I am not a big steak eater like my husband. However, in any loving relationship, there is compromise, and so, I look for good Omaha Steak deals. Recently, I spent $29.99 and received two additional piece of top sirloin. I didn't expect it to break apart like extremely tender steak. However, I was appalled by the immensely sinewy pieces that I received for free. In other word, they were willing to sacrifice their good name by offering customers with poor quality lost leaders, which is a term in the sales industry to lure customers into buying their product. We were so disappointed that we will no longer buy Omaha Steak. Typically as a smart consumer, I would try to write to the corporate office and ask for replacement. However, I will not do this because I will not patronize this business any longer. I have not been disappointed with poor cuts of meat at Ralph's, yet I am thoroughly disappointed with Omaha Steak, which I thought was trying to set itself as a cut above the rest. Now, I am looking into eating better quality of beef like grass-fed kind.
Friday, November 29, 2013
No Web Browser Searches Should Be Unpaid
So everyone likes Google searches. I took the comparison test between Google and Bing and found them to be similar. The one difference is that Bing pays for your searches. Little by little, your points accrue and you have enough for a $5 Amazon gift certificate. If you have made 150 searches per month on Bing, you elevate yourself to a Gold Status, which gives you a bit of discount on your reward.
Swagbucks also pays for your searches. From my observation, you can search on Swagbucks which incidentally is powered by Bing, and as soon as you are rewarded, then your next searches should then be on Bing. If you take a break and return to your searches, then use Swagbucks. Why? I have never seen frequent rewarding in a short period of time, but you can assure yourself that you can max out your 15 credits per day on Bing by earning 1 credit for every 2 searches. Occasionally Bing will lower its rate of search per credit. Happy searching and earning Amazon gift certificates, which isn't too difficult to do.
Swagbucks also pays for your searches. From my observation, you can search on Swagbucks which incidentally is powered by Bing, and as soon as you are rewarded, then your next searches should then be on Bing. If you take a break and return to your searches, then use Swagbucks. Why? I have never seen frequent rewarding in a short period of time, but you can assure yourself that you can max out your 15 credits per day on Bing by earning 1 credit for every 2 searches. Occasionally Bing will lower its rate of search per credit. Happy searching and earning Amazon gift certificates, which isn't too difficult to do.
Good Auto Loan Interest Rate Equals Money Earned
At any social gathering, whether a person is buying a Tesla or a used Jetta sedan, people will often gravitate their conversation to auto loans. I recall using Pen Fed's auto buying service which is comparable to a fleet service and obtaining an oral approval for 0.49 percent in September 2012. I checked the rates recently and it was up to a whopping 0.99. I recall that if the PenFed auto loan failed for any reason, Power Toyota had the car guaranteed under its own loan of 4.99 percent. I calculated that the financial charge on my used Sports Trac was only $25 per year. That's less than 2 value meals from McDonald's or Wendy's, and it was great to have a backup car to a car that broken down twice in 6 months prior to buying our second vehicle. If you are not convinced that PenFed offers the best auto loan interest rate, this is my last passing comment, a comparison to USAA Auto Loan. In September 2012, I asked a colleague about USAA Auto loans, which are supposed to be the best since they offer these loans only to military personnels and their families. At that time, the rate was 2.99 percent while mine was 0.49. Granted mine was the military, too, I did notice that Pen Fed Federal Credit Union is member-owned whereas nothing was said about member ownership of USAA Auto loan. And there you have it. If you are not convinced yet, just make sure that you compare the rate of your loan with Pen Fed as a due diligence before closing any auto loan transaction.
PenFed's auto loan also covers refinancing. So, if your existing car loan is terrible, you don't have to feel trapped. It may not be as good as the loan through the auto buying service, but it may still be better than your existing loan. A little homework may save you a bundle of money and that's money you earned for yourself.
PenFed's auto loan also covers refinancing. So, if your existing car loan is terrible, you don't have to feel trapped. It may not be as good as the loan through the auto buying service, but it may still be better than your existing loan. A little homework may save you a bundle of money and that's money you earned for yourself.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Save Money, Improve Health By Leaving Eggplant Skin In Bhurtha
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Bhurtha |
Eggplants are already super food, unless you have joint issues or arthritis. They promote the circulation of blood by relaxing the blood vessels and serve as an iron chelator, which takes away iron when you have too much of it. Eggplants are also high in fiber and is a good source of manganese and potassium. Manganese helps reduce inflammation, and potassium is good to prevent hypertension.
