Keeping It Clean When Baking/Cooking

I love to bake but sometimes it seems like even the simplest recipes leave my kitchen looking like a mini twister came for a visit. Here are a few tips that I have found help cut down on clean up time.

Peeling Vegetables/Cutting Fruit- Spread butcher paper or old newspapers on the counter. You can peel vegetables right on to the paper or set it next to the cutting board to slide the rinds from fruit on to. When your done you can easily throw the whole mess away.

Baking Cookies/Rolls- Line the bottom of the pan with tin foil- Clean up is a breeze! This also works well when you are making multiple batches of cookies with only a few pans. As the first batches are baking- place dough on pre cut sheets of tin foil- when the first batches are done you can easily slide off the tin foil with the baked cookies, placing in on the counter to cool- and quickly replace with the second batch of cookies to bake.

Mixing Bowls, Utensils, Measuring Cups & Spoons- When someone shared this tip with me it seemed like such a no brainer that I couldn't believe I wasn't doing it already- When you are baking/cooking keep a sink of soapy water full- Just taking an extra second or two to rinse of the bowls and utensils you use then putting them to soak can save so much time scrubbing off dried food later.

Cooking Spray- Cooking spray is a handy thing to have on hand- If you spray a little in a Tupperware container before you store tomato based foods your Tupperware wont stain. You can spray it on your hands before you knead dough or roll cookies to help food from sticking to your hands. It also works great to spray a little on a measuring cup or spoon before measuring things like peanut butter- or syrups. You can even spray it on your grill to help foods keep from sticking to it!

What kitchen tips do you have?

Drop & Roar Dinosaur by Fisher Price

Although the product had a suggested age range of 6 mo- 3 years we thought it might be a bit old for our little guy (10 months). We were happily surprised however when it quickly caught his attention when we turned it on and started sending the roll-a-round balls down the chutes.

It only took a couple of times showing him what to do before he had the lights flashing and the balls moving- He is still figuring out the concept between where you put them in and where they come out- but he definitely knows how to make the music and lights come on! I can easily see this being a toy that he continues to enjoy for several years.

To see this fun toy in action you can visit this interactive DEMO.

The Drop & Roar Dinosaur is available at Toys R' Us, Wal-Mart, Target and most larger retail stores. They are a popular item and not always in stock so you might also try E-Bay and Amazon.

Drop & Roar Dinosaur by Fisher Price Review

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Wupzey High Chair Food Catcher

What a great product! Think of all the time you could save not having to sweep up after you feed your little one! The Wupzey comes in lots of great styles you can check them out HERE.

PEEK-A-BOO Bag

PEEK-A-BOO Bags

As a child I had a pop bottle filled with rice with things like a saftey pin, coins, small toys, etc. The peek-a-boo bag by Peek-a-Boo Stuff is just like that but better. Its a soft bag so it's easier to carry with you - not to mention the items that are in it for the child to look for are so much fun! They have a bag for boys, girls, and an alphabet bag.

If you are crafty you can also get the supplies to make one of these bags at most fabric stores- it is on my list of things to attempt so I will keep you posted on how that goes!

Travel with Children- Fun Family Blog

KIPIIS BIB CLIP


I just found a great website with all sorts of great ideas for travelling with kids. Visit her at winnermama The author has a 2 year old and a 8 month old and LOTS of great tips in her recent posts. She also has some fun giveaways on her blog for kids- a recent one was this great clip that makes any napkin into an instant bib. Be sure to check out the product site Kipiis.

Parmesan Chicken Dinner

If your looking for a quick, easy dinner that your family will love this is a great one to try. Grill enough Chicken Breasts for your family and cut it into strips. Steam your favorite Veggie and add some Rice (brown rice adds a nice flavor to the dish) and top with Homemade Parmesan Cream Sauce.


To Make Homemade Parmesan Cream Sauce.
Whisk together 3/4 cup flour with 1 cup milk. Add. pinch of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp onion powder, salt & pepper (to your desired taste). When well blended with no lumps add 2 more cups milk and cook over MEDIUM heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and quickly stir in 2 TBSP butter and 1 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese.

This is one of my favorites sauces and so easy to make. It is great on so many things. Another great more "grown up" recipe with a similar sauce is Brown Butter Gnocchi with Mushrooms in Parmesan Sauce you can find HERE at Kraft foods (the sauce is slightly blander and in my opinion not as good) but it is great with the Gnocchi and Mushrooms.

Clorox Wipes "To Go"

Maybe I am just germ-aphobic but I love Clorox's Disinfectant Wipes in the "To Go" pack. These are an absolute must have for me. The little pack fits conveniently in your purse or diaper bag and is always there to conquer those "not so clean" surfaces when you are out and about. My personal favorite uses are shopping cart handles, and restaurant booster seats and high chairs. They are especially great on restaurant tables so that you don't have to cringe when your child drops food off his plate on the table then eats it.