Jun 13, 2023

Just the Recipe without the fluff

Find the recipe on the web you like. Then copy the page's URL. Next, open the website shown below and paste the copied link the blank field at Just the Recipe. 

It will give you the ingredients and steps you need. And if you use the app, you can save your favorite recipes to a personal cookbook.

https://www.justtherecipe.com/

There's an app for that here 

Jun 12, 2023

13 Benefits of keeping your life private

  1. The less you share, the less likely people will be in your business.
  2. You'll stop caring about people's opinion about your life.
  3. When you build in silence, people won't know what to attack.
  4. You won't have to seek validation to do what feels right for you.
  5. You'll attract peace into your life. You'll experience less drama, toxic energy and more time alone.
  6. If everyone is your friend, you've a problem. You can't trust anyone with personal information.
  7. The flex is being private, staying low-key & telling no one about your life.
  8. It'll be 10x easier to walk some paths alone to achieve your personal goals.
  9. Privacy teaches you a) independence & how to connect with people deeply 
  10. Everyone leaves. You'll learn how to be alone and not feel lonely.
  11. People don't care so much about you. They only care on what you can offer.
  12. People will want to know more about you when you talk less of yourself.
  13. Not everyone is your friend, live a private life to never attract bad energy.

Source: Quora

Jun 8, 2023

Shrimp Boil - GM

 Ingredients:
(use your judgement for # of people ... below is what we used for 4 adults)

Small potatoes (bag of small potatoes)

Corn on the cob, cut in thirds (1 ear per person)

Shrimp (1 1/2 pounds)

Kielbasa or sausage such as chorizo (1 ring ~ a pound)

Snow peas (8 oz)

Chopped garlic (6 cloves)

Olive oil (1-2 Tbsps)


Seasoning:

Old bay seasoning - 1/4 C

Paprika - 1 T

Black pepper - 1/2 T

Salt to taste

Juice of one lemon or 1/2 C bottled juice


Directions:

1. In big pot of salted water, cook potatoes, then add corn and cook. 

2. Remove and set aside.

3. In good size skillet…..heat oil and brown kielbasa; add garlic and sauté.  

4. Remove kielbasa and put with potatoes and corn.

5. Add two sticks of butter, 1/2 C chicken broth and all seasonings.

6. Add shrimp.  Then snow peas.  Add potatoes, corn and kielbasa. Heat thoroughly.


Serve with crusty bread and butter.

May 31, 2023

North of the Border Tortillas (ea)

From the kitchen of Bob Van Putten_

1 cup flour  

1 cup masa or home-ground corn flour, not cornmeal  

1 egg, or equivalent egg powder  

1+ cup water  

  

Simply mix the dry ingredients, then add the egg and water to make a thin batter.  Then fry a few minutes on each side.   

  

These are great at home and have become a camping staple of mine. I pre-mix the dry ingredients, package them in a small bag, and fry them up over a twig fire in a teflon-coated or cast-iron pan with a small amount of cooking oil.

I didn't know that ... may 2023

Spicy Foods Relief - it 'seems' sweet bread and butter pickles can 'cool' the burn from spicy foods. Hotly spiced Kimchi daily I made was super hot. by chance, I tried 1-2 slices of sweet pickles, and wow - cooled the spice way down.

Cancer Prevention - 30 seconds in the morning sun may reduce the chances of many forms of cancer - Study Finds

Remove Rust Spots on Stainless Steel - CLR and 'bunched-up' aluminum foil works wonders to remove rust spots on stainless 👍👍 - tip: wear gloves

Safety Glasses - saves eyes ... wear them when using rotating tools (see pic)

Politicians - Isn’t it fascinating that politicians deny responsibility for inflation, but take credit when it declines even a small amount?

Republicans Plan To Cut Social Security - https://bit.ly/3EBb411

Top Tier Gas - retail gas with detergent additives to maintain a car's fuel system. Recently learned BP is NOT Top Tier. Many dealers 'are' (not Sam's Club) 

ToDo Apps - I thought that the native Apple Reminders was good (and use it for Home Project planning), but learned 5 highly recommended options to consider -  https://www.howtogeek.com/845970/the-5-best-to-do-list-apps-of-2022/

iPhone 'Rig' - After creating a wood frame 'Rig' for the iPhone I found 2 sites that sell 'pro' units that look promising ... https://shiftcam.com/products/progrip-bundle and https://amz.run/67zb

Do Elections (really) Count - No! It is billionaire competition. They fund the election, move assets, compete with their candidate and convince us "our vote counted". Question: will Trump win with Murdock pulling endorsement? Murdock owns Fox, Post, WSJ. Hmmm?

