Category: Kitchen Tips

  1. Thursday, March 4

    Small kitchens and the joys of organization!

    The kitchen is unpacked. {A sigh of relief from the starving Maynard children.} Seriously, what a chore! But it’s done done done. We actually ate dinner as a family around the table last night…granted, dinner was a frozen veggie lasagna, but it’s a step in the right direction!

    new kitchen web

    Today’s post is all about small kitchen spaces. I know I’m not the only one out there with a small kitchen, and mine isn’t even that bad (anyone from Manhattan out there?).

    I have to say, now that I have a smaller kitchen space, I’m more organized than I’ve ever been! Without the luxury of space, I’ve really had to think about what I need and use regularly, and the best way to organize and store it. I’m especially proud of this cupboard. Who needs drawers? Not me!

    kitchen cupboard organized web

    In addition to buying a few organizing bins as well as uniform tupperware that fit inside one another neatly, we also purchased doors for a small bookcase we have and stuck that against the wall near the kitchen table to serve as a mini pantry. After everything was unpacked and put away, I actually had space left over! In fact, my KitchenAid is going to take a permanent spot on the counter. Yea!

    Today it’s all about small kitchens and organizing our kitchen wares. Even with the large kitchen I had before, I certainly wasn’t organizing it as well as I could have been. We could all do with a few good tips! So, bring it on, folks…give us your best advice for organizing kitchen ’stuff’ and/or tips for working in a tiny kitchen. Can’t wait to hear your great ideas!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 2:00 pm   27 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  2. Thursday, January 21

    Kitchen Tip: Adjust-A-Cup

    When I was making our peanut butter playdough this week and happily using my Adjust-A-Cup, I realized I’ve never written about it. So here we are. I love it. Especially for sticky things that are so hard to get out of a regular measuring cup, like PEANUT BUTTER. It works like a charm.

    adjust a cup web

    I know the Adjust-A-Cup is nothing new, but it took me years to finally get one, so I’m excited about it just the same. And if you haven’t gotten one yet, hop to it! (I like the 2-cup version, but they have a 1-cup and a mini as well.)

    Happy Measuring!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:03 am   13 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips, The Goods

  3. Wednesday, January 13

    Kitchen Tip: Freezing Wine

    I love today’s Kitchen Tip. This one is thanks to my friend Nikki, who shared the Pasta Primarvera with us.

    freezing wine web

    Nate and I don’t drink, but I do cook with wine when a recipe calls for it. There’s a problem with this combination – whenever I use wine for a recipe, I have tons leftover that invariably goes to waste. Even if you do drink wine, I’m sure there are times leftover wine goes bad sitting in your fridge.

    Guess what? You can freeze wine and cook with it later!  How great is that?  My technique is to measure 1 cup of wine into small ziploc bags and then lay them flat in the freezer. Ice cube trays can work, too.

    And because I’m proving to be a real Mark Bittman groupie, check out this great article about freezing foods. This is where Nikki found the wine tip. I actually had read the article but totally missed the wine. Thanks once again, Nikki!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 5:40 pm   13 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  4. Friday, January 1

    Tomatoes don’t like refrigerators, so keep them separated

    The other night Nate told me that I forgot to put the tomatoes in the fridge. To which I replied, “Don’t you read my blog? They shouldn’t go in the fridge!” But then I realized, I have only alluded to this tomato info once in a post about ripening avocados. So…I think a post on refrigerating tomatoes is in order!

    not refrigerating tomatoes web

    One day while selecting tomatoes at the grocery store, I noticed a little sign hanging above the tomatoes. It said that tomatoes should never be refrigerated and (here’s where my memory gets fuzzy) there was something about the colder temperature affecting the sugars of the tomato, which changes the texture and makes them mushy and/or mealy.

