Am I the only one but aren't the consumables different in NV then FO3? I thought I remembered eating something and it just raised my health, in nv it only does it for a few seconds? What's with that?
Also where is the best place to learn about building things and cases? New elements I can't seem to put a finger on how to use them. Can anyone comment?

That's how it works in hardcoe mode. In Casual mode, you get the Fallout 3 "instant health regen." Same applies to stimpacks.

Injured limbs in hardcoe have to be healed with Hydra, Doctor's Bag, or having a doctor fix them. In Casual mode, the old Fallout 3 stimpack method works.

As for crafting, cases, and other things... http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Portal:Fallout:_New_Vegas