• View your mobile screen on your desktop.
• Control your mobile using your keyboard and mouse.
• Copy/cut/paste text between your mobile and desktop.
• Capture your mobile screen and export to video, jpg, or copy to your clipboard.
• Browse your files and connect via Activesync or use an IP connection.

It’s simple to use and works pretty well. So far, I’ve used it to take screenshots on my Samsung i637 Jack, record video, and browse files. It works like a charm. At first I couldn’t get the hang of making calls with the computer, but then I figured it out. Connecting is a piece of cake and operating the cell phone with my computer keyboard and mouse is simple. MyMobiler also has several functions and keyboard shortcuts. It gives you the ability to zoom in or out to look at your cell phone screen, press your mobile function keys (i.e volume, softkeys, talk, end, etc.), make a key sound when typing, and rotate your mobile screen.

MyMobiler on Samsung i637

Not too much else to say about MyMobiler. It just WORKS! Whether you need to take screenshots or record video of your cell phone screen, MyMobiler is the tool to get. Install it on your computer and your mobile smartphone and tap away. I love being able to make phone calls using my computer. When I connect my Samsung to my computer to charge, I can make phone calls and even put it on speakerphone without having to touch my cell phone.

Two other features worth mentioning: the file browser and typing with the keyboard. If your smartphone comes with Microsoft Word or OneNote mobile installed, you can open it up using your computer and type directly into the phone and even save the copies. That means you can bypass the file transfer to the phone and type directly into it. How cool is that?

You can download MyMobiler here. For the Samsung i637 version I’m using, click here to download the installer.

 Download MyMobiler

1. Power: This is a neat feature to have. You can essentially turn your phone off without powering down your device. The phone will be disconnected, wifi turned off, and bluetooth turned off, but you still have access to contacts and vital information. This is also known as the “airplane mode”. It’s useful for the long plane rides or even times when you just don’t want to be disturbed, even by the vibrating phone.
2. Task Manager: Gotta love this feature. If you’ve ever used a Windows OS before, then you’ll know what the Task Manager is all about. When things go awry or you have a runaway program, just close it from the Task Manager.
3. Wifi: As with most phones that have wifi built in, you have the option of turning it on or off. With Windows Mobile, you can customize logins and connect to pretty much any network that is within range. Turning wifi on will run your battery dry, but it also means that you don’t need to tap into your phone’s data plan if you have access to an access point. If you turn on wifi and you’re near an AT&T wifi spot, you’ll automagically connect without login because your phone is AT&T! Perfect for Starbucks.
4. Bluetooth: Bluetooth capabilities is a must. If you don’t like to be corded to your computer, you can transfer files back and forth via bluetooth. I use it mainly for documents and pictures. Instead of taking out the storage card or connecting to the computer via USB, I just receive and transer files via bluetooth. It’s convenient and pretty fast. You also have to option of turning this off to preserve your precious batteries.
5. Home Screen: The default home screen for the i637 is intuitive and flexible. You can customize it however you want, but I love that you can access all the important information on the phone with just a few clicks. The time, missed calls, contacts, text messages, emails from all accounts configured, calendar and appointments, media player, and even simple settings.
6. ActiveSync: This bit of software essentially connects to your computer or server and synchronizes your important information like contacts, calendar events, emails, and tasks. With a data plan, you don’t even need to connect to your computer. With Windows Mobile, you can easily transfer and copy files to your computer’s Window OS. Cool beans! I currently sync using Google sync.
7. Windows Marketplace: It’s kind of like the Apps store on an iPhone or iPod Touch. Developed Windows Mobile applications that are available for your phone are displayed. You can download them via the marketplace and then use them on your phone. One downside is that there aren’t that many apps available. These applications can be free, but more often than not, they are quite pricey for some of the highly functional applications.

Since I have a paid unlimited data plan with AT&T, I try out as many apps as I possibly can. Here are a couple that I really like and recommend:

Microsoft My Phone: Brought to you by Microsoft, Myphone allows you to synchronize almost everything with you Windows Live account. It’s a simple download and registration process. Then you’ll be able to read all your texts and emails, access pictures, find contacts, view the calendar, view favorites and documents that are on your phone all from your computer. It’ll sync automatically too, so you don’t have to worry about actually running the program. Perfect for backing up your phone.

