>Greening the Weekend Chores

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Daisy

>Is it easy to become green? Live a more eco-conscious life? It seems like after taking the basic steps – recycle, compost, start a garden – it takes a little more effort to incorporate additional green habits into our lifestyles. Today Husband and I spent more time in the yard getting ready for spring. Here’s the Green Task List from today’s chores.

1. Brush pile. Dear darling Husband cut down a small tree last weekend, and today was the day to get rid of it. We thought (briefly) about renting a chipper and chopping up the entire thing, but decided against it. Why? It’s free to drop off the branches etc. at the brush dump. The brush dump staff will chip this wood and add it to the dump’s mulch pile. Mulch is free to city residents. Why pay to rent a power tool when we’re already paying for the service with our taxes? Decision: take the branches to the brush dump. Pick up mulch when we need it. Cost: $0. Time spent: three minivan-loads to the brush dump about a mile from home. Green factor? Pretty darn good. Rationalizes keeping my (not a guzzler, but not exactly fuel efficient) minivan, too.

2. Basic Maintenance on south side of house. This is the side with the tulips, the mums, the annuals, the Hen & Chix plants, mint, and if I’m lucky, hollyhocks. I raked out the old dry leaves, cut down the old dead mums, lost my clipper, took all the dead and dry goodies to the compost bin, found my clipper, moved a shepherd’s crook with two wind chimes, and pronounced the area ready for spring. Green factor? Typical, which is good.

3. Emptied and moved the rain barrel! We planned to set up the new rain barrel under a downspout at the back of the garage between the rhubarb and the garden itself. We dropped it back there, went back to our normal lives, and then it rained. And filled the barrel. I’ve used the water to clean bunny litter boxes and rinse out the compost bucket, but it was still three quarters full and too heavy to move. My solution: hook up a hose to the spigot and water a few bushes. I drained enough of the barrel that it was light enough to move, and then recruited Husband to put a few concrete blocks underneath it. Now it’s propped high enough that gravity can help me use the hose with more success, and Husband will reattach the downspout and aim it toward the barrel itself – hopefully before the next storm arrives. Green factor? Great! The neighbor behind us (a new gardener!) saw it and now wants one for himself.

4. Basic weekend chores: laundry. I bought a pair of anti-static dryer balls to replace fabric softener. So far, I’m seeing – or should I say feeling? – good results. If they work in the long term, it’s another victory for green living and fewer chemicals in our lives. Simple and eco-conscious, just the way I like it.

>By train or by plane or by ferry? Anniversary trip plans continue

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Daisy

>A while back I talked about plans for our anniversary. 25 years of marriage, people! We’re ready to celebrate. We thought we needed to stay within a day’s drive of our home. La Petite reminded us that she’ll be home taking care of the bunnies and working at her job, and she can handle immediate emergencies that might pop up. In the meantime, we can get on a plane and be home within a day.

So…we’re back to the first plan. We’re doing the research and seriously considering Seattle as our destination. We’d like to travel by train: specifically, Amtrak’s Empire Builder. We’d catch it in or near Wisconsin and travel Northwest across Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and eventually Washington.

Seattle has brewpubs. It has coffee. And it’s a green, very green city. What’s not to like? We indulge Husband’s love for trains in our chosen mode of travel; we’ll indulge my eco-consciousness with the destination.

I stumbled across this hotel on Mother Nature Network. Of course I’m interested! My Midwestern frugal sensibilities, however, cringe just looking at the nightly rates. I’ll have to do a little more research and find out if there are deals available for common folk like us – or if these are ballpark rates for a big city like Seattle. The idea of staying at Seattle’s fir LEED certified hotel really appeals to me — and to Husband, too. “…a new echelon in sustainability” sounds incredibly attractive. It may be worth the price. These hotels are also eco-friendly and have great locations. I read and appreciated the parent company’s environmental statement as well. I don’t need fancy, really, but I’d like to spend my green where it’ll make the greenest impact.

Of course I want to visit Pike Place Market, the place where Starbucks Coffee was born! I enjoy local markets, whether farm or craft, wherever we go. We’ll put it on the plan.

The main goal, however, is to spend time together. Be a couple. Enjoy each other’s company: just us. Our offspring are wonderful people (teen and twenty-some that they are), but it’s time for a grown-up break. Our twenty-fifth gives us that opportunity. We’re thinking and planning now; we’ll be ready for action later.

>Beyond egg salad: Deviled Eggs galore

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Daisy

>Deviled eggs are deviled eggs. Right? Wrong. I have a few egg-stra possibilities for cooks with an abundance of Easter eggs in their refrigerators.

My beloved Eggbert (Husband’s temporary i.d.) has a knack for finding the right spice combination for great variations on deviled eggs. No matter which flavor you’re making, I recommend the Frugal Cook’s Pastry Bag: a zipper baggie with one corner cut off. Squeeze the yolk mix “filling” through this corner to make it flow egg-actly the way you want it.

Take your basic recipe (and here’s one if you don’t already have your own), and have fun with it.

Southwestern Deviled Eggs: a dash of chili powder with the paprika; a splash of tabasco sauce in the egg yolk filling if you’re really adventurous.

Country Style Eggs: Add sweet pickle relish to the egg yolk mix, leave out the paprika.

Zippy Eggs: Add a tablespoon of spicy brown mustard to the yolk mix.

Not to be outdone, I found this recipe (courtesy of Rachael Ray) and decided we should try it. Husband bought the salmon, and we’ll try it. As long as we have eggs, we’ll always have something good to eat.

