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(520) 241-0371
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Eli was born in Tucson and returned to settle in the Old Pueblo in 1992 after traveling abroad. He lives in midtown with his girlfriend, Kristen, and their four dogs. Eli founded ECL Consulting, LLC in 2004 to provide accounting, QuickBooks and business consulting services to small businesses throughout the US.

A holiday story from Eli:

Coming from a large family it has always been important to find ways to stretch the dollar around the holidays. Getting gifts for seven brothers and sisters, thirteen nieces and nephews, parents and assorted in-laws can be a real challenge. As much as I believe in and enjoy gift giving throughout the year, this season I decided take a different approach and in the process increase the value of my dollar.  

My family and I have decided to forego individual gift giving and pool our money to sponsor a family in need. Many families in Arizona are struggling just to provide food and clothing for their kids. Donating to an organization that offers holiday meals, presents for children and family sponsoring programs can allow you to make someone else's holiday brighter and have a greater impact with the same or even lower cost than your usual holiday budget. Think of the kind of gift you might give to just one of your family members or friends for $50. That same amount given as a grocery store gift card to a family in need could mean a holiday dinner. And guess what - your donation could be tax deductible!

You can contact Aviva Children's Services for information on sponsoring a family for the holidays.

There are many ways to give during the holidays - and throughout the year - we encourage you to find a cause or organization that appeals to you.

Enjoy the holiday season - we look forward to working with you in the New Year!

Kris, a long time resident of Tucson, has recently moved to Maryland where she'll continue to provide outstanding bookkeeping services for ECL Consulting's clients.

She has a store of great holiday recipes. Here's one that's well worth the effort!

Crust:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 T white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Filling:
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
3 (8 oz) packages softened cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 jar seedless raspberry jam

Mix cookie crumbs, 3 T sugar and melted butter. Press cookie mixture into 9 in. spring form pan.

Melt white chocolate chips with half and half in metal bowl over simmering water - stir until smooth - remove from heat.

Mix in large bowl softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in 1 egg at a time. Add cooled chocolate mixture and stir again.

Pour half of batter over crust. Drop small amounts of raspberry jam evenly over batter and swirl slightly with a knife. Repeat again after adding remaining batter.

Bake at 325 for 55-60min. Best if done in a water bath. Before doing so cover bottom and sides with heavy aluminum foil.

Susie is originally from Colorado but has lived in Tucson for 10 years; she doesn't miss shoveling snow.  She's a bookkeeper for ECL Consulting.

Here's a family recipe from Susie.  Susie wasn't a big fan of pumpkin, but after tasting this cake, she was sold, and you'll be, too!

 

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

Beat together all ingredients and put in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

 

Sprinkle the contents of 1 box yellow cake mix over top of pumpkin mixture.

 

Sprinkle 2 cups chopped pecans over the dry cake mix.

 

Cut up 2 sticks of butter and put them over the pecans.

 

Bakes at 350 for 50 minutes.

Carol and her husband, Bob, moved to Tucson in June of this year from Atlanta, GA.  Her main job is to keep things running smoothly at ECL Consulting, and she also produces this newsletter for you each week.  Here she shares her favorite dessert recipe.

 

1 (19.8 oz) pkg. fudge brownie mix (Carol thinks it's easier - and just as tasy - to use a couple of bags of 2-bite brownies)

1/2 c Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liquor (optional)

3 (3.9 oz) pkgs. instant chocolate pudding mix

1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

6 (1.4 oz) Heath candy bars, crushed

 

Prepare and bake brownie mix according to directions in a 13 x 9 inch pan.  Prick top with a wooden pick, and brush with Kahlua.  Cool brownies and crumble into small pieces.

 

Prepare 3 packages of pudding according to directions, using a total of 4 cups milk instead of 6 cups, and omitting the chilling procedure.

 

Layer in a container (use a large glass bowl to make it look extra pretty) starting with 1/3 of the crumbled brownies, followed by 1/3 of the pudding, then 1/3 of the whipped topping and 1/3 of the crushed candy bars.  Repeat twice, ending with candy bars.  Cover and chill for 8 hours.  Dig in!