The Pressure Cooker Comes of Age, Not #InstantPot #KickAKitchen #QuickCook #HomeChef #SYWR

I'm certain you've heard of Instant Pot, a brand so dominant in its market that its name has become synonymous with "digital electric pressure cooker." In other words, Instant Pot isn't the only brand making these seemingly useful small kitchen appliances, but you wouldn't know this from all the brand's "free advertising" segments appearing on all the mainstream health, cooking and general interest TV shows and blogs touting the product. Instant Pot pretty much owned the 2017 small kitchen appliances market. But I didn't rush to jump on the bandwagon. My curiosity was peaked, however. So I investigated. Here's what I found....

First, do you actually need an electric pressure cooker or, more appropriately for these appliances, multi-cooker? This is why research is important. Don't run out and buy the "in thing" only to have it sit on a shelf collecting dust and eventually be relegated to the junk pile. (Please donate or recycle.) You should start by determining if this appliance will actually be useful for YOUR OWN NEEDS. Pressure Cookers of old (those manual, stovetop contraptions) were great kitchen appliances but required a lot of diligence to use. They were prone to exploding, and so were quite off-putting to any but the most dedicated cook. As technology progressed so did the pressure cooker. It became electric --- just plug it in --- then digital with clear LCD displays and eventually adding "smart" technology via micro-computer controllers --- with each iteration stabilizing the cooking process. Today's appliance is not your grandmother's. Safety innovations and task automation have transformed this appliance into a "must-have" kitchen gadget for many. Sturdily constructed aluminum or stainless steel pots with built-in pressure gauges & valves and lipless seals have all but removed the threat of explosion. And there's no need to slave over a hot stove watching the pot boil. Today's pressure cooker offers "set it and forget it" convenience, you toss the ingredients inside, pick a setting and allow the machine to do the hard work while you go do something else. Like read a book.

Second, merely because a brand dominates a market does not mean it's the only viable option. There are numerous brands making "digital electric pressure cookers." In fact, many recognizable small kitchen appliance brands have their own version. Performing a quick search for "electric pressure cooker" on a site such as Macys.com or Kmart.com returns items from brands like Presto, NutriChef, Pressure Pro and MegaChef to name a few. Yes, Instant Pot has the name recognition, but other brands options garner ratings that equal or surpass those of Instant Pot. (NOTE: Several well regarded cookery sites ranked other brands better than comparable Instant Pot cookers in tests.) As with any potential purchase, shop around. Evaluate your personal needs. For instance, think about for how many people do you typically cook meals? in order to determine the size gadget you'll need, as these appliances range from ~3QT to 10QT cooking vats. Pick a product that works within your budget --- while most versions are "$100 or less" there are, of course, pricier versions that may add options which you may find useless. Make a list of what features are important to you and then match it to any appliances at or around your price point.

As a vegetarian who hasn't met a grain she dislikes, the idea of a "digital electric pressure cooker" is exactly on target. I LOVE rice, quinoa, spelt, etc. I love stir-fry veggies. I love soups, and don't get me started on legumes.... Basically, anything this appliance is touted as being able to cook perfectly and effortlessly, I eat almost daily. So I figured getting one could change my kitchen routine in a positive manner. (It has been said that this appliance is a fast "slow cooker" --- and I live by my crock pots.) I wanted one! I decided I needed one. As a savvy shopper, I desired the BEST deal, I wished for a well-rated appliance with a decent amount of preset functions that would cost me as little OOP (out of pocket) as possible. I shop for quality and value. Brand is almost always an afterthought. Gone are the days when buying a specific brand automatically insured you purchased the best option. In today's marketplace, there are almost always many options and often "no-name" brands equal or surpass the known ones. So do your research and pick what is best for YOUR NEEDS. (I can't stress this enough.)

