recycled thoughts in sagamore hills: July 2007

Thursday, July 26, 2007

We Live in Her House

This is Oscar, in her back yard, supervising while I was planting my container garden on Memorial Day weekend... she eats kittee(TM) crunchies...

Labels: Oscar

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

First Harvest

This is Saturday's harvest from my three-container garden on the back patio: ten pole beans, four little hot peppers, and one pretty plum tomato! Yay, I grew my own food!

Since this picture, I've gotten four more perfect tomatoes, and the bean vines are flowering again! There's also one little bell pepper that's the size of a golf ball. Hee hee!

Labels: gardening, organic food

Upcoming Road Trip

I'm going to the Windy City for the SAA annual meeting just before Labor Day, and I'm planning my extracurriculars! First on the list is dinner at The Chicago Diner, meatless since 1983... this place has the reputation for the best desserts in the universe. So, should I get lemon coconut or cocoa mousse cake?

Summer is winding up... just two weeks until middle school soccer practice starts! Here's what I'm making for dinner tonight, in a desperate attempt to keep summer alive, in spite of the gloom and doom forecast for today (severe thunderstorms)...

Summer Sloppy Joes

1 lb meatless crumbles
2 T EVOO
3 large onions, diced
3 large bell peppers, diced
8 oz mushrooms, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 1/4 C catsup
1/2 T spicy mustard
sea salt and pepper

Saute the onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in EVOO. Add chili powder, meatless crumbles, catsup, mustard, and a bit of water if needed. Simmer 10 minutes, and season to taste. Serve on a big, fluffy bun with a slice of smoked Amish cheddar or vegan cheddar, and a pickle.

Labels: Chicago, recipes, SAA

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Scarey Book

I just finished the most frightening book I've ever read, Michael D. Tanner's Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservativism Brought Down the Republican Revolution. My father is a traditional conservative, firm in the notion that government should be small, and personal merit and hard work should be the way to prosperity. Evidently, this type of conservatism died in DC when Ronald Reagan left office. The "neoconservatives" who've governed us since have presided over an expansion of federal programs and entitlements that will ensure the future of our children and grandchildren is debt-servitude and stunning poverty... The most fiscally responsible presidency in the last three decades? Yes, Bill Clinton!

I know I personally was more secure in my job/career and more hopeful for my children's future during the Clinton administration, and I always wondered why that would be when I was an intelligent, well-educated, hard-working young woman who saved money, married before having children, didn't default on my mortgage, etc. Now I understand: big government and out-of-control spending have become Republican hallmarks. It's now the Democrats who are looking out for the future -- fiscally, environmentally, and socially. Should I apologize to the Clintons now? Yes, I think I should.

Anyway, Doug Bandow has a very thorough review on this must-read...

Labels: book recommendation, government spending

Savory Muffins

I've come to the conclusion that the savory muffin is the perfect food. It's neat, portable, perfectly portioned -- all in all, a great lunch... I used local eggs and cheese, but this recipe's just as good vegan. All ingredients are organic. :)

Cheddar Muffins

2 EVOO
3 green onions/scallions, chopped small (light green parts only)

Heat the oil in a small skillet, and saute the onion until soft and fragrant. Pour into a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

2 C all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/3 C yellow corn meal
1/3 C sugar
1 T baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/2 C smoked Amish cheddar (or vegan cheddar w/a drop of liquid smoke), shredded

Stir dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, making sure cheese is well-coated. Set aside...

To the sauteed onions, stir in:

2 eggs (or 1/2 C vegan egg substitute)
1 C soy milk, unflavored
1/2 soy yogurt, plain
1 t spicy mustard
twice around the pan with no-anchovie Worcestershire sauce

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet; batter will be rough and chunky. Spray a 12-muffin pan with olive oil, and fill muffins 3/4 full of batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

* * *

I have an odd idea in my head that I should bake several batches of savory muffins, and sell them out of a basket next year at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. Or I should open a shop in Kent or Oberlin, specializing in veg savory muffins & vegan cupcakes, and reference services (helping students with their research papers while feeding them something other than pizza). Yes, I have odd ideas.

Labels: Medieval Faire, muffins, recipes, second career

Friday, July 20, 2007

Recycling Cardboard

In northeastern Ohio, cardboard is materiala non grata in most communities. Those with weekly curbside (like Cuyahoga Falls) pickup restrict materials to newspapers and a bin of glass/tin/plastic. Sagamore Hills has a centralized recycling center: two rusty trailers in the parking lot of the city building; they take everything except cardboard, and pick up on Thursdays.

