DAK Turbo Bake II and Oster 5838 breadmakers

That DAK breadmaker was a GREAT thrift store find. I love this thing!

It’s different than other breadmakers. First, you put the ingredients in the opposite order from most bread machines: dry ingredients first, then liquids on top. It has temperature sensor in the post on which the paddle sits’ the sensor gauges the dough ball or loaf’s internal temperatures and adjusts the baking cycle accordingly. It has a turbo bake setting that uses heat to expedite the rising process. It is a convection element to it as well, with a fan coming on periodically during its cycle. And, it has a cool-down at the end that keeps the bread from getting overcooked and/or soggy if you don’t remove it from the pan right away.

Though it doesn’t have a dedicated wheat bread cycle, I make 100% whole wheat recipes in it frequently and they turn out just fine. That might be owing to the above-mentioned smart technology.

It’s a shame the DAK company went defunct, because this machine really is a wonder, works great. There are many other fans out there, and plenty of videos on YouTube.

Here’s a DAK Turbo Baker IV model, making a heavy, low-carb bread. That gives any machine a workout, and this owner is happy with his DAK.

Here’s someone’s video of the same model I have:

I do have the manual for this machine, and as soon as I have a little time, I’ll upload it to my website. I know there’s a lot of people looking for it, along with a thriving parts market. As far as recipes go, just about any bread machine recipes will work in it. I just reverse the usual order of ingredients so the liquids are added last.

I need to make some videos, too. Right now, though, my walnut-wheat bread’s ready and I need to take it out of the pan!

While I was chatting with my electronic friend, I asked something about fees. She directed me to the fees page, cleverly circumventing my question. I know, I know, she’s not real. She had the same effect on me as the monotone GPS voice which, though it doesn’t really change inflection, sounds like it does. Turn left. Turn left. Turn left!

In a moment of frustration, I typed, “this is useless”. You see how the conversation went downhill from there.

The conversation quickly went downhill.

My big question is, will PayPal cover my virtual hospital bills for my virtual gunshot wound? That little snip got me right between the eyes! Thank God she’s really tiny. Just sayin’.

You have to click the green “Create Mine Now” button on the page to get to the design app. The app is a little clunky, but fairly intuitive. I experimented with it tonight, uploading some retro kitchen advertisements for fun.

It’s great fun to be able to customize an appliance. I participated in a market research focus group several years ago where participants were asked if they would pay extra to have the ability to somewhat personalize their major appliances with custom inserts and knobs. I’ve not seen it happen, unless I’ve missed it. Still, people are all about personalization now. Skins are in, for everything from cell phones to iPods to laptops and tablets.

But back to the app. Once a user’s designed her dream Crock-Pot and clicks to add it to her cart, a message comes up warning the user, “This is the final time you will be able to view your customized Create-A-Crock™ Slow Cooker.”

When I saw this, I realized the flaw in the campaign.

Kudos to Crock-Pot for putting this idea out there. However, they missed a huge opportunity when they didn’t also provide a means for users to share their designs with others. I’m not talking about sharing as in buying a Crock-Pot to give as a gift, though that is the company’s goal. I’m talking about letting users share pictures of their creations with friends and family via social networks, mobile MMS, and e-mail. Users might have created profiles in order to save their designs, providing Crock-Pot with fresh prospective customers’ information for their database.

Viral marketing involving personalization pops up everywhere (think OfficeMax and ElfYourself) and yet it’s nowhere to be found with this product. It’s a shame, because I think it could have driven a lot of traffic to their site. People like to play with apps like that. The longer a user stays on your site, the more they buy in to what you’re selling. These users might have created their own designs or, if allowed, ordered duplicates of their friends’ creations.

I snagged this little Kandle LED Book Light for the Amazon Kindle at the same time as the Kindle 3 since the Kindle uses an electronic paper display (similar to the Sony Reader, only with much better contrast) rather than a backlit one. I know she’ll appreciate having a little light when reading in a dimly lit area or in bed at night. The package arrived today and I got everything set up for her.

