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Living Green in the Kitchen

Wilton Silicone Reusuable Baking Cups?

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Silicone Reusable Cupcake and Muffin Liners

I’m pretty much obsessed with cupcakes and muffins – okay, more than pretty much, I’m obsessed to the core. Obsessed enough for 10 people. If I had a dime for every package of paper cupcake and muffin liners I’ve bought I’d buy a Hummer for my husband, a Corvette for each daughter and son-in-law (present and future), and a lifetime supply of Whiska’s for my cats.  For myself? I’d buy all the chinchillas in the world so they could always keep their own fur.

Reasonable, right?

I’ve (obviously) spent oodles of  money on paper liners and, each time, wished for a better way. I have to admit, I get a twinge of green guilt each time I buy paper products.  That’s why I’m so excited about the Wilton 415-9400 Easy Flex Silicone 3-Inch Reusable Baking Cups, 12 Count, shown above.

An ingenious and eco-friendly alternative to buying hundreds of disposable paper muffin liners, these guys can be used again and again and again – saving you money and the earth another headache.

Product Features

  • Set of 12 baking cups measuring 3 by 3 by 1-1/2 inches each
  • Food-grade silicone construction; internal fill lines eliminate guesswork
  • Resists stains and odors; ensures even heat distribution for superior baking
  • Use in standard muffin pan or place on cookie sheet or jelly roll pan for stability
  • Freezer, microwave, and ovensafe (up to 500 degrees F); dishwasher safe; limited lifetime warranty

Amazon Description:
The 3-by-3-by-1-1/2-inch cups fit in the cavities of standard metal or glass muffin pans, or they can be placed individually on a flat cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan for stability. Constructed of food-grade silicone that resists stains and odors, they deliver exceptional baking performance and even cooking for a variety of delicious treats–everything from birthday cupcakes and fresh breakfast muffins to individual brownies, mini cheesecakes, and more. In addition, the flexible cups ensure easy removal of baked goods or molded gelatins, and their crinkled edges impart that traditional muffin edging so popular in coffee shops and bakeries. While safe for use in the freezer, microwave, or conventional oven (up to 500 degrees F), the versatile baking cups can also be used to hold colorful candies, individual party favors, or multi-colored sprinkles and edible glitter while hosting a cookie-making party or decorating cakes. Best of all, they feature convenient fill lines that take the guesswork out of baking. Stackable for compact storage, the set of 12 baking cups (6 red and 6 blue) cleans up easily by hand or in the dishwasher and carries a limited lifetime warranty.

If you’ve ever used silicone pans or kitchen tools, you’re familiar with their fabulousness. A few days ago, while using a silicone pastry brush, I told my cat that I wished every kitchen tool I had was silicone. She seemed to agree – either that or she was humoring me in hopes of another bite of tuna.

See Wilton 415-9400 Easy Flex Silicone 3-Inch Reusable Baking Cups, 12 Count for more information.

Spring Cleaning With Items from the Pantry

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Flowers

 

Spring, glorious spring, how I’ve missed your beautiful face!  This season is almost perfect (the only thing standing between it and perfection is seasonal allergies… not a lot of fun).  As a sports fan, I love March Madness (Go UK Wildcats!!) and as a baseball fan, I LITERALLY count the days to opening day and anticipate cheering on my St. Louis Cardinals for months to come.

As a bird watcher, lover, and feeder extraordinaire, I get positively giddy when I see the population explode in our trees and at our feeding stations.   And the flower, herb, and vegetable gardener in me is simply dying to get at it.

Another spring tradition is spring cleaning.  I delivered the cold news to my closets yesterday – they’re about to get hit and get hit hard.  I had spring cleaning on my mind (somewhere between thoughts of dying my hair blue for UK’s next game and thoughts of daffodils, gladiola, and marigolds).  I thought it was incredibly ironic when I opened my e-mail and had a newsletter from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas with Spring Cleaning in the subject line.  The information is priceless and the thought of filling my home with the aroma of vanilla is something I can’t resist.  It’s actually one of the scents I use in our home – along with lavender.   I thought I’d share excerpts of the newsletter with you, as spring cleaning is probably on you mind, too – though I doubt blue hair shares mental space.