    I’ve done a little research and can’t find any good resources with information on this topic, in fact a lot of the information is conflicting. Often people say you shouldn’t refrigerate tomatoes because it reduces flavor. I actually don’t think this is the issue. The sign I read at the store didn’t say anything about flavor, but specifically talked about texture. Perhaps it’s a combo of both, who knows? Any tomato scientists out there?

    Regardless, don’t put them in the fridge. They are affected and are much better stored at room temperature.  Also, putting tomatoes in the fridge will stop the ripening process (as with most fruits and vegetables), and most tomatoes I’ve purchased could always use a little more ripening.

    That all said, once I cut into a tomato, I do refrigerate any leftovers. But I make an effort to only cut as many as I need and keep my tomatoes at room temperature for as long as possible.

    If you want to read a few articles on the topic, click this link or this link.

    If you do put your tomatoes in the fridge, I’m certain it won’t be the end of the world as we know it. But if you want your tomatoes to taste their best, keep them on the counter.

    All this tomato talk (which, by the way, was much longer than I was planning on!) is making me happy we’re having tomato soup tonight! (And, yes, I’ll share that recipe with you later.)

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 5:04 pm   9 Comments
    Categories: Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips

  5. Friday, December 18

    Birthday Cake Success!

    Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while may remember my annual stresses over birthday cakes. Last year I begged you all for birthday cake tips, and then I chickened out and made a layer cake that was cute and tasty, but not very adventurous.  Our little Anna likes Spiderman a lot. It’s pretty cute. I decided that I would make her a Spiderman cake this year. Thankfully his head is a simple oval, so this was a good cake for me to get my feet wet with.

    spiderman birthday cake 1 web

    Do you mind if I brag a bit? I love her cake! I’m so happy with how it came out. YEA!!!!!

    spiderman cake 2 web

    I will say this. I didn’t cheat at all in the process.

    • I used cake strips, of course.
    • I froze the cakes before assembling and frosting.
    • I made the frosting from scratch, so I could make a ton for not much money and have plenty to work with.
    • I used wax paper to keep the cake platter clean.
    • I applied a crumb coat of frosting first before doing a top layer of frosting.
    • I used tons of food coloring to get the color of icing I wanted.
    • I practiced decorating with frosting before attacking the cake itself. (This was big for me, I hate “wasting” time practicing!)

    All of this meant it took longer to make, but it was well worth the effort. Thank you for indulging me and letting me show off the cake! Maybe next year I’ll try a more interesting shape. Or maybe I should just stick with things at are oval-shaped. ;)

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:17 pm   19 Comments
    Categories: Kids, Kitchen Tips

  6. Friday, December 11

    Vanilla Bean

    Today I cut open my very first vanilla beans! (Sidenote: I’m almost ashamed to admit this. Seems like something I should have done before, right? Sometimes this blog feels more like confession than a food blog!)

    vanilla bean split web

    I can’t tell you exactly what I am using this vanilla for (you’ll find out next week!), but I can share the vanilla itself with you today.

    vanilla bean and seeds web

    The point of this post is that using vanilla beans is EASY. I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess I thought the beans would be harder to cut through, and that the seeds might be tricky to get out. I was happy to discover that using fresh vanilla beans is a simple and painless process – just slice down one side (it cuts easily) and scrape out the seeds. And it sure smells good while you’re doing it! So, if you are scared like I was…don’t be!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 4:23 pm   7 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips, The Goods, Way Gourmet

  7. Wednesday, November 18

    Kitchen Tip: Longer Lasting Fresh Garlic

    Recently Nate’s lab at Stanford went on a team building trip with Parties That Cook. They went on a special tour of the Ferry Building, including a behind the scenes look at Acme Bread. The day ended with a cooking class and then they got to eat all the amazing food they cooked. I was SO jealous all day, knowing what Nate was up to without me! He did bring home some yummy goodies to try to make me feel better. It kind of worked. He also came home with a great kitchen tip!

    garlic bulb trick web

    The chef who taught the cooking class said that he breaks up his garlic bulbs as soon as he buys them. It helps the garlic keep fresh longer by airing it out and reducing the chance of moisture getting between the cloves. Basically, it will take longer for the cloves to turn green (green cloves = bitter garlic).

