beach City Uut (funny because we don't even live in Redondo) - $3.99

GRAND TOTAL: $71.06

Now, I'm not complaining about paying taxes per se. I'd just like to know what these are and what I'm paying for!

Wordless Friday - I never remember on Wednesdays!

My VENT with parking garage lady

Location: parking lot at Dr's office

Scene: Person driving car ahead of me approximately 50 feet ahead. I see somebody pulling out on my right, so I signal and wait for the spot. 50 feet ahead of me, I see car making a 10 point turn in middle of parking garage. I pull into the spot I was waiting for. I get out of car.

Person driving car that had been 50 feet ahead and made 10 point turn is now behind my car.

Driver lady: "Thanks for THAT!"
Me: [stares at her with a "what?" expression] Excuse me?
Driver lady: You took my spot!
Me: You just turned around and came back this way. [being the nice person I am] Would you like me to move?
Driver lady: NO! [drives away]

WTH?????

I love Miles because...

he lets me put my cold feet on him in bed to warm them up.

Uggg...

My sister's apartment was broken into and they took a brand new tv (and the box that was in the closet), new dvd player (and its box), her laptop and her ipod. They broke in through a window. She just moved in a couple days ago and now she's scared to stay there (I don't blame her). And get this, none of her roommate's stuff was stolen, probably since her room is on the street side and her light was on, so people might have seen something. At least nobody was home when they broke in and my mom is still there with her. I feel so bad for her.

I started a cooking blog!

So I don't overload everyone with my new recipes, I've started a cooking blog. Enjoy!

Recipe Exchange

I was involved in an online recipe exchange where we all submitted a recipe, somebody switched the recipes around, and emailed us somebody else's recipe. We were then supposed to make that recipe and blog about it. So, here's mine.

I thought that the cake was good, but could have been a little more moist. Miles liked it and was happy it had some fruit in it...like that makes it healthy. I did halve the recipe since it called for using 3 round cake pans and I only have 2. I'm not very patient when it comes to complicated recipes so it was a challenge for me to actually read and follow the instructions. I really did try, but I "cheated" in a few places (marked in blue.) Enjoy!

Banana Split Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting

from Baking in America (Greg Patent)

Filling:
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c evaporated milk
2 large egg yolks
3 T unsalted butter, in pieces
1/4 c mashed ripe banana
3/4 c finely chopped walnuts (I just broke a couple handfuls with my fingers)
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

Cake:
3 c sifted cake flour (I used All Purpose flour)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 3/4 c sugar
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated
3 large eggs
1 c mashed bananas (2-3 medium bananas)
1/2 c buttermilk

Frosting:
2 oz (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, in pieces
1/4 c milk, plus more if needed
2 c confectioner's sugar
1/3 c Dutch-processed cocoa (I used Hershey's)
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

1. For the filling, stir together the sugar, evaporated milk, egg yolks and butter in a medium heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir constantly, scraping the bottom, until the mixture boils and thickens and becomes opaque and tan. Cook for 10 minutes, until the consistency of a thick cream sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the mashed banana, walnuts and vanilla. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally. (The filling can be made a day ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.

2. For the cake, adjust two oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with rounds of waxed paper or parchment. Butter the paper and dust the bottoms of the pans with all-purpose flour. Knock out the excess and set aside.

3. Re-sift the flour with the baking soda and salt; set aside. I don't ever sift.

4. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer (I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer) on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Beat in 1 1/4 more cups of the remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating for about 15 seconds after each addition, then beat for 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 minute. Add the whole eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Beat in the banana on medium speed. I didn't time any of beating. I just put in the next ingredient when it was ready.

5. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and beating only until the batter is smooth. I forgot to alternate with the buttermilk, so that went in at the end.

6. With clean beaters, beat 2 egg whites in a medium bowl on medium speed until they form soft drooping peaks when the beaters are raised. Beat the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat only until the whites from shiny peaks that curl slightly at their tips. Using a large wide rubber spatula, fold the whites gently into the batter only until no whites show. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. To level the batter, rotate the pans briskly on your counter top.

7. Place the pans in the oven, two on the upper rack and one on the lower. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the layers are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed in the center. (The layer in the bottom rack will be done first.) Cool in the pans on the wire racks for 10 minutes. Run the tip of a small sharp knife around the sides of the layers to release them, cover with wire racks, and invert. Carefully lift of the pans and the papers. Replace the papers on the bottoms, then cover the layers with other racks, invert and cool completely right side up. I just let them cool in the pans. I only have one cooling rack anyway.

8. For the frosting, melt the chocolate with the butter in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk. Whisk in the milk. Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl, add the chocolate mixture, and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until very smooth. Beat in the cocoa and the vanilla, then beat on medium speed until thick and smooth. The frosting should be spreadable; beat in a few drops of milk if necessary. (VERY little milk, otherwise the frosting will slide off the cake.)

