The Dreaded Pressure Cooker

After my last entry, I realized I had to dedicate some time to the discussion of the pressure cooker. I realize I do A LOT of my cooking with one which is not necessarily great for you because it may be off-putting when you want to try a recipe.

So first let me say: Do not believe the hype people! I've had many friends over the years see me in action in the kitchen and tell me that they won't buy a pressure cooker or don't use the one they have for fear that it will explode in their face. Sounds scary, yes, but in 10+ years of using one, I've never had one explode or even come close to exploding. As long as you properly clean your cooker, you have nothing to worry about.

Pressure cookers are a great addition to your kitchen. The #1 reason? It cuts the cooking time by more than half!!! Now, I don't know about you but I don't have 2 hours of hanging out time waiting for meat to get tender, beans to cook through, or veggies to soften. My meals are cooked in 20-30 mins max, and usually in less time than that. The drastic reduction in cooking time uses much less energy making pressure cooking an extremely energy efficient way of cooking meals. The decreased cooking time also allows the food to retain more of its vitamins and nutrients.

So what I'm trying to say is, just think about it, let it marinate. Maybe get reacquainted with the one you already have collecting dust somewhere in your kitchen. Maybe stop by the pressure cooker aisle in the kitchen accessories area of the store and give 'em a look. The new models lack the noisy quality of the older, more familiar models and they're easy to use.

You don't need to commit to anything now, but I highly recommend you give a pressure cooker the chance to change your life (at least in the kitchen, anyway). Plus how much easier will it be to make a lot of my recipes!? :)

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Make a SIGGnificant Difference!

Calling all plastic water bottle users! I know you're out there!

I used to be one myself, going through a 24-pack of water bottles every two weeks. That was, until about a year or so ago when my friend Anne introduced me to SIGG bottles. As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to get one (or two)!

These trendy bottles are incredibly durable, safe (no scary chemicals leaching into

 your drink!), and of course, eye-catching. The inside coating is resistant to fruit juice acids, soft drinks, and just about any beverage you put in it and you don't have to worry about lingering smells or tastes. There are so many designs to choose from that I'm sure you'll find at least one that has YOU written all over it. And if you don't, you can make your own custom SIGG!

I never thought twice about all the plastic bottles I threw away each week. But to put it in perspective, in the year that I've been using my SIGG, I have saved approx. a total of  624 plastic water bottles from being dumped in a landfill somewhere. Not to mention, the $208 (approx.) I saved by not having to buy a 24-pack of water bottles every two weeks!

So check it, and if in the end you decide you still have to have your plastic water bottles, then remember to recycle!! :)

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Composting Time

I finally decided to get this compost thing going. When I first fiddled with the idea, I really liked that it would be a win-win-win situation for me, my garden, and the environment. It would save me money on store-bought compost , provide my garden with nutritious organic material, and by using organic waste from my kitchen and yard, it would reduce the amount of trash that ended up at the local landfill. 

I did some research to see what my options were and decided to start on a smaller scale, just to try it out first. I went to K-Mart the other day and bought myself a 32-gallon plastic storage bin. You can start with a smaller bin than this one but I got this size because I had already accumulated a good amount of yard clippings and leaves from my garden. 

Now, here's the not-so-fun part... So apparently, the microorganisms and bacteria that break down waste into compost like oxygen (aerobic), so in order to make sure they're getting sufficient O2, it's important to poke holes all over your plastic bin (including the top lid and bottom). I used this handy little pick shown below to poke small holes on every side, top, and bottom of the bin. You want your holes to be small enough to deter any small vermin from getting in. (A word to the wise, use the hand opposite to the one holding your tool to help drive the tool into the plastic - it'll make it easier and faster.) Of course, there's always a power drill, just be careful if you do use one that you don't crack the plastic.

I'm not going to lie, this was tedious work, but it's best to just knock it out once and get it over with. 

  

And now you're ready! Time to gather the materials you're going to add to your bin. You should gather an equal amount of green (fresh grass clippings, veggie and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags) and brown (dry yard leaves, wood chips, sawdust) materials. You want the moisture in your bin to be equivalent to the moisture of a wrung-out sponge. This environment will promote microbial activity that's conducive to the breakdown of your materials. Too much water and you'll prevent O2 from getting to the bacteria, too little and you're composting time will slow down significantly. For more tips, check out this helpful website.

I added some old apples, mango peels, and coffee grounds to my bin today. :)

In the coming weeks I'll let you know how my compost is coming along and what's been working for me or hasn't. Hope everyone's having a good week!