Foodie Post: Dorito Casserole

Doritos...casserole, shouldn't be in the same sentence right? Well, let me tell you, it goes together beautifully. I came across a recipe and thought "this won't work, what will people come up with next!" I actually adapted the recipe and I enjoyed every bite of it. The only changes I would make is to maybe use half Velveeta and half cream of mushroom. I would also use a combination of cool ranch Doritos and regular nacho cheese Doritos. I say make the recipe, adapt it to whatever you like, and enjoy!

Mini Review: I ate this last night and drank a glass of Arbor Mist Exotic Fruit and while I loved the flavor of the wine I did not like the pairing. It gave the dish a sunflower seed-like aftertaste I was not all that fond of. I just had the rest tonight for dinner and I had a Bud Light Platinum beer with it and it tasted amazing. If you are of age and want a little alcohol with your dinner try beer or try other wine's that are not fruit based.

Materials:
1 10 inch frying pan
1 9x13 pan
1 medium pot
knife
spatula
spoon
sheet of aluminum foil

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
*2 10.75 ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
**1 large bag Doritos, crushed
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups water
1 can Ro-Tel
***1 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get the 9x13 pan on stand-by but out of the way.

2. Heat the frying pan on medium heat until hot, then add the ground beef and onions. Cook until ground beef is no longer pink. While the ground beef is cooking, add the water, ro-tel, and cream of mushroom (and Velveeta if used) to the medium pan on medium high heat until the mixture begins to boil.

3. Add a thin layer of Doritos to the 9x13 pan. Top the chips with ground beef, ending with some of the cream of mushroom mixture. Continue to layer in that order until you are either out of ingredients or the pan is getting too full. Use your best judgment. Top with cheese and cover loosely with aluminum.

4. Cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until very light brown on top, taking care not to let the cheese get too dark.

5. Let cool for approximately 10 minutes to ensure that the casserole holds together. Enjoy.

Note: You can serve this along with sour cream, if you like.

*Instead of 2 cans cream of mushroom you can use 1 can and substitute a small log of cubed Velveeta for extra flavor and more cheesiness. 
**Instead of using a large bag of nacho cheese Doritos you can try using half a bag of cool ranch and half a bag nacho cheese to add dimension to the flavor.
***1 cup of cheese is not a lot when using a 9x13 so you can add another cup of cheese. For added gooey-ness between the layers you can also sprinkle, lightly, some of the cheese throughout the layering process then use the rest to top.

Different Shades of Liars

Everybody knows one. You know, someone who can't tell the truth to save their life. It could be the smallest of lies and they still feel the need to tell them. There are different levels to lies. White lies, pathological lies, and "just don't care" lies to name a few.

White Lies

A white lie is saying something untrue because you think telling the truth is going to hurt the person more. Cliche lies: "You don't at all look fat in those jeans", "I think you have the voice of an angel when you sing", "My family absolutely loves you (after receiving a call from their mother who was all but strangling you through the phone about your choice in mate)". These lies can seem harmless but they are very harmful. In particular, the family part. The lie fills you with a false sense of acceptance. That person may get on the phone and call the mother, thinking all is fine, to check on her only to get an "I don't want to talk to you" tone from the conversation which can be very hurtful. The same goes with the singing lie. Say that person is full of confidence over the gushing review from their friend, mate, or whomever and they decide to sing in public in front of strangers. The reception can be worse than terrible, the responses would destroy that persons self esteem. 

Pathological Lies

Pathological can be defined as being compulsive and obsessive. When someone pathologically lies it's because they don't understand the concept of what the truth is. It's actually considered a sickness, whether it's been formally diagnosed by a doctor/therapist or not. People who are pathological tend to lie for no reason and about everything. For example, the sky outside could be midnight blue with stars and they will tell you it's somewhat gray and raining. Now, logically you can poke your head out the door and debunk their statement immediately but they don't care, they said what they said and that's all there is to it. In my experience pathological liars will respond to a confrontation about their lies with "oh", "wow", or they will get extremely mad because they feel you are always checking up on them and questioning everything they say. There is no reasoning with pathological liars, they feel they have the right to spin their stories and may make you seem crazy for being mad about their lies, and trying to get them to see the light about how hurtful the lies are will only bring you misery and unhappiness. 

