Lake Oswego Mom

White Bean Chicken Corn Tomatillo Chili

2011-06-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

I love both Chicken Corn Tortilla Soup AND Chili! I also love tomatillos, that green vegetable used for making Salsa Verde.

Great Chili is made from scratch, slow cooking from ingredients the cowboys had access to in the pioneer days.

Prep a day ahead by soaking the white beans (I get them from Whole Foods).
Soaking the beans overnight increases their nutritive value, and decreases the gas causing agents in beans. Sometimes I soak them for 2 days, pouring off the soak water, and replenishing it with fresh water.

I have also taken to using the infamous Costco Roasted Chicken. Debone the chicken, then boil the bones to make stock. Start this a day ahead and boil all day until the bones fall apart. This increases the calcium value of the broth. I asked a Chinese doctor how Chinese get calcium in their diets. Chinese are noted to have osteoporosis later in life than Westerners. The Chinese doctor told me that the secret is soup, made with soup bones boiled for a day or more. this is also the secret to making great Pho broth.

Another wonderful ingredient in this recipe is BACON. Now really, do you think those cowboys had extra virgin olive oil in their packs? No, they had Bacon, a cured meat that they could take with them on their travels. Not to worry about the cholesterol if you stick to the recipe and add garlic and a couple of onions. Onions and garlic are known to neutralize the creation of cholesterol when cooked with fatty meats such as steak or bacon.

After this, the rest of this recipe is easy.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken roasted (available at Costco)
1 cup of dried white beans (soaked overnight) (cheaper and more nutritious than canned)

12 fresh tomatillos (available at Win Co Foods or Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cans of Rosarita refried beans
4 strips of bacon cut into 1" pieces
2 small onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro (cut up - leaves only, remove stalks)

Step One: Cut the wings, thighs and drumsticks off the roasted chicken. Using a knife, cut along the ridge of the bone dividing the chicken breasts, as close as you can to the bone for maximum removal of the chicken breasts. Separate the chicken breast from the bone as you cut, using a fork. When you have removed the entire chicken breast, cut it crosswise in 1" cubes. Cut or pull the chicken meat off the wings, thighs and drumsticks.

Place the chicken bones in a large pot filled with water.

EASY TRICK: If you have one of those pasta pots with a colander insert (the one with holes in it to let the water out) use this to put the chicken bones in! When they are done, just lift the colander out of the chicken broth, bones and all!

Bring to a boil. Turn it down to medium low and cook for hours until the bones fall apart. Add water when needed.

MAKE AHEAD OPTION: You can make this calcium rich chicken broth and pour it into containers for storage in the refrigerator or freezer.

Step Two: Take the soaked white beans that have been soaking overnight, and rinse them.
Add them to a baking dish and cover with an inch of water. Put the lid on and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.

Step Three: Cut up the bacon into 1" pieces. Cook them over medium heat in a skillet. Chop up the onions and garlic, adding them to the bacon. Cook until the onions are transparent.

Step Four: Quarter the tomatillos. Add the tomatillos to the onion mixture. Add enough chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer until the white beans are ready. Add all the spices above. Add the cut up jalapeno.

Step Five: When the chicken bones have fallen apart, remove them from the chicken broth.

Step Five: When the white beans are soft enough to eat, use a slotted spoon, and transfer just the beans (not the water) to the big pot of chicken broth, after the chicken bones have been removed. Turn the heat up to Medium heat.

Step Six: Add the Rosarita refried beans to the soup, stirring and mashing them on the side of the pot until they dissolve into the soup.

Step Seven: Add the tomatillo onion bacon garlic mixture to the soup.

Step Eight: Cut the corn off the two ears of corn and add to the soup. (Yes, you can substitute with frozen corn)

Step Nine: Add the chicken meat, and cut up coriander leaves. Serve over rice.

Good with Doritos black bean tortilla chips and Costco Mango Peach Salsa.

Bad Cholesterol Lowering Foods

2011-01-11T13:51:00.001-08:00

Pondering what foods actually lower Bad Cholesterol Levels? There is LDL and HDL.
Seems that increasing one decreases the other.

I decided to look around on the web and found these links to be of interest:

Mountain High Yogurt Tzatziki Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip

2010-11-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, it's almost as good as Trader Joes, but not quite. Please comment on any additions to make it better.