Nov 7, 2022

Tech Talk - iPhone Tips, Security and How-to

The five (5) Questions:

ah1: Best secure Browser - Tor for techies, Brave for everyone else 
ah2: Best free Photo app - native iPhone camera; Lightroom Mobile for editing
ah3: Compress large videos to send via text - a) use Google Photos and check Storage Saver in Google Photos; b) use 3rd party apps to compress; c) Youtube 
ah4: Create (recallable) Group List for texting  - 1) create text w/names; 2) send; 3) tap group and name appropriately; remember group name or 'pin' group to top; (to pin: tap 3 dots, edit pins, tap group, done)
ah5: CAD Recommendation - What to Look For and 6 suggestions at Lifewire  
gh1: Extending battery life - See below
gh2: Best security practices and options - See below
gk1: Closing an app - swipe up 1/2 way, search open app, swipe up to close
gk2: Is email a scam or real? - do not click any links, check the source email address
gk3: Updating iPhone - major update (if whole #'s - wait until #.1 or #.2 for fixes
gk4: Print from iPhone - use share, be sure the printer is on, scroll to print, print
gk5: DDG doesn't work sometimes - privacy settings may cause issues, use Safari
gk6: Comment to me - "I don't need the details or a class - just tell me how to do it!"
pf: No Questions  
bf1: Bulk delete emails - in Mail app: edit > select all tap > trash -or better yet - open app > search name or keyword > edit > select > trash (or computer) (see links)
bf2: Update Mac - multiple options available see the links section below

Below are recommendations to get more out of the iPhone for everyday use and improved privacy. If links fail, simply use search to locate the topic or website.

Battery: getting more life out of your battery 
1. Maintain battery charge between 20% and 80% where practical
2. Enable the Home screen battery charge indicator (in Settings)
3. Avoid charging the battery overnight (even though the adapters are 'smart') 
4. Use dark mode
5. Turn off 'background refresh' (when you open an app - it will refresh immediately)
6. Removing frequent use apps (swipe-swipe-swipe) actually uses more battery
7. Turn off the 'Always On' locked screen
8. Turn off the WiFi when away from Home wifi
9. Turn off Bluetooth when not needed

Improving Privacy and Security: 80% of privacy breakdowns = user)
(clicking email links, weak passwords, sharing private data, Google & Facebook/Instagram, sharing 'real' interests/profile on search, responding to surveys, using one email)

1. Use complex passwords and different passwords for each site
2. Use a password manager (Bitwarden*, Dashlane, LastPass)
3. Limit tracking by Big Tech: Facebook and Google (it's more than 'Ads')
4. Do not use the Facebook app - create a Facebook URL bookmark instead
5. Employ email 'isolation' - separate email for personal, social, financial, purchase, etc.)
6. Employ browser 'segregation' - separate browsers to avoid cross-browser info
7. Use Google only 
for Google services (they already know everything)
8. Turn off Location Services -or- vet apps 'needing' location services (Siri)
9. Maintain Location Services 'On' for 'Find My ...'
10. Create false profiles in Google ... if you're 'left', click 'right' sites, etc.
11. If offered sign-in with Google or Facebook, use Apple sign-in or email login
12. Avoid Google's search engine (but use it to disguise your political, and social bent)
13. (consider) Safari Private relay (see Links below)
14. (consider) DuckDuckGo Private email address xxx@duck.com (see Links below)
15. Avoid public WiFi
16. Use WiFi at home if practical. Cellular providers collect/track and sell data)
17. Create a Google Voice (VOIP) to keep your personal # private 
18. Enable Low-Power mode
19. Disable *Listen for "Hey Siri"* ... enable Press Side Button for Siri


Tips:

