We are almost into Summer (June 20) and should well be into grilling time. So I thought I would go back and pull some of my material from the Your Smart Kitchen newsletters and republish them here. These tips and recipes were good then and should still be useful. Tips for beef: When picking steaks, choose cuts that are close in size and thickness–preferably over one inch thick–and marbled throughout. Not all meat has a grade or quality designation, but the higher grades (i.e., prime and choice) mean more marbling. Steaks should be bright red, with no gray or brown patches. If vacuum-packed, they may be darker, but once exposed to oxygen should become bright red again. Fresh beef should be refrigerated and used within…

From LPs to playlists—when the jazz never stopped Jazz doesn’t just age well—it matures, like a fine wine or a favorite old coat. It gets more comfortable, more familiar, and yet somehow more meaningful. And if you’ve been listening to it for a few decades, it becomes the soundtrack not just to your evenings, but to your life. Some of my friends like the old pop classics because they have the lyrics memorized and can sing along. I like the old jazz classics because I can anticipate the changes in key as well as the changes in mood. These never get old or tiring. Back in the day, hearing jazz wasn’t just about taste—it was about commitment. You had to have a good quality turntable…

When DJs picked the playlist, jazz clubs whispered magic, and discovery took time When I was in high school, most of the kids were glued to the pop charts. And to be fair, that era—late ’50s through the ’70s—produced some of the best music ever recorded, much of which is still being played today. But thanks to a lucky break during my sophomore year in high school, I was given a free ticket to Jazz at the Philharmonic, a touring group of jazz performers. There I was introduced to something entirely different: Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and a world of sound that wasn’t topping the charts but was quickly grabbing my attention. That one night launched a lifelong love of jazz, even as everyone else…

Or: Why My Light Switch Now Needs a Software Update We used to joke that we’d never understand our kids. These days, I’m not sure I understand my house. A while ago, I dipped a toe into the “smart home” world. It started innocently enough — a smart plug to control a lamp behind the TV. One command, and boom, the living room glowed like I actually knew what I was doing. I was a man in control. I even gave it a fancy name: TV Light. Feeling confident, I added a second smart plug in my office. It turned on the desk lamp — until one day it didn’t. It blinked, sighed (digitally), and told me it needed to be reset. Just like that,…

(Or: How Data Tries To Take Over Even In My Own House) “My Smartwatch Thinks I’m in Trouble — Even When I’m Just Napping” Back in the day, if you were breathing, standing upright, and didn’t spill your coffee, that was enough proof you were alive. These days, my smartwatch needs confirmation every ten minutes — and apparently, I’m failing the test. Let me back up. I recently got one of those newfangled watches — you know, the ones that monitor your steps, heart rate, sleep quality, stress levels, hydration, and, I believe, your proximity to a panic attack. The incentive was an admonition from my primary care doctor who said that my oxygen level fluctuated too much and my blood pressure dropped every once…

Will New Elites Rise or Will Power Concentrate Forever? Every major leap in technology reshapes who holds power — and who doesn’t. The Industrial Revolution created a new class of factory tycoons and financiers. The oil age crowned energy barons. The internet minted tech billionaires who’ve reshaped markets, media, and even the way we think. Each time, a new elite has risen, often concentrating power faster than the old one ever imagined. Now, a new era is upon us: one fueled by artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, and autonomous systems. And once again, the gains look like they will go to the very top — not just the top 1%, but the top 0.01%. That’s one person in 10,000. And today, that group controls nearly…

Wealth, Education, and the Risks of Unequal Transformation When we imagine the future, it’s tempting to picture a dazzling world of possibility — where artificial intelligence anticipates our needs, biotech prevents illness before it starts, and clean energy powers an interconnected planet with little environmental cost. And where boring work is mostly replaced by ever-increasingly intelligent robots. And if even half the promises currently being made actually come to pass, the world of 2100 could be dramatically better than anything we have ever known — a world where the growth of the next 80 years surpasses what was accomplished over the last 80. But we’ve been here before. The last 80 years saw remarkable progress, lifting billions of people into new prosperity (which was necessary…

When you take a step back and look at the last 80 years, the magnitude of change is almost overwhelming. Daily life, work, health, communication, transportation — all reshaped, rebuilt, and reimagined in ways our grandparents could scarcely have imagined. It leads naturally to a question: Could the next 80 years bring a transformation of equal — or even greater — scale?Or did we live through a once-in-history moment, a rare intersection of invention, opportunity, and necessity that may never come again? As someone who witnessed these sweeping changes firsthand, I can’t help but wonder: What would it actually take to match the revolution we’ve just lived through? What Made the Last 80 Years So Unique? Before speculating about the future, it’s worth pausing to…

