FOOD: The Willows Dinner Class and the Mystery Raspberries

We had a very successful farm tour and dinner at the Willows Inn a couple weeks ago. Seems there was one question that the chef/tour guide couldn't answer...What variety of raspberries were growing at Nettles Farm?

The answer....{insert drum roll}.... Dinkum raspberries from Cloud Mountain Nurseries near Sumas. This variety is a everbearing fruit and according to Judy at Nettles Farm they are still producing berries even as Halloween approaches. Cloud Mountain is sold out of plants at the moment, but will have some in the new year. Click here for more information.

Cooking: Quick Lessons on Caramelizing

I can sure use this lesson. Caramelizing to me usually means burning until rock solid! The Cooking Light website is feature videos and articles this month on how to carmelize properly. These helpful online videos and lessons will be important as we approach the holiday season. The Cooking Light website is a great resource for cooking information. Go take a peek!

Digital Life: Social Media Conference and Explanation

Deb Slater from KVOS conducting enterviews about social media at our conference. Also includes an interview I did with Deb, where we discussed some issues related to social media on her show. Enjoy!

Social Media Conference in Bellingham from ENW with Deb Slater on Vimeo.

Personal Finance: Some Things Are Going Right for Consumers

Meg Margo over at the Consumerist reminds us that not all news is bad for consumers in this down economy. I have to agree with Meg.

We are hit with so much negative news from the media that we forget to put it in perspective. Most of us are working, most of us are will tighten our belts and work through the downturn, and that downturns historically lead back to stronger economies.

The Consumerist article looks at ten positives during the downturn... which hopefully will help offset some of the negative news we have all been hearing. Here are the first three:

1. Oil prices have dropped 50% in three months
2. Interest rates have dropped (Ok, only works if you can find a bank that will actually lend you money.)
3. Car makers are lowering prices and interest rates... its a great time to buy a new or used car.

Click here to read article.
picture by yewenyi (flickr)

Community Education: A First Look At New Offices

Here's a quick video that takes a look at our new office space. We will be moving in December.

Yikes! Microwaving Frozen Food May Be Bad For Your Health

Microwaves and frozen foods go hand in hand. For a quick snack or a meal when the gourmet in you wants a night off, most of us use the microwave for cooking. In a Komo News report it seems the government has issued warning about microwaving.

Recently, 32 consumers in 12 states were sickened with Salmonella poisoning after eating undercooked frozen chicken dinners. Because of the way microwaves heat, they tend to leave raw and frozen foods unevenly cooked. If you don't get meats to a certain temperature, bacteria will not be killed.

Another lesson is to watch for wattage. Directions on packages are usually for a specific wattage. You may need to adjust cooking times if your microwave has less wattage or is older... over time microwaves put out less microwave energy.

Read the article. It's a great reminder that even convenience food needs to be properly cooked.
photo by Jimmy McDonald (flikr)

Cost to Drive: You May Not Want to Know

Cost2Drive goes beyond many "mileage" sites found on the web. Not only do you input your starting point and destination, you also enter the make and model of your vehicle. Cost2Drive will then figure out your gas expense based on your car and the average price of gas in each state you drive through. You also get a Google Map that shows you the route and the waypoints where gas prices were sampled.

I checked out a trip from Bellingham to Bowling Greens Kentucky, home of the Corvette Museum. the data was close, but, had a couple errors. The number of gallons was off because one state did not have fuel information. It also reports just unleaded gas prices for cars even if your car uses Supreme... my car is not exactly a fuel efficient model.

Besides those two issues, the site is fun and informative to work with. A good tool for help in planning your next road trip.

Second Chance: Another Section of Sushi Class Added

Sushi 101 was really popular this quarter. So popular, that we filled the class quickly and left a lot of people disappointed.

We have added a second session and you have another chance to take this hot class! the new class will be on Monday November 17th. Same place and time.
Image by Zeetz Jones (flikr)

Click here for more information.
Click here to register.

Clutter = Stress = Arrgrhh!

Some of you who know the "elf" behind the newsletters and website posts know I write a lot about simplicity and clutter.

I am a traditional kind of guy. I don't try to get in touch with my inner-self very often. This past year, I have been working on a simplicity drive and with that simple philosophy have made myself calmer, more productive and...wait for the inner self thing... happier because of it.

One of the tenets of simplicity is No Clutter. Clutter causes stress. It doesn't matter whether at home or work, piles of "stuff" causes stress. Your eyes are immediately drawn to piles and stuff. What the eye sees, the brain processes. If you're always processing what to do with the clutter, you can't spend time thinking about other aspects of your life.

Here's a simple example:
Why do you have a pen cup on your desk? You only need one pen at a time. Get rid of the pen cup and keep one pen handy on your desk. Your brain then doesn't have to focus on making a decision every time you reach for a pen.

A good place to start is with Carolyn Koehnline's Letting Go of Clutter Class. She is terrific at helping you with strategies of getting rid of "stuff." It is a practical class with lots of help for the harried adult.

Click here for class information