CONNECTIONS | by KAVITA VARMA-WHITE

IN THAT NEVER-ENDING CHALLENGE to be a more efficient wife/mom/chef/chauffeur, there’s nothing like the iPhone to help make every day go smoother.  These are four of our most fave iPhone apps that make managing family life a little easier and a lot more fun!

SOURCE: APPLE.COM

4 Ingredients

Who it’s for: The working mom who is driving home wondering what to make for dinner.

How it works: Pick a specific ingredient (i.e., Beef) or a Food category (Dinner) and then choose from a plethora of 4-ingredient recipes, which come from the Australian cookbook of the same name.

Cost: $3.99

ShopALot

Who it’s for: The family member who does all the grocery shopping, week after week.

How it works: This app lets you do everything from create grocery lists and see nutritional info to compare pricing of products and see images of products so you can find them easily on the shelf.

Cost: $1.99

Proxido

Who it’s for: The errand-runner/family chauffeur

How it works: Enter your Tasks and To-Do lists and this app will read your GPS coordinates and remind you what you need to do in the vicinity of where you are.

Cost: $.99

Time Out

Who it’s for: Naughty little ones who need to be punished when you’re out and about.

How it works: Kids acting up at a restaurant or in the car?  This app is a timer for tracking Time Outs. Just enter (up to 4) kids’ names and the amount of time they have to serve. An alarm goes off when the time is up.

Cost: Free

BACK TO BASICS | by SHERRY STRIPLING

THIS WINTER WE BOUGHT a TV, a DVD player and a chair to watch them in. You, my fellow consumer, told me what to look for, what to avoid and when to make the leap. You were right on every count.

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I love consumer reviews. Nine times out of 10, the written words of people who have used the product lead to my best purchases.

I don’t always make the right choice. But I buy confident that I’ve done my research.

If you read enough of user comments — cross checking between sites, typing in “problem” with the model number, finding forums for the big items — you develop an ear for separating whiners from legitimate complainers, real people from company plants.

Tips:

• For a big purchase, like a car, read formal sites like Consumer Reports for possible problems. Then type a short reference to those problems into Google search with the name of the vehicle.
• If you can’t decide between two products, type “compare” this to that.
• If one site doesn’t have reviews but has a great price, type in the model number to find reviews on other sites.
• Watch for patterns. Does the “horrible red line” show up in reviews from three people who bought that TV? Don’t risk it!
• Decide what you can live with. I pined for a chair on sale online. One reviewer loved it; one found it too hard. I went for it without enough evidence. Darned if the critical guy wasn’t right.
• Consumer reviews are anecdotal not scientific. Their strength is context: Will you use this product the same way?

Two other sites with extensive reviews:

• Amazon.com
• ConsumerSearch

Oh, and many thanks to the reviewer with the “buy right now” tip just as I happened to be trolling: I saved $600 on the TV.

BACK TO BASICS | by MOLLY MARTIN

SNEAKING VEGETABLES into your diet can be challenging, for children and adults alike. Juice manufacturers are trying by mixing fruits with vegetables to create a tastier beverage, but often valuable fiber is lost in the process. At restaurants you sometimes get more veggie for your buck if an entrée is served atop the vegetable- or fruit-based sauce called a coulis, but often there’s just not enough time to reproduce that at home.

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No such obstacles with Kale Chips: This quick and simple way to prepare nutritious kale yields a surprisingly crisp, deliciously savory and even addictive appetizer. You can find a variety of recipes by searching for “roasted kale”, but here’s one of the easiest:

Kale Chips

Serves 2 as an appetizer

1 bunch kale (green or purple), washed and dried thoroughly

Olive-oil spray

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.

Remove the stems from the kale by folding each leaf in half and pulling off the leaves. Discard the stems. Tear the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Spray with the olive oil and toss, repeating until the leaves are well covered.

Lightly spray a baking sheet with the olive oil and spread the leaves so they don’t overlap. (Use a second baking sheet if needed.) Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and put in the oven for 7 minutes. Turn the kale, then bake for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the pieces are crispy and the edges are just starting to brown. Serve immediately and enjoy.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

I LOVE THE IDEA OF MODULAR and prefab construction. Always have. I am sucker for a Michelle Kaufman house and have recently been following a German company whose Lego-like prefab blocks allow for all sorts of creative applications.

