Happy International Compost Awareness Week!

Just learned there's such a thing as International Compost Awareness Week. What I'm reading to celebrate the occasion: Treehugger's Do's and Don'ts of Backyard Composting.
   While I'm at it, Happy Mother's Day to everyone...if you are a mother, have a mother or know a mother, have a HAPPY DAY!!

Crunchy Chicken's choices for Top 10 urban farming books

Thought I'd share a post I'm about to check out over on Crunchy Chicken: Top 10 Urban Farming books. Happy Thursday!

What I'm Reading Tonight: 100 Items to Disappear First

Just came across an intriguing post on Attainable Sustainable: 100 Items to Disappear First. Though I wouldn't call myself a prepper, after living a couple of weeks without electricity following an ice storm, articles such as this get my attention. Can't say I'm preparing for a long term disaster, but I do like to be somewhat prepared for the unexpected.
   The list of 100 items reminds me that I've been meaning to pick up some clear lamp oil. Y'know, just in case! What's on your "just in case" list of plan-to-buys?

Bittman debunks myth: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

   Mark Bittman's article, Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?, in the NY Times references one of my favorite books, David A. Kessler's The End of Overeating, and reminds us that besides NOT being cheaper, junk food is designed to be addictive. Gotta love this statement of Bittman's:

"The alternative to soda is water, and the alternative to junk food is not grass-fed beef and greens from a trendy farmers’ market, but anything other than junk food: rice, grains, pasta, beans, fresh vegetables, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, bread, peanut butter, a thousand other things cooked at home — in almost every case a far superior alternative."

Garden as if your life depended on it, because it does | Eartheasy Blog

 Oh, MY, this title is enough to give one pause...Garden as if your life depended on it, because it does | Eartheasy Blog

75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda

Found this little tidbit, 75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda, on lifehackery.com and thought I'd share. Hope this finds you well!

Growing Up in the First Great Depression--a video

Love the Peak Moment videos I've come across so far on YouTube. Thought I'd share!

Jihyun Ryou - a Korean artist about her storage solution for vegetables

Frugal Dad's Top Frugality Blogs of 2011

Thought I'd share a great post by Frugal Dad that I'm only just finding: Top Frugality Blogs of 2011. I told myself that today I MUST go out and get some more short-sleeved shirts before the warm weather is upon us for good. Yet, here I am surfing for ways to save money instead. I hate shopping!!
   In hopping back and forth to check out his frugal picks, I happened upon this site that I'll be checking out next: Budgeting with the Bushmans and their Extreme Frugality Festival.
   If interested, I did post a few pics on my Flikr site this morn. I wish I could share the potluck photos with you here!

DIY Rocket stove!!

Gotta love this DIY! :-D

Carbon 101 from Gourmet.com

A quick list of how we can lower our carbon footprint when grocery shopping: Food Politics: Gourmet.com

TreeHugger's Best of Green 2012

Can't wait to check out the nominees!! TreeHugger's Best of Green 2012: Awarding Excellence in Sustainability reader's choice awards!
   Btw, still hashing out what to do about my blogger photo-posting snafu. Seriously considering just switching to exclusively using my Flikr account, Dmarie in KY, from here on out.
   Aren't you glad it's the WEEKEND!?! We've got two parties to hit this afternoon, but frankly, I wish I could just do nothing. Please don't tell anyone I said that! ;)

10 Signs That Spring Has Arrived In Paris

10 Signs That Spring Has Arrived In Paris
Ahhhhh, SPRING!!

Link Love Sunday

Dunno why, but I'm getting some weird warning when I try to post photos. Will work on that. Meanwhile, I'll share some links I've been enjoying.

   When I was younger, I collected menus from everywhere I went. Nowadays, instead of asking for a takeout menu, I'll just make a digital copy of a joint's menu, like this one from the Parquette Diner of Lexington, Kentucky. No more paper menus cluttering up my home, yet I still get to "keep" the menus.
   When I'm tired of answering same ole, same ole to "what's for supper?", looking through restaurant menus can give me some new ideas. Which is why I loved this little piece on vintage menus: Food Cooking: Gourmet.com.
   Here's some more LINK LOVE:

• Meat: Doing More With Less over on Mother Earth News. Really hoping to become a vegetarian, but flexitarian (getting Hubby used to minimal meat) comes first.
• 12 Ways to Wabi Sabi, again found on Mother Earth News. Particularly loved this way: "Cultivate Sabi (the beauty that comes with age). Antique doorknobs and radiator grates give your home soul. Building with salvaged materials gives a new house depth and history it couldn’t otherwise have."
• Thousands Give Up Carbon for Lent over on Yes! Magazine. Love it that more folks are connecting their faith with stewardship of our planet. If we truly believe this is God's Green Earth, what right have we to trash it? More on the story over on Tree Hugger, if you're interested: Thousands of Christians 'give up' carbon for Lent.
• 20 Uses for Leftover Fruit and Vegetable Rinds and Peels, again on Tree Hugger.

   Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!!

Local joint gives me ideas: Pangea Cafe, Owensboro, Kentucky

Pangea Cafe's Asian Vegetable Wrap

Love, LOVE eating at local joints, and Pangea's one of my favorites. Every time I go here, I come home with ideas of what I might try at home. For instance, next time I make a veggie wrap at home, some of those crispy Chinese noodles will make a nice addition.
   Last visit, we hit the joint at lunch time, so I'm sharing a sandwich extravaganza today. Happy eating everyone!!

