Pantry Organization: Part 3

It seems like every few months I find myself reorganizing the pantry. This time around, I wanted to make it more "colorful" so I bought some colorful budget-friendly baskets I found at Target (it seems like I am always at that store :) to make the pantry more bright and organized.

The flour, rice, and pasta are stored in clear plastic containers.



I used baskets to store snacks, salmon pouches,condiments, oil etc...

I also store medicine, lightbulbs, batteries, and crafts in the pantry. Baskets and shoe boxes are great for storage.

There are many products out there to organize the pantry. Baskets are always the most budget friendly to keep everything contained. Lazy susans are also a great way to store oil, spices, etc...

Check out my tips on how to organize the pantry. Also, Andrea at organized living recently wrote a great post on how to organize and stock the pantry.

Are you having a hard time organizing your pantry? What's the biggest challenge that's keeping you from organizing the pantry?

 

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How to organize under the kitchen sink

A few months ago, the water started leaking from under the kitchen sink. It was a complete mess and has been ever since. I stashed everything from cleaning products to paint material and buckets to sponges and fish food and .... Well, it just seemed like I stashed everything underneath the kitchen sink. It was a complete disaster.

As I was searching through pinterest a while ago, I came upon a picture of an organized under-the-sink cabinet. That was enough to convince me to stop putting off organizing under the sink and start clearing that mess as soon as possible.



I went to Target and bought a couple of baskets ($1 each), command hooks, a plastic grocery bag holder ($2.50) and some wrapping paper ($1) then stopped by Home depot to get a tension rod ($3).

Here is what I did to clear that disgusting mess (it was absolutely horrific, I couldn't get myself to take a picture of the before)

• Clear everything from underneath the sink and put it on the kitchen island.


• Discard any product you don't need and empty bottles and containers.


• Clean the surface of the cabinet then lay out the wrapping paper.

• Adjust the tension rod to fit underneath the sink then hang the cleaning bottles


• Mount the 3M hooks to the cabinet doors (3 total each for duster, dustpan and broom set, and towel) and the grocery bag holder.

• Hang the gloves on the tension rod using a clip

• Put the rest of the supplies in baskets and place them underneath the sink. I placed bleach and the oven cleaner in the far back and the dishwasher detergent, floor cleaners in the front.  I also used a sliding cabinet rack to store sponges and plastic bags box.

And the final result is:



This post has been linked to orgjunkie

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Kitchen tip: How to Clean The exterior of Your Kitchen Cabinet

If you have white kitchen cabinets then you are probably in a love-hate relationship with your kitchen. I love my white kitchen but I hate how easy the cabinets get and look dirty. Fortunately, cleaning the exterior of the kitchen cabinets is not that hard and will take no more than 15 minutes to get them all clean and shiny again.

if you have painted, laminate, or vinyl cabinets:

You need:

Dish Soap

Warm Water

Double sided Dish sponge

Towel

Fill up the sink halfway with warm water and add about 2-3 TBSPs of dish soap. Wet your sponge with the soap-water mixture and squeeze out excess water. Using the scrubber side of the sponge, scrub lightly over your cabinets then wipe with the towel.

If you have wooden cabinets:

You need:

Commercial Wood cleaner or Vinegar and Olive Oil

A kitchen rag and Paper towels

Make a mixture of your wood cleaner with warm water according to the product instructions or put a splash of vinegar in your kitchen sink that has been filled with warm water halfway through.

To clean your wood cabinets, wipe the cabinets with a towel that has been lightly wet with the woodcleaner-water mixture or water-vinegar mixture.

If you used the vinegar-water mixture to clean your cabinets, wait until your cabinets are dry then damp a paper towel with a little bit of olive oil and wipe your cabinets in a circular motion to get them shiny again.

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My world Tour Part 2: Seafood Paella

Click Here if you missed Part 1 of my Culinary World Tour.

I was born and raised in Morocco and one of my vivid and happiest childhood memories was when we traveled to the North of Morocco for vacation.

Northern Morocco is highly influenced by the spanish given the proximity to Spain and the decades of Spanish protectorate. So one of the most memorable moments was when we passed by a city called "Laraish" to devour the succulent heavenly seafood paella. So for my part 2, I am travelling down my childhood memory lane and recreating the paella.

 



There are three types of Paella; the traditional Valencian paella, Seafood Paella, and mixed paella. Traditionally, the Paella is cooked in a Paella Pan but you can use any pan or skillet (like I did) to make it.

Just with pretty much every recipe, I can't help it but tweak it to make it my own :) . The traditional paella recipe from Spain uses Arborio rice. I decided to twist the recipe a bit and use my favorite aromatic rice " Basmati Rice". I also couldn't find safran at the local stores so I substituted the turmeric for the safran. The result was a meal to die for.

Seafood Paella

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed


• 1 TBSP of Vinegar or Lemon Juice + 2 TBSP of Lemon Juice


• 1 tablespoon paprika


• salt and black pepper to taste


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 2 bay leaves


• 2 Cups of Basmati or Arborio Rice


• 4 cups of chicken stock


• 1 Spanish or white onion, chopped


• 1 tsp of Turmeric or 1/4 tsp of saffron threads


• 1 red bell pepper, chopped


• 1 tomato, chopped in small cubes


• 1 pound of mixed seafood (scallops, mussels, medium sized peeled and deveined shrimp)


• 1/4 pound of Jumbo shrimp


• 1 TBSP of chopped Parsley

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the paprika, 1 TBSP of lemon juice or vinegar and salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces to coat and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.