Thanks to the low power consumption and LED diodes, this book light uses button batteries; that makes for a compact product that’s extremely lightweight. I think about how clunky my old Mighty Bright book light is with its four heavy AA batteries and extendable arm housing a flashlight bulb. Compared to the Kandle, that thing’s a behemoth. I like how compact this light is, even when clipped on the Kindle and opened so the arm containing the two LED lights is extended.

The clip mechanism that holds the light to the Kindle is strong, plus it has cushioning on it to improve grip and to protect a Kindle or Sony Reader from scratches. The light also folds into a compact bundle that fits into an included black velveteen carrying bag. Two spare batteries are included as well, along with a mini screwdriver used for accessing the book light’s battery compartment.

I’m really impressed with its design! If you want to be able to read your favorite eBook reader snuggled beneath your covers in the dark, or anywhere there’s not adequate reading light, I think you’ll like this. The sub-$20 pricepoint is a winner, too, and it qualifies for Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime since the orders are fulfilled by Amazon. Win!

This takeout Bluetooth wireless Keyboard is amend for those who poverty to ingest a fleshly keyboard with their tablets and smartphones, etc. Just invoke on the Bluetooth, unify your figure with “BK-6062?, and move using the keyboard instantly! Whether you are texting, or feeding the web, this keyboard module wage a simpler artefact to do so. This keyboard is fit to ingest for speeches, presentations, meetings, etc. Don’t be detected as obsolete-pick up this keyboard today and move making recreation convenient. Instruction Sheet Included. The keyboard measures approximately: 8.5? x 4.5? x 0.1?. Comes in digit colors: Silver, Hot Pink.

This is great on so many levels. Friends, do you poverty to ingest a fleshly keyboard? I really don’t want to dwell on that concept. It sounds like something Buffalo Bill/Jame Gumb would fashion when he was done making a skin suit.

Whatever you do, don’t be detected as obsolete. It’s the fear of every obsolete person to be detected as such. The solution is to pick up this keyboard today and move making recreation convenient. This Instruction Sheet…Does it just tell you how to use the keyboard, or will it tell us how to avoid being obsolete?

Most importantly, they recognize that the web is not just a solo effort, but a community endeavor; we know we’re all responsibility for feeding the web. Every. Single. Day.

This keyboard is peaceful, too; it wages artefact, not war. And if you tend to get hungry while interfacing with work colleagues, don’t worry…This keyboard is fit to ingest.

I just loved this! It was found at bestcheaptablet.com, for those who want to peruse the original. I’m sure there are other gems there.

And, yes, if I were to try and translate my native English to Chinese, you bet they’d be laughing at me over their morning tea.

In the meantime, did you know you can search the Android Market using some of the same Boolean search techniques as you do when searching the web? You still can’t sort the search results (c’mon, Google!), but you can at least narrow your search results and cut out some of the junk.

For instance, I wanted to find some gardening apps. A search for just gardening brought up all kinds of fluff apps I didn’t want, things like photoclips, ringclips, and virtual garden games. So, I tried narrowing my search results by using the minus sign to exclude some of the apps I don’t want included in the search results.

gardening -ringclip -ringphoto -game -virtual

That brought up far more targeted results. You can also use a plus sign to indicate you only want to see results that include a given word:

+gardening +reference

That resulted in an app I might not otherwise have seen, at least not on the first page or two of results: Landscaper’s Companion.

You may have to tweak your search results a bit, just like you do when you’re searching for something within your web browser. I got different results by using garden vs. gardening, and resource vs. reference. You’ll get the hang of it if you keep trying.

It can be time consuming to type in search terms with your mobile phone, though, even if your phone has a QWERTY keyboard. So, consider the site I’ve linked to above, AppBrain. It’s not only a mirror of the market (like the defunct Cyrket, the domain now serving another purpose).

