posts by Katie
I can tell what you’re thinking: mason jars? This woman is reviewing mason jars? Seriously? I mean, they’ve been around forever, everyone’s grandmother had some in her house, most people already own some- these are hardly the hot new product.
To which I say: true. But mason jars are so fabulously useful, so versatile, so delightfully free of the chemicals that can leach from plastic storage devices, that I feel it’s worth featuring them, even if they’re not terrifically groundbreaking. Plus, it gives me a nice tie in for the real revelation of this post, which is the recipe below. (Already own mason jars? Skip straight to the recipe.)
I used to be intimidated by mason jars, thinking they were something used only by people who make their own jam and can it in hot water baths. That was too out there and scary, the kind of thing that was likely to result in me inadvertently growing botulism in my pantry.
Not so! I bought sets of mason jars in a few sizes several years ago on a whim, and have been surprised at how useful they have proven to be. I use them to store leftovers, to serve drinks in the summer, and to store matchbooks, buttons, coins, and other household paraphernalia. But perhaps most deliciously, I use mason jars to make my own quick pickles. (I like quick pickles because they are designed to be stored indefinitely in the fridge without the hassle of trying to seal with a hot water bath.) My favorite, incredibly easy quick pickle recipe is below, for your summer enjoyment.
So! Mason jars- buy some! And then use them to make the amazingly delicious recipe below.
Quart size canning jars, $10.99 for a set of 12 at Kmart.com or at your local hardware store.
Quick pickled red onions
2 red onions, sliced into rings
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
Bring several cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Drop onions in and blanch for one minute, then drain in a colander. Return onions to the pan with the cider vinegar and salt, and add just enough cold water to barely cover the onions. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer the onions 1 minute.
Pour the onions and the brine into a glass jar and chill. The onions will turn bright pink, and will taste delicious with pretty much everything. We particularly like them on salads and tacos, but I’ve been known to snack on them straight out of the jar.
(If you don’t live anywhere near a Whole Foods, I apologize in advance, because you won’t be able to take advantage of the product I’m featuring here. Normally I wouldn’t do that- feature something that’s only available at one store and not online- but I’m so excited about this I’m making an exception.)
This is Three Sisters Cereal. Three Sisters is a cereal company that makes takeoffs of some of your favorite cereals and reformulates them with whole grains, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, and no artificial colors. They have six flavors that I’ve seen at my local Whole Foods:
- Cinnamon Sweets (like Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
- Graham Crackerz (like Golden Grahams)
- Honey Oaties (like Honey Nut Cheerios)
- Honey Puffs (like Honey Smacks)
- Sweet Wheat (like Frosted Mini Wheats)
- Marshmallow Oaties (like Lucky Charms, complete with mini marshmallows OMG)
The most genius thing about Three Sisters is the way they’ve totally reimagined cereal packaging. The cereal comes in thin poly bags instead of boxes, to produce less waste, and the company makes the bags at a facility that is powered by renewable energy sources. Cool, right? Plus, saving that money on packaging means a bag of Three Sisters doesn’t cost any more (and sometimes costs less) than a box of the big-brand stuff at your local supermarket. Bonus!
Look, this is not health food. But if you’re like me and you really like sweet cereals (I eat them for dessert, not breakfast,) it’s such a nice surprise to find your favorites – I’m partial to Graham Crackerz myself – in a format that’s slightly better for you and better for the environment.
Three Sisters Cereal, $3.29 for a 12.5 ounce bag, at Whole Foods
Last week, I co-hosted a baby shower for a very good friend. It was the second shower I’ve hosted in the past few months, and I learned some things from these experiences. I learned that even if they moan and groan, people like it if you have a few games or activities at the ready. I learned that the nicest thing you can do for the honoree is volunteer to write down the gifts as they open them to help them when they’re writing thank you notes later. I learned you can never have too many garnishes for a bloody mary.
But mostly I learned that I am a big, fat sucker for pretty packaging and lovely arrangements. I got so much pleasure out of deciding which recipes to bake and figuring out how to set everything out so it looks charming and pretty.
So when I started planning this shower, I knew I wanted to order some things that would help make the presentation look a little more festive and polished. I settled on cupcake liners. And by searching for pretty cupcake liners, I hit the jackpot: BakeItPretty.com.
Oh, my. If you have a food decor problem like I do, this site is DANGEROUS. Retro candy-striped paper straws! Cute cupcake toppers! Dozens and dozens of cupcake liners in adorable patterns and colors!
My friend is expecting a baby boy, so I ordered these blue mini muffin cups weeks ago. I have been wanting to write about them since their twee blueness first arrived in my mailbox, but I waited. I waited, because I care.
