www.bobnortonconsulting.com 877-799-3736 info@bobnortonconsulting.com JUNE 2018 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
FROM THE DESK OF Bob
Welcome to my newsletter! I’ve wanted to get a monthly newsletter started for a while to keep in touch with everyone. I mailed one back in 2013 as a test and discovered how time consuming putting it together could be. Then, I met an entrepreneur who runs a company that specializes in helping business owners prepare their newsletters. After receiving samples of his work, I thought I’d give his team a try. As part of the process, I pick the articles for the newsletter that include items that I find interesting and fun. And I hope that you do too. In the coming months, I plan to include a short column about projects I’m working on or things that I think you might find interesting. In the meantime, feel free to contact me with personal updates or business/ tax questions
If you’re like most Americans, you probably refer to your summer cookouts as barbecues. Despite this common shorthand, slapping some burgers and dogs on a scorching-hot grill doesn’t resemble actual barbecue at all. What “true” barbecue means varies from region to region, but at its core, barbecue is about cooking meat slowly over woodsmoke. Celebrated food author Michael Pollan explores the origin of this American cuisine in his book, “Cooked.” After years of research and hundreds of meals, he favors the definition of barbecue provided to him by an Alabama pitmaster named Sy Erskine: “The mystic communion of fire, smoke, and meat in the total absence of water.” When you begin researching different styles of barbecue, however, you realize that nearly everything else surrounding barbecue is a matter of debate. Barbecue, like the country that created it, is influenced by multiple nations and cultures. It exists in various forms across the country, particularly in the South, its spiritual homeland. Wherever you go, you’ll find pitmasters and eaters arguing over the merits of beef versus pork, vinegar versus tomato, and many other characteristics. While it would take countless hours to become a barbecue expert, familiarizing yourself with the major styles will certainly make you the voice of wisdom at your next summer get-together. NORTH CAROLINA Perhaps the most stringent school of barbecue is found in eastern North Carolina. Here, barbecue does not so much describe a style of cooking as it does one particular item: a slow-smoked, chopped whole hog, seasoned with a sauce of vinegar and pepper. The pork here is not pulled, and it contains none of the sweeter, tomato-based sauces you’ll find on grocery store shelves. The traditional side is a finely chopped coleslaw. WHAT IS BARBECUE, REALLY? E xploring A merica ’ s F avorite C uisine
that you have. I’m looking forward to a productive summer, and I hope that you are too!
- Bob Norton
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The Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC, is perhaps America’s most famous restaurant serving this uber-traditional style of barbecue, but its pitmaster, Sam Jones, is not the type to venerate one style of cooking above all others. “I believe there’s a place for all types of barbecues,” he says. Even with such an inclusive mindset, don’t expect beef brisket to show up on his menus anytime soon. TEXAS In the Lone Star State, on the other hand, beef predominates pork, and brisket is the most iconic cut. Central Texas barbecue is primal and unabashedly smoky. It owes its heritage in part to German meat markets of the 1800s, but it’s a creation all its own. Sauce is often frowned upon here, as it obscures the flavor of the smoke. Dry rub is the only addition to the potent mixture of fire, wood, smoke, and meat. As the rub caramelizes, it creates a crust, known as bark, around the meat. In addition to brisket, you’ll also find beef sausage and short ribs on traditional Texas
worthy of a brief mention. In St. Louis, the deckle or point of the brisket is smoked longer than the rest, creating burnt ends. South Carolina pitmasters are fond of a mustard-based sauce known as “Carolina gold.” For eaters with more adventurous palates, Kentucky barbecue, which often features mutton, is worth trying. At its heart, barbecue reflects the nation that created it. It’s diverse, creative, and simultaneously humble and sophisticated. While American barbecue is fundamentally its own thing, you can find cuisines from every corner of the globe that take advantage of the unique deliciousness of smoked meat. If you’re curious about the ways people from Korea to Denmark are making this ancient method of cooking their own, check out the “BBQ” episode of “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix. No matter which style you believe reigns supreme, barbecue is the perfect food for summer.
barbecue menus. These are humble cuts, widely available and inexpensive. The magic results come from a combination of technique and time. Aaron Franklin, proprietor of Austin’s legendary Franklin Barbecue, writes, “The fact that in Texas barbecue you’re taking one of the worst pieces of the animal and converting it into one of the best is a miracle itself.” TENNESSE E Memphis-style is the closest representation of what most people think of as barbecue. Pork ribs and pulled pork are the stars here. Memphis is also the birthplace of the tomato- based barbecue sauces you’re probably familiar with. That sauce covers pulled pork shoulder and is also slathered on“wet” ribs. “Dry” ribs, as you might expect, feature only a dry rub of salt, sugar, and spices. OTHER REGION S There are far more regional specialties and characteristics than we have space to cover here, but a few dishes and techniques are
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT Tales of Sneaking Out and Sneaking In
JAMES: ‘WISH I HAD A GRAPPLE GUN’ One night, I snuck out to see a girl. My room was on the second floor, and my parents had noise sensors that went off every time a door opened or closed. I popped out the screen on my window, figuring I could find a way out from the roof. The only option was to jump to an adjacent tree that was just out of reach. I went back to my room, grabbed a belt, and tried to use it as a whip, like Indiana Jones. It didn’t grab the branch tightly enough, though. I ended up with three bruised ribs and a sprained ankle, and I was grounded for a month. REBECCA: ‘SNEAKING IN’ Sneaking out was never my forte, but sneaking people in sure was. There was an entry to my basement from the garage, so I would leave the back door to the garage unlocked, and my friends could slip in. One night, we had the bright idea to sneak in some boys. After one of them tripped and knocked over our canned food collection, my parents came running downstairs. When my dad took two steps toward his gun safe, the boys high-tailed it out of there.
