#how to make meat cheese and veggie trays

[fordragonfliesandme]

How to Impress Your Guests with Mouthwatering Charcuterie Boards Without Breaking the Bank: PART 1

25 Genius Hacks Revealed! If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know how much I love to decorate & entertain. In the next couple posts I’ll be showing you how to create stunning holiday charcutier boards for your holiday parties on a budget. In todays episode you ‘ll get my 25 genius hacks on how to create stunning holiday charcuterie boards. Following will be the video of me…

[tightwadspoonies]

Dumpster Diving and Salvage Shopping

If you asked me what my role in the ecosystem is, I'd say I'm a scavenger. I hate confrontation and I hate spending money when there are other options. I will gladly just take whatever you don't want in order to avoid such unsavory obligations.

So dumpster diving, salvage stores, and incidental meat registries and I get along pretty well save for the anxiety. This post, hopefully, takes some of that away for my fellow scavengers who would love to dumpster dive but just don't know how yet, or are afraid of getting in trouble.

Dumpster Diving:

First of all, dumpster diving is legal in all 50 states of the US, but check local ordinances because rich people get fussy about people digging through trash to the point of some cities condemning the practice. It's on a bunch of other posts but it's worth saying.

Cops, of course, will lie or imply otherwise on this. A good way around that is to look like someone who is "not breaking the law". AKA: look like a suburbanite: Wear some khakis and a polo shirt, carry a Starbucks cup, and act as white as you can possibly get away with. If approached, smile, call the cop "officer" or some such referential title, and explain that you thought it was legal. Not that you know it's legal- that you thought it was legal. If they tell you to scram, do so. No argument with law enforcement is worth what is in that dumpster.

Note that it is illegal in many places to put stuff into dumpsters that aren't yours, though, so if the cops are having a slow night, be careful about them asking you to put stuff back.

You also don't want to be the reason dumpster diving gets banned in your community. Do this primarily by never getting into a dumpster. I know the container of perfect strawberries is just out of reach, but if you fall or are unable to get out you are not only up a creek yourself but potentially causing an anti-dumpster-diving frenzy that your town's grocery stores will never recover from. Also, people have legitimately died from getting into a trash compactor.

Now, "legal" does not mean "pro-store-policy". One of the main reasons for this is that is dumpster diving can be somewhat dangerous and no store wants to be the store that's known for letting people break legs on their slippery dumpster juice or what have you.

Avoid too many store policy issues by waiting until the store closes, doing a pass-by to ensure no one is waiting to see if anyone is picking out of their dumpsters, and (again) looking like someone who wouldn't be diving in dumpsters.

Store management tends to worry that they will be sued for letting you eat expired or unsafe food. If you do get approached by a manager who isn't excited to see someone picking over their dumpster selections, it is a good idea to impress upon them how very many dumpsters you pick from and how you wouldn't possibly be able to prove it was their dumpster that gave you food poisoning. Also, if you're feeling particularly bold, let them know that you are saving their store money by decreasing the weight of their waste. Probably not by a lot, but hey, you're on their side here. If told to scram, once again, do so with haste.

On that note, there are safe and unsafe foods to pick:

Generally Safe:

Packaged shelf-stable foods even with damaged outer packaging

Milk if still cold

Cheese

Eggs

Bread (including frozen bread if still cold)

Whole Veggies and Fruits, even with bad spots

Fermented anything

Non-Food Items like dry pet food, hand sanitizer, soap, cleaning products (except bleach), etc...

Generally NOT Safe:

Sliced lunch meats

Cheese touching meat

Cut salads or veggie trays

Prepared hot foods (even if still hot)

Pre-cooked refrigerated meals

Frozen veggies (unless still mostly frozen)

You want to make sure you have some time the next day to process your haul. Everything needs to be carefully sorted, cleaned, peeled, and in the case of perishable food like eggs and veggies, cooked prior to eating.

One final thing:

Be considerate. Leave everything how you found it and make sure you're not making more work for employees. Also, if you know others in your area dive, leave some stuff there for the next person.

Salvage Shopping:

Perhaps you aren't completely up for dumpster diving but still like living your lil raccoon life? Thats fine!

Salvage groceries are a great option. Essentially, instead of throwing food away that they can't sell to traditional consumers, grocery stores sell near-dated or damaged products to salvage grocery stores for pennies on the dollar, and that savings is passed along to the consumer.

Most salvage stores are smaller than traditional grocery stores, and some are cash-only. Some have fresh or frozen sections, but the smaller ones are pretty much all packaged goods. If you are living exclusively on salvage stores, you may want to supplement with some dumpster diving, foraging, or gardening (or even maybe going to a grocery store, but that's hella expensive).

Salvage groceries are not necessarily going to be perfectly food safe. There will be expired goods (doesn't mean bad). That just means you will have to do some due diligence. For example:

Make sure that an item you want to purchase is still in a sealed container

If there are more than one of an item, make sure they are the same color

Prioritize un-dented cans

If you must buy a dented can, make sure the dent isn't on an edge or seam

Don't buy expired canned tomato products

If you open a food and it smells bad, looks like it thawed and re-froze, hisses or bubbles- THROW IT AWAY

Generally be more cautious than you would normally be at a grocery store.

In my area these are pretty much always run by the Amish and Mennonite communities, but check around in your area. They are becoming more and more common outside these communities.

Not all of them will be listed on google maps. Look for a shop called "Bend and Dent" or "Salvage Groceries" or a small store advertising "Discount Groceries". Once you find one, it's easy to find others by asking at the checkout, since they tend to cluster together.

A drawback is that, because they do tend to cluster, they may be farther away than other grocery options. If you are far away, I highly recommend getting a few friends together and making a day of it. I can't say this about most things, but the extra cost in gas is well worth the savings, even if you are driving over an hour.

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

Dinner time! And it's Mori's turn to cook. What does she make? Is she a good cook? Do you think the other companions look forward to her meals, or do they make themselves scarce when dinner time comes around?

So, here's the thing about Mori: she kind of hates a formal dinner. Historically, for her, an actual sit-down meal meant a dull and dreary affair with some Nevarran nobility who got very uppity about how they would be received by the Watch and who insisted on things like table manners and small talk. So even now, surrounded as she is by her friends, Mori tends to eschew the idea of formal dinner in every possible way.

This means that when she cooks, she tends to lean into a "make your own meal" sort of thing. She makes big tureens of rice or lentils and then puts out bowls of pickled veggies, roasted broccoli, chopped cucumber, etc., and throws in something like mushroom or chickpea fritters for a little protein. (She's not quite fully vegetarian like Emmrich is, but she doesn't particularly like meat either, so almost all of her dinners are meat-free.) Then she just gestures to all of it in a sort of "have at it" way LMAO.

She's also one of those people who, if they're all busy on the day that she is scheduled to cook, will just put out a tray of dry sausage and cheese and fruit and a bunch of recently-made flatbread with about six different dips and just lets everyone come in and grab something when they're hungry. Mori was always a scavenger rather than a meal-prepper, so this sort of thing really speaks to her sensibilities.