    I’m really excited about this tip…I HATE cracking open garlic cloves only to find they’ve turned green. Hopefully that will happen less often now!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:05 pm   8 Comments
    Categories: Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips

  8. Wednesday, September 16

    Guest Post on Make and Takes: Fun with Edible Nasturtiums

    Don’t miss my guest post over on Make and Takes today: Fun with Edible Nasturtiums

    cate eating nasturtiums

    Big thanks to my dear friend Christy who gave me the idea in the first place! Hope you can grow nasturtiums in your new home state of South Dakota, Christy!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 3:17 pm   3 Comments
    Categories: Guest Blogger, Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips

  9. Tuesday, September 15

    Random Tip: Getting Ball Point Pen Out of Clothes

    I have to share this tip because I love it. It has absolutely nothing to do with food or cooking, so it doesn’t really classify as a Kitchen Tip…but I’m sharing it anyway! Have you ever gotten pen on your clothes? Yeah, me too. A friend of mine shared the best tip with me years ago that has worked every time since…HAIRSPRAY. Before you wash the garment, soak the pen stain in hairspray for a while (sometimes I repeat this step). I swear it works. It’s like MAGIC.

    removing ink stain

    I took this picture right after I sprayed hairspray onto the pen marks…yeah, this is Anna’s brand new, adorable outfit that she attacked with a pen. You can see how the ink started to fade out immediately.

    I will tell you, the trick did not work once…but the ink was from a bright red, non-ballpoint pen, so I think the ink is different. Too bad, because it was another cute outfit of Anna’s destroyed by none other than Anna herself. Kids!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 6:00 am   11 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  10. Thursday, August 27

    Handy Kitchen Tool: Magnetic Clips

    I spotted these magnetic clips at Bed, Bath and Beyond last year and thought they might come in handy, so I grabbed a pack. I soon discovered that not only are they handy, they are indispensable!

    I bought another pack last week to add to my collection. If 7 clips are good, 14 is GREAT! You simply don’t realize how often you need a clip in the kitchen until you have an abundance lying around waiting to be used. And not only have I discovered the handiness of clips in general, but being able to “store” them on my fridge means they’re always right at my fingertips and not lost in a drawer somewhere.

    Someone is bound to ask about the ‘Fun Recipes for You and Child’ paper hanging from the black clip.  So, I’ve typed them up for you! Click more to read the recipe for Playdough, Flubber and Koolaid Playdough.

    (more…)

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:53 am   2 Comments
    Categories: Featured Recipes, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, The Goods

  11. Wednesday, July 1

    SILPAT

    Since we’ve been discussing wax paper and parchment paper this week, I think it’s a good time to talk about the SILPAT, which is essentially a reuseable parchment paper.

    Yesterday Rose asked the following question: I’ve wondered about using wax paper for baking, but everything always says to use parchment (which is so expensive.) The wax paper doesn’t melt or give off chemicals or something when used in the oven?

    Here’s my answer and solution! Wax paper is safe to bake with, but the paper must be completely covered by the batter, so it’s not good for lining cookie sheets, etc. If you’re looking to save money on parchment paper long term, go for a SILPAT. I find by having a SILPAT and a box of wax paper in my kitchen, I never need parchment paper…I’ve got all my bases covered.

    A SILPAT provides a non-stick surface for baking – I always use it when I bake. It’s also easy to clean – just wipe it down with a damp sponge, rinse with water and you’re done. They come in different sizes, this is the one I have. My SILPAT is $18 on Amazon, and it was worth every penny.