After deciding I could genuinely benefit from acquiring an "instant pot" --- I thought an "electric pressure cooker" would make a great Valentine's Gift to myself --- I looked at my budget and evaluated payment options. When shopping, I always look to use accumulated "purchasing power" like gift cards, rewards certificates, etc. FIRST and cash OOP as a last resort, of course. As a result, I buy a lot of things from Sears/Kmart. (I have discussed this before.) I am a long-time Shop Your Way Rewards (SYWR) member and this rewards program is still very good (it used to be insane). Though I worry about the ability of the company to continue to operate, I'm still "getting while the getting is good." So I started there, searching Kmart.com for "instant pot." I quickly discovered that Kmart doesn't carry the Instant Pot brand. It was available via third-party marketplace vendors, which would allow me to earn rewards points for the purchase, but not to redeem any points I had accumulated in my account. (One can generally only redeem rewards points on items sold directly by Sears or Kmart.) Preferring to use my rewards on an item from Kmart (or Sears), I next searched for the more generic "electric pressure cooker" --- and because Kmart's search function is temperamental to say the least, I also searched for the lowest common denominator term "pressure cooker" to be safe. Both searches returned items for which I could redeem rewards points. I refined those searches ranking the lowest price points and the best customer ratings in turn and came up with a short list of "electric pressure cookers" that were well rated, within my price range (based upon the amount of rewards points I currently had available) and that allowed for redemption of said rewards points.

Pressure Pro 4QT Electric Pressure Cooker

I refined this list further by evaluating cooking pot size and listed features, and decided that Harvest Cookware's Pressure Pro 4QT Electric Pressure Cooker (Model 20512) should well meet my needs. It had a list price of $59.99 on Kmart.com. I added the item to my cart to "hold" as a potential purchase and continued my research. I never fully trust online reviews, especially on shopping sites that I know can be easily gamed. As a result, I always read reviews across multiple sites and "average" the feedback. So I travelled to Amazon.com, to the manufacturer's own web site and to a couple of other shopping sites to see what was being said about this product. I generally pay more attention to "verified purchase" reviews and longer, more detailed reviews. I look out for features listed on other shopping sites that have potentially been omitted from Kmart's product description. (I don't know who handles data entry for the Kmart/Sears catalogs, but I've found this person often "shortlists" products, leaving out important details, so I'll go check to see what the manufacturer says is included, etc. on its own website.) Overall the item I selected fared well. It had a number of solid reviews across the various sites I checked. It also had a lower list price on Kmart.com than Amazon.com, and to boot, by the time I'd finished my fact-checking, Kmart.com had put kitchen appliances on sale for Valentine's Day (by the way, knowing when special sales will occur can be beneficial when shopping), so the price was now listed as $54.99 in my cart.

Due to my SYWR membership (and possibly my extensive online purchase history), I'd been awarded $10.00 FREECASH Rewards Bonus Points to use towards a minimum $50.00 purchase at Sears/Kmart and also had $41.93 Rewards Points amassed in my account. Thus, I was able to put a total of $51.93 in rewards points credit towards a $54.99 item --- and would only need to pay $3.33 OOP (the total with tax included, after rewards credit). For this balance due, I used a virtual VISA Debit Card with an approximate $5.00 balance that I'd received as a gift from a nameless company's "Thank You eNewsletter Subscribers" promotion, so even the OOP part was "free" money, earned with little effort on my part. Because I (still) have a Shop Your Way Max trial membership, this order also qualified for free shipping and is scheduled to arrive here on Friday. So y'all, I got me a TOTALLY free "instant pot" for Valentine's Day! Hooah! I'm so excited. Can't wait to cook sticky rice, a fond memory from my college cafeteria forays. Of course, I can't say whether this appliance will work as advertised or whether these gadgets live up to the hype overall; however, having acquired one for FREE, I am willing to chance it --- and test it out in my kitchen. (Stay tuned for the results.)

#Alpharetta #Shopping Trip #Babysitting #AmericanGirl #PaneraBread #Gamestop #Deals

My sister, our niece and I spent most of the afternoon (from about 1:30p - 6:30p) roaming around Alpharetta and then made stops in Brookhaven and Buckhead. We did go to the American Girl Store at Northpoint Mall. It was cute (and unsurprisingly crowded). My niece wanted everything, of course. Meanwhile, I could only laugh at the prices they charge for mass produced plastic doll furniture.

