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AppAdvice has teamed up with AITA Limited, our latest AppAdvice Dailypodcast sponsor, in order to offer you a chance to win one of three $10 iTunes Gift cards. the credit can be used towards App in the air in-app purchases and anything else your little heart desires.

Whether a frequent flyer or occasional vacationer, App in the Air helps you stay up-to-date on flight details and everything that’s going on in and near the airport with a combination of technical information and social network integration.

Quick and easy access to everything App in the Air has to offer, including notifications.

Start by entering your name and flight information to create a virtual boarding pass, which you can share with friends via Twitter or Facebook. Flight tracking details include a map, plus check-in, boarding, taxi, take-off, and landing times. In addition, you can receive instant alerts for any gate changes or delays by adding the Notifications package via a $0.99 in-app purchase.

Beyond flight data, App in the Air offers great resources while at home, plus in and around the airport terminals. For each airport, separated into Departure and Arrival, you have access to overall flight delay status, weather, currency converter, chat, and a crowd-sourced tips area.

The tips area contains several sections for general activity, food establishments, transportation, rules, and much more. Each section consists of user submitted recommendations and reports. Tips can be what coffee shop is best to visit for morning travelers, which public transportation is cheaper or easiest, where the free Wi-Fi hotspots are, and so on.

Get recommendations and reports from other travelers just like you via tips and IM.

Along with tips, App in the Air also provides a chat system. You can strike up a conversation for a time distraction, ask where the quickest security lines are at the moment, or anything else you would like immediate feedback on.

That’s it! Now, get your own copy and enter to win a little extra money. App in the Airis designed for iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later, and available in the App Store as a free download.

To have a chance at winning one of the three $10 iTunes Gift Card codes, just leave a relevant comment below before June 22 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Gift cards are only valid for United States iTunes Store accounts. Only one entry per person is allowed. Please be sure to also check your junk email boxes so that you won’t miss out if you win. {Link}

Smart Notebooks to save, share and act on what’s important to you

Create notebooks for recipes, books, movies or anything else that matters to you, together with friends, family and co-workers. Save ideas and info from anywhere, access them whenever, and start getting more from life

A new mouth spray allows you to feel buzzed within seconds after use … and that’s about how long the effects last.

By Zack Zeigler

Scientists have put less important things like cancer research on hold to come up with a product that allows you to feel drunk without having to experience any of the fun of getting drunk. The good news: fewer hangovers. The bad news: the intoxicated feeling only lasts a few seconds.

A squirt of the new mouth spray WA|AH Quantum Sensations contains .0075ml of alcohol, and causes the brain to feel boozed up before wearing off completely moments later. You’ll even allegedly have no problems passing a breathalyzer after use (that’s because it’d take 1,000 sprays to equal the alcohol content of one drink).

The invention is amazing news for designated drivers who are forced to hang around annoying drunk people at a cocktail or key party. As for the rest of us? We’d try a spray or two if someone else had it, but we’d probably never buy it. The $26 Chapstick-sized mouth spray is currently available in Europe; no word yet when or if it’ll be available in America. {Source}

Kill two camping birds with a single stone thanks to the PowerPot ($125 and up). Using the magic of thermoelectric power generation, the PowerPot uses the heat from your cooking — did we mention it’s a camping-style cooking pot? — to run a 5W generator that can power up to 2-3 USB devices at a time. Food + gadgets — what could be better on your next trip into the wilderness? [Scouted by Peter]

One of my favorite things to do every afternoon when I get home is play a quick game or two of Lexulous online (modified Scrabble). Over time, I’ve seen the same people and as with any other social activity, I’ve ended up talking to my opponents/teammates about where they live in the world, what time it is when we’re playing, and most importantly, what the next meal is. This week’s recipe comes from one of my favorite players, Kathy Trim, also known as “kobekat.” One day when she mentioned she’d be making Sloppy Joes for dinner, I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to invite her to share one of her family’s favorite recipes with us on the column. My adult love for this sandwich was rekindled a few years ago after reading an article by Andrea Strong in the new York Times called “An Ode to Sloppy Joe, a Delicious Mess,” and it’s a recipe I’ve wanted to see here for a long time. It’s so easy to make and it’s the perfect party food when you want to put out a nice make-your-own buffet. We’d love to know how you make your Sloppy Joes delicious, especially if you have a vegetarian alternative! — Kristina