9. To frost the cake, place one of the layers upside down on a cake plate and peel away the paper. Using a narrow metal spatula, spread the layer with half of the banana filling. Remove the paper from the second layer and set it upside down on the filling. Spread with the remaining filling. Place the last layer right side up on top. Spread the chocolate frosting on the sides and top of the cake. Let stand until frosting is set. (The cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before serving). To serve, rinse a sharp knife in hot water and shake off excess water before making each cut. Refrigerate leftovers.

Password Protected

So, Miles thinks this blog needs to be password protected. Therefore, as of tomorrow, our blog will have a password. While I appreciate his concern, I know it's a pain to read/lurk on blogs that have passwords. For the few people who I know read this blog regularly, I will email the password. If you lurk here (and I honestly love to think that you do), please comment and let me know you'd like the password. It would make me feel good to know more than 3 people read this!

***Update***
Apparently I can't just put a password on it, I have to invite people to read it. So, those of you who I know read it, I will invite you. Those lurkers that I'm hoping exist, please email me at mmfamily2006@gmail.com to be added to the list. Also email me if you know I don't have your email address.

Close your blinds!

I just went to close our sliding glass door that leads to our balcony. Directly across and one level down from us I was surprised to see.......


A naked woman.


Yes, she lives there with her boyfriend/husband and was in her bedroom, towel on her head, stark naked. It's dark out, lights on in the apartment...you get the picture. I would find this disturbing if I had kids. However, I thought it was kind of funny considering Miles and I leave our blinds open often, knowing that technically somebody could see us, but at the same time not caring enough to close the blinds (they're a pain). At least we only leave ours open in the living room though and not the bedroom. So, unless we're walking around our living room naked (not a common occurrence), I guess nobody would see us.

A yummy recipe

Made this tonight and it was a big hit with the whole fam (including Ryan and his girlfriend Hanna). I doubled it. Easy too.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin (I honestly didn't pound it that much)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.
In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.
Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

For Insurance Purposes

So, the recent fires reminded us that we should have pictures of the things that we own in case of fire, earthquake, robbery, etc. Today we finally got around to taking some pictures of our stuff.

Most pictures looked like this...




However, I think we got a little camera crazy...and we took pictures like this...

As if an insurance company would be worried about replacing our spices, teas, massive jar of pink sprinkles and cookie cutters. Does everyone's "utensil" drawer look like this? I figure there's at least $100 worth of stuff in there.

Are we the only ones who have empty picture frames lying around?

Oh...and here are my cookbook shelves. Miles finds it amuzing that I own so many cookbooks, but generally make the same things over and over again.

Hey, there are some random law dictionaries in there!

Post some random pictures of your home!

Fires!!!

Yes we're here and we're ok. No evacuating for us. It's actually worse in Orange County where I was yesterday. However, it is really dry and there's ash and smoke everywhere!

Reminds me of 2003 when I was living in San Diego and the same thing happened with all these fires burning at once. So sad. Hope things are better in the morning.

Race for the Cure

Yesterday, Miles and I jogged/walked in the Orange County Race for the Cure. We were on a team through Miles' company but really ran in celebration of Miles' mom. We were amazed by the number of people who were there! We had a blast and we'll be back next year.

Kid Nation

Did anyone watch this? How sad for the kids??? I can't believe they were going to keep an 8 year old away from his parents for 40 days!

3 word Meme

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse
2. Your boyfriend? My husband Miles
3. Your hair? In a ponytail
4. Where is your father? Montana with mom
5. Your favorite thing to do? Sleep, sleep, sleep
6. Your dream last night? I don't remember
7. Your dream car? Recently got this
8. The room you’re in? Guest room/office
9. Who did you hang out with last night? Miles fixing computer
10. Your fears? Not passing bar
11. What aren’t you good at? Singing, basketball, dancing
12. Muffins? Homemade banana oatmeal
13. One of your wish list items? Job, house, baby (guess that's 3!)
14. The last thing you did? Ate ok lunch
15. Your computer? Getting new one
16. Your pet? None, none, none
17. You are wearing? T-shirt, capris, flip-flops
18. Your life? Pretty darn good
19. Your mood? Tired, happy, tired
20. Missing? Job, money, baby
21. Your car? I already answered
22. What are you thinking about now? Answering in 3's
23. Your work? I need job
24. Your summer? Too much studying
25. Your relationship status? Married to Miles
26. Your favorite color(s)? Pink, blue, red
27. When is the last time you cried? I can't remember
28. When was the last time you laughed? Late last night
29. School? Too much school
30. Favorite 90’s group? Debbie Gibson forever

The reason for my lack of posts...

Our computer broke. It just died in the middle of using it and there was no resuscitation possible....discovered only after numerous purchases and returns to Fry's. So, Miles spent the weekend trying to fix it, then trying to fix the other broken computer we had at our apartment (Miles likes to collect them). And, ultimately, we had to buy a new shell. Yes, that's what was wrong with the darn computer...the little plastic button on the shell had broken! So, after 2.5 days, a huge mess, and $50, our computer works again. And the other broken computer Miles tried to fix but couldn't...it's sitting next to the desk...still.

