The Last Straw

My other entry about using the tab on a soda can to hold your straw and keep insects out of your drink, made me think about something from my youth. Yeah, from spending time with my grandparents. I spent a lot of time with them in the kitchen, so there were always a lot of "drinks" around. And, the best way to sip them was through a straw. When was the last time you made and enjoyed a Black Cow? Since there were a lot of glasses around, my grandparents had a lot of straws. Usually they were they were the inexpensive plastic ones, but since my grandfather used to work in a bar, he actually had some made of glass. So, I decided to do some research about current "trends" in straws.

To summarize, I'll keep it less technical and more informative. According to what I've read about the history of straws, the first ones were made from paper or reeds found in the local marsh. Things evolved, and they were eventually made from glass and metal. And yes, like you get at any local fast food restaurant, plastic. Did you know that McDonald's give away nearly 52 million plastic straws per day? And they are all thrown away. Not to be remiss, how many packages of plastic straws do YOU buy every week?

Okay, to get on the hippie soapbox and make a statement. Remember that most plastic straws are made from petroleum and then you throw them away after one use. With today's cost of oil, why continue to use a disposable item that increases the draining of the oil fields? And, when they are disposed, they end up in the dump, where they will never truly degrade. Not to mention how many toxins plastic emits (while you are drinking that beverage or when you dispose of it).

Pic from Glass Dharma

I guess I'll just summarize that because of my concern about the Earth (reducing the use of oil and the toxins in the dump) and because I am a fairly retro kind of guy, I'll be ordering some glass straws from the following sites. They come with a cleaning brush and are dishwasher approved (so I'll know they are sterile). And some sites have the different sizes available for different drinks. Yeah, technology progression is a good thing...

Decide where you stand on being more organic...and happy sipping... The following links are to sites that provide you the option of having non-oil/toxic straws. They might not work for the "thread the soda can tab" thought, but they can be decorative, personalized, straight and bent, reusable, a cost savings, and most important - life enjoyable.

Where to get straws:

• Glass Dharma
• Strawsome
• Amazon

Soda Can Ideas

The weather was finally nice enough yesterday for all of my neighbors to venture out and sit on the patios and fire up the grills. As we were sitting around chatting, we were talking about how being outside in the summer is sometimes painful because of the yellowjackets and the open cans of soda they are attracted to.

One of my neighbors said he once took a sip of a can of soda and was stung on the inside of his mouth because a bee had gotten into the can. Another neighbor showed us a simple trick to help prevent it. Simply turn the tab on the top around, and they can't get in.  Or if they do manage to slip in, that will prevent them from getting into your mouth when you take a sip. And yeah, that trick won't stop any ants or small flies that are attracted to the sweet drink, but at least they won't sting you if you swallow them.

That brought something to mind that I learned from my grandfather. Ever notice that if you use a straw in a can of pop (yeah, that's what we call it here), that it will rise up and fall out? My grandfather showed me that turning the tab and threading the straw through it, the tension prevents it from floating up and falling out. I never thought about just turning the tab to keep the insects out.

It also brought to mind something my dentist hygienist told me. She told me that using a straw when drinking a pop or sugary drink helps keep more sugar off of your teeth because people tend to swallow faster when using a straw. Keeping sugar off your teeth is important to help prevent cavities.

So as the "bottom line," when outside, turn the tab on the can of pop you are drinking and use a straw. It helps prevent yellowjackets and sugar from hurting your inner mouth.

Quick & Easy Chili

I needed something to eat but didn't want to make a "lot" of work to make it happen. The Quick & Easy Chili was the result of raiding the pantry and the fridge. So here goes.

Ingredients:

Quick & Easy Chili

• 1 lbs. ground beef
• 1/2 of a Bob Evans Sausage tube
• 1 can of mixed vegetables, drained & rinsed
• 1 can of light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
• Chili powder (as much as you want to add)

Directions:

1. Brown the beef and sausage in a skillet, then drain
2. Add meat, vegetables, beans, and diced tomatoes to a stock pot (I used a Dutch oven)
3. Simmer for 2 hours
4. Add chili powder and stir occasionally while simmering
5. Serves 4-6 (depending on how big your servings are)

 Notes:

• I added a cup of cooked peas I had in the fridge (from the night before)
• I added a cup of cooked elbow macaroni I had in the fridge (from the night before)
• I used the SWAG method (Scientific Wild A$$ Guess) when adding the chili powder a couple of times while it was simmering & I stirred it
• I used the other 1/2 Bob Evans Sausage tube to make the sausage gravy that I mentioned in my Recipe Research entry, and poured it over the chili when I ate it. YUM!!!

Desire

Source: Uploaded by user via Heather on Pinterest