Easy Food Prep with Mini-Choppers

Since I started using a mini-chopper in my food preparations, cooking has become much less of a chore for me. I love the easy use and the easy clean up.

Well, I've never found cooking to be a fun event for me, so anything to make it easier is great in my book. That's what my mini-chopper is. Easy!

The chore of cutting up ingredients like vegetables, onions, even crushing nuts, was a big part of why I disliked cooking so much. That was hard to do and took too much time.

When I got a mini-chopper, my first one, things got a lot easier for me. I now have several and they seem to be in use daily for me. I chop up vegetables for salads and soups, I chop up fruits for muffins, and I crush nuts to go in breads, muffins, even brownies.

With a mini-chopper, the more you process the foods, the fine the crushing gets. So when I want to make up a salad, I just chop quickly. Then the ingredients are still in chunks. But when I want to add ground up ingredients to my breads, I can get that fine grinding with my mini-chopper.

This has been a real time-saver and finger-slicing saver for me. Mini-choppers aren't too expensive either so they make great gift ideas for anyone who cooks whether they like cooking or not.

Pink: The Fun Color for a Retro Kitchen

A retro kitchen designed in the 1950's or 1960's style has lots of fun colors to work with. But a favorite and popular one is pink. Pink mixed with purple, pink with white, even pink with black all work great for your retro kitchen color scheme.

The colors from the retro kitchen world include, teal, yellow, red, orange, black, white and yes, pink. So you have lots of options to work with if you enjoy using pink in your color scheme.

Adding little accent pieces like pink mixing or serving bowls can help you create that retro look. Use them for serving dishes for your family and guests, use them for decorating pieces in different parts of your kitchen, or just use the bowls for your own cooking.

One of things I like about using pink in your color scheme is that you don't need to go all out and have a pink as your main color. Pink makes a great accent color as well.

Think about ways that you can use pink in your own retro kitchen, like setting a pink mixing bowl on your table as part of the centerpiece. Maybe on a shelf above your retro aprons, or as part of your open cabinet storage so your pink mixing bowl set can be seen.

Anyway you like to use pink in your decorating, it makes for a fun color in a retro kitchen. Even just the little accent pieces like retro mixing bowls can be your pink accent color.

Have You Tried Wall Decals for Your Apple Kitchen Decor?

If you haven't tried wall decals to decorate your apple-theme kitchen, then you are in for a treat. I love using wall decals. So simple, with little expense and no fuss at all.

These things just literally peel off the backing and stick to your walls. No glue, no nails, no mess. And they are so easy to rearrange. They are also called wall clings, vinyl wall stickers and wall murals, but by any name they still work the same.

The designs for apple kitchen wall decals are great. Just the right look to add accents or whole murals on any smooth surface in your kitchen. That can include the front or sides of cabinets, dishwasher or refrigerator fronts, lamps, just about anything.

After putting up tons of apple wall decals for the kitchen I can give you my tips to make it go easier and smoother.

• Carefully peel the sticker from the backing. Especially when you have small or thin pieces you will prevent stretching or tearing of the design.
• Place the largest pieces on your wall first, then add in the small accent pieces.
• Start at the bottom of the wall decal, press up and smooth as you go. This will help push any air bubbles that could get trap in your decal.
• When removing from your wall for rearranging work the same way.

Go ahead and get your apple kitchen wall decals. They are inexpensive enough to get several sets and arrange anyway you like. You will be thrilled with the results.

Using Fat Chef Wall Decorations for Your Kitchen

Creating the look of a fat chef kitchen does include the accessories like cookie jars, canisters and figurines. But, it also includes wall decorations.

Even if your kitchen has very little wall space, you can still add decor to other flat surfaces. Consider the sides or ends of your cabinets. Look above your cabinets for wall space there. Think about the front of your refrigerator or dishwasher. Then move to your dining space. Where your eating table sits often has extra wall space, even if it's not in your kitchen, it's still space that you can carry your fat chef theme.

Wall decorations can be as simple as a few wall decals set around the room. Or create a small vignette that includes a shelf with hooks underneath for hanging a chef mug then setting a canister or cookie jar above it.

Sometimes it's just a matter of adding a fun or funny fat chef plaque on the side of, or above your cabinets. Even look at a corner of your kitchen where wall space may be available. You don't need to have big spaces on your wall to make room for a few accessories that can hang up.

Creating that fat chef kitchen can be easy when you work with those little extras in your kitchen. Wall decorations make for great accents and carry your theme around the room.

Choosing the Best Bread Machines

Don't we all love fresh baked bread? Just the smell of bread baking in the kitchen can whet our appetites for that delicious taste. But, let's get real. Who wants to bake bread by hand? Certainly not me.

That's why I jumped at the chance to get a bread machine when they first arrived on the market. Since then, these delightful machines have come a long way. The improvements have been amazing.

Today's bread machines now do so many extras, lots more than just bake bread. But, the reality is, we still want them to make the best loaf of bread for us and our families.

For some of us, our own homemade bread takes the place of that store-bought stuff. For others, the bread is a supplement for special meals and occasions. Either way, you want a bread machine that will do just what you want it to.

Since there are so many different choices these days, you want to consider how you want to use your bread machine. How often do you want homemade bread? What extras do you want to use it for? What size loaf do you need? These things are all considerations you need to think about to choose the best bread machine.

If you haven't had a bread maker in the past, you may consider starting with a smaller, less expensive model. After you discover how easy it is to use and how much you enjoy bread making, you can then upgrade to a better model that will fit your needs better.

After years and years of using different bread machines, I have upgraded to the best one available. It's the Zojirushi Supreme Bread Maker. I have never been disappointed in this power workhorse of a machine. It's one of most expensive on the market, but I have found it to be worth every penny over the cheaper machines. You can get your own at Best Bread Machines for Every Day Use.