Perhaps the most exciting features are the premium features. These are only to be activated for a short duration and in case of emergency: when you lose your phone. With these premium features, which last 7 days, you can ring your phone loudly for 60 seconds, locate your phone on a map so you can find it, lock your phone to prevent unauthorized access, and erase your phone, including the contents of your storage card. Do you see how that is ascending in order? Looks like the premium features will cost you $4.99 but you get a free trial, so I suggest you not using it until you need it.

Evernote: If you’re familiar with any Evernote program, then you know what it’s all about. Essentially you take notes and it synchronizes to a server. You’ll be able to view it online, from the Evernote desktop program, or from your mobile device. With the phone, you can take a text note, a snapshot, an audio note, or upload a file. Pretty useful if you’re on the run but need to remember something.Google Maps: We should all be familiar with this by now. It’s Google Maps for Windows Mobile! Whether you need directions, trying to locate yourself on the map, or searching for a venue, Google Maps is your go to application. When you’re searching for venues, you’ll be able to see contact information, store information, menus, and reviews. Using your phone’s GPS, Google Maps fixed your position and overlays your movements on the map in real time. It’s easy, intuitive and just works! A must-have application for times when you’re on the go.MyMobiler: We’ll do a whole post on this neat little application, but for now, all you need to know is that it enables you to control your phone via your computer. Everything from calling contacts to composing and sending out emails. Keep your eyes peeled for a follow-up post regarding MyMobiler!

Opera Mobile: Same goes with the Opera Mobile browser! It’s a fine piece of software and it is capable of more than I can write about in this blog post. I’ll follow up with an Opera browser and Opera Mobile post. Opera is currently my mobile browser of choice instead of the packaged Internet Explorer that comes with my Samsung.Have a cool Windows Mobile application to share? Leave it in the comments below!

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I’m not going to talk about the specifics, but you can consult the image above for some more facts regarding the benefits you receive. Let’s instead look at two iPhone and iPod apps that you can download that’ll augment your Starbucks enjoyment and visit. You can do a lot with your mobile phone and internet enabled devices. Here are two things that you can do with your mobile and have some Starbuck’s fun:

Starbucks: The official Starbucks coffee application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s everything that you need to know about Starbucks. Absolutely everything minus the products that they sell. Let’s break it down. With the Starbucks application, you can find the location of a Starbucks around you and view the services provided. See which locations have free wifi connections and which ones have drive-thrus. You’ll even be able to check if the branch is still open at the time you’re searching this up. Get directions to the coffee shop, invite a friend to come with you, share your location on your social networks, and add it to “myStarbucks”, which are you favorite stores. Searching for a Starbucks location that fits your needs has never been easier. You can filter the locations by amenity, which can come in very useful, especially if you want to take advantage of the “Mobile Payment” option that we’ll talk about later.

Under the drinks tab, you can have a look at their menu, discover new drinks, and create your own from scratch. Save your created drinks to “myStarbucks” and even share them with friends. Everything is customizable and all you have to do is take your custom drink over to the Starbuck’s you’re visiting. Under the coffees tab, browse all the different coffees, their descriptions, photos, and similar coffees. Don’t forget you can add your favorites to “myStarbucks”. You can even use the “explore” mode and pick a characteristic from a list that you want in your coffee and the application will find one for you! It’s a coffee chooser!

The food tab is pretty versatile. You can search for food by filtering by calories or filtering by the lack of a certain ingredient. It’s pretty self-explanatory once you start using it. In the food tab, you can view pictures, view nutrition information, view allergens, get drink pairings, and add to “myStarbucks”.

Starbuck’s Mobile Card: Have a Starbucks card that you’ve registered online? Or maybe you have a couple? If you have one buck haven’t registered it, go register it for some free goodies. With the Starbuck’s Mobile Card application, you can enter the information from your card into the application and check your balance from the app. You can even reload your card, set up auto-reload, and view your recent transactions. Also, after you’ve registered your card, you can track the number of stars you’ve earned and what level you’re on.

Then there’s a cool feature called Payment Trial, where you can pay for Starbucks locations in Target Stores just by using your iPhone and iPod touch. You don’t even have to take your card out. Your iPhone and iPod will generate a code that can be scanned for charging your account. Neat feature!

Keepass also has a lite version for windows mobile phones which essentially does the exact same thing. You can even install it onto a USB flash drive and use it on any computer. Currently, I have the program and database of passwords on my computer. The database is protected by a password and a master key file which I store on my USB. Without the USB and the correct key file, there is no way to open up the database and retrieve the passwords. Adding new password entries is pretty simple. After entering some basic information and saving the database, you’re good to go.

