Tag Archives: cooking

Aug7

How To Organize Your Pantry Part 3 – Dealing With Spice Packets

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How To Organize Your Pantry Part 3 – Dealing With Spice Packets


So far we’ve addressed the spices and the bread items in your pantry. Now it’s time for those little packets of sauces, gravies, and seasoning mixes.

I’ve tried several ways to organize these little guys in the past – alphabetizing them by name in a little container, organizing them by type, and just simply throwing them in a little basket. Unfortunately when I went to grab one the other day I realized over half of them were expired. I always forget what I have and end up buying more than I need (I had 6 taco seasoning packets in there!).

Then I came up with this little idea. Why not use little binder clips just like I did for the magazines! Super simple! I nailed a few holes in the wall in my pantry (you can even use the 3m hooks if you want to attach them to the inside of your cabinet doors with out making any holes). Then I simply attached the binder clip to my little packets (keeping gravies together on one clip, taco packets on another, etc) and hung the clip on the nail. Ta-da! All done! It’s organized, out of the way (this is a good use of wasted space), and still right where I can see them!

Spice packets hung up with binder clips

Dec31

Delicious Maple Cherry Glaze Recipe

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Delicious Maple Cherry Glaze Recipe

I made this wonderful dish for our Christmas dinner and it was a big hit! Make sure you use real maple syrup and not Aunt Jemima or other “fake” syrups. You can make this sauce ahead of time and keep it your fridge for up to three days.

2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons minced dried tart cherries (usually in the same aisle as other dried fruits)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Directions
1) Combine the syrup, water, cherries and soy sauce in a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. When it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

2) Add lemon juice to mixture and stir well.

3) Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved. You can taste the glaze to make sure it’s sweet enough for you. Since different brands of syrup have varying degrees of sweetness you may need to add more.

4) Once your glaze is sweet enough, use it right away or store it in the fridge for up to three days.

I made mine a day ahead of time and poured a little over my chicken breasts about 10 minutes before the chicken was finished baking. I also added more when the chicken was finished. You can serve your chicken over rice or next to any side dish you choose (my fam loves mashed potatoes so that’s what I served it with) with a little sauce on the side in case any one wants extra. This glaze is also great on fish!