Pepperplate: Plan - Cook - Share

Just found the coolest app for my Nook HD+.  The great thing is.... it is also supported for iPads, iPhones, Android tablets & phones, Windows tablets & phones, and Kindle.

And it's FREE!!!!

My Nook HD+ is the perfect size to use in the kitchen when I'm cooking, and my old cookbook program was only Windows-friendly.  They've been promising tablet support for YEARS.... but I'm really tired of waiting.  Our society is becoming more & more mobile....the time is now.

Because Pepperplate will also synch with my Android phone...if I should be suddenly inspired when I'm grocery shopping, I can quickly look up a recipe via my phone.

Pepperplate is a web-based cookbook/recipe file manager, but it will synch with all of the items/environments listed previously.  You can also use it for meal/menu planning, grocery lists, & share with others.  Import recipes from other websites, or manually enter your own recipes.  I have been able to copy and paste from my old cookbook program into Pepperplate very easily.

I am using the web-based program on my Windows XP netbook,  and then synched on my Nook HD+, and synched with my Google Nexus (Android) phone.  I'm thrilled....a major organizational gap in my daily life has been FILLED!

Find it at: Pepperplate

  

 

Magnify the small print with ZOOM on your smartphone camera.

Today I went to Lowe's to buy paint.  When I came home, I wanted to review the directions to make sure I allowed enough drying time between coats of paint.

WHEN did print on paint cans (and everything else) become so SMALL?

Now, I don't have poor vision.  I mean, I do have the obligatory middle-age progressive lens, but I can also read without them in a pinch....just too long & I get a headache.

I suspect with more & more regulations requiring manufacturers squeeze more & more onto the same sized label...in at least 2 or 3 languages..... it's only inevitable.  

I keep a magnifying glass in my kitchen drawer and I'll go dig it out when I -really- need it.  But, for heaven's sake!  I just wanted to find out the proper drying/curing time!

Voila!!!!  My camera phone!  I simply took a picture of the label in good lighting, and then I can ZOOM right on my phone, as well as navigate around to the area I want to read (and avoid the languages I don't understand.)

This little trick also works well for recording the model numbers off of those little metal plates conveniently located underneath or behind your favorite large appliance.
  

This is the original picture I took with my smartphone:

And here is the zoom.  Now remember, on my camera, I can move the zoom around to different areas I want to view.

No more squint lines for me!

Cranberry Bourbon Sauce

I really wanted to get this made before Thanksgiving, but recovery from sinus surgery was not as expedient as I had hoped. So, I didn't get to play with this recipe until today....but I promise you, it was worth it!  

And it made me question...... WHY do people only eat cranberry sauce with turkey at Thanksgiving?  These were so fast & easy...and are full of health benefits!  Tonight we had them with grilled steak, and I think they would be equally awesome with chicken, roast beef, and pork, in addition to the traditional turkey.  

We will certainly be eating this year round!

2 - 12 oz bags of cranberries, washed well & drained

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup Kentucky bourbon

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sugar (may add additional 1/4 cup or more to taste)

I think next time I may try using Stevia or honey in place of sugar, or a mixture of both.  

Welcome!

It's all over the internet....Pinterest is the place to be, and I am totally addicted to Pinterest!  I finally decided to start my own blog just to have an easier means to post original items to Pinterest, as well as share some of the great ideas I've found along the way.  

I don't have any unique wisdom to share, any secret combination to success.  I have family, friends, and a full-time job, but it seems I have creative thoughts going through my brain round the clock! 

I'm going to try to not bother you with a bunch of space-filling chit-chat, but just get to the nitty gritty.   If I don't give you enough information .... just ask and I'll try to fill in the gaps.  

Again...welcome to Wilde Spirit.... a place always open to new ideas and new ways to do things.