And I think that is especially appreciated by certain people! Neve, I think, especially likes having something that she can swing by and grab without a big to-do. But Mori is also one of those people who tends to, uh. have like one meal that they can eat forever??? So. She does not provide much in the way of VARIETY when it is her turn in the kitchen. Which I think drives Lucanis a little crazy. But Mori isn't cooking EVERY night, and she's made the same meal often enough that it's still flavorful and decent in terms of quality, so she doesn't get the same hesitant reception that, say, Harding does. 😬

[elysiumwaits]

hey it's New PI again. How do you deal with remembering to eat/eating healthy during field work? I'm only doing digital investigations right now but I'm getting so caught up in work that I'm straight up forgetting breakfast/lunch--and I'm not even in the car yet, I'm at home. Do you have, like, any go-to foods that won't spoil during surveillance but also aren't garbage?

Howdy, pal! I struggle with this too - it's hard not to just get fast food when I'm on the way to a scene or something. My method is to make snack foods and graze on them the whole time. I don't have any full meals unless I have a minute to break away (and then, sometimes, it's better to be fed than to worry about how healthy it is).

I love Lunchables. Or the grown-up version, charcuterie boards. Seriously, a meat and cheese tray, a pack of crackers, and a veggie tray or some mixed fruit, and I'm the happiest of campers. Plus, these are foods that save well, especially if you have a little cooler with a little ice pack.

Mostly you're gonna wanna hit carbs and protein, and more protein than carbs (because the energy lasts longer). Trail mix is also fantastic, if you don't have anything that will melt in it.

And then I always keep a case of water in my truck for myself or anyone out on the corner in the heat of summer. Lately I've been stocking caffeine as well behind the seat - my poison is always Mtn. Dew, but keeping tea bags or something in your glove box is a good idea.

Last but not least, here's a tip from the chronic illness rulebook - if you have trouble getting up to go get food, put food where you are. Maybe this means desk snacks or a little cart. I've seen someone with a "snackle box," a cheap tackle box loaded up.

Eat! You need energy for your brain to investigate!

<3

[cleverlittleghost]

I'm a sandwich for lunch and cereal for dinner kind of person, so I see you op lol. But one cannot live on cheerios (or ham and cheese) alone. Here's some neurospicy-friendly tips.

Roasting veggies is super easy:

1. Chop into roughly even bite sized pieces and toss into a gallon ziploc bag.

2. Drizzle in some oil (not too much or it will be greasy...you can always add more if needed), salt and pepper, and whatever else you want for spices (my faves for a long time were onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, adobo, and those ms. dash premixed spices), and shake it up until everything is coated evenly (ish, don't overthink it).

3. Dump it on a foil lined baking tray at 400ish. Poke largest pieces with a fork every so often to see if they are done. Shoot for soft but not mushy. Unless you like mushy. Then shoot for mushy.

Boom. Veggies but for low spoons/low skill. Clean up is throwing away the ziploc and foil. Not the most eco, but see part about low spoons.

It's a good option if you have a protein recipe but don't know what to make with it. Or, you can get those easy prep type things from Target or Aldi (my faves were pre-marinated meats you can throw in the oven in a foil lined dish, or in a crock pot). Or frozen stuff (frozen brococli and cheese stuffed chicken was a frequent one for me). Even some frozen chicken nuggies is great every so often. It's still healthier and cheaper than eating out all the time.

Also, rice in a rice cooker is an easy carb option. Fresh carb and veg right there with little clean up and/or effort. Throw in a protein (easy prep or otherwise) and you have a whole meal (I was taught protein/carb/veg for a balanced meal). Also, you can mix up the type of rice and vegs and spices for variety, without having to learn a new recipe (be sure to write down favorite veg/spice combos!). It's also easy to try new veggies by throwing them in with old favorites, so you aren't SOL if you don't like it, and don't have to make two separate things.

I both hate cooking and am terrible at it, and I can do this. So you can too. It doesn't require constant attention like stovetop cooking. The hands on part is heatless, and the heat part is hands off at the end. Set a timer so you don't forget it and set your house on fire. It is also easy cleanup so the overwhelm factor is low too. Always line your stuff with foil if it's going in the oven. Get heavy duty and double line if you have problems with it tearing. But even when it does, the mess it makes in the pan is a fraction of what it would be without the foil, so it's still a win. Simple one-button rice cookers are the way to go. Once you learn how to use it (very shallow learning curve, don't worry), it will be effortless and the nonstick pots are easy to wash.

Finally, rice and roasted veggies are really easy to adjust for volume. You can do the exact same thing you would do for a single meal for a single person and have enough for the week or a group of people. The only extra effort is more chopping in the beginning.

Good luck!

Do any of u have decent recipes that are like 5 ingredients (not including spices) and take 45 mins or less to prepare i gotta stop eating sandwiches for dinner

[sweethoneyrose83]

You’re hanging out with Glamrock Freddy at the Pizzaplex when he decides to teach you how to make his special pizza. It’s a combination of animatronic finesse and pure culinary imagination. Freddy smiles warmly at you. "Y/N! Together, let’s make a pizza that brings joy to humans and robots alike. Let’s get started! But first, we need to choose a theme for our creation."

Choose Your Theme:

Mega Pizza Plex Supreme🍕✨ A towering pizza with every topping available—cheese galore, multiple meats, and a special BBQ-meets-pizza sauce.

Freddy places his massive animatronic hand on your shoulder and grins. “An excellent choice! The Mega Pizza Plex Supreme is the king of pizzas! Let's gather everything we need for this masterpiece.”

Step 1: Gather Ingredients Freddy leads you to the kitchen, pointing to an array of fresh toppings and sauces. Here’s what we’ll need:

Pizza Dough: Pre-made or homemade (your call, superstar).

Pizza Sauce: A mix of marinara and smoky BBQ sauce.

Cheese Layer 1: Mozzarella.

Cheese Layer 2: Cheddar.

Cheese Layer 3: Parmesan.

Toppings: Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, mushrooms, bell peppers, black olives, onions, and jalapeños.

Secret Sauce: Freddy’s “Extra Glam Dip” (creamy garlic ranch drizzle).

Step 2: Prep the Dough “Roll it out like a rockstar!” Freddy cheers, handing you a rolling pin.

Roll the dough into a large circle (at least 16 inches wide).

Freddy carefully shapes the edges into a “starburst crust” for a flashy touch.

Step 3: Build the Layers “Now the magic begins!” Freddy exclaims.

Sauce It Up

Spread a hearty mix of marinara and BBQ sauce across the dough.

Cheese It Twice

Start with a layer of mozzarella, followed by cheddar.

Load the Toppings

Layer meats first (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham), then veggies (mushrooms, peppers, olives, onions, jalapeños).

Final Cheese Blast

Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Freddy spins dramatically as he does this.

Step 4: Bake to Perfection “Time to send it to the oven!”

Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C).

Bake the pizza on a stone or tray for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Step 5: Glam Finish When the pizza is ready, Freddy hands you a squeeze bottle. “Now drizzle on the secret Glam Dip!”

Add the creamy garlic ranch drizzle in a crisscross pattern over the pizza.

Freddy’s “Extra Glam Dip” Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk (adjust for desired consistency)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced

1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk.

Add the minced garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, black pepper, and salt. Mix well.

Stir in the minced chives, dill, and parsley until evenly distributed.

Adjust the consistency with additional buttermilk if a thinner sauce is desired.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Freddy hums his signature tune as he presents the pizza with pride. “Superstar, this is a pizza fit for the Mega Pizza Plex stage! Let’s eat!”

[downtoearthmarkets]

Get ready for a fun weekend of farmers market grocery shopping because the biggest food holiday of the year arrives next Thursday! Thanksgiving marks a time to gather with family and friends to express gratitude over a feast of turkey and other traditional New England foods. But, while you’re busy preparing the main meal, your guests will need a little something to whet their appetite. Here are a few ideas for tasty yet simple Thanksgiving appetizers that you can make with ingredients sourced at your local Down to Earth farmers market this weekend.

It's a Stickup! Featuring plenty of seasonal flavor, with pretzel sticks as edible toothpicks for ease-of-handling and no fuss cleanup, these maple-glazed sausage bites are sure to be a Thanksgiving crowd-pleaser. The glaze delivers the coup de grace with its irresistible combination of sticky sweet maple syrup, earthy, herby crumbled sage and tangy stone ground mustard.

Ingredients: Makes 16 sausage bites

⅓ cup Maplebrook Farm maple syrup

1 tbsp stone ground mustard

½ teaspoon dried, crushed sage leaves

12 oz Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo, SOVA Farms or Stone & Thistle Farm cooked sausage

16 pretzel sticks

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, mustard and sage.

Cut sausage into 1" slices. Place on a rimmed baking tray.

Bake sausage for 8 minutes. Brush generously with maple glaze. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until sausage is heated through.

Insert a pretzel stick into each sausage bite for easy serving.

Enjoy!

We’ll Always Have Brussels Brussels sprouts are currently in peak season as this winter vegetable grows best in cool or lightly frosty weather. You can often find Brussels sprouts being sold on the stalk in our farmers markets–just the way nature intended and eliminating the need for any excess packaging. Simply twist the sprouts until they break away from the plant.

These “mini cabbages” are considered nutritional powerhouses as they are high in fiber, potassium, and folate, and are an excellent source of vitamins C and K. They also contain antioxidants and minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium.

There are many fun holiday appetizers you can make with these cruciferous cuties. Anything with bacon is sure to be a hit, so try whipping up these bacon-wrapped parmesan Brussels sprouts. You probably have most of the simple ingredient list in your pantry already, so pick up a pound of Brussels sprouts from the farmstalls and bacon from Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo and give them a whirl! Or how about these adorable sliders that substitute sprouts for the buns?

If you’re hoping to up the ante with your Thanksgiving appy or just discover a delicious new way to serve Brussels sprouts on any occasion, look no further than this vegetarian recipe. You’ll want to select the largest sprouts available and grab some whole milk ricotta from Maplebrook Farm before they sell out. Also, be sure to watch this short and very helpful instructional video before getting out your paring knife.

Pro Antipasto? Italy’s answer to France’s charcuterie boards, antipasto platters feature an array of classic Italian delicacies including cured meats, cheeses, marinated veggies, olives and bread. In addition to spreading antipasto across a large platter, it can also work great hors d'oeuvres-style when threaded onto individual toothpicks or skewers.

To assemble your antipasto skewers, thread from bottom to top: 1 Dr. Pickle pitted olive of any kind, 1 marinated Maplebrook Farm ciliegine, 1 fresh basil leaf, 1 cherry or grape tomato, 1 slice Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo cured meat (fold over once or twice before threading), 1 Dr. Pickle marinated artichoke heart quarter, 1 Dr. Pickle roasted red pepper slice (fold over once or twice before threading), 1 basil leaf, 1 olive, and 1 small piece of Wave Hill Breads or Orwashers Bakery baguette. Arrange finished skewers on a serving platter.

Sleek As a Leek Party Dip A member of the allium family which includes onions, scallions, chives and garlic, leeks are a fall and winter crop that can be harvested even after it starts snowing. Leeks need to be cleaned thoroughly before using because dirt can get trapped between the layers of leaves. To clean, halve the leeks lengthwise with the root still intact, then run them under cool water.

It’s not a party without a dip and, with only five ingredients, this melted leek dip is the gift that keeps on giving! While making your farmers market rounds, look out for crunchy veggies like carrots and celery and freshly baked loaves that will work great for dipping.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons SOVA Farms unsalted butter

4 large leeks from the farmstalls, white sections only, halved, and thinly sliced into half-moons

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pint full-fat sour cream

Crudités, Norwegian Baked LLC crackers, or toasted Wave Hill Breads or Orwashers Bakery baguette (for serving)

We hope these appetizing appetizer ideas got you primed and ready for Thanksgiving farmers market shopping this weekend. As always, our farms and food makers will have an array of freshly harvested, regionally grown and locally produced goodies to help complete your shopping list and fill your reusable shopping bags. We look forward to seeing you there!

[rabbitcruiser]

International Picnic Day

Join a picnic-centric event like a charity or school event on International Picnic Day, or make your own picnic to appreciate food in a new light.

It’s often claimed that life is no picnic – but today it is! International Picnic Day is a chance to eat out in the open air with friends or family.

Placed conveniently in the middle of June, for many people this means that the weather should be fine and the sun shining (at least in the northern hemisphere). But even if the weather doesn’t want to cooperate, an inside picnic can be a great substitute. Just spread a blanket out on the floor and enjoy a simple meal!

So get that picnic basket ready and get started celebrating International Picnic Day.

History of International Picnic Day

The word “picnic” probably gets its origins from the French language, specifically from the word “pique-nique”. It is believed that this type of informal outdoor meal became a popular pastime in France after the French Revolution in the mid-1800s when it was possible again to get out into the country’s royal parks. However, even if it began in France, it has become a lovely activity that has spread all over the world.

As fans of Jane Austen novels will know, 19th-century picnics in England became elaborate social occasions, with menus featuring a wide range of cold meats and pies that took days to prepare.

Over the years, picnics have sometimes come to represent the gathering of the common people in political protest. One of the more famous of these was the Pan-European Picnic that took place in the summer of 1989 at the border of Austria and Hungary. It was part of many protests against communism that year that led to the fall of the Iron Curtain.

More recently, in 2009, the Guinness Book of World Records made note of the record for the largest picnic in the world. It took place with more than 20,000 people in Lisbon, Portugal.

Today’s picnics might be a bit more casual, sometimes just a few pieces of bread and cheese thrown into a paper bag and eaten on a park bench will suffice. A picnic can be centered around just about anything the participants want it to be, including games and other outdoor activities.