In most circumstances it's best to remove yourself away from that person. If you choose to keep them around, do so with the understanding that you may never get a truthful statement, or an entirely truthful statement out of them ever. They may tell the partial truth to make you happy, but there will be so many weaves and roads of lies interwoven that you may not be able to distinguish the truth from their lies.

"I Just Don't Care" Lies

I just don't care. Says it all, right? These type of liars know what the truth is, they are under no circumstance confused, they just tell you whatever they want to tell you because they honestly don't care. For example, hanging out with friends. Say you have a mate who claims that they are hanging with the girls, or hanging with the boys. They are hanging out alright, but they are leaving off the fact that it's not plural, it may just be one of the opposite sex and it's an actual date. Not only are they cheaters, but they lie by omission as well because they don't care to give you the rest of the details for whatever reason they have in their head. 

I honestly think this is worse because it's not like it's a white lie to save your feelings, it's cheating. It's not like it's a pathological mental illness, they know what they are saying. They just don't care about hurting your feelings, or you catching them in the lie. When caught they come off as aloof, as if to say "you found out, oh well, what's for dinner?" This is the most unhealthy of all because they make the conscious choice to spin a lie so long as it appears to work for them. This is toxic and the probability of them changing is slim to none because they just don't care to.

As you can see there are many different categories for liars, depending on what you're dealing with. I believe there are many more definitions but this is the three that I typically come across. It's not really even a question as to why they lie, it's more or less how much are you willing to deal with. Liars can come in the form of friends, lovers, family, potential lovers, managers, supervisors, even the president of the United States. When it comes to managers, supervisors and the president you can get mad however most of the time you are not in a position to quit your job and, of course, there's not much that a disgruntled person can do about the president. For him you would have to be one of a rather large group and the group doesn't matter if no one takes a stand to do something about it (in the form of drawing attention to the lies and calling for impeachment). 

Friends and family is a totally different ballgame. You have the ability to place a cap on how much of their lies you are willing to accept and still have them in your life. Family, in particular, can be difficult for some to cut off. Some have the feeling that family is all they have, nothing's better than family, so they are given Cart Blanche to treat you any way they want unchecked. Friends can also be given the same reign by some. It's difficult because these are intimate relationships you have taken the time to develop so cutting those people off for their lack of integrity can become a torturous process that may very well not ever get dealt with.

How do I deal with it? I don't. At this point in my life I have no need to surround myself with people who feel the need to lie to me constantly. I have my own threshold that once it's crossed I will cut you off. Normally I will have one good blow up and then cut you off in silence, never go back to the situation. I may be cordial later on down the road and ask how you are but as far as being close again, it will never happen. I have had issues with liars before that I felt really close to. The lies, in my situation, led to a horrible ending that I don't want to go in to just yet. In this case this person will be a part of my life for the rest of my life because of the child involved but I have next to no contact with him because I know that ultimately everything I tell him will result in it being twisted against me (with some creative lies tossed in for good measure) and nothing good will come from that confrontation. 

So, how should you address it? If you feel like the person is open to hearing what you have to say about the lies and how they make you feel, by all means address it. If, after you have addressed it, the same actions continue, the ball is now completely in your court. You know it's not going to change, they don't see anything wrong with the lies (obviously because even though they acknowledge they lied and may even apologize they are still lying), and you are facing constantly being hurt because you probably aren't wired to accept someone being less than truthful with you. If you stick around, do so with the understanding that nothing may change but could possibly even if the probability is very low that it will.