There are a few features of Keepass that I’m really fond of.

1. The first one is the ability to lock the workspace. With the program open and using Ctrl+L on the pc, the database is locked. All you can do from a locked workspace is close the program or minimize it to the tray. To enter the database again, you’ll need your password and master key.
2. Another cool feature I like is the ability to synchronize password databases. With the database open, you choose synchronize from the menu and choose a target database to save to. Useful! I synchronize the database from my desktop to the one on my USB using this method. That way it is always backed up.
3. The last feature that I really find useful is the ability to auto-fill usernames and passwords. Once you visit a webpage where you have a password saved in a database, Keepass will detect the form and with only a few key presses, automatically fill the fields in and press enter for you.

What a great little program! It’s powerful, easy to use, and a necessary tool in a developer or any power user’s arsenal.

Click here for Keepass password manager download, screenshots, and help.

http://www.youtube.com/user/googlechrome

Google didn’t lie about the speed. The program itself loads really quickly and pages load miraculously fast. Even with all the tweaks I made to Firefox, Google flat out beats Firefox. That’s why I’ve uninstalled Mozilla Firefox and all my browsing needs have been replaced by Google Chrome. Chrome is an awesome browser. I’ve been using it for a long time now and always the developer’s version. I mainly went with the developer’s version because the extensions were being tested. I’m currently using 5.0.396.0 beta. Part of what makes Google great is the simplicity and the various extensions available for mainstream consumption. The only drawback of Chrome, that I feel, is the consumption of resources. Each open tab is a new process and each installed extension is also a new process. Sometimes Chrome will crash and it doesn’t play too nicely with flash if you have a lot of extensions or tabs open.

Enough said about how much I live for Google products and Google Chrome. Let’s have a look at a couple of extensions that I’ve either installed and uninstalled or still have installed. Let me give you the low down:

1 . Alwitt’s Facebook Enhancer: If you use Facebook, you need this extension. The design might be a little bit lacking, but everything else is sound. Some main features:

- fixed top menu bar that stays fixed even when scrolling
- fixed left filter bar
- bigger profile pictures that pop up a full sized image on hover
- pop up bigger image on mouseover
- highlights today’s birthdays
- bottom menu bar is slightly transparent

  Find the chrome extension here and their Facebook page here.

2 . Delicious Tools: Use delicious to share and manage links? You might find this extension useful. Features:

- ability to save bookmarks
- view your delicious bookmarks and inbox
- customizable keyboard shortcuts

Find the chrome extension here.

3 . Gmail checker:* An effective and efficient Gmail notification tool that sits on the browser toolbar and notifies you of new arriving mail. Features:

- number of unread mail is displayed prominently
- link for Gmail inbox (keeps you signed in)
- shows sender, subject, time, and snippet of your emails
- ability to delete, archive, or mark as read from extension

4 . Google voice: An extension made by Google that allows Google voice users to make calls, listen to voicemail, and get notified. Features:

- make calls, send SMS, preview voicemail and inbox
- turns numbers on websites into callable numbers

Find the chrome extension here.

5 . Stickr: Getting involved with Stickr? Make sure you install the Stickr extension before you start looking at and posting Stickrs.
6 . Stumbleupon: I use Stumbleupon to discover tons of interesting, new, and unique sites. All of this in a social setting, of course. Features:

- stumble from the toolbar with topic filters included
- rate sites up or down and comment on them
- share through other social networks
- access your own favorites

Find the chrome extension here.

7 . Web Developer: If you’re a web developer, then this extension will be invaluable. It’s an official port of the web developer extension from Firefox.

Find the chrome extension here.

8 . Cooliris:** Turns your browser into a 3D wall for viewing images, the web, and almost anything imaginable. Features:

- 3D browsing and mouse flick controls
- search from popular image search engines and YouTube
- comes with video viewing from popular sites including Hulu

Find the chrome extension here and website here.

9 . Turn off the lights:*** Fades the entire page except for the video you’re watching. If you’ve ever used the "dim lights" function on Hulu or in the Divx player, it’s the exact same thing. Simple and functional.
Find the chrome extension here.

10 . Session manager:**** Manage your current browser tabs and reload it whenever you need it. Features:

- create startup pages for daily routines
- group and rename tabs to start up later
- save pages you’ll come back to when researching or shopping.

Find the chrome extension here.

