Using Bing's "Smart Search" Capabilities for Windows 8.1 #ThisIsBing

In September, the Hubs surprised me with a new laptop. It had all the latest and greatest including Windows 8.

I was excited to dive right in! When I first starting using Windows 8, there was a bit of a learning curve. It's vastly different from any other Windows operating system. But all the differences are good ones. Windows 8 is much more intuitive once you learn the basics of the operating system.

Not long after I started using Windows 8.1, I stumbled upon Bing's Smart Search capabilities. It was purely by accident that I discovered the Smart Search, but I was glad I did.

In Windows 8, as you move your mouse cursor to the far right of the screen, several icons appear. At the top is a magnifying glass. From your browser, click the magnifying glass, and Bing's Smart Search is launched. There's no need to launch a browser or switch apps to perform a search using

Take a look at how Bing search can help you save time when searching online. This is an informative video showing you exactly how easy and efficient Bing Smart Search is.

This holiday season Bing Smart Search helped me located a much needed recipe. I was invited to participate in two cookie exchanges this Christmas. For one, I knew exactly the cookie I would make. But for the second one that I attended I was on the fence. I wanted try to to make something new, but I wanted a tried and true cookie that had a twist.

So, what did I do? I used Microsoft Bing Search to hunt down a recipe. Anyone using a PC or a tablet running Windows 8.1 can use Bing's Smart Search.

I started by searching on "salted oatmeal cookies".

A popular search engine gives you a list of sites that qualify for your search. Microsoft Bing Search gives you a snapshot of the sites that qualify, complete with pictures. Hello! This is fantastic. As I scrolled through the "list" of qualifying sites (as seen above), I found the exact recipe that I wanted.

I clicked on the link to the Smitten Kitchen where there was a recipe for crisp salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies posted.

I decided that this was exactly the kind of cookie that I wanted to make for my second cookie swap. I printed the recipe and wrote down my ingredients.

The next day I did my shopping and made the cookies.

Oh. My. Goodness. They were so yummy. I'm not even a big fan of oatmeal cookies, and I loved these! I loved the combination of sweet and salty. It was perfect. Not too sweet and not too savory.

And it was a success that can be credited to new Bing search. If you are using Windows 8.1 why aren't you using Microsoft Bing Search? You should be.

Thank you to Bing for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to find a super yummy cookie recipe this holiday season! #ThisIsBing