The kind of person I am, I tend to be very observant. I won't call you out on the discrepancies in what you are telling me, I am simply watching, listening, making mental notes and staying on my toes with that person. The down side to this is when you finally tell that one last lie, no matter how small it is, it may push me over the edge and when that happens I am going to go clean off verbally about everything that you have lied about. When I'm done speaking I am done with the person. I don't want an explanation because it's nothing but lies anyhow, right? I used to be more tolerant in my teens and early twenties. Turning thirty and now thirty-one, my ability to reason with bullshit is getting less and less.

Ultimately the choice is yours. You teach people how to treat you. If they go unchecked on their lies and you accept their lies then they will get it in their mind that it's okay. They will keep spinning lies with the knowledge that you may get upset for a moment but you will calm down, accept their half-assed apology and everything will be fine again. You don't deserve that; don't take that from anyone! Call them out and make sure they know it's not okay and if they do it again kick their ass to the curb! However, again, the choice on how you get treated is ultimately up to you and you alone have to deal with the emotional and mental fallout that you are allowing yourself to go through.

Foodie Post: Simple Egg Salad

I have been making egg salad for years, and I originally saw my mom make it on more than one occasion. She used to make it so simply, with minimal ingredients, but it was so delicious! This recipe can be changed, scaled up for many people, or scaled down for one. This recipe, as is, makes 2 very hearty sandwiches or 4 smaller sandwiches.

Materials:
Medium Pan
2 bowls
Spoon

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise (more or less, depending on taste)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 slices bread (or 8)
*You can add any other ingredients you like, have fun with it*

Directions:
1. Place the eggs in a medium pot, fill the pot with water making sure that the water comes just above the tops of the eggs. Boil the eggs for 15 minutes.

2. After 15 minutes take the pan off the stove and dump the hot water out, then sit the pan in the sink and allow cold water to run over the eggs for about 5 minutes.

3. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle peel the shell off the eggs and place the eggs in one of the bowls. One by one cut the eggs in half, remove the yolk and put in the second bowl, leaving the whites in the original. 

4. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper to the yolks and mix thoroughly, making sure that you mash the yolks up without leaving large pieces.

5. Once the mixture is done, with your hands or a fork, mash up the whites and add to the yolks. Mix until whites are completely incorporated.

6. Make sandwiches and enjoy!

Note: You can place the egg salad in the fridge instead of eating right away if you would like. I like my egg salad immediately as opposed to cold.

Foodie Post: Nutella Oatmeal II

I made nutella oatmeal before and it was pretty good; chocolaty. I only used water because I am not a large fan of milk in the morning (I'm weird like that). So, I figured, I have plenty of milk that I need to use and I can use some of it to create a richer oatmeal. This is a very quick recipe!

Ingredients:
Yields 1 serving

1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%, a higher percent may make it more rich)
1 tablespoon nutella
2 teaspoons chocolate powder or syrup
splash of additional milk
walnuts or whatever type nuts you like

Directions:
1. Bring the 3/4 milk to a boil, taking care that it doesn't boil out of the pan. Add the oats and cook for the standard 5 minutes.
2, Take the pan off the stove to ensure the oats don't stick, and mix in the nutella, chocolate, and additional milk. Mix thoroughly and either return to the stove to heat through or you can just pour the oatmeal into a bowl at this time. Add the nuts on top and enjoy!

Foodie Post: Salmon Cake Recipe with Dipping Sauce

It's been a while since I have made salmon cakes. My mom used to make them when I was small and I learned how to make them from her. I have been getting a hankering for some of the foods from my childhood that disappeared as I got older due to my super picky eating tenancies. I didn't have a lot of fancy ingredients so I used what I had on hand for the salmon cakes as well as the dipping sauce. I have heard tale that if you make salmon cakes you have to remove the tiny little white bones before mixing but that's just folklore. I kept the bones in and I had no problems. They are soft and will mash up just fine, plus they have added nutrients. As far as the dip go I searched up recipes and they were talking about dill sauce, Grey Poupon and other fancy things I didn't have so I used what was already in the kitchen and it came out great. It's hard to impress me with food, even when I make it myself, but this was a great dinner and I am going to pass along the recipes. Cheap, filling, simple and tasty!