SOURCE: WWW.CONTAINERCITY.COM

But the thing that gets me, hands down, is shipping containers. Used shipping containers are sitting around, stacking up in storage yards across the U.S. and around the world due primarily to global trade imbalances. Building with these orphaned containers saves on raw materials and energy that would otherwise go into fabricating structural steel, concrete or other materials.

These industrial-strength structures are being used for everything from cabins, homes and large-scale housing projects to schools and commercial and retail applications. A bevy of visionary 21^st century architects, engineers, designers, developers and manufacturers are experimenting with reusing these heavy-duty, structural steel boxes in all sorts of creative and innovative ways.

And, of course, they’re modular. Each unit measures eight feet wide by either 20 or 40 feet long and either 8.5 or 9.5 feet high, and weigh between 4,500 and 9,000 pounds. So two small ones equals a big one, and a big one equals two small ones. Just like building with blocks, and allowing for an infinite number of configurations. Think of them as providing the structure, floor, roof and walls. Windows, skylights and other openings can be cut into walls and roof, and the interiors fitted out just like any other interior.

Because the teams working on these creative reuse projects are committed to green building, the utility systems, windows, interiors and other added elements are also green, sustainable and low impact.  Seriously. Sustainable. Living.

BACK TO BASICS | by JANNA LUFKIN

TAXES. UGH — JUST THE THOUGHT OF THEM MAKES US CRINGE! However, since they’re inevitable, the sooner they’re attended to, the less stressed you’ll be.

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January is the best time to get started. But if you didn’t do it last month, do it now!

Here’s a system to make tax time easier:

• File only the current year’s paperwork.
• Purchase a shredder!
• Clear out papers that you will NOT need at your fingertips in the coming year.
• Shred sensitive material not required for tax purposes.
• Alphabetize file jackets (hanging files) by categories and label. For example: Autos, Banking, Credit Cards, Higher Education Expenses, Insurance, Investments, etc.
• Label file folders (these will be inserted into your individual hanging jackets). For example, under Autos, if you have more than one car, make a folder for each; banking, make a folder for each account; credit cards, a file for each; and so on.
• Now that your daily files are set up, use the same system and include the year for the files that need to be stored.
• Using the same system, set up files for the paperwork you’ll need to file your current taxes.
• Set up a folder to collect all the W-2s, mortgage-interest info, etc., as they arrive.
• Once you’ve filed your return, place all of last year’s tax info into your permanent storage container and store in a secure, dry place.

Tip: Plastic flip-top boxes are sturdy and secure, and they accommodate a hanging-file system perfectly. For most, one box will store three to four years of paperwork. Here’s a good choice.

If you adopt this simple system and file your paperwork throughout the year, April 15 will be just another day.

CELEBRATIONS | by POSY GERING

THERE’S NOTHING MORE THRILLING than being told that I’m making a difference in someone’s life. Those simple words are the most treasured gifts I receive.

In fact, one of the most amazing presents I ever received was a little box filled with little rolled-up pieces of paper. In it was a card that said, “Here are a few of the things I appreciate about you…” Each rolled-up paper held a memory, a saying, an experience or a quality. I am flooded with love and wonder whenever I unroll one.

Appreciation doesn’t cost anything. I can tell someone the thing they said or did that was meaningful to me and why. I can write it in black and white. I could even write it in cement as a permanent reminder.

The point is to do it, because it works both ways. When I notice and express appreciation, I feel rich, loved, and so lucky to be connected to the moments we share.

I’m sure you have a story about a time when you were authentically “seen.”  I’d like to hear about it.

CELEBRATIONS | by ALEXANDRA SMITH

AH, VALENTINE’S DAY. WHAT OTHER HOLIDAY INSPIRES SO MUCH anticipation, pressure or, depending on one’s relationship status, loathing? Dinner, flowers and candy feel generic, but a weekend in Waikiki is probably out of the question. Relax ― there are other options.