Here is an easy and delicious eggplant recipe called Bhurtha where I have left the skin on the dish.
Bhurtha
1 medium size eggplant
1 large tomato or 3 small tomatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon tumeric or Indian curry powder
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
1/4 c fresh cilantro (optional garnish)
salt to taste
Chopped the eggplants into thin bite-size pieces. You can take out or leave in as much of the seeds. In a skillet, cook the eggplant pieces in the oil until it is soft. Remove the eggplants and place in a bowl. Chop the tomato into pieces, and combine the rest of the ingredients (except the optional cilantro) in the same skillet that cooked the eggplants. Cook until the tomato pieces have softened, and then add the eggplants back into the skillet. Combine well, and then salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Popular Asian Noodles: Knowing What They Are Can Save You Some Money and Headache.
Asian Noodles Have Become Very Popular Lately.
Asians love noodles as much as rice. The most popular ones are somen, soba, udon, ramen, mung noodles, and rice noodles.Somen noodles are thin Japanese wheat noodles that are typically eaten cold to increase one's appetite during the hot seasons. If somen noodles are colored green, they are typically colored with green tea and called cha somen. Typically it is seasoned with a soy sauce based sauce called tsuyu sauce.
Simple Cold Somen Recipe
Bring a large pot of water to a roiling boil. Prepare the noodles (each bundle is one serving), according to the package directions. Somen water is not used, so you can dump out the water into a colander and immediately run the somen under cool running water, tossing until cool.
Fill 4 large bowls with cold water, and place a few ice cubes in each. Place a quarter of the somen in each bowl and serve with tyusu sauce on the side.
Somen Noodles Are Great For Small Children! These
are very thin noodles like angel hair. Because they are very soft, they
are great noodles for small children. You can break them into smaller
lengths. I can remember growing up eating warm somen noodles instead of
spaghetti noodles because they are so easy to chew.
Soba noodles are very healthful and are made from soba or buckwheat
mixed with wheat flour because buckwheat alone does not have enough
gluten to hold it together. When the noodles are green, again they are
made with green tea. Soba can be eaten hot, in soup, or cold, with dipping sauce, which is called Zaru Soba.
Soba (Buckwheat) Noodles
Soba noodles are very healthful and are made from soba or buckwheat
mixed with wheat flour because buckwheat alone does not have enough
gluten to hold it together. When the noodles are green, again they are
made with green tea. Soba can be eaten hot, in soup, or cold, with dipping sauce, which is called Zaru Soba.Preparation for Somen Noodles
Tsuyu Sauce: The Sauce Used With Somen Noodles
It's a quick way to make Japanese noodle
dipping sauce. It can be served with various boiled and chilled
noodles, such as somen and soba.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups kombu and katsuobushi dashi
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup mirin
Preparation:
Put
mirin in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce and dashi soup
stock in the pan and bring to a boil again. Stop the heat. Cool the
sauce.
Tsukimi Soba Recipe
Cook soba with ample water. It is usually cooked to "al dente" but without any hard center.
Combine the ingredients for the soup stock and heat until barely a simmer. Warm soup bowls with hot water for a few minutes before filling each bowl with noodles. Then, pour the broth until 1 inch below the rim. Top each bowl with a raw egg.
Combine the ingredients for the soup stock and heat until barely a simmer. Warm soup bowls with hot water for a few minutes before filling each bowl with noodles. Then, pour the broth until 1 inch below the rim. Top each bowl with a raw egg.
Why Not Try Making Your Own Soba Noodles?
Soba Noodle Ingredients:
800 grams of buckwheat flour & 200 grams of wheat flour, and 500 ml of water.
800 grams of buckwheat flour & 200 grams of wheat flour, and 500 ml of water.
Udon Noodles (Thick Japanese Wheat Noodles)
Udon Noodle Recipes
Japanese Udon Miso Noodle Soup
Only 15 minutes to prepare.
Beef Udon Soup
Recipe from MasterCook
Simple Shitake Udon Soup
Completely vegetarian.
Simple Udon Soup with Chicken and Leek
20 minutes to prepare.
How To Make Udon Noodles
Ramen Noodles
Ramen
is a Japanese noodle dish using Chinese style wheat noodles served with
meat in broth. Originally, the noodles are made from flour, salt,
water, and kansui,which is a type of mineral water giving it the yellow
hue. Nowadays, it may contain eggs for the same yellow color. Japanese
sauteed ramen noodles are called yakisoba.
