The Kitchen In My Castle

To me, there is nothing more fulfilling, relaxing and satisfactory than coming home after a 9 hour day at the office and cooking a great meal for my family - one that is served at the table where we can sit down and enjoy it together. This is often the second best part of my day - the first being when my son runs up to me after daycare yelling "Mommy!" and gives me the biggest hug that such little arms could muster.

Anyway, back on the subject of dinner. I love to cook. I grew up with a family that cooked, a tradition that pre-dates my generation my several decades. My grandfather was an amazing cook and could make a feast out of anything. My mother is also a fabulous cook and everything she tosses into a pan comes out delicious. I have learned, however, through my years that this cooking skill comes with time, patience, practice, from courage to try new things, and from a lot of creativity.

I couldn't boil an egg when I was 21 (no really, I couldn't. And stop laughing). But I love to cook so I kept trying. And while my cooking prowess is still in the process of being developed, I have successfully cooked two entire Thanksgiving dinners, prepared several in-demand potluck dishes, and feed my family wonderful meals almost every night. I say almost every night because no mother - working out of the home or not - wants to cook a full meal every night. Sometimes, it's nice to throw together some grilled cheese, stuff a frozen pizza in the oven, or whip up a pan of Hamburger Helper.

Take tonight for example: I made spaghetti with pesto sauce, asparagus spears sauteed in lemon butter and dinner rolls. Sounds fancy, huh? Truth - the spaghetti was from a box (and I overcooked it) as were the dinner rolls (which were supposed to be crescent rolls but became more of just rolls) and the lemon butter was actually a tablespoon or two of butter and some lemon juice. Last night I made a chicken and rice fry with garden vegetable. In reality, it was cubed chicken, instant rice, frozen vegetables and some cheese.

It occurred to me while eating the meal tonight that while it was very easy to pour things from a box into some boiling water and stir, that it would be just as easy to make it myself from scratch. And it would have tasted better. When I was younger, hardly anything came from a box. My grandparents had an enormous garden and the basement shelves were stocked full of canned vegetables. If we didn't have it, the neighbors did. So why have I lowered myself to cooking out of boxes?

And here begins the challenge. I will cook more of my own food. I will buy more fresh vegetables and think of how I can make things from scratch. I will dare to make things that I have never tried before, even if I know my family may not eat it. I will find recipes, plan the meals, purchase the ingredients and creates delicious and healthy masterpieces for my family. I have the resources, I just haven't been using them, which is simply irresponsible on my part. So the next time I want to have spaghetti in pesto sauce, the spaghetti will be whole grain and the pesto sauce will be homemade.

Along my cooking transformation, I've learned to keep a few things on hand at all times. These things are good to have for when my husband likes to play the "what's for dinner game?" and rule out every single option I have, meaning I have to create something new. Here is my list of necessities:

Chicken stock
Cream of Mushroom soup (2 cans)
Cream of Chicken soup
Cream of Celery soup
Spaghetti sauce
A variety of pastas
Instant rice
Bag of potatoes
Instant potatoes (for those nights when the bag of potatoes is just too exhausting)
Barbecue sauce (you'd be surprised how versatile this condiment is)
Vinegar
Several varieties of cheese - sliced and shredded
Fresh vegetables
Tortillas
Butter (real butter. and lots of it.)
Vanilla Yogurt (I use it in place of syrup for breakfast, mix it with fruit, add it to granola for a snack, use as a dip for fresh fruit, need I go on?)
Crackers (not saltines, either. Have you read the labels on those things lately? Yuck.)
Fresh fruit
A wide variety of herbs and spices (I have all dried, but using fresh for a special recipe is always encouraged.)
Flour
White sugar
Brown sugar
Powdered sugar (the best garnish ever for deserts and it makes everything look pretty.)
Yeast (especially if you want to bake. Anything.)
Cornstarch
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Butter (oops, mentioned it twice. wink wink.)
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Pepper
Poultry seasoning (try it on your steak sometime. I dare ya.)
Honey (it rivals baking soda for it's many uses)
Olive Oil
Canola Oil
Vegetable Oil
Chocolate (if not for baking, then for eating.)
Hamburger
Chicken
Fish (I came from Minnesota. Meaning there is always, always, always, always walleye in my freezer.)
Frozen vegetables (make sure to read the labels, but if they are prepared right, they have the nutritional equivalent to fresh vegetables and can be added to everything your little cooking heart desires. I don't buy canned vegetables anymore because there is so much sodium and yet they still don't have any crunch or flavor.)