See if you can spot the following in the picture:

1. The new Harry Potter


2. 3 computer towers


3. Miles retainer


4. Elliptical


5. The brand new pillows from Macy's that were so nicely positioned up in the closet...before Miles pulled down his boxes and boxes of computer stuff


6. Goggles


7. And a T-shirt from 5+ years ago that should have been tossed when the company went under

I want our office back!!!

We'd like to upgrade you...

7:59 am: Phone rings. I'm still sleeping (up late last night). "Out of Area" number. Hmm...better pick it up.

Me: Hello
The early caller: Hi Melissa, this is the LA Times. Because you've been a wonderful customer, we'd like to upgrade your subscription so we're sending you the LA Times all week. (We currently only get the paper Th-Sun. And truly I'd prefer to just get Sunday but because of their weird prices, it's cheaper to do it the way we have it set up.)
Me: Well actually you guys called me a few days ago and I declined your "upgrade". You should really tell the people you're calling that they will be charged for this supposed "upgrade". You didn't tell me until I asked.
LA Times: Well, we just don't want you to miss out on this great promotion.
Me: Yeah, about that. It's actually not a great promotion. It is 4 times ($2.99) the amount I'm paying now ($.75) per week, and I receive only 3 more days of papers.
LA Times: Well, you must have a current promotion that expires after 6 months.
Me: Actually, I've been getting the paper for 10 months, as I'm sure you know, and I've been getting the same price the entire time. And, just so you're aware, I pay the same price listed on your website and it doesn't say it's "promotional".
LA Times: Oh.
Me: And by the way, you're calling pretty early. You woke me up.
LA Times: I know. Goodbye.

What??? I guess I could have been nicer. But it was the 2nd time they called in 3 days (after I asked them not to call again). And actually, looking back, I was being perfectly nice. I was just telling them the facts.

So...I proceeded to try to go back to sleep.

13 minutes later...the phone rings again. It's an automated person trying to sell me phone service.

Plastic

Because I was having this conversation with my mother-in-law the other day, I thought I'd post about it.

For years my mom has been telling me not to drink out of plastic bottles, put plastic in the microwave, or store highly acidic foods in plastic. I kind of paid attention but not really. Well, in the past year or so, the studies have really been showing what my mom has been saying is true. Besides the fact that throwing away plastic is bad for the environment, certain types of plastic can leach into your food and cause all different types of problems with the most serious being cancer. Babies are at a higher risk. BPA (Bisphenol-A) is found in polycarbonate plastic bottles (baby bottles and Nalgene bottles - anything that contains a #7 in the little triangle on the bottom of the bottle) and is particularly harmful. #1 is used for regular bottled water and is not quite as harmful. #3 is also apparently bad. Because I'm not a scientist and can't possibly do a very good job of explaining it, please do the reasearch yourself. You can search for:

• BPA and plastic
• Bisphenol-A and plastic
• Polycarbonate and plastic

You get the idea. In the meantime, here's a list of the plastics and which ones are good, bad and in-between:

http://www.cure-guide.com/Natural_Health_Newsletter/Plastic_Bottles/plastic_bottles.html


Here's an article on baby bottles:

http://www.babiestoday.com/articles/4858/1


So, what do you use instead? Aluminum is the best solution I've come across. My mother-in-law claims that aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's. However, I did a bit of research and found that thus far there's really no link. So, where can you buy aluminum bottles?

• Whole Foods
• REI
• http://www.mysigg.com/

I realize that not everybody believes this stuff. So, all I ask is to please do the research yourself and make an informed decision.

Sleeptalking?

According to Miles, I spent 3 hours last night talking in my sleep...but he couldn't understand anything I said besides "Mom!" I do remember having some weird dreams where I was back in high school and living in Claremont. Strange. Anyhow I've never done that before so we'll see if I ever repeat myself!

I have a million and one updates but just don't have time right now. Keep checking in though and I promise to have updates and pictures in the next few days of our trip to MN and Vinny's wedding.

Wicked! and a new baby

Most of the weekend was spent in Claremont due to my college reunion. So, we took the time to visit one of Miles' best friends from high school, Adam. Adam and his wife Andrea (she was in my class in high school while Adam was in Miles') just had a baby a month ago. Aidan is absolutely adorable! We had a great time visiting with the three of them.

Sunday I went to see Wicked at the Pantages with my mom and my grandparents. It was amazing. Can't decide which was better...Jersey Boys in NY or Wicked here. Spend the money, see the show, it was great. Who knew that the Wicked Witch isn't really dead!

By the way...I would post pictures, but our computer died last night. So, I'm on my laptop...but our pictures are on the completely dead computer...technology at its best.