A Revolution in Living Recently, I came across an article extolling the benefits of doing a “life review” — where people systematically reflect on their past, through conversations or writing, to identify character strengths and develop greater self-awareness.While I’m not setting out to do one formally, it did cause me to pause and think about how much daily life has changed over my lifetime — changes that would have been unimaginable when I was a kid. One memory stands out vividly from around sixth or seventh grade.We lived in a small town, and on weekends I often worked at a friend’s farm (it might have had something to do with a crush on their daughter).One particular weekend, the family decided to butcher a steer. I…

From “Are we there yet?” to “Where’s the next Starbucks?” My memories of road trips aren’t complete, though to be fair, that’s true for most things that happened before last Tuesday. One of the earliest I do remember was sometime around seventh or eighth grade. My mom and I were driving to Chicago (the reason remains a mystery). This was long before cell phones or satellite radio. Even the AM stations would fade out every hundred miles, leaving us to invent games like “how many different state license plates can we spot?” Back then, plates were easy to read—before bumper guards and tinted covers became a thing. When it came time to stop, we looked for a small roadside motel flashing a VACANCY sign. (This…

The Other Half of the Picture Previously, I posted about the benefits of reverse mortgages—and yes, they are substantial. Eliminating a monthly mortgage payment can really free up cash flow. Having the ability to access what was once “untouchable” home equity gives older homeowners more flexibility in dealing with major expenses like medical bills, home repairs, or simply improving quality of life. But with all that upside, there’s another half of the picture that deserves a closer look. These aren’t free-money products—they’re financial tools. And like all tools, if you don’t fully understand how to use them, they can bite back. Minimum Equity Requirements One of the first hurdles: reverse mortgages require that you hold at least 50% equity in your home—sometimes more. These loans…

The Quiet Exit: Tiger Woods, the Masters, and Golf’s Changing Face Here we are again, just weeks away from the Masters—Augusta’s annual pageant of golf history and hope. But this year, one of the most familiar figures in the game won’t be walking the fairways. Tiger Woods, once the face of golf’s modern renaissance, will not be playing. And while nothing has been officially announced, the growing reality is that we may never see Tiger seriously compete on the PGA Tour again. Just last year, during the second week of the FedEx Cup playoffs, this same question was quietly hovering in the air: would Tiger return to contention? Could he do what Jack Nicklaus did in ’86 and make magic at 46—or in Tiger’s case,…

A Second Look with Fresh Eyes You’ve probably seen the ads—Tom Selleck giving you that knowing look, talking about reverse mortgages. I’ve had more than one friend say, “If Magnum P.I. is pitching it (or should it be NYPD police commissioner) , maybe I should pay attention.” And honestly, they might be onto something. So imagine we’re at a backyard barbecue or maybe sipping something cold at the clubhouse, and someone brings it up: “What’s the deal with reverse mortgages anyway?” Here’s how I’d break it down—no charts, no jargon, just real talk. Let’s be honest—most of us flinch when we hear the term “reverse mortgage.” It’s one of those financial tools that’s been clouded by bad press, predatory practices from the past, and a…

A Promising Start When I first picked up a pickleball paddle, I was looking for something simple: light exercise, a few laughs, and maybe a chance to meet some like-minded folks. The game seemed perfect—easy to learn, low-impact, and everywhere you turned, someone was singing its praises. My wife and I started at about the same time. We thought it might be a fun way to stay active together, enjoy the fresh air, and move around a little more than our regular routines allowed. And for a while, it delivered. There were friendly matches, good-natured banter, and a nice rhythm of play that didn’t require ice packs afterward. We began during the winter at an indoor facility that had a welcoming atmosphere and enough courts…

The Masters Edition Introduction: The Augusta Mystique… or Myth? Every April, millions of us plop down in front of our screens, mesmerized by Augusta National’s emerald fairways, blooming azaleas, and the soothing hum of Jim Nantz telling us it’s “a tradition unlike any other.” But let’s be honest—beneath all that beauty lies a hard truth that every golfer, from scratch to duffer, knows in their soul:Golf isn’t a game. It’s a cosmic joke. And Augusta? It’s the temple where golf’s greatest miracles and most painful meltdowns unfold. I’ve never played it—and never will since I have given up the game —but somehow, we all feel like we’ve walked its fairways. We know what Rae’s Creek looks like in spring sunlight. We’ve imagined standing over a…

