Fun and games and sustainability on your smartphone
Posted under: The FarmVille Effect. It’s what they’re calling it these days.
“It’s the ‘everyone’s a winner’ kind of thinking. That psychology incentivizes people to do things that they wouldn’t normally do, to talk to each other and compare each other’s progress,” said Hafiz Huda, who has worked in the sphere of gaming techniques for almost ten years.
And now apps are actually getting people to look at their energy usage. Which makes sense for a topic that can sometimes sail right over our heads.
Light Bulb Finder
FasPark
Ghabit“Game mechanics are being applied to things that aren’t usually as fun,” said Huda, vice president and executive creative director at Infuz, a digital creative agency. “If you can make homework more fun and it’s a game, then you usually perform better.”
It’s the reasoning behind many new apps on energy efficiency. With a greater focus on a more engaging consumer experience, companies, including Facebook, are rolling out gamified energy apps this year. The social media juggernaut’s energy app will encourage Facebook users to compare their home’s energy input with friends, neighbors and against the national average.
Apps can help break down complicated information into bite-sized pieces and focus on a very niche area, whether that means you’re interested in starting a green business, where to find the closest electric car charging station or simply ways to lower your energy bill every month. There’s app for all of those. Of course there is.
In need of your own energy app? Take a look at the Chicago-based apps below. The following three were among the finalists in this year’s Apps for Metro Chicago Illinois competition facilitated by the Metro Chicago Information Center.
Light Bulb Finder
An extra $120 in your pocket every year? Yes, please. The developers of the Light Bulb Finder app claim that making the simple switch from incandescent to CFL or LED light bulbs can shave that much money off your energy bills each year. The app’s goal is to make the switch as seamless as possible.
Don’t know what is what when it comes to our light-emitting friends? You can input the fixture and current light bulb you’re trying to replace, and the app will tell you what you need to buy with a picture and everything. Check out the app’s demo video below:
FasPark
Parking. The word seems to have a groan ingrained in it. It just seems to be an eternal problem in urban centers like Chicago. From an energy standpoint, it’s pretty obvious that it would be more efficient to drive immediately to an open parking spot (even if it’s three blocks away) than to circle around the block a number of times with all those lovely exhaust fumes trailing behind you.
FasPark is an app just for Chicagoans looking for a parking spot. Enter in your desired address, and it will tell you where you can find an open spot. Then it will do double duty and serve as a GPS to tell you how to get there. It’s easy to use, and the app’s developers said that in their experiments, the app saves between 20 and 50 percent of drivers’ search time.
See how it works in the app’s demo video below:
Ghabit
Both a social network and online gaming app, Ghabit addresses energy in the larger context of everything green. The app allows you to easily connect with other people and track and compare your green habits with theirs. Members are told what the forward-reaching impacts of their green habits will be and earn rewards when they reach certain green goals.
A sort of green version of Facebook, Ghabit encourages ongoing continuous use but can also serve as a bit of green inspiration through its Gidea section that cultivates innovative and creative green solutions. To learn more, click on the app’s demo video below:
How to make Sante Fe Soup
How to make Sante Fe Soup
10 Culturally Comforting Soups
Your fingers are slightly frozen and mouth slightly parched from the cold dry air outside. As is the perennial wintry problem of living in Chicago. You can take refuge at home, but then you may miss out on six months of the culturally diverse food sprinkled throughout the city.
Solution: cultural-infused soup at home.
Chicago winter never seems as treacherous with a smooth heat-radiating bowl in your hands. Or even better the slow sipping of a steaming flavor-infused soup on your couch under a fleece blanket. Below are some easy make-at-home recipes that celebrate the city’s penchant for both never-ending winters and cultural flair. So try one out and spice up an otherwise frosty grey evening.
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Sante Fe Soup
Kathryn Ferrara/Chicago LoopsterClick on the photo to see a step-by-step guide on how to make Sante Fe soup
The ultimate definition of hearty. This Tex Mex soup is chock full of corn, tomatoes and beans. And the best part? It takes 10 minutes max to throw it all together. Click on the photo to the right to access a slideshow showing you how to make this easy dish.
- 2
Irish Potato Soup
Beketchai/FlickrTake everything that is good about a warm buttery baked potato, complete with sour cream and bacon, and then put it in a soup. So much more satisfying than the chilled salads your supposedly dieting friends are enjoying. Did I say bacon?
- 3
Italian Wedding Soup
Alice Carrier/FlickrDon’t worry, no one has to get married with this dish. It was named after the seeming perfect union between the soup’s green veggies and meat. While you can make it with a variety of meats, the most common Italian-American version is with meatballs.
- 4
Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Laura Padgett/FlickrThis light soup goes well with almost any meal. So if you’re looking for comfort but light on the hearty, this one might be for you.
- 5
Finnish Beer Soup
Stu Spivack/FlickrYes, beer soup. It may seem a bit suspect with mixing beer, cheese and cinnamon, but it’s a common and well-liked dish in the Nordic countries, including Finland and Sweden where it’s called biersuppe.
- 6
Mexican Taco Soup
Collin Harvey/FlickrThe best part of this soup are the bits of tortilla that turn into small corn dumplings when submerged in this zesty meal.