Trying to slip out a window after Mom and Dad have gone to sleep is nothing new; kids have been trying to sneak out since the invention of houses. These three stories are sure to bring back memories of your own clandestine adventures and close calls! JESSICA: ‘GRAND THEFT MINIVAN’ My parents’ 1985 Ford Aerostar was something of a hot commodity because you could pack seven crazy teenagers in it and go for the best joyrides. As my parents were getting ready for bed, I’d run our air compressor to pretend I was pumping my bike tires, but I was actually using the noise to disguise the sound of the garage door opener. Once they were asleep, I’d pick up my friends, and we’d see how far we could make it in one night. One time, we went too far, and I couldn’t fill up the tank before getting back home. I was sweating as my mom got ready to take me to school in the morning. She turned the key, saw that the tank was almost empty, and muttered, “Your father told me this would be good on gas ...”
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THE HAZARDS OF BLUE LIGHT
How to Protect Your Eyes and Minimize Exposure
HOWCANYOU MINIMIZE EXPOSURE? Many computers and electronic devices have a “night shift”option built into them. Enabling this feature will dim the screen and lower the amount of blue light that your device emits.
Youmay have been warned about blue light and its impending threat to your eyes. It comes from your computer screen, your phone, and even from the sun. Why is this formof light harmful, and how can you keep your eyes safe? IS BLUE LIGHT A NEWTHING? Blue light occurs in nature and is nothing new. However, because many electronics emit blue light, it’s more of an issue now than it was just 10 years ago. Backlit LED screens emit strong blue light waves, so our use of devices like cellphones, tablets, and flat-screenTVs means we are exposed tomore blue light than ever before. WHY ARE EYE DOCTORSWORRIED ? Blue light isn’t inherently bad— it’s found in sunlight and lightbulbs—but our increased exposure to it might be. Our eyes are pretty good at blocking UV rays but not so good at blocking blue light. Blue light has a higher energy output than other forms of light, so instead of being filtered by the corneas and lenses, almost all of it reaches the more sensitive retinas. The high energy output of blue light and our eyes’inability to protect the retinas from it appears to cause damage similar tomacular degeneration, an eye disease mostly affecting people over 65 that can lead to blindness. These similarities tomacular degeneration have scientists worried that our increased exposure to blue light could lead tomore cases of it.
There are also removable filters you can put on your computer screen. Brands like RetinaShield/Tech Armor and Eyesafe are designed to limit the amount of blue light your eyes are exposed to. To avoid eye strain, talk to your eye doctor about blue light glasses. These tinted glasses, which come in prescription and nonprescription versions, reduce the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes. Remember, blue light itself is just a natural form of light and isn’t inherently bad. During the day, it can even be beneficial to get some natural blue light from sunshine —while wearing sunglasses, of course. But it’s also a good idea to take precautions to protect your eyes from artificial blue light, especially if your work environment and hobbies expose you to it frequently.
Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Take a Break!
Ingredients
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 ounces store-bought waffle cones, lightly crushed
1 large egg yolk
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1 1/2 cups oats
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 pints ice cream (any flavor)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F. While oven is heating, cook butter in saucepan over medium heat until browned, 5–8 minutes. Scrape browned butter into a heatproof measuring glass. 2. Pulse waffle cones, oats, flour, and salt in a food processor or blender. Once cones are finely ground, add brown sugar and pulse again. 3. Whisk egg yolk, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. 4. Add eggmixture to food processor while spinning on low. Once integrated, slowly add browned butter; blend until dough forms a solidmass around blades. 5. Formdough into 26 balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls and bake 12–15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. 6. Let cool, then spread ice creambetween cookies tomake sandwiches. 7. Freeze for up to 5 days—or enjoy today!
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 The Great Barbecue Debate PAGE 1 ‘Sneaking Out’ Stories You Have to Read to Believe PAGE 2 What’s All the Fuss About Blue Light? PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches PAGE 3 Cut Down on Flight Costs WithThis Simple Rule PAGE 4
THE BEST TIME TO BOOK A FLIGHT
Save Big on Airfare With This Simple Rule
In case you haven’t noticed, traveling is expensive. It can feel like you’re signing away your soul when you sit down to plan a vacation. But when it comes to flights, there’s good news: They’re getting cheaper! According to a 2017 report published by online travel company ODIGEO, long-distance trips across Europe fell 7 percent last year. Luckily, the same trend is reflected in North American airlines as they engage in a price war to woo a growing base of ultrafrugal travelers. Still, a $600 summer flight to Honolulu isn’t exactly pocket change. What’s worse, flight prices are slippery; CheapAir.com’s 2017 Annual Airfare Study determined that the fares for any given trip go up or down an average of 71 times, about $33 each shift. When you purchase your flight is nearly as important as where you’re
going. But how do you choose a booking window that will maximize your savings? According to the CheapAir.com study, in which they evaluated 921 million airfares, the best time to book is 21–105 days in advance of your flight, on average. If you want to get even more specific, try to book 55–75 days out, and book on a Sunday. Many travelers swear by Tuesday and Wednesday bookings, but as Condé Nast Traveler reports, Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corporation say that Sunday is the way to go, based on data from billions of flights. Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the cheapest days to actually fly, though. The CheapAir.com study also pinpoints the absolute best windows for specific seasons: 54 days for winter trips, 75 days for spring, 76 days for summer, and 45 days for fall. Of course, these are averages,
but if you stick to these rules and check fares regularly on sites like Kayak.com, SkyScanner.com, Momondo.com, and on the handy app Hopper, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting close to the best price possible.
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