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This is what those plastic recycling numbers really mean

This is what those plastic recycling numbers really mean

Recycling isn’t always straight forward. You may have the best of intentions, but the various symbols, rules, and potential fines you can face for recycling the wrong stuff, would make anyone a bit annoyed. Further adding to the confusion, what can be recycled varies wildly from town to town. Then there is the seemingly elaborate number system, which is a mystery all of its own. But those numbers (you know, the ones surrounded by the universal triple arrow symbol for recycle) don’t have to be a mystery any longer, per Greenmatters.com. It turns out, plastics are assigned a number (1 to 7), which can identify the type of plastic resin present. Knowing what these numbers mean can help you sort your plastics and identify the ones that your local recycling plant will accept. Those numbers can also be valuable to you as a consumer because they can tell you if your…

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How to clean your stainless steel sink, while being green

How to clean your stainless steel sink, while being green

When’s the last time your cleaned your stainless steel sink? Like, really made it shine? If all of those spots and stains are grossing you out but you keep putting them off, you’ve come to the right place. Your sink is probably coated in a layer of grime — whether you know it or not — and the longer you let it linger, the harder it’s going to be to get clean. But the good news is that you can ditch the dangerous chemicals and get your sink super clean by scrubbing it with baking soda and lemon. It’s an inexpensive cleaning trick that will make your sink shine like new, and you don’t have to worry about inhaling anything harmful. Sure, it’s still cleaning — and no one likes to do that — but at least being green about it makes the job a little more tolerable. And it…

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Seasonal

5 Irish Foods You’re Basically Required to Eat on St. Patrick’s Day

5 Irish Foods You're Basically Required to Eat on St. Patrick's Day_corned_beef

If you’re decking yourself out in green from head-to-toe and heading out to a local pub this St. Patrick’s Day, you might as well enjoy the foods most associated with Ireland. Also see, the recipe to  make the original Irish Coffee. Sheperd’s pie Shepherd’s Pie was born of frugal housewives looking for ways to repurpose leftovers their husbands would otherwise turn up their noses at. Recipes vary widely, but they share a basic structure — mashed potatoes at the bottom and top and minced meat in the middle. A Cottage Pie is a similar creation that contains beef, but a true Shepherd’s Pie will use lamb or mutton. Irish Soda Bread Irish Soda Bread has all the earmarks of being the product of a poor country. It’s made with the most basic ingredients: flour, baking soda, soured milk, and salt. Before baking, a cross is cut into the top to…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

Grasshopper brownies

Grasshopper brownies

These easy Grasshopper brownies are super chocolatey, minty, and ridiculously delicious! A fudgey brownie base is topped with a thick layer of mint frosting, and a thin layer of dark chocolate on top. The flavor combo is inspired by the famous vintage “grasshopper” cocktail made with crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and fresh cream — It’s definitely one decadent drink. And this is one decadent dessert! Chocolate mint fans will find a new favorite in this dreamy recipe. Make it for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration or any time you crave a taste of cool, creamy mint and rich dark chocolate. Grasshopper brownies Ingredients 1 box brownie mix (Also usually calls for water, vegetable oil, eggs, and water) Mint Cream  1/4 cup butter, softened 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 4 cups powdered sugar about 1/2 tsp mint extract 3-4 drops green food coloring Chocolate ganache…

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Seasonal

Shamrock shakes return to McDonald’s menus nationwide

Shamrock shakes return to McDonald's menus nationwideAltered McDonald's

Birds chirping and snow melting are all well and good, but the first sign of spring for many is the return of the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. The popular minty green milkshake is officially back on the menu, the company confirmed in a Tweet. Thirsty fans can find the creamy confection using a new feature on the McDonald’s mobile app that tracks which restaurant locations are selling the beverage or by using the Shamrock Shake Finder. https://twitter.com/McDonalds/status/1095714184363458561 For those not in-the-know, Shamrock Shakes — or Shammies — are made by blending McDonald’s vanilla soft serve with minty shamrock shake syrup and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Since the beverage debuted in 1970, it has earned an impressive following. More than 6 million Shamrock Shakes have been sold. Much like the McRib, Shamrock Shakes are only available at McDonalds for a limited time, while supplies last. This year, you can…

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Starbucks offering $10 million to development of eco-friendly cup