- 7
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
avlxyz/FlickrA twist on the original. A spicy twist. The trademarks of this soup are the chicken (obviously) and the varied seasonings, including garlic, tahini, ginger and chili-garlic sauce. This is the soup to go far if you want a lot of punch in each bite. And who can say no to Asian noodles?
- 8
French Onion Soup
Jeremy Keith/FlickrThis one has been around for a long while, but it’s just as irresistible. Probably because it has the trifecta of French culinary goodness: cheese, butter and baguettes.
- 9
Hungarian Beef Stew
Kathryn Ferrara/Chicago LoopsterWhile technically not a soup, this dish has all the makings of a comfort dish. And a filling one at that with its chunky meat, potatoes and noodles. If you’re looking for something similar but a thinner, try to traditional Hungarian goulash dish.
- 10
Greek Avgolemono Soup
avlxyz/FlickrEgg-lemon. That’s what that long word means in case you were wondering. With just four main ingredients, this just may be the easiest one of the bunch.
What’s your favorite comfort soup? Did we miss any?
Let us know by commenting below or @ChicagoLoopster with #comfortfood.
Avgolemono Soup
Avgolemono Soup
Greek
avlxyz/FlickrMakes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup uncooked orzo (or rice or pastina)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
- In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.
- Add the orzo, rice, or pastina and cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes (20, if using rice). Season with the salt and pepper and reduce heat to low; simmer.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.
- Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture, then whisk to combine.
- Add the mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.
Source: Victoria Granof via epicurious.com
Sante Fe Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Finnish Beer Soup
Mexican Taco Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
French Onion Soup
Hungarian Beef Stew
Greek Avgolemono Soup
French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup
French
Makes 6 servings
Jeremy Keith/FlickrIngredients:
¼ cup butter
5 medium white onions, thinly sliced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
2 cans beef consommé
¼ cup dry white whine
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh parsley sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
6 French baguette slices (3/4-inch-thick)
6 Swiss cheese slices
Directions:
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion, and cook, stirring often, 40 minutes or until golden.
- Add chicken broth and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove and discard herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into 6 ovenproof bowls; top with bread and cheese slices. Broil 5 ½ inches from heat 4 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.
Source:Southern Living
Sante Fe Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Finnish Beer Soup
Mexican Taco Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
French Onion Soup
Hungarian Beef Stew
Greek Avgolemono Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
Chinese
avlxyz/FlickrMakes 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)*
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce**
4 cups chopped Napa cabbage (from 1 head)
6 green onions, thinly sliced
8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 14-ounce package fresh yakisoba noodles or Chinese pan-fry noodles
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
- Stir chicken, soy sauce, Sherry, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in medium bowl to blend. Let stand 20 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
- Whisk garlic, tahini, ginger, sugar, vinegar, and chili sauce in small bowl.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and green onions and sauté until cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Add chicken with marinade and tahini-garlic mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
- Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Add to soup in pot. Stir in half of cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
Source: Bon Appétit (February 2002), featured on epicurious.com
Sante Fe Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Finnish Beer Soup
Mexican Taco Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
French Onion Soup
Hungarian Beef Stew
Greek Avgolemono Soup
Mexican Taco Soup
Taco Soup
Mexican
Makes 6-8 servings
Collin Harvey/FlickrIngredients:
2 Tbl vegetable oil
6 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb ground beef
1 ½ cups white onion, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cans Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 ½ cups water
1 can small red beans, undrained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can can hominy, undrained (or 1 ½ cups frozen corn)
1 can (7 oz) diced green chile peppers, undrained
1 can (7 oz) sliced pitted black olives, drained
1 package taco seasoning mix
Directions:
- Preheat oil in a medium-sized Dutch oven. Add tortilla pieces to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown; remove and set aside. Add ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to Dutch oven. Cook until beef is brown. Drain off fat.
- Stir browned tortillas, undrained tomatoes, water, undrained red beans, black beans, undrained hominy, chile peppers, olives and taco seasoning mix into Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, bout 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Source: Super Suppers Cookbook by Judie Byrd
Sante Fe Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Finnish Beer Soup
Mexican Taco Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
French Onion Soup
Hungarian Beef Stew
Greek Avgolemono Soup
Finnish Beer Soup
Beer Soup
Finland
Makes 6-8 servings
Stu Spivack/FlickrIngredients:
2 cups milk
2 Tbl flour
pinch of salt, if desired
1 cup of beer
½ Tbl corn syrup
½ tsp ginger, fresh or ground
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove
pinch of white pepper, freshly ground
1 cup of Swiss-type cheese, diced
1/3 cup of parsley, chopped finely
Directions:
- Mix the milk, flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling while stirring constantly to avoid suddenly boiling over. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat; cover.
- Pour beer, corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon stick and clove into a saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir the mixture into the thickened milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil but watch it carefully so it doesn’t boil over. Add white pepper and perhaps more salt (which accentuates the sweetness).
- Discard cinnamon stick and clove; strain out lumps. Serve immediately in heated bowls in which you have placed the cheese diced and garnish with sprinkles of parsley.
Source: The Complete Book of Soups and Stews by Bernard Clayton Jr.
Sante Fe Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Finnish Beer Soup
Mexican Taco Soup
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
French Onion Soup
Hungarian Beef Stew
Greek Avgolemono Soup
