Author: Lucero De La Tierra

Firstly, I'm a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.

7 reasons why a tablet beats a laptop | The Online Mom

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If you are thinking about buying a tablet computer, then you should probably compare it to the productivity and convenience you get from a laptop. After all, your tablet is unlikely to replace your smartphone and it would be great if you could carry one less device, not one more. If people decide to stick with their laptops rather than take the tablet plunge, it’s usually because of the availability of more sophisticated office applications and a perception that laptops provide more processing power. However, newer tablets have made dramatic advances in both these areas, and many people are now choosing the more mobile devices for their everyday business needs. But there are several other reasons why it makes sense to choose a tablet over a laptop. Here are just a few that spring to mind: Take the weight off I have spent years carting around my six pound laptop and have the lower back pain to prove it. Even Ultrabooks weigh-in at an inconvenient 3.5 pounds or more. Most tablets come in under 1.5 pounds, with 7-inch tablets weighing half as much again. Once you own a tablet, you will take it everywhere – starting with the bedroom to read a book or watch a movie! No more burning I don’t know about you, but I am constantly worried about the heat that laptops give off, whether they are resting on my own lap or on my kids’. The different style processors and lower power requirements of tablets mean much less heat, and whatever heat that tablets do produce is easily dissipated through the screen and shell. And less heat means no fan. Cooler and quieter – I’ll take that! Longer battery life If you are taking your laptop anywhere for any length of time, then you will […]

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Secrets From The Insect World That'll Make You Want To Hug A Bug

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If you’re one of those people who thinks that insects and worms are nothing but icky, we’re about to blow your mind. 1. When you get up close, you learn that bugs are downright cuddly. Cutest bug ever 2. And that we should spend less time being scared of them and more time being jealous. Take caterpillars for example: their only job in life is to eat. Cute Caterpillar! 3. Oh yeah, and they’re more beautiful than we can even perceive. Insect wings appear transparent to us, but they’re actually full of colors that our eyes can’t detect . Beautiful Wings of Color 4. Some bugs are all about giving. Like ants. They have two stomachs, one for them and one to feed others. c’ANT’ u leave me alone?! 5. They even take care of other species of insects. They’ll sometimes shuttle aphids from plant to plant, and they’re so caring that leafhoppers will often leave their offspring to be raised by ants. Ants and Aphids 6. Then there are some bugs that just want to dance. cute insects 7. Or hang out with a buddy. Sepasang Lantern Bug 8. Or hold hands with their beloved. cute insects 9. Did you know that honey bees are the ultimate team players? They make all of their decisions collaboratively! Bumblebee 10. And that worms communicate via snuggles. 11. Insects are also our helpers, especially when it comes to doing the dirty work. Take dung beetles for example. When vast herds of cattle started ruining the land in Australia with their droppings, dung beetles were called in to manage the problem. Dung Beetle Have Right of Way sign 12. We’re not making this up: Hello Kitty caterpillars exist. cute insects 13. And so does this beetle with a smiling human face on […]

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SPAM Recipes – Hawaii's Favorite "Meat"

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If you think we’re here to hate on Spam, you’re wrong, at least in a historical context. We love the theory behind Spam. Created (and we do mean “created”– Spam does not, in fact, grow on trees) in the 1930s, Spam was big during World War II for obvious reasons. Food shortages weren’t uncommon. Items that didn’t spoil were heavily sought after. Soldiers needed shelf-stable goods and, as a bonus, Spam’s packaging allowed it to be packed easily and shipped in large quantities. By definition we have no problem with Spam. Sold in over 40 countries around the world, it’s arguably pretty darn popular. However, it is also, arguably, jellified meat, to use my newly created technical term. Here’s the catch. You, dear users, appear to like it. Of the recipes calling for Spam on MyRecipes.com, 80% are community recipes, meaning that you liked them so much that you typed them up and added them to our recipe file. Loud and proud you say, “I like Spam!” in your potato salad , in your fries , and even in your sushi . (Psst! We agree with you there. Yea, Spam Sushi! ) We aren’t here to hate! We have our own love for Spam, especially in this delicious burger: hawaiian-burger-su-x   Hawaiian Pig-Out Burger Spam may be one of the only ingredients that you can eat straight from the can at room temperature, chilled, grilled, baked, or fried. And for that, we love it, even if it does make a “slooshing” noise as it slides from its tin home. What recipes do you want to learn about? Come back each Thursday as we revisit the classics in our recipe collection! 

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Bottled Minced Garlic

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Most cooks will agree that freshly minced garlic has the best flavor. However, there are occasions when the convenience of bottled minced garlic is a good choice for recipes, especially those recipes that don’t require any other slicing, mincing, or chopping. Bottled minced garlic has a stronger flavor than freshly minced. One teaspoon of bottled minced garlic is equivalent to two garlic cloves. Most bottled minced garlic is shelf stable and doesn’t require refrigeration. But once you open the bottle, keep it stored in the refrigerator and check the “use by” date before adding it to a recipe. bottledmincedgarlicKS Try this Kitchen Shortcut with Chicken Strips with Blue Cheese Dressing .

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Bacon-Wrapped Appetizers | MyRecipes.com

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Long ago, in a far away land, bacon was considered perfectly healthy. It was delicious! Perfectly portioned! Easy to work with! Cooks everywhere served it for breakfast, crumbled it over green beans, stirred it into mashed potatoes, and even wrapped it around other delicious foods and served it as an appetizer to friends. Bacon has gone “in” and “out” in the previous decade. Atkins hit and the people rejoiced. Finally! An excuse to eat bacon! …plus sausage, steak, and, gracious,  anything   but those icky carbs. Then fat fear arrived and people shrunk back. “Turkey bacon,” they said, decreeing that the fairly decent substitute would do. Then Paleo roared onto the scene. Bacon for all! Are you seeing a trend? It’s hard for me to ever deem bacon as being on the outside of the most-desired diet list and, thought it has maintained popularity, the degree of guilt with which it was consumed has varied greatly. Friends, I’m here to bring bacon back. Why did we ever stop rolling shrimp , scallops , potatoes , and figs in bacon? As the bacon cooks, it transforms from thin, wispy meat into a crisp, flavorful treat that imparts all that delicious fatty flavor into whatever it surrounds. Case in point: bacon-wrapped-scallops-gb-x   Bacon-Wrapped Scallops I wrote before that my favorite birthday meal at age nine was, in fact, bacon-wrapped shrimp, and yet I’ve never made it. That nonsense stops today, or at least this weekend, when I have time to break out the toothpicks and get rolling. What recipes do you want to learn about? Come back each Thursday as we revisit the classics in our recipe collection! 

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