˚kitchen tip˚ Steaming and Boiling

No...I didn't fall off the face of the planet. Yes...I do have a million projects to show you. How could I not with a wedding exactly one week away. Boy have we been busy. 

But for today (since wedding projects and school papers are still in full swing around here) I just have a simple kitchen tip.

The other day I was making spaghetti. I wanted steamed asparagus on the side, BUT I didn't want to boil water twice. 

So...

I simply boiled the noodles...

And put the steamer on top with the asparagus in it.

By the time the noodles were finished, my asparagus was done. Talk about killing two birds with one pot of boiling water.

And there were no funny tastes either. Perfect.

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˚kitchen tip˚ Easy way to Grate Fresh Ginger

Do you like fresh ginger? Some of my favorite recipes call for ginger. Like this one from ourbestbites.com. Sometimes grating ginger can be difficult and you might be tempted to use ground ginger. Don't do it! My father-in-law shared this easy tip and it works really well.

All you have to do is freeze your ginger root. I put mine in a ziplock bag and it keeps really well. It doesn't seem to affect the taste at all and when you pull it out to grate its easy as pie. 

So...go make something with fresh ginger and enjoy it!

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˚organizational tip˚ Pots and Pans

Why is it that the most essential things in a kitchen take up the most space? Seriously. Think about it. The stove...fridge...freezer...dishwasher. How about pots and pans? We use our pots and pans all the time. Want to see how we store them so they don't take up too much space in the kitchen (since we can't oust the fridge or oven)?

Take a peek...(i almost just left the "k" off of peek. hmm....)

Since we have a small kitchen, our pot hanger sits just outside of it. I have seen awesome pot hangers that hang from the ceiling that would be wonderful in some larger kitchens. Just find one that works for you! 

And enjoy a little bit more room in your kitchen. 

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˚cleaning tip˚ Smelly Sinks

A few days ago I kept smelling a horrible stench coming from our sink. When I stuck my nose closer to the disposal my eyes almost started watering. Needless to say, it was time for my favorite cleaning friends to come out and play.

Vinegar and Baking Soda.

First, I ran the disposal with water running to make sure I cleaned all the big gunk out that may have been stuck down there. Next I poured a heap of baking soda down the drain.

Down went the vinegar afterwards. I let is sit and bubble for about 15 minutes before I rinsed everything down.

Ahhhh! Much better. And just in case you need another trick, try grinding up your orange/lemon/lime peels every once in awhile. Gives it a nice citrus smell.

Happy sink de-smelling!

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˚recipe˚ Hummus and Pita Chips

Is hummus a hippie food? Do you even like hummus? I LOVE it. Especially this recipe.Complete with pita chips. Mmmmmm...a perfect snack for any day.

First, start the pita chips. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take normal pita bread and brush with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle on sea salt (regular salt works too).

Use a pizza cutter to cut the pita into little slices.

Pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes. Then flip them over and let them toast for another 5. Meanwhile, put these ingredients in a blender:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3.4 tsp. salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 c. teheni (this is mashed up sesame seed and can be found in the store by the mayo.)
• Juice of one lemon.

 

TIP: Since the tehini can get a little sticky when you are measuring it, put the water (1/4 c.) and oil (1/4 c.) in a measuring glass, and pour the tehini in until you reach 3/4 c. The tehini displaces the other liquid and that's how you know to stop pouring. Plus, when you dump all of that in a blender, it is much less messy. (This trick works great with peanut butter too).

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your hippie hummus!

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˚kitchen tip˚ A Simple Bowl

Quick tip today regarding a time saver (and mess saver) in the kitchen. We eat a lot of veggies and fruits around here. A lot of time my cutting board gets overwhelmed by everything I am cutting up. In order to save space on the cutting board (and avoid big goobers on the garbage can) I put all of the unusable parts of my fruits and veggies in an extra bowl until I have finished cutting everything up. It frees up space on the cutting board, makes it so you only have one trip to the garbage can, and reduces the amount of gunk that gets stuck to the garbage can. And since everything in the bowl is fresh, a quick rinse with water cleans it out. I like it. Maybe you will too!

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