Okay, so I got a taste test yesterday, and the taster says it tastes better than TJ's. See yesterday's post.
TJ's Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip

But how can that be?
It's because I used this Mountain High Original Vanilla Yoghurt.

TJ's Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip with Mountain High Yoghurt

The vanilla adds a sweetness to it that melts in your mouth.

If you can't get Mountain High Original Style Yoghurt where you live, try a full bodied natural yoghurt and add a touch of honey, and a drop of vanilla.

See what you think.

1/2 cup Mountain High Original Style yogurt - Vanilla
1/2 cup TJ's Lite Sour Cream
Zest of 1 TJ lemon
Juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)
1 Cucumber thinly sliced with a veggie-matic type veggie slicer set to very thin.
1 Tsp TJ's garlic (comes in a jar all pureed. A must in my kitchen)
3 Tbs fresh dill
1 tsp dried mint

salt and white pepper to taste.

Tzatziki Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip - Trade Joe's Style

2010-11-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

OMG!!! I just had some Trader Joe's Tzatziki at their food sampling bar which we all know and love. We brought some home, and it didn't last very long.
I searched the Internet for a similar recipe as the ingredients on the tub and this is as close as I could find.
I used the Trader Joes ingredients, and just the measurements from the other recipe.

1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup TJ's Lite Sour Cream
Zest of 1 TJ lemon
Juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)
1 Cucumber thinly sliced with a veggie-matic type veggie slicer set to very thin.
1 Tsp TJ's garlic (comes in a jar all pureed. A must in my kitchen)
3 Tbs fresh dill
1 tsp dried mint

salt and white pepper to taste.

Mix it all together and serve with Trader Joes's Sesame Seed Pita bread.

Yum ; )

Okay, okay, it's almost as good as Trader Joes, but not quite. Please comment on any additions to make it better.

Okay, so I got a taste test yesterday, and the taster says it tastes better than TJ's.

But how can that be?
It's because I used this Mountain High Original Vanilla Yoghurt.

TJ's Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip with Mountain High Yoghurt

The vanilla adds a sweetness to it that melts in your mouth.

If you can't get Mountain High Original Style Yoghurt where you live, try a full bodied natural yoghurt and add a touch of honey, and a drop of vanilla.

See what you think.

Annuity Basics

2010-07-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Annuity Basics

The Sandwich Generation

2010-06-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Have you had a good sandwich lately?
This is a photo essay I did today called The Sandwich Generation.
Ben told me about this concept where the baby boomers are sandwiched between their aging parents and their kids needing student expenses and tuition for colleges.

Betty Hill's Homemade Jam

2010-05-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Lauren, Aidan and I were invited to dinner at Betty Hill's house in Corvallis. Richard and Kim were visiting, and we all got together for a wonderful dinner of Raclette. The Raclette was so amazing that we didn't stop to take a photo of it.

During our visit, Betty Hill invited me to see her prized garden. It had raised vegetable beds, fruit trees, and flowers. Every year Betty makes home made jam. Her supply from last summer was almost depleted. She gave us Blueberry Jam, Apricot Jam, and Strawberry Jam that she made to take home with us. This morning, I opened the jar of apricot jam and spread it on my English muffins. Betty's jam is exquisite! It is rich in fruit and not very sweet, just as I like it. Betty Hill says many 100% fruit jams on the market are mostly apple with some fruit. Hers is 100% apricots, or 100% blueberries, or 100% strawberries with not other fruit mixed in. This accounts for its richness of flavor and lower sugar content.
Thank you Betty Hill for having us over for Raclette this week and giving us some of you marvelous homemade jam.

Shrimp Portofino - Macaroni Grill on Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

It' s Mother's Day and I was cleaning off our kitchen billboard and found this photo of Shrimp Portofino at Romano's Macaroni Grill
It's simple to make and delightfully complex and nurturing.
Since I am an unemployed single Lake Oswego Mom, I want this Mother's Day dinner but to be where my son Aidan and I make this wonderful dish from scratch at home.

