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I ran across an interesting item in my feed reader the other day. In brief, there is a site that claims to be an energy-efficient version of Google, just because it uses a black background instead of white. The problem is, black screens are actually less energy-efficient on LCD monitors than on CRTs. And since the world is trying to leave CRTs behind, Blackle is actually doing more harm than good with its black backgrounds.

This reminded me of another site that I happened upon recently. The basic gist is, peta, an organization that claims to be saving animals, is actually killing them by the boatload. In my opinion, the problem isn't so much that they're euthanizing animals, as it is that they're trying to cover it up. But the focus of this site seems to be the other part of it: an organization that claims to be saving animals is actually killing animals. More harm than good.

While I was mentioning these things to my brother, he brought up another one. Sorry, no link on this one, but I'm sure there's something out there. Ordinary indandescent bulbs are being replaced by compact flourescent bulbs everywhere. The problem is, flourescent bulbs contain mercury, a known toxin. At our house we've been systematically replacing indandescent bulbs with flourescent bulbs, as the indandescent bulbs burn out. I haven't had a flourescent bulb burn out yet (we moved in less than a year ago, and are supposed to expect many years to come), but when one does burn out we're supposed to take it to a special center or something to dispose of it, because of the mercury.

I don't know about you, but I don't know where this magical, mystical place of compact flourescent bulb recycling is. And I'd be willing to bet that most of America has no clue either. In fact, I'd be surprised if the majority of Americans knew that they were screwing in little mercury capsules into all of those electrical sockets in their house.

I guess there's a few lessons to take away here. I think I may have said some of them before, like don't take medical advice from me because I'm not a doctor and in fact can't even manage to open a computer without cutting myself. Also, logic that seems infallable to you might be absolutely idiotic to somebody who actually knows what they're talking about. And let's not forget that just because some big, faceless organization claims to be helping you help the environment, doesn't mean they're telling the whole story.

Maybe it's time to start questioning things instead of taking them for granted.

UPDATE: Okay, it was weird enough that so many people posted about the CFLs. But I didn't mind because some intelligent things were being said. Then somebody posted without reading the other comments, and it seemed a little less intelligent.

Look, if you're that worried about the CFLs, just get an LED-based light bulb. They have no mercury, they use even less power than the CFLs, and they'll last much, much longer. They're also terribly expensive right now, but if you're that worried about both mercury and incandescent bulbs, they're really your best shot.

And that's it. I'm shutting of comments on this post.

I did a little experimenting with cheesecakes recently. Now, when I say experimenting, I mean these probably aren't what you think of when you think of cheesecake. And you know, that's a real shame, because these really are delicious. But if you're feeling a little iffy about them, don't worry. If you remember my mini gnome cheesecakes, you'll know that you can make little tiny versions of the cheesecakes to sample, and if you like it then just quadruple the recipe and make a big cheesecake. That's right, these cheesecakes can be made with empty tuna cans. Let's take them one at a time, and I apologize in advance for the monotonous photos.

Cheddar Apple Cheesecake



This may seem a little strange to anyone that lives outside of New England, but cheddar and apple really do go well together. And while this is a sweet cheesecake, I didn't want it to be too sweet, so I went with a pretzel crust. The sugar is actually an attempt to make the crust hold together a little better. After a few tests both ways, I think it worked. As you can see in the photo, I added a little cinnamon on top of the cheesecakes, which I think really makes it.

Crust:

5 Tbsp pretzel crumbs
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp butter

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Garnish:

Ground cinnamon, as needed

* Preheat oven to 350F.
* Prepare 4 empty tuna cans, as per the mini Gnome cheesecake recipe.
* Melt the butter, and toss with pretzel crumbs and sugar. Divide evenly among the tuna cans, about 2 Tbsp per can.
* Press crusts into the bottom of the cans.
* Blind-bake the crusts at 350F for 10 minutes.
* Allow crusts to cool completely on counter, and drop the oven temperature to 275F.
* Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
* Mix in the egg.
* Mix in the apple sauce and cheddar.
* Divide the cream cheese mixture among the tuna cans.
* Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the cheesecakes.
* Bake at 275F for 15 minutes.
* Turn off the oven and leave the door open for one minute.
* Close the door and allow the cheesecakes to cool for 45 minutes with the oven.
* Chill overnight before serving.


Bacon and Onion Cheesecake



I'm not going to lie here. Savory cheesecakes freak people out, just like you already started freaking out when you read the name of this cheesecake. I think that this kind of cheesecake is actually what the tuna can form factor is perfect for. Yes, they are kind of intense to eat on their own. No, you wouldn't ever serve it for dessert. Tell you what, instead of thinking of it as cheesecake, how about if you think about it as a dip? The only difference between this and a cheeseball is that this is flat, and tastes way better.

Crust:

5 Tbsp pretzel crumbs
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp butter

Filling:

4 strips bacon
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
dash Worcestershire sauce
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 Tbsp whole milk

* Preheat oven to 350F.
* Prepare 4 empty tuna cans, as per the mini Gnome cheesecake recipe.
* Melt the butter, and toss with pretzel crumbs and sugar. Divide evenly among the tuna cans, about 2 Tbsp per can.
* Press crusts into the bottom of the cans.
* Blind-bake the crusts at 350F for 10 minutes.
* Allow crusts to cool completely on counter, and drop the oven temperature to 275F.
* Fry the bacon till nice and crispy. Remove from the pan to cool, but save the drippings.
* Saute the onion and bell pepper in the bacon drippings until nice and browned. When the onion gets transluscent, add the garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to cool completely.
* Cream together the cream cheese and sour cream.
* Mix in the egg.
* Mix in the milk.
* Crumble the bacon, and fold into the cream cheese mixture with the veggies.
* Divide the cream cheese mixture among the tuna cans.
* Bake at 275F for 15 minutes.
* Turn off the oven and leave the door open for one minute.
* Close the door and allow the cheesecakes to cool for 45 minutes with the oven.
* Chill overnight before serving.


Chinese Five-Spice Cheesecake



Okay, so maybe the savory cheesecake was a little weird. And this one probably seems weird too. Don't worry, this is probably the most normal of these cheesecakes. Depending on who makes it, Chinese Five-Spice tends to have ingredients like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, things like that. Kind of like a pumpkin pie. I even threw in a gingersnap crust, which is excellent. You'll like this one.

Crust:

5 Tbsp gingersnap crumbs
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp butter

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice powder

* Preheat oven to 350F.
* Prepare 4 empty tuna cans, as per the mini Gnome cheesecake recipe.
* Melt the butter, and toss with gingersnap crumbs and sugar. Divide evenly among the tuna cans, about 2 Tbsp per can.
* Press crusts into the bottom of the cans.
* Blind-bake the crusts at 350F for 10 minutes.
* Allow crusts to cool completely on counter, and drop the oven temperature to 275F.
* Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
* Mix in the egg.
* Mix in the spices.
* Divide the cream cheese mixture among the tuna cans.
* Bake at 275F for 15 minutes.
* Turn off the oven and leave the door open for one minute.
* Close the door and allow the cheesecakes to cool for 45 minutes with the oven.
* Chill overnight before serving.