    I learned about the SILPAT from a pastry chef at a fancy hotel…he was making beautiful twisty pastry thingys (nice description, right?) and used the SILPAT so they wouldn’t stick to the pan or brown on the bottom. Voilà!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:17 am   11 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips, The Goods

  12. Tuesday, June 30

    Wax Paper Rules

    When I first got married, I was telling my Auntie Barb about how I had just gone to the grocery store to “stock up” on necessities…spices, condiments, wax paper.  To which she replied, “Wax paper? Why do you need wax paper?” I had no answer. I just knew my mom always had it so it must be important, right?

    10 years later I can answer that question no problem!  I use wax paper all the time. When I tray freeze food (veggies, cookie dough, etc). For greasing pans. For lining pans when baking (as long as the batter completely covers the paper, see comment #5 below for more information regarding baking). The list goes on! Last week our good friend Nikki helped me make Nate’s birthday cake (she’s a baking extraordinaire, even though she’ll deny it). She used wax paper under the edges of the cake so that icing didn’t get on the cake plate.

    {Here’s a shot of the finished cake…isn’t it cute? And take note of the clean cake platter! Thanks, Nikki!}

    On a side note, Nikki didn’t believe the cake strips tip I shared last year. I asked her if she saw the picture…she figured those cakes were not done cooking. What? Doctored photos on This Week for Dinner? I think not! I used my homemade cake strips while she was here, to great success once again.  And, believe it or not, Nikki is still skeptical…what’s it gonna take, girl?!? 

    Back to wax paper…if you have some genius uses for the stuff, please share!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 6:00 am   15 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  13. Thursday, June 18

    Strawberry Freezer Jam

    My mom always made homemade jam growing up. I probably didn’t even taste store-bought jam until I was a teenager – we were spoiled!  She most commonly made strawberry and raspberry freezer jam. Raspberry freezer jam still makes me weak in the knees!

    For those of you who have not ventured into the world of jam making…there are two kinds.  Cooked and freezer.  Cooked jam involves, well, cooking…it also involves canning as the method of storage, which isn’t hard, I’ve been told.  But come on, if there’s an easier way to do it, I’m there.  Enter freezer jam. Less cooking involved and you can store the jam in whatever clean containers you have on hand – no sterilizing necessary.  I also like the fresher taste of freezer jam better than cooked.  

    Making freezer jam is simple.  Buy your fruit of choice, a box of pectin (powdered seems to work better than the gel verion), lots of sugar and you’re ready to go!

    When you mash your berries, do it by hand. I use my handy-dandy pastry blender and it does an excellent job (better than my potato masher).  You can use a food processor, but you have to be careful not to blend too much or your jam might not gel.  That said, I once unwittingly pulverized the berries and my jam still gelled…but I think I was just lucky, so don’t risk it!

    There is a no-sugar recipe, but as I you can see I didn’t use that one.  Bring on the sugar!

    I always just follow the instructions inside the pectin box – no secret family recipes. And the jam comes out great.  

    Although, make sure you actually READ the instructions. Remember the strawberry emergency I referenced in this week’s menu post?  Yeah, I didn’t realize until my pectin was cooking on the stove that I did not have enough fruit, a result of mis-reading the instructions.  DUH.  I pulled the pectin off of the burner, divided it in half, made the first half of the jam while Nate ran to the store to get more berries.  My pectin waiting in the wings started to gel – aaaahhhh!!!!  I furiously chopped and mashed berries, got the pectin back on the heat and despite a somewhat strange texture, my jam still gelled – woo-hoo!  See, I’ve made some serious blunders in my jam-making days, but it always comes out.  If I can do it, you can too!

    Once you’ve followed the instructions and your jam is ready, you simply put it into clean containers – you can use jars, plastic, whatever.  Let jam sit on the counter for 24 hours, then pop in the freezer!

    If you are looking to impress people, whip up some freezer jam.  It’s really easy, and everyone will think you’re amazing for making your own jam.  Plus, you’ll have the most delicious jam on the planet sitting in your freezer. Enjoy!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:31 am   26 Comments
    Categories: Featured Recipes, Kitchen Tips, Recipes

  14. Wednesday, June 17

    Tray Freezing…at Make & Takes!

