Welcome to “Thursday Thoughts”…today is January 12th 2023…Did you know that on this day, January 12, 1885, Dr Pepper sold its very first bottle in the USA?…that makes it the oldest soft drink brand in America.
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in a magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
– Jack London
Eyelashes are supposed to prevent things from getting into your eyes but when I do have something in my eye, it’s always an eyelash. Pretty ‘eye’ronic.
In the age of electrification, we take rechargeable batteries for granted. From phones and laptops to hi-tech cameras – these batteries have one thing in common. They’re all made of lithium.
Their most notable use nowadays is in electric vehicles…I’ve seen the adverts, listened to the converted,…Plus we need a future without fossil fuel dependence, which is crucial if we want to slow down climate change…however it seems to me that every change has a cost environmentally somewhere along the line it is either a human cost(mining) lithium extraction harms the soil and can cause air contamination. or an environmental cost massive water consumption being one…we have to go forward and find something that works to slow down climate change however the world’s population is growing albeit slowing down…
Many people point out that Li-on batteries can be recycled, which is certainly a plus as it means they can be used repeatedly rather than mining having to occur each time.
But this is not yet a universally established practice and there has been meagre progress in battery recycling in recent years.
Is there an alternative to using lithium in batteries…?
Salt, or sodium, is a close chemical cousin to lithium…could that be the answer?
Did you know?
When you buy a car in Japan you have to prove that you have somewhere to park it?
As it’s National Soup Month, I thought a soup recipe was just the thing…Down on the Farm, we have lots of kale…
Ingredients:
- 4 slices of bacon, diced
- 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 6 cups homemade chicken stock or use good stock cube.
- 2 cups firmly packed chopped kale leaves
- A pinch of salt
- A few grinds of black pepper
Let’s Cook!
In a soup pot cook the bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside on paper towels to drain.
Add potatoes, onions, and garlic to bacon drippings in the soup pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add stock, kale, salt, and pepper and simmer for an hour, or until potatoes are soft.
Transfer soup to a blender or food processor and puree in batches. Return to soup pot and thin with stock if necessary.
Serve topped with bacon or with some crispy kale…I let hubby have the bacon and I had kale.
Did you Know? A group of Frogs is called an army of Frogs and although Toads rarely gather in groups if they do or did it’s called a knot of Toads?
Thank you for joining me today for Thursday Thoughts I hope you are all having a great week as always I look forward to your comments…The good news in my house is that hubby and son have given up smoking fingers and everything is crossed that they succeed I’m hoping neither of them will want to be the first to give in x
Retired? No one told me! 
Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…8th-14th January 2023-Monday Musings , #Carol’s Green Kitchen, Thursday Thoughts and from Sally #The Brain and its functions…… | Retired? No one told me!
This is funny: I just made a sweet potatoes and kale soup that I invented just because there was nothing else on hand at the moment. it was good, too!
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Sounds lovely did you add bacon too?
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Bacon is not a Jewish thing, darling, but there are fake bacon crumbs that we call crunchies, and we sprinkle them on the soup as it is served.
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Oh ok.. another little snippett I have learnt… Crunchies… X
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Thanks for the recipe Carol and that is an amazing breakthrough on the battery front, especially as 75% of the earth is ocean and precious minerals will not last for ever… ♥
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You are welcome, Sally and yes it does sound a positive step forward ❤
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I enjoyed your thoughts and your recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Velva
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Thank you, Velva 🙂
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I have a Weight Watcher’s recipe for pea soup that adds silky tofu (3/4 cup) to the mix. It’s a great way to add more protein to the recipe. It’s one of my favorite recipes. I have a pot of veggie soup (eat the rainbow) going right now. It brightens up these gray days. 💛
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I love pea soup but not something I make often and I should have you have encouraged me to make it again…Thank you, Colleen ❤
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You’re welcome Carol. 💜
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Of course I had to google it and the recipe sounds delicious lots of yummy ingredients and one I will definitely be trying 🙂 xx
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I have some other Weight Watchers recipes I should send you. Some are quite creative with ingredients. Tofu is full of protein and one of the foods we’re encouraged to eat. Most Americans don’t like it… they say it has no taste. But when you pair tofu with vegetables and hot peppers it takes on the taste of the other ingredients.
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Thanks for this article Carol. I wasn’t aware of the seawater project, and I hope this pans out.
Enjoy your beautiful soup!
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You are welcome, Dorothy and I will we have kale coming out of our ears…lol
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Pingback: CarolCooks2…Thursday Thoughts!…12th January 2023…Potato and Kale Soup plus is there an alternative to Lithium Batteries… – MobsterTiger
Thank you for the reblog 🙂
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They were talking on the radio a little while back about the number of ‘old’ phones tucked away in drawers and how they could be recycled and elements used again if everybody dug them out and handed them in. When I went to look for my old phone I couldn’t find it .,,
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That’s a shame I think we don’t think about recycling phones in the same way as we think about plastic and glass recycling…
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We don’t use many batteries, mostly only those in remote controls, and they last for ages. I read about seawater batteries last year, but as with most things announced as new innovations it may take a very long time to adapt them to everyday use. I would like to see more research into using hydrogen to power vehicles, I think that might be the cleanest alternative.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Apparently there has been safety concerns about using hydrogen but Toyota don’t agree and think their vehicles that are powered by hydrogen are just as safe like anything it takes a while to get people on board…Electric cars took a while to take off..Time will tell , Pete …I hope you are feeling much better now 🙂 x
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I’m still tired, Carol. But getting there. xx
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That’s good to hear, Pete its obviously going to take its time xx
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