Sneaky Organization Tips

Happy New Year everyone!

Let's get right to it - January's Kitchen Tip of the Month will help you get peace of mind in your kitchen.  These sneaky tips to organize all your clutter will keep everyone in the house happy, and will even wow your guests.

I searched all over the place for the best tips - and added a couple of my own.  All are easy and cheap (under $20).  Enjoy!


1. Cereal Containers.

I hate when cereal gets stale, or when I unknowingly run out.  These plastic containers are a perfect storage solution.  You can see exactly how much cereal you have, and it stays fresh much longer.  These also work for almost anything: flour, sugar, oats, nuts, popcorn, chips.  Toss the chip clips.  Not only will these keep your chips fresh, but they're easier to store without leaving your chips in tiny pieces!

Image from Furniture Creations

2. Pantry Pockets.

This ingenious idea is perfect for anyone with a pantry or a large cabinet door.  Simply use an over-the-door shoe hanger to pack with all the little items that clutter your pantry.

Brought to you by www.moneysavingqueen.com.

3. Spice Tubes.

If you have a lot of spices to round up, but not a lot of money to get a fancy spice rack, test tubes might be the way to go.  They're small, clear, and can fit into a cart for easy access.  Test tubes along with stoppers can be found for around $0.50 a pop.

Image from www.re-nest.com.

4. Soap Rack.

Have problems keeping all your detergents and sprays in order under the sink?  All it takes to fix is an adjustable shower rod (about $10-20).

Brought to you by jengrantmorris.blogspot.com.

5. Bag Dispenser.

Cant get control of your plastic bags?  There are lots of fancy containers out there, but all it really takes is an old wet wipes dispenser or tissue box.

Brought to you by www.savvyhousekeeping.com.

6. Pegboard.

This idea requires a little more work, but might be the most rewarding.  One of the least organized (and most frustrating!) places in the kitchen is often the utensil drawer, you know - the one with all the big spoon and spatulas and scissors and mixers that sometimes won't open because it's so full?  With a little pegboard from Home Depot and a peg kit (together, around $20) you can hang utensils inside cabinet doors.

Image from www.shelterness.com.

If you have any other clever or creative kitchen storage ideas, leave a comment below!
If you liked this post, make sure you share it!
Spread the love :)

Until next time!  Live Enriched!

A Very French Christmas

Bonjour!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and holiday season.  I had an absolutely marvelous and Joyeux Noël here in France.  I'm not sure how everyone celebrates their holidays, but I have to admit, the French version was quite different from what I'm used to!  But don't worry, I made sure to document my entire experience in pictures, just to share with you.  (And I have a question for you at the end!)

To start with a little backstory, I'm lucky enough to be spending the holiday season with a wonderful French family I met through my high school exchange program.  For Christmas eve, we travelled to Tours, France, a large town in the Loire Valley.  We stayed in a beautiful chateau, Le Clos d'Amboise,  with an amazing view and very quaint accommodations.  The castle and the architecture in town were perfect examples of the French atmosphere that I love so much.

For Christmas eve dinner, we visited friends at their house 5 minutes from the Loire.  The dinner we were served there was absolutely incredible.  We spent the evening with friends, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, in-laws, brothers, sisters... all told there were about 30 of us.  I hope you enjoy these photos.  (I must admit, I got a couple strange looks from taking pictures of the food, but it was all in good fun, and quite worth it!)

A view from the bridge of the beautiful Loire at sunset on Christmas eve.

The castle in Tours.

Our view from the window of the chateau where we stayed on Christmas eve.

(I don't have a picture of the first "course."  It consisted of homemade sangria with strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, and finger food like mini hot dogs and pastry wrapped duck pâté.)

Second course: "fruits de mer."  The gigantic platters of seafood that included whole shrimp, whole crab, legs and claws included, whelks, mini shrimp, and lemon garnishes.  To eat the shrimp, we had to remove the shells and the tails (and even the heads on some!)

Here is a picture of the whelks we ate.  We used a pick to get it out of the shell.  (It looked to me like a giant periwinkle - something I've never eaten before!)  Underneath are the mini shrimp - these we ate whole, without removing heads, shell, or tails.  A little crunchy, but addicting!  Both were delicious with the homemade mayonnaise on the side.

Here is what remained of the oysters when I thought to take a picture.  When we started, there were probably at least 50!  They were huge, and delicious!

We ate the oysters with this sauce, a simple balsamic vinaigrette with diced shallots.  It was quite strong, but a great complement for the oysters.

At this point, I was almost full.  Starting to think about dessert... when I was told by the French girl sitting next to me that there was still much much more to come...