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:
1 14.5 ounce can salmon (comes in 16.5 ounce cans as well)
1 large egg (2 eggs if you get the 16.5 ounce can)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup flour (add 2 tablespoon extra flour if you get the 16.5 ounce can)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
shortening to fry (about 1/4 cup should do it)

Directions:
1. Preheat the frying pan on medium. Add shortening to the pan and allow to get hot. Get out a plate and get it ready with paper towel.
2. Open and drain the can of salmon, dump the salmon into a mixing bowl. Add the egg, diced onion, black pepper and salt to the mixture and combine thoroughly. Mix in the flour until it's all incorporated.
3. Make about 4-5 (6 to 7 for bigger can of salmon) small salmon cakes and add to the preheated pan (make sure the pan is hot enough, the shortening might be smoking just a bit).
4. Fry the cakes for 5 minutes on one side then flip and cook for 5 minutes on the other side, making sure you don't overcook/burn the cakes; use your best judgment on the browning process.
5. Once the cakes are done transfer from the pan to the prepared plate with the paper towel and allow them to rest and drain off the residual oil while you make the dip.

Bastardized Mustard Dip

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a mini bowl

The 5th Avenue Candie Bar, the Mouse, and the Move

In my Nutella post I eluded to a Hershey's 5th Avenue bar and a mouse incident. Here's how this situation went, and it's best I start from the beginning to get the full scope on why this was the be all/end all of my remaining in that residence.

One day a few years ago I was living with my cousin. I moved from there and in with my friends cousin because she needed a roommate and I would have done anything to get away from living with "family" and all the drama that had resulted. This woman was a little over 50. We had met with my friend, went to lunch and got to know each other. She claimed that she was always to herself and was rarely home because she had a sick elderly mother and she stayed over there to help her since she refused to stay at her daughters house. Basically, I would have an entire house to myself most of the time and when she was home I would barely notice. Well, I asked a few cross checking questions because I have heard this rip before and normally people consider me standoffish because I am true to the definition of being to myself and they say it but don't mean it. I was reassured and all was well.

So then, I move in to her house and the first day went fine. I went to bed and when I clicked the lights out and turned everything off I heard it. A scratching behind the wall. I sent her a text wondering if she heard scratching but she insisted it was nothing and she didn't hear it. The scratching was loud, really loud, but I popped ear buds in my ear, turned on some Britney Spears, and went to sleep. The next day was uneventful but when I went to bed I heard the scratching again but the lady thought I was crazy. 2 weeks later we were having a conversation because she didn't like that I was so quiet and barely wanting to talk. I was like um, excuse me, didn't I tell you before I moved in that I was extremely quiet and you were okay with it because you would never be home? Then to top it off she was always home and started bringing her mother to her house as opposed to going over there which was opposite of what I was told when I was moving in. She was in her 50's and I had nothing to talk to her about because she was like a deacon in Church or something; deeply religious. What were we going to talk about? The Bible? Read my other blog to get an idea of why that would not ever happen. Anyhow, while she was bitching I saw an impossibly large mouse come out from under the couch. I screeched and jumped up and it ran back under the couch. She didn't believe me when I said I saw a mouse.

I guess after a while she had no choice but to put out traps. She didn't just use traps but peanut butter as well. It didn't work because I never heard the sick but satisfying snap that I so desperately wanted to hear. After a couple days I forgot about it. My then boyfriend purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Gardenias, one of my favorites, second behind roses. I put the flowers on my table and went downstairs to get something to drink. I came back, snapped on my tv and relaxed across my bed to watch because she didn't like me watching downstairs on account I wasn't chatty and I wanted to be far away from her because she was starting to get creepy (listening to my phone conversations outside my closed bedroom door and then bitching at me over the content of the conversations and then justifying why she was listening to my conversations). 