We have these wonderfully huge Prawns from Uwajimaya's, our favorite Asian market. New Season's Market has Organic cream on special this week for $2.50/pint. If you don't live near a Uwajimaya's or New Season's Market, Trader Joes has good frugally prices on all these ingredients:
1 - 1/2 lb of Prawns
1/2 cup of cream
1/4 cup of roasted pine nuts
1 bunch of fresh spinach (or 1 small bag of salad spinach)
1 lb of Angel Hair pasta
1/2 cup mushrooms - sliced
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Kalamata Olive Oil - or butter
1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/4 cup of white wine
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
1 Tbs capers

1) Saute Prawns in garlic and butter until the slightly pink.
2) Brown sliced mushrooms in butter.
3) Start a large pasta pot of water boiling on high heat.
4) In a small saucepan, combine the wine and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat to medium low. Add the Parmesan cheese. Stir occasionally. Add the capers.
5) When the water in the pasta pot comes to a boil, add Angel Hair pasta, stir until the pasta is completely submerged under the boiling water. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook only for 3 minutes.
6) Wash and drain the spinach.
7) Test one strand of Angel Hair pasta to taste for doneness. Strain pasta when done.
8) In the saute pan, add pine nuts and toast until slightly brown, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
9) Add the spinach, cream and wine mixture to the pine nuts. Cook on a medium heat for 2 minutes, until spinach is slightly wilted.
10) Add the Prawns and stir until coated with the sauce. Turn off the heat, and remove from stove.
10) Pour the pasta into a big pasta bowl. Sprinkle the basil on the Angel Hair and toss lightly.
11) Place the pasta into individual pasta bowls.
12) Spoon the Prawns and cream sauce over the pasta and serve.

Serves 4

Social Security Benefits for Married Couples

2010-05-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

I found this great article today on Yahoo Finance:
6 ways Couples can Maximize on Social Security Payouts
I've been unemployed for months now, and recently engaged. I have been pondering what happens with Social Security for married couples. It appears that in these amazing economic times, many people are joining forces.

"Spouses are entitled to a Social Security payout of up to 50 percent of the higher earner's check if that amount is higher than benefits based on his or her own working record. ...

Dual-earner couples who have reached their full retirement age can claim Social Security twice: first as a spouse and later using their own work record. A person may choose to sign up for only a spouse's benefits at their full retirement age and continue accruing delayed retirement credits on their own Social Security record. ...

Example:

A man planning to retire at age 70 could claim a spouse's benefit based on his wife's earnings at age 66
Then claim again based on his own working record when he exits the workforce at age 70.
High-income couples with relatively equal earnings gain the most using this strategy
A former spouse may be eligible for benefits if the marriage lasted at least 10 years. The divorced spouse must be age 62 or older and unmarried. The amount of benefits an ex-spouse claims has no effect on the benefits the worker and her or her current spouse can receive."

Simple Math:
I think this means that if the wife's social security benefits by age 66 are $1500/mo, then the husband can claim up to $750. This gives the couple $2250/mo in Social Security payouts.

At age 70 the husband then starts his Social Security claim which pays more than if he started it at age 62 or 66. earn a higher monthly amount. If he is entitled to $2500/mo by waiting until age 70:
$1500 + $750 + $2500 = $4750/mo in Social Security payouts for the couple after age 70.

For those of us whose mortgages are not paid off by the time we reach age 70, this is good news!

Please send in comments and clarifications on this blog post. Let's get a discussion going!

Japanese Yam Leek and Ginger Soup

2010-04-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

8 cups Chicken stock
3 or 4 Japanese yams (satsuma imo) - 1 - 1/2 lb baked
2 small to medium leeks white and green parts thinly sliced crosswise
1 tbs olive oil
3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 tsp Paprika
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
Sea Salt
culinary lavender buds for garnish
Serves 10

Satsuma Imo are Japanese yams or sweet potatoes. I cannot find a reference to it being a nightshade, so if anyone knows, please fell free to comment.

Bake the Japanese yams at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.
Saute the leeks in olive oil.
Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Working in batches if necessary , combine the sweet potato mixture, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, the gunger, and the cyenne in a food processor or blender and process until a smooth puree forms. Pour into a large bowl and let cool to lukewarm. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. (the flavor improves with time)
Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls and garnish with the chives. Serve at once.

Pineapple Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

2010-04-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

3 cups grated carrots

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1.5 cups canola oil

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup raisins or currants

1 cup crushed pineapple (drained)

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9x13 baking dish/pan.

beat together carrots, sugar, eggs, oil and cream cheese.