See, it’s one thing to look pretty when you’re sitting in a cellophane wrapper, unused. It’s quite another to still look pretty after someone has filled you with batter and baked you at 350 degrees.
I am happy to report that these performed beautifully. They stayed nice and pretty and blue, and they didn’t bleed into the cupcake batter or onto the serving trays (I’ve had both problems with other cupcake liners.) Everyone thought they were adorable.
So if you’re looking to add a little something to your next birthday party cupcakes, might I suggest BakeItPretty? Cheap, easy, and makes you look like a baking superhero.
Mini cupcake liners (also available in other patterns, and in full-size liners,) $2.95 for 50 at BakeItPretty.com
You have doubtless heard that we should all be eating more seafood. It’s a lean source of protein, it has all the good fatty acids, it promotes heart health, etc etc. But you have probably also heard about some of the really unfortunate results of overfishing- threats to biodiversity, the damage to other species (like dolphins) caught in the huge dragnets used to catch huge numbers of fish, and the threat of destruction of entire fisheries and species, like this cod fishery off Newfoundland.
It’s all a little confusing, isn’t it?
I actually have a friend who is a fisheries policy lawyer. (How’s THAT for a specialty, right? I haven’t seen him in several years- in case he ever finds this, Hi Josh!) It was he who first introduced me, many years before it was fashionable, to the concepts of overfishing and sustainable seafood. He carried a card in his wallet, produced by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, that told him which fish were the most sustainably harvested (and thus okay to eat) and which ones were overfished, at risk of extinction, or fished in environmentally problematic ways (and thus to be avoided).
At the time, I teased him mercilessly for it- I had a food budget of about $10 a week, so it wasn’t like I was buying a lot of seafood anyway. But now that I cook regularly, and trying to eat both healthily and sustainably, I find it can be kind of hard to keep track of which fish are okay to eat and which ones aren’t.
So I looked up the Monterey Bay Aquarium and found, to my delight, that they still make the seafood cards. In fact, they’ve improved them, with lists organized by region of the country. There’s even a separate list for sushi!
The lists are helpfully divided into green (good) yellow (acceptable) and red (avoid). They have also identified a list of “super-green” seafood- fish that are sustainable, low in contaminants, and high in omega-3s. (That list includes wild caught salmon from Alaska, farmed mussels and oysters, and Rainbow trout. Full list is here.)
Now, I don’t know that I’m going to cut these cards out and keep them in my wallet at all times, but I do have one printed out and taped to my fridge, and it helps when I’m evaluating recipes to look at the list and see which fish are on the good list for my region.
So as you try to include more seafood in your diet, I encourage you to print out the list for your region and use it to guide your seafood choices. The earth and the fish will thank you!
Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Regional Seafood Guides, FREE! at Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website.
A couple of years ago, my husband invited one of his supervisors and his wife over for dinner at our house without consulting me first. After entertaining panicked thoughts of a 60s-esque awkwardfest with the bossman and his wife, I came to my senses and realized these were nice fun people, close to our age, and I needn’t be afraid. I just needed to develop a really kick-butt dinner menu.
I was going through a very serious Ina Garten phase at the time, so when I read in her cookbook that Lauren Baccall loved her Indonesian Ginger Chicken recipe, I knew that’s what I would make.
Here’s the thing, though: that recipe calls for HALF A CUP of fresh minced grated ginger root. HALF. A. CUP. I bought an entire huge ginger root at the grocery store and spent, no joke, more than half an hour running it back and forth over my little ceramic ginger grater, trying to eke out enough for the marinade. By the time I had enough for the recipe, I was near weeping with exhaustion.
(And after all that, bossman and his wife showed up having already eaten dinner. My husband had failed to communicate when we invited them for dinner that there would actually be, you know, dinner. I believe he said “Katie makes really good desserts!” so they thought they were coming for dessert, and ate out at a restaurant immediately before coming over. That was not awkward AT ALL. And I would NEVER lord that mistake over my husband’s head for years, no siree Bob.)
ANYWAY, this is a (very) long way of saying: I sure as hell wish I’d known about this product back then. The Ginger People make this fabulous minced ginger in a jar, ready to be measured out a teaspoon at a time (or, in the case of Indonesian Ginger Chicken, a jar at a time.) Most recipes only call for a little ginger- one jar of this lasts me weeks or months in the fridge.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give if you’re looking to cook more healthy food at home is this: start with a well-stocked pantry. Have vinegar and honey and onions and garlic and ginger on hand. With products like this, that’s even easier. Minced ginger is great in asian dishes, stir fries, and even vinaigrettes. I do not love the taste of minced ginger if it’s in too-big pieces- but this is so finely minced that it’s more of a thin paste, and it dissolves beautifully in food.