11 . Speed dial: Replace the Chrome new tabs and start tab with a customized version. Features:

- customizable background and speed dials
- fully editable titles and URL

Find the chrome extension here.

The starred extensions have special notes. I’ve listed the reasons below.

*Gmail Checker: I can’t seem to find the download page for this extension anymore. Instead, it looks like it may have been replaced by newer, yet not as functional version.

**Cooliris: Perhaps it wasn’t perfected yet, but the Cooliris extension was a little buddy in my Chrome and would crash all the tabs I had open.

***Turn off the lights: It’s a neat little extension, but I didn’t find too much use for it besides the occasional YouTube video.

****Session Manager: I used this extension for a long while, but then I discovered that it wasn’t as great as I thought it would be. I don’t really need a session manager because I don’t save pages for long. I really used it more for start pages and Speed Dial has taken its spot.

Hope you find these useful and if you any extensions that you’re really fond of, make sure to leave a comment. Cheers and happy chroming!

Windows Live Writer is free, efficient, easy to use, and customizable. I love it and have pretty much stopped logging onto this blog’s administrative backend in order to update posts. I only login to moderate comments, create pages, and do things regarding themes and plugins. It does get frustrating, spending so much time in a browser when you’re researching for a post and then writing it up. With Live Writer, I can have a browser window open while creating content. You might be wondering about the features such as embedding pictures and video. Don’t worry, Live Writer is a great tool for embedding resources to accompany your content. Just let me show you in a second.

I should probably mention the Windows Live Writer supports almost every blog imaginable, whether you’re self hosted or not. Another neat thing is that you can have many blog accounts all set up in Writer and you can conveniently switch back and forth as needed. The plugins and support for Windows Live Writer is top-notch.

Here is a list of features and some examples for your enjoyment:

1 . Lots of photo options. Insert either from your desktop or the web and customize size, links, captions, watermarks, borders, and effects all without the use of image editing software. Contrast, crop, rotate, and tilt tools are included. In the picture below, I have resized it, centered it’s alignment, chosen the “Instant Photo” border which gives it the Polaroid look, tilted the photo, and added the “Color Pop” effect. This all in a matter of seconds.

2 .  Photo Albums are a breeze. Insert them as either thumbnails or a Windows Live Album. Photo Albums made easy, which comes in useful if you don’t want to install a WordPress plugin for galleries. For the purposes of display, for the photos below, I choose the “Scatter” style.

View Full Album

3 . Embedding videos couldn’t be any easier! With options to embed from the web, your own files, or an online video service, the possibilities are nearly endless. YouTube seems to be the service of choice with Windows Live Writer, but nearly any embed code can be pasted. Once you input the code, it appears as an object in the editor. You then have the option to resize the object and add a caption. I’ve resized the video below and added a caption.

4 . You can insert maps right in Windows Live Writer (powered by Virtual Earth). You are offered a Road view, Aerial view, and Bird’s Eye View, zoom features, and even a feature to face a particular compass direction. Embedding is done with one click and you can insert a caption.

Windmill in Golden Gate Park, SF, CA

5 . Saving your drafts = easy peasy. You can save drafts either locally (which means you don’t need internet access) or into your blog so that you make adjustments in the backend. If you’re all set, you just need to hit the “publish” button and your content will be online!

6 . It’s easy to insert a table and edit to your heart’s desire.

7 . Editing the properties for your blog post is convenient. WordPress is my platform, so I’ll be explaining this from that standpoint. Categories, tags, publish date, slug, excerpts, and trackback links: all located in the properties pane for easy access.

8 . Blog setup takes a few seconds and is easy. Once you’re set up once, you don’t have to continuously fiddle with settings. They’ll be preserved. Windows Live Writer will also download a template for your blog so you can preview posts against your actual layout.

9 . A few other feature are worth mentioning:

Twitter, Digg, and Flickr plugins are availableHere are a few screenshots of Windows Live in action:

View Full Album

Don’t forget to visit their Writer Zone!

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When you are creating a new post, the Grooveshark plugin in convenient and easy to use. Just type in your keywords and then click search:

A list of results will be displayed. You can then listen to them to make sure they are correct and then select them for embedding into a playlist:

The Grooveshark plugin also allows you to sign in with your username and password and retrieve your favorite songs as well as your playlists. It’ll give you the option to choose songs, so you don’t have to embed the entire playlist. My playlists are over 100 songs in length, so embedding them in their entirety isn’t the way to go.