Ramen Noodles From Scratch
How to Make Ramen From Scratch
Ingredients:
3/4 Cups Flour (see below)
1 egg
~3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
~1 tbsp water (depending on flour and humidity)
Cellophane Noodles
The Noodles with Many Names
Cellophane
noodles may also be called Chinese vermicelli, bean threads, bean
thread noodles, crystal noodles, mung noodles, or glass noodles. They
could also be made from potatoes. Different countries have names for
them. For example, in Indonesia, cellophane noodles are called called
soun or suun.
Jap Chae--Korean Noodle Salad
A Chinese Dish Using Cellophane Noodles Called Ants Climbing Trees
Rice Noodles
Rice Noodles Dishes
Rice Noodles are very popular from Thailand and Vietnam to Taiwan. The three
famous Thai rice noodle dishes are Pad Se Ew, Pad Thai, and Pad Ran.
Pad Thai is the most popular Thai rice noodle dish.
Another very popular Thai rice noodle dish, this one from Thai Table.
Another popular Thai rice noodle dish.
Highly recommended and easy.
Singapore Noodles are fried rice noodles flavored with curry. It is also a very popular dish from Taiwan.
Pho is the name for the popular Vietnamese rice noodle soup.
Chicken Pad Thai By Divine Chef
Reversing Gifted Underachievement
Inside the Mind of A Gifted Underachiever
If your gifted child hates school, parents and teachers may
be quick to label you as "trouble" or "defiant" or diagnose you with a
number of disorders. This is far from the truth. There is nothing wrong
with hating school. Oftentime the overlooked gifted child is a
non-producer (low test scores/grades), exhibiting behavior problems,
such as "cockiness" or "bulling." They may be introverted and quiet,
even absent-minded.
Who Is The Gifted/Able Underachievers?
GENERAL GIFTED UNDERACHIEVERS' CHARACTERS:
Low self-esteem; feelings of inferiority
Consistently negative attitude toward school and learning; apathetic and unmotivated
Poor attention span/daydreaming where bored
Low tolerance for completing tasks that seem irrelevant/uninteresting
Reluctance to take risks or exhibits inappropriate risk-taking
Discomfort with competition; highly sensitive to criticism
Lack of perseverance
Lack of goal-directed behavior
Social isolation
Low/inconsistent academic performance
Lack of organizational skills; loses or forgets assignments
Disruptiveness in class and resistance to class activities
Power struggles with authorities; questions rules and customs
Low self-esteem; feelings of inferiority
Consistently negative attitude toward school and learning; apathetic and unmotivated
Poor attention span/daydreaming where bored
Low tolerance for completing tasks that seem irrelevant/uninteresting
Reluctance to take risks or exhibits inappropriate risk-taking
Discomfort with competition; highly sensitive to criticism
Lack of perseverance
Lack of goal-directed behavior
Social isolation
Low/inconsistent academic performance
Lack of organizational skills; loses or forgets assignments
Disruptiveness in class and resistance to class activities
Power struggles with authorities; questions rules and customs
Common Factors Of Underachievers At School and Home
CHARACTERISTICS OF UNDERACHIEVER AT SCHOOL:
Negative relationship or lack of student-teacher connection
Lack of supportive classroom climate
Low teacher expectations
School culture perpetuating low expectations or mediocrity; anti-intellectual peer atmosphere
Cultural mismatch between teaching and learning style
Lack of teacher training in culturally relevant or gifted education
Lack of differentiated, motivating instruction with flexibility/choice
Excessive use of competition or measured comparison
Negative relationship or lack of student-teacher connection
Lack of supportive classroom climate
Low teacher expectations
School culture perpetuating low expectations or mediocrity; anti-intellectual peer atmosphere
Cultural mismatch between teaching and learning style
Lack of teacher training in culturally relevant or gifted education
Lack of differentiated, motivating instruction with flexibility/choice
Excessive use of competition or measured comparison
CHARACTERISTICS OF UNDERACHIEVER AT HOME:
Lack of optimism
Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
Less assertive about child's education
Less assertive about child's education
Unrealistic and unclear expectations
Lack of optimism
Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
Less assertive about child's education
Less assertive about child's education
Unrealistic and unclear expectations
Effective Strategy: Setting "Motivation Traps"
If
teachers have not learned the effective strategy of motivation traps,
they ought to know that this is a way to "bait" or "trap" students with
high interest content into using and developing standards-based skills.
