8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016
Local
Back to school cooking
Grease 12 muf-
fin cups.
Mix
diced ham with
onions and pep-
pers and fill each
muffin cup with
the mixture.
Top with
shredded cheese.
Mix eggs,
milk, baking
powder, oil and
Homemade Goodness
salt & pepper
in a bowl. Pour
By Eileen Driver
over ingredients
in muffin cups to
While we are still enjoy-
about 4/5 full.
ing the beautiful sunny
Bake 20-25 minutes, take
summer days and the spe-
out of oven and let rest five
cial time we are spending
minutes before serving or
with our kids, in the back
of our minds is the realiza- storing.
These will last about
tion that school starts soon.
five days in the fridge, and
We look forward to this
warm to eat as needed or
with mixed feelings. It
you can freeze them and
gives us more time to get
microwave about two min-
things done, but also gives
utes before serving.
us more to do.
You can also mix any
That morning rush when
of your favorite omelet
we are trying to get every-
ingredients for these and
one ready to go as well as
have different flavors of
fix them a good breakfast
omelets ready anytime. I
and lunch, can be very
like sausage and mush-
stressful.
Here are some fix it now, rooms or bacon and frozen
hash browns or totally veg-
freeze it and warm it in
etarian with lots of diced
two minutes ideas to help
vegetables.
make school days a little
For lunch along with
calmer. So get out your
a fruit cup and a carton
cupcake and muffin pans
of milk, this next recipe
and take a day to stock up
would do the trick.
on some great do ahead
Taco Cupcakes
meals.
1 pound ground beef
Muffin Tin Omelets
1 pkg or 1 ¼ ounces taco
8 eggs
36 wonton wrappers
½ cup milk
1 can or homemade
1 teaspoon baking
refried beans
powder
36 tortilla chips
1 teaspoon oil
2 cups shredded cheddar
Salt & pepper
shredded cheddar cheese cheese
Optional topping:
Diced ham
Diced tomato, onion,
Chopped onion
sour cream, salsa, guaca-
Chopped bell pepper
mole
Preheat oven to 375
Preheat oven to 375
degrees. Fry up onion and
degrees.
bell pepper til soft.
Spray 18 muffin cups
with cooking spray.
Brown ground beef,
drain off grease, add taco
seasoning and required
amount of water, then sim-
mer 45 minutes.
Set aside.
Place one wonton wrap-
per in bottom of each muf-
fin cup. Layer about one
tablespoon refried beans
on top of wrapper. Crush
one tortilla chip on top of
beans.
Top with one tablespoon
of taco meat and 1 table-
spoon of cheese. Repeat
layers again starting with
wonton wrapper and end-
ing with cheese.
Bake 15-18 minutes or
until golden brown. Top
with your favorite optional
toppings.
If Italian is more your
preference this next one
is super easy and just as
delicious. It tastes like a
mini Italian meatball sub,
throw in a small salad with
a packet of ranch dressing
and you’re all set.
Meatball Cups
2 cans crescent rolls
11, 1/2 cups shredded
jack or mozzarella cheese
16 frozen meatballs
½ spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon finely
chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 350
degrees.
Prepare 16 muffin cups
with nonstick cooking
spray.
On lightly floured sur-
face unroll and pull apart
crescent dough triangles.
Press one triangles into
each muffin cup so bottom
and sides are covered.
Sprinkle bottom of each
cup with about 1 teaspoon
of cheese.
Place meatball on top
of cheese, lightly pressing
into dough.
Bake for 10 minutes and
remove from oven.
Top with 1 teaspoon of
sauce and an additional
teaspoon of cheese. Return
to oven and bake 10
minutes or until dough is
golden and cheese is bub-
bly. Serve with sprinkle of
parsley.
If something a little
sweeter is what you crave
this next recipe would
work for breakfast, dessert
for lunch or a great after-
school snack.
Of course if you need an
energy booster while their
in school that’s okay too.
Peanut Butter Choco-
late Chip Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking
powder
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375
degrees. Spray 18 muffin
cup with nonstick cooking
spray.
