i’m thinking this idea might mean a run to the thrift store. though these superior servers are available for sale (and appropriate for everyday use), i’m thinking a diy version could make for some unusually beautiful kitchen art. what do you think? framed, strung or even bunched in a canister- i think this would be an easy way to add a classy splash of color to your kitchen!

wrap up: {art} {color} {dipped} {diy} {handle} {ideas} {kitchen}

i don’t think it’s any secret that i have a special affinity for kitchen textiles, so they are an obvious gift choice for me during the holidays. i love having pretty things around in my cooking area, and feel extra special when i’m wearing a beautiful apron. so, here are a few of my favorite kitchen gift ideas!

aprons

julia vol. 1 – $42 | reversible linen apron – £36.00 | watering can apron – $30

tea towels

tea towel calendar – $30 | moose tea towel - $18 | be happy tea towel – $16

oven mitts

resourced fabric oven mitts – $26 | yellow geometric oven mitt – $18 | church flowers oven mitt – $14

wrap up: {2011} {chef} {cooking} {gift guide} {ideas} {kitchen} {textiles}

the huge variety of oils at the store have always put me on overload. which ones are the best? why? what are they all for? well i decided to put my research hat on and find out a little bit more about them. here is a quick overview of the best oils, and some resources to boot. which oils are your favorite?

art for the kitchen – OLIVE OIL

extra virgin olive oil

this one is the big winner, woohoo! that’s good, because this is the one i use the most. evoo is a less processed and (therefore) more flavorful oil than other oils and wins for best oil because of it’s monounsaturated (that’s the good one) fats and plant compounds that protect against heart disease and cancer. lucky for us, it also tastes oh-so-good.

sesame oil

i’ve started to incorporate this one more and more into our diet (mainly because of this amazing recipe) and i have to say, it adds a powerfully yummy taste to many dishes. it is derived from toasted sesame seeds and may help to lower blood pressure. it’a also great in asian inspired dishes.

flaxseed oil

since we don’t eat fish, flax oil is a big component of how we get our heart-protective omega-3 fatty acids in each day. these essential fatty acids protect against bone loss and reduce inflammation in people with arthritis. heating flaxseed oil will destroy it’s nutrients, so keep this one in the fridge and use on salads or in smoothies. (hint: we also add about 1 tbs to toaster’s food each day! it keeps his coat shiny and skin extra healthy.)

walnut oil

i haven’t used this oil very much, but i know one thing, i do love walnuts! walnut oil contains a specific antioxidant that helps prevent cancers (say no more!). it turns bitter when heated, so this is another one to keep in your fridge and drizzle over salads or pastas.

peanut oil

this nutty tasting oil contains resveratrol (the same antioxidant found in red wine) which helps to prevent blood clots. it can take extremely high temperatures, so this one is best for pan frying.

sunflower oil

you got it, this one is made from sunflower seeds! it has a light taste and contains vitamin e, which reduces your risk for heart attack.

did you know?

it’s best to store your healthy oils in a dark, dry cabinet away from heat or sunlight (preferably, in the fridge). nut based oils such as walnut, flaxseed and sesame need must be refrigerated as they can turn rancid at room temperature.

for a more in depth look at oils, read this great article on cooking oils.

wrap up: {cooking} {health} {kitchen} {oils} {simple living}

whether we’re ready for it or not, summer is coming towards an end, but one of they many joys of fall is getting ready to harvest and preserve our seasons yummy produce. when i saw these summery kitchen labels from felix doolittle, i immediately thought about how pretty they would make a cupboard or how lovely they would make a gift of your garden’s goodies.

with chef medallions, baker’s labels and oval kitchen labels, they are perfect for sharing garden goodies, canning, making jams and throwing parties! they all feature a gorgeous watercolor illustration by felix (he paints them almost to scale with a very tiny brush!) and come with personalization in a cute little tin, aren’t they lovely?
make sure to cruise by their notecard collections as well! i’ve found that if i have pretty notecards within reach, i’m much more likely to write my friends and family, something that i’ve been trying to a lot more of lately!

wrap up: {canning} {fall} {felix doolittle} {gardening} {harvest} {kitchen} {labels} {preserve}

This week I had the unfortunate occurrence of a broken garbage disposal, and it seems to be beyond a normal jam. The end result is  trapped food and muck that has quickly made an unpleasant scent in my kitchen. I normally use ice cubes and lemons to clean and refresh my disposal, but with broken blades, I had to get more creative.

I’ve always heard of baking soda and vinegar as great sink basin and faucet cleaners, but had considered them for inside the drain. If you find yourself with a broken down garbage disposal, give this technique a try – you will need:

- 1/2 cup baking soda

- 1 cup of vinegar, microwaved on high

- 1/2 gallon of hot water

First, dump the baking soda into the disposal drain. Pour in the cup of heated vinegar, and let the effervescent chemical reaction take place for about five minutes. Follow up by pouring the hot water down the drain. You may find that you need to repeat this process.

If muck persists, you can further clean the disposal out with a bottle brush, sponge-tipped if possible (note: turn off the power supply to the disposal before sticking anything down there). Until the disposal is repaired, it may be nearly impossible to clean it 100%, but baking soda and vinegar have a great deodorizing effect that I noticed immediately.