After unzipping the Grooveshark plugin into my WordPress and activating the plugin, configuring was a breeze, as with most WordPress plugins. The problem came as I was customizing the option for guests to comment and add music to the blog. When I set out to test the plugin, I found that the field background was white and the text results also showed up as white. I also had some problems with the search button appearing all funky. After some tinkering, I was able to get the text colors figured out and got the button to match my blog’s style.

However, another problem presented itself during testing. As an administrator going in and posting comments, I can use certain HTML tags like SCRIPTS and OBJECTS, but by default, guests and even registered users are not allowed to use such powerful tags for security reasons. Plugins have been developed as work-arounds, but I couldn’t find one that suited my needs. Eventually, I had to mess around with some of the core files in my WordPress installation, which I was very reluctant about. It’s only temporary, but after getting every sorted out, I’m really beginning to enjoy the add-on. This is one of the reasons I chose WordPress as my platform for blogging. It’s surprisingly easy to customize and there are so many unique plugins that just WORK. Grooveshark’s plugin works well with WordPress and the idea behind it is awesome. I’ve posted a song in the comments to show you how it looks when readers leave music in the comments. Anyway, feel free to comment on this and any other posts on my blog and try the new feature out. It’s pretty self-explanatory. If you’re having and troubles getting your plugin to work with your WordPress installation, feel free to email me or drop a comment and I’ll help out as best I can.

Coming up is a post on Buddypress. I experimented with Buddypress on WordPress MU, but since then, Buddypress is now available for standard installations of WordPress. Let’s give it a shot!

1) Salad: YUMMAYYY! Spring mix, tomatoes, onions, avocados, and your choice of dressing. No croutons for me this time around. I chose to go with the Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette. (It worked real well. I never would have thought to add avocados, but this was my mom’s brilliant idea) No need for instructions right? Wash, cut up, toss. Simple and not very time consuming.

2) Garlic Bread: Garlic, sourdough baguette, butter, chili powder, cilantro/parsley/green onion (take your pick), pepper, salt, cheese (if you want). Finely chop your garlic and cilantro/parsley/green onions and add to some butter in a little bowl. Heat it up in the microwave just to melt the butter. I find that it spreads real easy when it’s melted. Add some chili powder for seasoning and color. Pepper and salt to taste. Take your sourdough, cut it into nice little pieces and spread your butter and garlic concoction onto it. Use a convection oven or standard oven and bake until crisp. If you’re going to add cheese, do it near the end, and just put your oven on warm until the cheese melts. YUM!

3) Clam Chowder: Garlic bread goes great with some hearty New England Clam Chowder. Don’t buy those MSG laden canned chowders! Reserve those for your cravings when you don’t have any time. Ingredients are as follows: Potatoes, onions, celery, bacon, clams, cornstarch/flour, pepper, salt, Italian herbs (no essential but adds a layer of complexity), heavy whipping cream, chicken broth, cilantro/parsley/green onion. I don’t know how people make clam chowder, but I’ve finally come up with a way to make it real tasty, so here are my steps.

1. Let’s deal with your bacon first. Fry your bacon until crisp (so that it’ll crumble). Lay out some paper towels and let your bacon drain. Save some of that bacon fat for the next step.
2. Prepare your potatoes by skinning and dicing them up. Take the time at this point to dice up your celery and onions as well. If you want, you may also finely chop up your cilantro/parsley/green onions at this time.
3. Add a spoonful of your bacon grease to a pot. Take your drained strips of bacon and crumble them into the pot. I decided to take out some of the chunks of fat just because the texture doesn’t go well in the chowder (I know. I’ve tried using the fat. It didn’t work too well)
4. Take half of your celery and half of your onions and add it in the pot with your crumbled bacon. Fry this mixture for a minute or so and salt lightly.
5. Next, add some chicken broth and water. You want enough liquid to cover all the ingredients you put in and a little more because your diced potatoes are going in next.
6. Add your potatoes. Make sure it’s covered in liquid. Clams can also go in at this point, so the flavors will incorporate together nicely. Canned clams are the easiest. They often come in clam juice. Just empty the whole can in there. The clam juice gives your chowder a nice flavor as well. Put it on medium heat and bring all this to a light boil. Season with more salt and some Italian herbs if you want.
7. Check back often. You don’t want to overdo your potatoes. I prefer my chowder chunky. As soon as your potatoes are done, put it on low heat.
8. Next comes your heavy whipping cream. Add and stir until you get a nice creamy white color. It wont be a chowder yet, but it’ll be white.
9. Grab a bowl and put some warm water in it. Add either flour or cornstarch or a combination of both into the warm water and mix well. Get all those chunks out!
10. Once it is smooth, stir that into your pot and you’ll notice that it’ll get thicker. If it isn’t getting thicker, keep slowly adding more cornstarch or flour mixture until it does! Some people prefer to use potatoes as a natural thickener. I used to do that too, but I’ve noticed using flour or cornstarch yields better and more predictable results.
11. Once your chowder is a nice color and consistency, season with pepper and salt. Then give it a couple of nice stirs and turn your heat to warm. There you have it! Your chowder!