Oh, no. It’s much more. AppBrain lets you easily search the market, share app info with friends, and even make the chore of installing apps go more smoothly. There’s an AppBrain app for Android which allows you to sync your installed apps with AppBrain’s site. If you do a factory reset or go to a different phone, all you have to do is install AppBrain to quickly go through your previously-installed apps and reinstall them on your phone. You still have to okay the apps’ permissions, but you don’t have to look each one up.

There are backup utilities which do that, of course, but AppBrain has some other features I really like. The sync capability and recommendations feature.You can (but don’t have to) share your list of installed apps with people and view their installed apps. That’s a great way to see what apps are popular among your peers.

It’s also a lot easier to search for apps using AppBrain than it is to search the Android Market from your phone. Once you bring up an app on AppBrain’s site, you’ll see a QR code you can scan with a scanner app such as Barcode Scanner or Shop Savvy. That makes fast work of bringing the app up in the market. You can also indicate on the AppBrain site that you want to install apps, then open AppBrain on your phone. You can read more about that whole process on their site.

The DoubleTwist desktop client offers music syncing and a means to search the app market and view QR codes; however, it doesn’t have a means of syncing or installing apps.

It depicts a woman wearing a flowing blue dress, strolling through her garden. She kneels down and admires the ripe, red tomatoes. Last, she reaches down and pulls out….a smartphone. Yep. She snaps a photo of the tomato and seems to upload it somewhere. She’s grinning like a fool the whole time, by the way.

Howie and I laughed when we saw that, because that’s pretty much me. I carry my G1 phone with me everywhere. I’m also an avid photographer and love to share with others. So, I often take photos of flowers, veggies, toads, and anything else I find pretty or interesting and upload it from my phone.

Need to ID a plant? Snap! Upload it.

See a cute little toad? Snap! Upload it.

I need to take more breaks when I garden than I used to, so I upload pictures when I sit down and take a break.

I wrote to Burpee today:

My husband and I saw the spring commercial on HGTV this morning. What a clever and funny ad!

We got a good laugh out of that, because that’s exactly how I am. I’m frequently out in my garden, admiring the flowers, veggies, even the little toads, then pulling out my cellphone to take photos and upload them to Facebook, my blog, and e-mail.

The only difference is, when I go out in my garden, I can assure you I am *never* bright and shiny, put together in a lovely outfit complete with hat and basket! My neighbors and any passers-by can attest to this. Please don’t ask them about it, though.

Thing is, by the time tomatoes ripen in my area of Ohio, it is HOT. If I’m dressed up like that, I’m sure not going to ruin my hair and makeup by going out in my garden and kneeling down to get pictures of my tomatoes…Even for a quick snap.

Okay, I lied. Maybe I would, but just one! My husband will be in the background telling me we’re running late and to get in the car.

Anyway, good show on the commercial. You and your ad agency came up with something delightful for us tech-loving gardeners.

We need an Android app, guys. Hint, hint.

When I wrote it, I’d only watched the ad once and would have sworn the woman in the commercial was wearing a straw hat. Nope! It’s funny how your mind’s eye can trick you!

I now return you to your scheduled programming.

The reason is twofold. First, I’ve wanted a French press for years. They make a fantastic cup of coffee. Second, he got it for an insanely low price. I love a bargain, and he found this Bodum 12-cup model at the local Goodwill store for all of two bucks. TWO BUCKS!

They sell for almost $50 at Amazon, Target and other places I’ve looked, so this was a real bargain! As the cashier rang up the sale, she asked what the heck it was. He couldn’t wait to give it to me; to his credit, though, he made it all the way to Christmas Eve before letting me unwrap it. What a guy!

I use the French press almost every day. We’ve had to cut expenses and can’t make our beloved Caribou Coffee Obsidian Blend every day, but we find Eight O’Clock Coffee French Roast tastes pretty good when done in the French press. We still get Caribou, but just for special treats on the weekends.

