From Cindy's Heart

Tips To Help Make Managing the

Kitchen EASY (Well, Easier!)

By Cindy Rushton

• Set up “Work Centers” for each step of the cooking process—for example, have a work area for preparing your homemade bread, another for mixing “wet ingredients” and yet another for chopping, etc.

• Buy measuring spoons and cups to leave in your storage containers for staples like flour, sugar, baking mixes, etc.

• Need menu ideas (EVEN after all we include here-ha!)? Keep your favorite take-out menus in a notebook. Plan homemade versions of your favorite take-out meals!

• Try EASY Bulk Cooking! Yep! All you have to do is double your recipe when you are preparing a meal. Serve half, store half. Then, you will have a complete meal, ready-to-warm later on a busy day. No more eating out on those stressful days!

• Keep kitchen cleaning supplies and tools in a bucket all together. You won’t waste time hunting for what you need and you will also be able to glance to see when you need to re-stock your essentials.

• Don’t forget Crock-pot cooking! Not only are your meals easy to prepare, but the nutrients are preserved in the dish! Be sure to use your crock-pots for your stove-top dishes. Less mess. Less work. And, for those like me—less likely to burn! :) Try out your soups, stews, meats in your crock pot! You will LOVE IT!

• Leftover veggies? Meats? Keep in baggies for your soups! Easy, fast, and you don’t waste those bits!

• Clean as you cook! Use that time waiting for your meal to cook so you do not have that after meal mess awaiting!

• Make your own recipe book! Why not work through all of those old cookbooks and recipe books to collect your favorites (the way YOU cook them/like them) into your own recipe notebook? Not only can you save space in the kitchen, but you can also save space in your schedule hunting up those recipes when you are in a pinch. OH! And also less boo-boo’s with those recipes that are not exactly what you like. OH! And...what an heirloom for your family members!