I remember when American Girl was introduced some 31 odd years ago by the Pleasant Company and while I thought it was very expensive even then as a kid, at least the furniture was (mostly) made of real wood. The original items showed craftsmanship and attention to detail. They were things worthy of "childhood desires." The majority of the "modern" items that I saw just looked cheap and cheesy, in my opinion. A sign of the (Mattel) times, I guess. But little girls --- and some adult collectors --- are still enthralled and snap up any brand introduction. (Whereas I would only buy the stuff on extreme sale or via free deals.)

I don't like to go shopping in the real world. I will go, if I can score deals only available in-store or if it's a special occasion trip like this (going to the American Girl Store for the first time). If we were only planning to go to the one place, it would have been fine, but my sister is (oddly to me) a Brick & Mortar shopoholic. She can literally spend ALL DAY out. I agreed to go, partially because her birthday is coming up next week, and spending the afternoon together would amount to "family bonding time." Urgh! Still, I knew that I would be bored out of my mind within moments as she and our niece, who also seems to like real world shopping, happily went about. Thus, I'd planned to take advantage of a few deals during our trip in order to make the afternoon more worth my while.

Turns out I had an old $10.00 Gamestop Gift Card that I got free with My Coke Rewards points like two Christmases ago, so I finally used it. (With the recently announced Gamestop store closings, I didn't want to hold onto it any longer and potentially end up with a valueless card, if its business "cost-cutting measures" progressed rapidly to bankruptcy or going out of business entirely.) So I ended up getting a couple Funko Pop vinyl figures and only paying $0.78 tax OOP. (The figures were $5.00/ea.)

Ms. Pac-Man

Suicide Squad: Killer Croc

I've been loosely reading various discussions of Funko Pop figures on a few of the gaming and movie sites I frequent. I was aware of them, but hadn't seen any in the wild. Then I spotted some near the checkout counter in the Gamestop store and thought "I could get two for free and they'll make fun gifts, if I decide not to keep them." So I bit. I chose Ms. Pac-Man, a favorite arcade game in my youth, and Suicide Squad: Killer Croc, because I recently saw the movie and liked the character.

I also used My Panera Rewards Card to get a free Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. (Panera Bread gifted me a "Free Daily Bagel in April" reward yesterday. At first, I thought it was an April Fools' Day prank. But it wasn't. I can get one free bagel each day this month, if I so choose.) I love bagels and I especially love Panera Bread bagels. My favorites being the Asiago Cheese and the Cinnamon Crunch. So this is an awesome surprise gift!

And finally, I used my Shopkick app to do a few check-ins while we wandered the mall. I earned enough kicks to redeem for a $2.00 gift card to either Target or Wal-Mart --- or I can keep saving for a higher tier reward.

Not a bad afternoon, in spite of my crazy family.

Engineered to #Drink: Stainless Steel Insulated #Tumblers Are Nifty #Gifts

For all of about 5 minutes, I "owned" one of those vacuum sealed stainless steel double insulated tumblers that can keep drinks cold for ~16 hours or hot for ~8 hours. (Customized with the sponsoring organization's logo, this Glacier cup was given out as an attendee gift at a Women's History Month program --- and I was handed one.) I love the idea of these things and dig the engineering that created them but of course, I couldn't keep it when I knew that it would be better served elsewhere.

Customizable Glacier Tumbler

Thus, I gave it to someone for whom being able to keep beverages at a set temperature for extended periods is more important, namely my "twin," as he is pretty much in a police car all day on patrol. When it's very hot or very cold out, I worry about him more than I normally would. Knowing that he can fill this tumbler with an appropriate beverage to stay hydrated and either cool off or warm up accordingly will help ease my mind. (It's funny when you think about it. He's the one with a gun strapped to his side, but I'm totally protective of him.) I, on the other hand, telecommute. If I need a hot or a cold beverage, I merely walk into the kitchen. A cup like that is overkill. Still neat though.

