Budget tip: Cooking with beer

Many recipes, especially mine, call for beer. Often it is best to use heavy imported ales or micro-brews for this purpose due to stronger flavors that don't get washed down while cooking, but they can be expensive. Here's a solution that works well for me.

In the back of most supermarkets is a close out shelf of discontinued or about to expire merchandise. While usually it contains products most people don't buy, quite often I've found beer or wine that is either not going to be carried any more or has been on the shelf a little too long at great discounts. While it may not be optimum for drinking anymore, it still is useful for cooking! For instance, nothing is better as a liquid for a nice beef stew on a chilly fall evening than a robust brown ale, and I was able to get two bottles for the price of one at Safeway yesterday. I have seen some decent wines that would be great for cooking at similar prices on the back shelf of both Safeway and Albertson's. Save yourself some cash and pick them up when you see them. They are a great way to stretch your budget.

Remember, you don't have to like a beer or wine for drinking in order for it to be a great base for an amazing meal.

Review: iPhone 5

OK, now that I've had a little over a week with the iPhone 5, I can tell you that it is the best iPhone yet without reservation.  While many have criticised Apple for not really innovating, I think there are really a few innovations here that have been over looked.  

A new connector - Lightning

The Lightning connector may not seem like a big deal, or to others has been seen as an inconvenience, but is a game changer in my book.  Yes, it will mean new accessories will need to be purchased.  It means I need to have 2 different adapters in my car, one for the iPhones Carrie and I have, one for our iPads and older iPhones the kids carry.  However, the advantage of being able to just plug a cable in without fumbling to make sure the correct side is up while driving is a HUGE improvement not just to use but to safety in a world where many of us plug our phones into our cars for everything from entertainment while driving to GPS navigation.

Maps

While the maps are not perfect (or even ready to be used for navigation in most areas), they are a sign that Apple is once again trying to branch out into existing areas without reliance on partners.  While this could backfire like the ill-fated Ping service or the iPod Hi-Fi, it could end up making Apple a player in a market they have left to others in the past.  Apple has always been a company that tries to do thing themselves when unhappy with the way partners or other companies are doing things.  Google would not give them the turn-by-turn directions that were needed to really integrate maps properly, preferring to reserve that aspect to it's own Android platform.  This left Apple with a choice:  either continue to let media and users see them as sub-par to Google, or make a change.  While they may not be firing on all cylinders to start with in iOS 6 with maps, you can expect that to change quickly.  Now that they can see the places improvement is needed, Apple can get people and processes on board to address the issues and get things right.

Specs/Performance

The iPhone 5 is by far the fastest iPhone, and according to tests from the major hardware sites, the fastest Smartphone on the market.  Combined with a true HD screen and a smaller form factor the iPhone 5 sets the standard once again for performance and features.  It is still the phone everyone envys, and is the only phone in the category that creates the kind of frenzy we saw at launch.  No other smartphone has ever sold-out presale availability in less than an hour.  No other phone in the category has EVER sold more than 4 million units in the first weekend.  In every way that matters to Wall Street and consumers, the iPhone 5 is a winner.

There are a lot of sites that can give you performance breakdowns and benchmarks.  What I want you to know is that you will not be disappointed in this purchase, now or in 6 months.  Lets see any other device give you that.

R.I.P. Bill Moggridge - Computer and design pioneer

Engadget:

The next time you hinge open that notebook PC and smile at a feature that makes it easier to use, give a thought to Bill Moggridge, who passed away Saturday from cancer at the age of 69. The pioneering designer invented the modern clamshell design seen in all modern laptops, and is also viewed as the father of human interaction software design. The Compass Computer he designed for Grid Systems with the screen folded over the keyboard appeared in 1981, flew on the space shuttle, and inspired virtually every notebook design since. Perhaps more importantly, when he tried to use the machine himself, Moggridge was exasperated with the difficulty and decided to take the human factor into account for software design. To that end, he engaged experts from fields like graphics design and psychology, and tried to "build empathy for the consumer into the product," according to former partner, Professor David Kelly. The pair merged their design firms to form Ideo in 1991, and worked with clients like Apple, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble, designing products like the first Macintosh mouse and Palm V handheld along the way. In 2010, Moggridge became the director of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, and was a recipient of that institution's lifetime achievement award. He also won the Prince Philip Designer's Prize, the longest running award of its type in the UK, given for "a design career which has upheld the highest standards and broken new ground." See why that's true by going to Cooper-Hewitt's tribute video, right after break.