You may have to look around a little to find it in the grocery store- I’ve seen it by the herbs in the produce section, in the Asian foods aisle, and by the spices. For the price, and the amount of time it can save you, it’s worth looking for.
Ginger People Minced Ginger, $3 a jar, at grocery stores and on the Ginger People website.
I just got back from a trip to a very sunny place (wistful sigh…) Because I am very fair-skinned, I take sunscreen very seriously, and I brought all sorts of options with us- waterproof, sport formulas, sensitive skin, all with an SPF of 50+.
But my secret weapon is this: Coppertone Waterbabies Sunscreen Stick. I bet right now some of you are thinking: my mom used that thing on me when I was a kid! And mine did too! That’s how I know about it! This recommendation comes on the strength of more than 25 years experience with the product. That’s pretty high praise, yeah?
Basically, it’s sunscreen in a solid formula, so it spreads on places where you really don’t want to get burned, like your face and your ears, and then stays put. If you sweat, it doesn’t leak into your eyes. If you go swimming, it doesn’t wash off. Because it’s a solid format, you don’t have to include it in your ziploc bag of 3oz size liquids (a plus for those of us who try to travel without checking luggage.) It’s great for use on the back of the neck and back of the ears during a run.
Now, if you have super-duper sensitive skin, I can’t guarantee that it will love the thickness of the solid formula. But it’s made for babies, so it’s dye free, scent free, and generally formulated for sensitive skin. I slathered it all over my face and neck last week with nary a pimple as a result. So for my sensitive-but-not-impossible skin, it works great.
If you have kids, this is way better than wrangling with them as they try to prevent you from spreading sunscreen liquid on their precious cheeks. But even if you don’t have kids- don’t make the mistake of thinking this is just for them. It’s small, compact, and cheap, and it protects your skin against dangerous rays. What’s not to love?
Coppertone Waterbabies Sunscreen Stick SPF 55, $4.99 at drugstore.com (also available as an SPF 30, so be sure you’re getting the high SPF for maximum protection- and fyi, I got mine for more like $3 at Target.)
In two days, I’m leaving for a quick Caribbean vacation. Do you know how happy it makes me to say that? I’ll say it again. “Quick Caribbean vacation.”
We are SO not the kind of people who ordinarily take quick Caribbean vacations (we’re more the “let’s visit an unknown city and contemplate the architecture types) but my husband’s got spring break, and I’ve got spring fever, and a few days sacked out on the beach sounds about PERFECT right now.
You know what one needs for a quick Caribbean vacation? Beach coverups and flip flops and a few dresses to wear out to dinner. But because this is a quick, last-minute, not-exactly-budgeted-for trip, though, I’m not interested in spending a bunch of money on stuff to bring with us. So I’m proud to report that I’ve done all my shopping for the trip (and it wasn’t much) at Old Navy and Forever 21 (where I keep waiting for someone to ask me “ma’am, are you lost? You know this is Forever 21, right? Like, a store named after an age you sailed by TEN YEARS AGO?”)
So you can imagine my delight when I walked into Old Navy and found this dress. It is the perfect dress for this purpose, but I’d argue that it’s a perfect dress even if you aren’t boarding a plane in two days.
Sailor stripes are incredibly trendy for spring, which makes this super fun, but since it’s only $15 (or $7.99 if you get the gray stripe version), you won’t feel despondent when sailor stripes look incredibly dated in a year. It has flattering elbow sleeves (also good for those times when you’ve gotten too much sun) and a short-but-not obscene length. You could easily wear it as a beach coverup with flip flops, but it would be just as appropriate with some sandals and a long necklace for a spring dinner date. It’s lightweight and cool without being skimpy or cheap looking, and I’m just in love with it.
Old Navy Sailor Stripe Dress, $15 for navy stripe, some colors on sale for $7.99 (!) at Old Navy stores and oldnavy.com
Over the years, we’ve all seen (and probably owned) dozens of different variations on the reusable water bottle theme. Nalgene. Sigg. Kleen Kanteen. The list goes on. Yet somehow, those annoying disposable plastic water bottles endure, and in fact seem to be growing in popularity. People buy flats of them at megastores, take them with them when they leave home, and toss or recycle the bottles after an all-too-brief life.
I get it, I think. My mom is one of those people. She drinks a lot of water. She doesn’t always trust the drinking fountain or bathroom tap at her destination. So she buys disposable bottles of water and keeps several in the car. But then it becomes a habit, and she drinks out of those annoying disposable bottles even when she has access to good, trustworthy water. It makes me a little bit nuts.