International Picnic Day is celebrated in many countries–a simple opportunity to enjoy the beauty of eating outside!

How to Celebrate International Picnic Day

Those who want to get in on the fun can find plenty of opportunities to celebrate this enjoyable day. Consider these creative ways of celebrating or come up with a list of your own:

Join a Picnic Day Event 

Charity events, school picnics and all kinds of other group meals are organized to mark the occasion. Check with a community board or website to see if any picnics are planned locally. Look particularly at local parks or museums that often plan these types of events. If they are having one nearby, join in. If not–go ahead and organize it!

Have a Personal Picnic for Lunch or Dinner

A great way to celebrate International Picnic Day is to bike, walk or hike to a nearby beauty spot, or just take your sandwiches and cold hard-boiled eggs into the garden and enjoy an al fresco lunch. Those who are at work for the day can just take their normal lunch hour to head out to a patch of grass or park nearby.

Other ideas for piling foods into a picnic basket include:

Sandwiches. Perhaps the perfect picnic food, sandwiches make everything easy. Just pile some meat, cheese, and vegetables on a couple of pieces of bread. Add a few condiments, such as mustard or mayonnaise, and it’s a great start for a picnic. 

Fruit. Most fruits come with their own natural packaging, making them the ideal food for a picnic. Grab some apples, oranges, bananas, or a giant watermelon to enjoy outside. 

Side Dishes. Easy salads, potato chips, or a tray filled with veggies will make a picnic super tasty!

Source

[drvitaltips]

Best Foods to Freeze: Cut Waste, Save Cash

Did you know freezing food is like hitting 'pause' on the freshness clock? It's a genius way to save money, eat healthier, and make mealtimes a whole lot easier. Whether you're buying in bulk to save a few bucks or rescuing those almost-too-ripe bananas, your freezer is your friend. Let's dive into the best foods to freeze, some handy tips, and a few things to avoid tossing in there. Get ready to make your kitchen more efficient! Foods That Freeze Well (and Why) Ok, let's get practical! Here's a breakdown of foods that love a little chill time: - Dairy Delights: Milk? Yep! Butter? You bet! Even shredded cheese and yogurt (if you're using it in smoothies or baking later) can take a freezer vacation. - Quick Tip: Textures can change a bit, but the taste won't. - Fruit & Veggie Heroes: Think berries, bananas ready for smoothies, grapes (a fun frozen snack!), peppers, onions, carrots, even zucchini if you grate it first. - Pro Tip: Blanch veggies (quick dip in boiling water) to keep them bright and flavorful. - Protein Powerhouses: Cooked meats like chicken and ground beef are perfect for future meals. Raw meats freeze fine too – just follow those USDA guidelines for safe storage! - Meal Prep Champs: Soups, stews, and casseroles are amazing freezer friends. Just leave a bit of room on top for things to expand as they freeze. - Handy Staples: Tomato paste, bread, cooked rice, nuts, even popcorn kernels freeze like a dream. Tips for Freezing Food Ready to fill up that freezer? Here's how to do it right: - Cool it Down: Don't put hot food straight in the freezer – let it cool to room temperature first. You don't want to warm everything else up! - Portion Control: Freeze stuff in the amounts you'll actually use. No one needs a giant block of frozen berries when a handful will do! - Airtight is Key: Use freezer bags, containers, or even good quality plastic wrap to keep air out and prevent freezer burn. - Label Everything: Write the name of what it is and the date you froze it. Your future self will thank you! - Liquids Need Room: Soups and sauces will expand a little when they freeze, so don't fill containers to the very top. Myth Buster: Did you know you can freeze eggs? It's true, but you have to crack them first! Whisk them up and freeze them in an ice cube tray for easy use in recipes later. Is there anything these freezers can't do? Well, some things don't love freezing... Foods That Don't Freeze Well Not everything belongs in the icy depths! Here's what to avoid freezing: - Delicate Produce: Lettuce, cucumbers, and other high-water-content veggies turn to mush when thawed. Best eaten fresh! - Creamy Creations: Sauces with cream or milk tend to separate when frozen. They might be okay in cooked dishes, but not on their own. - Fried Foods: The crispy goodness won't survive the thaw, sadly. Enjoy those while they're hot! - Soft Cheeses: Cream cheese, ricotta... their textures take a serious hit in the freezer. Hard cheeses generally fare better. Making the Most of Your Freezer Now, let's turn your freezer into a superpower! Here's how: - Meal Prep Master: Got a favorite recipe? Double it and freeze half for a night when cooking feels impossible. - Bulk Bargains: Meat on sale? Stock up and freeze it! Just remember to divide it into usable portions first. - Waste Warrior: Bananas turning brown? Bread going stale? Pop them in the freezer for later use (smoothies and bread pudding, anyone?) - Freezer Inventory: Keep a list on your fridge of what's frozen. It'll prevent you from buying stuff you already have stashed away! ProsConsSaves money: Buy in bulk or rescue food about to go badRequires some planning: Need proper containers and portioningReduces food waste: Prevents perishables from spoilingSome texture changes: Certain items won't be exactly the same after thawingConvenient: Have pre-prepped ingredients or ready-to-heat mealsFreezer space: Can fill up quicklyPreserves nutrients: Locks in nutrition at its peakNot everything freezes well: Delicate foods and creamy sauces can be tricky FAQs about Freezing Food - How long does food last in the freezer? It depends on the food, but usually several months to a year. There are handy charts online for reference. - Thawed something and won't use it all? In most cases, you can safely refreeze food as long as it was thawed properly in the fridge. - Is freezer burn dangerous? Nope, just unappetizing. It affects the taste and texture, but it won't make you sick. The Importance of Food Safety & Quality Freezing is fantastic, but food safety still matters! Here's the lowdown: - USDA Guidelines Are Golden: They'll tell you safe freezing times and the best way to thaw different foods. Read the Freezing and Food Safety here - Freezing Stops the Clock: It doesn't kill bacteria. So, if food was getting a bit iffy, freezing won't magically make it good again. - Thaw Right: In the fridge is the safest way! Never leave things out on the counter to thaw. Freezing Tips for Specific Foods Alright, let's get specific! Here are some bonus tips for those everyday items: - Fruits: - Berries: Rinse, dry, and spread them out on a baking sheet to freeze individually. Then pop them in a bag – perfect for smoothies and snacking! - Bananas: Peel, slice, or even leave whole (for smoothies). A squeeze of lemon juice helps them keep their color. - Other fruits: Peaches, apples, and the like need a little prep before freezing, like peeling and preventing browning. - Vegetables: - Green beans, broccoli, etc.: Blanching quickly preserves their vibrant color and a bit of crunch. - Peppers and onions: Chop and freeze raw – so convenient for tossing into soups and stir-fries later! - Zucchini: Grate and squeeze out extra moisture. Great for sneaking into sauces and baked goods. - Bread and baked goods: - Sliced bread: Separates easily when frozen, perfect for grabbing a slice or two at a time. - Muffins, cookies, etc.: Freeze individually, then store them together for easy grab-and-go treats. - Herbs: - Hardy herbs: Think rosemary and thyme – freeze them whole on the stem. - Tender herbs: Like basil and cilantro – chop them finely and freeze in ice cube trays with a bit of olive oil for bursts of flavor. - Liquids: - Stock and broth: Freeze in ice cube trays or portions you'll actually use. Label with the amount! - Tomato Sauce: Use freezer-safe containers and remember to leave room for expansion. Funny Freezer Fact: You know those popsicles you buy in the long plastic sleeves? You can make your own! Fill the sleeves with juice, yogurt, or whatever you like, and freeze – perfect summer treat! Key Takeaways - Your freezer is a powerful tool for saving money and reducing food waste. - Many foods freeze beautifully, extending their shelf life and preserving nutrients. - Proper freezing techniques ensure your food stays tasty and safe to eat. Conclusion Your freezer isn't just for ice cream anymore! It's your secret weapon for saving money, reducing waste, and making healthy eating easier. By knowing what freezes well and following a few simple tips, you'll be amazed at what you can do. Remember, freezing is like a pause button on freshness – so use your frozen goodies in a timely way for the best flavors and textures. Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions about your health. Read the full article