 For more information, see the video and bio of Moggridge at Cooper-Hewitt.org

Woot-Off! Great bargains and fun!

Woot.com has declared a Woot-Off, and it is a great chance to get some great gadgets at a great price.  Every once in a while they have limited quantities of a wide range of products, and they rotate through them to sell them off instead of having just a single deal like they do on most days.  If you have never shopped on woot now is the perfect time!  Just click on their logo in this post and have fun!  Make sure to check back often through the day, as there is no telling when they will switch to a new and exciting product.  Save on wine, gadgets, toys, shirts etc. all day.

Kickstarter Food! - Cheese & Crack

One of the things that is an exciting trend in Portland food is the Food Cart, and I've decided to start highlighting new cart ideas that have taken to KickStarter for final funding to get off the ground.  Crowd sourcing technology has been an ever present fact of life, but crowd sourced local food is an idea I love.

The latest idea is Cheese & Crack, a gourmet cheese and cracker box featuring hand-made crackers with local cheese and meat.  A great concept, and one I can't wait to try this summer.  You can find out how to help here, and check out the video for more information.

 

Budget Week: Stretching your food budget

This week I wanted to see how far I could stretch one meat purchase.  I bought two full (both sides) chicken breasts yesterday, with a total of just over three pounds.  I cooked them in beer in my crock pot, and then put them in the fridge to cool off and stop them from cooking past their prime.

Night one: Chicken Salad

I took one half of a breast (yielding about 2 cups of chicken) and shredded it.  I mixed in 1/2 a cup of Greek yogurt, a bit of salt and pepper, and about a 1/2 cup of driend cranberries.  I had it on gluten-free bread and the wife and kids had white bread.  Rave reviews, and still 3/4 of my meat for the week is left.

Night two: Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I found a recipe on foodnetwork.com here, and thought I'd give it a try.  I used a nice brown-rice pasta and crushed corn flakes instead of bread crumbs.  The recipe only used a very small amount of chicken (I used 1/2 of one side of the breast, leaving plenty of chicken going into day three.  The blend of flavors was great, and the whole family enjoyed this quick meal.  Since the chicken was already pre-cooked yesterday, prep went real quick and easy as well.

Stay tuned, we'll see how far I can stretch 3 pounds of chicken!

Bacon Night!

OK, bacon has rightfully taken it’s place as the sixth food group.  As such, Thursday night will henceforth be known as Bacon Night in America.  To start things off, tonight will be a bacon feast: Bacon Burger meatloaf, Mashed Yams with Bacon, and Bacon Bourbon Brownies for dessert.  Stay tuned for recipes and pictures!

New Feature - Cooking with Beer!

Starting today, each Wednesday I will be posting a Dinner recipe that features beer.  This is not just a gimmick, this is something that I fell quite strongly about.  Wine has been used for centuries in cooking, but Beer has never quite gotten it’s due.  With more nutritional content and often more flavor than wine, I find beer to be an amazing liquid to cook with, often using it in place of stock or even water in recipes.

Stay tuned, this could get a little crazy!

Kindle Fire review coming tomorrow!

OK folks, our first try at how this format will work is coming tomorrow.  Our review will include not only my take, but perspectives from the wife and kids.  I can't wait to get the ball rolling, but don't have much choice.  Someday we'll be big enough that I get devices pre-release instead of waiting for normal shipping.

Also look for a case roundup, I have 4 or 5 coming along with the Kindle Fire.

Working on the business plan while I update the shipping status on Amazon.com every few minutes.

 

Stay tuned!