Stir together flour, salt,
baking powder and choco-
late chips in a large bowl.
Combine milk, eggs, sugar,
peanut butter and vegeta-
ble oil in separate bowl.
Mix ingredients from
both bowls until dry ingre-
dients are just moistened.
Do not over beat.
Fill muffin cups and top
with additional chocolate
chips. Bake for 14 minutes.
These are a good project
to make together with your
kids, as they are fun to
cook and it will give them
bragging rights at school
when lunch time rolls
around and they get to say,
“I made it myself.”
Baker Fire
Department
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
He laughed and said he would like to get his wife in to
volunteer more now that this is his full-time commitment.
Yerrick says stepping into a full-time position versus a
volunteer position is “way different.”
He said, “I am not going to pretend I was the best
volunteer. I wasn’t always available to be here as much as
I wish I could’ve been. I had been through the fire fighter
level 1 course in January 2015, then the EMT basic
course through BMCC. That class was a joint affair be-
tween four different departments—I believe it was Baker
City, La Grande, Pendleton and Hermiston. We made up a
class last fall and spring quarters.”
Yerrick said that at that point most his experience was
a lot of bookwork but the Blue Mountain Community
College (BMCC) classes did offer simulated situations
although very controlled.
Upon his hire he explained, “The pace has been so
much faster and the expectations, responsibilities and the
learning curve is much greater.”
The staff at the BCFD is well seasoned—most have
been there several years. It’s not often that they hire. The
rise in volume of calls being answered prompted the addi-
tion of the position.
According to Yerrick, “They (his fellow firefighters)
make the job look very simple and easy, but truth is it is
very complex. You have the community that really relies
on this department for EMS-related calls, and there is a
high percentage of them. That is a major component of
this department as well as firefighting.”
Jeremy feels his customer service experience from Blue
Mountain Oil helps him deal with community members
he comes into contact with, most commonly in highly
stressful situations.
He says he feels this type of service is gratifying on a
different level than in his previous position, although he
acknowledges calls for oil in winter were important, calls
for life support are just different. Jeremy is originally
from Washington—his wife Ashlee is originally from
Indiana.
Before moving to Baker City approximately two years
ago they lived in Washington. The two enjoy the out-
door opportunities available in the area and Jeremy said
although he is not a master hunter, he’s learning.
He said, “I did not have any luck last archery season.”
He sees potential with some of the others in the depart-
ment coaching him. Yerrick said he does “really like the
outdoors. Anthony lakes is a great area.”
He and Ashlee love to hike and both ski during the
winter months.
The couple don’t have any children but do have one
dog.
City Council
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 7
Justice Court Update
A quarterly report, as re-
quired by the Interagency
Governmental Agreement
between the City and
Justice Court allowing the
court to serve as the City’s
municipal court, Michael
Finney, Court Adminis-
trator addressed council.
Finney advised that he did
not have any “earth shat-
tering cases” in the quarter
for which he was reporting.
He noted that City writ-
ten offenses were down
from the previous quarter,
although not significantly.
He also gave statistics of
those citations with only a
handful needing to go into
a collection process of the
court that would ultimately
result in suspension of the
driver’s license.
Finney also advised that
the revenue turned over to
the city of collected fines
for the quarter was $9,600
up from last year’s $8,900.
Finney advised Council
that the Court has entered
into an indigent defense
contract with local attorney
Ken Bardizian, allowing
the Court to hear criminal
matters which they’ve not
been hearing for several
years.
Finney stated, “we
have yet to appoint him
(Bardizian) to any cases.
Unfortunately, we don’t
dictate what cases do
come to us, that’s up to
the District Attorney. We
are anticipating more with
Hunting season coming
up.”
Historically hunting
misdemeanors have filed
in Justice Court.
Councilor Lowe asked,
“Are there any changes or
trends in the offenses that
are happening?”
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
SEE CITY COUNCIL
PAGE 9
Michael Finney, Justice Court Administrator and Judge Don Williams addressing
Council.