The cast of characters:
3 to 4 pound bottom or rump roast
1 yellow onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
Sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes, undrained
12 oz of your favorite beer (you can use water if you choose)
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons basil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/5 teaspoon anise
1 teaspoon salt, kosher if you got it

Combine salt, basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, and anise, and introduce it to your roast. You don’t have to completely coat the roast in the rub, but make sure they are on good terms with one another. Slice onion, and the green and red peppers into rings, set half of them aside. Place roast in the slow cooker, and put half of the onions and peppers in with it. Add remaining spices, as well as the beer or water and tomatoes. You can also add some jalapenos in at this time if you want. Set the cooker on low and start cooking for 6 hours. After 6 hours, add the remaining onions and pepper and cook for another two hours. I did it this way since I was going to be home during the whole cooking processes, but if that is not possible for you, cook it on low for 8-10 hours, adding the remaining veggies when you can. I turned my slow cooker up to high for the last hour as it was getting late and I was hungry. The beef is done when it easily pulls away with a fork.

When it is done, take the beef out of the slow cooker and place on a plate. Using two forks, pull and shred the beef apart. This was the first time I had done any shredding in the kitchen and it was easier than I expected. Once shredded, place the beef back into the crock with the juices. If you want, you can strain the juices to make it ‘pure’, but it is fine the way it is.

The standard way of eating this is on a hoagie roll with mozzarella cheese. As I am on a low carb diet, I passed on the bread and ate it from a bowl with some cheese on top, and it was delicious! I can see myself making this often in the future and sharing with friends.

55°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: NW at 6 mph
Humidity: 74%

Set in the woods, lumberjacks have clear cut their way through the forest and it is up the the beavers to seek revenge.  Beaver’s Revenge will have you use the beaver’s tail to launch fish, rabbits, and other furry woodland creatures at the lumberjacks to take down their homes.  If you think that sounds a lot like Angry Birds, you are right.

Beaver’s Revenge will have you progress your way  through four different worlds and 80 levels of furry fun.  Get the highest score on a level to receive three gold stars.  Colorful graphics and lively sounds and music make this a blast for players.  If you are a fan of Angry Birds, Beaver’s Revenge is sure to keep you entertained.

Free offer is good 1/2/2012 only.  Regular price $0.99.  It is currently rated 3 stars in the Amazon Marketplace.

Not on your Kindle Fire? Follow these instructions to add the free Android app from the Amazon Marketplace.

1. Click one of the links above to the product page in the Marketplace.
2. Click the Get Now with 1-click button
3. Sync your device by pressing the Gear icon, then Sync button.
4. The new app will now appear in your app library. Click onto it to install when you are ready.

Dragon Fire has the player guiding multicolored dragon breath orbs through a maze and into their proper receptacles.  The player can alter the path to ensure each orb reaches its proper destination.

Dragon Fire comes with two game modes, Regular and Survival.  In Regular, players must guide a set number of dragon orbs into their receptacles in order to clear each level.   Survival mode pits the player against an unending stream of dragon orbs.  Both game modes have 26 different levels, and you can adjust the speed to make it as challenging as you can handle.  Additionally, all 26 levels are opened right at the start; there is no need to unlock levels as you go so you try out the more difficult levels right away.

Dragon Fire plays well on the Kindle Fire.  Cool graphics and great background music help you lose yourself while playing this great puzzle game.

Free offer only good on 1/1/2012.  Regular price $0.99.  It is currently rated at 3 and a half stars on Amazon.

Not on your Kindle Fire? Follow these instructions to add the free Android app from the Amazon Marketplace.

1. Click one of the links above to the product page in the Marketplace.
2. Click the Get Now with 1-click button
3. Sync your device by pressing the Gear icon, then Sync button.
4. The new app will now appear in your app library. Click onto it to install when you are ready.

Mahjong Solitaire, by Toy Studios, offers two games: Career, which has you trying to clear many preset layouts in the shortest time. And Free Play, with five levels of complexity to custom tailor the challenge for anyone.