1. Find photos quickly with captions (i). Tip: Create 5-7 primary keywords)
2. Organize apps: use the App Library and set 'most used' apps to the Home page
3. Phone search: use the search link on the home page 
4. Transfer Photos: use AirDrop to send to others or Mac 
5. Create a DuckDuckGo email address (it forwards replies to your real address)
6. Force Quit App: Swipe up 1/2 way and pause, select the app then swipe up
7. Use the space bar as a trackpad to easily position the cursor in text
8. Try using 'Swipe Type' for quick keyboard typing
9. 
Private (non-iCloud) Notes? Use the 'On My iPhone' folder in Notes
10. Using the Mail app - you can 'unsend' an email (10, 20, 30 secs) after sent
11. Create a shared Calendar with the spouse 
12. 'Pigeon pecking' on the TOUCH-screen causes errors in capacitive screen layers

Apps and Options to be considered:
1. Browsers - Brave*, Safari, Firefox and DuckDuckGo (under review)
2. Search Engine - Brave*, DuckDuckGo*, and Start Page
3. Password Manager - BitWarden* and Dashlane
4. Authy* - 2FA via TOTP (time-based one-time password)
5. A non-Google email replacement - Zoho Mail*
6. Secure, private, and encrypted email (separate code) - Proton Mail*

Most used Apps:
Voice Over Clock; Drafts, Apple Calendar, Apple Notes, Zoho, Bitwarden, Authy, Apple Mail (client), Daily Tracker, Brave

Links:
Airdrop - Transferring Photos
All Things Secure - Security Checklist
DuckDuckGo - Private email address
Firefox - Recently expanded privacy features (under my review)
Electronic Frontier Foundation - A Guide to 2FA
How to best use the iPhone camera - iPhonephography School
Photo editor (App store) - Lightroom Photo & Videos
Secure private browsing - Apple Private Relay
Is a website safe? - How to Check
Save battery life - 30 Tips 
Email Isolation - Compartmentalization 
Browser Separation - Chrome only Google (then Brave, Safari, etc) see Browsers
Bulk Delete emails - Options
Malware Bytes - Free email Breach Check
Manual & Auto Mac Updates - Options

(Future) No-password Logins for websites and apps - Apple Passkey

Nov 2, 2022

I Didn't Know This ...

Soften butter without melting it in several minutes
https://qr.ae/pvjFKt

Republicans considering changing Social Security benefits
https://www.forbes.com/sites/teresaghilarducci/2018/10/16/senate-republicans-set-sights-on-cutting-social-security/?sh=6143de655da1

40 minutes of walking 3 times per week had the benefits of improving blood flow to the brain and offsetting memory loss ... shown here 

Oct 31, 2022

The Best Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients
2 medium spaghetti squash, split lengthwise and seeded
Chopped-up sun-dried tomatoes packed in herbed olive oil (oregano, etc.)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons truffle oil
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Season the cut sides of the spaghetti squash with olive oil and some salt and pepper.
3. Place the spaghetti squash cut-side down on a large baking sheet and bake until the squash is tender and the flesh can be scraped with a fork into "spaghetti" strands, 40 to 45 minutes.
4. Allow cooling slightly. Using a large fork, carefully scrape the strands of spaghetti squash into a large bowl
5. While still warm, drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley, and season to taste with pepper.
6. Toss gently and serve.

Source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/roasted-spaghetti-squash-with-parmigiano-reggiano-and-truffle-oil-3162598

Aug 25, 2022

Live Long - Eat Beans

"The longevity all-star food is beans. If you're eating about a cup of beans a day, it's probably worth an extra four years of life expectancy." —Dan Buettner, founder of Blue Zones

How to Cook Garbanzo Beans Soft & Creamy (2022)
What to Eat with Hummus


Jul 14, 2022

2 Chickens = 12 Meals for 2 People

Practical ideas and recipes for basic homesteading and emergency meals:

Website ... https://roseredhomestead.com/ 
Youtube ... https://www.youtube.com/c/RoseRedHomestead/featured
Free Download Book ... https://docs.zohopublic.com/file/bpstmd7f2db165438481ea77a38cde3464fc1


How to Repurpose Jars for Food Storage

Instead of throwing away the glass and plastic jars that food comes in, we can often repurpose those jars and save money on storage supplies while building our food supply at the same time. But there are things we need to be careful about, which this video discusses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVGMMr8zY5Y


Seramine tablets at Sam's Club https://bit.ly/3o32CPh

Oxygen Absorbers - information and dose for foods (CC) https://bit.ly/3z8VZRG