#MobileBanking: Deposit by Picture. Check! #Smartphones #Apps

As a geeky techie engineer, I seldom handle actual cash any more. The few times I've encountered it, I've thought that paper bills of today look a lot like fake Monopoly money. Neither have I ordered (or used) personal checks in well over a decade. Practically everything I do financially is in the virtual realm. I use electronic BillPay and eMoney. I've always opted for Direct Deposit nearly since my first job as a teen. I eTrade. Every vendor on the planet takes debit or credit cards and one can even "split a tab" with friends electronically these days.

So, I was at a momentarily loss when out of the blue I received a physical check in the mail recently (a surprise gift from an older relative who'd been told about the recent vandalism of my home). After penning a Thank You Note, I wondered half-seriously, "What does one do with a paper check?" I could have mailed it in to my bank I suppose, but I almost never use snail mail either. (The exception being personal correspondence with the "older generation.") Postage? What's that...

I settled on trying out my credit union's newish "Deposit by Picture" method, wherein one snaps a photo (back and front) of an endorsed check and uploads it to the bank --- basically DIY digitizing. Having never done this before and hating taking pictures as I do, it took a couple of tries to get the lighting and focus just right on the image so that the bank system would accept it. Eventually, I was successful, however, and minutes later the deposit was approved and the balance was added to my account (with a notice to hold onto the physical check for 60 days and then securely destroy it).

It's not like I'm going back to paper checks, but this was kind of a fun exercise and an apt usage of the ubiquitous smartphone camera. (Technology making life more convenient! Imagine that.) Will probably never need to do it, again. Paper checks are going the way of the Dodo.

A Dwarf #Magnolia Verdant: #Gardening #GreenThumb #Southerners #Nostalgia #Gifts #WeatherGeek #BFF

I have a Dwarf Magnolia tree in my yard. It came to me as a dream almost. Several years ago, a friend and neighbor who loves gardening like I do, gifted me a distressed Dwarf Magnolia sapling that he'd inherited. (He actually got two, potted in too small containers and having been neglected on a patio for some time, both seen better days.) As he and I have had numerous conversations about our shared love of fragrant Magnolia blossoms, he said that he immediately thought of me when the two strays landed on his doorstep. He laughingly delivered it in a wheelbarrow. And so I set out to rescue the one, while he worked on saving the other. Being inveterate green thumbs and fellow small town Southerners transplanted to the metro Atlanta area, we often share seeds & plants --- and their associated bounty. This ritual is part of how we bonded as neighbors and became friends.

On the day my neighbor turned up with this temporarily homeless little tree, he pulled it from the battered pot, dug a hole and planted it in my yard. It's yours now! I grinned in response. Over the years, I've tended to it near religiously: first tying it upright with a lance, pruning it, watering it and talking to it good naturedly. I dubbed the pitiful sapling "Ms. Magnolia Blossom 1999" or "Mags" for short --- monikers that just popped into my head. And our girl Mags has thrived! Turning from brown and withered to green and redolent. It took some time, nearly a full year to undo the withering damage alone. After she started to stretch out and unfurl, Mags began producing lovely fragrant puffy white blossoms in season. This process took roughly two years of nursing and coaxing, but 'twas well worth all the effort. Because now, at roughly the five-year mark, I get all the benefits of having a thriving Magnolia tree in my yard --- in a (comparatively) compact space.

In case you're unaware or curious, a fully grown Magnolia tree can easily top 30 feet in height and take up a full yard between its meandering roots and wide ranging branches, but the dwarf varieties generally only grow about 8-15 feet tall and can be kept "straight and narrow" through careful pruning and shaping. The sad sapling that I was graciously gifted was about 3 feet tall at the time, but is now a roughly 8.5 foot tall tree, having grown nearly a foot a year.

I had to take special care of her with the extreme drought the area has been experiencing over the last year or so. I took to hand watering Mags to insure she continued to thrive in a suddenly fragile ecosystem. She's doing well! However, I keep a vigilant eye on her, because the current yo-yo Winter to Spring weather pattern has many trees and plants blooming too early. Yet, the temperature still dips down to freezing or thereabouts as it did yesterday morning. (The rainstorms last weekend provided plenty of moisture, which was followed by a few days of strong sunlight before this returned shot of Winter. Having been thus bolstered, I think she'll do OK.) On Friday afternoon, in spite of the blustery conditions due to the incoming cold front, Mags looked resplendent in the bright sun, unbowed and verdant. Quite the beauty queen.

