Cost

Electric stoves are often cheaper than gas stoves. The price differences vary by make and model and might be less than $100 or close to $200. While price shouldn’t be a primary concern, as sales and promotions may erase the difference, you may need to consider this factor if your budget and time is limited.

Installation

Gas stoves require a stove line for installation. If you live in an area where natural gas is a common energy source, your home might already have a line. Since gas leaks pose a safety hazard, the stove must be connected properly.

A newer home or home in an area where electric is more commonly used for appliances should have the necessary connections for an electric stove. If you already have an old electric stove, installing a new one usually involves following the original wiring.

Cleaning

Gas stoves, for safety reasons, have sealed burners. Since the burners are covered, cleaning is usually easy. If you make a mess, you can simply wipe it off the stove using a cloth and the cleaning chemical the manufacturer recommends for the stove’s materials.

With an electric stove, you may have coil burners or a sealed top with radiant heat, which is the more expensive option. Coil burners have drip pans you’ll need to remove to clean. If you don’t keep up on the cleaning, the drip pans may discolor or be difficult to properly clean when you need to. Electric stoves with closed tops are easier to clean and you can use the same method you would for a gas stove.

Cooking

Some people feel a gas stove offers a quicker and more precise cooking experience than an electric stove does. With gas, you can control the cooking temperature by moving the dials or using the buttons on the front.

An electric stove isn’t always as precise with temperature as a gas stove. However, if you take note of cooking times for different items when you start using your electric stove, you can gauge the correct cooking times and temperatures to avoid cooking mistakes on future use. Keep a notebook or journal handy, so you can track the ideal heat and cooking times for foods on your electric stove.

Once you’ve decided what type of stove you want, compare the features of each. Common features include a timer, clock and alarm combination and pre-set temperature buttons. Look at popular models, such as a Rangemaster Classic Deluxe, to create a wish list of features for your new stove.Tweet

Add a Little Flavor

The taste of even the cleanest filtered water can be boring and bland if you are used to sweet sodas and coffee. Start by removing any undesired odors and flavors from your water by filtering it. An inexpensive pitcher can save you hundreds of dollars over bottled water each year and produces less waste. Once your water is clean, add a touch of flavor. A slice of lemon, cucumber or orange will make you excited to sip again. A single herbal tea bag will slowly increase the flavor of a cold glass of water. You don’t have to heat up the water. If you can enjoy the taste of peppermint or chamomile tea without added sugar, you will still enjoy all the benefits of drinking more fluids without the added calories.

Keep Water on Hand

You can’t remember to drink at least six ounces of water every waking hour if you have to leave something engaging just to get a fresh glass. Invest in a water bottle that holds at least half a liter and keep it within your reach at all times. You can take a sip every few minutes, keeping you evenly hydrated. Trying to drink two liters all at once at the end of the day can cause serious electrolyte imbalances. You can make marks on the water bottle to track your intake throughout the day with a washable marker.

Drink When Eating

Drinking a full eight-ounce glass of water before each meal will help with digestion. It will also ensure that you reach your water intake goals without a lot of extra effort. Many people confuse the feelings of thirst for hunger. This leads to overeating and dehydration. Insufficient hydration makes it even harder to digest your food properly. Finish a glass of water and wait 10 minutes before picking up your fork. You will likely eat less and experience less ingestion.

Try a Straw

Investing a dollar or two in a fun straw can give you a surprising boost in your water intake. Research has shown that people tend to drink more total fluid when sipping through a straw. Get a reusable straw and a small bottle brush for cleaning it. Many water bottles also feature snap-on straws that slip into the lid for easy storage.

Eat Raw Fruits and Vegetables

Don’t overlook the amount of water found in a salad or a snack. Adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet will provide a boost of fiber, vitamins and water. Some of the best foods for increasing water consumption include apples, grapes, romaine or green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Pair a better diet with plenty of fresh water from a source like angelsprings.com and start enjoying better health.Tweet

http://www.hospitalitymanagementschools.org/tipping/

Boom – that’s where you need to go.  It’s interactive, so once you click on ‘To the Tip Guide’ at the bottom, you can select the general service area (restaurants, travel, cosmetics, etc) and narrow it down from there for the specific service.  The tool will tell you the customary rate and even has a calculator so you can enter in the fee and what percentage and it’ll tell you the tip.

