Time-Saving Kitchen Ideas

I thought I would write a post on some simple time-saving ideas that I use in the kitchen everyday! I would love to hear some more of your ideas that I can also implement in my kitchen- I love to learn new things!

1. Cookie Bars: (Shown above) Instead of portioning out cookies on my cookie tray I like to put all of the cookie dough into a square (Shown is a 10x10) or oblong pan and bake them all at once. This saves time with multiple batches that are quite simply just a pain in the butt! This also makes the cookies more chewy and moist and gives you the ability to ice them with frosting even easier if you wish to add some extra guilt to your dessert ;) 
2. Bake Ahead:  This is a no-brainer but it's worth the mention! When I bake on a day off or in preparation for a special occasion, I like to bake extra and freeze it! This saves time when you have company in a pinch or are invited to a last minute event. As a working wife it is sometimes hard to find time to cook/bake when you hold a full time job! 
3. Transform Your Leftovers: Something I have learned while rushing around to get dinner ready after work is to learn to make meals that can be recycled into something new. A few ideas are this: Make hamburgers and with your leftover meat turn it into chili, reuse sides like biscuits or vegetable the next day to accompany your next dish, or use leftover veggies to make vegetable soup, chicken noodle, etc.
4. Buy Smart: When I buy for the week (or two, because I don't have a love of spending time at the store) I plan my menu to have items that overlap. Example: If I need onion for perogies or soup I cut the whole onion up and freeze or refrigerate the rest until it is needed again. This way I am only prepping that ingredient on time!
5. Clean As You Go: This is something that I personally NEVER did. I always would make a mess and clean it all up when I was completely done. I have come to learn that if you clean as you go it really does save time. I have now become the queen of using as few dishes as possible. Just tonight I boiled my perogies in a frying pan just so I would only have to use one pan when I added the onions and butter! 

So there ya have it, very obvious and simple ways to keep life in the kitchen a little bit easier. If you are like me: you love being in the kitchen but don't always have the most time. Enjoy these ideas and really- I want to hear yours too! 

                          ~Alicia~