About kobekat: Kathy Trim is a Kansas-native who has lived in Kobe, Japan for over 20 years where she has raised four children, taught English and American cooking, and loved soaking up all things Japanese. In her free time she enjoys baking, collecting recipes, reading, and word games. She has a poodle named Toby and is a proud new grandmother to baby Leo!

CLICK HERE for the full recipe after the jump!

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground beef (or beef/pork mix)
• 2 medium-sized onions, diced finely
• 3 cloves garlic minced or 2–3 tbsp. prepared minced garlic (jar)
• one 6 oz. can tomato paste
• two 8 oz. cans tomato puree or sauce (16 oz. total)
• 1 cup brown sugar (adjust according to taste)
• 2 tbsp. vinegar

1. Brown ground beef in skillet with onions and garlic until completely browned and onions are translucent and tender. Remove as much grease as possible from the beef mixture.

2. Add tomato paste and tomato puree and mix well.

3. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and stir in thoroughly.

4. Splash vinegar all over the top and then mix in well.

5. Simmer for about 20 minutes so that the flavors can blend together.

6. Serve on hamburger buns or other type of sliced rolls.

For variation: Saute 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms with the meat, onions and garlic. Add 1 slice of processed cheese, or your favorite cheese, to each sandwich just prior to serving.

Photography by Kristina Gill. Sloppy Joe meat in a small flared bowl (white), on fish platter (milk) and salad plate (milk) all by mud australia; mini hamburger buns on vintage cheese board; napkin by IKEA; towel with red and yellow stripe, spoon and knife, vintage.

I received a wonderful and aposite e-mail the other day with the subject line “You know you are getting middle aged when…”.  Here are some gems from it:

• your houseplants stay alive — and you can’t smoke any of them.
• You find yourself in a garden centre and actually recognise the names of some plants.
• You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
• You hear your favourite song in a lift or shopping centre.
• You’re the one calling the cops because those damn kids next door won’t turn down the damn stereo.
• You don’t save money by drinking at home before going to a bar.
• You find yourself saying things like, “Whatever happened to… ?” and “I remember when we only had three TV channels.”

Ahem.  I am not going to confess to exactly how many of those had me smiling in recognition… but I will admit to the fact that I hear the words “Whatever happened to…” coming out of my mouth with alarming frequency these days.  Whatever happened to discipline in schools?  Whatever happened to glass milk bottles delivered to your doorstep as a matter of course? Whatever happened to Sunday lunch around the table at home with the whole family? Whatever happened to good manners? Whatever happened to the glamour of air travel? You get the picture…!

So… whatever happened to supermarkets with real butchers working behind the fresh meat counter?  Growing up in South Africa I remember every supermarket having a meat counter manned by huge men in white coats wielding cleavers, hands as big as the hams they were selling, chatting cheerfully with shoppers over the shrill sound of the meat bandsaw carving carcasses into neat, familiar cuts. They could tell you what meat was best to buy on a particular day; how best to cook a particular cut; and they could debone a leg of lamb for you before your  very eyes.  And I am not talking high-end delis or expensive places here –  we shopped at Checkers (which is about as middle-of-the-road as Tesco is here in the UK).  Once we moved to London, though, I quickly learned that this was not the way UK supermarkets sold meat.  Sure, you can go to Waitrose where there are lovely butcher’s counters staffed by knowledgeable people – but if that was beyond your price range (which it certainly was when we first came to the UK!) you were stuck with pre-packaged meat, or searching for a good, affordable and nearby butcher (not that easy in some parts of London.)