This would be a fantastic app for my iPhone (hint, hint) but is still great if you’re dealing with an in-home service or know how much you’ll be paying ahead of time before your next service appointment.

I’m happy to say that after checking out every service person I tend to use, I’m within range on the customary tipping scale, except for one – I’ve got to remember to pack some extra cash for my next business trip to tip the maid!  I also seem to naturally be following all the basic rules except for one – if I received bad service, I won’t tip, regardless of whether or not I plan to come back.  While tips are customary, I still believe you have to earn a tip and at least do a satisfactory job to get it.

Thanks to HospitalityManagementSchools.org for creating this handy tool & sharing it with me to share with you!Tweet

Eldorado Hotel Casino
345 N Virginia St.
Reno, NV 89501
800-879-8879
EldoradoReno Tivoli Garden’s Page
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tivoli-gardens-reno

This is a solid 24 hour cafe in a casino. I’ve been to a number and this one gets my vote. The french toast I was served for breakfast was thick and they did not skimp on letting the egg batter soak in before cooking, like you’re supposed to! The sausage was thick and good, though the casing was a bit tough (had to use a knife, the fork alone was not doing it).

Our server was very pleasant and we were served quicker than I’d anticipated. It’s very conveniently located near the hotel elevators for late night munchies as well. I didn’t sample the desserts since we had breakfast there, but I have to say I missed out by the looks of things in the case as we paid the check. I’d happily go there again when staying at the Eldorado (or even the connected Silver Legacy) for some any time grub.Tweet

729 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-963-8123
PascucciRestaurant.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pascucci-santa-barbara

A co-worker and I are in town for a conference and decided to try this place for dinner. I had high hopes when walking in. The restaurant was packed to the gills on a Sunday night. We were seated directly in a corner, which was actually good for me because it means my poor hearing will focus better on my conversation. The waiter showed up fairly quickly to take our drink orders, and excitedly suggested his favorites when we asked for recommendations. He then gave us a few minutes to decide, but not too long.

That’s nearly where my satisfaction ended. Service getting just water was really slow, and I had to ask about where my wine was before it was brought to me. I had the Chicken Picatta, hold the capers, and it was good, but the twang of the lime in the white wine-lime-caper sauce was a bit stronger than I’d anticipated. It was definitely a good sized portion for it’s $14 bounty, and that I was pretty satisfied with.

One of the reasons we picked this restaurant was a description of their creme brûlée with raspberries, and being a creme brûlée buff, I was looking forward to it the whole meal. It was hands down the worst creme brûlée I’ve ever had. It was runny and dripped, which it shouldn’t do. It wasn’t as set as a custard should be – it wasn’t even as set as a pudding or yogurt. The raspberries were good, but you can’t screw that up.

My co-worker had their butternut squash ravioli. The cinnamon in the dish was very fragrant, but she liked it. She ordered the cheesecake with home made butterscotch sauce, which also sounded delectable. The cheesecake itself was good but the sauce was cold and congealed to a weird, gross consistency.

So, all that said, I’d go there again, expect to tip modestly for mediocre service, and save my dessert appetite for the Ben & Jerry’s shop around the corner inside the Paseo Nuevo shopping center.Tweet

In order to get the most out of the 4th of July this year, consider some of the various patriotic candies that you can buy for parades, parties and family gatherings. There are plenty of options.

Patriotic Bubble Gun Coins are one of the most popular candy options for Independence Day. These coins come in red, white and blue foil in large bags with 100 pieces or more. Not only are they tasty and fun for kids, but they can also be thrown into a bowl for a centerpiece at a barbeque.

Jelly beans are another great choice when it comes to patriotic candy. Jelly beans come in large assortments of flavors and colors, but for the 4th of July, it is fun to mix red, white and blue options. You can get flavors like cherry, strawberry and fruit punch in the red color or you can choose blueberry and coconut flavors from the blue and white jelly beans. The mixture is patriotic and easy to pass around at a party.

There are even popsicles made in a patriotic style. You can find American flags on sticks, liberty bells, Uncle Sam, stars and plenty of other variations. The flavors vary but any child will love these popsicles on Independence Day or any other day of the year. Patriotic suckers are great to throw out at parades since they will not melt if the day is warm.