I plan to get out this afternoon and check on her, again, just to shoot the breeze. I can't wait for actual Spring! The smell of Magnolia blossoms instantly transports me to a better place, rather like those Calgon commercials of old. The Magnolia tree is quintessentially Southern, of course, and intrinsically tied to the warm and sunny memories of my childhood. (When you have a hardscrabble youth, you're willing to work to keep the bright spots close in adulthood. It's called perspective.) This little tree has proven a most wonderful gift 🎁. I cannot thank my gardening buddy BFF enough for providing carriage for my trips to bountiful.

Ordered @MelissaaAndDoug Happy Giddy Bowling Set @Pampers #Rewards

I like Melissa & Doug Happy Giddy toys based on pictures that I've seen of various items in the series. Brightly colored, fun & whimsical toys that are meant to be played with... and that look durable enough to survive the playtime.

Pampers Rewards (formerly called Gifts to Grow) offers toys and other things as rewards. Browsing the Pampers Rewards catalog is how Melissa & Doug Happy Giddy toys first came to my attention some years ago. Recently, I redeemed 2300 Pampers Rewards points for a Melissa & Doug Happy Giddy Bowling Set --- six pins and a bowling ball that come with a custom carryall bag, which should provide countless hours of fun (and skill building). Rated for ages 2-4 years. MSRP $19.99.

Melissa & Doug Happy Giddy Bowling Set

Hopefully, it gets here by the end of the month. I've got a "second birthday" party to attend. (If not, thankfully I have a backup plan.)

#ValentinesDay: #DoRight #RAOK #Love #Hallmark

In my early twenties, I worked at a Hallmark Gold Crown store for a time (while on leave from university) and I unfortunately worked on Valentine's Day that year. It was not a pleasant experience. Never have I encountered so many grumpy, crass and downright rude people in such a short amount of time. It's really sad that a holiday which is supposed to be about love (and not only romantic love, mind, but love of one's fellow man) seemingly brought out the worse in people. I told myself to never turn out like all the people I witnessed in the Hallmark that day.

Personally, I've never been one to harp on holidays, I don't need an arbitrarily approved date to be nice, give gifts, forgive transgressions or play fair. That said, there's nothing wrong with celebrating Valentine's Day. (One can never have too much love.) It's merely an observation that if you have to get so bent out of shape and overwrought in the quest to impress someone on this one day, then things probably aren't right the other 364. Valentine's Day, if anything, should be an enhancement of bonds, not a catchall panacea for all the crap accumulated throughout the rest of the year. But to each his own.

I try to treat the people about whom I care well every day of the year. Certainly, I fall short of this goal upon occasion; I am human and can be a grumpy cuss at times like anyone else. But I would like to think I succeed much more than I fail. (My family and friends would have to confirm this.) Thus, I don't have any special plans for today. I'm not out running around buying gifts at the last minute, in a harried attempt to make the day special (as an afterthought). No, I plan to go about the day much like I go about each day, with a smile and a wave. As for me and mine, I do know there will be pizza and cake (though sadly, not by the ocean, as I'm landlocked this year). And, that's a pretty good start to one fine day, let me tell you.

Happy Valentine's Day! May the true spirit of this day not elude you (or those whom you encounter).

#SadStore Run @BestBuy #BrickandMortar

I am an online shopper. I would guess that roughly 98% of my purchases originate online. (And it has been this way for over a decade.) As a result, I haven't been out to a general non-grocery Brick & Mortar store in some time. (I still sometimes go to grocery stores, or at least Farmer's Markets, though less frequently with each passing month.) But tonight I rode out with my sister to the closest Best Buy store as we each had received, as a gift from Best Buy, a $10.00 promotional gift code via email which was only good through the end of this week. (My non-techie sister doesn't shop online as much as I do. She still goes out to stores.)