While I was watching tv I kept hearing a weird rustling of plastic but I had my fan on so I thought that was it. Something drew my eyesight over to the flowers and while I was looking at them I saw something white and furry mingling in them. I about screamed bloody murder and hightailed it downstairs. Thankfully the lady was gone and so I called my boyfriend and told him what was going on and that I needed mouse removal. He understood my deep hatred of any insects, vermin and the such but he was at work and it would take a while for him to get there. I was watching tv downstairs when the lady came home and she had an attitude about my not being indisposed upstairs in my dungeon aka living quarters so she complained at me over watching tv in the living room until I decided to go upstairs. I entered ever so quietly to see if I could see the mouse and it was gone out of my room. 

My boyfriend got there and he couldn't find the mouse so we went out to eat. I had a 5th Avenue Hershey's bar on my bed and when I came back I saw it. The bar had crumbs all over my bed! I was freaked out and when my boyfriend picked the bar up to inspect it he discovered that there were teeth marks on that bar. The mouse had bitten into the bar and sucked all the moisture out which is why it was so crumbly. The main ingredient, besides chocolate, in a 5th Avenue bar is peanut butter. I was completely through with the situation. The woman was rude, she had no sense of privacy, she constantly wanted me to chat with her even though I was 30 years younger than her and we had nothing in common, I told her that there was something scratching behind the walls for weeks and she ignored it and now he who scratches beyond the wall had scampered out and had drained the peanut butter from my candy bar. That was the last straw.

A week prior I had been speaking to someone who lived around the corner from her about renting a room he was advertising on Craigslist. I had met him and the other roommates and they were all cool. I had enough money for the first months rent and the down payment and so I called and asked if I could move a few days early. After I told him the extent of everything that was going on he 100% agreed that it was time for me to get out of that house and I was granted permission to move that night. Me and my boyfriend packed up everything I had in the matter of a few hours and was out of there before she came home. My last parting (and cathartic) shot was locking her door completely. See, she always said to never lock the top lock of the front door because she wouldn't be able to get in and she would have to call a locksmith to unlock the door. If I did it she would have to charge me the money it would take to unlock the door. Well, I was so annoyed and just didn't care anymore so I left her key on the dining room table, locked the door completely and left out the back, locking the door. I know, I know, very childish indeed but I was so annoyed that after only 2 weeks this woman was being such a nightmare and trying to give me notices to move even though I paid my rent as well as continuously saying that the move was only supposed to be temporary which is bullshit because she kept telling me about how I could stay there for as long as I wanted and her last tenant stayed three years. She basically did the complete antithesis of what she told me and it ticked me off.

Never the less, the new residence was awesome, the roommates were nice (until 2 and a half years later when I found out I was pregnant but that's another post on another night) and the location was decent for public transportation to work. I ended up very happy; not so sure what happened to the lady and the mouse but overall I really didn't care. I was just glad to be gone.

Foodie Post: Nutella

So, it's no large secret that I absolutely love Nutella. I came across this delectable treat a few years ago. I had 3 roommates at the time and one of them loved to purchase it but I had never really heard of it. Well, one day I decided to eat a spoonful of it and decided that it was the worst thing I had ever put in my mouth and I have tasted a lot of really bad things. Now, I discovered a few weeks later that I was pregnant and one of my large aversions was oil and since Nutella uses hazelnuts and adds a bit of oil and chocolate (also contains hydrogenated oil) to it this is what created my extreme hatred. I forgot about it after a while but didn't miss a moment to laugh at people who swore by it over time because I thought either they have no taste buds or they were lying to be considered cool.

Anyhow, one day I was in Walmart shopping and I came across a snack size Hershey's spread display and I saw snack size Nutella but due to my remembrance of the flavor I grabbed Hershey. Hershey has never let me down before (except for that one time I bought a 5th Avenue bar and a mouse ate it, which is how I ended up leaving where I was living at the time for the 3 roommates I ended up with but that's another post in its entirety). I got home and ate one and I was in love! I thought it was the best thing I had ever tasted and wondered why I didn't know about it. That then took me back to Nutella. I had tried over three years ago and maybe it was time that I tried again and I could try with the snack size. I went back to Walmart to shop and this time I grabbed a small container of Nutella and some graham crackers. I tried it when I got home and that's when the love affair started. It tasted so smooth, chocolaty with a hint of nuts and I couldn't help but think what on Earth I could actually use it on other than graham crackers.

