Paper Towel - free

I'm not sure when it started exactly, but one day I got a little nagging feeling that my paper towel habit was kind of wasteful and frivolous. It probably happened as I was wiping down the kitchen counter. My mind started to wander, and I tried to imagine a simpler time. A time when people had less stuff, less space, and less waste. The paper towel just wasn't fitting into that picture. I had gotten used to it being a fixture in my life. The roll even had a special stand just for it to call home! Any spill or spot, and voila, I'd just whip off a sheet faster than you could blink. But I knew I had to let it go. I started thinking of the millions of rolls of thinly wrapped paper that are produced worldwide, and we just use them quickly and throw them out. Millions and millions of sheets a day, I imagine. So I wondered if I could handle it. Could I knock the habit of reaching for the paper towel each time trouble arose? Spills did happen often in my home, after all, and they're great for finishing off the kitchen counter after all the dishes have been washed. Well, I would give it a try.

So I used my last roll, and then I decided it was now or never. "Paper Towels" didn't make it on the next week's Costco list. I was going for it. I armed the kitchen drawers with some handy white rags. They're kinda like bar rags or whatever those are called. So once I was done washing dishes, I just used the white rag to wipe down counters and the table. It was cool. I decided not to feel stingy with white rags; use 'em as much and as often as I like. I also put a few in a lower cabinet for the kids to easily reach in case they needed to clean up any spills (that happens often). And it's worked out great! I use one rag, then it goes to the laundry. I never reuse one. I can't stand that concept of the wet rag sitting around the sink. And now we're all used to it! No more paper towels!!! Every once in a while my husband will ask something like 'why don't we have any paper towels?', but honestly, he's not in the kitchen that often, so it's not a big deal! I put a white rag in his hand and tell him to use that instead.

Isn't this how diapers used to be as well? Well, I gave cloth diapering a try once, a long long time ago. It didnt' last for too long. After my 6 week trial period, I was sure it wasn't for me. I know, I do realize the long term effects of disposible diaper usage are infinitely worse than paper towel usage, but I picked a concession I could live with! It's a small step, but I do hope to continue to eliminate unhealthy habits in the home and to increase more earth-friendly ways of living.

Weekly Menu

Sunday night!

Here's what's cookin' for the week, insha'Allah (God Willing)

* Broccoli Chicken Casserole
* Shakrieh (cooked yogurt with beef stew, served with rice)
* American meatloaf
* Lentil Soup
* Baked drumsticks.

Garden pic from 2007

Weekly Menu

Late for the weekly menu!

This week:
Chicken dish called Tharedeh I think (I will post the recipe, I LOVED it)
Chili w/ homemade cornbread
Spaghetti w/ sauce
Broccoli , chicken, and rice casserole
Rack of Lamb

Extra:
Homemade Butternut Squash Bread
Breakfast Muffins
Baked potatoes

Garden pic of yesteryear:

Oh my poor Tilly!

My brother and his wife got me a tillandsia plant (aka airplant) back when I moved to my new house. It's really neat how its roots do not go in soil, rather it lives in the air. I've been spraying it with a water mister, but apparently not often enough. I finally did more in-depth research today and I feel so bad! I've been doing my Tilly wrong. Sorry, Tilly. I promise to submerge you in water 2-3 times a week so you feel like you went through a rainfall. Here's how Tilly looks today, and I'll update you in a few weeks with an 'after' shot. I read, too, that they will grow 'pups', meaning a long, colorful bloom. (all that brown part is not supposed to be there)

Composting Progress

I've had my composter for a few weeks now, and things are moving along, just a little slowly. But that's ok. I put leaves, of which there was no shortage, and kitchen scraps also of which there was no shortage. A small bucket of chicken poop made it in, too, but that's about it. I was dreaming of collecting all sorts of stuff to put in there, like wood ashes, more animal manure, and maybe some hay or straw. I'll still get the desired end result, though. It will take longer since I'm not putting 'hot' items in there, and also now that it's freezing outside it will slow down the process. My last attempt at composting was done under similar conditions, and by spring I had beautiful, rich, dark soil. My biggest obstacle has been dealing with the fruit flies. Oh my. I opened the lid one day to a swarm of maybe 10 million fruit flies exiting the bin. It was awful. I learned a trick, though, to line my container (in the kitchen) with newspaper before I fill it with the scraps. Then, I can fold it over and drop in the bin keeping the gnat-attracting food covered. It's worked great.

So, is it bad manners to show the inside of your compost bin? Hehehe... here's what it looks like today.

Wheat/Oat Bread

I tried a different homemade bread recipe yesterday, and boyyy was it delicious! Thanks to my step-sister for the recipe, I was able to have 2 fresh loaves of bread for dinnertime with no stress! It uses instant yeast and has only 1 30-minute rise, then you bake it. Now, I was uneducated on the differences in yeast and used regular active dry yeast. No no no... you need *instant* yeast. Apparently, bread machine yeast is also instant yeast, and what a shame that the jar of bread machine yeast was right next to the jar of active dry yeast because I picked the wrong one. The bread tasted fabulous, but due to the yeast problem it was too dense and not fluffy enough. I'll tr it again tomorrow though. I use the dough hook on my mixer on speed 2 for 8 minutes, shaped the loaves, then let them rise. Give it a try:

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup oil
1 cup oats
3 T honey
2 tsp salt
5 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp instant yeast
* mix in mixer 8 minutes
* grease 2 bread pans and split dough between them
* rise 30 minutes covered in 80-degree oven (I put oven on lowest temp then turn off. Cover my bowl with dough with dishtowel.)
* Bake at 350 for 30 minutes