Storage Solutions - Mini Pot Rack

We live in an apartment. Apartments have notoriously small kitchens, something I find ironic since when buying a house most people tend to look at kitchens (size, updates, storage) as an important feature. It seems that, as an apartment dweller, I should also be living on a diet of take out and microwave dinners. On the bright side, I think our kitchen is a decent size for an apartment, but still, we needed some creative storage solutions to make everything we have fit while still having it be a warm and inviting space.

One of our priorities while organizing was to have everything accessible. It doesn't matter if everything has a place if that place is in the cabinet above the refrigerator or behind four other appliances. Counter space was also a priority because well, it's limited. Our five drawers (yes, five!) were all used up (3 for spices, 2 for silverware), but we still had cooking utensils and we still had spices. So, we looked to the walls.

 

Nick had already built a pot rack for our pots and pans, our favorite cookbooks, and other odds and ends that we wanted to have in easy reach.

He came up with the idea to build a smaller one to hold our most used spices as well as measuring cups and spoons. It was a great idea. He built it in a weekend and it really did help to solve some of our organizational problems.

Now, the spices I reach for the most are out and within reach of the cutting board and prep stations, just a step away from the stove. The measuring cups and spoons are easily accessed individually, without sifting though a drawer or cabinet and free of the metal chain that typically holds them all together (when you only ever need one at a time).

I'll be sharing some of our pantry and freezer organizational tools in the near future. In the meantime, what kitchen tool/method helps to keep you organized?

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Sometimes, it's nice to come home to a warm dinner ready and waiting. No fuss, just great food with little effort. I love slow cooker recipes for just that reason. This recipe is delicious, fast to prepare, and great as leftovers (the next day or frozen for later).

The list of ingredients is plenty long, but don't be discouraged. Most of them are common household spices and pantry items, not fancy expensive ingredients. The only ingredients we bought for this recipe were two cans of beans and the sweet potato. So, pretty inexpensive.

 

2 lb ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred
3 tbsp chili powder, plus 2 tsp
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and shredded
2 cups chicken stock (ours was homemade and contained no salt - vary your salt accordingly)
1/4 cup instant tapioca
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 cup lager-style beer (I used Beck's Octoberfest - I'm a sucker for all Octoberfest beers, especially Sam Adams)
1 avocado (per two servings), optional
1 bunch cilantro (stems removed), optional
Cheese, grated (we used Rustico Red Pepper), optional

Start with the ground chicken. Nick recently got a meat grinder, so we ground some chicken we had stored in the freezer. It used up most of the legs and thighs we had stored and we were happy to gain the freezer space.

When you are ready (about 6-8 hours before you want to eat), add all the ingredients to the crock pot except 2 tsp of chili powder and the beer. If you have a slow cooker with a removable pot, you can do this the night before and store overnight, covered, in the fridge (our preferred method).

Turn the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. Just before serving, stir in the beer and remaining chili powder. Spoon into serving bowls.

I like to serve with grated cheese, cubed avocado, cilantro leaves and crusty bread.

This recipe is adapted from this recipe, by Food Network.

Rosemary Pork Chops with Fig Chutney

Before yesterday, I had never had a fig, but Nick has been eying figs for a few weeks now at the supermarket. This weekend I decided to indulge him and buy one package - until I found out a the checkout that they were Buy One - Get One. So now I have figs coming out of my ears and need to think up some other fig recipes (so share if you have any!).

My first recipe (and my reason for initially purchasing figs) was to try fig chutney. And now I am a fig loving convert. This spiced, but still sweet, chutney was delicious and paired really well with the pork. You could also use it on chicken, I imagine, but the pork was amazing. What was even more fantastic was that it was so easy to prepare.

Ingredients (for chutney):

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c pomegranate infused vinegar
1/4 lb light brown sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/8 c. ginger, grated
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
1 orange, zested
2 slices of dried orange, optional
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
a pinch of ground cloves
a pinch of red chili flakes
1/2 - 3/4 lb figs, quartered

To make the chutney, place the vinegars, sugar, onion, ginger, mustard powder, orange zest, dried orange, cinnamon stick, salt, allspice, chili flakes and cloves in a saucepan over medium - medium low heat. Bring it to a simmer, but not a boil, and let the ingredients reduce by about half to two-thirds.

Add in the figs and let the sauce thicken (the water will simmer out of the figs, and the sugars will help the reduction thicken). Once it has a syrup-like consistency, remove from heat. Pour over meat and serve. 

To make the pork chops, simply add salt, pepper and minced fresh rosemary to either side of the pork chop. Place in a hot (medium), skillet and cooked, flipping when needed, until the internal temperature* reaches 165*F. Once cooked, remove from heat and place on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes to let the juices reabsorb into the meat.

I served this meal with broiled asparagus and garlic bread. 

* I've found the using a thermometer when cooking meat helps to keep the meat (especially poultry and pork) tender and juicy.

Open Faced Grilled Cheese

I thought I would share this quick and easy meal with you all since summer is coming to a close (for those of you that don't suffer with me in Florida) and as the days get shorter, a few last nights on the deck or patio by the grill are in order.

I love grilling. Not that I'm a master at grilling meat of any sort (that's Nick's job), I can handle myself with vegetables and other items - like this Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 c feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c goat cheese, crumbled
Olive Oil
1 French Bread or baguette,  split lengthwise and cut into large slices crosswise
2 plum tomato, thinly sliced*
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Balsamic vinegar, optional

Heat the grill or grill pan. Brush olive oil on the inside face (not crusty side) of each bread slice. Sprinkle a small bit of salt on each slice. Once the grill is heated, place the bread face down on the grill until crispy and grill marks appear. The time will depend on how hot your grill surface is, but no more than a few minutes. You just want to crisp the outside, not dry out the bread.

While the bread is crisping up on the grill, mix the feta and goat cheese together, slice the tomatoes and chop the parsley. Flip over the bread on the grill (or a work surface) and top with the cheese mixture and tomatoes. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Place the bread back on the grill, cheese side up until the cheese warms and softens.

Remove from the grill and top with fresh parsley and some cracked pepper. Drizzle some balsamic for added flavor. Plate and serve.

*Although the original recipe did call for thinly sliced tomatoes, after making it (and trying to eat it), I would recommend giving them a large dice so that you can more easily eat it. The slices were a little precarious on top of all the cheese.

We're back....

.....and married. We've spent the last couple weeks traveling. First for our wedding (yay Pittsburgh!) and then for our honeymoon (Key West). We're back, but not quite settled in.

I will eventually get around to sharing more about our wedding and honeymoon and sharing some pics, but I'm just not quite ready to shake the glitter off yet. Plus, right now I'm not sure how to put it all into words. But I'm happy to be back at home, settling in to our new life together (even if I'm not quite as thrilled about the two weeks worth of laundry we've accumulated...).