~Kitchen Tips~

*!WARNING!* This post is not coming from someone with a perfectly running kitchen! Just a normal, crazy, some-times-dishes-get-left-in-the-sink-and-mud-on-the-floor type of kitchen. :)

This is just a short list of some tips I have collected and use in my kitchen. Some are from experience, but most are from what I learned from my mother and others. Nothing special, and probably you've heard them before. Some I had learned from childhood, and after revisiting them, and implementing them, it has made my life a little easier. Which is what I hope to do in sharing them with you. So here goes:

1. Dirty white fridge handles? Over a month ago I decided to do something about my fridge handles. They are slightly textured, which means all manner of dirt and who knows what gets ground into the handle and makes it really hard to clean. So, I got on Pinterest. I saw where someone had made cute cloth covers that buttoned around the handles. Then they take them off and throw them in the laundry. Well, after my last Pinterest project, (which is coming up in a later post) I was just not in the mood; at all to try it. That was a no-go. Instead, I decided to try contact paper. It worked! It is still holding strong, looks good and does the job. It is now much easier to clean, and because it looks like marble, it hides dirt. I got the contact paper at Dollar Tee, the same stuff I used for my laundry room project.
   
2. Free your fridge of clutter. I have found this tip to be a stress relief for me. I no longer have stuff falling off the fridge every time I open the door, and have things get ruined. I have a menu board mounted on the side using Command mounting strips, and some magnets. Other than the occasional note, reminder, or invitation, I do not keep anything on the fridge. *Important note* - I think it is very crucial not to make children feel like they and/or their artwork, achievements, etc. are a burden, clutter, or junk, etc. I'm simply saying things don't have to permanently live on the fridge. When my siblings come over and color/paint pictures, I put them on the fridge and leave them up for 1 week. Then I take them down and put them in a basket labeled "memories to scrapbook" and my plan is to get a 3"inch binder to put all their work in and leave out for people to look at (on a coffee table, end table, etc.). We also have made a rule that nothing goes on top of the fridge or freezer. At first, this was a hard habit to break, but now we never put anything up there. We would lose papers behind the appliances, forget about things, and such.

3.Downsize your dishes/utensils. I only have two drawers in my kitchen, and I'm the type of weirdo that doesn't like everything lurking on the counters. So I took inventory of what I had and what I truly needed to have in order to be able to make a variety of meals. I emptied the drawers and only put back what I had to have. I kept only one set of measuring cups, and one set of measuring spoons. Now when I open the drawers, I can see everything without having to shuffle through and dig. Also, I recently gave away extra mixing bowls. I kept an extra large one, large, medium and small. It makes it easier to get what I need, and to put them away. I still have some downsizing to do, but I have a good start on it. This has been worth the time for me. I find it helpful to ask myself the question :"have I used this in the last couple months?" If not, and it's not for canning or something like that, out it goes.

4. Move less used appliances elsewhere. I still need to do this in one of my cabinets, but boy does it work! When you have to fight a mountain of things everyday to cook, it gets irritating (at least for me) and is no fun. If you take things you don't use every day, or every week, and move it to the basement or some other designated place, it frees up the prime real estate in your kitchen for what you use on a daily basis and reduces stress. I'm talking things like food processors, blenders, buffet serving dishes and such. But it may look different for you. 

5. Clean out the fridge and pantry the day or morning before you grocery shop. I don't always remember to do this, but makes it easier when I do. Not only will shelves be easier to wipe down with fewer food stuffs on them, but it is a good chance to get a fresh look at what you have and take inventory so you don't buy duplicates.

6.Organize your recipes. Last year I think it was, I went through my recipes and seldom used books and put all my favorites in one large binder. I got the idea from  http://www.alejandra.tv/blog/2012/09/video-how-to-organize-recipes/  It cut back on the recipe books I have ( I only kept three very sentimental and useful ones) and made it way easier to find a certain recipe when I wanted it. Here is the link to to the post I did: http://blessingsatfelicityfarm.blogspot.com/2013/12/recipe-binder.html

7. Save time scrubbing the stove top by using a spoon rest. This might seem like a "duh" tip, and probably is, but for the longest time I didn't think it was really that beneficial. Until I finally bought one. Now clean up is a little easier because food drippings don't sit on the hot surface and bake on. There is, of course, still the occasional splatters that just happen no matter what. :)

8.Do dishes after each meal. This is especially important for dishwasher-less people like myself. Dirty dishes all around the kitchen and in the sink cause visual/mental clutter, not to mention hinder one from getting to the much needed coffee pot! lol. I don't always do it, in fact, not too many days out of the week do I faithfully do this. However, it makes the night time clean up much easier.

9.Wash all the dishes before going to bed. Really. I know, sounds like so much fun. This is probably what I would label the single, most important thing on this list for me and dare I say, everyone? The pay off is amazing. What better way to start your day than with a clean, uncluttered sink/counters? Who wants to fight Mt. Dishmore just to get baby bottles in the middle of the night, or a cup of coffee in the morning? I'm not sure any of us would raise our hands. This should be the number one kitchen "commandment". There are days when I don't do this, but let me tell you, I pay for it the next day. But then there are also days once in a while though, when things have been out of this world crazy, and it's just not thinkable to stay up 'till 11:00p.m to wash your dishes. And that is ok. The world won't end because of it. But normally, there is no reason for me not to do this every evening. Then in the morning while coffee is brewing, because they are all clean and have drip-dried, I put all the dishes away.

I hope you all have a great day. Take care and God bless!