happiness is…sustainably harvested albacore, eel & scallops…and enjoying them with a friend!
It’s a busy busy busy time for this Grrl and I suppose that’s good as I wait for my vacay with my fella, so with no further ado, here are the super awesome things that caught my attention this week…
* I’ve been saying forever how I want to learn to make cheese at home. Well, the folks at Artisan Cheese Kitchen are like the real deal, y’all. No excuses! (except for, of course, figuring out how to calculate points for WW on this…hmmm…)
* The bad guys from Mickey D’s are trying to make good. I read this interesting article on Wired about the creation of Lyfe Kitchen by former McDonald’s execs, and how they’re reinventing fast food. I love seeing the innovation AND sustainability that is coming out of this. ”For example, as a general rule the poultry industry cools its slaughtered chickens in chlorine water baths—which not only affects the flavor but delivers more absorbed water to the consumer. Lyfe’s poultry supplier, Mary’s Chickens, has figured out a superior way to cool its birds—surround the whole production line with chilled air as they pass through…You’re not mixing all these chickens in a bath of water, where contamination can occur. And you’re saving 30,000 gallons of water a day.”
* Along with a great sexy place to enjoy a view and a glass of wine, the folks at Noble Rot have a gorgeous rooftop garden. Oh and make sure you read about their gardener – talk about doing what you love!!
* The video Let the Farm Animals Roam is, well, perfect. Watch it. Try not to cry. You’ll love it.
* Parks are parks – whether they be huge national parks, escapes right inside the city, or even the world’s smallest park. Noted in the Guiness Book, my friend back in high school showed me Mill Ends Park that her grandfather had created. The other day I was thinking about her and all our adventures in high school & college, and smiled remembering her story about this. Funny thing? I am almost positive one of those li’l redhead girls is her in the 2nd photo.
* Continuing to be reminded that it’s time for me to upgrade what I sleep on each night, I happened upon the Oprah article on Tips for Buying an Eco-Friendly Mattress. I love that it keeps sensibility at the forefront – not everyone can afford a $5,000 mattress, but there are some major improvements to what most of us sleep on out there – and for a 10 year investment? Sweet (dreams).
* And as the weekend arrives, there is nothing sweeter than watching the ideas of one or two blossom into businesses that thrive. Codescouts inspires me – they’re all about helping ANYONE who wants to learn to code, learn to code! In this economy where software developers are highly prized, it’s a great way for those who want to learn, learn without feeling they have to go back to school. Tomorrow they are one of the startups featured at PIE Demo Day, where one of my current clients came in last year as 3 employees and left with $8.7M in funding (and now are closing in at 20 employees). Imagine a nonprofit getting that kind of love – I wish Michelle the best!
As always you give us such great information. I’m off to read your suggested links! Thanks!
How did the cheese experiment turn out? So far, we’ve made 3 batches of mozzarella (?spelling?) The 1st batch, we used top quality milk and it was GREAT! 2nd back, we used cheaper milk; the cheese didn’t clump together right. It was ok as sort of a ricotta. The 3rd time was in the middle.
We’re stilling experimenting, and it is a lot of fun … but are open to tips!
Going to try it while on stay-cation next week!