2. In a separate Bowl, sift or whisk together flour , baking soda, slat, and cinnamon. Stir into carrot mixture. Add vanilla, raisins, pineapple and nuts, and mix well.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55-85 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, and then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of butter

8oz of Cream Cheese

1 lb of powdered sugar (but only use 1/4 or 1/2 a cup. adjust to taste)

2 Tbs of Milk

1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

Steps:

1. Cream together softened butter and cream cheese.

2. Sift powdered sugar into cream cheese mixture in a mixing bowl.

3. Add milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Recipe for Teens

2010-03-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Aidan is my high school son. He made this for dinner last night for us. Cooking is a life skill that every teen should have. Cooking is economical. we call it Frugal Cuisine.

2 Chicken breasts
1/2 bag of Bowtie pasta (8 oz)
2 stalks of broccoli
2/3 cup of cream
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs olive oil

1) Start a steamer pot with 3 quarts+ of water of High heat.
2) Wash the broccoli, and trim off the outer thick stem skin (if any) with a carrot peeler. Slice the broccoli vertically, so that it looks somewhat like the broccoli in the photo above.
3) Put the broccoli in a steamer and place it over the pot of boiling water.

4) When the stems become translucent, they are done (about 2-3 minutes). Take one out and test it by eating it. Remove steamer with the broccoli and set aside.

5) Keep the water boiling. Add the bow tie pasta. Cook for about 8-10 minutes.

6) In the meantime, place a large skillet on medium high heat with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, or enough oil to coat the bottom on the skillet. Make sure that the skillet has a lid.

7) When the oil is hot, you will see wavy patterns in the oil or smoke coming off the top.
Hold the lid as a shield, in one hand.
Quickly put the chicken breasts in the oil and cover with a lid so that it doesn't spatter.

8) IMMEDIATELY turn the heat down to MEDIUM.
Move the lid so that it is not covering the skillet completely, so that steam can escape, and the oil doesn't spatter, leaving about a 1/2" to 1" opening.

9) While the chicken is cooking, get a small 1 quart saucepan out and pour the cream in it. Put it on the stove at Medium heat.

10) Stir the pasta. Take one out and let it cool about 30 seconds, and taste to see if it is done.
When it is done, turn off the pasta and remove it from the stove.

11) Stir the Parmesan cheese into the cream. This is the simple Alfredo sauce.

12) Check the Chicken. When it is brown on the bottom side, turn the chicken over with a spatula, then put the lid back on the skillet, slightly opened to allow steam to escape. If you don't let the steam escape, the chicken will get steamed instead of browned.

13) Stir the Alfredo sauce and check the chicken.

14) When both sides of the chicken is browned, take one out and cut into the middle of it to check for doneness. It should be opaque (not pink) inside.

15) When the chicken is done, remove from skillet and turn off the heat.
Cut the chicken into 1" cubes. Put them into two pasta bowls or on two plates.

16) Stir the Alfredo sauce.

17) Scoop the pasta out of the pot with a slotted spoon, or drain the water then scoop the pasta out of the pot. Place the pasta in bowls on top of the chicken.

18) Evenly distribute the broccoli on top of the pasta.

19) Drizzle the Alfredo sauce evenly over the broccoli, pasta and chicken.
Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Irish Soda Bread with Blueberries & Orange Zest

2010-03-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

My Irish friend Mark made this for us for St. Patrick's Day. It is so wonderfully scrumptous; freshly crusty on the outside and deliciously warm and soft on the inside.

3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 orange

In a large bowl combine:
3 cups organic unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Grate the orange peel of one orange (about 1 Tablespoon) and add the raisins (soaked in a tsp of lemon juice or irish whiskey) to the mixture. Blend in 1 -1/3 cup of fresh buttermilk and 4 Tbs of melted butter. Fold in the blueberries, saving a few for the top.

Turn into a greased 2 quart casserole. cut an X on top of the batter. top with remaining blueberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Serve warm with butter and blueberry jelly or jam.
Serves 8

My kid was hit by a car in Corvallis

2010-02-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

My daughter was hit by a car last Monday, Feb 1st. She was on her bicycle. she said she looked both ways before crossing,but a car came around the corner and hit her. She said she landed on the hood of the car driven by an OSU college student. She then landed on the street on the driver's side.
A man came out of a church and offered to call an ambulance. A student came out of his Frat house, and adminsitered first aid. Her head and hand were bleeding. The impact bent the bicycle handle and knocked the chain off, so the bike was no longer ridable.
My daughter suffered a concussion, and is still not able to think clearly.
She could not think, nor could she talk much. She went to class and was not able to understand a thing.
Other students in her class got her to go to OSU student health, where they treated her and bandaged up her hand, putting her fingers in a splint.
The same afternoon in Corvallis, a truck came around a corner, and hit a baby carriage. The baby died.
The driver of the car wanted my daughter to sign a document stating that it was my daughter's fault, and not the driver's fault in this accident. I told my daughter not to sign it, and that it is the driver's fault, and not her's nor was it the baby's fault. It is aways the driver's fault.