When Sci-Fi Satire Meets Real-Life Asteroids So, here we are. Again. Humanity faces an existential threat from space, and—just like in the 2021 satirical film Don’t Look Up—we’re probably going to spend more time arguing about it on social media than actually doing something useful. NASA is currently tracking asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 1.5% chance of slamming into Earth in 2032.  (Now down to 0.002%) That’s not exactly zero, which means we should probably pay at least some attention. But let’s be honest: unless it’s trending on TikTok or becomes a political football, most of us will just keep doom-scrolling past it. Could this asteroid end life as we know it? Maybe. Could it just be a big celestial nothing burger? Also, maybe….

How to Fix History Education and Make Real Change Introduction: Why Fixing History Education Feels Impossible—And Why It’s Not If reforming history education feels like trying to move a mountain with a spoon, you’re not alone. The system is deeply entrenched, tangled in bureaucracy, politics, and competing ideologies. Schools answer to local, state, and federal authorities, curriculum decisions are influenced by teachers’ unions, activist groups, and political parties, and even parents and community groups have conflicting views on what should (or shouldn’t) be taught. It’s an exhausting, messy fight. But it’s not hopeless. The reality is that change is possible—it’s just slow, incremental, and requires strategic, sustained effort. The key to reforming history education isn’t just about making good recommendations (as we covered in Article…

Recommendations for History Education in a Diverse World Introduction So, how do we actually implement a history curriculum that strikes this balance? That’s the big question. We don’t need a complete overhaul—what we need is a smarter, more nuanced approach that respects foundational achievements while making space for diverse perspectives. The goal is to educate students on the complexities of history while maintaining a firm grounding in the ideas, innovations, and individuals that have truly shaped the modern world. This means pushing back against ideological agendas, ensuring that political influences do not distort historical accuracy, and prioritizing a curriculum that fosters genuine understanding rather than reactionary rewriting. It also requires recognizing that teaching history is not just about facts—it’s about cultivating critical thinking, encouraging debate,…

Balancing Tradition and Inclusivity Part 1 Introduction History education isn’t just about memorizing dates and events—it’s about understanding how we got here, what shaped our world, and what lessons we can learn from the past. And let’s face it, the way history is taught has always been a bit of a battlefield. Some argue that schools are watering down the core principles that built Western civilization, while others believe that broadening the curriculum to include diverse perspectives creates a fuller and more accurate picture of the past. The truth is, history is written by the winners. But that doesn’t mean that those who prevailed should be villainized, nor does it mean that their achievements should be erased. Being a winner isn’t a bad thing—it’s how…

Today I am republishing the core article from my newsletter of February 2010. The article would be accompanied with a promotion of featured cookware (in this instance clay bakers which if you have not heard of or used, you should seek them out, they produce memorable meals that are easy to prepare.) I hope you enjoy. It is interesting, the similar, ties of then to now. We hear more stories about how the economy is still struggling and unemployment while relatively low now is somewhat unsettled. And to make it all seem worse, some parts of the country are buried in snow and others are dealing with mudslides. So, it is no surprise that in times of worry, we often turn to comfort food to…

A Century Apart, Yet Strangely Similar Does history repeat itself? Sometimes it seems to attempt to achieve similar outcomes at different points in time. Often, it is the mistakes that repeat rather than the successes. Let’s take a look! History has a way of repeating itself—sometimes in ways we expect, and other times in ways that surprise us. The 1920s, famously known as the Roaring ’20s, were marked by economic prosperity, cultural revolutions, and rapid technological advancements. Fast forward 100 years, and our current 2020s have also been defined by attempts at cultural revolution, rapid technological advancements, and major upheavals—though not quite in the same way. The economic landscapes of these eras illustrate cycles of boom and bust. The 1920s, often remembered as a period…

We are now in that part of winter between Valentines Day and Easter when the days seem long and nights seem longer. As temperatures continue to drop, there’s nothing quite like a warm and comforting meal. French cuisine is known for its rich flavors and hearty dishes, making it a cozy choice for cold winter nights. This recipe for the decadent beef stew comes from Jacques Pépin and there is an equally famous version from Julia Child. In this version stock, demi-glace, or even water is not used, relying on robust red wine for the deep-flavored sauce. I have made this four or five times and have received rave comments each time. But it is enough effort that you might not want this to be…