Kitchen Overhaul

Our new years resolution for this year is to be financially better by the end of 2013. So in order to achieve this I have decided to go through our home with a fine tooth comb so to speak and organise every single room. Big task whilst looking after a 5month old and a 2 1/2 year old. Hence to make it more achievable I plan to break it down into weekly assignments. Last weeks aim was the kitchen.

So here is what I achieved in our kitchen in week 1:

- I started by organising our pantry. What better way to save money than to know what food we already have. I now love that we can open the pantry and see exactly what we have.
1st shelf: Containers holding (1) chips/biscuits (2) snacks/lollies (3) confectionery for baking
2nd shelf: Baking goods (I bake a lot so have everything imaginable for baking scrumptious treats)
3rd shelf: Packet goods,Sauces, oils, tins salt and pepper.
4th shelf: Cereals, bread, spreads, tea, coffee etc...
5th shelf: Potatoes, Pasta and Rice
6th Shelf: Stock shelf - Spare drinks, sauce etc.. (Also have cling wrap & foil until I buy something that can hang up on our pantry door)

 

- I then convinced hubby for us to purchase a new fridge. (I had been wearing him down with my constant complaining for quite some time now and finally won my battle he he) And so as soon as our new (second hand) fridge arrived this was the next task I completed in the kitchen. I sprayed it all clean with vanilla spray and quickly got to filling it all up. I now store all Tupperware containers in there relevant spots (eg: freezer containers empty in the freezer). I find it easier this way as I can now place items straight into pre chilled containers and place the container straight back where it came from. Hence no more finding the container in the cupboard to then find room in the fridge/freezer for an item to go in. Much easier and more time efficient.



 

- I then got started on the cupboards. I unpacked our wine glasses and reorganised our glasses/mugs cupboard with the help of some wire racks I already had.

- Our trays/chopping boards cupboard just needed a bit of a tidy up

- I did a complete overhaul when it came to our pots/pans and small electrical goods cupboard. Out went any electricals that we no longer used, any relay old pots got thrown to. Now there is so much less cluttered and we can see exactly what we have. Every item is easily accessible - no having to dig to the back to get an item out anymore... yay!

- I emptied every kitchen draw, gave it a lovely clean with vanilla spray and then reorganised each.
Our bottom draw is where we keep our tea towels and dish cloths.

3rd draw houses our zip lock bags, sml plastic bags and cooking utensils.
2nd draw consists of all our small item kitchen utensils
1st draw eating utensils

- I didn't need to relay organise out bowls/plates however I still gave everything a good wipe over and added a new stack of bowls for our little miss now that she is eating.

- Our Tupperware cupboard was reduced by 1/2 due to the new fridge/freezer hence I decided to combine Tupperware with drink bottles/therms flasks.

 

 - I really enjoyed reorganising our spice cupboard and decided that colouring, essence and baking accessories would be good on the top shelf.

 - And lastly I organised our entertainment cupboard that stores all the salad bowls, dishes and platters.

So there you have it, my organised kitchen! And to celebrate all my hard work I finally opened my Christmas present..

 

 a Kenwood patisserie mixer!... now where do I put it??

Hope you enjoyed seeing what I have achieved. I absolutely LOVE having a completely organised kitchen. Have you organised your Kitchen lately?

^YKylie

Classic Shortbread Recipe

I must say this has to be one of my all time favourite recipes that I’ve made time and time again as Christmas presents for family and friends. I just love whipping up the dough, waiting for it to bake, decorating and then putting your final product into nice little packages to give away.

This classic shortbread is the ultimate shortbread cookie I always go back to – it’s a trusty and simple recipe that has never fail me so give it a go.

You will need:

250g unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted
½ cup rice flour, sifted (can be found in local supermarket)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Extra icing sugar for dusting
 

What you’ll do:

1.       Preheat oven to 180°C

2.       Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until dough comes together

3.       Press dough into lightly greased 20x30cm tin lined with baking paper

4.       Refrigerate for 15min or until firm

5.       Use knife to score into 20 rectangles and prick with a fork

6.       Bake for 35-40 min or until golden brown

7.       Let cool in tin for 20 min before transferring to cooling rack

8.       Once completely cool cut and dust with icing sugar

You can also choose to:

– refrigerate and bake it another time
– cut into circles, hearts or any other shape and create a tree like I’ve done below

– Roll it into balls, flatten slightly and sprinkle with sugar
– Roll it into balls and using the back of a fork, flatten it slightly to create ridges on the cookie top

 Please share your creations with us

Enjoy

^YKylie

 

 

Keeping It Real - Motherhood In Pictures

 

We all see the "perfect" side of motherhood... the glamorous pictures of beautiful mums hair done, make up on. We put on our happy faces and present ourselves to surrounding family and friends... today I document in pictures the truth about being mum. Keeping it real for all to see being a parent is not always sunshine and roses but totally worth it!