I feel selfish, but I thank God that if a kid was to die in a car accident in Corvallis that afternoon, I thank God that my daughter is alive. I feel sorry for the baby. I am so grateful that mine is safe.

Interest free ARC Loans for existing small businesses

2009-07-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

There is a special loan for existing small businesses which have been historically profitable, and have been impacted by this latest Economic Crisis. It is called an ARC Loan. ARC loans are interest free for up to 5 years. They are administered through the SBA - Small Business Association for up to $35,000.

What is an ARC Loan?

The America’s Recovery Capital, or ARC, loan program is designed to give

viable small businesses suffering immediate financial hardship some temporary financial relief so they can keep their doors open and get their cash flow back on track.

The ARC loan program is a new, temporary program authorized by the Recovery Act.
An ARC loan is a

deferred-payment loan of up to $35,000,
to be used for principal and interest payments on existing, qualifying debt/loans.

ARC loans are 100% guaranteed by SBA and have no SBA or lender fees associated with them (unless the lender must secure collateral as part of the loan).
There are no interest charges to the borrower. The SBA will pay the monthly interest at the rate of Prime plus 2% to the lender on behalf of the borrower. The current rate is published in the Federal Register.
There is a disbursement period of up to six months followed by 12 months with no repayment of the ARC loan principal. After the 12-month deferral period, the borrower pays back only the ARC loan principal over a period of five years.

Business Grants

2009-07-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here in Lake Oswego, among the Mansions and modest apartments, we are but a microcosm of Oregon being impacted my the Global Economic Crisis. Stimulus package? If you want your part of the stimulus package, you have to work your butt of to get it. No pain, no gain. Just like tax deductions. If you want them, you have to keep records and work hard to get them.

Here is another site I found for finding Business Loans and Grants. It is simple and targeted. What I like about it, is that it isn't flashy, nor so federal that you can't find anything.
Here is the link to the Business.gov search page for Loans and Grants:
http://search.business.gov/startLoans.html
Here you can search for Grants in a targeted area. I selected Technology as a broader term for Internet Technology. It came up with one granting source
businessownersideacafe.com/small_business_grants
This site is targeted for small business owners and the grants are $1000 each. This way they can give more grants to more people.

Again, will all the grants, you do have to work for them. You have to write a grant proposal.
Hey, where is your Entrepreneurial spirit?

Grants.gov - seriously part of the US government

2009-07-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my last post was commercial. There is value in commercial, if they do the footwork for you. If you want to go direct to the US Government for grants, go to Grants.gov
They are a part of the US Dept of Health and Human Services in Washington DC

If you have experience finding and writing grants, you may be able to find your way around this site, and write grant proposals. Many of the grants on this site are for non-profit organizations, government entities, schools, etc.

If you are looking for

small business grants, this site you to the Small Business Association
student loans - goes to FAFSA - studentaid.ed.gov

Realize that the government is not the most user friendly environment. Some of the commercial sites will be easier to find your way around in.

Stimlus Package - Federal College Grants for Women

2009-07-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

Back to current events. Here in Lake Oswego, many households have taken a financial hit, losing half their financial portfolios. There is a trickle down effect as they cut back on spending. This effects restaurants, house cleaners, and dry cleaners, etc.

One of my friends falls into one of these above categories, and is also a single mom putting her kid through college. She is pondering changing careers. I said I've been seeing blurbs on the Internet about college grants for older women who want to re-train - to change careers, by going back to college.

She thinks this sounds great, and asked me to send her any information that I come across on this topic. I decided to re-focus this blog on this topic, as it is a current concern here in Oregon. We are now at a 14% unemployment rate, second only to Michigan which is at 16%. Both the auto industry and construction are hit hard. Since Oregon's main export is Forestry and Nursery products, the fall in the Contruction industry impacts Oregon pretty hard.

