They repossessed my car last night. I haven’t been able to afford the payments because I haven’t had a job since last August. The payments were $263 but I owed over $13,000, for a 2015 it was too much money. I don’t have any other car to drive right now. I have to rely on my mother to take me places. I can’t afford another car. I want to be able to buy one without a loan.
PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES AND CREAM CHEESECAKE
Prep time: 30 min Total time: 6 hours 35 minutes Makes: 16 servings
WHAT YOU NEED:
30 OREO cookies, divided
1 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
35 starlight mints, divided
4 pkg. (8oz each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 pkg. (4 oz) BAKER’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate
2 oz. BAKER’s white chocolate
MAKE IT
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
USE pulsing action of food processor to process 18 cookies until finely ground. Add butter, mix well. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 min.
CRUSH 30 mints, then drop 10 of remaining cookies. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Stir in crushed mints and chopped cookies. Pour over crust.
BAKE 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.
MEANWHILE, crush remaining mints, then chop remaining cookies. Cover baking sheet with parchment. Melt chocolate separately as directed on packages. Spread semisweet chocolate into thin layer on prepared baking sheet; top with tablespoonfuls of white chocolate. Swirl gently with spoon. Top with crushed mints and chopped cookies. Refrigerate until firm.
BREAK chocolate bark into small pieces; sprinkle over cheesecake before serving.
How to Host an At-Home Holiday Cookie Swap
1. ORGANIZE THE GUEST LIST
Invite enough people to provide a good variety of cookies, but not so many that organizing becomes stressful. Six to eight is ideal.
2. CHOOSE THE DESSERT MENU
Decide who will bring which type of cookie, and ask them each to bring copies of their recipes to hand out to other guests.
3. DON’T FORGET THE WRAPPING
Pick up pretty packaging supplies so everyone can take home a sampling of cookies when the afternoon ends.
4. MAKE SERVING SEAMLESS
Count on the Chinet Cut Crystal glasses to serve wine and champagne, the Chinet Classic white plates for displaying the beautiful array of cookies and serving savory hors d’oeuvres, and the Chinet Comfort Cup insulated hot cups for serving drinks, like hot cocoa and coffee, that guests can even bring home.
Get Free Skin-Cancer Screenings
According to the American Cancer Society, about 96,000 people will be diagnosed with some form of melanoma in 2019. Because early detection saves lives, the American Academy of Dermatology offers free skin-cancer screenings at locations around the country as part of its SPOTme program. Examine your own skin on a regular basis. If you see anything suspicious, make an appointment at one of the SPOTme centers. Go to aad.org and search for a “SPOTme” to find the nearest one.
Fix Loose Hinges
If you have a loose hinge on a door or cabinet, simply back out the screws and insert a glue-coated wooden golf tee. Once the glue has dried, cut the tee flush, and you’ve got brand-new material for the screw to bite into.
Purchase a New Fridge – On Sale
The Fourth of July is a hot time to buy refrigerators because retailers lower their prices to bring customers out of the sun and into their stores. In fact, some prices dip lower at this time of year than they do on Black Friday.
Don’t Vacuum in a V
Vacuum horizontally on your way into a room and vertically on your way out. This pulls up the pile and releases trapped dirt better than vacuuming in a V shape.
Green Beans Are Good for Dogs
Green beans are the full package, according to rover.com: They’re a great source of fiber; omega-3 fatty acids; magnesium; calcium; iron; and potassium. In fact, green beans are so healthy for dogs that some people make them a sizable portion of their fur babies’ food regimen. Just remember not to add salt or seasoning.
Beware This Airport Germ Hot Spot
A group of Finnish and British scientists found more traces of flu and other viruses in the trays in the security area than in any other location in the airport- even the toilets. Nothing that these trays are handled by nearly all embarking passengers and aren’t disinfected routinely at every airport, the scientists recommend using hand sanitizer before and after passing through.
Clean Up Your Desktop
“Organize your computer like you would your desk,” reccomends Calley Nye. “Delete unnecessary files and uninstall unused apps. Having things you don’t need loaded onto your computer will slow it down and introduce vulnerabilities.”
Zimply Zakieh 