Graphics are well done in Mahjong Solitaire. The app comes with three tile sets. My favorite is the Space tile set. It’s vibrant colors and edgy backgrounds will make you want to keep digging through and matching tiles all day.

Free offer only good 12/31/2011.  Regular price $0.99

Not on your Kindle Fire? Follow these instructions to add the free Android app from the Amazon Marketplace.

1. Click one of the links above to the product page in the Marketplace.
2. Click the Get Now with 1-click button
3. Sync your device by pressing the Gear icon, then Sync button.
4. The new app will now appear in your app library. Click onto it to install when you are ready.

If I had not resubbed for World of Warcraft, I likely would have spent way too much cash on games during the last Steam sale. They still got me for a couple bucks this time with Bit Trip Runner and Majicka, but I likely would have spent much more and bought more games that I only play once or twice had I not had the WoW subscription.

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I cannot speak for the rest of my body. I am not fit. At all. I’ve led quite the sedentary life for the past several years; the most strenuous activity I routinely do is to walk up the stairs to my apartment. Most of my free time is spent on the couch or in front of the PC playing games. The Kinect gets players off the couch, and in my case, gave me quite a cardio workout.

My first run through of Kinect Adventures left me quite winded. Followed that up later on with Your Shape Fitness Evolved, which left me sweating and huffing and puffing for breath. A later, longer session of Rallyball (a minigame in Kinect Adventures) nearly made me pass out. While it left me breathless, I liked the rhythmic parts of Your Shape Fitness Evolved. This made me plan on getting Dance Central, something I had originally decided against. Continued the next day with a fitness session in Your Shape Fitness Evolved. I picked up Dance Central, and it is a fun as it looks, even for nonrhythmic dancers with two left feet like myself.

I am sore all over. Shoulders, biceps, elbows, thighs, and ankles all groan when I need to move them. Still have some discomfort in my back, but my sore muscles are getting more attention than my back. I was expecting this outcome due to my inactivity. I know if I keep pushing through and remain active the pain (discomfort, really) will subside; weight loss will help as well. The cardio workout I get from the Kinect is great. Probably had my heart pumping faster this weekend than I had at anytime in the past year.

Overall, the Kinect was a good purchase for me. If I stick to it this may be the tool for me to get into shape. I will separately review Dance Central and Your Shape Fitness Evolved in the upcoming days. I look forward to becoming more active, as well as seeing what games will be made available for Kinect in the future. The Kinect was released November 4th, and retails alone for $149.99. Kinect bundles, with the Xbox 360 console, Kinect sensor, and either a 4GB or 250GB hard drive are available.

Kinect was released November 4, 2010, and is in stores and at fine online retailers today.  The Kinect sensor, and game Kinect Adventures, retails for $149.99.  If you don’t have an Xbox 360 yet, bundles are available with the Xbox 360 console, hard drive, and Kinect sensor and Kinect Adventures.

More than 10 games are available at launch.  Dance Central, from the makers of Guitar Hero and Rock Band is a rhythmic dance game, moving players through over 600 dance moves in 90 routines.  Dance Central shows players how to perform each move, making it a cinch for beginners to learn more advance dance techniques.  Your Shape Fitness Evolved, from Ubisoft, is a game designed to make players get more active.  With workout routines from well-known fitness experts, Your Shape Fitness Evolved puts you into the game and gives you precise feedback so you know if you are doing it right.  Your Shape Fitness Evolved tracks your progress and how many calories your burned, and if you want, you can share your progress with your friends.  Kinectimals, is another launch title for Kinect.  Kinectimals lets you interact with virtual pets on your Xbox.  Aimed at a younger audience, Kinectimals allows kids to train and interact with several large cats on screen.

Kinect for Xbox 360 is available in stores and online (free shipping for Amazon Prime) now for $149.99.  Most Kinect launch titles are priced at $49.99 or less.  Stay tuned as I will be reviewing the Kinect sensor and one or more launch titles in an upcoming post.
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