여기서 만난 친구의 얘기를 듣고 오가닉 코코넛오일 한병을 샀는데 (핫요가를 시작한지 2-3일 째부터 피부가 간지럽기 시작) 정말 가려움증 해결은 물론 피부가 부드러워지는 느낌이 든다. 실온에서 고체인 코코넛 오일의 일정량을 손에 퍼서 비비기 시작하면 녹아 부드러워지는데, 코코넛향이 꼭 스파를 연상케 해 럭져리한 느낌. 으흐흐.

Coconut oil's been getting a lot of press lately for its amazing health benefits. It's great to cook with, adding a subtle richness to foods and doesn't break down at high temperatures meaning that it's perfect for frying. And, it's also great outside the kitchen! Here are some of the ways you can use it around the house.

• As a body lotion and moisturizer: Smooth on the room temperature oil and watch it melt into your skin! As a "dry" oil, it won't leave a film of grease on your skin.
  
• Stop the itch: Mosquitos been feasting on you? Dab on a bit of coconut oil to quell the itch (and next time, tuck a dryer sheet into your pocket to keep the bugs away). Plus, it may help the bite heal without leaving a scar and it's antibacterial properties will help it from getting infected.
  
• Insect repellent: Mix coconut oil with a few drops of peppermint oil to keep bugs away!
  
• Aftershave: Slather it on your face or legs after shaving to prevent rashes.
  
• Sunscreen: It sounds counter-intuitive but apparently it works.
  
• Deodorant: Use a small amount alone or combine with equal parts baking soda and cornstarch. Work into a solid paste until it's the same consistency as the stick kind.
  
• Hair Conditioner: lightly coat your palms and smooth it into your hair before styling. It's especially great in the winter, smoothing flyaways and taming frizzy hair.
  
• Toothpaste: Try this recipe!
  
• Furniture Polish: Mix it with a little lemon juice and use it on wood furniture.
  
• Bronze Polish: Rub a little into bronze items to clean and deepen the color.
  
• Leather cleaner: Using a clean cloth, work a small amount into leather shoes to moisturize them and make them shine.
  
• Remove rust: Before you toss those rusty knives or scissors, try this: slick coconut oil on the blades and let it sit for an hour then rinse with warm water.
  
• Remove labels and their sticky residue: Cover the label with a film of coconut oil and let it soak in for a moment. The label should wipe off. Use a bit of oil on a towel to remove whatever's left.
  
• Remove gum from hair: Peanut butter was the go to remedy for this when I was a kid. Coconut oil's a lot more pleasant to work with. Apply the oil directly to the gum, let it sit for a moment before slowly sliding the gum out.
  
• Stain remover: Click here for details on how to make a spotting stick to remove clothing stains. The undiluted oil can be used to clean ink off of plastic and vinyl furniture.

(Source: apartmenttherapy)

최근 발표된 어느 지구온난화 보고서에는 부정적 효과 외에 긍정적인 효과도 포함되었었다고 한다. That's a first.  
(영국 관점에서의 글)

- 여름과 겨울이 조금 더 따뜻해진다
- 지중해쪽의 습도가 지나치게 올라가면 영국의 관광 수입이 올라갈 가능성이 있다
- 영국에서도 블루베리를 재배할 수 있다
- 녹은 빙하로 인해 아시아와 태평양에 새로운 해로가 개방될 수도 있다.

하지만 지구온난화의 리스크가 훨씬 훨씬 훨씬 더 많다는 것은 변함없는 사실.
다만, positive effects 에 블루베리 재배가 언급되었다는 것이 흥미롭다.


[전체기사]

Climate change
Heating up

The Climate Change Risk Assessment issued this week is a brave document. Put out by Defra (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), this report claims to be the first attempt by government to assess the “potential risks and opportunities” for Britain arising from climate change.

It’s that word “opportunities” that makes this study courageous. Few organisations willingly talk about the upsides of climate change — though it is inevitable that some people and even some countries will be advantaged by the effects of global warming, even if the overall global impact is vastly more detrimental.

So what are those upsides? Summers and winters will be a little warmer; the Med could become too sweaty for many, so Britain should pick up more tourist dollars (its seaside towns will need to pick up their act, though). Blueberries should be able to grow in Britain — and other foodstuffs that don’t work so well at the moment. Melting of Arctic sea ice could open up new shipping routes to Asia and the Pacific.

Some of these are bigger benefits than others. But the good thing about pointing out such things is that, unlike much reporting of climate change, which lays itself open to accusations of presenting only one side of the story, this document identifies many of the possible effects, good and bad. (Climate sceptics would still think this an unbalanced report, as it follows the prevailing vast body of scientific evidence that global warming is a real and present danger.)

But blueberries and suntans will not compensate for the far greater havoc global warming will wreak in Britain. Flooding already causes £1.3 billion of damage a year; by the 2080s this could rise to anything from £2.1 billion to £12 billion, the report predicts. More than 27m may have limited access to clean water by the 2050s. Sewers will fill more often, and rotting waste will pour into rivers and the sea; viruses and bacteria will thrive in the heat. And though cold winters get press coverage as the poor and elderly shiver in their homes, in fact over-warm summers are a far bigger health hazard already — that will only increase. Britons will also use ever more energy in cooling their homes.