    Be sure to check out my first contributed article on Make and Takes, a very fabulous website that I’m excited to be a part of!  Today’s article is about tray freezing and I really don’t want you to miss it…click here!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 5:00 am   1 Comment
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  15. Tuesday, June 16

    The Best Pastry Blender in the World

    I love my pastry blender. I use it all the time. For guacamole. For smashing berries when making jam (more on the jam later this week!).  For “slushing” my cranberry slush.  For making baked goods, which is what it was originally intended for! Once in a while when I’m cooking and using one of my favorite kitchen tools, I know I just have to share it with you.  So, allow me to introduce you to my pastry blender!

    Isn’t she beautiful?  Now let me be clear, not all pastry blenders inspire such love on my part. In fact, the pastry blender I had before was almost totally useless. But this one? It kicks some serious blending butt. The blades don’t move. They are shaped so they actually cut through things. It’s super sturdy, and the handle is nice and comfy. I purchased mine at Crate & Barrel years ago, but there are similar models elsewhere. The key is looking for non-moving blades with that flat shape. 

    Who knew a pastry blender could inspire such love, such PASSION?

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:02 am   8 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips, The Goods

  16. Monday, June 8

    Your Grocery Store’s Best Kept Secret: Cheap Chicken Breasts

    The other day I was chatting with a few friends.  Friend #1 mentioned that she has been buying whole chickens and cutting them up since that’s so much cheaper than buying boneless/skinless chicken breasts.  She also mentioned that their kitchen feels like a butcher shop.

    I said, “I just wait until the boneless/skinless chicken breasts are on sale at the grocery store.  It’s usually $1.99/lb.”  Both friends looked at me like I had three heads.

    I figured if they didn’t know that boneless/skinless chicken breasts go on super sale at the regular old grocery store, than a few of you might not know either!

    In case you are not aware, your local grocery store will carry family packs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts for $1.99/lb…sometimes less!  They will go on sale randomly, so I always swing by the meat section when I’m at the store. When they ARE on sale, I grab a few packages, individually bag them up in the food storage bags, tie some knots, and toss them in the freezer.  I literally had 10 pounds of chicken breasts on my counter this morning.

    Costco’s chicken comes individually packaged…but it’s more expensive.  I think it’s worth the 5 minutes of time to bag it myself.  And, I’ve been able to find chicken on sale like this everywhere I’ve lived. :)

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:15 am   14 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  17. Thursday, June 4

    Cheese Paper

    I was at a party a few months ago where, at the end of the evening, the hostess began wrapping her leftover cheeses in cheese paper.  I didn’t know anything about cheese paper, but I did know it looked cute, so I took a picture.  The hostess said she got the cheese paper from her local cheese shop and that it helped keep the cheese fresher.  (I wonder how many times I can use the word “cheese” in this post…we’re up to 7 already!)

    I’ve done a tad bit of research.  This short little NY Times article indicates that cheese paper does indeed help the cheese breathe better and, therefore, last longer. Click over to this website for a very scientific-looking diagram explaining how the paper works, as well as a video explaining how to wrap cheese in the paper.

    Hey, if wrapping cheese in paper is good enough for the French, then it’s good enough for me!  I just need to track some of this fancy, dancy paper down.

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:45 am   5 Comments
    Categories: Kitchen Tips

  18. Friday, May 29

    How to Make a Polka Dot Cake

    Who doesn’t love a polka dot?  And what better place to put a polka dot than on a cake?!  Seriously, how cute is this?

    My friend Natalee has been making these cute polka dot cakes lately and I asked her to please share her secret so that I might pass it on to you!  She kindly obliged, so here’s the lowdown on how to polka your cake to the nines.

    To give credit where credit is due…our good friened Melissa from ISLY turned Natalee on to this post from inchmark, which is where the original idea came from.  Natalee has provided additional information below, including the recipe for the icing.  Thanks to all of your beautiful minds for providing such a wonderful idea!