Spring cleaners may be surprised to learn that the same ingredients that help with cooking can help with cleaning too. Kitchen pantries are full of items such as vanilla, eggs and vinegar that can remove tough dirt and dust, or give a warm,fresh scent.

“Using foods directly from your home is an easy, chemical-free method to clean a healthy home,” said Mary Findley, veteran cleaning expert and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning, 2nd Edition. “It is also a great and effective way to jump start green cleaning habits.”

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, the makers of quality pure vanilla and flavor extracts, has a variety of spring cleaning tips to freshen homes with flavorful ingredients straight from the kitchen.

A few tips include:

  • •Saturate a cotton ball in vanilla and drop it in the vacuum or vacuum bag to release a sweet scent (a tip I personally swear by).
  • A vanilla drenched cotton ball can also deodorize the refrigerator or freezer (another tip I love!).
  • To remove a coffee stain from fabric, dip a white cloth into a beaten egg yolk and rub the yolk into the stain. Then rinse with water.
  • After cleaning the refrigerator add a dash of lemon extract to the rinse water for a fresh scent.
  • Place vanilla beans in drawers, under car seats and in laundry rooms to act as an air freshener.
  • Placing a bowl of vinegar in an open room will absorb smoke odor.
  • Use club soda or seltzer water to clean chrome on faucets, utensils, etc.

 

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas:
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar and Certified Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Beans.  To read more about Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, click the link.

Why am I craving vanilla ice cream now?

Do you have any favorite cleaning tricks of the trade using kitchen items? Share them with us in the comments!

Wishbone Chicken Bruschetta (Delicious!)

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Wishbone Marinated Chicken Recipe3/4 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lbs.)
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil leaves* (optional)

1. Pour 1/4 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing over chicken in large, shallow non-aluminum baking dish or plastic bag. Cover, or close bag, and marinate in refrigerator, turning occasionally, 30 minutes to 3 hours.

2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, onion, basil and 1/4 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

3. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill or broil chicken, turning once and brushing frequently with remaining 1/4 cup dressing, 12 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve tomato bruschetta over chicken.

For Marinated Chicken with Fresh Salsa, use cilantro instead of basil.

Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 10 Minute(s)
Marinate Time: 30 Minute(s)
Cook Time: 12 Minute(s)

This is cool.  Wish-Bone has a new bottle that uses up to 20 percent less plastic!

  • Delivers the same amount of dressing with a lower impact on the environment.
  • Estimated to save nearly 30 million bottles worth of plastic this year.

This is really a giant step in the right direction from a really major brand.   As someone who buys a lot of salad dressings – as well as the Wishbone Italian for marinating meats and vegetables – this is very welcome news indeed.

Me & Goji: You’ll Never Think of Cereal the Same Again

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I recently had the supreme pleasure of reviewing Me & Goji.  If you’ve never heard of this innovative new way to enjoy healthy and delicious cereal, let me fill you in.  Me & Goji is a cereal addict’s dream come true.  Trust me, as just such a addict, I’d know.  Me & Goji allows you to create customized cereal online from 50+ ingredients, like granola, coconut, chocolate chunks, pecans, and blueberries.  As you simply choose the ingredients you want in your customized cereal, a nutrition “label” instantly tallies the nutritional benefits.

Brilliant.  No, make that Beyond Brilliant!

A recyclable canister filled with your own nutritious and delicious cereal will arrive within a week.

My own personal choices included delicacies such as  coconut, almonds, oat bran, chocolate, and oats.  The website keeps your personal “recipe” on file so next time you order a canister (and, trust me there’ll be plenty of next times), all you have to do is check one box.  This is something you simply MUST try – you’ll be delighted that you did.

Please visit Me & Goji for more information AND to create your own delicious blend.  Whatever you do, don’t forget the chocolate!

Cool Kitchen Gadget of the Day

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If you’re as “over” using paper towels to prevent microwave splattering as I am, this kitchen gadget (cooking tool, kitchen tool… whatever you want to call it) will put a smile on your face. It’s the Microwave Splatter Screen and I want to know where it’s been all my life.

Let’s be honest, microwave messes are just gross. Even when you place a paper towel over the top, you still get a mess half the time. With the Microwave Splatter Screen, however, you just place the reusable 13″ diameter mesh material over a plate or bowl and it catches the spatters. No need for waxed paper or paper towels. It’s weighted (see the little red weights?), so it’ll stay in place.

