Remembering to snag my reusable shopping bags on my way out the door? On that, I’m doing pretty good. Cleaning my bags, though? I have to admit I haven’t given it much thought, other than wiping out the occasional spill, until I stumbled across this article while looking for replacement bag inserts. According to a study published last summer by a plastics industry group, reusable shopping bags are just plain dirty. The local store still puts meat in a plastic bag before adding to my reusable bags (I’m weary of telling them not to), so I probably don’t have to worry about meat contamination. But should I be worrying about the rest? Do you? Or is the plastics industry trying to hang on to a not-so-good thing? — Sarah L.

Update: sarah in comments posted this link to BarfBlog’s response to this study, and we thought it was worth sharing. Thanks!

Update: We believe in credit where credit is due, so please pay a visit to the creators of the fabulous spread above, Dahan Caterers in Washington, DC. They specialize in creative, kosher catering!

There are a lot of things I love about weddings: watching the always gorgeous bride walk down the aisle, the touching exchange of hand written vows, the opportunity to dance the Horah (so fun!) and the cute little appetizers that make the rounds during the cocktail hour. This past summer, two of my very stylish friends had a very posh wedding on Baltimore’s waterfront. The culinary highlight was this beautiful appetizer table made to look like a summer garden in full bloom. Guests could pick their own bouquet and dip the edible flowers in the yummy spreads planted in terracotta pots. The watering cans held extra skewers for the veggies filling the picnic baskets — yum! Spring brides, take note! — Katie D.

I’ve already confessed to being a garbage picker, but here’s someone who has me beat: Look What I Found! documents the adventures of a trash recycler in Amsterdam who often reworks items like old sweaters into new crocheted goods she then sells in her Etsy shop, LeChatCrochet. She’s the very definition of resourceful — she even managed to put an ancient dot matrix printer to use — and her finds range from flower bulbs to displays for her street fair booth to curtains from IKEA still in the packaging. I can always use more inspiration! — Mary T.

One of our family’s goals for the New Year is to be smarter eaters — not only in what we eat, but how we make it and how much we spend on meals. This has been partly inspired by watching Food Inc (a doc I highly recommend) and also a new cookbook I just bought (Merry Christmas to me!) — Jamie’s Food Revolution. It’s packed with simple, inspiring recipes and gorgeous photos. The whole philosophy of the book is to “pass it on” — share recipes you love with others so more and more of us will eat better. Ideally, I’d have you all over dinner and show you the goodness firsthand, but for now, this little blog post will have to do!

Last night I whipped up a simple vegetable soup from the book. It’s called “spring vegetable and bean soup,” but it tasted pretty good on a cold winter’s night. Here’s how it was done: First chop up two medium onions, two carrots, two celery stalks, and two cloves of garlic in a big saucepan. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, bring some chicken or veggie broth to a boil (about two quarts). Once the veggies are softening, add the broth and then more chopped vegetables: some broccoli, cauliflower, 1 can of cannellini beans, 2 tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then cook for another ten minutes, covered. I tossed in some orzo pasta, as well. Right before you serve, stir in a roughly torn bunch of spinach leaves. Serve with crusty bread. Delicious!

Have any new cookbooks inspired you lately? I’d love to hear about them. — Angela M.

You loved Erica’s pot rack DIY and kept sending emails asking us to post the how-to already! We are happy to oblige, and we went straight to the source: Erica’s live-in handyman. Enjoy!

So far I’ve been asked to hang eight shelves, three storage cubes and one counter, so when Erica asked me to build her a pot rack, I can’t say I was surprised. I acted indifferently cool when the final product turned out so well, but on the inside I was beaming with pride over my creative prowess (which is the exception, not the rule). The kicker is that this pot rack is reproducible in almost any space using a number of variations on the basic components. Just follow these simple steps to create a quick and easy pot rack that will hang your cookware and support your ego. — Erica’s Handyman

What You’ll Need:
*Drill with 1/4″ bit
*2 Lag Eye Bolts 3/8″ X 4″
*2 Spring Snap Links 5/8″ (carabiner style)
*Broomstick
*Saw
*Sandpaper
*Shower Curtain Hooks

1. Drill 1/4″ pilot holes at the same vertical height into each side of your window frame.
2. Screw a lag eye bolt into each hole and hang the spring snap links from the lag eye bolts.
3. Measure and mark your broomstick at a point slightly smaller than the width of your window frame and saw it at the mark.
4. Sand the cut end until smooth, then hang the broomstick from the spring snap links.
5. Use shower curtain hooks to hang your pots and pans from the broomstick.

Super Cool Pets caught my attention with a cat box that recently won an Editor’s Choice award from Cat Fancy magazine. The Out of Sight Litter Box is slightly similar in idea to a litter box we wrote about here before, but with a very cat-person-friendly twist: a built-in ramp helps get stray litter off the paws before kitty returns to your rug, an elevated platform means no leaning for cleaning, and a door not only hides an unsightly box, it keeps it away from curious pooches! Read more about it here, or purchase it from outofsightlitterbox.com, $200-220. — Mary T.

I saw It’s Complicated the other week, and could barely focus on the frothy plot. All I could think about was the insanely gorgeous kitchen of Meryl Streep’s character, Jane. From the first moment I saw it, I gasped. Open shelves, a large eat-around island, clusters of olive oil bottles, shelves of cookbooks, cake plates filled with pastries and bowls of gorgeous fruit. Who lives like this!? Jane, it turns out, is a professional baker, and as the movie progresses, one of the plot lines is that she is hiring an architect (Steve Martin) to build her a “real” kitchen. Man, this screenwriter has never been in our apartment, where you can’t open the oven, dishwasher, and fridge all at the same time! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the movie (it’d be an awesome girls’ night rental, though), but if you’re looking for an inspiring kitchen, it’s a must-see. — Angela M.

Give me much more to write than a grocery list, and my hand cramps up — one of the side effects of using the computer for virtually all correspondence, I guess. This new year, I have one resolution set in my mind: writing more letters and cards by hand. The aptly named “New Ambition” pen in yellow would be a good starting point, although the thought of going totally old school is not without its charm. — Sarah L.

I had a realization the other evening over a soapy sink full of dishes: I’m in dire need of new cutting boards. My best wooden board is stained, warped, and splitting from years of mistreatment. My small plastic ones just aren’t cutting it either (excuse the pun). I’d love to get a big sturdy wooden butcher block, but honestly, I need a surface that I can throw in the sink or dishwasher to clean. Epicurean cutting boards could be the solution. They’re constructed in the USA out of layers of paper and food grade resin, making use of the by-products left from skate park construction. They are advertised as “maintenance free,” meant to be thrown into the suds or dishwasher, and need no oiling. SOLD. I’m a huge fan of the gripper series, starting at $24.99, but I’m really tempted to also invest in one of the new big block boards, starting at $159. Find them on Amazon.com, Sur la Table, or your favorite kitchen store. –Megan B.

Designed by skateboarding San Francisco native Joey Roth, the Sorapot is a marvel of form-meets-function. It’s made from stainless steel, Pyrex, and natural silicone, and is more a work of art than a simple drink dispenser. Thoroughly modern and thoroughly unfussy, the Sorapot is worthy of its $200 price tag (as well as the 20-minute video of its designer discussing its attributes on the Sorapot page). — Katie D.