Hard candies are another great option for parades and there are wonderful choices. You can simply get hard candies in the American colors or you can go all out and get candy that has a patriotic flag design on it for added flair.

If you want to take things a step further, consider making caramel apples and dipping them in red, white and blue sprinkles before the caramel dries. You could also make chocolate covered strawberries in the same sprinkled manner to catch your guests` eyes and taste buds at the same time.

There are plenty of American themed options when it comes to candy for the 4th of July celebrations. Don`t forget the retro sweets that have been around for decades. These treats are not only patriotic, but also memorable and fun for those who remember when they ate them as a child.Tweet

331 Hartz Ave.
Danville, CA 94526
925-855-2185
CrownPub.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-crown-danville

This is my kind of dance club.

Clearly, this isn’t a dance club… and that’s pretty much my point. I enjoyed the food the couple of times I ate here and I went in a couple times for the DJ on Saturday nights and danced. I like that it’s not super crowded, and the DJ they have plays a pretty good mix of some current music and some old favorites. And it’s not pumping techno and I don’t have to squeeze my ass through a sea of people to get to my friends.

As well, I LOVE that they still have all the seats and such available after dinner service during the dancing so I can easily still have a home base for my coat, drink, and take a breather when I don’t feel like dancing.

As for the food, because that’s probably why most of you are going there… it was solid. Good quality, impressive portions, fair prices. I’ve had the fish & chips… and let me tell you, if you’re expecting a few fish portions you’re going to be surprised. It was one gigantic fish fillet battered deliciously… literally about 3″ wide at it’s widest and 9-10″ long. Huge and delicious.

I like the clientele, pretty low key, and I never had any issues with the bartenders knowing what to recommend or knowing how to make a drink I ordered (which happens more than I’d like when trying to order some drinks I used to think were pretty common).

The biggest downside of this place for me is that it’s in Danville… and I live in San Leandro… I’d pretty much have to get someone else to drive me to really have some drinks & have a good time because that long of a cab ride is out of the question Tweet

3 E. 54th St.
New York, NY 10022
212-319-5500
Rothmanns54.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rothmanns-steakhouse-new-york

The best steak I’ve ever had – no joke. I was lucky enough to be taken here by my company while in town for a conference. We were seated in the back room due to being a large party and I loved the atmosphere and food.

The servers were incredibly knowledgeable when making recommendations and quick with the drink refills, more bottles of wine, etc. And the food was delicious – seriously, I dream about this steak!

I had the Filet Mignon with some potatoes, I believe, and it was perfect. We were sharing the sides and I seriously could have eaten the whole thing myself. So good. I’d love to go back… if I can just convince my boss… Tweet

Ingredients

Directions

1. Melt the butter & combine with the stuffing mix.
2. Combine wine & cream of chicken soup.
3. In a casserole dish, cover chicken with a slice of cheese each.
4. Pour over the wine & soup mixture, then the stuffing.
5. Bake uncovered at 350° F. for 45 minutes.

Chef’s Note: My family has been enjoying eMeals for a few months now (my review of eMeals can be read here), and recently we had our first meal that called for wine.  The kids loved the Swiss Chicken, but I thought the stuffing was rather dry (and burnt, in some areas). Next time we have this meal, I’d like to cover the dish with aluminum foil to see if the stuffing could remain moist. Also, my wife just grabbed a bottle of wine from the basement (it was a bottle from my recent shipment from Laithwaites wine club) – I wonder how a different white wine would change this dish?Tweet

730 S. Main St.
Angel’s Camp, CA 95222
209-736-0170
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rodz-grill-angels-camp-2

Solid food, pretty good quality, friendly service, good prices. All of that warrants 3 stars easily.

I can’t give it more than that, in fairness, as I’m not a regular and wasn’t really blown away by anything here. I do appreciate that they have a “ground beef steak” and eggs meal, which I love and don’t get enough, and everything was cooked well. The hash browns were impressive though as they were the perfect balance between crispy and soft.

Will I go there again? Yes, I would. And probably will since it’s next door to the motel I’m staying at on this trip. It was quality food and I’d be happy to give them more chances to wow me on future trips to Angels Camp.Tweet