RIP Cilantro

So, there's been a casuality in my windowsill herb garden. I'm not sure what happened, but my cilantro bit the dust. On the bright side, the basil is going gangbusters, and I'm having a hard time keeping up. I've had basil in a mediterranean salad, basil on my pizza and more pesto with basil. If anyone out there needs some fresh basil, I'm your girl.

Guerilla Flower Arranging

I adore flowers. There's nothing like a cheery bunch of daffodils or tulips to brighten your kitchen or mood. But what I love more than picking out flowers at the florist is using what's in bloom around me. Not only is it spontaneous, but it's free. You can't get more practically green than that.

Now is the perfect time to "liberate" some of your neighborhood flowers because it seems like everything's in bloom. All March, I had azaleas brightening up my apartment, and a favorite way to display them is to place a single flower in a coffee mug (see photo top right).

Currently, I'm obsessed with magnolias which have a gorgeous scent. On Sunday, I found a tree where some of the flowers were low enough to reach, and I brought home an already opened bloom as well as a bud that has opened in the last day or two. There's something so chic about a single magnolia blossom on a tall stem with bright green leaves in a clear glass vase.

In case you were wondering, I come by my "liberation" tendencies honestly. My parents have been known to scour their Boston neighborhood with clippers, searching for forsythia or bittersweet.

If you like the idea of pillaging flowers in your neighborhood, I offer a few simple guidelines.

1. Don't trespass. Flowers in public spaces are fair game. Flowers behind a six-foot fence are off limits. The idea here is not to get arrested.

2. Know what poison ivy looks like. Just saying.

3. It's not a bad idea to carry around a small pair of scissors. Just remember to remove them from your bag before you get on an airplane. Especially if your last name is Mohammad.

Do You Baggu?

Going Green is a lot like being a citizen in an election year.

I know it's weird, but bear with me. As a citizen, you can go all out to support your candidate... attend rallies, volunteer on a campaign, go door-to-door, give money, even quit your job on a hit t.v. show like Kal Penn and start working for the President of the United States. Or, you can just do the are minimum and simply vote.

When it comes to being Green, the bare minimum is just saying no to plastic bags.

On this blog, I try really really hard not to point fingers or get up on my eco high horse because the only thing that accomplishes is to alientate people. But when it comes to plastic bags, I'm not sure enough is being said to discourage people from still using them. The fact is, a single plastic bag from your neighborhood grocery store can take 1000 years to completely break down in a landfill, the idea of which makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. I don't want that to be my legacy centuries after I'm gone. And neither should you.

The solution to the plastic bag dilemma is super easy. Just bring your reuseable bag to the grocery store. I have three different bags. One is a large canvas bag and one is kind of swanky, but my favorite thing to carry is a Baggu. What, you ask, is a Baggu? It's only the greatest thing ever! It's made of ripstop nylon, comes in a slew of bright colors, carries the equivalent of 2-3 grocery bags, is machine washable and fits in a tiny nylon envelope smaller than a postcard so it's perfect to stash in your purse, backpack or glovebox. The best part? Baggu bags only cost $8. If you happen to live in Charleston, SC, you can find them at Worthwhile on King Street. Otherwise, you can check out www.baggubag.com

If you're not into the whole Baggu thing, that's cool. There are tons of other reuseable bag options. The whole point is just to get away from using plastic and carrying your own eco-friendly bag.

Pesto, Homemade Style

So if you're reading this blog, you know that I bought some herb plants the other week. The whole point was to start using fresh herbs in my cooking instead of relying on the dried stuff. Not only is it Greener, but fresh tastes pretty fabulous.

Tonight I decided to make my own pesto, using the basil from my plant.The plan was to toss it with linguine, and I had some fresh bread and a nice bottle of Rioja to round out the meal. I figured with only five ingredients (basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese), I had a fairly good shot of my pesto turning out okay. The recipe for homemade pesto is super simple. Here's how....

1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Pulse basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in food processor until finely chopped. Drizzle in olive oil in a steady stream until mixture is well combined. Makes 1 cup.

That's it. Pretty easy, huh?