Hello, hello!

I'm easing into 2021 and this week I found myself itching for some easy-but-make-me-feel-accomplished "kitchen refresh" projects. If you're craving something similar, here are five ideas for ya:

1) A quick freezer inventory - my process explained here. I did one this week and it felt so good! It takes about 15 mins and at the end you'll have a fresh list of inventory AND (likely) a more organized freezer!

2) Pantry Visibility - If you can't "see" your food, you probably won't cook it! That's why I love to store pantry items in clear glass jars. Seriously - getting your food out of plastic bags and into jars makes it look SO much prettier. I also love labeling things with painter's tape and a sharpie. I swear the label makes a difference in motivating me to cook it/eat it! (Here's my favorite method for cleaning labels off of food jars. Food jars = free storage containers!!)

3) Spices Organization - one of my casual 2021 resolutions is to use up all my exotic spices this year! I also love organizing my spices... kinda itching to alphabetize them right this very minute actually 🤓. If you're in a small space, consider my favorite $5 spice rack shelves from Ikea! I have at least 8 of them in my kitchen/pantry and I LOVE them! For cooking tips on using up spices, see here.

4) Ease of Use + Clear Countertops - In addition to visibility, I have two other key kitchen organization rules: 1) I store my most-used items in the most convenient locations for maximum efficiency and ease, and 2) Only items that are used every day are allowed to live on the countertops. (Especially in a small space, clear countertops is hugely important because cramped cooking = unhappy cooking!) For a full tour of my kitchen and more details/visuals on this, check out my video on YouTube or IGTV.

5) A good old wipe down - fridge, drawers, pantry, shelves, etc - I personally can't remember the last time I wiped out my silverware-separator-thingy and I know it's getting a little gunky... so I'll be getting on that this weekend.

A clean and organized kitchen has a subtle but not-to-be-underestimated effect on our cooking. Here's to starting off this next year of cooking with a tidy, happy space. Happy freshening up!