happy green fourth of july

Add comment July 4th, 2008 12:02am Jennie Pollock

just for fun, because it’s a holiday, i googled “fourth of july and green.” you didn’t think i’d find anything, did you?

this little article suggests ways to have a green party: i like the “bring a cup” and “non-garbage station” ideas.

or you can order green fourth of july t-shirts from cafe press and drink organic beer!

can’t resist the flavor of ‘green onions’ in the mornin’

Add comment July 3rd, 2008 06:42am Jennie Pollock

when i ate my breakfast this morning, i had a green onion.

not the thing you buy in the produce department. the satircal newspaper, the onion, has done a special “green” issue this week, and because we print it here at the ol’ rrs, my husband brought it home last night.

from what i can tell, like with its special issues, it’s a giant repurposing of old content, but headlines like “cheney celebrates earth day by breathing oxygen” hardly go out of style. it appears a miley cyrus reference is also a hit with readers.

this summer’s big green monster (hint, not ‘the hulk’)

Add comment July 2nd, 2008 10:25pm Jennie Pollock

when i saw the msnbc.com headline “green nightmare” ahead for olympic sailors, i thought, “hmm, i’ve been reading about china’s environmental challenges as the games draw near, especially air quality. but i did not expect that! ewww.

p.s. apparently, london wants to have an eco-friendly olympics in 2012.

did you get your copy of the voice?

Add comment July 2nd, 2008 07:54am Jennie Pollock

the rockford chamber of commerce newspaper’s top story is a roundup including the green awards and comed’s green initiatives.

if you were worried about plastics…

Add comment July 1st, 2008 07:08am Jennie Pollock

… this u.s. news & world report article, sent to me by alice kaczmarek of rockford, brings up “more problems.” specifically it addresses phthalates (a softening agent commonly found in pvc). you can find tips to limit exposure here.

and you can find a report critical of media coverage on phthalates (find out if your shower curtain will kill you… hint: it probably won’t). a challenge to understanding our environmental concerns is the science. both journalists and laypeople probably don’t know enough.

beat the bugs

2 comments June 30th, 2008 07:36am Jennie Pollock

for the fourth of july week, it’s a good time to think about skeeter avoidance. while i was on vacation last week, my kids and i got bit up at some point but we don’t even know when. and try as we could, we couldn’t stop itching.

our go site has a story about “green” ways to beat bugs. it’s not very upbeat, i have to say. but a cbs story offers alternatives, including one by burt’s bees. i love that brand. have to try it.

anyone have any other suggestions?

robot says, “please save planet”

2 comments June 27th, 2008 09:00pm Jennie Pollock

this weekend, i took the kids to see “wall-e,” the pixar movie about robots left to clean up earth after humans trashed the whole place.

i was leery when i saw the trailer ages ago, but the reviews are pretty positive. that’s what the movie man told me. but does wally haas think of a movie that shares his name? i’ll have to ask him. he’d probably rather go fishing…

personally, i liked it. it truly is a love story. and a wake-up call for lazy humans: they turn into blobs in floating chairs, basically.

finally made the mahi mahi

Add comment June 27th, 2008 08:28am Jennie Pollock

back when i said i wasn’t going to eat cow, pig or bird, i wanted to try a rachael ray recipe for fish tacos. i made it this week.

let’s just say i’m the only one in the family who liked it, and i probably won’t make it again. the coleslaw and the bean mash overpower the fish. plus, i wasn’t even sure if i was supposed to put the onion sautee mix in the bean mash or what. it doesn’t say.
My Oh Mahi, That’s a Good Fish Taco

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
June-July 2008

SERVES 4

1 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 small red onion, one-quarter finely chopped, the remainder thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped

One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons honey

Juice of 2 limes, plus 2 teaspoons grated peel

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro (a generous handful)

Four 6-ounce mahi mahi fillets

8 corn taco shells

8 flour tortillas

1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeño, chopped red onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the cumin and season with salt and pepper; cover.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil with the honey, hot sauce and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced onion, cabbage and cilantro; toss.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Coat the fish with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the lime peel. Cover and grill the fish, turning once, for 8 minutes.
4. Warm the taco shells and tortillas on the grill. Spread a few spoonfuls of mashed beans (stir 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water into the beans if too thick) on the outside of the tacos, and wrap a tortilla around each one, pressing to adhere.
5. Flake half a piece of fish into each taco shell and top with some cabbage slaw. Serve 2 tacos per person, with the crème fraîche and extra slaw on the side.

mmmm. organic chocolate

Add comment June 26th, 2008 09:01am Jennie Pollock

have you ever seen the show “take home chef” and thought, dang, i would look soooo bad at the grocery store on the day i would just happen to get surprised by host curtis stone?

well, i got a press release this month about a local woman who won a national recipe contest (green & black’s chocolate challenge), and alison brantley of dixon got to met the guy in nyc. see our people story and her recipe for chocolate basil shrimp here. i might have to try that one!

moveable feast. it’s more than a place

2 comments June 25th, 2008 07:31am Jennie Pollock

i had already heard of a movable feast, the rockford eatery/caterer. but lately, karen king of choices natural market tipped me off to ”moveable feast” by james mcwilliams (not papa h.).

she says it’s about eating local and having a connection w/your food: reaping environmental and economic benefits. appears the author also wrote “a revolution in eating” available at amazon.com.

this eat-local thing is something i’m still thinking about for a weeklong experiment… could be the hardest yet (though i’ve considered following the speed limit strictly as another one).