At the beginning of the summer, I decided that our family should save our cardboard anyway, and find someplace to recycle it. I know someone does it locally, because the grocery stored have pallets of broken-down, banded cardboard behind their buildings. Those pallets get picked up by someone, right? Anyway, after a month of saving up our corrugated cardboard in the garage, we had enough for a recycling trip. I looked on the internet to find recyclers that take cardboard in Summit County. Nada. I looked at the Cuyahoga County list, wrote down the addresses of several recycling centers, and we loaded up the Jeep. Well, the first four centers we tried had big signs, NO CARDBOARD, despite what it said on the website... after an hour of aimless driving that Sunday morning, dh pulled behind a grocery store and we hid our recyclables among their lovely pallets of cardboard. (Guilt! Guilt!) Then we drove on, past the legendary West Side Market, a place I love but visit infrequently because of the distance...

Lo and behold, there are public recycling bins in the WSM parking lot, with big signs, CARDBOARD ONLY -- PLEASE BREAK DOWN BOXES! It makes sense that since the market would produce tons of corrugated cardboard each week, it would need its own pickup! So, next time you have a Jeep-full of cardboard to recycle, drive up to WSM on a Saturday, visit those lovely, guilt-free recycling bins, then go inside to check out the organic produce at Basketeria!

Labels: Basketeria, organic food, recycling, West Side Market

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Some Day I'll Live Here

Okay, I'm nearing forty, so I'm now officially allowed to pick out my retirement home... I want a Glidehouse, from Michelle Kaufmann Designs...

or a custom prefab from MARMOL RADZINER. See California House 7, to get the full effect... these are just gorgeous.

Labels: green building, MARMOL RADZINER, Michelle Kaufmann Designs, retirement

Rats & Lizards

Our family went to see Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille last weekend; everyone loved it, and we were suprised at the mixed reviews from critics. WTF, did they want John Ratzenberger to be the voice of the rat or something?

Anyway, dd & I were inspired to make our very own ratatouille, which we learned is a French peasant stew in real life. We looked up a couple of recipes, then bashed them make it both fancy and vegan.

Pretty Ratatouille

1 med zucchini, cut into coins
1 med yellow squash, cut into coins
1 sm eggplant, cut into coins

Pour 2 T EVOO in the bottom of round baking dish (quiche dish). Lay coins in overlapping circles in the bottom of the dish, alternating so they look really beautiful.

1/2 red onion, diced fine
1/2 sweet pepper, diced fine
4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 can organic tomato sauce, no salt (or homemade tomato puree)
fresh basil, torn (green, not blue)
black pepper
sea salt

Pour 1/4 C EVOO in into a medium-size skillet and heat on med-high. Sautee onion, pepper, and garlic until onion is tranparent and the kitchen smells really good. Add the tomato sauce, basil, pepper & salt (to taste), and simmer for 10-15 min.

Pour the tomato sauce carefully over zucchini/squash/eggplant, so you don't ruin your pretty design. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees... sprinkle with vegan white cheese (or parmesano/reggiano) and serve.

Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture before we devoured it; I'll make again this weekend, after I get some more veggies.

* * *

Regarding lizards, the Winking Lizard, a local pub chain in northeastern Ohio, now has a roasted veggie wrap on the menu that is wicked awesome... red onion, squash, big mushrooms, red peppers, cheese (optional), and tasty Italian spices... great with onion rings. So, there is something you can get other than a Boca burger or a house salad with no corned beef or cheese... :) Life is good.

Labels: eating out, Ratatouille, recipes, Winking Lizard

Monday, July 16, 2007

Local CSAs

I just found out that CSAs aren't just a California & Connecticut thing! We have them right here in northeastern Ohio, mere minutes from our house. How did I not know this before?

Crown Point Farm in Bath, is run by the Sisters of St. Dominic,* and Basket of Life is in Peninsula!

The only thing that worries me on their lists of produce is KALE... I have no idea what to do with kale, other then put it in soup. The only time I've ever eaten it raw, it was so bitter... bleh!

Keep your fingers crossed that we get a call for next year's membership. Until then, I'll see you at the farmer's market on Saturday!

*PS: I'm really excited about the local Catholic sisters' interest in earth stewardship and fair trade... Esperanza Threads in Beford, gotta go check it out... this is so encouraging it almost restores my faith in a traditional religious establishment again. Almost.

Labels: Catholic sisters, CSAs, organic clothing

recycled thoughts in sagamore hills