I like to serve it with garlic bread and a some garnish. YUM!

4) STEAK : I think you all know how to make a steak right? Good. It was yummy. Anyway, cheers! Have a good time cooking and experimenting! In cooking, I think experimenting makes perfect, not practice! Although practice can’t hurt!

1) Vince’s Beef Stew – Ingredients: Stew meat cut into chunks, flour, diced tomatoes, potatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, beef broth, onions, celery, carrots, assorted vegetables (whatever you want to throw in), salt, pepper, chili powder, basil. Once you have your ingredients, let’s begin. Sorry I don’t do amounts. With some practice and tasting, you’ll get it down pat. Of course it won’t taste exactly the same every time you make it, but it’ll be close and yummy nevertheless.

1. Grab your ingredients and start cutting away! This is the prep stage and it makes everything a little easier as you move along. I don’t like the skins on my tomatoes because of the texture clash, but you can keep the skins on if you wish. If you want to remove them, boil a pot of water. Plop your tomatoes in there and boil for 1-2 minutes. Fish them put and immerse them in cold water. The skins should slide right off!
2. Dice up your tomatoes. If you like skins on your potatoes, just dice them up and set them aside as well. If you don’t like skins, then skin them and then dice them up. I like a mix, so I make a stripped pattern on the potato. That way there will be some with skin and some with none.
3. Take your onions and celery and dice them up as well. It doesn’t matter if they’re fine or not. If you like chunky soup like I do, leave them in larger pieces.
4. With the carrots, you can use whole baby carrots. That way you won’t even have to cut them. If you use large carrots, peel and cut to a size that you desire. Baby carrots are relatively cheap, good tasting, and don’t need to be cut. I’d definitely prefer those baby carrots. They’re perfectly suited for plopping straight into your mouth. You can also cut these baby carrots in half if need be.
5. Let’s get started with your stew meat! We’re gonna pan fry them with some flour to seal in the juices when we simmer it later on. The texture is preserved if you take care with this step. Get some flour in a bowl. Salt and pepper the flour and mix well. Take your meat pieces and cover it with flour. Put some oil in a skillet and pan fry all 6 sides of your stew meat (since it’ll be cubed). Do this with all of your stew meat.
6. Once you’re done with your stew meat, grab your stew pot, put a little bit of oil in the bottom and add your meat into the pot. Cover with beef broth and throw in half of your onions and celery. Then also throw in your potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Make sure it is covered with broth. You can also throw in some water for good measure. Simmer this mixture until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
7. Once your tomatoes and carrots are tender, check to make sure that you have enough liquid. If you don’t, either add more broth or water. Next part is thickening and adding your tomato paste. The tomato paste and ketchup is mainly for flavor and color. Add some of both. If you want, you can also add in some hot sauce. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and add some basil as well.
8. Simmer for a while longer to let the flavor set in. Then, turn down the heat on your stove. Take a bowl with warm water and add flour to it. Mix well, ensuring there are no chunks of flour. Then add this mixture to your pot and stir well! Eyeball it and make sure that it is thick enough! That’s that. Enjoy!

2) Italian Beef Stew – Ingredients: stew meat cut into chunks, flour, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, dry red wine, green bell pepper, onions, carrots, zucchini, green beans, celery, potatoes, garlic, oregano, olive oil, black pepper, salt. See all these ingredients? Sounds good already. I’ve included a link to the site with specific measurements for ingredients. Hope you have fun making it. It’s delicious!

1. Trim the fat off the meat
2. Dredge meat in flour and shake off excess
3. Slice and dice vegetables
4. Brown meat in oil
5. Add garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper
6. Add wine and simmer for ten minutes.
7. Add all vegetables and stir
8. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water to cover
9. Simmer for an hour, half-covered

Simple, easy, mouth-watering goodness. I think I’m going to have to try this and perfect this recipe. That way I can add it to my belt of tricks. Enjoy!

