Cupcakes Squared

Thanks to Nessy from Chowhound for giving a heads-up on a new San Diego cupcakery! It's supposed to open this Friday. I know cupcakes are a fad and not always done well, but I'm a sucker for them. Why? The high ratio of frosting-to-cake. Yum. Plus, Cupcakes Squared wins points for a clever name. Hehe.

Cupcakes Squared

An Interview: Jay Porter from The Linkery

Fellow San Diego blogger Jed Sundwall contacted me regarding his interview with Jay Porter of The Linkery fame. It's a great interview that gives a lot of insight on how The Linkery came to be.

Chatting with Jay

Check out The Linkery's blog, while you're at it.

I haven't been there in a long time, but D. and I want to visit when they move into their new space.

Foodie Blogroll

Thanks to Jenn from The Left Over Queen for letting me post the Foodie Blogroll in the sidebar! Check it out and take a moment to give other food blogs some love.

Food bloggers, if you're interested in joining, follow this link:

Foodie Blogroll

Petition to end cruelty to farm animals

I will not be too soapbox-y on this blog, but I have to put this out there. Please consider this issue and, if you'd like, help it make the November ballot in California.

End Cruelty to Farm Animals

It's really easy to buy that steak, that pork chop, or those eggs without thinking about where they come from. The supermarket's a middleman and they're not going to spend a lot of time or money divulging where they're sourcing their products. Also, we don't think about how those animals live, how they're treated, and how they die. Hey, there's nothing wrong with not dwelling on it... unless you live on a farm, there's not a lot of reasons to ponder livestock handling (husbandry?). Well, the time has come where everyone, no matter where they're from or what they do, should probably give it a second or two.

This isn't about not eating meat. I'm the last person to advocate giving up meat. I'd make the worst vegetarian alive (well, second to D.). It is, however, making choices about what kind of agricultural practices and vendors to support. Gestation crates, veal crates, and caging egg-laying birds aren't necessary to bring meat and eggs to our tables. We don't have to give up much for ending these practices and the animals don't have to suffer to be our dinners. It's been said that animals that are not stressed or abused tend to produce better products (i.e. that omelet will taste damned good). I won't go too deeply into it, but I'll ask this: How would you feel if you were crammed into a box barely bigger than you and forced to stay in it for months, if not years, at a time?

Or consider this (quoted from Humane California's website), since it's a great analogy: "Basically, you're asking a sow [female pig] to live in an airline seat. . . "

We bitch plenty about airline seats and how airlines skimp by taking away those precious inches (I'm looking at you, United Airlines) and making us sit in those seats for 10-15 hours for an international flight. Now there's proof that conditions like deep vein thrombosis, which can result from sitting in one position for too long, can kill you. Well, imagine animals living their lives in those conditions. Joint deterioration and lameness come quickly. Sure, we eat them and they do die eventually, but if we still have the same products by eliminating these methods, then aren't we abusing them for the hell of it? For our own convenience?

All right, thanks for bearing with the rant.

Happy Valentine's Day!

D. and I are bah-humbugging Valentine's Day, but I was inspired to write a quick note about it when I saw Alice Q. Foodie's latest blog entry:

Alice Q., Red Velvet Cupcakes, and Valentine's Day

I noticed she linked to Dorie Greenspan's blog, In the Kitchen and On the Road with Dorie. I didn't know she had a blog! I'm so excited because I love her book Baking With Julia (on loan from the library of Mom). I'll have to start baking from the recipes and posting about it.

Edible to Incredible

From J., some whimsical food fun:

Incredible photographs

Taking a moment to be a bit eco-maniacal and preachy here, but this article is both informative and helpful. Ever think about those 8-million styrofoam containers that come with takeout?

How green is your takeaway container?

It doesn't take a lot of effort to avoid some of this stuff. Styrofoam is tricky because it's cheap and everyone uses it. Still, the clamshells can be reused if they're not heavily soiled. Don't microwave plastic, though. One big thing D. and I like to do is collect the thick and clear plastic (#6 plastic) containers that are occasionally used by Chinese and Thai restaurants for soup and curry. They're thick, sturdy, and perfect for freezing things like homemade soup, stock, or ice cream.

Another thing to do is just eat at the restaurant. Unless the restaurant delivers, you're going to have to pick it up. If it's relatively fast service, then eating there prevents a lot of waste and you don't lose much time at all. One good example is pho. It takes 2-3 containers/bags to hold the soup, noodles, and accouterments. Ordering it, driving there, and driving home doesn't save you much time than eating it there.

As for the corn/potato-based flatware, I've had gelato at places that use corn-based cups and spoons. All biodegradable and not at all different from plastic. With bags, my cloth and canvas tote bag collection is huge. Whatever plastic bags we end up with, we recycle or use for trash bags and B.'s poopage. When we have our own place, I'm composting B.'s poop along with food waste.

If you have greens waste, like the cuttings from vegetable chopping, you don't need a yard to compost. Do what J. does and make a worm box. All you need is some wet newspaper, a big Tupperware storage box (not the clear ones), and a big handful of worms. They'll eat your cuttings and wilted veggies. In return, free potting soil. I'm a bit adverse to handling worms, but that's what gloves are for and I'm probably going to start my own worm box soon so I'll have some fertile material for spring planting. It's perfect for rentals and small living areas. The box is fully contained and doesn't smell, so it can sit by the washing machine or out on a balcony. Technically, B.'s poop is good for worms, too, but I'm going to have to say that storing his poop in a sealed bin is not something I'd like to do. It should degrade in open air.

Kudos to San Diego for expanding it's capacity to accept recyclable plastics. We're not sure when the policy changed, but it used to only be #1 and #2 plastic. Now they're going up to #7 (with #5 margarine-tub-esque plastics exempted) and they're threatening fines against people who are putting recyclables in the trash. Not sure how that's going to be enforced, but it's a start.

All righty... I'm off the soapbox now.