Help for Your Holiday Meals

Here is a list of websites that offer food and cooking info you can use when planning your holiday meals! 
Each link will open in a new browser window.

1.  The Splendid Table's "Turkey Confidential" - This page contains the two-hour Thanksgiving episode of America Public Media's food and cooking show, The Splendid Table.  In addition to the recording, there are twenty-one recipes covering all holiday meal courses, and even great ways to fix leftovers.  Lynne Rossetto Kasper's style is very friendly, positive, and she gives easy-to-follow recipe ideas and cooking tips.  Her love of cooking and how it brings family and friends together shines through every episode.




2.  McCormick's "How Old Are Your Spices" - If you have McCormick brand herbs and spices in your pantry, you can find out how old they are in mere seconds.  Simply enter the product code on the bottom of your spice jar and the city listed on the label in their easy-to-use form.  I discovered my poultry seasoning was thirteen years old!  Even if the McCormick website says your flavoring is out-of-date, double check it yourself.  Take these three steps to see if it's time to run to your favorite spice store:

1. Look at the herb or spice:  Is it faded or discolored?
2. Open the jar and smell it: Can you smell anything?  If not, it's probably lost all flavor.
3. Taste the herb or spice: Either taste a bit on your finger or mix some flavoring into a small amount of cottage cheese or plain yogurt.  If there is no discernable flavor, toss it.

(I tested my poultry seasoning and it was a goner.) 

3.  Consumer Report's "Wine Buying Guide" - If you are unfamiliar with wine styles, how to serve and store wines, or typical wine lingo, this page and its links will get you started on the delicious vine-ripened path.  This section is open to the public.  Consumer Reports also offers ratings and other information for their online and magazine subscribers.

4.  All About Beer's "Stylistically Speaking" - Going the barley-and-hops route, but not sure what beer style would go best with turkey, ham, or roast beef?  Check out All About Beer magazine's online beer style guide!  The listings are reprints from their magazine.  Be sure to click on the Next link at the bottom of the page to discover even more types of beer.  When you click on the Read More link, you'll get in-depth information about a beer style, and some representative beers.  Ready for even more beer information?  See their extensive Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers.  I've enjoyed reading All About Beer for several years.  They contain some good info for hard-core beer fans and brewers, along with new-to-beer friendly reviews and beer-centric travel ideas.


5.  Cheese.com - Want a little cheese with that wine (or beer)?  Find out everything you wanted to know about cheese and what to expect when you're expecting to eat cheese on this website.

And of course, ask your local food specialty shop, artisan producer, friends and family for great ideas to make your holidays special!

Happy Holidays from Totem Media, L.C.!!

All photos are from Microsoft's clipart website.

Are You My Friend? Take the Quiz!

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other social media networks can be a great way to keep in contact with friends and family, network with clients and business partners, share tips and interesting information, and meet others with similar interests. These networks can also be a time waster, give identity thieves your personal information, and cause misunderstandings and hard feelings.

One way I limit the negative side of social media networking is by limiting the number of people in these networks.

If you request to be my friend, follower, link, etc. and are rejected, ask yourself the following questions. Add up the total and see how you score!!

1. Do I know you? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
If I don't know you at all, have never conversed with you, and wouldn't be able to ID you in a police line up, you probably won't be accepted in my network.

2. Are you a good person? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
This isn't only what you think of yourself, but also the general consensus amongst your peers and family. If you are a liar, a thief, a racist, or a jerk in general, don't even bother trying to connect with me.

3. Do we have anything in common? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
If you know me, then you know some of my likes and dislikes in art, music, politics, work, hobbies, and lifestyle. If we don't share any interests, it's pointless to connect.

4. Have we been getting along lately? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
If we recently had a disagreement or things have been tense between us for a while, let some time pass and make an effort to work through the issue with me before trying to join my social media network. I won't risk getting virtually yelled at just to have another person in my network.

5. Do you genuinely want to network with me? - Yes (1 pt) - No (0 pt)
Networks are for interacting. Unless you are very interesting to me and offer a product/service/skill that I want in my life, I won't follow or friend a one-way info blast.


