Cram the Cruiser

Cram the Cruisers right here at Susanville Super March 1st~




It’s time to Cram the Cruiser for Lassen Family Services! Direct Service Supervisor Heather Roney tells me this year they will have a Show your Support competition here at Susanville Super on March 1st. This competition will pit the Sheriff’s Department against the CHP to see who ends up with the most donations. All in good fun and all proceeds support LoCaL victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Last year you filled 2 cars 3 times each! Nice work peeps. Let’s once again help them fill their food shelf with non perishable grocery, diapers and  non food items! 

LFS also maintains a Clothing Closet with clothes and shoes for anyone in need. Maybe you know of a LoCaL kid that needs a formal for a dance or prom and doesn’t have the means, LFS has Brittany’s Closet which is just for formal wear. Keep this in mind next time you clean out your closet. All those gently used clothing and shoes going to help others. Great job Lassen Family Services! 

I asked Clothing Closet Coordinator Laura Kimball what her favorite part of her job was "the people we serve, they are so appreciative."  Laura told me "Last week a woman came in and her shoes were too tight, she found a pair that fit and started dancing." Laura said this was the  "BEST. DAY. EVER.” No doubt. 

Update~ The competition is on! The Sheriff's department and CHP are going all out to get the most donations! 

Chicken Soup

Ugh. I hate being sick. I’m sure the cold/flu has multiplied and morphed into some horrible new disease right before it struck me. I could die you know. This is what happens in my head, on the outside I’m all “I got this” faking invincibility. Several years ago one of said morphed diseases took me down and our bookkeeper Lori Scott sent soup home with Rick. It. Was. Amazing! The next day at work I asked how she made it, sure she had stewed a whole chicken and made the whole thing from scratch. Wrong. This is her favorite get well quick soup and not only is the 'get well’ quick, so is the soup. 

I keep the recipe basics in the house always now so if disaster strikes I’m ready with soup. I whipped up a batch, with just what I had on hand that day, while my granddaughters were visiting and asked Nikki to try it. As most of you know Nik has Crohn’s and has been subjected to a lot of liquid diets over the years. She is not a fan of Chicken Soup but always willing to play along, she tried it. Guess what? Nikki loved it! This is no ordinary soup recipe.

My daughter Cyndi and granddaughter Kailey are vegetarians. Cyndi came up with her own version of Lori’s Chicken Soup, in her words “because vegetarians need chick’n soup too”.  She has spent years perfecting and adapting her favorite recipes and lets me know if there is a terrific vegetarian product we should carry. You can let us know if there is an item you want too. We aim to please :)

Bell’s Seasoning and Better Than Bouillon give the soup that full body of a stewed Chicken cooked for hours. Orzo pasta seems less starchy than rice and gives a clearer broth. Spinach gives it a freshness. Other than that, the sky is the limit, throw in whatever you like best. For the vegetarian version sub No Chicken Better Than Bouillon, Vegetable Stock and Gardein Chick’n Strips.

Lori’s Chicken Soup
1 can Chicken drained and shredded
1 carton Chicken Broth or Stock
1 diced onion
1/2 cup Orzo pasta
1/2 tsp Bell’s Seasoning 
1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken 
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 or so handfuls fresh spinach
Carrots? Zucchini? Celery? Mushrooms? Whatever you have on hand. I like all of these. 
Saute fresh veggies in olive oil. Add all other ingredients. Simmer. Get well. 

Hometown Healthy in a hurry!

Winter Blahs

Winter Blahs. All the Christmas decorations are gone. Thank goodness, it does start to look a little cluttered to me. Now what?  I asked Interior Designer and owner of Room By Room Interiors Naomi Turner for a few tips, things to get us through until we can all SpRiNg it up again. Naomi has lived in Susanville since she was 11, served as Chamber President and is super active in Elks, Monticola and our community.

Here are some of the simple inexpensive things Naomi suggests doing to change the look of a room~ Add pillows. Naomi has a great guide for whether to use small or large, if your couch/chair is deep and your always grabbing something to tuck behind you anyway get large, it’s a more casual look. Smaller if it’s for a more formal setting.
Add throws. So here’s my question, whether to toss or fold? She says the same applies here, formal setting fold, casual toss. If you have pets you don’t want on the throws (mine like to wad them up for their comfort) she says you can keep them in a basket or trunk.
Add a rug. Naomi likes to keep at least 2 feet of each piece of furniture in a conversation area on the rug. Her number one choice for updating or sprucing up a room inexpensively is paint. I have made many a paint mistake in my life, when I asked her how to choose she suggests getting a sample size and either painting a section of wall or paint a plain white piece of paper and be sure to let the paint cure, it will dry lighter. Great ideas from a woman that has won awards for her designs!

I have a couple tricks of my own, one is to paint a piece of furniture. I have this desk I bought at a yard sale about 20 years ago for $30. Originally maple, this desk has been yellow, blue and finally black. I don’t think there’s any coming back from that. But. I adore this desk. I keep my Mom’s encyclopedias on it, which are red,  they were purchased the year I was born. My daughter says the dinosaur photos are real and that the world was flat when they were written or something like that. I couldn’t remember exactly what she says so I sent a text to ask her, her reply “They’re so old the sun still revolved around the earth. Jesus is noted as a contributor. The earth was definitely still flat. They are pretty great though, TERRIBLE factual reference but still entertaining.” All true, I’m entertained right now.  But I digress. I hung a photo Rick took over the desk that compliments the colors nicely. Not only do I like how it all looks but it all means something to me. Every time I paint it I buy a new pull. Changing out the pulls on cupboards and dressers is another super easy way to get a new look.

Take heart. SpRinG is just around the corner~

LoCaL Expert in Produce

Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people.~ Steve Jobs
Produce Manager John Whitby is a shining example of this. He understands that the relationships he builds are what make him successful. Father of 4 married to the adorable Texan Candice, he has been managing our Produce Department for 14 years. His department only has 4 people in it but they represent a combined (Produce Department) experience of 50 years! That’s a lot of product, seasonality, freshness experience, and what they don’t know they can find out.
John has a terrific relationship with General Produce Account Manager Linda Unden. She has been in Wholesale Produce since 1980 and General since ‘98. Wow. Right? Lots of knowledge to draw on there. Linda once delivered bananas in her car from Sacramento when we ran short. She also works Kidsfest every year AND donates a brand new bike for raffle. Quite a lady.
I asked John what brought him to Susanville and he said he came for the Gunsmithing Program and while he learned a lot he discovered it wasn’t for him. He interviewed with us at a Job Fair, got hired in Produce and was running the department within one year. He told me “I wouldn’t want to work any where else and I wouldn’t want to work for any one else”. Why do they always make me cry :’)


It’s all about relationships. We're Proud to have John as our LoCaL expert in Produce.