You can continue to use just these two common household items to keep your sink clean:

- soak a towel in vinegar and wrap it around your faucet overnight to remove grime buildup in the morning

- make a paste with baking soda and water; spread it around your sink and scour with a sponge. Rinse with warm water mixed  with a splash of vinegar

- keep 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water in a spray bottle for daily sink touch-ups and wipe-downs

- sprinkle a little baking soda down the drain daily to absorb any unpleasant odors

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {all natural} {clean} {cleaners} {disposal} {diy} {eco friendly} {kitchen} {simple living}

you might remember that i’ve done this same project before at our last home, and i just couldn’t resist doing it again. it’s such a simple, cheap and effective way to spruce up your kitchen! you can find these unfinished wooden knobs at your local hardware store for under 50 cents each.

to achieve the look i have here, i painted the knobs white (let dry) and then put a coat of this sea green on top. after drying, i roughed up the edges with a sanding block and used a clear gloss spray paint to finish them off. what do you think? to get a more detailed outline of my instructions, you can read about the first i did this project here. now that’s what i call design on a dime!

in this photo: berry photo by wren and chickadee, color me vegan cookbook, espresso cups by ikea

wrap up: {before and after} {diy} {hardware} {kitchen} {knobs} {paint}

I’ve been having a lot of fun lately experimenting with chalkboard paint. As one who loves to organize things, it’s too tempting to turn everything into a writable surface, from glass, wood, walls, paper, and more. These are some small-scale projects that can be done in a couple of hours. For all projects you must follow these steps for painting:

Paint two coats an hour apart, one layer horizontally, the other vertically. After painting the two coats, let the project dry completely for 24 hours. Lightly shade the entire dried surface with a piece of chalk, and then erase it. The chalkboard surface is now ready for use!

Bonnie has also posted in the past about creating custom DIY chalkboard colors, have you seen it?

First I made a mini desktop chalkboard, perfect for little notes or ideas. To do this project you will need:

• a picture frame
• chalkboard paint
• a paintbrush
• wood veneer, cardboard, or thick card stock

Cut the wood veneer down to fit in the picture frame. Sturdy card board or card stock will also work for this project. Follow the directions for painting above. Once veneer has been dried and conditioned with chalk, just pop it in the frame, and it’s ready to go!

Next, I went a step further and painted the inside of a cabinet. I’ve always wanted a little place to leave notes in the kitchen, especially in my baking and spice cabinet. As another wood surface, I followed the same directions for painting with chalkboard paint above.

My next favorite project has been to paint little clothespins with chalkboard paint. These are a wonderful way to organize papers, coupons, stamps, bills, invitations and RSVPs, etc. They can be perched up on a wire or string on a wall; backed with magnets for the fridge; hot glue thumbtacks on the back for cork boards; or, just left out on the desk to organize, like I do.

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {ashley pahl} {chalkboard} {clothespins} {craft} {diy} {indie pretty projects} {kitchen} {paint}

when i recently read why food waste matters by jonathan bloom (author of american wasteland) , i started giving thought to all the food we buy, eat and sometimes waste. we’ve all wasted food before. even me, who married a garbage disposal wonderful man who eats a lot, we still find rotten food in the fridge. whether it’s moldy leftovers in the far back corner or a forgotten veggie in the ‘crunchy’ drawer, we’ve all been there.

the truth is, americans squander roughly 40% of our food and throw away $1,300 to $2,200 of food a year (together, that’s $160 billion annually). and that’s a big problem.

why, you might ask? well beyond the obvious reason of wasting our money, there are also environmental, ethical and economic reasons why food waste matters. a huge amount of resources (mostly oil and water) go into producing our food. when we waste a large chunk of it, we’re also wasting those embedded resources. and, by sending this food to the landfill, we’re fueling anaerobic rotting which creates methane. that means we’re largely contributing to climate change. we could also be smarter shoppers and give our savings to help feed the hungry around the world.

the good news is, fresh supplies us with several tips on how to reduce your food waste, save money and support the environment. here’s how!

{plum ketchup by claudia pearson}

- plan your meals in advance (remember this great guide?). make a menu for the week and stick to it. it will make your life easier, your grocery bills cheaper and decrease your amount of wasted food.

- make just enough. serve sensible portions, clean your plates and have minimal leftovers (plus, maybe shed some weight!).

- check your expiration dates. try to consume food that’s close to expiring, but always check it before you throw it out. if it smells good, tastes good and looks good, you’re most likely fine to consume it.

- love leftovers? go ahead and make enough for the next day, but make the most of it. eat them for lunch or work them into your next night’s dinner, but make it a priority to consume them within 24 hours.

- use the freezer. if you’re going out of town, can’t finish a jar of pasta sauce or just have too much food in your fridge, stick it in the freezer. you can freeze just about anything (even eggs!) so utilize your freezer to cut down on waste.

- learn to compost. by keeping food waste out of the garbage (even carrot ends and fennel fronds!) you’ll significntly cut down your environmental impact. you can compost anywhere, even if you don’t have a garden!

helpful sites: portion calculator, tips on how to freeze everything, how to compost

resources: fresh, why food waste matters

wrap up: {compost} {cook} {environment} {food} {kitchen} {leftovers} {simple} {waste}