Kitchen Tip Tuesday 1/11/11

I print most of my recipes from the internet. They get put into clear plastic sheet protectors and then stored in binders according to type ("Beef," "Soups and Stews," "Cookies," etc.).  Yes, it would be great if I just kept them all on the computer, but I like to be able to browse my binders for ideas, so whatever!

When I am using a recipe from one of the binders, I like to have it right in front of my face. This is where the KITCHEN TIP finally comes in: I use a plastic paper stand designed for computer work as my recipe holder. I can actually have several pages in their sheet protectors stacked on the stand at once (handy for freezer cooking days or for a dinner that's using several recipes), with the recipe in use at the top. This keeps the recipe page from getting lost in the kitchen or spilled on, and for times when I'm making multiple items, all the recipes are in one place.

Plastic stands are available from The Walmartz, Tar-jay, office stores, etc. and aren't very expensive. Of course, being a perpetual student AND an elementary teacher, I happened to have a few around the house. I simply appropriated one and re-purposed it for kitchen use.


~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Towels

My tip today is TOWELS - and lots of 'em! I've been trying to get away from using so many "disposables" in the kitchen, including paper towels and "surface wipes." I have a deep drawer in my kitchen that is just FILLED with all sorts of towels, mostly terry-cloth.  Having so many that are easily washable means that I can grab one for spills, messes, wet hands, putting washed fruits and veggie on, whatever!  Niece and nephew know exactly where to go when they need a towel (can you say SPILLS - I know, it's the dog's fault!), and they know they can grab as many as they need.  Having lots means I don't run out between laundry loads, making me more likely to reach for a re-usable towel rather than a paper towel that will become trash.

Now, go to Tammy's Recipes for lots more kitchen tips!

It's like BUTTAH!

Cute logo taken directly from Tammy's blog!

This is an oldie-but-goodie: Save your butter wrappers!  I cook and bake exclusively with real butter, so I go through several quarter-pound sticks each week.  Instead of just tossing the wrapper, I fold them over (buttery side facing in)  and store them in a quart size Ziploc in the door of the freezer.  Then, when I need to grease a pan, out comes a wrapper or two.  Handy and frugal at the same time!

Now, hurry over to the Tammy's Recipes site for gobs more great tips from some smart cookies!

And after that, while we're on the subject of butter... when was the last time you read The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss?  It's one of my favorites, and I think it speaks to some of the challenges we face in the world today. Great holiday gift idea for kids, teachers, anyone!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Composting

We have a compost bin in our backyard (actually, we have THREE bins, all in different stages of ripening), and we save all our fruit/vegetable scraps, tea bags, etc. in a little bucket with a lid that sits on the counter.  Once a day or so someone takes the bucket out to the bins and dumps it. For the most part, this works great.

However... sometimes things get a little out of control when we're peeling a whole lot of potatoes and/or carrots.  That's a lot of scraps all at once, and they seem to get everywhere! Mr. Mamie suggested that we start doing our peeling over a spread of newsprint.  Then, when everything's peeled, we can bundle up the newspaper/peelings and carry the whole thing out to the compost bin.  The mess is thus contained, AND the newspaper adds some needed "browns" to our compost.

Thanks to TammysRecipes.com for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!