Third course: baked lamb in a gravy with potatoes and carrots.  This was exquisite.  Unfortunately, I only had the stomach space for about half of it, but I tried!  We each had our own little casserole dish with a lid and everything.

Fourth course: fromage!  Cheese is a very common course to eat after almost any meal in France.  This cheese was goat cheese, and it was extremely strong... so strong that I could only eat a few bites.  I still didn't have much room for it anyway!

Fifth course: dessert!  Time to open up that second stomach for dessert that we all have.  This was that yule log we were served (with a cream roll wrapped up inside.)  There were macarons all around the plate and small trifle cups on the side as well.  I had to remain seated for quite awhile, as my stomach was too heavy to move.

...and of course, no French meal would truly be finished without a few bottles of Champagne!

And just to add a little more "Christmas," after the meal, "Santa" came and dropped off all the presents in the garage, (not in the living room with the huge tree where all the kids were sneaking in and out.)  We opened presents at about 1am.  At home, when I was younger, we opened presents really early on Christmas morning (around 6am when my sister and I could convince my parents to get out of bed.)  Recently, since we ski on Christmas day (of course!) we open presents on Christmas eve after dinner, and save stockings for Christmas morning.

How do you celebrate Christmas?  Do you have a multiple course meal?  What foods do you eat?  When do you open presents?  My French friends are all curious, so make sure you leave a comment :).

Have a wonderful New Year!  Until next time!  Live Enriched!

Les Crêpes Françaises

It appears the holiday season is in full swing, and I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I am!  Today I'm writing to you from France.  Since I arrived just a few days ago, everything has been beautiful.  I surprisingly lost 10 lbs in Italy, but I am going to gain all that back and more in these 3 weeks and France (if I haven't already!)

December's recipe of the month, in the French spirit, is crêpes!  They are really quick and easy to make, can be eaten for almost any meal, and of course taste wonderful!  In French, they are called "les crêpes," which rhymes with "step" (don't pronounce the "s" at the end!)

So here you go with the recipe, pictures and all.  If you make your own, please post pictures and comments beneath this post, would love some chatter!

Ingredients:

For the batter:
3 eggs

250 grams of flour (2 cups)

1/2 liter of milk (slightly more than 2 cups)

a large spoonful of rum

10 grams of vanilla sugar (one package, about 1/2 ounce) << I'm not so sure this exists in the US.  If not, just add a tsp of vanilla extract.

All the names are in French, sorry!

For the toppings:

Sugar

Nutella

Crème caramel

Jam/Preserves

Fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc.)

Anything else you want! (You can get creative here... I've eaten crêpes with brie, apples, ham, eggs, spinach, cranberries...)

Directions:

Mix together the flour, eggs, milk, rum, and vanilla until there are no clumps.  There will probably be bubbles, that's okay!  Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a large pan to medium heat.  Generously grease the pan so that the batter doesn't stick.  You can use non-stick spray, butter, or even olive oil.

(Our sacrificed crêpe - it's inevitable.)

ATTENTION: the first crêpe almost never turns out well - it's not your fault!  We used a few drops of olive oil to grease and wiped it around with a paper towel.  The first crêpe might retain a little bit of the taste, but that's the bad one anyway!

Adding a little more to fill out the pan.

Pour the batter into the middle of the pan (until it covers about half of the area of the pan.)  Then swirl it around so it thins out and covers the whole pan.  If you measure wrong, you can always add a little more batter (but not less, so be careful!)

Swirling!

After about 30 seconds, the bottom of the crêpe should turn golden brown.  Flip it!  Give it another 30 seconds, and then you're done!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm...

Makes approximately 20 crêpes.

Add whatever toppings you like, and enjoy!

If you liked this recipe, share it with your friends, and leave a comment below!

If you have an idea for a recipe of the month, leave me a comment on my facebook page.

Until next time!  Live Enriched!

The Best Balsamic Vinegar in the World

...that's right.  I have no problem making that claim.  If you tried it, you'd agree.

December's product of the month comes straight from Italy... and ONLY from Italy.  In fact, Italy is the only country in the world to produce certified balsamic vinegar.  More specifically, Modena, Italy, is the only town in the world that concocts this deliciously exclusive product for your kitchen.

To give you a little background, a few months ago I travelled with a few friends to Modena to visit one specific acetaia (the equivalent of a winery for balsamic vinegar).  The Acetaia di Giorgio, once we arrived, was not at all what we were expecting.  It was a small house on a simple side street right outside the center of town.