[leclerced]

https://www.tumblr.com/enchantecafe/738785748047806464/httpswwwtumblrcomenchantecafe738701264923328

No bc my brother would make fun of him!! He’d tell him that everyone gets their own giant ass Mettigel to eat raw and he’d be so relieved to know there’s just one where everyone takes bits off to put on their bread😭

And we make so much kale for the whole family! We eat it when everyone comes for my grandpa’s birthday in November and the rest gets canned up to last until next November (it lasts until February max). I swear, do you know how dogs get possessive and aggressive about their food? Thats me and my brother when my grandma divides the leftover kale, we’re like rabit animals 😭 + i wanna add i make a mean asparagus soup

Also please rant about your Christmas dinner, i love listening to people rant

🫀

no lando hearing he has to eat the entire thing on his own and its raw? he’s debating if he wants to marry this woman like he’s been dreaming about if it means a lifetime of eating a hedgehog made of raw meat. he thinks it looks like one of those cake fails, like someone tried making a hedgehog but it’s from his nightmares. he's so relieved when he just gets a single slice and he can take a few bites or avoid it by saying his trainer or nutritionist banned raw meat 😭

thats sm kale i have genuine eaten kale maybe once in my life and i took a nibble and spit it out. i cannot imagine having sm that u store it for months. i am sadly… not a veggie girl. im also not a soup girl generally but asparagus soup kinda sounds good! how do you make it?

my biggest rant about thanksgiving dinner was that the only sides were creamed asparagus and sweet potato casserole, neither of which are things i eat. im picky but i have been cooking dinner since i was like ten, so. i got to pick what was cooked and i know how to cook the things i like so im not annoying ab it. one of my aunts brought stuff to make mashed potatoes which is like my specialty and one of my fav foods. y’know what my grandma does? she makes my aunt take the shit home. says we don’t have time to cook them before dinner. i was upstairs when this happened and i didn’t know about the lack of edible sides until i was called down for dinner. i tried the creamed asparagus thinking like, i like grilled asparagus how bad can it be??

found out on the drive home that my aunt brought potatoes and was sent home with them, and i was like ‘someone should have told me that there weren’t going to be potatoes and i would have complained. you can’t have thanksgiving without potatoes.’ i am still bringing it up randomly to my siblings like ‘hey remember that awful creamed asparagus?’

i will say my family is very nice and always makes sure everyone eats, on family vacations i would skip meals bc they would cook smth i didnt like and everyone would be trying to make me other food while i ate fruit for dinner because they did a shrimp boil knowing i do not eat seafood. my grandma once offered me nachos and i got really excited and then she put tortilla chips on a cookie tray and then sprinkled shredded cheese on it and toasted it. imo nachos are chips and queso and stuff so when she brought me a plate of shredded cheese melted on chips i was very disappointed but i ate the entire thing bc what else do u do when ur grandma makes u food??

[baashirdayne]

The Sword of the Morning was 1 and 10 when he first tried one of the smokes that were growing in their popularity as the countries separated and other regions increased their trade with the East or perhaps, he knew nothing about who smoked where and made broad assumptions. Baashir Dayne would never admit to the latter, so he supported the former. And while he didn’t smoke often, he still enjoyed smoking after a meal. Smoking after a particularly rough day or when he finished his games with Rashid. But Rashid was dead, and he was in constant need of reminding everyone he remembered. How could one forget? One couldn’t.

Baashir Dayne was familiar with the smell of smoke. The smell of the dried, brown leaves burning within its place. Could be anyone was his first thought. But when he entered his mother was there, as she always was, greeting him. There was excitement, arms thrown around his neck and brief whispers of how she missed him and wished he stayed home even longer. And this would be a lengthy stop but not one long enough for her, that he knew. But, soon, the son of the Starfall would return and all would be right. If he believed his mother.

“Bhaiṇa.” Bash greeted her, returning the hug, he then paused as he looked at her. The smell caught him first. Smoke. She smelled like smoke and if anyone noticed the subtle changes in his expression it was always Ru that noticed and tugged at mother’s skirts. She was too old to tug at skirts now. And clearly believed herself old enough to take up some smoking but then she mentioned food and him being fat. “No I’m not. I didn’t eat because I knew there would be …”

And before he could finish his mother was giving orders for trays of fruit and cheese, trays of raw veggies and hard meats, and anything could be made hot. Bash didn’t try to stop her. It was their jobs to make sure the lord of the house had a full belly before bed.

“Sit down.” Bash look at her as he allowed his cloak to be removed and then he removed his own sword belt, lying it down on the chair directly across from them. Sitting as he always did, stiffly, forearms resting against the tabletop.

“You smell like smoke.” He said as their mother left the room.

who: @baashirdayne when and where: baashir dayne returns from kings landing, deciding to divert to starfall first. his sister has little inclination of the idea, expecting not to see him for some time longer; that was until a sudden flurry of dayne guards came into the courtyard right beneath her balcony.

the smoke was between her fingers, against her lips as she inhaled and exhaled into the night sky; the sound of her bangles gently twinkling in the night sky. the eldest lady of starfall had been desperate for a smoke for the majority of the evening, and considering her mother had only left her chambers some moments ago, she practically flung herself onto the balcony. first ensuring none were in the courtyard, she used a candle to ignite her smoke, and relished in the peace. finally. why did her mother bother asking her for her opinion if she would not take it?

she was exhaling again, when there was a sudden flurry of horses stampeding through the smaller courtyard; horses, the flag of house dayne, and she found herself practically faltering backward at the sudden movement.

