Let's Make Room in Your Cupboards!

I know that the kitchen usually belongs to us women and we think we know what works best - not always. I stock the kitchen with the food I know my husband likes to eat and I leave him to it. My biggest problem was that he kept spilling cereal in his breakfast and snack cupboard and messing up my systems.

The problem - his cupboard. It should be his system. He wanted another cupboard and chose one that he felt would work for him. It took me 15 minutes to make the switch and I have not vacuumed inside this cupboard or re-organized anything in the past 2 months.

I didn't like the change but I decided to let it go. I have one less job to do frequently in the kitchen.

The point - make the kitchen work for your family.

Remember, your job is easier when everyone in the home is more independent.

1. Toss all canned goods, jars and packages that have passed their expiration dates.

2. Place pasta, cereal, rice, and other dried foods in labelled storage containers.

3. Group canned goods together and stack so that labels can easily be seen.

4. Store gravy, seasoning packets, etc. in a small plastic container for easy access.

5. Line up boxes with their 'spines' facing front like library books.

6. Store frequently used items at eye level or on lower shelves and in easy reach for younger children.

7. Purchase space saving products such as stacking containers and sturdy baskets for onions, garlic and potatoes.

8. Place heavy items, like boxes of soda and juice, on the floor or on a lower shelf.

9. Organize spices in a spice rack and place the ones used most often in the front row.

If you have an extra kitchen drawer, I recommend a Spice Drawer Insert. It can be trimmed with a utility knife to fit most cabinet drawers. Measure the drawer before shopping and buying.

10. Most dried spices lose their flavour in six months. Toss those older than six months or that you no longer use. Write the purchase or throw away date on the bottle with a black marker to keep track.

Short on kitchen storage. Set up pantry or shelving unit in a storage room or corner of your basement to hold extras like household supplies, canned goods, boxed items, etc.

How to Make Yummy Cookies

There are so many cookie recipes available, but to make them taste yummy is another thing. Everyone has their individual tastes. For that reason the perfect cookie is not only about a recipe, but also about a technique of how to create the kind of cookie you love. Here you can find many tips that will make every recipe you use can result it cookies that taste better. By using these tips you will be able learn how to enhance the taste of your cookies.

To make cookies that taste better than others you need to pick your favorite recipe first. After that, you can just follow these tips:

Choose carefully your favorite cookie recipe and figure out what sort of cookie you like. Check how every ingredient in the selected cookie recipe may affect the outcome of your cookies.

Always use good-quality butter instead of vegetable shortening, margarine, or lard to get cookies with the best flavor and texture. Never use reduced-fat margarine or cheap butter because the ingredient has a lot of water that will make your cookies have a cake-like texture. If you want use salted butter, you may not need to give more salt your cookie recipe calls for.

Do not hesitate to double the vanilla ingredient the recipe calls for. It will make your cookies more tasteful. However, you should remember that if you wish the butter flavor to dominate, adding a little more vanilla may enhance the butter flavor but too much vanilla will only mask it.

Always use fresh ingredients. Be sure that all ingredients are at room temperature unless required otherwise in the recipe. To bring butter and eggs to room temperature you can leave them out for 30 minutes. Remember that old baking soda or baking powder can make your cookies become flat.

Avoid over mixing your ingredients. Less stirring your ingredients together is good as it will make your cookies more chewy. When you mix together the dry and wet ingredients, do not do it with a mixer. Instead, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and stir only until the ingredients are completely blended. Over beating your cookie dough may result in a more cake-like, less moist cookie.

Remember that different baking sheets may give different results. Thin baking sheets tend to make the bottoms of cookies to brown faster and you end up with burnt bottoms. For evenly cooking cookies the semi-thick rimmed baking sheets or insulated pans are the best.

Before placing your cookies in your oven, set the oven and make sure it is at the right temperature If you do not do this, wrong temperature may cause your cookies to cook unevenly and this will mess up your cooking times.

Keep your cookies in an airtight container, particularly if your cookies are not all eaten by bedtime.

After all, better prepared cookies will make a huge difference. Always remember that to make yummy cookies you should not stint on your most essential flavor ingredients.

Stalis Ethica is an experienced article writer and a writer manager with scientific background. She specializes in writing informative articles in various niches.

Details About Manuka Honey Potency

Honey is big business throughout the world and in New Zealand, manuka is the honey of choice. It is made from the flowers of the tea tree bush, a plant that also provides tea tree oil. Honeybees find this bush very attractive and they gather nectar from its attractive flowers. After carrying the nectar to their hives, they place it in honeycombs where it serves as food to sustain them through long winters. Beekeepers harvest some of this honey and sell it to people throughout the world. One reason this substance is in such demand is its potency.

What Makes Manuka Honey Unique?

Each type of honey has different qualities because it is made from nectar of different flowers. The substance is distinguished by its flavor, color, and even its smell. One distinguishing quality that is undetectable to the eye is potency. While all honey has antibacterial qualities due to its hydrogen peroxide content, Manuka is unique because it has additional components that have antibacterial qualities. Methylglyoxal, or MG, is one antibacterial substance that is found in larger quantities in honey made from tea tree flower nectar.

MG is created when the compound dihydroxyacetone, which is found in the flower nectar, is converted. The higher the MG concentration, the stronger the antibiotic quality of the honey. Producers of honey created a scale to measure MG concentration and called it the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). It is important to note that not all Manuka honey has significant levels of MG.

What Is Active Manuka Honey?

Manuka that is labeled "Active" or "UMF" has a UMF rating of at least ten. This indicates that the substance is more potent than versions with a UMF less than ten. Ratings extend to 16 but some honey can be found with a UMF of 18. Consumers should find the UMF rating displayed prominently on the product label because manufacturers are proud to produce active Manuka honey.

Active versions can be consumed in the same manner as non-active varieties. Common uses include topping for ice cream or oatmeal, ingredient in baked items, or a sweetener for water, iced tea, and hot tea. Some people enjoy honey straight out of the jar, consuming a tablespoon every morning for a boost of energy. Others spread it on biscuits, muffins, or bread or make peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwiches.

Other Manuka Honey Uses

This type of honey is not just for eating. It is also used to make first aid treatments including antiseptic sprays and anti-itch and anti-fungal creams. Honey soap comes in both liquid and bar forms, so it is perfect for either the kitchen or bathroom. Honey beeswax candles are extremely popular with consumers who enjoy a subtle fragrance within their homes.

Active Manuka honey is becoming more popular as media stories reveal that honey from certain countries is not as pure as claimed. When the urge strikes to try a different type of honey, consider the kind made from New Zealand tea tree flowers. If the taste is not appealing, explore other products made from this unique substance.