Once inside, the scent of balsamic vinegar was overwhelming.  It seemed like a normal house until we got to the attic.  There were four separate rooms full of barrels.  The barrels were made out of all different types of wood, giving a unique flavor to each type of vinegar.  There was oak, cherry, juniper, mulberry, ash...

Photo of wooden barrels from my visit to the acetaia (pronounced ah-chet-eye'-ah).

Modena is the only place to find this exquisite product is because of the DOC certification process, overseen by Consortium of Producers of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Every step is certified, from the harvesting of the grapes, to the aging, and even to the bottling (for more info on the process, check it out here).  The grapes must come from Modena and the vinegar must be aged in Modena.  The vinegar is aged either 12 years or 25 years, after that it does not improve (unlike wine).  Even the bottling is certified; every certified producer must use the same exact bottle of 100mg (an easy way to tell if you're getting the real thing!)

The DOP certified bottle. (http://www.acetaiadigiorgio.it)

We were lucky enough to get a personal tour and taste testing.  Let me tell you, it was unlike anything I've ever tasted in my life.  All we got were a few drops, yet the flavor was so rich, distinct, and powerful.  The difference between the types of wood used to hold the vinegar was very obvious in the taste.

Now to the price... Depending on the age and flavor, 100mg of balsamic vinegar (the only size you can buy) will run you anywhere from $65 to $150, not including a rather hefty shipping fee.  That said, it is well worth the money.  With "normal" balsamic vinegar, you might go through a bottle of 250-500mg in just a few weeks.  The flavor of THIS balsamic vinegar is so strong that you only need a few drops to add a kick to almost any meal, meaning that it will last a lot longer than that factory made "balsamic vinegar."

Why I recommend this product:
1. It has an AMAZING taste.
2. It can be used with almost any meal.
3. It is one-of-a-kind.

Here's the website for the Acetaia di Giorgio: http://www.acetaiadigiorgio.it/english.htm

Thanks for coming to visit!
If you have ever had DOP certified balsamic vinegar, tell me about it in the comments!
If you liked this post, "like" it (there's a button right below!)
If you have a product that is essential for every kitchen, drop me a message on my facebook page.

Until next time! Live Enriched!

Things You Should Always Have on Your Kitchen Counter... And Things You Shouldn't!

Welcome back to enrichin' your kitchen!  Every month from here on out, you'll be getting a Kitchen Tip of the Month, a Product of the Month, a Recipe of the Month, and an Article/Anecdote of the Month. Every Friday, there will be something new and exciting to add to your kitchen!

Today we have the first tip for your kitchen, and it involves things you should always have on your kitchen counter... and things you shouldn't!  Kitchen counters come in all shapes and sizes.  I've seen kitchens with barely enough counter space to chop an onion, and others with enough counter space to hold everything on my bedroom floor!  (Okay that might be an exaggeration, but you get the point.)  No matter what kind of kitchen counters you have, here are some tips to enrich them!

ALWAYS HAVE:

1. A Bowl of Fruit.

Why?  A couple reasons.  First, most fruit doesn't really need to be refrigerated, especially if it will be eaten in just a few days.  Some fruit SHOULDN'T be refrigerated before it's ripe (because it won't ripen in the fridge) and once it's ripe, you should just eat it!  In addition, many people prefer eating fruit at room temperature.  It enhances the taste.  (In Italy, we do this with tomatoes, too!)

Secondly, a bowl of fruit looks nice on a countertop.  It makes the kitchen a little more homey.

Thirdly, (and most importantly!), people are lazy.  Kids are the laziest of all.  When kids come home from school, or come inside from playing, they probably want a snack.  They want something easy.  Keeping a bowl of fruit on the counter will keep them (and you!) snacking on more fruit and staying healthier.

2. A Grocery List.

This you don't need to keep ON your counter, but it should be in your kitchen, in plain sight (on the fridge, for example).  This way, when you (or someone in your family) runs out of something, they can quickly write it on the list so it won't be forgotten on the next shopping trip.  This makes your grocery planning easier as well.

Moreover, lots of parents complain that they don't know what to cook that the kids will actually eat, and some just run out of ideas for dinner.  Having a grocery list out and ready means that whenever that brilliant idea of fresh guacamole and chicken fajitas or pumpkin lasagna comes to mind, you can jot it down as soon as you think of it.  Otherwise, you might be tempted to resort to calling for takeout at a place that's likely to be more expensive and less healthy, just because you couldn't think of anything to cook.

