These beautiful Rosanna Mondo etched recycled  tumblers are made completely from 100% recycled glass in a small village in Mexico. Each tumbler is hand made - well they are actually mouth blown - and hand decorated by Mexican artisans using age old European traditions.

The revival of this age old technique produces glassware in a manner that is earth friendly, is beautiful and  creates much needed jobs in the Mexican Community

The great thing about these glass tumblers is that if you break a piece you can just recycle it. What could be better in today’s environmentally conscious world than creating an item that can be recycled, is sustainable, and makes the world a better place by creating jobs.

Not only are you doing your bit to reduce your carbon footprint but a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the Mondo glass collections is donated to Doctors Without Borders. This is an organization that provides emergency care to areas hard hit by epidemics.

Hand washing recommended for these lovely tumblers and they are not suitable to use in the microwave. 

Where Can I Buy the Enviromentally Friendly Rosanne Mondo Recycled Glass Tumblers?
Cooking.com

Kitchenetc.com

She now has a new website address called Carrie’s Sweet Life and she approaches her cooking with the same down to earth approach that she applied to her previous blog site.

Now I checked out the new recipes and was very taken with the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes but this is just one of the amazing recipes Carrie has on her site.

I urge you to head on over and check it out. you won’t regret it. There are recipes to suit every taste.

And while you are there take a read of ‘The Sweet Life’ to find out interesting facts about Carrie plus her delightful photos.

Also give this recipe a go - Corn and Potato Chowder and Bacon - delicious.

Tonight I am cooking Indian so I thought I would check out some of the Indian cooking blogs for some ideas. Here is a selection of some of the Indian cooking treasures I found today when I was surfing the net instead of working (shhh don’t tell Paula I’m playing)

Sailu’s Food - Spicy Chicken Masala Curry

Simple Indian Food - Thalipeeth and Okra Raita

One Hot Stove - Corianda Rosti

Anglo-Indian Food - Fish Moley

Indian Food Rocks -  Gajjarachi koshimbir - Carrot Salad

We often visit her site to check out what great recipes and stories she has in store. Ree now has a new website called “thepioneerwoman.com” and I have just come from reading about her Tomato-Basil Pizza, Two Ways: An Experiment. Both ways of making this pizza are very easy to make and very tasty to eat.

I really like her new website and I am sure you will as well.

Ree has a great way of writing which is entertaining and amusing. So why not get yourself a coffee and settle down to check out the recipes and all the other interesting stuff on thepioneerwoman.com

This weeks Blog of the Week is

Big City, Little Kitchen

I had saved this cooking blog to my favorites some time ago when I came across a fabulous recipe for Cinnamon-Crumble Coffee Cake.

Now this blog is written by Gena who lives in an apartment in Manhatten and she writes about her cooking and dining experiences among other related things such as her trip to Paris where she tells about her favourite eating and shopping expeditions.

The recipes are accompanied by photos that show the end result so you know what your recipe is supposed to look when it is finished.  This is something I really like as there are times when you look at your finished product and think, hmmmm not too sure that’s how it’s supposed to look.

There are just so many yummy recipes that are well presented  with easy to follow instructions.

I recommend that you grab a coffee and take a good browse through Big City, Little Kitchen and I know you will be inspired to try some of the great recipes. The hardest thing will be choosing what to try first.

‘Cook and Eat‘

This great cooking blog is written by Lara Ferroni and her style of writing and presentation of the recipes is excellent.  The recipes are accompanied by beautiful photographs of her mouthwatering creation.

If you love Udon noodles and want to give making them a go, then check out the post on ‘Udon with no shoes on‘. The part where you have to walk on the noodles -without shoes of course-turns making the noodles into fun.  Of course you can use a pasta maker if you have one, but as Lara says turn the exercise into a fun event and evenget the kids involved.

There are so many great recipes and another one that I was particularly taken with is the Three Cheese Cake.  Believe me if you are a cheesecake lover, then you will want to give this recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed with the result. And again, check out the fabulous photos of the finished cheesecake.

There is just so much interesting stuff to read on Lara’s blog and The Progressive Party is one that is full of great ideas for a neighbourhood progressive party and the recipe for Cheesy Rissotto Balls  from ’Jamie’s Italy’ is a great way to use up left over risotto.

So do yourself a favour and head over to Cook & Eat for a great read and some wonderful recipes.

‘Too Many Chefs‘

This blog is put together by Meg in Paris, Barrett in Maryland,  Justin in Switzerland (formerly from Bogata) and Paul.

The recipes are well presented and accompanied by interesting chat on and off the topic,  and the photos are nice and clear so you get a good idea of how the meal should look when it is finished.  Always a plus for new cooks.

I just love the stories about Meg trying to get her toddler to eat a variety of foods and this story about sausages and mash  (hmmm, very tasty) is really amusing. Takes me back to when my own kids were toddlers and having one who was particularly finicky with food.

Some other great recipes that you will find on Too Many Chefs,  are  the Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragout,  Cilantro Pesto and Black Bean Cakes and the next dish which was presented a number of publications such as the Nashville Tenesseean -Mexican Black Bean Tart with Cornmeal Crust .

There are just so many wonderful recipes to try and stories to read, so do check out this great site.

This weeks Blog of the Week is

‘FXcuisine’

I found this site through ‘Stumbleupon” and I am so glad I did.

Now here is a cooking blog with a difference. Firstly it is put together by François-Xavier (FX) who is a French-speaking Swiss man living on the shores of Lake Geneva, an hour from both France and Italy. Already I am totally jealous and intrigued. And secondly the recipes and articles are accompanied by great photos with full descriptions on how to achieve the desired result. 

I was captivated immediately by the intriguing banner and then my eye travelled down the page to all the interesting recipes and articles.

There are so many interesting recipes such as the Daube de beu saintongeaise or Beef with carrots or the Pumpkin Gnocchis, a recipe I must try as I have never been able to perfect this dish. For a refreshing yogurt salad try the Indian Raita

One article that I found to be very interesting, having lived on a farm where we killed our own meat was  about the killing of the pigs. This article may be disturbing to some and you are warned before reading it that there are graphic pictures of a pig being slaughtered in the Moldavian manner.

FXcuisine is a veritable feast for the senses.

‘Pinch My Salt’

A fabulous site compiled by Nicole who not only provides great recipes but also lots of fantastic photos to accompany them. Nicole and her husband are Americans who until recently lived in Sicily so it stands to reason that some of her recipes reflect an Italian flavor.

She is in the process of putting together her first recipe book which will consist of recipes not included on the website.

Now for a taste of the recipes that are on the site, check out the Naughty Ice Cream, a truly decadent ice cream sandwhich that combines Kahlua-flavored dark chocolate chunk brownies and ice cream spiked with Bailey’s. An ideal treat for the up and coming Valentines day.

As I have previously stated, I love chorizo so when I saw the recipe for Tomato Paella with chorizo I just had to try it. Do yourself a favor and make this dish, it’s scrumptous.

There are many other great recipes to try so head on over to Pinch my Salt and enjoy.

Joy of Baking

This is one of those absolute treasures. The blog is written by Stephanie Jaworski and the recipes are all tried and tested in her own kitchen. The fabulous photographs are provided by her husband Rick.

Now believe me when I tell you that her recipe for Banana Muffins is absolutely mouthwatering to die for.  I am a great fan of banana cake, bread and muffins just in case that escaped your notice.  I also love bananas au natural - simply skinned.

The blog is full of amazing recipes that I just can’t wait to try.  So if you are looking for a great range of cake, biscotti, brunch, dessert or special  event recipes be sure to check out the Joy of Baking site.