On balance, the risks Britain faces from global warming vastly outweigh the benefits. Defra's findings in this survey are perhaps not that surprising, but they are sobering, as are the number of people and sums of money involved. Eating blueberries while sunbathing in the Lake District may sound like fun. But all holidays must come to an end — and the rest of the picture looks pretty bleak.


(Photo: extremeinstability)
(Article: economist)

몇명 살지 않는 집의 부엌이라 하더라도 항상 준비해 둬야 하는 몇가지 필수적인 아이템은 알아둬야겠다는 생각이 들었다:

PANTRY ITEMS

Canned tomatoes: Crushed, whole, diced, tomato paste, RO*TEL
Dried pastas in every shape and size imaginable
Rice: long grain, brown, and Arborio for risotto
Peanut butter
Honey: Sweeten yogurt smoothies, use in recipes…and drizzle on hot biscuits. Sorry.
Various jellies: Strawberry, apricot, jalapeno
Real Maple syrup
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Add to soups. Add to roasts. Puree with mayonnaise for a great salad dressing or veggie dip.
Roasted red peppers: place them on panini, puree them and make a soup or pasta sauce, chop them and make bruschetta
Canned artichoke hearts: throw into a pantry pasta sauce, make baked artichoke dip, etc.
Assorted olives, jalapenos, pepperoncinis etc.
Baking ingredients: bulk flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, self-rising), sugar, brown sugar (store in a nice airtight container), powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, extracts, yeast, etc.
Shortening and vegetable oil
Chocolate chips and other forms of baking chocolate
Oatmeal and other grains
Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk
Cornmeal: Use in baking, of course, but also dissolve a little in water and stir into soups and chilis for a little thickening and flavor
Masa: Corn flour sold in the Hispanic Foods aisle. Use in similar ways as cornmeal.
Ketchup, different mustards, and barbecue sauce
Mayonnaise: (Not Miracle Whip. Grody.)

Potatoes, onions, and garlic. I store ‘em in a basket so air can circulate.

Onions and garlic are the basis of innumerable recipes.

Potatoes are…well, essential out here.

Dried beans. Put ‘em in soups. Put ‘em in stews. Cook ‘em in a pot with a hamhock. Make refried beans. So delightfully basic.

Stocks and broths. Chicken, beef, vegetable. Make soups, braise briskets, make pot roast. Amen.

Jarred pesto and specialty relishes, chutneys, etc.

Jarred pesto is an easy way to inject big flavor into soups, pasta, quiches, chicken salads, dips, and dressings when you don’t have access to fresh basil.

Panko breadcrumbs. Top casseroles. Coat fried mozzarella. Mix them in meatballs and meatloaf.

And then of course: Kosher salt, black pepper, Worcestershire, Tabasco, olive oil, different vinegars, soy sauce, etc.

And as for the fridge…

FRIDGE

Lemons, limes, and apples.

Butter. Sorry.

And longer lasting cheeses like cheddar, Parmesan, and feta, which has a nice, long shelf life.

Bacon. Sorry again. And this can be a freezer item, too. Make BLT’s, top burgers, cut into bits and fry with onion as the basis for some pasta sauces and soups.

Also: Corn tortillas. If they’re stored properly, they seem to last forever in the fridge.

And then there’s the beloved freezer.

FREEZER

Beef, wrapped in butcher paper.
Chicken breasts, wings, legs, and thighs, either flash frozen then stored in ziploc bags, or vacuum sealed
Raw shrimp
Sausage: breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, chorizo, etc.
Bread: Crusty artisan loaves that I get when I’m in the big city, and a couple of back-up loaves of sandwich breads
Pizza dough: unrisen, stored in ziplocs
Frozen dinner rolls: I love the (store bought!) unrisen, unbaked little round balls of dough. They rise and bake up so beautifully, and you can slather them with butter and chopped rosemary and turn them into something entirely different. And you can roll them out and use them to make calzones or mini-pizzas.
Pie crust: formed into disks and stored in ziplocs. To use, just remove, let thaw for 30 minutes or so, then roll out.
Pecans/walnuts
Frozen fruits: Peaches, berries, cherries, etc. These are awesome stand-ins for pies, crisps and cobblers when the fresh fruits aren’t in season. And you throw the frozen fruit right into the blender for smoothies whenever you want.

“Fresh” vegetables. The freezer is where I stock the veggies that aren’t great in canned form: green beans, peas, lima beans, carrots, corn. These non-acidic vegetables stay so much more delicious, nutritious, and fresh in the freezer.

(Freeze your own veggies out of the garden by blanching, then throwing in ice water, then drying, then flash freezing, then throwing into larger ziplocs.)

Ready-made recipes stored flat in ziploc bags. Take a day where you cook up bulk recipes for the freezer, or just gradually build them up over time. Store both large and small quantities so you can easily feed a crowd…or just yourself. Reheat by adding to a large pot with a little water just to help it along.

Chili, which you can eat it on its own or put on top of burgers, hot dogs, nachos, Fritos, etc.
Pasta sauces
Soups and stews

And weird little ingredients like homemade pumpkin puree—measure it in 1 or 2-cup quantities so you can easily use them in holiday recipes.

From thepioneerwoman

(Photos: brightbazaar)