In The Kitchen With Linda

Storing Gadgets in a Small Kitchen

March 16, 2010 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I love gadgets. Peelers and cutters and slicers, oh my!

The problem? (because having lots of gadgets is not a problem!) I only have four drawers in my small kitchen. I use one drawer as a spice drawer, which I posted about HERE and HERE

I could use about 4 more drawers in my kitchen. Which is not an easy fix. Unless you count re-doing the whole kitchen, an easy fix. And I’m sure my husband doesn’t!

So I have had to get creative with storage in my kitchen. I like to hang gadgets on the wall. You can get more storage in your kitchen by going vertical, and you get interesting wall decor at the same time.

Here’s a picture of one wall in my kitchen. I even hung my large wooden rolling pin. I also hung my cast iron corn muffin pans.

For more Kitchen Tip Tuesday tips, visit Tammy’s Recipes.

What’s for Dinner?

March 15, 2010 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Last weeks menu worked out really well. The Mexican Chicken Skillet was really good. Another keeper from the $5. Dinner Mom Cookbook!

Saturday – Chicken Soup, rolls

Sunday – Sandwiches with lettuce & tomato

Monday – Meatballs, bread, green beans (meatball sandwiches if they want)I’m taking meatballs to Womens Bible Study tonight, so the guys get some, too.

Tuesday – Baked chicken, baked potatoes, salad

Wednesday – Lasagna, broccoli

Thursday – Asian chicken wraps, with lettuce and carrots

Friday – Hamburgers with all the fixings, homemade fries

For more Menu Plan Monday ideas, visit I’m an Organizing Junkie

***Don’t forget to enter My Giveaway to win a copy of the book Start Here***

Saving Money on Condiments

March 12, 2010 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My kids love their salad dressing and ketchup and cheese and anything else they can put on top of their food.

I don’t love it when they pour out half a bottle of salad dressing on their plates! Or use mounds of grated cheese!

Saving Money on Condiments

I found these little condiment cups at Walmart. They are 2.5 ounce stainless steel cups. They were 97 cents for a pack of 4 (when I bought them). What a deal! 25 cents per cup, and I’m sure they paid for themselves in the first week.

I measured, and 2 tablespoons of salad dressing leaves plenty of room for dipping veggies or fries in the cup if that’s what they decide to do.

I give the kids their cheese in the cups whenever we’re having tacos, chili, and the like. They love having control over the cheese, and I love using less. I do it for us adults, too. We need to pay attention to our serving sizes as well!

You can teach kids the correct serving size for salad dressing, cheese, or any other condiment while saving money!

What’s For Dinner?

March 8, 2010 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Last weeks menu worked out really well. My son brought home stuff to make tacos, and cooked them. Who am I to complain?! So we didn’t eat the Mexican Skillet last week, but we’ll try it this week.

I have 3 recipes from the The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook this week. We are really loving the recipes from this cookbook. I made the Broiled Lemon Pepper Talapia a couple of weeks ago, and everyone liked it. I’m excited to try 2 new recipes this week.

This Weeks Menu

Saturday – Cheeseburgers with all the fixings

Sunday – Homemade Sub Sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoes

Monday – Asian Chicken Wraps from the $5. Dinner Mom Cookbook

Tuesday – Spaghetti with meat sauce, broccoli, salad

Wednesday – Baked Chicken, Baked Potatoes, salad, green beans

Thursday – Mexican Chicken Skillet from the $5. Dinner Mom Cookbook

Friday – Broiled Lemon Pepper Talapia from the $5. Dinner Mom Cookbook, homemade hush puppies, corn, salad

For more Menu Plan Monday ideas, visit I’m an Organzing Junkie

Saving Money on Cheese

March 5, 2010 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

We love cheddar cheese…. a lot! We like to eat it plain, on top of casseroles, in homemade macaroni and cheese.

Cheddar Cheese can be expensive. So one way I keep the amount we use low is to use extra sharp cheddar.

I can use less cheese in the macaroni and cheese, and on top of casseroles and still get great cheese flavor.

This would work with any other cheeses, also. Just use a stronger flavored cheese instead of a milder one, and you can use less. And save money!

Frittatas

March 3, 2010 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I made a frittata for supper last night. A frittata is basically an egg dish, with whatever meat, vegetables and cheeses you want to add. Everyone likes when I make a frittata. The are very frugal, too, because you can use whatever meat and vegetables you have left over to put in it.

I don’t usually follow a recipe. Last night, I used frozen stir fry vegetables. I usually chop up onions to cook at the same time. When the vegetables are done to your likeness, add any cooked meat that you want. For my large cast iron skillet, I use 12-15 eggs. Beat the eggs, adding a 1/2 or so of water. You could add milk instead of the water, if you like. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies. Now is when you would add any cheese that you want in it. But don’t stir! Otherwise, you’ll get scrambled eggs. When the eggs start to set, you use a spatula to gently lift the edges, tilting the pan to let the raw eggs sun under the cooked part. You keep doing this around the edges of the pan, until it is all set. At this point, I like to put sliced tomatoes on top, as well as a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Then you put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes, until the center is cooked and it’s nicely browned on top.

In case you want a more complete recipe, All Recipes has recipes for quite a few different frittatas.

I like to serve a frittata with bread and a salad. Here’s what our frittata looked like last night.