catbird’s world

Steve is on a Quest for the Perfect Cup of Coffee. It’s been going on for about 6 years now, and I’m just here for the ride. Believe me, if it was my quest it would be more like the Quest for the Perfect Porter or the Quest for Eight Hours of Uninterrupted Sleep.

But no, it’s Steve’s quest for a home-brewed cuppa joe that’s consistent and hot from first sip to last and from first cup to last, as well as convenient to make and environmentally friendly.

It started when we switched from a regular old Mr. Coffee machine to a Krups machine with a built in carafe in order to keep the coffee hot from first cup to last. This stage also dictated the end of spoons to stir since the metal spoon created a “heat sink” that cooled the coffee to an undrinkable temperature.

After four years, this system was deemed unsatisfactory. Our second (and third) cups were too cold and we were wasting a lot of coffee and water on full pots that got thrown away. (Let it be noted that during this stage we had kids, so I only get one hot sip of coffee followed by room temperature dregs an hour later anyway.)

So now we have a Keurig single cup brewer. This meets most of the criteria — each cup starts off hot and fresh. But the k-cups are anything but environmentally friendly. When we first got the machine I had visions of a growing pile of k-cups in a landfill somewhere resulting from my caffeine addiction. So we used a filter with our own coffee. For each cup of coffee, we had to clean and fill the single use filter. Talk about inconvenient. We could use fair trade coffee and compost the grounds, but making coffee became a tedious chore and if the coffee wasn’t ground just right or filled to the optimal amount, the result was, well, less than consistent in taste from cup to cup.

Steve still hasn’t found what he’s looking for. So now we have this thing called a pod holster (yes, I’m still talking about coffee) in which we can load a coffee pod. Pods are fully compostable. So it would seem we have met all the criteria. Each cup is consistent, hot, convenient, and green.

Except, I said to Steve, we can’t get Fair Trade pods. In fact, it’s hard to even get organic pods.

So what’s next you ask? Why, a Perfect Pod of course! So now we’ll buy our own Fair Trade coffee (from Grounds for Change, by the way), make it into pods, use the pods in our pod holster, and conveniently create the perfect cup of hot coffee every time.

Hopefully.

catbird :: Mar.30.2008 :: food, green :: Comments Off

My new go-to cookie recipe is this banana cookie one that Steve sent to me. What an easy and super delicious way to use up our ripe bananas!

catbird :: Mar.21.2008 :: mommyhood :: Comments Off

I’ve added a new twist to my pancake repertoire. Instead of just adding finely shredded zucchini, I’ve been mixing it up with carrots and pumpkin pie spice. I shred carrots and zucchini (or sometimes apple) into vanilla yogurt and blend (using my hand blender). Then I add it to the dry ingredients along with one egg. In addition to the cinnamon in the dry ingredients, I add a bit of pumpkin pie spice. Not too much, maybe half a teaspoon. The pancakes come out a nice orangey color and taste very similar to pumpkin pancakes.

Nate and Van think they are yummy.

catbird :: Mar.14.2008 :: mommyhood :: Comments Off

Jon Bream from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune is a bit of an idiot. And I’m being generous. His article about music in New Jersey is full of backhanded compliments.

Mr. Bream notes that “Per capita, the fertile Garden State has probably turned out more big-name music stars than any other state.” (including Count Basie, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, and even, apparently, Eddie Rabbit) Why? he wonders, when the state is merely “Miles upon miles of industrial smokestacks, the filthy turnpike through the wastelands, two NFL teams that won’t even take the name of the state in which they play.”

Oh, here’s why, says Bream:
1. Being between NY and PA give us Jerseyites an “inferiority complex.”
2. In his words: “Those pollution-spewing factories do have a positive impact by helping to instill a strong work ethic in Jerseyites.” What is NJ part of a Dickens novel?
3. Gosh, this guy is an ass. Apparently, we have an “underdog mentality that comes from being the butt of jokes and living in a culture-deprived state that, unlike New York and Philly, had no pro sports until the 1970s.” What the heck do pro sports have to do with music?

Maybe this guy was dumped by a Jersey girl, I’m not sure. But I do know that he has never spent any real time in this beautiful state, which is full of diversity both cultural and natural. I’m 20 minutes from NYC by train, but in a 10 minute bike ride I can be in South Mountain Reservation surrounded by trees and wildlife. Beautiful beaches, mountains, farmland, rolling green hills, and the history of Washington’s Crossing — just the tip of the iceberg. On any given night in my neighborhood, you can smell Caribbean food cooking at the neighbor’s house (yum!), walk down the hill for Spanish or (authentic) Mexican food, head over to the pub for a pint, or go into Newark’s Ironbound District for Portuguese. Not to mention Cecil’s Jazz Club right down the street.

Have I mentioned that this guy is an idiot, or an ass, or maybe an idiotic ass? Not just the music, baby, NJ’s got it ALL!

catbird :: Mar.13.2008 :: music :: Comments Off

So our kitchen waste/yard waste composting is going okay, but not great. We can’t seem to keep a good balance. Plus, squirrels chewed a hole in our composter. (Note to self: don’t compost pumpkins until squirrels are completely finished snacking on them.)

But our dog poop composting is going great. We read about it on this gardening site. We’ve been doing it all winter and have some good soil for growing some plants in the back — non-food, of course. Pet waste composting (along with the gDiapers) has really cut back on our garbage output, too. Our yard is pretty small, though, so our neighbors might appreciate us taking a break from poop composting during the hot summer months. Wow, that could be stinky.

catbird :: Mar.11.2008 :: food, green :: Comments Off

Maia shared this news story from the NYT about how the government thwarts small farmers who provide local produce to people who really want to buy local produce. What it says isn’t surprising, but it is super disappointing.

The author of the article is Jack Hedin, a small organic farmer in Minnesota. He explains how the government penalizes corn farmers for growing anything else, including renting land to other farmers. It seems that an empty field is more desirable to the government (and various lobbyists) than growing other vegetables and fruits.

“Farmers need the choice of what to plant on their farms, and consumers need more farms like mine producing high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables to meet increasing demand from local markets — without the federal government actively discouraging them.”

I just want to prepare and eat real food. Local (and preferably organic) fruits and veggies and pasture fed meats. Why is the government subsidizing corn and soybeans anyway? The last thing we need is more high fructose corn syrup, soy isoflavins, and processed crap food-like substances.

catbird :: Mar.03.2008 :: food :: Comments Off