He picked up a mini-me version of it at Meijer for $10, just to use at his office. Yeah, he’s gotten spoiled, too.

The one thing that’s bugged me is how quickly the coffee cools in the pot if it’s just me drinking it. At least French pressed coffee doesn’t develop the bitter edge that drip-brew does as it cools. It makes a nice iced coffee later on in the day if you make it stronger to begin with.

But still.

I saw some really cute French press wraps at this site, but couldn’t see spending the money on one right now. Besides, the pattern I really like — this sort of celestial pattern — is sold out in the 12-cup model we’d need.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands today.

I had hanging in my closet an old fleece jacket that was pilling pretty badly. I haven’t worn it for a couple of years. So, out came the pinking shears! I cut one of the sleeves off up near where it joined the body of the jacket.

Then, I slipped the sleeve over the French press, wide-end-first and held the sleeve upright. Snip! One more cut about two inches above the top of the pot and my sleeve was nearly done. I turned the sleeve around so the seam was lined up with the spout of the press (opposite the handle), then made a small cut in the fabric directly over the handle. I expanded that cut just enough so the handle could slip through the hole.

It might not be very pretty, nor lined with nifty Thinsulate, but it does the job for now and it’s nicer than wrapping a towel around the pot. If I get really adventurous, I could put some grommets around the top and add a drawstring. Nah!

Busy Day Paprikash

Taken from label of Giant Eagle Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.

Makes four servings (about 5 cups)

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ chunks

1 medium onion, halved then sliced

2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 can (10.5oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup lowfat sour cream

Hot cooked noodles

Directions:

Pat chicken chunks dry with paper towel. In large skillet, sautee chicken and onion in oil until chicken is browned. Sprinkle paprika over chicken and onions, then stir in soup and water. Simmer this mixture for five minutes. Stir in sour cream. Heat, but do not let boil. Serve over hot noodles.

Basic Pasta Recipe for ABM

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water

I also added the following:

1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Measure all ingredients into bread pan.

2. Select Dough setting

3. Press Start/Stop button and allow machine to mix 8-10 minutes. You may need to add a little water or flour if the dough is too dry or too wet. You may need to scrape the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula if ingredients aren’t mixing well. The dough should be cohesive, not crumbly, but shouldn’t be too sticky, either.

4. After dough forms a ball, remove dough from pan and roll out on lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/8″ thickness. Dust dough with flour if it’s sticky.

5. Cut into 1/8″ strips for narrow noodles or 1/4″ strips for medium noodles.

6. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 5-6 minutes. Drain in colander.

The machine’s recipe book says to boil the noodles for 10-15 minutes. They would have been mush had I left them in that long! I don’t think I had them in for even five minutes before they were a perfect al dente. Obviously, the thinner your pasta, the more quickly it will cook. Just stir it occasionally while it boils and lift out a noodle to taste every so often. When they’re just barely chewy still, they’re done (at least how we like them).

I think the snow’s pretty, but I don’t want that much. Here’s what it looked like in my neck of the woods after the snowstorm we got last week. These were taken Saturday. Drifts came to above my knees when I walked over the hill in our back yard and took Stella for a walk in the snow. She loves the snow!

I love the pretty white snow, but I sure dread the mud that comes with its melt. That translates to twelve muddy dog feet, four times a day. There’s no way to avoid it, and it’s a mess. We keep a beach towel inside the back door, but that doesn’t get all of it. Sigh.

At any rate, I’m ready for spring. How about you? Howie pointed me toward a nifty little widget for my sidebar, a Countdown to Spring. I just added it. If you have a website, spread the cheer and add it. If you don’t, stop by here every so often and be encouraged that this winter won’t last forever.

2/14/2010: I just removed the countdown widget because it took so long to load and slowed down other widgets. No thanks!