    Icing for the Polka Dots:
    - 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
    - 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
    - 2 egg whites, beaten

    Directions to mix icing: In a bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar and cream of tartar. Using electric mixer, beat in 2 beaten egg whites for about 5 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to hold its shape.

    Click here for the original tutorial. Here are Natalee’s most helpful notes on the process:

    I ended up having to water the icing down a little bit, but I think you just have to play with it until it seems right.  It needs to be thin enough that it will pipe into the circle shapes without any peaks, but thick enough that it won’t run outside of the parameters of the circle.  Better to err on the side of too thick.

    As far as the food coloring, I’ve found that if you really want GOOD colors, you have to get the cake decorator’s gel paste food coloring which you can find at either Michael’s or Diddams (and I’m sure any party/cake decor store) and online.   All you have to use is a little glob on the end of a toothpick to get the same color you get from an entire bottle/tube of the stuff you buy in the store.  Plus, I’ve found that if you add the whole bottle from the store, your icing tastes like chemicals.

    After the icing is colored, you just need to put it in an icing bag with a large round tip (or if you don’t have one you can do what I did and cut a corner off of a ziploc).  Then Rob (her hubby) made a template (click here to download) of different sizes of circles, printed it out on paper and put the template under some waxed paper.  Then I piped right on to the wax paper in the shape/sizes of the circles.   Once they are all piped on, you just let them harden at least 12 hours and then they will come right off and you can put them right on your frosted cake.  I recommend going directly from waxed paper to cake as stacking them for storage causes colors to bleed if there is absolutely any humidity in the air/fridge.

    It really is such a cute idea…and look how festive the cake looks on the birthday table!  Happy Polka Dotting!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:56 am   5 Comments
    Categories: Featured Recipes, Kids, Kitchen Tips, Recipes

  19. Tuesday, May 19

    What the Watermelon?!

    Is there anything LESS disappointing then cutting open a watermelon only to find this:

    No, there isn’t.  Seriously, Isn’t watermelon supposed to be red?  Light pink just isn’t right.

    I haven’t bought a GOOD watermelon in years.  I’m not exaggerating.  Am I just a bad watermelon selector?  Or are watermelons simply the victim of mass-produced produce?

    Alton Brown once said on Good Eats that you should pick watermelons with a bigger yellow spot on the bottom. The yellow spot supposedly indicates that the watermelon was in the field longer before being picked, therefore more ripe.  No luck folks, the trick does NOT work. Which was disappointing to discover, normally Alton is right on.  And I really wanted him to be right this time.

    Is finding a good watermelon just a crap shoot?  Does anyone feel as sad about this situation as I do..or am I just nuts?  Wait, don’t answer that.

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:42 am   21 Comments
    Categories: Healthy Eats, Kitchen Tips, Musings

  20. Wednesday, April 29

    Cooking with Kids!

    Here’s a snapshot of dinner preparation hour in the Maynard home: Mom trying to get food on the table as quickly as possible, Cate & Anna playing in their room.  Rarely do I figure how to get Cate involved in the food prep process (Anna is still too young).  I know Cate loves helping me cook, but I’m usually in a rush and not creative enough to get her involved.

    Last night we had english muffin pizzas. She helped me “chop” (with a butter knife, which she THINKS is a sharp knife) mushrooms for the pizza and strawberries for the salad.  She helped put toppings on the pizzas and adding ingredients to the salad.  I could tell she was in HEAVEN, so happy to be at my side, cooking like her mom.

    It’s pretty easy to get kids involved with baking since there is lots of dumping and stirring.  But what about other types of cooking, especially at dinnertime?  I would love to get Cate more involved with cooking, beyond cookies and english muffin pizzas.

    So, a call to all the parents/aunts/uncles/grandparents/friends-to-little-ones out there: Please share your fantastic, safe, and fun “Cooking wth Kids” tips!

    Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:09 am   13 Comments
    Categories: Kids, Kitchen Tips

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