SCORING:
0 pts - Who the hell are you and how did you find this blog?!

1 pt - Maybe I met you on a message board or some other virtual space. I might let you join, but don't feel rejected if I don't. My time is limited and I need to keep up with close friends and family.

2-3 pts - We probably have met once or twice and had a good time talking. I probably will let you join, but my interaction with you may be limited.

4-5 pts - FRIEND! Glad to see you!! (If your request was rejected, either I didn't see it or accidentally pushed the wrong button.)

If we're gonna meet up online, check out these important tips from Consumer Reports:
Consumer Reports' 7 Things to Stop Doing on Facebook

Recycling Electronics Is Getting Easier

In my March 30, 2008 blog post, I discussed the issues and methods of recycling electronics.

As more retail stores, equipment manufacturers, and local governments open or expand their recycling programs, it is getting easier for consumers to recycle computers, televisions, media players and cell phones.

In the June 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, they answer the question "Why recycle?" by explaining,

"The cathode-ray tube in old-style TVs and computer monitors contains 4 to 8 pounds of lead, a neurotoxin. Cell phones and other electronic gadgets can contain mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and brominated flame retardants. Those toxins can leach from landfills into groundwater."

Read the full article.

We had an old 19" standard-definition, non-HD-ready CRT television that we no longer needed and could not find a friend or neighbor who wanted it. The TV worked fine, but even selling it on Craigslist was more problem than it was worth. We decided to recycle it. Houston has recycling centers that accept glass, electronics, motor oil, and paints. We went to the closest center and dropped off the television with the workers. We explained it was a functional television, so in case they or someone else wanted it, they were welcome to have it.

If you have an old cell phone, check with your local women's shelters or other charities to see if they accept cell phones for their clients. (Some cell phone or office supply stores collect cell phones for this purpose.)

Even scratched or defective CDs can have a new life as the face of a clock, or as reflective hangers to scare birds away from your fruit trees.

If you are recycling a computer that still has its hard drive, be sure to not only delete everything on the computer, but also to reformat the drive. If you can remove and (safely) damage or magnetize the drive, you can prevent anyone from finding sensitive information you may have had on the computer when you were using it.

Recycling keeps dangerous chemicals out of our soil, our water, and our bodies.

Easy Ways to Get Ready for Digital Television (DTV)!

National Public Radio's morning news program, Morning Edition, featured an on-air article on September 9 about Wilmington, NC's rollout of digital television (DTV).

The people who will be most affected by the nationwide switch to digital television are those who own analog televisions and receive their television channels "over the air" with antennae, rather than cable or satellite.

The accompanying print article includes links to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) DTV information website, a DTV info site provided by the Consumers Union (a non-profit pro-consumer organization), and the government coupon program for digital-to-analog converter boxes.

There is a very good article that explains how a digital-to-analog converter box works and why you may need one on the howstuffworks.com website.

Since February 17, 2009 (the date all full-power broadcast television stations must switch over to digital) will be here before we know it, now is a good time to dig out your television manual, put new batteries in your remotes, vacuum and dust your television, DVD player, digital video recorder (DVR), audio receiver, speakers, and other electronics gathering dust right in front of you. Check the audio and video cables. Replace pinched, bent, or broken wires, which not only will negatively affect your video and audio signals, but may present a fire hazard.

If you cannot find the user manuals for your electronics, most manufacturers have downloadable Adobe PDF versions available on their websites, even for older models.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you watch low-power channels, such as local access, community, or religious stations, be sure your digital-to-analog converter box includes an "analog pass-through" feature or button. Low-power stations are not required to switch to digital (the equipment costs are often prohibited for small stations). If your converter box does not have an analog pass-through, you will not be able to pick up those channels. For a good explanation on this issue, you can listen to a five-minute report on NPR's Weekend Edition program from May 2008 or read this article from the Consumer Reports blog.

If you have any questions about digital television, your specific equipment setup, or how to choose a digital-to-analog converter box, comment here or e-mail a Totem Media multimedia specialist at InfoRequest "at" totem-media.com.