It’s stain-resistant and easy to clean (you just wipe it off). If you’re concerned about the environment and try to “live green” in your kitchen, amongst other places, you’ll love the thought of using less paper towels and waxed paper. I know the thought floats my green boat.

You’ll also love the price… less than $5.00. Sweet.

Bulk Up, It’s the Green Thing to Do

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This is as timely as it is entertaining and educational. Here’s a fun, food and green living-related YouTube video that you’re sure to get a lot out of.

The video went live last week, and is part of a series of two videos that follow savvy shoppers on a trip to their neighborhood grocery store, exploring how they save money (up to 96 percent), packaging and time by shopping in the bulk foods aisle. The video series was developed to celebrate National Bulk Food Day, which occurs on October 23, 2010.

A Little Information Before You See the Video:

Appealing to the soccer mom and the penny-pinching couple alike, shopping in the bulk foods aisle has quickly become one of 2010’s hottest trends, according to the Wall Street Journal. Celebrating this boom in bulk shopping and upcoming National Bulk Foods Day on October 23, 2010, the Bulk is Green Council is proud to announce the launch of the first of a series of two YouTube videos that follow everyday shoppers on a trip to their neighborhood grocery store, documenting how they save time and money while shopping green.

“Budgets are tight and people are thinking twice about how far their dollar takes them,” said Bart McKnight, founding council member and Category Manager for Trade Fixtures. “We decided to document the experiences of real people to better understand how Americans are getting creative with their purchasing decisions, and we think that these videos will teach people a thing or two about to how to make cost-effective, eco-friendly choices at the grocery store.”

The first YouTube video, which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/BulkisGreenCouncil follows a 40-something man and a mom and her son on their quest to gather the 11 ingredients needed to make a wholesome natural snack. The man shops in the regular aisles of the grocery store, while the mom and child shop exclusively in the bulk foods aisle. The drastic difference in total cost and time required of each is then compared.

The second video in the series follows a different set of shoppers who are prepping a gourmet dinner for a group of friends, and will be launched in time for the first-ever National Bulk Foods Day on October 23.

“The videos reveal some interesting information about how people shop for food today,” said Clint Landis, founding member of the Bulk is Green Council and Chief Marketing Officer for Frontier Natural Products Co-Op. “We suspected that the mother and child shopping natural in bulk would save money – anywhere from 30 to 96 percent – but we were surprised to see the little boy had fun selecting all the ingredients from one aisle. He actually taught his mom how to shop in bulk, while the single man shopping in the regular aisles had to run all around the store to find what he needed and ended up pretty frustrated.”

The Bulk is Green Council launched the YouTube campaign as part of an ongoing effort to educate people on the environmental and economic benefits of shopping natural and organic in bulk. Founded in 2008, the council includes industry leaders Hain Celestial Group, SunRidge Farms, Frontier Natural Products Co-Op, Trade Fixtures, and Lundberg Family Farms.

The Bulk is Green Council invites YouTube viewers to share their own experience shopping in bulk by posting their story in the video’s comments section at http://www.youtube.com/BulkisGreenCouncil, or by contacting the council at www.BulkisGreen.org.

Put ’em Up! A Guide to Drying, Freezing, Canning, and Pickling Food

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I was recently sent a copy of Put ’em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton and, after devouring ever page, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

For a lot of reasons, I’m drawn to the concept of preserving foods at home. Health, safety, and economic concerns are leading many cooks to explore the notions of freezing, canning, drying, and pickling their own foods.

Besides, it’s just crazy fun!

About Put ’em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide

PRESERVING IS BACK, AND IT’S BETTER THAN EVER. Flavors are brighter, batch sizes are more flexible, and modern methods make the process safer and easier. Eating locally is on everybodys mind, and nothing is more local than Heirloom Salsa made from vine-fresh tomatoes or a quick batch of Ice-Box Berry Jam saved from the seasons last berries. Even beginners who never made peach jam or dill pickles in their grandmothers kitchens are eager to pick up preserving skills as a way to save money, extend the local harvest, and control the quality of preserved ingredients.

