Envirosax

Billions of plastic bags clog up landfills every year. Worldwide, around 200,000 plastic bags are added to landfills every single hour. To combat wastefulness, it's important to tote your own reusable water bottle (I prefer the Sigg brand) and have several lightweight reusable grocery/storage bags at the ready. Reduce, reuse, and recycle, right?

For the past year, I've relied on Envirosax Reusable Grocery Bags, which I purchased from one of my favorite websites, www.delight.com. These Australian bags are available from many purveyors and catalogs, and you can purchase them individually or as a set of five (a set usually costs around $33-$40, depending on your source). In Cambridge, my favorite local bookstore even sold them at the cash register. I have the Flora set pictured below:Each Envirosax arrives all snapped up into a lightweight little package, but, with the flick of your hand, it unfurls into a very large bag that you can easily sling over your shoulder. The material expands to hold whatever odds and ends you need to tote, and the bag is 5x as strong as a regular plastic bag. And...it's definitely more fashionable than any old brown paper bag!

As you can see, Envirosax come in many colors and sets, so if you prefer a more gender-neutral design or something a little less bold, there's a bag to suit your whim:
Evidently, Cameron Diaz is also a fan of Envirosax:Finally, many stores will offer you a small discount if you bring your own bags. For example, Whole Foods will deduct $0.05 for every reusable bag you fill up at the checkout counter. I always toss two or three Envirosax in my luggage and two in my everyday leather shoulder bag. They're also great for storing in your glove compartment. Envirosax are easy on the environment and easy on your eyes!

KitchenAid Cook for the Cure Measuring Cups & Spoons

I've had an OXO set of measuring cups and spoons for the past few years, but I recently upgraded to a KitchenAid Cook for the Cure set. True, the KitchenAid set performs the same basic function. But here's the difference: it's PINK!If you're not familiar with it, through the Cook for the Cure Program, KitchenAid donates 10% of the retail sales price for each pink item that is purchased and registered to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In total, the company donated over $1 million to the charitable foundation last year.

Although my KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer is a neutral Chrome Metallic shade, my 7-speed hand mixer is also part of the Cook for the Cure line and therefore pleasantly pink as well:At times, my kitchen really does resemble Barbie's Dream House!

Recipe Binders

You can easily make your own recipe binder with supplies from your nearest stationer or Staples. This week, I purchased a 1" binder made of aluminum for $22. Although you could pay less for a plastic or paper model, I think it's important to select a material that is heavy-duty and can withstand cooking spills and stains.You can buy clear plastic photo pages to hold your recipes. I selected a double-sided page that holds 3 4 x 6" cards per page ($4.75 for a dozen pages, in my neck of the woods). I used colored construction paper for the dividers, and I created individual designs for each of the sections with trusty old MS Word.

Beverages & Cocktails:Appetizers & Snacks:Soups & Salads:Sandwiches:Vegetables:Pasta:Fish:Chicken:Meat:And, finally, Desserts:Meanwhile, I keep many of my dessert recipes in a mara-mi binder. I'm a huge fan of Marimekko, and I love that the binder features Maija Isola's classic Appelsiini design from the 1950's. Just because you're in the kitchen doesn't mean that you have to forsake style for function!

You can't tell from this photo, but the binder is encased in clear plastic, thus rendering it spill-proof.It has several tabbed sections and pocketed folders.The plastic sleeves hold 4 x 6" recipe cards.The individual recipe cards also feature the Marimekko print!

A Spot of Tea

It started innocently enough: one day, with little else to do, I lugged all the loose change that I found around my room to the nearest Coinstar. To my wonder and slight embarrassment, I had managed to stow away $48 of nickels and pennies over the past few years. My next stop? To buy a Le Creuset Halo teakettle with my hard-earned coinage.

For quite some time, I've lusted after this model:It's so sad: during college, in lieu of a proper kettle, I would just zap a mug of cold tap water, throw a tea bag in it, and pray that it didn't taste of the spaghetti sauce that was crusted on the inside of my microwave. Late at night, instead of doing homework, I'd peruse the websites of Sur La Table and Chefs Catalog, pondering the color combinations of the Le Creuset line and weighing the pros and cons of a phenolic knob. Creepy? Yes.

And, I must admit, for the $55 pricetag, it's a very solid specimen. The model has an ombre effect, and I opted for the classic cobalt over the kiwi or cherry colors. It has a pitch-perfect whistle, and the cast iron enamel is so heavy and sturdy that, fingers-crossed, I don't expect its base to wear out and burn through any time soon.

Remember that children's book mantra, "If you give a mouse a cookie, it'll probably ask for some milk"? Well, my problem is, once I buy a kitchen gadget, I instantly need more to accompany it. Suddenly, everything in the kitchen seems a bit shabby in comparison to the shiny new objet du jour. So, soon after the Le Creuset came home with me, I began picking up loose leaf teas, stainless steel mesh infusers of varying sizes, tea caddies, sugar bowls, coasters, and a Sophie Conroy for Portmeirion teapot. All this in the span of two weeks. Next thing you know, I'll attempt to buy the Mad Hatter on the black market.

Even though it's 95 degrees in the shade, I've been brewing 6 cups of rooibos and organic darjeeling tea every day. I better start saving more quarters for all those scones and sticky toffee puddings...