"shit." she muttered, her eyes briefly meeting with baashir dayne's for a split second: what was he doing back here? was he not supposed to go straight back to sunspear as first minister? had he seen her with the smoke in her hand? it was now lowered at her side, and as he entered into the grand keep, she knew her mother and the household fawning over him would buy her some time.

when he entered, she took the opportunity to drop the smoke - if anyone asked, she would blame one of the guards travelling onward to sunspear. slipping her lilac robe over her rose coloured nightgown, she opened her door, beginning to make her way down the halls. the peacocks were calling, almost as though they knew he was back. and then he turned a corner, where she met him half way.

"bhaiya!" ruqaiyah exclaimed, her voice feigning excitement. it wasn't that she wasn't happy to see him. but had he seen her smoking? "why did you not tell us you were coming back?" she asked, placing her hands together in the symbol of peace before reaching forward to embrace him, kissing his cheek.

"i would have ensured dinner would be served later. it is too late now, you need not put on even more weight for eating at this time." her words were casual, looking up at him. "you must be so tired."

[homobiwan]

wow that character you're obsessed with sounds so cool can you explain them to me. im sure you get them more than anyone else

The problem is i have so many wksjwkwk

But let’s talk about jack zimmermann

A big mistake people make when writing him in fics is writing him as someone who isn’t actually an asshole, he’s just an autistic person with really bad anxiety. INCORRECT. He is an autistic person with anxiety who is an asshole. That’s important. He does get better but that’s because he has a major mr darcy/lizzy bennet moment

It is also important to note that he has no clue how to talk to people. You could ask him, is communication a JOKE to you? And actually communication isn’t a joke to him he just doesn’t know how it works or feel like engaging in it with people who arent level five friends with him and even then… but he nods yes because he doesn’t know how to word that and he thinks it would be easier if you just give up on talking to him

He IS the guy standing in the corner at the party meme except people definitely know he is there because he keeps GLARING at them and occasionally leaving his corner to suggest they exchange their party snacks for a handful from the nutritionally balanced veggie meat and cheese tray. If you come up to his corner to talk to him he will start talking about hockey to you or random world war ii facts because he’s one of THOSE white boy history buffs

He is also allergic to carrots. This is not canon but i know this in my heart. He eats them anyway 💗

[mooneyedandglowing]

Meal Plan/Groceries - Order For 30th of April

Trying to get a handle on food waste, over-spending due to under-planning, consumption of too many refined carbs + processed foods, + some unhealthy nighttime snacking habits due to not eating enough during the day. Chatted with my best friend who uses a sort of loose meal plan system where she doesn’t have specific days for each recipe, so I’ve gone with something similar here. It’s likely that not everything will wind up in my shopping cart, but I wanted to give myself some wiggle room in planning. We’ll see how it goes!

Homemade Granola: https://minimalistbaker.com/super-chunky-coconut-granola/ Items Required/Ingredients: - Air-tight Container - Rolled Oats - Unsweetened Coconut Flakes - Coconut Oil - Coconut Sugar - Raw Pecan Halves - Raw Slivered Almonds - Maple Syrup - Sea salt - OWN - - Vanilla Extract - Dried mangoes  - Larger baking tray?  (recipe makes 13 portions + will last 2 to 3 weeks in an airtight container) (to be used for breakfast w/ - Greek yogurt - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Raspberries - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Bananas - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Chia Seeds - OWN -

Spinach Millet Egg Bake - Dinner Recipe  https://naturallyella.com/spinach-millet-egg-bake/ Ingredients: - Eggs - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Millet - Milk - REGULAR PURCHASE -  - Fresh Spinach - Fresh Dill - Parmesan Cheese Chicken Sausages With Red Potatoes - Dinner Recipe Ingredients:  - Chicken Sausages - Bell Peppers (red, green, yellow) - Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Apple Cider Vinegar (check pantry) - Cabbage - Tinned Tomatoes - REGULAR PURCHASE -  - Red Potatoes  Chicken Curry With Brown Basmati Rice and Veg - Dinner Recipe  Ingredients: - Cilantro  - Brown Basmati Rice  - Chicken breast chunks  - Curry Powder  - Ginger - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Garlic - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Jar of Curry Sauce - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Cauliflower - Peas - REGULAR PURCHASE -  Tex-Mex Sweet Potatoes - Dinner Recipe  Ingredients: - Tinned Black Beans - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Sweet Potatoes  - Tinned Tomatoes - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Garlic - REGULAR PURCHASE -  - Cumin - OWN -  - Chili Powder - OWN -  - Dried Chipotle Chile - OWN - - Bell Pepper  - Green Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE -  - Greek Yogurt (in place of sour cream) - REGULAR PURCHASE - Dumplings, Miso Soup, and Vegetable Stir-Fry - Dinner Recipe Ingredients:  - Frozen Dumplings - OWN -  - Miso Paste w/ Dashi  - Silken Tofu - OWN - - Frozen Spinach - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Wakame  - Button Mushrooms - Green Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Stir-Fry Vegetables  - Egg Noodles - OWN -  (Sauce ingredients such as dark soy sauce + sesame seed oil already owned) Salmon Cakes With Asparagus and Brown Basmati Rice - Dinner Recipe Ingredients: - Tinned Salmon (American-size tin) - Fresh Dill  - Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Whole-Grain Crackers - Asparagus  - Garlic - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Lemons - Brown Basmati Rice Zucchini “Lasagna” - Dinner Recipe  Ingredients: - 3 Large Zucchinis  - Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese - Parmesan Cheese - Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Carrots  - Garlic - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Roasted Red Peppers  - Dried Basil - OWN -  - Pesto - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Dried Mixed Herbs - OWN -  - Marinara Sauce - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Part-Skim Mozzarella - REGULAR PURCHASE - - 1/2 Pound Lean Ground/Mince Meat - Beef, turkey, or pork  LUNCHES:  Leftovers - if available -  If not left-overs, then: Veggie Pitas / Wraps Ingredients:  - Hummus - Fresh tomatoes - Cucumbers - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Roasted Red Peppers - Black Olives - Whole-Grain Pita Pockets - Or Whole-Grain Wraps Soup and Bread Items Required: - Whole Grain Bread - Butter - REGULAR PURCHASE - - Premade Soup in Plastic Container - REGULAR PURCHASE  Ramen  Ingredients: Frozen Spinach - REGULAR PURCHASE Korean Ramen - OWN - Garlic - REGULAR PURCHASE Ginger - REGULAR PURCHASE  Green Onions - OWN - Cabbage  Eggs - REGULAR PURCHASE - Indomie Mi Goreng Ingredients: Indomie - OWN - Green Onions - REGULAR PURCHASE - Eggs - REGULAR PURCHASE -  Sweet Tooth Purchase: - Dark Chocolate (70% or higher) - Tinned Peaches (in juice) - Grapes (can freeze) - Clementines/Tangerines - REGULAR PURCHASE - 

Own: Frozen Fruits Drinks: Fizzy Water Water from Tap Green Tea Coffee Chia Seed Water Snacks: Hummus Raw veggies Black Olives Popcorn  Whole-Grain Crackers Veggie Wrap/Pita

(Fresh herbs, fresh greens like spinach, + anything else with a short shelf-life to be purchased day of use if possible in order to minimize risk of spoilage)

[rabbitcruiser]

International Picnic Day

Join a picnic-centric event like a charity or school event on International Picnic Day, or make your own picnic to appreciate food in a new light.