It's a win-win strategy for both students and teachers. Students are
given the opportunity to interact with high-interest topics during the
instructional day (rather than being deliberately cut off from these
topics), and teachers are able to hook students into interacting and
comprehending academic standards.
What Are the Different Motivational Traps?
Some Categories:
Hero Traps-- Children all have heroes, famous athletes, movie stars, musicians, authors, etc. Teachers can find ways to incorporate students' heroes as bait in most disciplines. Examples: Letter writing to heroes, hero biographies, mock interviews of heroes, writing a movie script starring the hero, calculating and creating a statistics report for athletes, creating a budget using a hero's salary, timeline/geneaology chart of a hero's life, direct a music video of a hero's music or write our own music in the same style.
Intense-Interest Traps-- The intense interest can be dinosaurs, cars, video games, fashion, music, basketball, etc. and can be incorporated into classroom lessons or pursued by students through independent study. Examples: Independent study/research in an interest area, draw/label diagrams of interest to create a book, classify and categorize items of interest, measure/compute statistics (weight, price, speed, etc.), historical study of interest area.
Classroom Club Traps-- Promoting high-interest classroom clubs can help students with social and academic growth, combining high-interest "bait" and new peer relationship, thus encouraging leadership opportunities and problem-solving skills. Examples: Cooking Club (create recipes, public and sell cookbooks), Garden Club (study in past, present and future of agriculture), Classroom Journalism Club (interviews, book and movie reviews, editorials, photographs)
Social and Emotional Needs Traps-- Underachievers may grave acceptance and attention, which may be satisfied by this "trap." Examples: Note Passing to peers (involving pen-pal program) and positive notes about peers to report out to the class at a scheduled time.
Hero Traps-- Children all have heroes, famous athletes, movie stars, musicians, authors, etc. Teachers can find ways to incorporate students' heroes as bait in most disciplines. Examples: Letter writing to heroes, hero biographies, mock interviews of heroes, writing a movie script starring the hero, calculating and creating a statistics report for athletes, creating a budget using a hero's salary, timeline/geneaology chart of a hero's life, direct a music video of a hero's music or write our own music in the same style.
Intense-Interest Traps-- The intense interest can be dinosaurs, cars, video games, fashion, music, basketball, etc. and can be incorporated into classroom lessons or pursued by students through independent study. Examples: Independent study/research in an interest area, draw/label diagrams of interest to create a book, classify and categorize items of interest, measure/compute statistics (weight, price, speed, etc.), historical study of interest area.
Classroom Club Traps-- Promoting high-interest classroom clubs can help students with social and academic growth, combining high-interest "bait" and new peer relationship, thus encouraging leadership opportunities and problem-solving skills. Examples: Cooking Club (create recipes, public and sell cookbooks), Garden Club (study in past, present and future of agriculture), Classroom Journalism Club (interviews, book and movie reviews, editorials, photographs)
Social and Emotional Needs Traps-- Underachievers may grave acceptance and attention, which may be satisfied by this "trap." Examples: Note Passing to peers (involving pen-pal program) and positive notes about peers to report out to the class at a scheduled time.
Top 10 Children's Activities In Los Angeles
Worthwhile Free Activities For Children in Los Angeles
Add creative activities to your children's life. There has been this wonderful arts program at the LACMA that is completely free for children and teens under the age of 17. You can find the NextGen Application for here . The best part about the NextGen program is that when a child is a NextGen member, he or she can bring an adult into the museum for free.
The most popular program at LACMA is Andell Family Day on Sundays from 12:30 to 3:30 P.M. You can find the schedule here . It's a hand-on method of learning different techniques on different arts topics. My children have made color African mask drawings masked by blocking inks, Japanese potteries, collages, Greek mosaic art, and many other projects. Further, the kids have been on family tours with curators who know how to engage the children. You don't have to be a NextGen member to enjoy this program because this is usually outside. You can always complete a NextGen application on site, so don't worry if you did not send in a NextGen application.
There are a number of free events at LACMA such as gallery conversations .
Homepage of LACMA is here.
Hours
LACMA is open every day except Wednesdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Regular Hours:
Monday 12 noon-8 pm
Tuesday 12 noon-8 pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 12 noon-8 pm
Friday 12 noon-9 pm
Saturday 11 am-8 pm
Sunday 11 am-8 pm
EARLY CLOSURE
Saturday, September 24 | All levels of the Ahmanson Building will close at 5 pm
Griffith Observatory--The Building and Grounds Are Always Free
Griffith
Observatory is one of the most popular attractions in Los Angeles. The
Observatory is located in Griffith Park, just above the Los Feliz
neighborhood, and is 1,134 feet above sea level, visible from many parts
of the Los Angeles basin.
