HOME & LIVING
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
Recovery Month is about bett er health for everybody
KAREN
WHEELER
September has been designated
as National Recovery Month with
a focus on educating and cele-
brating the many rewards recovery
has to off er. Eastern Oregon resi-
dents are very aware of the impact
that substance use has on those
with substance use disorders
and those who love them. In this
light, September is a time to come
together and refl ect on not only
this issue, but also the positive and
affi rming message that recovery is
both possible and attainable.
In all, 3.8% of U.S. adults expe-
rienced a co-occurring substance
use disorder and mental illness in
2019 (9.5 million people).
In 2020, 2,388 (42.4 of 1,000)
Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care
Organization (EOCCO) members
were identifi ed as having a Sub-
stance Use Disorder (SUD); 7,192
(127.6 of 1,000) EOCCO mem-
bers were identifi ed with Mental
Health disparities; and 897 (15.9
of 1,000) EOCCO members were
identifi ed as having co-occur-
ring mental health/SUD issues.
These numbers do not address
the impact that SUD/MH issues
have on the community, families,
or peers of those living with the
eff ects of SUD/MH disparities.
Last year and in 2021, GOBHI
and Oregon Recovers partnered
to organize a series of focus
groups in Eastern Oregon to
assess the experience of individ-
uals with lived experience nav-
igating the current substance
use disorder (SUD) system of
care. Participants noted many
challenges facing those in
recovery, however several key
trends emerged.
Across the board, both individ-
uals and family members identi-
fi ed a lack of understanding and
knowledge of substance use and
recovery as the primary reason
they did not begin their journey
to recovery sooner. Perhaps even
more concerning, stigma of both
substance use and recovery was
an obstacle noted by participants
throughout the focus groups.
In rural communities, this
stigma can be especially pro-
nounced due to isolation and lone-
liness. Eff orts within public edu-
cation as well as advocacy are
crucial so we can convey that
recovery can and does work.
The 2021 National Recovery
Month theme, “Recovery is For
Everyone: Every Person, Every
Family, Every Community,”
reminds people in recovery and
those who support them that no
one is alone in the journey through
recovery. Everyone’s journey is
diff erent, but we are all in this
together. All of us, from celeb-
rities and sports fi gures to our
co-workers, neighbors, friends,
and family members, throughout
our lives have experienced peaks
and valleys, both big and small.
But with strength, support, and
hope from the people we love, we
are resilient.
Mental health and substance
use disorders aff ect people of all
ethnicities, ages, genders, geo-
graphic regions, and socioeco-
nomic levels. They need to know
that help is available. These indi-
viduals can recover, both phys-
ically and emotionally, with
the support of a welcoming
community.
Recovery Month celebrates the
action and courage demonstrated
by those in recovery, just as we
celebrate health improvements
made by those who are managing
other health conditions such as
Continued from Page B1
alone,” says Jandrokovic, whose
husband, Phil, has made it for ev-
ery Steelers tailgate since he took
over his father’s tickets fi ve years
ago. “We take it in a crockpot so
it’s easy to transport.”
If you like your tacos a little
spicier, simply add salsa or hot
sauce. Other optional toppings
include diced avocado, chopped
cilantro, sour cream or corn. I
made the taco seasoning from
scratch but there’s no shame in
using a pre-packaged mix.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted
butter, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose fl our
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Generous pinch of salt
1 ounce semisweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons
cocoa powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely
chopped, or more to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup gold or yellow M&Ms
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For salad
If there’s one given at a tail-
gate party, it’s that someone will
bring Buff alo chicken dip. Some
make it with canned chicken
(ugh!) but I wouldn’t dream of it;
my go-to is shredded rotisserie
chicken.
For a handheld twist on this
old favorite, I stuff ed the dip
inside a refrigerated pie crust,
creating an empanada-like treat.
days. These also freeze well.
Makes 16 brownies.
— Adapted from marthastew-
art.com
Every party needs some sort of
dessert, and brownies fi t the bill for
a tailgate. These get the black-and-
gold treatment with the addition
of yellow M&Ms. It’s a pain to sort
them from the bag, but they add a
colorful home team touch. I added
chopped pecans, but you could
sub in walnuts or almonds.
For taco seasoning
BUFFALO
CHICKEN
EMPANADAS
Karen Wheeler is the Chief
Executive Offi cer of Greater
Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.
BLACK
AND GOLD
BROWNIES
TAILGATE
1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup water
1 head of iceberg or romaine
lettuce, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 15-ounce can pinto or black
beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Catalina or French dressing,
bottled or homemade
2 cups tortilla chips or
Doritos, crushed
Make taco seasoning mix:
Measure out all the ingredients in
a small bowl. Mix well. Taste and
adjust salt or spices as desired.
In a large skillet, cook beef over
medium heat 6-8 minutes or until
it’s no longer pink and breaks into
crumbles. Drain and stir in taco
seasoning and water; bring to a
boil. Reduce heat and simmer, un-
covered, for 4-6 minutes or until
thickened, stirring occasionally.
Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, toss lettuce
with tomatoes, olives, green on-
ions, beans and cheese. Top with
beef mixture and crushed chips;
drizzle with dressing and toss to
combine.
Serves 6-8.
— Philip Jandrokovic, Brighton
Heights
hypertension, diabetes, asthma,
and heart disease. Too often, these
recovery achievements go unno-
ticed or underappreciated.
We can all play a part in
inspiring health and healing for
people living with behavioral
health conditions by supporting
people who are on the path of
recovery — no matter where they
are in that journey — and by
building awareness of these condi-
tions in our own personal and pro-
fessional networks.
Together we can help others
realize the promise of recovery
and give families the right support
to help their loved ones.
For more, please visit the
National Recovery Month
page: https://www.naadac.org/
national-recovery-month.
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Taco salad is easy to prepare, transports well and avoids the mess of a handheld taco.
I also tucked in a bit of chopped
cilantro and a pickled jalapeno for
some extra zip, with blue cheese
dressing for dipping. (If you’re
not a blue cheese fan, substitute
ranch.) I used two dough rounds
per empanada, but you also could
cut the circles a little larger and
fold them over to make it easier.
While I’ve made this dip
countless times with Frank’s Red
Hot sauce, I discovered Hank
Sauce “Cilanktro” this spring in Sea
Isle, New Jersey and became a
fan. It includes cilantro along with
hot pepper and garlic.
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
6 ounces ( 3/4 package)
cream cheese, softened
6 ounces shredded
cheddar cheese
1/4 cup blue cheese
crumbles, optional
1/3 cup blue cheese or
ranch dressing
1/3 cup of hot sauce, or
more to taste
2 packages refrigerated pie pastry
Chopped cilantro and
pickled jalapenos
1 egg beaten with a little
water, for wash
Blue cheese or ranch
dressing, for dipping
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together
shredded chicken, cream cheese,
cheddar and blue cheeses, blue
cheese dressing and hot sauce. If
it’s not saucy (or spicy) enough,
add a little more hot sauce.
Unroll a pastry sheet onto a
lightly fl oured surface. Using a
fl oured 3-inch round cookie cut-
ter placed halfway on the edge of
the pastry, cut dough into circles,
or if you want to get really cre-
ative, 4-by-3-inch football shapes.
Repeat with remaining dough,
chilling and rerolling scraps as
needed.
Transfer half of the cutouts to
greased baking sheets. Place a
spoonful (about 2 teaspoons) of
chicken mixture in the center of
each one and fl atten with your
fi nger, being careful to leave
room on the edges.
Top with a little chopped cilan-
tro and a pickled jalapeno. Brush
edges of pastry with egg. Top
with remaining cutouts and press
edges with a fork to seal. If using
football shapes, cut slits in the
tops to resemble football laces.
Brush tops with egg wash.
Bake 8-12 minutes or until
golden brown. Remove from pan
and serve hot, or allow to cool to
room temperature. Serve with
ranch or blue cheese dressing for
dipping.
Makes about 3 dozen empana-
das.
— Gretchen McKay, Post-
Gazette
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter 8-by-8-inch baking pan.
Line bottom with parchment or
wax paper, leaving an overhang
on two sides. Butter paper; set pan
aside. In a medium bowl, whisk
together fl our, baking powder
and salt.
Place butter and semi-sweet
chocolate in a microwave safe
bowl, and heat in microwave, 10
seconds at a time, until smooth,
stirring occasionally. Stir in cocoa
powder and oil. Add sugars, eggs,
vanilla and fl our mixture; stir to
combine well. Stir in M&Ms and pe-
cans, if using, then transfer batter
to pan with a spatula.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until a
toothpick comes out with only a
few crumbs attached (or sooner to
make sure they’re soft). Cool com-
pletely before slicing into squares.
Store in an airtight container at
room temperature for up to three
PINEAPPLE
JALAPENO
MARGARITAS
A season opener calls for a
really great cocktail. This pineapple
jalapeno margarita off ers a perfect
balance of sweet and heat, and
best of all, serves a crowd.
For pineapple jalapeno
syrup
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 jalapeno, sliced
For cocktail
9 ounces cointreau (or any
orange liqueur you prefer)
12 ounces lime juice
8 ounces water
750 ml bottle of tequila (I like the
peppery notes in blanco tequila)
Prepare pineapple jalapeno
syrup.
Combine juice and sugar in a
saucepan and gently heat until
sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
Remove from heat and add sliced
jalapeno. Let steep for 10 minutes,
longer for more heat. Cool to room
temperature.
Combine 3 ounces of pineapple
jalapeno syrup with cointreau, lime
juice, water and tequila in a con-
tainer (enough to hold 57 ounces)
and stir to combine. If time allows,
chill the ingredients. Since you
are not shaking the cocktail, there
is no dilution so adding water is
important for the cocktails to be
balanced.
Grab a red solo cup — it is for
a tailgate after all! — fi ll with ice,
garnish with a lime wedge and
enjoy!
Makes roughly 15 4-ounce
cocktails.
— RaeLynn Gigler
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