But there is hope, it seems.  A couple of years back, UK supermarket chain Morrisons launched their “Market Street” concept – namely that under the single roof of a supermarket, there are individual “market stalls” – like a proper on-site butchery and fishmonger, staffed by real people who can cut things according to your requirements and give advice on cooking. I recently had an opportunity to test drive the Family Butcher counter in their Stratford store when they very kindly asked me to participate in their British beef recipe Challenge.  The store has recently launched their traditional British beef range, all sourced from British heritage breeds, and properly aged.  Most commonly used beef cattle in the UK are French breeds.  In contrast, native British breeds such as Shorthorn, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus (selected by Morrisons for this range) are slower-growing and smaller.  Because of the chilly British climate, they also tend to develop a good marbling of fat in their meat (as fat is a means of keeping body heat in) which translates into better flavour. Morrisons has been working with 200 farmers to produce their traditional beef, using animals that are reared outdoors and fed on their mother’s milk and grass, until 3 months before slaughter when they are fed a special cereal-based diet to encourage the laying down of fat reserves. The meat is then also hung and dry-aged for 28 days to intensify its flavour.

It was this range of beef from which Morrisons recently invited me to choose a cut and to create a recipe using it.  Never one to turn down a challenge, I headed for Stratford Morrisons where the two available cuts from this range were topside and sirloin.  One look at Nick’s face and the decision was made:  sirloin!  Unlike prepackaged supermarket steaks that are usually too thin, the butcher asked us how thick we wanted them sliced, meaning we could get proper inch-thick steaks that would not dry out in the pan.  I have managed to throw out the packaging without taking note of the per kilogram price – but two gorgeously marbled, inch-thick sirloin steaks came to around £12. The only thing I was planning to do with them was pan-fry them super simply to show off the quality of the meat – so the only remaining question was what to serve with them?

I had never heard of Tasmanian pepper until I opened my Plate to Page goodie bag in Tuscany last month to discover a box of four sleek black bottles of seasonings from German company Smaromi.  Hmm, “how different can Tasmanian pepper be from plain old black pepper?”, was my first thought.  And granted, there are similarities.  Both plants belong to the botanical subclass of Magnoliidae and the dried peppercorns look pretty similar. But they come from rather different plants – black pepper is a vine native to India and Tasmanian pepper is a shrub native to Australia.  The fruits of both are dried to make the end product, but whereas black peppercorns are hard and contain only a single seed, Tasmanian pepper has a far softer exterior (you can crush it with the heel of your hand) and contains several shiny black seeds. The aroma as you open the bottle is intriguing, almost floral in its complexity but it’s the taste where the greatest difference lies.  There is indeed a spicy floral note at first on the tongue – but this almost immediately gives way to a prickle and later almost a tingly numbness – more like Sichuan pepper than black pepper and quite extraordinary. I could not wait to see how it tasted in a creamy pepper sauce…

Sauces are some of the things that are so easy to make I can’t believe people actually buy them ready made – so what follows below is my take on a classic steakhouse pepper sauce. The steak itself really is not much of a recipe, more a technique, so in lieu of a recipe you wil get Cooksister’s top tips for a perfect pan-fried steak.

1.  Buy the best meat you can afford.  When you pan-fry steak there is nowhere for bad ingredients to hide so make sure you get the best – nicely marbled and preferably dry-aged.  And once you have spent your hard-earned cash on a good steak do not hide the quality of the meat by slopping a marinade over it!

2.  Have the steak cut an inch thick if you like medium rare or rare meat; or thinner if you like it medium or well-done.  The thinner a steak, the more difficult it is to get it seared on the outside and pink on the inside – so go thicker the rarer you like your steak.

3.  Use a heavy cast-iron pan, preferably a griddle pan with ridges, and pre-heat it before adding the meat. Putting your meat in a cold pan just encourages it to stick as it slowly heats up and you won’t get that lovely crisp sear that you get from a truly hot pan.  The meat should sizzle loudly when you put it in the pan.  If it doesn’t, your pan is not hot enough. Heavy cast-iron has great heat-retention properties and provides very even heat distribution, which is what you need.