The step-by-step instructions in Put ‘em Up will have the most timid beginners filling their pantries and freezers with the preserved goodness of summer in no time. An extensive Techniques section includes complete how-to for every kind of preserving: refrigerating and freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. And with recipe yields as small as a few pints or as large as several gallons, readers can easily choose recipes that work for the amount of produce and time at hand.

Real food advocate Sherri Brooks Vinton offers recipes with exciting flavor combinations to please contemporary palates and put preserved fruits and vegetables on dinner-party menus everywhere. Pickled Asparagus and Wasabi Beans are delicious additions to holiday relish trays; Sweet Pepper Marmalade perks up cool-weather roasts; and Berry Bourbon is an unexpected base for a warming cocktail.

The best versions of tried-and-true favorites are all here too. Bushels of fresh-picked apples are easily turned into applesauce, dried fruit rings, jelly, butter, or even brandy. Falling-off-the-vine tomatoes can be frozen whole, oven dried, canned, or made into a tangy marinara. Options for pickling cucumbers range from Bread and Butter Chips and Dill Spears to Asian Ice-Box Pickles. Something delicious for every pantry!

Recipes in Put ’em Up Include:

  • Pickled Asparagus
  • Wasabi Beans
  • Beet Relish
  • Grannys Chow-Chow
  • Cantaloupe Agua Fresca
  • Asian Carrot Slaw
  • Easy Bake Tomato Paste
  • Curried Cauliflower
  • Sweet and Sour Pickled Onions
  • Cherry and Black Pepper Preserves
  • Pickled Jalapenos
  • Three-Chili Hot Sauce
  • Preserved Lemons
  • Candied Citrus Rind
  • Heirloom Tomato Salsa
  • Oven-Dried Sweet Corn
  • Bread and Butter Chips
  • Roasted Garlic Butter
  • Dill Pesto with Feta
  • Dried Pear Chips
  • Watermelon Agua Fresca
  • Heirloom Watermelon Jelly
  • Sugar Plums
  • Classic Strawberry Jam
  • Sweet Pepper Marmalade
  • Salsa Verde
  • Oven-Dried Tomatoes
  • Pickled Watermelon Rind
  • Strawberry Vinegar
  • Pickled Beets with Dill
  • Frozen Carrots
  • Many More!

Chapters in Put ’em Up Include

  • Making Jams and Jellies
  • Making Salsas, Chutneys, and Relishes
  • Making Butters, Sauces, and Ketchups
  • Food Preservation Method: Refrigeration
  • Food Preservation Method: Freezing
  • Food Preservation Method: Infusion
  • Food Preservation Method: Drying
  • Food Preservation Method: Boiling Water-Method
  • Blanching
  • Resources
  • And countless recipes, tips, and techniques!
Recipe: Watermelon Agua Fresca (Page 286)

1 small melon or half of a large one, rind removed, fruit cut into large chunks
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1. Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with dampened cheesecloth over a bowl.  Puree the melon in a blender or food processor, working in batches as necessary.  Transfer the pureed melon to the sieve as you go.  Let drain fully; compost solids.
2.  Pour the melon juice into a pitcher.  Add the water, sugar, and lime juice and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Serve over ice, with a splash of seltzer, if you like.
Refrigerate without ice or seltzer for up to 3 days or freeze juice in 8 ounce servings for up to 3 months.

About the Author: Sherri Brooks Vinton

Sherri Brooks Vinton is the founder of FarmFriendly LLC, which helps chefs, restaurateurs, and food organizations support local agriculture.  She is a former governor of Slow Food USA, and a member of the Chef’s Collaborative, Women’s Chefs and Restaurateurs, Northeast Organic Farmers Association, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  She is the author of The Real Food Revival and lives in Connecticut.

Put ’em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling is a wonderful book for the cook who is new to home preserving as well as for the seasoned pro. Honestly, all the information you need is right in these pages.

The book is bright, beautiful, and very enjoyable to read. The recipes are clear, easy to follow, and can’t be found anywhere else. Shake a leg and order your copy from Amazon today. Your family will sing your praises all winter long – in between bites, that is.

Put ’em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook

Positively Ingenious Shopping Bag for Mothers

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The Reisenthel Mother Child Shopping Bag (Red), above, is one of the most ingenious, clever, and downright adorable things I’ve seen in a while.  I’m addicted to shopping bags because I’m addicted to the prospect of living green and saving our world and animals from the evils of plastic and wastefulness.