Whew. I think that's it. I know - it's a lot. But you can make a lot of creative dishes with these necessities. I've found that when I look through a cookbook to make a grocery list, I often only need to buy one or two items (usually something that needs to be fresh) because I already have everything else.

So if I have the above already stocked in my kitchen, why am I eating pesto spaghetti from a box and making dinner rolls from an exploding can? Hmmm.....

The Wonderful World of Baking Soda

Ah baking soda - that magical yellow box hiding behind years of freezer burnt mystery packages. You're able to sleep much better at night knowing that the odors in your fridge and freezer are being kept in check by that comforting little symbol of freshness.

But did you know that there is so much more that can be done with baking soda? So much more! Baking soda should be one of the main items in any home because of it's multiple uses and functions. Not only that, but it's very cheap and it won't expire. Here are just a few of the reasons that baking soda is so incredibly awesome:

Baking: This is a no brainer - hence the name "Baking" soda. But why do certain recipes require baking soda? If you've ever skipped even that one teaspoon in a recipe, you know how how essential it is. But why? Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a base. When mixed with a liquid that is more acidic (buttermilk, cream of tartar, etc) it releases carbon dioxide (in the form of bubbles) that helps raise or leaven baked goods. Essentially, baking soda is so wonderful because of it's basic properties and how it reacts with other acids and bases.

Unclogging drains: This same acid/base reaction will work to unclog drains in a chemical free and environmentally safe fashion. If you have a clogged or stinky drain, use a funnel to pour about 3/4 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow with about 1/2 cup vinegar and cover the drain. Leave it covered for about 15 minutes, then rinse by pouring hot water down the drain. As soon as the vinegar touches the baking soda, you'll see and hear the reaction - it's actually very cool. This is the same premised behind those volcanoes we all made in elementary school for a science project - just add red food coloring for a fun experiment.

Odor Killer: To understand how baking soda neutralizes odors, we first need to understand what is causing the odor. The answer: strong acids and bases. When organic material decomposes or rots, chemical reactions release strong acids or bases that often have a smell attached to them (these smells are called esters, but I understand if you prefer not to know that much detail). Sodium bicarbonate, while a base itself, has the ability to neutralize these strong acids and bases and restore pH levels. It essentially eats the odors and restores all that is good in the world.

Carpets: But this isn't just true for odors in a fridge or freezer. It also works for fabrics like carpet and upholstry. Instead of paying extra for carpet fresheners that contain more chemicals and scents that only cover up odors, sprinkle baking soda on carpet and upholstry. The added bonus: it keeps working after it's in the vacuum.

Cleaner: Baking soda is also abrasive and doesn't readily dissolve in water, meaning it is an excellent scrubbing agent. It's basic nature also makes it very gentle. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub away on almost every surface (you should always test a small spot first to ensure no damage will be done, just in case). This can be used on everything from the microwave to the dishwasher to dishes. For extra scrubbing and cleaning power, add coarse salt and dishsoap. Add a 1/2 cup to your next load of laundry to help your laundry soap neutralize odors and boost it's cleaning power. It also soaks up spilled grease and oil. Sprinkle the mess with baking soda, let it sit to absorb the mess, then wipe up with a damp rag.

Health: As a base, baking soda naturally works to neutralize acid, as seen earlier with how it works to neutralize odors. But it can also be used for bodily acid such as heartburn and upset stomach. There is a caution here however, in that ingesting too much of anything is harmful, especially when it comes to something like a base. Always carefully read instructions on the package first.

It can also be used in place of toothpaste - dip your toothbrush into some baking soda and scrub away at those pearly whites. It works as a gargle to help get rid of bad breath as well. It can be mixed with water into a paste that works as a gentle facial scrub, but can be used on any part of the body. Add it to shampoo (squirt some shampoo in your hand and then sprinkle on some baking soda) to help get rid of residue from styling products or anything else that might be hiding in your mane. Sprinkle in the bath to soothe irritated skin (rashes, sunburn, bug bites, etc) or to help get rid of oily residues. It can even be used in place of deoderant by sprinkling some under your arms. This same premise can be used to relieve chafing skin as well.


Basically, anything smelly, oily or dirty can be deoderized or cleaned with baking soda. No other chemicals or cleaners necessary. And did I mention it's cheap (I did actually, second paragraph)? Next time you're in the store, go ahead and stock up. It will slowly replace all other cleaners you have, creating more pantry space and saving the environment.

It really is a wonderful world when baking soda is involved.