It’s often claimed that life is no picnic – but today it is! International Picnic Day is a chance to eat out in the open air with friends or family.

Placed conveniently in the middle of June, for many people this means that the weather should be fine and the sun shining (at least in the northern hemisphere). But even if the weather doesn’t want to cooperate, an inside picnic can be a great substitute. Just spread a blanket out on the floor and enjoy a simple meal!

So get that picnic basket ready and get started celebrating International Picnic Day.

History of International Picnic Day

The word “picnic” probably gets its origins from the French language, specifically from the word “pique-nique”. It is believed that this type of informal outdoor meal became a popular pastime in France after the French Revolution in the mid-1800s when it was possible again to get out into the country’s royal parks. However, even if it began in France, it has become a lovely activity that has spread all over the world.

As fans of Jane Austen novels will know, 19th-century picnics in England became elaborate social occasions, with menus featuring a wide range of cold meats and pies that took days to prepare.

Over the years, picnics have sometimes come to represent the gathering of the common people in political protest. One of the more famous of these was the Pan-European Picnic that took place in the summer of 1989 at the border of Austria and Hungary. It was part of many protests against communism that year that led to the fall of the Iron Curtain.

More recently, in 2009, the Guinness Book of World Records made note of the record for the largest picnic in the world. It took place with more than 20,000 people in Lisbon, Portugal.

Today’s picnics might be a bit more casual, sometimes just a few pieces of bread and cheese thrown into a paper bag and eaten on a park bench will suffice. A picnic can be centered around just about anything the participants want it to be, including games and other outdoor activities.

International Picnic Day is celebrated in many countries–a simple opportunity to enjoy the beauty of eating outside!

How to Celebrate International Picnic Day

Those who want to get in on the fun can find plenty of opportunities to celebrate this enjoyable day. Consider these creative ways of celebrating or come up with a list of your own:

Join a Picnic Day Event 

Charity events, school picnics and all kinds of other group meals are organized to mark the occasion. Check with a community board or website to see if any picnics are planned locally. Look particularly at local parks or museums that often plan these types of events. If they are having one nearby, join in. If not–go ahead and organize it!

Have a Personal Picnic for Lunch or Dinner

A great way to celebrate International Picnic Day is to bike, walk or hike to a nearby beauty spot, or just take your sandwiches and cold hard-boiled eggs into the garden and enjoy an al fresco lunch. Those who are at work for the day can just take their normal lunch hour to head out to a patch of grass or park nearby.

Other ideas for piling foods into a picnic basket include:

Sandwiches. Perhaps the perfect picnic food, sandwiches make everything easy. Just pile some meat, cheese, and vegetables on a couple of pieces of bread. Add a few condiments, such as mustard or mayonnaise, and it’s a great start for a picnic. 

Fruit. Most fruits come with their own natural packaging, making them the ideal food for a picnic. Grab some apples, oranges, bananas, or a giant watermelon to enjoy outside. 

Side Dishes. Easy salads, potato chips, or a tray filled with veggies will make a picnic super tasty!

Source

[painted-crow]

Any suggestions for trying to cook Gryffindor style? I realized I've been modeling my mom's Bookkeeper Puff secondary really hard over my burned Gryff for years and I don't even know how to improvise anymore. I'm really scared of failing. Cooking seems like a low stakes place to play around. I'm really good at cooking so how badly can I screw up, right?

Decide what you wanna make, and then just go for it?

If you have trouble with the vagueness of that direction because improvising is hard, maybe meet it halfway by watching a YouTube video or two, or picking a simple recipe.

Orrrr!

I suggest making bread! The ingredients are cheap and easy to get, and it's not as picky as people make it sound. I could link you a recipe, but that would defeat the purpose, so instead I'll give you some hints like you're on one of those "you don't get a real recipe" cooking shows:

Bread, at its most basic, is just flour, water, yeast, and salt. You don't actually need anything else! You can stir it up in a big bowl with your hands and bake it off in lumps on a cookie tray.

Check that your yeast is alive by stirring in a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of sugar. It should foam up. If you just bought your yeast it's probably fine, but it's good to check.

You'll want about a tablespoon of yeast per pound of flour, maybe a bit less.

Your dough should be stretchy and not *too* sticky or goopy--it should come away from the sides of the bowl pretty easily and be shapeable.

You can let the dough rise in the fridge, covered, and then it's less picky about when you bake it ^^

I suggest 400F for your oven temperature, but I've baked it off anywhere from 350-450F. Keep an eye on it around the half hour mark, sooner if you use a higher temp.

You can try eyeballing when it's done from the crust, you can try thumping the bottom to find out if it sounds hollow, or you can use a thermometer and pull it when its internal temp is around 180-190F ish.

Don't eat undercooked bread. If you slice into it and find it's gooey in the middle still, you can try throwing it back in the oven and see what happens, or slice it up and throw all the slices in a toaster, or whatever you wanna do--just make sure it's cooked through. Food safety!

Now, here's the real improvvy bit: you can mess with this in all kinds of different ways.

You can dig a handful of shredded cheese out of your fridge and knead it into a handful of dough, and bake that

You can make it into rolls and stuff them with lunch meat or ground hamburger or sauteed veggies

You can sprinkle herbs and stuff on top

You can try to turn them into cinnamon bread/cinnamon rolls/cinnamon bread rolls

What happens if you add butter? Oatmeal? Instant mashed potato flakes?

Idk, dig stuff out of your fridge and try something weird lol

What's the worst that can happen?

You make a mess, set off your smoke alarm, and waste $2 in ingredients? You'll live.

Your mental image of your mom that lives in the back of your head starts to yell at you? It's a good opportunity to practice telling her to buzz off.

This should be a solid enough starting point, then you can just try things and... roll with it. (That pun wasn't intended when I started that sentence, but it sure is now.)

[leavesofolive]

🌞🧹🌻Hearth Witch Tips!🌻🧹🌞

04: Your kitchen eats with you!

Just like with the rest of the house, what you put into the kitchen also heavily affects its energy. When you treat the hearth in certain ways, it reacts in certain ways. Your relationship with any room in the house is give-and-take. That means that if you don’t give back occasionally, the room will grow cold and stop appreciating your presence. But there are plenty of ways to mend your relationship! And the first step is to identify the problem!

From my experience, there are three main reasons why the kitchen stops being a warm and inviting place: 1) You are filling the cupboards with too much toxic, processed foods; 2) You aren’t spending enough time in that room; 3) Or you aren’t keeping the room clean enough.

