Our source is your source so feel free to use whatever is valuable for you. For my system a standalone setup was a requirement. I don't want to bother with trying to sync up with a PC local or remote. I just want to turn it on and go.
As for loading of recipe data... I'm working on the input code to start an Autobrew program. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a microSD slot and read data from an input file but it would increase the cost by a fair amount. We are also short on pins. We would have to give up some valve outputs or mux some outputs to get pins to support writing to memory.
I think the input before a program will be pretty short as many of the variables specific to your system are persistent.
Here's the current program flow:
Load Predefined variables: HLT, Mash and Kettle volume and volume loss (deadspace), default batch size, evaporation rate
Select a predefined mash profile (dough-in, protein, sacch and mashout min and temp)
- Currently, Single Infusion or Multi-Rest but others could be added in code
Adjust params (including delay start, grain weight, batch size, mash ratio and above rest temps and times)
Calc mash/sparge volumes
calc strike temp
Do delay start, mash rests (Future support for filling, sparge, boil and chill stages)
The End
. Right now most of the existing/planned connectors are already tied up w/ the expected connects, but if you're not using them, there could be some potentially "assignable" connects that could be to a USB device I'd suspect? But I'm going from the limited reading I've done on this, not like the detailed work that mattreba and jcdillin know and do 
but the ability to expand, or even use it for other projects, made it an easy choice.
