JamesNoBrakes

That's generally not an accepted practice. Some people do it, but most people that land planes do so with power, so they can adjust both up and down on the approach without having to make radical control inputs (slips, etc). The idea that you should always be able to glide to the runway is a little daft, generally you should be able to make it to some sort of protected or clear area, although I've seen more people mess this up from downwind because they think as soon as the engine fails they need to make a b-line to the runway, but ending up 500' above the runway is next to useless as you need to be on final approach at that altitude, not above the runway (unless you are a helicopter). You also won't make it back to the runway at or below 300' on upwind, and realistically one should not attempt the turn at higher altitudes as well. Now, it is good to practice engine-out approaches, make no mistake, they teach good airmenship and planning, etc, but most people do not fly power-off. It's also good to not fly crazy wide patterns and final legs. As you transition to higher performance airplanes, it becomes less and less preferable to come in "power off", as repeatedly shock cooling the engine by going to idle will eventually lead to a catastrophic engine failure. There are many engines that you do not pull to idle, unless it's an emergency.

On the 2nd point, I find that the pilot has to be a pretty advanced pilot to employ that technique, as the issue is usually "do you have enough control with the aileron deflection to stay on the runway?". If you slip after turning final, you'll have a good idea of whether you'll have enough aileron control and the ability to stay on the runway. You may be able to land on the center of the runway by crabbing it down the whole way and then putting in aileron as you land, but you may also get quickly swept off the runway. By putting this control input in earlier, you will get used to using it, and it will become second nature, so you'll keep it in all the way to touchdown and hopefully beyond. If the wind is so great that you can't keep it from drifting down final, think about what's going to happen when trying to keep enough input in as the effectiveness decays due to slowing down. I know plenty of pilots in light aircraft that have been swept right off the runway. I personally use this method in light aircraft and throw in that aileron while keeping the axis aligned so I have that good idea of whether I'll have the control later in the approach/landing. In different and bigger aircraft, I use different methods. Airliners employ the crab and kickout method because they have engines/wings that will scrape and they have spoilers that instantly weight the wheels and stop the airplane from flying. You probably don't have those features on your aircraft.