Pangea's Crabcake Sandwich

Pangea's Meatloaf Sandwich that Hubby loved.

DD got Pangea's Turkey Club

Soft apples now Apple Walnut Cake; Salvage fishy cooking oil

Waste Not: Apple-Walnut Bundt Cake.  This cake recipe was the perfect match for my too-soft-to-eat apples. Not having any apple juice on hand, I used a combo of sherry vinegar and water instead. Also subbed out chopped dates for the raisins in the recipe. The pic is somewhat dark; I was in the process of drizzling the glaze atop the cake here.

Because I believe cake is not cake without icing (and glaze doesn't count!), I enjoyed my cake with a vanilla sauce. Hubby likes it with or without. Really, really enjoying reading Nella Lasts' Peace: The Post-War Diaries of Housewife, 49. I love reading diaries dating around the Great Depression...those folks have so much to teach me about being FRUGAL and conscientious about every purchase. I've learned how Nella "saved" her cooking oil that'd been tainted by burned fish: pour the boiling oil into water. The oil congeals and the burned bits fall to the bottom. Repeat if needed. If times are ever so dire that supplies are hard to come by, I'll have another trick up my sleeve!

So, that about does it for my Independence Challenge for today. Love, LOVE that the "Eat The Food" part of this challenge is making me think about using up things that have been around too long. I added a couple of barbecue sauce packets to the homemade bean soup we ate for supper. My folks can't seem to refuse those little condiment packets which they never use, as a result my fridge is cluttered with little packets. Time to use them!!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake; Want Not: 'Bug Out Kit'

Eat The Food: Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. Broke into the last of my bargain bin almond paste for this recipe. Froze the half not used for another day. That stuff is soo expensive, I can only hope to find it on bargain again.

Plant Something: Hubby's many planted somethings are starting to get a bit spindly. He's never started this big a variety of seeds before, so he went out and bought him a rack just for this purpose! Sure do wish him luck...I think he's having fun with it so far.

Want Not: My in-progress Bug Out Kit. When our loved one suffered a medical emergency a couple of weeks ago, we packed and loaded up PDQ. The incident did make me realize the value of having a quick-grab kit that'd always be ready to go at a moment's notice. Still adding to this work in progress. As we're campers, I'm including things like matches/magnesium fire starter. Hope to toss in a mini-fishing kit, but I understand that in a pinch a safety pin will do for a hook. Also hope to find a mini-sewing kit to add. I'm sure makeup and conditioner wouldn't fit Hubby's idea of emergency preparedness! :)

I'm still having great fun with the Independence Challenge. Anyone else have a Bug Out Kit? Any suggestions for what I might include in mine?

Enviable green living in Berea's Eco-Village; Meatless Monday Hold That Line Hummus

We interrupted these students' breakfast, but they couldn't have been more gracious and anxious to share their experiences of living in the Sens Demonstration House. The residents of the house meet weekly to discuss their power usage and other ways to stay green and sustainable. These young women were in agreement that living in Sens House didn't take much additional effort, but mentioned composting food waste specifically as one way their lives differ from that of most students.

Soo jealous of the young folks who live in Sens House at the Eco-Village. Four Berea College students live in this solar-powered residence. Other residents from the eco-village help to tend these garden beds and share in the produce year-round.

Aquaponics at Berea's Eco-Village.

Totally missed this pic when sharing my Berea funky finds yesterday. LOVE this window--captured in the Kentucky Artisan Center.

Of course, I couldn't post without including some FOOD. And, YES, I am totally ashamed to share this picture with its Styrofoam containers. I have yet to figure out how to stay A+ green when traveling and staying in a hotel. *sigh*

   We had such fun in Berea, Kentucky, but my fav place to sightsee was their Eco-Village. This place pretty much blew my socks off!


   So, that pretty much does it for the vacay pics. Back to normal and I didn't even forget to post about Meatless Monday this week. Actually made an Eggplant Parmigiana for lunch but since the pic didn't turn out, Loved the ranch-flavored Hold That Line Hummus I made a couple of days ago. What's on your table this Meatless Monday?

Funky finds in Berea, Kentucky

Not your average porch benches!

Unique up-cycling of wine corks, wouldn't you say?

Unexpected greeter at entrance to the restroom in the Kentucky Artisan Center.

The Kentucky Artisan Center Grill's Veggie Burger. Yes, I am a condiment slut! ;)

Every shop seemed to outdo the last!

Such fun when shops do tablescapes.

While in Berea, seems we were always stumbling into music. This time at the Black Feather.

The Black Feather tickled our tummies with paninis: the Mediterranean Veggie for me and for Hubby, the Portabella with feta, balsamic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Finally getting around to sharing more pics from our mini-vacation to Berea, Kentucky. Hope to find the time mañana to share our visit to their fascinating eco-village.

Food Rules shortie film narrated by Michael Pollan

I'm having a ball checking out entry after entry in the 2012 Ninjamatics Canadian Weblog Awards. Please share a link if you've discovered something worth watching!