Organization | Pantry | Spices

Today I want to share a little about pantry organization. this may end up being a multiple part post, so today I am just going to talk about spices.

I love having things organized! I love how everything looks when it all has a home. What I don;t like is when I can't find a way that is functional to organize something that I use regularly.  Spices are a great example. I have seen and tried so many different ways to keep these little containers in order. It wasn't until my mom gave me this old plastic Coca-Cola crate thing that I had no idea what I would use it for that I found the perfect solution!When we lived in Rhode Island, one of the cabinets had the perfect shelf for it. It fit the height and width of the crate perfectly! I was able to pull it out and easily find whatever herb/spice I needed at the time. then, I took it to the next level. Instead of pulling out each container to see what it was, I wanted a way to easily identify them. For the last few years, I would write on the cap and find them that way. This was really hard with the black lids!
One day, while I was in the office, I found this pack of Avery labels. Do you see where I am going with this??

I got to work labeling each and every jar. I used a fine point sharpie so it wouldn't bleed and smear everywhere. I am in love with how easy it is to find everything now!

This month, I am also participating in A Bowl Full of Lemons' 31 Day Purge. Day 20 was spices. We recently moved, so most of the challenges I did before we packed. Or so I thought. I didn't do the spices until a few days later when I was looking for something else and realized one of the spices has passed its 'best by' date. That got me curious, and so I went through them all. I had a few that were past their prime! (luckily they all expired this year within the last few months, so it wasn't THAT bad!)

Just a few!

When putting everything back and organizing it all, I realized I have a lot of cinnamon. Like A LOT! I remember buying it frequently over the summer thinking I was out all the time. Must have been the new mommy brain! I have two containers of regular cinnamon, a Roasted Saigon Cinnamon, Roasted Cinnamon, and two containers of cinnamon sticks! (One of them is almost empty, thankfully!) I think I should start using some of it up!

Here is my container in all its glory! What do you think? How do you keep your spices organized??

Follow along the challenge on Instagram

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup, Rustic No-Knead Bread, & Herbed Butter | Delicious | Baltimore Foodie

Hello foodie friends!

            If you've been following this blog for a while, you have probably seen all the 21 Day Fix friendly recipes I have posted. This one is not that! I firmly believe you need to indulge every once in a while and enjoy a nice hearty bowl of soup, some fresh baked bread, and delicious butter! Especially on cold and windy fall days!

           I think Fall is my favorite time to cook and bake. I love how it can be so cold, windy, rainy, etc. outside, but inside it is warm and welcoming. Last week, we had one of those days...Fall weather is setting in for good. The days are more windy and chilly than warm and breezy. This soup is
perfect for those days! I found a few different recipes on Pinterest for Vegetable Beef Soup. When it came time to actually make it, I just decided to wing it! A few friends on Facebook and Instagram were asking for the recipe, so I thought the best way to share would be here on the blog! :)

You can find the recipe for the no-knead bread HERE
For the soup, I used:

1 bottle (1 quart) V8  (I used the original. You can get low sodium, etc.)
8oz. Tomato Sauce
6 russet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
5 medium carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 large white onion
1/2 head cabbage, roughly chopped
1 package stew meat (I think it was about 1.5 lbs)
About 1 Tablespoon dried Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

* Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Add meat and brown
* Pour tomato sauce into slow-cooker. Add vegetables, salt & pepper, & V8 juice.

I started a little later in the day than I planned, so I cooked mine on high for about 6 hours. I added the parsley about an hour before we ate. I also planned on adding some frozen corn and green beans at the same time, but I totally forgot! (Next time!)

For the butter:
I started with THIS recipe for Savory Herb Butter, but I only had dried herbs, so I adjusted! :)

1/2 stick butter, softened (The 'half sticks' work GREAT for this!!)
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used kosher)
dash of garlic powder
dash of cayenne pepper (I may have added a little more than a dash!)

I let the butter soften while the soup was cooking. It was perfect by the time it was ready to eat. Just put the butter in a bowl, add the herbs, and mix well. You can add more/less to your taste. I thought it was perfect. The bread was hot and fresh out of the oven, so it melted almost immediately. Delicious!!

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family and I did!! Leave a comment and let me know if you changed anything! :)


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No-Knead Bread | Recipe | Baltimore Foodie

         Since we have moved into our new house, I have been wanting to cook so much more than before. I have always loved cooking, but it has become an every day mission to cook as much as possible! I have made pie crusts, croissant dough for my braid (I will be sharing that soon!!), and lots of bread!!

         My favorite bread to make is this no-knead bread. While browsing the magazines at Barnes & Noble one night., I came across this Bread magazine. I was excited to try and make bread a regular part of our lives! I love bread. I love the smell of fresh baked bread even more! I paid the $10.99! (I've never paid that much for a magazine!) for the magazine, and it has been so worth it over the last three years!

There it is...the headline that hooked me...

And as promised...right there in the back of the magazine..the no-knead recipe! (Can you feel the excitement?!)

First off, you should know that this is a two day affair. The first day is super simple, though! I promise! The ingredients you will need are:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (I have used both and had equally delicious results!)
1/4 teaspoon active-dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Cups warm water
5 qt. heavy-bottomed enamel, cast-iron, or ceramic Dutch oven with lid ( I use my Pampered Chef Stainless Steel 12" Covered Skillet and it works great!)


Okay..ready??
On day one:
Combine flour, yeast, sale and water in a large bowl and mix well. I have found it is easiest to do this by hand. The dough will look rough and ragged (direct quote from the magazine!! :D) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for at least 14-20 hours. That's it!! You're done for the day!! Now go relax!

The next day:
The dough will have grown, and will look wet and smell yeasty. You will need to ease it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. It should look something like this .

With your hands, fold the dough onto itself a couple times until it somewhat resembles a ball. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Be sure to remove any rings/jewelry you have on because your hands will end up looking like this!

       After 15 minutes have passed, you will dust a lint-free towel with cornmeal, flour, or wheat bran, and place the ball of dough, seam-side down, onto the towel. Place another lint-free towel over it.
*I have a big tea towel that I only use for bread. It is large enough that I am able to fold it over the dough instead of using two towels!*
Let the dough sit again for two hours in a warm spot. When there is about 30 minutes left, place your heavy pot/pan in the oven and preheat to 450.
After the dough has doubled, carefully remove the pot from the oven and sprinkle a pinch of cornmeal, flour or wheat bran into the pan. Then, pick up the towel, and dump the dough into the pot. It will look like a mess going in, but that's okay!
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. (Don't forget to cover at this point!! Trust me!)
After 30 minutes, remove the lid, and bake another 15-30 minutes until the bread looks golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove from the pan and let cool 15 minutes. This is seriously the hardest part for me! I just want to cut into the nice hot bread and eat a piece!!

It should come out looking something like this!

 I try to make this bread whenever we have spaghetti planned for dinner. It is the perfect companion to the sauce! ;)

 This guy loves the bread with spaghetti, too!! Can you tell??

That's it! Easy-peasy, right?? I can't wait to hear how much you love it!!

Here is a peek at our next super delicious bread adventure! I will be sharing this one soon!