Voilà!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, the last day of March. If you’ve followed along with me this past month your kitchen is cleaner, safer and more efficient than it was in February. You also have several yummy things put by (like manicotti, roasted peppers, kebabs, cookie dough, garlic butter, and crepes) for days you’re too tired or too busy to cook from scratch. You’re less likely to be tempted by convenience foods or drive-through windows than you were a month ago. If you didn’t follow along, it’s not too late. You can always catch up next month. Don’t think you have enough time to get your kitchen in order? I managed to do most of it (I must replace the smoke detector batteries) in 30 days, between a Disney vacation, babysitting my grandson, teaching music lessons, donating platelets, practicing the organ and a demanding rehearsal schedule. And I made more than 50 quilt blocks besides! If I could do it, anyone can.

Bunny Trail

When we lived in England we didn’t have a garbage disposal. None of our neighbors had one, either. There were two Do-It-Yourself stores in town and neither of them carried garbage disposals. Doing without it was an adjustment, especially with messy recipes like applesauce or orange marmalade. It’s just so much easier to toss the orange pith or apple cores into the sink, grind them up and be done with them. Disposals do have a downside; they can get clogged and smelly. Clean and deodorize your disposal by pouring in a cup of baking soda. Heat a cup of vinegar in the microwave and pour it in after the baking soda. Wait five minutes and chase it down with at least two quarts of hot water. Keep your disposal running freely and smelling fresh by periodically tossing in a half a lemon and a handful of crushed ice.

Easter Morning

Make a double batch of cookie dough. Freeze one batch and bake the other to surprise a neighbor. While the cookies are baking, take inventory of your kitchen sponges and dishtowels. Replace any that are worn out or faded.

Refrigerator Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Beat sugar, butter vanilla and egg until well blended. Stir in dry ingredients. Shape dough into a rectangle, about 10”x3”. Seal with plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 24 hours or in freezer for up to two months. Thaw completely; then cut into thin slices. Bake at 375F for 6 to 8 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

King's Cross

Take a look at your baking pans. Are any badly scratched or rusting? Consider replacing them. The same goes for any pans with darkened spots or baked-on stains. Dark spots can cause uneven baking. Scratches and rust can make it hard to remove a cake or loaf of bread. I used to bake with cheap aluminum non-stick pans from the kitchen aisle of the grocery store. Inevitably someone would dig a muffin or a brownie out with a metal utensil, leaving a scar that would rust in the dishwasher. I switched to glass pans, which I love, even though I’ve lost several moving from one house to another. I’m gradually replacing them with silicone, which is much lighter and can be crammed into nearly any drawer. Another word on glass baking pans: never place a hot glass baking dish straight from the oven onto a stone countertop. The results can be explosive!

Spools of Thread

How do you store your table linens? Cook’s Illustrated suggests you can free an entire drawer by hanging tablecloths on hangers in a nearby closet. I’m sure it’s a terrific idea. Not only would it keep them wrinkle free, but the one you want wouldn’t always be at the bottom of the stack. The only problem is I don’t have an empty closet anywhere near my table.  If I did I’d still have to find room for napkins, placemats, napkin rings, table runners, etc. I took inventory of my linens yesterday and discovered I have no tablecloths that will fit the table when it’s fully extended. That’s something I’ll need to address if I ever want to host a big family dinner at Thanksgiving or Easter. Also, I noticed my favorite blue-and-white napkins are beginning to get threadbare. I guess I’d rather know now than discover it as I’m setting the table.

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt

November 20, 2012 I posted a photo of a wonky log cabin quilt block I’d made for the survivors of Hurricane Sandy. I sent twenty blocks to a volunteer quilter in Wisconsin who combined them with blocks from two other patchworkers. She used them to create the amazing work of art you see here; the fourth Hurricane Sandy quilt she’s made so far. She shared these photos last week so we could see what a big thing our small contributions had become. Today I want to mention two small things that can make a big difference in your kitchen: tongs and shears. A good pair of spring-loaded tongs can help you turn meat on a grill, serve salads without a mess or pull a strand of spaghetti from a pot to check for doneness. The best kitchen shears are sharp enough to mince fresh chives and strong enough to cut up a whole chicken.