$10.00 Best Buy Promotional Gift Code

I couldn't believe how sad this store looked. The stock displays in the movie section were abysmal. Barely anything on the shelves and what was there was in a seemingly random order. The entire store layout seemed completely haphazard. It was pitiful. To top it off, the free WiFi had the weakest signal of all the available networks, which rather defeats the point of offering in-store WiFi to your customers. I told my sister, "No wonder everyone shops online. If this is what you're confronted with." I remember back in the day being able to go to Best Buy and spend hours just wandering around checking gadgets, testing products, etc.. No more. I could not exit this store fast enough. I'm still shaking my head in amazement at how the mighty have fallen. I'm SHOCKED.

I still shop at Best Buy... but ONLINE. Guess Brick & Mortar stores really are going the way of the dinosaurs. I hope this was some sort of aberration, but I fear not. If one takes this store as an example, we're witnessing the end of an era.

Thanks @Target for Helping Make My #Holidays Brighter! That $10.00 #HolidayDecorations #Coupon. #PhilipsMiniLights @EnergyStar

Out of the blue, Target sent me an email titled, "Surprise! Coupon for $10 off holiday decorations inside." The coupon was one-time use, excluded food and beverage items, and expired on the 17th, but had no minimum purchase requirements. What? $10.00 in free merchandise, you say?

Word of this promotion spread fast online and led to much begging on the part of many of those who said they did not receive a coupon. Who knows what criteria put me on the recipient list? I simply said, "Thank the Maker," when I discovered said coupon in my inbox and planned a trip to Target.

I am an online shopper of old. I avoid Brick & Mortar like the plague with few exceptions, one being an in-store only deal too good to pass up.

After browsing m.target.com, I decided I might acquire a couple holiday lights sets. There were some Philips 100 Mini Lights strings rated for indoor/outdoor use that looked promising. They listed a limited 3-Year Guarantee, an Energy Star rating, multiple color options and a $4.99 MSRP. (I would have preferred an LED light string, but at least these incandescent bulbs carried an Energy Star label.)

I also noticed a Westinghouse 2-Outlet Indoor Wireless Remote Control for $10.99, which really got me excited, but I wasn't certain it would qualify as "holiday decorations" though it was shown on a page with holiday decor items in an old Target circular from the week prior, advertised as a way to control your lights and such I suppose.

I made the Westinghouse gadget my first choice and the lights my backup plan. Then my sister happened to mention that she was about to go out shopping when we were chatting, so I asked her if she could go by Target for me. I sent my short list and $10.00 holiday decorations coupon with her. (Saved me a trip. It was bear cold and blustery as all Hell outdoors.) I always try to write down exact items on a list whenever I ask someone else to pick up anything. Cuts down on confusion. Minimizes what's required of him (or her).

Philips Mini Lights

Philips Mini Lights

At the store however, my sister couldn't find my first choice, the Westinghouse Wireless Remote, and with this being the busy holiday season, also couldn't locate any Target employee to help her look for it. Frustrated, she moved on, and was able to locate the Philips Mini Lights sets. She came back from the store with a multicolored string and a red, green, white tricolor string. (As each box was $4.99, the net cost was $0.00.) Score!

I was disappointed that I did not get an opportunity to check out the Westinghouse Wireless Remote gadget, but I was still happy to get some free holiday lights.

Thanks, Target! Happy Holidays!

Would a Pharaoh be caught dead in these? #CalvinKlein

Does one actually need Calvin Klein socks?

Calvin Klein "Giza" Socks

I'm not certain what the answer to this question should be, but I bought them anyway. I signed up for Nordstrom's new rewards program and was given a $10.00 Note (spends like a gift card) as a Welcome Gift. The Note arrived on the 26th of November and I used it to buy a pair of Calvin Klein "Giza" Socks that were on sale due to CyberMonday.

Nordies ships pretty much everything free when ordered online. So the net cost of my order was zero --- including delivery to my house. Free socks? Yes, thank you. (These are not for me, mind you, but a fella... I believe in being nice to others.)

Does "Giza" reference the Egyptian plateau? What comes between a Pharaoh and his Calvin's? I'm so funny.