Starbucks offers $10 million to development of eco-friendly cup

Starbucks customers go through about 4 billion to-go cups every year — and almost all of those end up in a landfill. While it would seem the paper cups could easily be recycled, they are lined with non-recyclable plastic to help keep your coffee warm and the cup from leaking. But the Seattle-based coffee giant is finally taking steps to make the world a little greener. They’ve teamed with Closed Loop Partners, a group that invests in recycling technologies and sustainable goods, to create the NextGen Cup Challenge. The challenge will offer $10 million in grants to innovative entrepreneurs “working on ideas that could lead to the development of more sustainable cup solutions.” Current cups are made with 10 percent post-consumer recycled fiber, so depending on where you live, they might be partially recyclable, but the goal is to create a fully recyclable and even compostable cup no matter what corner of…

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7 magical facts about McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes

For many, St. Patty’s Day is about Guinness, Bailey’s and Jameson, but let’s not forget that other important Irish Day drink, the Shamrock Shake. Sure, a large is loaded with as many calories as 1 and a half Big Macs (820 calories), but after more than 45 years, it’s earned its part in the national St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Here are 7 things you never knew about the iconic McDonald’s seasonal green shake. 1. The first shake was introduced in 1970. It was originally called the St. Patrick’s Day Shake, but was scrapped years later for something a little more creative — the Shamrock Shake. 2. Shamrock Shakes were a charitable endeavor What do Shamrock Shakes have to do with the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children? In 1974 after watching his 3-year-old daughter undergo treatment for leukemia, Philadelphia Eagle Fred Hill reached out to the community to raise money for…

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Seasonal

Make the original Irish Coffee this St. Patrick’s Day

Make the original Irish Coffee this St. Patrick's Day

If you’re not into St. Patrick’s Day festivities that require guzzling green, cheap American beer, perhaps you’ll consider sipping a beverage that is actually Irish in origin. Irish coffee is a warm, creamy cocktail invented in Ireland in the 1940s. Unlike many drinks thrown together from excess ingredients, the Irish coffee was created with a purpose. Joe Sheridan was the head chef at the restaurant and coffee shop in the Foynes Airbase Flying boat terminal building in County Limerick, Ireland.  When a group of group of weary American passengers disembarked in Foynes after a long, failed flight, canceled mid-air due to poor weather conditions, Sheridan whipped up the drink and served it to them to keep them warm. Legend has it that after he was asked if it was Brazilian coffee, Sheridan replied that it was Irish coffee. The beverage caught on. In 1945 when transatlantic flights began to land at the nearby Shannon airport, Irish coffee…

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Seasonal

Americans plan to spend record $5.9 billion on St. Patrick’s Day this year

Americans plan to spend record $5.9 billion on St. Patrick's Day this year

Retailers are about to see their own little pot of gold. Americans are expected to spend a record breaking $5.9 billion to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. This number up from last year’s previously record setting $5.3 billion. Nearly 150 million adults are expected to celebrate the March 17 Irish holiday. The average reveler will drop around $39.65, up from $37.92 last year. Food is the biggest expenditure. Fifty percent of people plan to spend money on specific holiday-themed foods. Another 41 percent will spend on beverages — dyed green no doubt. Apparel, decoration and candy are other top categories for St. Patrick’s Day spending. Unsurprisingly the holiday is most popular with 18 to 24 year olds, with 77 percent celebrating the shamrock-themed holiday in some way. But the biggest spenders will be those ages…

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Seasonal

The uncertain origins of the Christmas Pickle ornament

The uncertain origins of the Christmas Pickle ornament

When it comes to holiday traditions, the Christmas pickle can be kind of a big dill — depending who you ask. Some families forgo hiding the odd ornament, yet in other homes it’s the most sought after item in the whole house. But where did this custom come from? Most people believe that hiding a pickle ornament somewhere in the tree is an Old World tradition that came to the United States with German immigrants in the 1800s. It’s said that whoever finds the pickle in the tree on Christmas morning will have good fortune in the coming year. In some families, the finder even gets a special present or gets to be the first to open his presents. But as it turns out, most Germans have never heard of the Christmas pickle, and you’d be hard pressed to find a German’s tree adorned with this garish green, sparkly decoration. Other stories of origin make…

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