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• Swap dinner for breakfast. Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, and what better day for a leisurely, calorie-laden breakfast in bed? French toast, eggs benedict and a mimosa or two shared atop your cozy down comforter is infinitely more intimate ― and less expensive ― than dinner at Chez Louis.
• Think old-school. Remember when Valentine’s Day meant passing out cutout cards and conversation hearts? Celebrate more innocent times with mix tapes (CDs if you must), cupcakes and construction-paper cards. Then throw in something personal like a favorite Disney movie or you and your sweetheart’s childhood photos framed side-by-side.
• Think really old-school. Back in the day, anonymous, hand-written notes were the V-Day standard for lovebirds and admirers-from-afar. Take a cue and ditch the Hallmark card. Write (or, steal from Shakespeare ) a verse on quality stationary, then slip it into your loved one’s mailbox, briefcase or back-pocket. The gesture is sweet, even if it’s obvious you’re the secret admirer.

Valentine-less this year? Not to worry. Each of these ideas can be adapted for friends and family. Host a girly pajama brunch, make friendship bracelets with your besties, or just pen your pals a reminder of how much they mean to you.

BACK TO BASICS | by JEAN GALTON

NOTHING MAKES ME HAPPIER THAN THE COMBINATION OF SALT AND SWEET, unless you add some bittersweet chocolate to the combination. These cookies will make you very, very cheerful.

© ANGIE NORWOOD BROWNE

Salted Chocolate Cookies
Makes 5 dozen

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
12 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons flaked salt (such as  Maldon or Fleur de Sel) plus additional for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of the bittersweet chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool.

2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. Beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir the flour mixture at low speed until blended. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Refrigerate the batter, covered, until the dough is firm, about 2 hours (if the dough gets very hard, let it warm up until it’s pliable.)

4. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and arrange 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with additional salt. Bake in batches until puffed and set, about 10 minutes per batch. Cool on the baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

CELEBRATIONS | by DEBRA PRINZING

VALENTINE’S DAY IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED with the bouquet of one dozen long-stemmed red roses. According to the Society of American Florists, 187 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day alone.

SOURCE: CALIFORNIAORGANICFLOWERS.COM

Holiday demand has pushed up the price of the ubiquitous (and surprisingly scentless) red bud on a long, stiff stem. In mid-February, you can easily spend $100 or more to send a dozen.

Flower enthusiasts and floral designers are ready for an alternative ― a fresh and authentic option to industrial-grown and imported flowers. Posies grown in our own gardens or purchased from a local nursery, farmer’s market or fair-trade grower are gaining in popularity.

Some romantic and organic flower-giving ideas:

• Plan ahead and force one dozen hyacinth bulbs or paper white narcissus bulbs in vases along your windowsill. When they bloom, their heady perfume rivals any fragrant rose. Stems can be cut and arranged in a tightly-packed bouquet for gift-giving.
• Harvest a natural winter bouquet from your garden. Look for delicate flowering branches, winter-blooming shrubs and early perennials. Gather the blooms and branches in a repurposed container and deliver the bouquet to a sweetheart or friend. Some of the best February-blooming plants include camellia, witch hazel, forsythia, winter Daphne and helleborus.
• Plant a winter annual in a tea cup. A 4-inch African violet or tiny cyclamen looks charming tucked into a piece of vintage china or a flea-market collectible filled with organic potting soil. The china probably won’t have a drainage hole, so it can be watered lightly with a spray bottle (water the soil area, not the leaves or flowers).

If you or your sweetheart really desires Valentine’s Day roses, seek out companies that supply organic, sustainably raised and domestically grown roses. Two of the best sources are Organic Bouquet and David Austin Roses.

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EDITOR’S CHOICE: Field-grown on a certified organic farm in Chico, Calif., and picked the day they’re shipped, the 24-stem bunch of ‘Soleil D’Or’ narcissus flowers (shown above) is a great organic choice for Valentine’s Day. Order from California Organic Flowers by 1 p.m. on Feb. 11 for Valentine’s Weekend delivery. $39.95 plus shipping.