Search on this:
college scholarships for returning students
I found this link on the federal website:
US Government Grants >> Government Grants for Women
"The government has special programs set aside for women that are designed to assist in starting up a small business, providing grants and scholarships for school (including loans for school and Financial aid), and even grants for graduate school including law school and medical school ...
One benefit of the current economic crisis is that there is a lot of bailout money available. Despite media coverage to the contrary, a huge chunk of this money has been reserved for government grants to help women get back on their feet. President Obama has made it a goal of his administration to provide grants to help women in business development through grants and loans, particularly for women entrepreneurs, education assistance through scholarships, and assorted grants for just about everything else.

Am I Eligible to Receive Government Grants?

As long as you live in the United States and are a citizen or resident you are eligible to receive a free government grant. The government is legally required to give away a portion of the tax money it collects each year, in the form of government grants. We are here to educate the public about Government Grants because only about 15% of available grants for women are even applied for!

Get grants from $50,000 - $1,500,000 or more, free, that you never have to pay back whether you’re employed or unemployed."

The above words are right off the usgov-grants.org website. Unlike so many other come on ads flashing on the Internet, this one is serious. This site recommends 3 different other websites to assist seekers in finding the grants best suited foy you, and grant writing software.

Grants for Citizens - This one has Grant writing software and is the most comprehensive, thus also could be the most overwhelming. They have templates so you just have to fill out personal information, and it will format the rest.
Grants 360 - sortable listings of all the grants, again the list could be overwhelming.
Free Government Money - this one specializes in grants for Women and Minorities and low income people including grants for getting out of debt and paying your medical bills

This federal site does say you may be charged $1 to $2 for CDs.

Yes, you do have to work at it to get a grant. Remember that grants from the US government require proper documentation, especially in these days of government transparency. Your local SBA - Small Business Association office may be able to help you find and get started on these grant applications.

DINKS - SINKS - NOF-NOFs : Relocating to Portland from NIH

2009-06-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

We moved here because my husband got a job on "Pill Hill" which is Marquam Hill in Portland where OHSU overlooks the Willamette River. OHSU is Oregon Health Sciences University, the only medical school in Oregon. Healthcare professionals are very dedicated to their work. We decided this move to Portland was a good time to start a family.

My husband was an NIH Fellow. He got a position in Portland. NIH is the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. I was a Technical Director at Ross Perot's company, EDS, while Roger Smith ran General Motors. I remember Roger and Ross would have fights in the board room. It got to the point that Roger fined Ross $10,000 per insult or disruption (or something like that) . Ross being the colorful guy he was would then pick his battles more carefully. When he got fined, Ross would say "It was worth it!"

Back to us. We DINKS hardly saw each other. Late nights at NIH meant that I knew every good restaurant within a reasonable distance to NIH that was open past midnight. Our schedules were so busy, we had to make time to see each other. Thursday night was out data night, even though we lived together, it was nice to spend some face to face time together.

Moving to Portland was a nice change. I'm a San Franciscan, and living in the Washington DC area was a culture shock for me. When it came time for my husband to leave NIH, I said:
"Let's go back to the West Coast, anywhere on the West Coast, except Alaska!"
I was not at all enamored with snow.

Becoming a mom was a welcome relief from being on the career track though it reminded me of being a manager. All those people to take care of. Now I just had two. Getting by on one income, and having a beautiful 3 story home in the West Hills, was both a luxury and an economic stressor. No matter what echelon of existence, I think couples moving from being DINKS (double income no kids) to SINKS (single income numerous kids) AND having relocated to NOF-NOFs (no family no friends) is really a huge stress on a couple.

Lake Oswego, Oregon

2009-06-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

I love Lake Oswego. It's a quaint town just south of Portland. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to get to downtown Portland from here, but I'm happy just hanging out here around the lake. Lake Oswego is bounded by hills on both the north and south sides and by the Willamette River on the east side. On the west, it is bounded by I-5, the main interstate freeway that shuttles travelers through from California to Washington on their way up to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Lake Oswego is the only lake in the Portland Metropolitan area. It was historically a weekend get away spot for the wealthy Portlanders who built homes or cottages on or near the lake. This is why there are so many cottages here. Some of them have been very well kept. Others are treated like vacation rentals - now just regular home rentals, and some are in a sad state of disrepair.

I've been living here since my kids started kindergarten. I lived in a number of apartments around the lake before buying my own home. In this blog, I hope to take you on a tour of this quaint little town, that we locals so dearly love.