A great grocery app for your mobile phone

Recently I downloaded Our Groceries application to my mobile phone and to my husband's. The program is free. When I add an item to the list, it also appears on my husband's phone, and vice versa. When I buy something, it gets crossed off my list, and automatically gets crossed off the list on my husband's phone. I found this app by searching the Android marketplace. Another nice thing about it that you don't have to have the same types of phones. It works across platforms (meaning if you have an Android phone and your husband has an iPhone, it still will work). 

You can read more about this program here: http://www.ourgroceries.com/overview

What's in my oven right now: Gourmet magazine's Chocolate Tart

(image from Gourmet Magazine)

First, a moment of silence for Gourmet magazine....

I made this chocolate torte on a whim Christmas 2008. Now, before you get all excited and think I am some sort of gourmet chef (any reading of this blog should cure you of that misinformation), this recipe is EASY.  Yes, EASY. The only teensy thing you will need to buy is an 9" fluted torte pan with removeable bottom. Don't bother with Target. This is an excuse to go to a real kitchen store. I suppose you could use a springform cheesecake pan, but that would be overkill. The torte doesn't rise; it sets. So it's only all of about 1 inch tall at the end. But in a pinch, I think the springform pan would be ok.

Here's the recipe link to the Gourmet site.

Recipe copyright Gourmet magazine

Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart
Serves 8 to 10
Active time:30 minStart to finish:2 3/4 hr (includes cooling)

September 2008

A triple layer of crumbly crust, a truffle-like interior, and an almost patent-leather-shiny glaze make this tart the chicest take on chocolate we’ve come across in a long time.


For crust

• 9 (5- by 21/4-inch) chocolate graham crackers (not chocolate-covered), finely ground (1 cup)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• For filling
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 9 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cacao if marked), chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• For glaze
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon warm water

Equipment: a 9-inch round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with removable bottom

Make crust:
•Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
•Stir together all ingredients and press evenly onto bottom and 3/4 inch up side of tart pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack 15 to 20 minutes.

Make filling:
•Bring cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt in another bowl, then stir into melted chocolate.
•Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until filling is set about 3 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as tart cools.) Cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour.

Make glaze:
•Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, then warm water.
•Pour glaze onto tart, then tilt and rotate tart so glaze coats top evenly. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour.

Cooks’ note: Tart is best the day it is made but can be made, without glaze, 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before glazing.

Recipe by Paul Grimes
Photograph by Martyn Thompson

***

Mine just came out of the oven. I'll glaze it tomorrow:

Watch this space: Giveaway Heads Up for Go-Gurts gift pack

I just got an email from My Blogspark alerting me to a new giveaway opportunity involving Go-Gurts yogurts.

According to My Blogspark: Go-Gurt "Simplify Your Life" will provde me a giftpack that includes a pocket Etch a Sketch, weekly planner and a seat back organizer to give to a random blog reader.

Plus they are giving me 30 free product coupons to distribute for Go-Gurts!!

The photo they sent says the giftpack will look like the following:

As always, Yoplait and My Blogspark are providing me with all the items, coupons, images, and product information.

As soon as I receive confirmation, come here and enter to win (and the first 30 people will take home a free product coupon).

My Sweeties!

(Photos copyright JC Penny 2010)

I used to go to JC Penny's a long time ago, when the children were very small, to get their photos. Every three months I was in there, Portrait Club card in hand. As time went by and the kids were older, I started to buy school photos instead. But you know what? School photos are expensive for what you get. Penny's portrait studio ALWAYS has a coupon (in fact, you should never buy photos without one). A sheet of photos is only $3.99 most of the time. And there are coupons for free sitting fees (typically $9.99) and 30-40% off your entire purchase. Compare this to the typical school package of $29.99 for an 8 x 10,  5 x 7 and some wallets (which no one ever wants anymore).

If you are looking for a coupon, try this one (currently 40% off): 

http://www.jcpportraits.com/

I know many people who have good success with Walmart photo studios. Our local Walmart is not a Super Store and has no photo department. Additionally, the Penny's studio is really state of the art. They went digital a while back, and you have the ability to have a photo retaken on the spot. It's a nice feature, combined with the fact that the monitors in the studio are large enough and high resolution enough to render an accurate display of what the final photo will look like. This is a must if you have a child that wears glasses. Even the best photographer is going to need to adjust the lighting to reduce glare off the glasses, and sometimes the photographer didn't get it right the first time. We ran into this problem with school photos. Every shot of Catherine had green glare on her glasses. We had to wait another 3 months to have them reshot and delivered.

$115 for 17 sheets (including a custom framed, 10 x 20, triple photo montage--mommy went a little nuts--take out $49 for that one) so roughly $3.88 a sheet. I think I did well.

Do you have a deal on professional photos to share? Let us know and I'll post it here.

This teen is in the same Davidson Young Scholars program as Catherine. Wow!

Check out this great MSN Video: Teen college student claims age bias

Holy Cow! I have 30 subscribers!

I have no idea how all this works. Really. I see 12 people follow my blog (although the one in Brazil and the one in Poland I am still trying to figure out) and like 30 people subscribe via Feedburner.

Well, welcome! I hope you're having a nice day! I have no idea who you all are (Feedburner won't tell me--or maybe it will and I haven't figured it out yet), but feel free to leave little comment and say hello.