Prepare the Deviled Eggs yolk mixture using 3 tablespoons sour cream in place of the mayonnaise. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped smoked salmon and 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives. Fill the egg white halves and (optional) top with chopped capers.

Hmmm…I wonder if we could use mock crab meat instead? Hand over those Easter eggs and I’ll try it. I’ll have the ears on that chocolate bunny for dessert.

Parent Bloggers Network and the American Egg Board are looking for creative ways to prepare hardboiled eggs after the Easter baskets go back into storage. If you’d like to join in and post your own egg-cellent solutions, check here for details. Put on your Easter Bonnet, with all the flowers on it, and join the Egg Parade.

>It’s not spring yet, honey!

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Daisy

>I tried. I really tried to feel like spring, but Mother Nature did not cooperate.

I spread the compost on the garden and started using the bin again. I had to wear a knit hat and warm gloves while I did it. It’s not spring yet; I had to wear gloves to keep warm, not just work gloves for leverage.

I washed all the blankets and comforters at the laundromat (an annual spring cleaning chore) and put a different, thinner comforter on the bed. Husband was too cold and couldn’t sleep. It’s not spring yet: I had to put the fluffy blanket and thick comforter back. (So much for avoiding those elder-mama night sweats, grumble grumble)

We opened windows just a crack to enjoy a little fresh air, but then we forgot to turn the heat back on. In the morning, with 37 degrees F on the outside thermometer, we piled on the blanket throws while we read the Sunday paper and waited until the hardworking furnace worked hard to reheat the house. It’s not spring yet; we still need heat.

Husband won’t put away the snow shovels. He’s superstitious that way. A coworker talked about putting away his snowblower, “…and we had two major snowstorms the next week! It’s not spring yet!” He’ll take care of the snow tools in May — or June, if he’s really uber cautious. If we put the snow removal devices away, we’ll get a blizzard.

But Husband did give in and work in the yard with me. He took out the chain saw to cut down an ornamental tree that had gotten too big. This was an adventure; the uppermost branches were tangled in the telephone wires. He called AT&T, knowing they wouldn’t want him messing with the wires in any way. After going through all the switchboard options (no, we don’t need service; no, we don’t need billing), he finally got a Real Person on the line. That Real Person told him to remove the tree and call them back; they’d take out any remaining branches that hung from the phone lines. Luckily (I think), the branches untangled themselves and came down as he cut out the bigger branches below.

The garden plot is closer to ready. The sun-blocking tree is gone. The compost is spread, waiting for soil-turning. Unfortunately, it’s not spring yet. But when Mother Nature turns that corner, I’ll be ready. Shhh: don’t tell her I’m ready now!

>Husband’s Seasoned Spaghetti

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Daisy

>Husband came up with this variation to use leftover spaghetti one day. It lives on in our repertoire as a side dish that’s good with a number of meats and vegetables. He emailed the directions to me on a day when he’d planned to cook but had a last-minute change in plans. I served it with teriyaki-marinaded beef (stir-fried) and steamed cauliflower. I’m still working on making room in the freezer and pantry: we had all the seasonings and the spaghetti in the cupboard already.

In a large pot, cook spaghetti like you normally would.

Strain noodles into a colander, place pot back on the burner with high heat.
Add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Give oil a moment to heat up.
Add 1 chopped stalk of green onion, sauté for 1 minute.
Pour noodles from colander into pot with hot oil and green onions.
Add flavoring stuff (adjust to taste preference):

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Tiger Sauce
Couple shakes of Red Pepper Flakes.

Stir, stir, stir for about 3 to 5 minutes until noodles start to fry and water is evaporated.

(But you don’t want the noodles to be actually fried. If in doubt, take them off the heat early.)

Daisy’s additions: fewer red pepper flakes, 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds.

Serves 4. Adjust seasonings as needed for more or less. I wonder if this would work with rice? I could call it Daisy’s Rice-a-ghetti. This has possibilities.

>The Virtual Great American Bake Sale

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Daisy

The Great American Bake Sale has gone virtual!

In real life, bake sales bring in minimal profits. Sometimes a non-bake sale brings in a better total. Instead of baking, people donate the amount they would have spent on their donated baked goods. Typically, any fundraiser is most successful if it can target an audience that isn’t already paying for the service. For example, a child care center selling t-shirts will only take in money out of those parents already paying tuition. But Girl Scouts selling cookies will sell to people who are not paying dues to the troop, and therefore will bring in a fair amount of usable funds.

When I heard about the Great American Bake Sale, I read through the information and decided it was worthwhile. I gave them my Mosaic Muffins. Adapted from another recipe to use my own garden produce, these muffins fit today’s sensibilities by using homegrown ingredients and having a fair amount of nutrition. They taste so great that your family doesn’t need to know they’re good for you.

Money raised from the Great American Bake Sale will benefit Share Our Strength, a group working to eliminate child hunger in America. As unemployment increases (it’s at a 25-year high right now), families have less money, and children have fewer regular meals. I see this every day in the students who concentrate better after lunch because they didn’t eat breakfast, the kids lined up for free breakfast at school because they didn’t have much to eat the night before, those who enviously eye the healthy snacks their wealthier friends brought from home. If children are going hungry in my relatively stable community, there are thousands worse off in other parts of the U.S. Share Our Strength spends a lot of time and money supporting after-school and summer meal programs.

You can help by spreading the word, making a donation to Share our Strength, or ordering the ebook. There’s a button on the sidebar for the VGABS e-cookbook. Remember, if my muffins are in it, it must be good! I can’t wait to see the other recipes.

Most of all, I’m happy to spread the word and increase contributions to help minimize – better yet, end – childhood hunger.

The Complete 2009 VGABS Recipes Ebook