I have tried a few different ideas. One of the recipes I tried was pancakes, nutella and bananas. To make that I made the pancake batter that comes from a box (I make homemade but sometimes it's faster to just add water and move along). When I finished making my short stack of pancakes I slathered nutella on each one and cut up a banana kind of small and added to each pancake as well. Delicious! 

Another idea I tried was apples and nutella. I cut up an apple into small chunks. I took a bowl, layered half the apple in the bottom, added a couple tablespoons of nutella to it, then added the rest of the apple on top and then topped with a couple more tablespoons of nutella. It was so good! I would eat with a spoon if you try that. I have done the same with banana instead of apples, and added walnuts on top. Delicious.

One more idea I have tried is nutella oatmeal in the morning. I made my oatmeal like normal (1/2 cup oats to 1 cup boiling water with a pinch of salt, cook for about 5-6 minutes). When the oatmeal was done I mixed 2 tablespoons nutella in it and I also cut up a banana to add to it, then topped with nuts. Nutella, banana and nuts seems to be my favorite combo because the flavor is unbeatable. It was delicious!! With the oatmeal I also had coffee and instead of using my chocolate creamer like normal I added a tablespoon of nutella. That, as well, was delicious.

I'm sure there are many other uses for nutella but I haven't come across them yet. Crepes come to mind, nutella dessert wrap, etc. It's so versatile that I'm sure you could add it to just about anything and it would be an improvement of the dish. I am going to try a more in-depth version of the oatmeal which involves the use of milk. Normally I use water in oatmeal but this sounds too good to not make. I don't think I will ever stop eating it, to be honest. It's incredible. I know someone who can eat it straight out of the container. I wouldn't go that far but it's definitely good enough to do that. If you have never tried it, please do. If you have and don't like it, try adding it to fruit and see if your view changes. Strawberries is another good fruit for it. The summer is coming up and more creations are going to happen. Stay tuned for upcoming recipes!

Product Review: HTC Stream 8 32GB

Price Point: $149.99 currently from Amazon

Before I decided on this tablet I researched for about two months along with the Stream 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 in 8 inches. What made me choose this over the Stream 7 is the extra inch of screen. I chose this over the Tab 4 mainly because I have had Android in the past (tablets and phones) and besides the HTC Sensation I was not impressed and sometimes downright irritated over how the devices performed. I always hesitate on Android when it comes to any kind of device. I have owned iOS in the past (iPad mini and iPad 4G) and liked the interface but Apple was a bit more costly than needed to be spent at this time.

What Am I Using My Tablet For?

Blogging – I was spending countless hours in front of my work computer updating my blog. My office chair is not that comfy and I felt like I was stuck at work as opposed to posting at leisure.

Email – Due to my working from home I am always getting multiple emails a day and with no tablet that meant that either the email had to come through my phone which kills the battery or through my computer which means that when I’m off the clock I am still stuck to my computer.

Music – I have the XBOX Music Pass because my cell (Nokia 521 Windows 8.1) streams and downloads the music. This was one of my selling points, I didn’t want to have to use another music database had I chosen another type tablet since I was already subscribed to the pass.

Social Media – I also use Facebook, Google Plus and LinkedIn. While I can use Facebook on my phone, Google Plus and LinkedIn was a bit more irritating on the cell (Google Plus being the worse).

Productivity – I don’t create a lot of documents but I do from time to time and wanted a device that is able to perform certain duties i.e PowerPoint presentations, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets when I need it to.

Entertainment – I watch Netflix, Amazon Prime shows and YouTube a lot. As it stood before I acquired this tablet I had to sit at my computer at times when I just wanted to lounge and relax.

