Comments on: Simplifying the Kitchen

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:22:34 +0000

I had a feeling you were going to say that! ) I guess there is no taking the lazy way out. It just seems like a lot of effort for 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice, 1 cup of rye flour, etc.., but I agree with you the baggies are so unkempt looking. Fortunately, I don’t have a huge spice collection as I tend to use the same items over and over again–my good friend frequently comments, “you’re such a minimalist.” To which I respond, “less is more!” Thanks for getting back to me. Sharon

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:29:37 +0000

Yes, I transfer all plastic baggies to glass jars in my kitchen. I hate keeping plastic bags as they clutter the shelves and oftentimes get forgotten as to their contents (at least when I buy spices in bulk).

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:09:51 +0000

Just read over this post as I’m attempting to simplify my kitchen pantry. One thing that I’ve noticed is I tend to accumulate a bunch of bulk bin items in plastic baggies. Do you transfer all of your bulk bin purchases into glass jars, as well as all of your spices? Sometimes I purchase a small amount of a particular grain or spice that I want to try or use in a specific recipe–these are what tend to pile up. Thanks for your investment in all of our lives as we seek to better nourish our families. You are a tremendous resource and so faithful to take the time to respond to us all. Blessings! Sharon

By: Leanne

Leanne — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:07:34 +0000

Just another tip for getting good fresh spices in bulk — your favorite herb store (Mountain Rose Herbs) has a good selection of fresh (and often organic!) herbs AND spices for a very reasonable price.

I enjoy your blog! Thanks for all the good ideas!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:20:59 +0000

Lindsay, congrats on Baby#2! I really enjoyed this post about simplifying your kitchen. My SIL is in the process of baking/cooking all of her duplicate recipes to find out which she likes the best and only keeping that one recipe (which is the best banana bread? granola? etc.). Anyway, I have a tip for spice organizing – I use the little plastic tubs from baby food I have accumulated. Maybe you were better at cooking for Karis than I was for my first (hopefully I will do better with the second) but I have a lot of them. They are very easy to stack and also very easy to measure out of. I really like this system.

By: Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet

Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:44:06 +0000

I also keep my recipes in binders. Though, by the time I got married, I had several notebooks full of recipes….LOL. Now, most of my recipes are on my blog. (I feel slightly stupid going to my own blog to do a recipe search to find a recipe I made up! But it does keep things simple. )

By: Leslie

Leslie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:50:46 +0000

Joelle- 100% whole wheat bread wasn’t turning out in my bread machine either, so I started using the dough cycle and turning out the dough, shaping it and baking it. It turns out beautifully. Not as hands off as it is intended to be, but it is delicious!

By: Marian

Marian — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:41:10 +0000

How timely! I actually have to start on my wedding registry soon! Without having cooked day in and day out, running a kitchen before (my mom’s not much of a cook), I’m not quite sure which things are most helpful and which can hinder; I understand basic pots and pans, but this article helped me start to think about what I need vs. what I’ve seen in kitchens. Thank you!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:30:27 +0000

Excellent reminder Colleen! It is true that contentment is so key to having a God-honoring heart in this simplifying pursuit. I am learning that always in many different areas…

By: Colleen Wachob

Colleen Wachob — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:17:49 +0000

I love checking your website while my daughters nap and being encouraged by another mom on this journey of God-honoring living… I have been thinking, too, that part of this simplification process is also contentment and being settled in our hearts about the material blessings God has given us as individuals. Even if it means a seemingly less simple means… I was given a Kitchen-Aid mixer as a wedding gift and use a grain mill attachment for making bread etc. It’s not a great tool. It takes forever to grind my grains – but it works. It’s easy for me to have a little bit of appliance envy over that Bosch mixer and think I need to go out and replace my kitchen tools with simpler, better versions. But what I have been blessed with works. So I need to be content with what I have and make good use of those things! I am learning this in several areas… To be content in all things! Thanks again for the tips. I, too, love the recipe book idea.