I’m hoping I’ve finally found the product that will help her turn the corner: the Water Bobble.
It’s a reusable water bottle with a carbon filter built in. Pour water into the bottle, and it gets filtered as you drink. (Carbon filters are the same things that are used in a Brita pitcher.) The filters last for two months (or forty gallons) and can be replaced. The bottle itself is stylish looking and well-designed, and comes in six pretty colors. It’s BPA-free. And the price is so right: ten little bucks. Compared to some of the stainless steel options out there, that’s a steal.
I think they’ve hit it on the head with this design. Simple, inexpensive, clean. Now, according to the website, it’s not for use in place where bacteria and parasites might be a problem (ie, camping, or traveling to places with unreliable water supplies) but for those of us whose water bottles mostly travel with us to school and work and the airport? It’s a great idea.
The product is brand new- it’s not even available in stores yet, only through their website. But starting this month, you can look for them at Bed Bath and Beyond and other retailers. Earth Day is coming up, you know. I think this would make an excellent earth day gift to yourself.
Water Bobble, $9.95, at Waterbobble.com
Does Bodyglide not sound like a naughty product? It totally does, right? Except it’s not.
Bodyglide is an anti-chafing product. It provides a thin layer of smooth slickness any place where you might get chafing. (Um, this description isn’t really making it sound any less naughty, is it?) It was originally designed for athletes, to help with chafing from straps, shirt cuffs, thighs, that sort of thing. It’s a solid stick, like a deodorant, so it’s easy and non-messy to apply. And in honor of the half marathon I’m running this week, I thought it was time to share it with you- I’ve been using it to eliminate chafing from seams on the sleeves of my running shirts, and it’s made a HUGE difference.
But I’ve owned BodyGlide for YEARS, even though I just started running. Why? Because it is a miracle foot blister preventing stick. Forget those teensy tiny foot care sticks Johnson and Johnson sells - this works better, and is a better value. When I want to wear cute flats and heels without wearing horrid sweat-inducing pantyhose, a rub of BodyGlide all over my feet keeps them blister-free. This is a minor miracle, particularly in the spring and summer when warm swollen feet seem to sprout blisters just by LOOKING at high heels. When I was working at a law firm and I had to wear heels every day, I kept Bodyglide in my desk drawer at work. True story.
I’ve heard it used for lots of other purposes, too- to prevent chafing between the thighs when wearing skirts in hot weather, on the palms of hands if you’re doing garden work or kayaking or anything else that can cause blisters, even to lessen the itching/rubbing from a particularly itchy tag inside your clothing.
It sounds a little weird, and people might look at you funny if they find it in your desk drawer at work, but this is one product I highly recommend, for athletes and stiletto-wearers and everyone in between.
Bodyglide, $7.95 (also available in travel size) at REI.com
In what is perhaps the least-glamorous item to ever grace the pages of LiveWellSpendWell, I’m here to sing you the praises of…..epsom salts. Yes! Like your grandmother used to use! The ones that come in a large four-pound container that looks like a milk carton! Sexxxay.
I first discovered the joy of epsom salts when I got an incredibly gnarly ingrown toenail. After paying a doctor an absurd amount of money to hack it out (with what I later realized were $5 ingrown toenail scissors), I asked him if there was anything I could do to make it hurt less and to keep it from happening again.
“Well,” he said, “obviously you’ll want to use epsom salts.”
Huh. That would not have occurred to me. Advil? Sure. Neosporin? Absolutely. Some sort of prescription-issue painkilling ointment? Bring it. But little crystals of magesium sulfate that you dissolve in water and then soak your foot in? Sounds old fashioned and silly.
Well it may be old fashioned, but it ain’t silly. Magnesium sulfate has anti-inflammatory properties, so it’s excellent for soaking sore feet, and it made that toenail feel waaay better. My husband, who is prone to sprained ankles, dissolved two cups of the stuff in a bucket of warm water and reported a dramatic improvement in ankle pain and swelling. And since I’ve been training for a half marathon, I’ve started taking epsom salt baths after particularly grueling long runs and my hips, which are prone to soreness, feel WAY better. Miraculous.
It’s got other uses too- tofu binding agent (not kidding), natural laxative, broken-lava-lamp reviver (apparently it makes things more buoyant and can help merge the flecks of wax in a lava lamp that’s been shaken back into a cohesive mass). Really, you should check out the wikipedia page. Fascinating. In short, it’s a pretty screaming deal for a couple bucks.
Epsom Salts, available for $6.99 for a 4-pound box on drugstore.com, and substantially cheaper at your local drugstore.