Features

Full Windows 8.1, no RT - The difference between full and RT is that with RT you have a more scaled down version of Windows. You have applications that are compatible but there is a large limit on what you can use the tablet for. I would say it’s more in the lines of iOS with the lock down of what you can do. This is fine if you aren’t using it for much but I wanted a full experience for the possibilities it created. Full basically means you can do just about everything on it that you could do on your Windows PC. For example, I tested downloading iTunes and was successful in installation, launching and using. This would not have been available to do on RT.

Free year of Office 365 Personal - This would otherwise be $69 to purchase so that’s very nice to include. 

Free T-Mobile Data - This tablet comes with free data of up to 200mb a month. 200mb is not much but if you’re like me and don’t really head out much then that’s a lot for you. If you require more data there are other prepaid plans you can get or if you have service already this can be added to your cell phone data plan. Only for T-Mobile though; it could work on other carriers but you would have to contact them to find out. Difficulty level in connecting was a 4/5. My SIM card was already in the tablet when it came so in case you see the plastic with the card punched out chances are it’s in the tablet.

Battery Life - I have noticed the battery life is draining more than I thought but in all fairness I have been playing with this tablet since I got it. If you are a light to moderate user (check social media, browse the internet and check email) then you should get a day or more out of this tablet. If you’re like me and use it for other things like creating documents which requires the screen to be on the entire time then expect the battery to die every night. I have charged this up a couple times and have noticed the battery indicator never reaches 100% charged. It reaches 99% but never that extra percent. Not sure completely why but it doesn’t bother me but may bother others. From dead to 99% charged it takes approximately 3-4 hours.

Storage - The storage capacity is 32gb and the amount you can use is 14.7 or something close to that. This decrease in used storage is due to the operating system and pre-installed applications. I did purchase a 32gb micro SD card but I’m wondering if perhaps I need to go ahead and grab the 64gb card instead. The jury is out on that but the SD card by Samsung worked fine and was recognized. To get the SD card to work you just have to do a few file path tweaks to make sure applications, music and files install to the card as well as the C drive.

Device Functionality - The specs on this tablet is as follows:

Screen Size: 8 inches with 1280 by 800 resolution

Processor: 1.3 GHz Intel Atom

RAM: 1 GB DDR3L SDRAM

Hard Drive: 32 GB 

With those specs one would think that the tablet wouldn’t perform well, just bare minimum and that’s it. That couldn’t be more wrong. So far I have been able to use multiple applications at the same time and haven’t noticed a decrease in speed or functionality. I think it all comes down to what you are using it for. If you run a lot of powerful applications at once then you may see a dip in overall performance. If you are using Word and listening to music while updating Facebook (like I’m doing right now) them your performance will be fine. Speed also pertains to hardcore games like World of Warcraft-type heavy graphics. This tablet will not run them and if it does the performance will be abysmal.

Bluetooth - I purchased the Infiland Bluetooth keyboard which came with a case (basically the same case I got from them in red sans keyboard but this one is purple) and connected it to the tablet. It took a while to figure out the instructions because what they were telling me to select in the instructions wasn’t how it was listed in Windows 8.1. However, I managed to connect it with no extreme issues. Only thing is the Bluetooth installation was a bit slow, took about 5-6 minutes to install. Other than that everything is connected and stable. I also turned the keyboard off and turned it on later and it reconnected without having to set everything back up. Solid experience.

Conclusion

This tablet is meeting my expectations and doing a lot more than what I was looking for. At this price point I wasn’t looking all that forward to it because I knew the specs were considered bottom tier when compared to competition in the same price range. I am pleasantly surprised and now can’t imagine using any other type tablet. I would highly recommend if your usage is more along the lines of what I use tablets for. If you are a hardcore gamer I would look elsewhere because you will have issues as this isn’t a gaming tablet. It’s almost a shame to call this a tablet, it’s more of a shrunk down computer but when you think of the limitations on graphic heavy games reality comes back that this is a tablet, and a damn good one.

Note: I typed this entire write-up on this tablet and it worked excellent!