4.   Do not oil the pan - brush a little oil onto the meat. Oiling the pan just risks a smoky kitchen as the oil heats up; and wth a griddle pan, the oil will end up down in the valleys rather than anywhere near the meat by the time you get cooking.

5.  Salt the meat with a little coarse-grained salt just before cooking.  No, it will not toughen your meat, it will draw out moisture and help to form a good crispy crust - but don’t season it hours before you cook it, literally just before it goes into the pan.

6.  Once your meat is in the pan, cook only until moisture beads start appearing on the uncooked surface, then turn.  Only turn your meat once. Turning the meat only once produces a better crust, as well as pretty grill marks

7.  Test for doneness by pressing on the meat with a closed pair of tongs, not by cutting into it with a knife. Cutting the meat in the pan merely releases all the beautiful juices and dries out your meat.  Ever seen a slightly-cut steak served in a steakhouse??  Didn’t think so. Rather press on the meat with tongs. For rare, the resistance should feel like pushing on the fleshy part of the base of your thumb;  for medium, like pressing in the centre of your palm; and for well-done, like pressing on the base of your pinky finger (i.e. pretty hard!)

8.  Do not eat serve the meat straight out of the pan – allow it to rest. Cooking meat makes the muscle fibres tense up - which translates into tough meat. Remove the done steak from the pan (important – otherwise it keeps on cooking!) and place it on a warm pate under aluminium foil for 5 minutes or so before serving.  the muscle fibres will relax, making for a more tender and juicy steak.

Bon appetit!

Scott and I spent this past weekend in Delaware with his wonderful parents, who put in a request for some barbecue ribs. How could my grill-master boyfriend say no to that? Not only does he love his summertime (and sometimes wintertime!) grilling adventures, he’s extremely good at it. My man doesn’t joke around when charcoal and large cuts of meat are involved; Which is also why I don’t even bother trying to cook on the grill myself! Furthermore, I was very appreciative to have a break from my usual Chef duties. I know, I know… it may seem I’m always jumping at the opportunity to wield a spatula (or whisk, or rolling pin etc…) but honestly, this foodie gets tired! However, I did whip up a yummy bacon-less German style potato salad to go with these marvelous ribs. Anyway, lets move on to the how-to for these delectable, finger-lickin ribs!

sauce

• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2/3 Cup ketchup
• 1/3 Cup root beer
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Ribs n’ Rub

• 2 Racks baby back ribs, 1 1/2 to 2lbs each
• 3 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chile powder
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Cups wood chips, such as mesquite

To make the sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic, chile powder and cumin. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Remove the thin membrane from the back of each rack of ribs. To do this, slide a thin knife under the edge to lift up the membrane. Grip tightly with a piece paper towel and peel all the way down the rack. Allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.

Make the rub: In a small bowl, combine the rub ingredients. Coat the racks with rub, pressing into the meat.

Preheat the oven to 250°. Soak the wood chips in water. Wrap the ribs in foil and bake for 2 hours in the oven. At the 1.5 hour mark, start the charcoal grill and set it up for indirect grilling (coals on the sides). Add 2/3 of the wood chips to the coals. After 2 hours, remove the ribs from foil and finish on the grill for 45 minutes, keeping the top vent closed so that the heat stays low; around 300°. Since he cooked 2 racks of ribs, Scott used a rib rack to hold the ribs upright, keep them from getting too close to the coals and allow them to cook evenly. After the first 30 minutes, remove the ribs from the rack, lay them flat in the middle of the grill and coat them with the sauce. Add remaining wood chips to the coals and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove ribs from the grill, wrap them in aluminum foil and let rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy with more sauce on top if you’d like, and make sure you’ve got plenty of napkins!