2. In a large skillet or a paella pan, Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat then add the marinated chicken. Once chicken is cooked, add the chopped garlic, onions, and red peppers. Cook for about 3 minutes then add the rice. Mix well until the rice is coated with oil then add the seafood except for the Jumbo shrimp. Stir in salt and pepper, Saffron threads (or turmeric), bay leaf, tomatoes, chicken stock, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.


3. Once the rice is almost cooked (about 10 minutes), add the jumbo shrimp and parsley. Cover for about 5 more minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through (it curls up and turns pink).


4. Serve.

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How to Organize Your spice cabinet

A disorganized spice cabinet equals a stressful cooking time. To start enjoying cooking and experimenting with many spices, you need to keep your spices organized and easy to reach to smooth the cooking process and to make it more enjoyable. And besides, how many times did you have to run to the store to get the spice you need while it was right in your kitchen hidden behind your spices? Thankfully, the process to organizing your spice cabinet/drawer is easy enough. With all the spice organizers on the market, this might be just your easiest organizing project yet.

Step 1: Choose the right spice organizer

Note: You can purchase any of the spice organizer below from Amazon by clicking on the name in Bold.

A tiered spice organizer:

This is the one that I currently use. They are inexpensive and keep the spices together. I keep the spices that I use the most in the front with duplicates in the second tier and the third tier holds all the occasionally-used spices.



Compact Spice Organizer:

This one is by far my most favorite and may end up right in my cabinet in the near future. It has drawers that fold down making it easier to retrieve the spices you need.

Spice Organizer Rack:

This one is very convenient with easy access and a good view to the spices. It can be mounted to the cabinet door or pantry or on the wall. You can keep the cabinet door open for an easy reach while you are cooking.

Expand-a-drawer spice organizer

If you prefer to store your spices in a drawer then the expand-a-drawer organizer might be just what you need to get them organized. You can easily view the spices when you open the drawer.

Note: You need to take measurement of your drawer before you buy this product to ensure that it doesn't slide back and forth.



Other options:

You can also use a two tier lazy susan to store the pieces or the rotating spice organizer. A pull out spice rack cabinet is also great if you have space in the kitchen. Or you can make your own magnetic board and buy some small spice jars. Kristie, at addicted 2 decorating, has a great DIY magnetic spice board.



Step 2: Declutter and organize

Once you decide on the new (or old) home for your spices and get a spice organizer that would fit best, you need to clear out your current spice cabinet and start decluttering.

• Toss anything that's too old. No need to keep a spice that will not add any flavor to your cooking.


• Decide on how you would like to arrange them. I sort mine by how many uses, duplicates, occasionally-used. You can also sort them by baking spices and cooking spices or go the super-organizer-way and alphabetize them.


• Store them

Personally, I like to have the spices at hand's reach when I am cooking so I keep my spices in the kitchen cabinet on the upper right of the stove. I am currently using an inexpensive three-tiered organizer but I am thinking about another alternative to storing spices in the near future as I am trying out more spices in my new world tour adventure. Whatever method you decide to organize your spices is more personal than a one way method. What matters is that your spices are easier to reach from your usual point of use and are easier to find. An organized spice cabinet might just be what you need to become a foodie and a culinary expert :)

Do you have any other way or storage method that you use to keep your spices organized? I would love if you can share it in the comment area.

 

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My world Tour Part 1 (Well, sort of :)

While this is definitely not the time (and I sure can not afford) to go on a world tour, I thought it might be possible to bring the world to my home. So one of my 2012 resolutions was to try to recreate a meal from a different country at least once a month to get a taste of different cultures without leaving the comfort of my own house.

I started this adventure by making a Turkish Breakfast.

If you watch the Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" then you have certainly seen the episode on Istanbul and most likely found yourself drooling over the delicious turkish food.



Turkish Breakfast consists of tea or coffee, Butter, Jam, Honey, Turkish black olives, bread, scrambled Eggs “menemen” with Turkish sausage; sujuk ( pictured below), tomatoes, and cucumbers. I am glad that I started my world tour with a turkish breakfast. It was definitely one of the best breakfasts I ever had.

Below is my own version of the recipe of turkish eggs and sausage called "Sujuklu Menemenn".



Sujuklu Menemen Recipe:

My world Tour Part 1 (Well, sort of :)

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Recipe Type: Breakfast

Prep time: 2 mins

Cook time: 6 mins

Total time: 8 mins

Serves: 3 people

Ingredients

• 4 eggs


• 1/2 a cup of Sujuk sliced (Skin removed)


• 1/2 green or red pepper cut in small cubes


• 1 small tomato cubed


• 2 cloves of garlic chopped (optional)


• olive oil


• 1/4 tsp cumin (optional)


• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the chopped garlic cloves and the peppers. Cook for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Then add the sujuk, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper.


2. Meanwhile, mix the eggs in a bowl and pour over the pepper/sujuk mixture. Keep stirring until the eggs are done. Serve Warm with bread and Feta Cheese

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