Thursday, December 11, 2008

I Heart Them

Last night it occurred to me that my kitchen isn't organized very efficiently. Most of my cooking tools were tossed into a big drawer which meant I had to dig and dig to find anything. My hot pads were on the opposite side of the room as the oven and my fruit and vegetable tools were too far from the sink. My goal today was to get my kitchen and my recipes organized. Although I really wanted to take a nap I didn't give in to the urge. I sorted through tools and anything I haven't used in 6 months was put into a zippered storage bag and placed in the storage cabinets in the garage. Then I separated the tools according to use: pastry/baking, fruit/vegetable, and general use and put each group into its own drawer. I then tucked my hot pads into the drawer right next to the oven which makes perfect sense to me. I rearranged serving dishes and cooking dishes so that the most frequently used items were easily accessible and the not-so-frequently used were placed out of the way. Now my kitchen makes sense!

I sorted through my recipe book and took out any recipes that I haven't made in a long time. Some of them made me scratch my head and ask, "What was I thinking?" Now my recipe book is much more streamlined!



Midway through my organizing I looked out the glass doors to see this riff-raff eyeballing me. Sorry, no beggars allowed! Silver and Sweetheart probably just wanted to see what it looks like inside the human coop. The girls have slowed egg production down so much that I'm lucky if I get 4 eggs a day right now.

After the kitchen work was done I brewed some coffee and prepared some cake batter to put in these pretty pans I got from Lene's Web. Aren't they adorable? I LOVE aluminum bake ware. Nothing releases so perfectly. Back when I made birthday cakes to make money when my kids were little, I had nothing but aluminum cake pans. They're long gone and I miss them. I will replace them though, thanks to Lene's Web.



What was the occasion for the cake? Well I got to thinking about how much my guys do for me and I wanted to show them that I appreciate them. I kept the cake hidden during the whole cooling process and managed to get the layers together and the icing on just as the boys were getting off the bus!



I had Derek put dessert plates out when he was setting the table. But they were noticeably empty during the meal. Jim finally asked about the empty dessert plates and I went to the office to retrieve the hidden cake.

I told the guys why I baked it and thanked them for all that they do for me. I also told them to have as much cake as they wanted (a rare treat).

I think they liked it!

17 comments:

  1. Oh, that must be my piece still on the plate! I'll be right over. Is the coffee still hot?

    Great looking cake, Amy! I do believe yours guys enjoyed it. I used to have heart-shaped pans, but I don't know what happened to them.

    By the way, what did we have for supper?

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  2. Susan, how did you know I saved that big piece just for you??? I swear you must have ESPN or something. Yes, the coffee is still hot, come on up!

    Supper was sauteed pork chops with sage, thyme and garlic. I poured mushrooms sauteed with butter and sage over the top of them. YUM-O.

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  3. Man, you're gettin' all Rachael Ray on me! I had leftover sweet potatoes and onions, a leftover piece of pizza and leftover roast chicken. Actually it wasn't leftover yet. I just bought it today to make chicken tortilla soup tomorrow. But who's keeping track, right?

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  4. Susan, LOL well I dunno about Rachel Ray! The pork chop recipe is one that I've had in my recipe book for a while now. It's one of those favorites that everybody likes. I like watching Alton Brown's show, "Good Eats". He combines the science of cooking with good technique and that kinda stuff really fascinates me.

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  5. Now that was very nice, I'm sure they apreciated it too. Glad you got the kitchen in order, I always say if you can't find it, you don't have it. Good for you for getting things in their place. Love the chickens. I think you are going to buy Lena out before I get a chance to get up there.

    BTW, want a puppy???

    Chris

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  6. Amy, did you read Michelle's blog at http://sugarcreekstuff.blogspot.com/ today? photo's of her Hammy? looks like your rooster, Silver.

    Egg production is so poor at my house, I had to break down and BUY some eggs the other day. And, I have customers asking for eggs and I have none to sell, however, the girls are still EATING. :-) they better get to producing!

    Did you put Jello in that cake? I love that.

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  7. and oh, you know I like Paula's cooking on the FoodNetWork, eveything starts with a stick of butter. :-)

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  8. Oh, you like my smile? and my big teeth? see how clean they are? :-)

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  9. Chris, If you haven't used it in 6 months you don't need it, right? I stick to that principle and it keeps my house clutter-free! I'll pass on the puppy, I've got enough mouths to feed!

    Joanna, I have a Paula Dean cookbook my SIL gave me last Christmas. I can't believe how RICH her recipes are!

    Paula over at Fraker Farm also has a Hamburg roo named "Hamburger". It seems that McMurray Hatchery likes to send them out as the "free rare chick" with orders. I really like the breed. They are nice roosters, not too mean or ornery and very pretty to look at.

    I haven't had to buy eggs yet and I am trying to ration the eggs that we have. Hopefully the girls will be able to keep up with all my holiday baking. I didn't put any Jello in the cake but I like it too. It makes a moist, tall cake.

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  10. And hon, your teeth are just LOVELY!

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  11. Amy, that was really sweet of you and recognize your boys for all they do for you. it is the little stuff in life that matters most.

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  12. Kim, yes it's the little things! Amen!

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  13. Mmmm! That cake looks so yummy. Since that last pece has been calimed, can I just eat the crumbs and lick the frosting off the serving plate?
    hehe

    Your ogling riff-raff ar so pretty out there. It must make you smile seeing them peep at you. I love the roo's lovely spot on the tip of his tail.
    Is that water right off your deck?

    Good for you getting your kichen organized. I'm afriad now to keep reading your blog or you might motivate me to do the same....and I don't want to! (wah!)

    lol!

    Lisa
    New Mexico

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  14. please ignore all my spelling typos. My fingers move faster than my brain computes!

    ~Lisa
    New Mexico

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  15. Amy, I have to disagree with your notion that if you haven't used it in 6 months, you don't need it. I have a few things that I only use once a year that I would never part with; such as, my old aluminum pressure cooker pan. It makes THE best fudge in the world. Remember what you said about aluminum pans? All that even heating really applies here. I don't even know where the lid is anymore, but I would never get rid of it.

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  16. Sounds like you have the kitchen organizing down....wanna come for a visit???:)

    I'm sure those chickies just wanted to come in and help....make sure there were no bugs under the counters, etc. :)

    That IS a good looking cake, what a nice thought (and well appreciated I can see!).

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  17. Lisa, I saved the plate licking for you! LOL I do love to look out the windows and see my colorful birds in the yard. Yes, the pond is right off the deck it's a kidney shaped 3/4 acre pond that goes halfway around the house. I posted an aerial shot of the Twelve Acres somewhere near the beginning of this blog.

    Susan, you're right, there are some things that don't get used very often but you need them. I put all my unused tools into storage. Some of them are just silly family heirlooms that don't really serve a purpose anymore. Although I did dig out Jim's grandma's cake server for the cake.

    Tammy, sure I'll come for a visit! I'm sure that's just what the chickies were thinking--there must be some juicy bugs in there!

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