 

 I spend countless nights with little to no sleep, I have bags under my eyes and no time to sleep!



I'm Doctor, cleaner, carer and chef... and I'm all of these things with no rest.

 

From crying to yelling.. 

 

 

or trashing the house.. with having 2 there is always something to do!

 

 

As mum I now share everything from my food to my bed..

And with little Miss now here to, feeding and nappies is just something else I do.

 My work in not done even when they rest, always soothing a tummy or putting a nightmare to rest.

 

 

Yes being a mum is hard work but also the best!

 

We have laughter, giggles, cuddles and fun 

all captured in pictures, memories to keep.

 

 

 But whilst you see perfection...

 

 

I live reality... mum's I don't get a lunch break, to rest or to sleep

But and at the end of the day when all said and done...

I'm bringing up my kids and it's so much fun!

^YKylie

What should go where in our fridges?

 

So we have all seen the very impressive fridge storage and organisation floating around. I myself am happy with how my fridge storage looks, however I’m always wondering if we are correctly storing our food. What should go where in our fridges??
 

So today I decided to educate myself with the help of pinterest and thought I’d share with you what I learnt.

Here is what I found:


http://pinterest.com/pin/10062799138270266/

http://pinterest.com/pin/199988039672410493/

  I learnt that:

1.         Dairy products such as milk, cream, yogurt and other dairy products are best stored on the upper shelves of the refrigerator where the temperature is the most constant, so they'll keep longer.



Fail #1: I’ve always stored my milk on the fridge door!

Will have to see if I can rectify this in my small fridge



2.         Eggs are happiest in their cartons on a shelf.

Nooo.. One feature I love the most in our refrigerator is the egg storage compartment that urge you to put your eggs on the inside of the door. Guess that’s fail #2, I’ll have to stay strong and not give in -- the door is the warmest part of the refrigerator so the eggs are on the move!

 
 

Eggs in the door! Fail #2 sham on me!

3.         Cheese should be wrapped in cheese paper for storage, but waxed paper or parchment paper will also do the trick. Before storing, scrape the surface with a non-serrated knife to remove any excess oil that may have “sweat out” at room temperature. Each cheese should be wrapped separately and marked with the name and date of purchase. Avoid plastic wrap at all costs as the cheese can absorb the flavors and chemicals from the plastic.

 

Fail #3 Wow I’m really not doing well here! I always pop our cheese straight into a Tupperware container and store it at the top of our fridge. Next time I’ll know what to do!

 

4.         Mushrooms you buy at the grocery store are best left in their original packaging. Once you open it, wrap the whole package in plastic wrap. Wild mushrooms are best kept in a paper bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.

 

5.         Never store fruit & veg together as ethylene-producing fruits are sure to make vegetables decompose prematurely. All vegetables are best stored in perforated plastic bags in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer. Fruit, with the exception of melons, citrus, and bananas, should be stored in the refrigerator in a separate drawer from the vegetables. Do not wash your fruit until you are ready to eat it; the excess water quickens decomposition.

 

Good news I use to throw them all in together in my crisper draw
however after getting my Fridgesmart Tupperware containers
I can happily say I’m no longer an offender.

Fruit and veg now get their very own container in accordance to the air that they require. 

Who knew fruit and veg breath?
(Find out more info here)

6          Meat is best stored in the bottom of the refrigerator where it is coldest. Removing the retail packaging and re wrapping the meat in foil can extend its shelf life, but you should try to consume refrigerated meat within 4 days of purchase.



I've removed our crisper draw in order to
store raw meat in the bottom of our fridge.

OK I knew this one but thought I’d share the info anyway. Raw meat should be stored at the bottom of the fridge to also prevent drips from contaminating food below.

So there we have it. Hopefully you learnt something new just as I did. I’ll still live by the basic rule of 'when in doubt, throw it out' however with this information hopefully I can now confidently stock the fridge, reduce our waste and saving us money by know what should go where in our fridge.

 

^YKylie