When there’s a problem in the hearth, it’s always either one of these things or some combination of them. We’ll start with number three since it’s the easiest to explain. The kitchen should be anyone’s top priority to keep clean. It’s where all of your food, the nutrition and fuel of your physical and spiritual bodies, comes from! What you eat is your first defense against illness, injury, and your mental health. If the kitchen is filthy, then the food you take into your body will also begin to develop the same properties.

To keep the kitchen clean, I always start my day by washing last night’s dishes and give the counters a quick wipe. Once a month, I take stock of what’s in the fridge and freezer and scrub them out to prevent bacteria build-up. Sweeping the kitchen floors happens once a week and takes me all of three minutes to complete, tops. Once per season, normally at the beginning, I scrub the floors with soap and water, descale the coffee maker, wipe down the other appliances, and clean out the cupboards. So the only true “cleaning days” for the kitchen is four days out of the entire year. The rest of the time, the chores only take me about 30 minutes. As a quick tip, rinsing your dishes before setting them in the sink speeds up the dish washing process a ton! I’ve personally never trusted dishwashers since they don’t clean stuff well enough and it’s easier, faster, and far more cost effective to do it by hand.

The next problem the kitchen’s energy might be suffering from is how much time you’re spending there. First, spending a lot of time in the kitchen is a great thing! It absorbs the energy you feed to it, so when you don’t go in the kitchen very often or just don’t spend much time in there to begin with, the kitchen grows darker and colder. It loses the warmth and emotion and love that would’ve been sinking into it when you aren’t there.

The way to fix this problem is actually really easy! Cooking your own meals ensures that you are in there for a good amount of time each day because of the prep work and meal planning, etc. Plus, you get healthier, tastier food that way too! If you can’t cook all that well yet, don’t worry! Just like any skill, there’s no talent involved in learning something. It just depends on how much effort you apply to it. Another way to boost the hearth’s energy is to just hang out in that room. Invite some friends over, set out a snack tray, and just chill in the kitchen. Of course, since it’s pandemic right now, it’s best to wait until that’s over with to try this approach. But you, yourself, can still hang out in the kitchen!

The last problem, and a very, very common one in this day and age, is the influence of toxic food. Just like how your house absorbs energy from the land its on and what its built with, the kitchen also absorbs energy from the ingredients you keep within it. Toxic foods include anything processed or with a bunch of added sugars, and even GMO ingredients to some extent due to the trace chemicals that are still on the crops. These kinds of foods, if that’s the only thing in your house, will rot the energy. Not to mention, easy to grab snacks also end up causing you to spend a lot less time in the kitchen if that’s all you eat. Needless to say, no one eats healthy all the time. I don’t either! But having only toxic food in your kitchen isn’t great for you or the hearth.

Once again, cooking comes to the rescue! Even if you’re bad at it, it’s the thought that counts and little by little, as your skills grow and improve, the kitchen will learn to help guide you. There have been many times where I’d be stuck on how to fix something and a bottle of spice would fall of the shelf right next to me. If you listen to the kitchen, it will listen to you, too! Even if you don’t have time to cook, snacks like apples, berries, seeds, nuts, and dried meats are all healthy alternatives! I usually keep kale chips in the house for some yummy, salty crunchiness!

                                    ------------------------------

If you are worried about cost with this approach (believe me, due to my own situation it’s been a struggle at times), I’ve found out several tips and tricks to significantly lower the grocery bill. Anymore, my bill would actually be bigger if I bought crap food instead! Here’s my advice:

☀  Plan your week ahead! I always plan four meals a week that I’ll cook, and three days that I’ll scavenge for snacks and leftovers. I also stick to the rule of “one simple, one chicken, one meatless, one freebie” to remain more cost effective! The “simple” meal is just something I can make quickly if I know I’ll be short on time. The reason for have one of the meals be chicken is because it’s a much less expensive meat than beef or pork, and it’s a little better for the environment. The meatless meal is for the same reasoning. Meat is expensive and commercial brands are horrible for both the environment and the animals themselves. When I do buy meat, I make sure to buy local, grass-fed, organic meat as often as I can afford to. Keep in mind that every time you purchase anything, you are casting your vote for what is acceptable for society to continue. The “freebie” meal is just whatever I’ve been craving. If I want some kind of beef, I wait until this day.

☀  Learn to bake your own bread! For those of us with the time, this is a great way to save money and to stay healthy! Basic, white bread is actually pretty easy to make and only uses a couple ingredients. Those ingredients also go a long way. It costs me about 24¢ to make one loaf of bread because things like flour, sugar, salt, butter, honey, and yeast are all things that you buy once and can use for several loaves before you have to buy them again! It’s also not as time consuming as you’d think. Yes, it takes about 2 hours, but most of that time is proofing so you can easily be running around doing other things in between.

☀  Grow a garden! Even if it’s just a small, window herb garden, it can take the edge off of your overall food cost. Portobello mushrooms are also super easy to grow inside with minimal effort and equipment. If you have outdoor space, planting a small garden with the ingredients you use the most can help immensely!

☀  Only buy what you need! I know those sales look crazy tempting, but most of them are actually bogus and don’t actually save you any money. Think about what you are actually going to use before it goes bad and stick to your list. The bottom shelves at the store, aka the ones not in your direct line of sight, are usually where the grocery stores hide the better priced goods. At the back of most stores that have bakeries, there’s also usually a spot to get baked goods left over from the previous day for a slightly cheaper price. Day-old baked novelties like bread, cookies, and cakes are still perfectly good, and much easier to enjoy where you don’t have to spend as much!

☀  Check what’s already in your fridge before making your list! This is a huge one, since it prevents food waste, which in turn prevents money waste! What can you make during this week that can use up some of the ingredients leftover from last week? You’ll be impressed how quickly your food cost drops when you aren’t throwing things away. Waste not, want not! This trick also applies in another way, as well. When making your weekly meal plans, what types of foods use similar ingredients? If one meal calls for a slightly pricier ingredient, what other food can you cook with that ingredient to make the cost worth it? This also ensures that you get full use of things without wasting them. For example, this week I bought some fresh mozzarella cheese. Because this item is a little more expensive, I’m using it to make both the tomato mozzarella sandwiches and the beef wellingtons I’m making this week!

☀  Buy mostly produce! One of the best ways to lower your bill while still eating healthy is to simply add more fruits and veggies into your diet! There are so many tasty recipes that call for these babies that you’ll never run out of options, and there’s several things out there for everyone! Because I deal with sensory issues, I had to experiment a lot with what textures and tastes I could handle, especially on the bad days, but even still I found an over-abundance of things I love to eat. Fresh produce is way less expensive than meat, and much less expensive than many of the more mainstream snacks like chips or other processed foods.

                                     ------------------------------ All in all, taking care of your kitchen will also end up taking care of you, as well! Spending time there, actually using the kitchen the way it’s supposed to be, and just keeping it clean can work wonders in opening up your home and making it ten times warmer and more inviting! Trust me, your health and home will thank you for it!