Griffith Observatory
2800 East Observatory Road
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(213) 473-0800
This address can be entered into GPS or mapping programs to get to the Observatory.
From the calendar page of the website, you will find upcoming free parties and special events.
Hours
Weekdays (Wednesday-Friday)
Open Noon - 10:00 p.m.
Weekends (Saturday-Sunday)
Open 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Mondays and Tuesdays
Closed
Griffith Observatory
2800 East Observatory Road
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(213) 473-0800
This address can be entered into GPS or mapping programs to get to the Observatory.
From the calendar page of the website, you will find upcoming free parties and special events.
Hours
Weekdays (Wednesday-Friday)
Open Noon - 10:00 p.m.
Weekends (Saturday-Sunday)
Open 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Mondays and Tuesdays
Closed
California Science Museum in Exposition Park
700 Exposition Park Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90037
Neighborhood: South Los Angeles
(323) 724-3623
Official website:
californiasciencecenter.org
Hours of Admission
The California Science Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
There are Monthly Free Museum Days
Use This Handy Chart To Plan Your Visit To Los Angeles
Getty Center/Getty Villa
One
of the newer landmarks in Los Angeles is the Getty Center, the newer of
the two Getty Museum. The Getty Villa had been recently renovated. Both
Museum are free, but the Getty Villa requires online reservation of
tickets, which can be found on this page,www.getty.edu/visit/groups/families.html.
Hours for the GETTY CENTER site and galleries:
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Closed Mondays and on January 1, July 4 (Independence Day), Thanksgiving, and December 25 (Christmas Day).
Hours for the GETTY VILLA site and galleries:
Monday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday Varies; see below
Thursday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays and on January 1, July 4 (Independence Day), Thanksgiving, and December 25 (Christmas Day).
A list of current family programs can be found at http://www.getty.edu/visit/groups/families.html
For other visiting information, please click here.
The event calendar is here.
Shakespeare By The Sea
Shakespeare
By The Sea's core program is its free summer festivals at various
parks. SBTS now present a repertory season that runs for 9 weeks - 5
weeks in San Pedro and 4 weeks in other venues throughout LA and Orange
County.
Here is a list of park locations.
For more information, click here. Keep checking back for the next season's calendar.
Here is a list of park locations.
For more information, click here. Keep checking back for the next season's calendar.
Santa Monica Pier
Santa
Monica Pier is a great place for children to visit. In addition to the
beach, they can watch the street performers and artists entertain
.
And while the rides and games at Pacific Park will require money,
admission to this amusement park on the pier is free. Finally, there are
numerous fishermen waiting for the fish to pull their lines. The sunset
is absolutely beautiful.
During the summer, the Pier hosts a dance series. Here is a look at the lineup.
.
And while the rides and games at Pacific Park will require money,
admission to this amusement park on the pier is free. Finally, there are
numerous fishermen waiting for the fish to pull their lines. The sunset
is absolutely beautiful.During the summer, the Pier hosts a dance series. Here is a look at the lineup.
Los Angeles Central Library Events for Children
The
Los Angeles Central Library has a beautiful children's department. The
best kept secret is that this library generally has the best collection
of children's book series because it's not frequented by parents or
children. Instead of putting a book on hold, why not drop by and browse
their collection. Plus, it also has a variety of children's programs,
including storytelling and puppet
It also has a great collection of DVD, books on tape, and music CDs.
Swimming At Los Angeles Park and Recreation
Swimming
at any one of the swimming pools run by the Los Angeles Park and
Recreation is free for children 17 and under. There are many indoor
swimming facilities that are open year round, whereas the outdoor ones
tend to be open only during the summer season.
Here is a list of swimming pools in the City of Los Angeles. On the left, there is a link to year round swimming facilities.
Here is a list of swimming pools in the City of Los Angeles. On the left, there is a link to year round swimming facilities.
Farmer's Market/The Grove
One
might wonder why this farmer's market and mall would make the list of
free children's activities in Los Angeles. Not only is this one of the
oldest farmer's markets, but the new mall that is attached to it has a
beautiful fountain where the water dances to music. My kids just love
the watch the waterwork. The mall also has a list of activities for children.
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