I’m addicted to straight-up adorable things because I’m a girly girl.

This Mother-Child shopping bag speaks to every corner of my heart.  Available in 4 colors (red, sand, navy blue, and kiwi green), this would make an outstanding gift for any and all mothers you know.

Product Description:

Because the little ones are always proud to give the grown-ups a hand, the MotherChildBag by Reisenthel® is equipped with an extra handle to allow allow them to help Mom or Dad carry home the shopping. Another bonus? They’re so engrossed in the task that they stay close to their parents in jostling crowds.
Features:
• Safe shopping for parents and children
• Tear-proof polyester fabric
• With extra handle to grip and help carry
• Eye-catching front print
• 1 inner pocket with zip fastening
• 1 interior mobile phone storage pocket
• Bag can be slung over the shoulder with 2 long handles

Size: 17 1/3″tall x 17″wide


Reisenthel Mother Child Shopping Bag (Red)

Be a Hero for Wildlife With Dawn Dishwashing Detergent

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If you even remotely know me, you know that I am greatly identified by my love of animals and children.  While I suppose I’d fall under the classification “Tree Hugger,” I’d much rather be known as an “Animal Hugger” and “Human Hugger!” (Since everything that has a face depends upon trees, I’ll always answer to “Tree Hugger” though, and proudly so.)

What does that have to do with Dawn?  Well, plenty.

I’ve actually used Dawn since I first got married.  There are pictures of us in our first apartment, with Dawn proudly sitting by the sink!  I’ve always loved the smell of Dawn and the fact that it can stand up to anything I cook up in the kitchen.

Something else I love about Dawn is their concern for wildlife.  For over 30 years, Dawn has been doing its part to help save wildlife. Not only have they donated funds to important conservation projects,  they have donated Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean wildlife affected by oil spills.

Recently Dawn made it possible for all of us to get involved and make a difference. When you buy a bottle of Dawn and activate your donation online, one dollar will be donated towards the International Bird Rescue Research Center and the Marine Mammal Center.   After you contribute, you can connect with other animal lovers on the Everyday Wildlife Champions’ Facebook page and discover even more ways to celebrate and help wildlife.

On the back of each bottle of Dawn is a code of numbers – you simply enter the code at http://www.dawnsaveswildlife.com – it takes less than a minute!

The bottle shown above is actually the one I always get – I am somewhat obsessed with seals and polar bears.  And cats, wolves, and possums.  And raccoons, rabbits, and birds.  And sharks, dolphins, and whales.  And… okay, if  it has fur, feathers, or fins – I’ve got nothing but love for it…

EDIT:  I linked to Dawn’s Facebook Page.  I could have sworn I did in the first time around.  Geez.  See, boys and girls, this is what happens when you try to work in the morning after only 2 cups of coffee.  Sit and stare out the window until 4 cups, begin work with number 5 – I forgot my own rules.

Spaghetti Scrub by Goodbye Detergent: Ingenious!

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This is one of the coolest, slickest, and funnest things I’ve come across in a while. The Goodbye Detergent Spaghetti Scrub is a spaghetti-like cleaning scrub that doesn’t even require detergent to clean! If you’ve gone all out (say, baked on barbecue sauce, meatloaf, or lasagna), it would require just a tiny amount. Can you imagine how much could be saved on detergent?

The Spaghetti Scrubs are completely natural – made from corn cobs and peach pits. They’re from Goodbye Detergent and can, best I can tell, only be purchased online. Fine by me, I love shopping online. My husband would say that I loved shopping, period. And I’d have to say that my husband knows his wife. Period.

From the Website:
Spaghetti Scrubs last for months and because of their unique shape, they’re pliable enough for trickier cleaning jobs and tight spots such as corners, whisks, and behind faucets. The best part is they dry quickly and completely so there’s never a stinky or moldy sponge in your sink. After you’re done cleaning, just rinse them, and hang on the faucet to dry.

  • Reusable scrubs last for months
  • Unique pliable shape
  • Great for peeling vegetables
  • Lack of mold and bacteria
  • No smell or rust
  • Save money and the environment by reducing the need for soaps

Click the following link to purchase one of these ingenious scrubs from Amazon – Goodbye Detergent Spaghetti Scrub.