Kitchen Fun I Should Have Been Doing for Years
The kitchen is pretty much my domain and where I spend a lot of time. It’s my happy place where I get to cook, make, and survive. Over the years I’ve learned a few fun tips from friends or online and thought “what the hell, why have I never done of this before?”
Well today I want to share a few of my favorite kitchen ideas that I’ve recently figured out and wish I had been doing for years.
Grow Green Onions in Your Windowsill
This is something I learned recently and wish I had known long ago. I’m constantly buying green onions at the store but figured out I can grow my own in my window. Chop a green onion about 2-3 inches above the root, right where the white ends and the green part begins. Place them in a small jar with about an inch or two of water and place on your windowsill. Within a few days you’ll begin to see your green onion regrow. This is the easiest way to keep fresh green onions around all year long. A tip: be sure to change the water every few days to avoid a pungent onion stink.
Freeze Your Ginger Roots
I don’t use ginger a ton so when I go to the grocery store to buy fresh ginger, I end up getting a much bigger piece than I need and the ginger sits in my produce drawer to shrivel up. But you can freeze the leftover root in a plastic container or resealable bag. This I learned after an online grocery order during quarantine when I got a 12” piece of ginger and only needed a teaspoon for a recipe. So now when I have fresh ginger, I will just chop up the leftovers into 1-2” pieces, toss in a freezer bag, and pull a piece out when I need it.
Soften Hardened Brown Sugar with Bread
I hate when I pull out the brown sugar (like, twice a year) and find it hard as a rock. Ugh, the worst. Well did you know that if you place a slice of bread in the bag or jar of brown sugar it will completely soften overnight? Neat trick, right? I will typically use the end of the bread loaf – you know, the piece no one wants to use – and toss it in the brown sugar. The sugar softens like a brand-new bag.
Make Herb Butter
I’ve had herbed-flavored butter in restaurants before but never thought to make my own. Once I started growing my own garden and had fresh herbs around, I decided to start adding them to my store-bought vegan butter. Just take half a stick of butter and allow it to soften. Chop up 1 tablespoon of your favorite herb and mix in with the butter. My favorite herbs to use are rosemary, thyme, chives, and even fresh garlic. Roll the herb butter in a piece of parchment paper like the picture above and store in the fridge or freezer. Now just imagine slathering this on your own homemade bread! My mouth is watering. Find my easy overnight bread recipe here.
Reuse Veggie Scraps for Broth
Save your vegetable scraps and put them to use folks. Find my recipe here, and trust me, it’s an easy thing to make. Just take the cut ends, shavings, and vegetable peels and keep them in a gallon sized freezer bag in your freezer. When the bag is full, toss the scraps in a pot, add enough water to cover, toss in 2 bay leaves, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain the veggies and store the broth in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2-months.
Stop Stirring Peanut Butter
You know how a new container of natural almond butter or peanut butter has that layer of oil at the top? And have you ever spilled that oil layer trying to stir it all together? I have, but there is a solution – store the container upside down. The oil will rise to the top, which is the bottom in this case. Once you’re ready to use, the nut butter becomes much easier to stir and work with. A tip: if you get to the bottom of the container and the nut butter is dry and crumbly, just add a little oil to bring it back to life.
What are some of your favorite kitchen tips?
Leave a comment below, I’d love to learn from you.
Peace & Love,
Nikki