UPDATE: printer friendly!

Gather 'round kiddies, I've got some great news!

Printer Friendly is Here!

Just about every week I get one or two emails asking for printer friendly versions of the recipes and I've always had to reluctantly say that they don't exist. Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't offer a widget or some other super easy way to make printer friendly versions of blog pages and my search for an easy script had been unsuccessful.

But then today everything changed. I got a short but sweet email from a reader, Lauren, with the magic link to printfriendly.com. This nifty website automatically cleans up webpages for printing by eliminating frames, sidebars, and advertisements. Also, it gives you, the reader, the option of printing images, changing text size, and other things! You can also just choose to save it as a PDF if you want to keep an electronic file of the recipes.

So, all new posts will automatically have this feature and I have begun to add it to past posts (June and July are done). Look for this green "print friendly" button above each recipe (just below the main photo):



Just click on that button and a screen will pop up with your printing options. Be sure to choose "no images" so that you don't get 10 pages full of the step by step photos.

I've waited so long to be able to offer a printer friendly option... Today is truly a happy day!

Food Reference on About.com

Earlier this year, on a complete whim, I applied to be the new Food Reference Guide on About.com. Well, after months of hard work and anticipation, I got the job! Basically, as the guide to Food Reference, I have my own little corner of About.com where I can write articles on food and food related topics. The site has been live for about two months and now that I'm finally getting into the groove of it, I've decided that it's time for the big unveil!

What is Food Reference?

For the time being, I have ten topics (Ingredients, Food Terminology, Tools & Gadgets, Tips & Techniques, Food Reference Charts, Bar & Beverage, Traditional Foods, Food History & Myths, Reviews & Recommendations, and Biographies) to write within. In addition to the articles, there is a newsletter with weekly updates and a forum where you can share your thoughts, ask questions, or suggest topics. Down the center of the main page there are also little blurbs or "blog posts" about new and current food related topics.

Since I've just begun there isn't a lot content yet and some of the links go to articles elsewhere on About.com, but be please check it out, visit the forum, and let me know what food topics you're interested in!

What Does This Mean for Budget Bytes?

Don't worry, Budget Bytes is my baby, my pet project, my creative outlet and it has enriched my life in so many ways that I don't foresee ending it anytime soon (or later). Having the About.com Food Reference project will allow me (and you) to explore food topics outside of the budgetary realm. Also, this gives me a chance to write informative articles on ingredients that I know readers will have questions about in my Budget Bytes recipes (you may have already seen links to how to slice a mango, sriracha, sambal, or buttermilk substitutions).

So, I'm not sure where this project will lead but I sure hope you join me for the adventure!!

Lots of love to all of you who have made these past two years of cooking and blogging the best two years of my life!

-Beth