Model: L4Z4001

Technical pro is always providing high quality products for the professional audio world and home entertainment. The gear is constantly pushing the limits of emerging technology while always maintaining a high standard of excellence. These amplifiers are built with an innovative design and a rugged built-to-last design. The L4Z4001 is a 4-Channel power amplifier meant for the audio professional. If you are designing sound in a studio or on stage and need real power, this is for you! If you are a DJ and need a proper amplifier for your mobile rack, this is for you!

The L4Z4001 is a 4-Channel Amplifier able to push out a whopping 4000 watts of peak power. This is big time power! The inputs consist of ¼” and RCA connections. Each of the 4 inputs can take either ¼” or RCA…this will give you the options you need to connect any of your gear to this unit! The outputs consist of banana binding post and speakon connections. Connect this amplifier to your speaker system and you will soon be enjoying booming lows and crystal clear highs. This amplifier is meant for the professional environment and very capable of giving you that huge club sound you are after!

The L4Z4001 has a very innovative and useful feature. This amplifier is bridgeable from 4 channels to 2 or 3 channels. This will allow you to send more wattage to fewer speakers….let’s say you only want to connect to 2 of the channels. With a total peak power of 4000 watts each channel would then push out 1000 watts. So if you are only using 2 channels you are not getting the full power of this unit! Simple enough! Bridge the 4 channels to 2 channels and you are now utilizing all of the power of this amplifier! The engineers at Technical Pro are consistently creating gear that meets the needs of today’s audio world!

Some additional features include a LED light on the front panel that also holds a clipping feature for each channel. If your source is clipping the amplifier it will alert you immediately helping you maintain a successful sound output. Built in is an advanced cooling system consisting of dual cooling fans. This will keep your gear nice and cool even in a hot or less than perfect environment. The engineers at Technical Pro know that a superior sound AND reliability are the two most important features in an amplifier…and this has them both! This amplifier can stand alone or be connected to a rack or mobile rack by using the rack mountable hardware. It will fit into any 2U rack space. The L4Z4001 from Technical Pro is quickly rising to the top for the number one choice for a professional amplifier and at a cost that is very affordable…if you are serious about your sound you want this!

The L Series of power amplifiers from Technical represents a new era in quality power amplification. The line consists of three models housed in a rugged 2U chassis, incorporating innovative features and unmatched performance. Offering power points from 1000 to 4000 watts and 2-4 channel distribution, they’ll give your music bigger bass, cleaner highs, and provide a vast dynamic range that can handle the most demanding digital soundtracks without running out of headroom. L Series amplifiers are professional tools designed and built to meet the most demanding audio requirements.

When you love to cook, it’s hard to remember that not every dish needs to be elegant, time consuming and complicated. Sometimes it’s about coming back to the basics – which is something I am guilty of. I like to put a nice meal on the table every night, so spending a few hours in the kitchen isn’t even something I blink at – but not everyone enjoys cooking the way I do (why you’d be reading a food blog and not enjoy cooking though… well that just boggles me).

Bubble up pizza is something I was educated in when my father and I moved in with my now step-mom and sister. It was a quick, inexpensive meal for nights when the parents may have been out late or we needed an after school snack.

Quick Dinner Fixins’ Bubble Up Pizza

From the kitchen of my step-momma

Ingredients:

• 2 containers refrigerated biscuit dough, 6 biscuits each (I used Pillsbury)
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup favorite toppings
• 5 fresh basil leaves

Preparation: Preheat oven as per directions on dough. With a sharp knife, divide each biscuit into 4. In a large bowl, combine diced biscuit dough, sauce, 1 1/2 cups cheese and toppings. Stir to combine.

Pour mixture into greased oven safe skillet or 9×13 baking pan. Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle on top along with remaining cheese. Bake according to directions on dough, checking to make sure dough is cooked through and cheese is bubbling (I always bake mine for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

You can google many different versions of bubble up pizza, but my step-mom and sis taught me this one so they are getting the credit.

You’ve been warned: this is light as air so you will eat waaay more of it then you intended to. Serve with a salad and fill up on that before diving into this.