3. A Basket.

Small, miscellaneous items tend to accumulate on kitchen countertops and bedroom floors.  I haven't solved the bedroom problem yet ;), but all it takes in the kitchen is a small basket!  Baskets are great because they usually have a neutral color (so they match most anything) and they look like a decoration instead of a clutter.  This is a great place for keys, a wallet, sunglasses, a watch, and almost anything small that doesn't have a home.

NEVER HAVE:

1. Clutter!

This includes new mail, old mail, newspapers, magazines, receipts etc.  If you find that you have a problem with this kind of stuff cluttering your countertops, here are a couple quick solutions.  Start slow.  If you think about cleaning everything at once, it will deter you from actually starting in the first place.  Find a place that you can train yourself to put these things.  Recycling bin, a file for receipts, a stand for incoming mail and/or newspapers...  This will help you clear off your counters, and may even help make sure you pay bills on time!

2. A Bowl of Candy.

Don't do it!  This bowl of candy is just going to beg to be eaten... by you, by your kids, by anyone that comes in the house.  Sometimes candy and candy wrappers may look nice and colorful, but there is ALWAYS a better alternative.

3. Half-Empty Drinks.

Unless you're in the act of drinking them, don't leave glasses on your countertops.  Depending on the type of counter you have, it may stain or burn it.  If it's a cold drink, it will probably leave some condensation that will be overlooked when you decide to put down a piece of paper or a loaf of bread.  Plus, glasses on the counter are just begging to be knocked over.  And lastly, most people won't finish a half-finished drink that is no longer hot or no longer cold - if you won't finish it now, put it in the fridge or toss it.  If you MUST, at least use a coaster.


Hope you enjoyed this month's rendition of tips for your kitchen.  As the months go on, we'll get sneakier and sneakier, so come on back next time!

If YOU have things you think should always or never be on the kitchen counter, let us know in the comments below!  If you liked this post, "like" it and share it!

Until next time!  Live Enriched!

The Beginning...

Welcome everyone!

I wanted to start my first blog post with a quick introduction to myself, a simple overview of the inspiration for this page, and a vision for the future.

For those who have never met me, "Enchantée!"

You'll soon learn that I have more energy than most people you know, I tend to be spontaneous (except with purchases!), I love foreign languages and travel, I'm a diehard Patriots fan, everything in my life is organized except my bedroom floor, and I LOVE LIFE.

For those who have met me, hello again!  I'm excited you decided to join me.  Get ready to be blown away with some awesome tips and tricks to transform your kitchen.

"But Liz, why the kitchen?"

Your kitchen is (rather, should be!) your hub.  The whole house revolves around the kitchen.  Why?  Because your kitchen has so much to offer!  It's really the only room in your house that, if done right, can improve your health, save you money, bring your family and friends closer, save you time, and make you happier.  Don't believe me?  Well you're in for a surprise...

My love for all things "kitchen" began more than three years ago, when I began selling Cutco Cutlery.  (By the way, if you don't own Cutco, be careful, this blog might convince you!)  My absolute love for Cutco soon turned into a love for cutting, cooking, and eating.  Living on my own the past two summers also gave me an appreciation for great kitchens (that I certainly didn't have!)

I now work alongside an amazing entrepreneur in personal health and fitness coaching, Liz DiAlto.  Working with her has inspired me to improve my health, which has me in the kitchen even more.

Living in Italy has given me an even stronger appreciation for kitchens.  Not because my Italian kitchen is fantastic... my Italian kitchen may be one of the worst I've seen!  Only 2 of my 4 roommates fit comfortably at the too-big table, our refrigerator isn't cold enough to keep food fresh, we have a noisy washing machine right in the middle, our oven only has one rack, there's no dishwasher (rather there are 4 of us!), the freezer is tiny, we don't have any wine glasses or large bowls, and aside from the one Cutco knife I fit into my luggage, our cutting situation is rather abysmal.

This unfortunate kitchen has stimulated my imagination for what a kitchen could be.  Which is why I'm here.  Maybe you're in the same position as me.  Maybe you don't have much time, much money, or much patience!  If that's the case you're in the right place.  Even though our kitchen leaves much to be desired, we still find ourselves spending time there because kitchens are amazing, no matter the shape or size.

So get ready.  Once a week, you'll get a great tip, product, recipe, or article that will inspire you to start enrichin' your kitchen!



Want to get in touch with me?  Here's my email.  You can also visit my Facebook Page.
Best way to get your kitchen updates?  Drop your email in the box on the upper right for a quick weekly update.
Have a great tip for kitchens?  I'd love to host a guest blogger!  Send me a message with your idea.

Until next time!  Live Enriched!