10 BAD foods you should avoid:

1) Deep Fried Twinkies: Imagine a Twinkie. Then imagine it being immersed in a bubbling vat of oil and grease. Lovely picture right? Sure it might be delicious but ugh FAT! Each Twinkie has 150 calories, 12% saturated fat, 7% cholesterol, and 9% sodium. Scary? YES. Just plain old bad for you. I must admit it sure looks yummy!

2) Soda: I used to drink a whole ton of soda, mainly PEPSI. Go PEPSI! However, I haven’t had soda in about 3-4 months and I feel a whole lot better. If you’re addicted to soda, try going to rehab for it and you’ll feel awesome. Try to have water handy and add some lemon to it. When you get the urge, drink that water! Or tea. Tea is awesome too. That’s how I broke my habit. Thanks to tea and water. Here are some facts: an average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, and about 30 to 55 mg of caffeine. Keep your kids off of that sweet soda water!

3) Potato chips and French fries: Pretty popular stuff and they are in fast food spots all over the world. Why are they so bad for you? First off, they are greasy as hell and they contain acrylamide, which is a neurotoxin and cancer causing. Yuck right? I love fries and I will have them once in a while, because they’re tasty. Sadly, they’re bad for you.

4) Doughnuts! They are dang tasty and awesome with coffee. A pretty popular treat and breakfast food item, they aren’t good for you! It’s all sugar and flour and loaded with trans fats. How tasty is that? It’s a heart attack treat.

5) Coffee cake and baked goods: Baked goods have tons of trans fat, additives, corn syrup, and artificial flavors. Yum?

6) Luncheon meats, bacon, and other “mystery meats”: Why are they called mystery meats? Because you don’t really know what is in them do you? Tons of sodium nitrite, which is a carcinogenic. People who consumed lots of hot dogs and sausages have a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Not good.

7) Canned Soup: Not only are they loaded with preservatives, but they have a very high level of sodium, MSG, and trans fats. Read the labels folks, and you’ll be surprised. There are some awesome soups out there, so shop wise. Or better yet, make your own soup!

8 ) Cheese: Sure cheese is tasty, used in a lot of cooking, and has calcium, which strengthens the bones. However, it aint all that great for your arteries. Be careful of how much cheese you consume. High consumption is a no-no. I’d stick with moderate consumption of low and reduced fat varieties of cheese.

9) Butter: In moderation, butter is awesome. It’s pretty tasty. However if you overdo it, it can lead to many health problems, including clogged arteries. Mhhmmm. Moderation, moderation, moderation.

10) Fast Food: AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. What do they offer? Processed meats and burgers high in sodium, French fries, and soda. They are all listed up above aren’t they as foods to avoid.

10 FOODS that you should eat:

1) Grape Tomatoes: They are perfect for salads, dipping, or snacks. They have fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C. They’re delicious!

2) Broccoli: Has vitamin C and carotenoids. It’s also delicious. Yum.

3) Wild Salmon: Lots of Omega-3. What’s it do? It helps reduce risks of heart attacks. Wild salmon has less contamination than farmed salmon so it’s better for you.

4) Citrus Fruits: Vitamin C and fiber. They’re tasty! Try and stay away from drinking too much juice or fruits. Plenty of sugar and too much sugar turns to…fat.

5) Spinach and Kale: Leafy delicious greens with tons of vitamin A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, antioxidants, and iron.

6) Prunes: They top the list for the amount of Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity. Tasty little buggers they are.

7) Strawberries: They are delectable, arguably a woman’s favorite friend, and is delicious on deserts and almost anything. Mhhmmmm. They also make the list of high antioxidants.

8 ) Flaxseed: They’re awesome. Benefits: constipation relief, clearing acne, smooths skin, and builds muscle while burning fat. Go get some!

9) Onions: They’re in almost every dish I make and they are always delicious. They can help reduce the risk of tumors developing in the colon.

10) Shellfish (Clams and Mussels): Full of vitamin B12 to support nerve and brain function. High in iron, magnesium, and potassium. I loooove shellfish.

Riskiest foods: You are at risk of getting sick when you eat products with these ingredients in it. Why? Due to improper preparation. Yup, that’s it right there.

Here is the list: leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries.

So just be careful!