A lot of the times we mean to get in there and finally organize the kitchen, but once things get out of control the job can seem so daunting and you just don’t know where to start. These top 10 kitchen organizing tips will help make your kitchen pleasant and welcoming.

The best way to start a big task is to start small and think of one thing at a time. If you think of everything you need to do you may just never do it!

Here are some easy kitchen organizing tips:

Mentally Prepare - Look in your kitchen and make a mental note of what belongs in there, what can be put away, what you don’t need anymore, etc.

Organize Kitchen Cabinets - Take everything out of your kitchen cabinets, clean, and place them back into different categories such as glasses, plates, baking trays and so on. If your cabinets are organized you will save a lot of time during cooking.

Clean your Pantry - It’s amazing the things you’ll find stored in the back of a pantry. We often buy things we already have because we simply can’t find them. So, take everything out of the pantry, clean and place back in categories. Use one shelf for dry foods such as cereals, pasta, etc. Use another for canned goods, and so on. Use baskets in your pantries for smaller items like stock cubes and gravy mixes. This will make them easier to find and avoid spillage from opened packets.

Use a Spice Rack - By simply using a wall-mounted or counter top spice rack you can save a lot of cabinet space and have your spices close at hand. Clearly label your spices and place the ones you use more often towards the front of the rack.

Clear your Counter Tops - Remove any items you don’t use on a regular basis from your counter tops. Instead, store them in a cabinet or even your basement or garage (if you don’t use them very often). Group appliances together for conveniences like the toaster and coffee pot.

Organize that Junk Drawer - Okay, just because we all call it the “junk drawer” doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be organized. Take a look through and throw out any items you many not need. Place small baskets in there to store items like batteries, clips and all those other interesting things we seem to collect in our kitchens.

Clean up your Cleaning Products - Buy an inexpensive plastic dish drainer and place it under your sink. These make it easy for you to organize cleaning products, sponges, etc. Please remember to keep a lock on all cabinets with dangerous items if you have young children.

Clean that Fridge - Every time you go grocery shopping clean out your fridge. You’ll find lots of things in there which have gone bad, are empty, etc. Throw out all these items and give your fridge a good wipe. Bacteria in fridges can accumulate quickly so you want to make sure this area is cleaned weekly.

Set up a Message Station - If your kitchen allows, set up a specific place for the telephone, messages, keys, etc. I have a small peg board where I keep reminders and messages. Underneath that there’s a wall-mounted key rack, and under that a small desk with the telephone, a basket for mail, a calendar and pens and paper for writing. Having an area like this can save you tons of time and you won’t loose messages or mail again. If you don’t have space for this in your kitchen then place it in your hallway or living room.

Invest and be Clutter Free - Now you can find all sorts of inexpensive organizing products and gadgets for your kitchen and home. If possible invest in a few of these as they will make your job much easier. A simple pegboard where you can keep photos, messages or your kids works of art can be a lifesaver. The same thing goes for a plastic bag organizer or good spice rack. Invest a little and you’ll reap the rewards in time saved and much more pleasant kitchen to cook in.

For more cooking tips, family-friendly recipes, nutrition articles and free fun kid recipe ebook visit http://www.easy-kid-recipes.com - The site for good home-cooked food and balanced nutrition!

Sometimes coffee makers (as nearly everything) get broken for no
apparent reason. When everything seems to be ok on the outside,
then the problem must be on the inside, so here are some tips to
help you identify the most common problems and, if you are
lucky, repair your coffee maker yourself.

Problem: The coffee maker does not turn on. Symptoms: Light on
the coffee maker does not lit, there are no sounds coming from
it, and it never heats up. Possible causes and solutions: This
may be caused by a burnt fuse, a defective power cord or
something more important. If your coffee maker has a fuse and it
is burnt then replace it, but always do it with the same type
and rate of fuse, to avoid the chance of more severe problems.
If you find no fuse, plug your coffee maker to a different
outlet, just to be sure this is not the cause.

If it still does not work, replace the power cord (you can do it
yourself if you are careful and know the basic electrical
concepts, but if you don’t want to do it yourself you can ask a
professional to do it). If, after replacing the cord with a new
one, it still does not work, contact a coffee maker repairer.

Problem: The coffee maker is turned on but you are not getting
any coffee. Symptoms: The maker is on and heats up, but hot
water is not coming out.

Possible causes and solutions: The tubes may be clogged.
Sometimes water leaves calcium and other mineral residues on the
tubes, clogging them after a while. Try using your coffee maker
with vinegar instead of water. If it unclogs, run water through
your coffee maker a minimum of three times, in order to wash out
the vinegar.

Problem: The coffee maker is turned on but you get only dirty
cold water instead of coffee. Symptoms: The maker sucks water
and pours it onto the coffee, but this water is cold.

Possible causes and solutions: The heating coil of your coffee
maker may be dead or dying. Unfortunately, there is nothing you
can do, as replacement coils are extremely difficult to find and
install. Consider buying a new coffee maker.

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About the Author

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There are many different opinions and techniques for smoking a rack of ribs. The
best way to find out what works for you is to practice and experiment with different
available recipes, or new recipes you come up with. No matter what recipe or taste
you are looking for, the key to turning a plain rack of ribs into a tender, juicy,
perfectly smoked rack of ribs is “Low and Slow.” This means low temperature
(225-250 degrees F) and al long time (about 5 hours for a 5 lb rack).

When I prepare a rack of spare ribs for smoking, I usually prepare the ribs the night
before I am going to smoke them to let the rub soak in to the meat. This will give
the rub plenty of time to work. A rub is basically a blend of seasonings that is
applied to meat before smoking. You do not have to use a rub, but I recommend it
because it will add flavor to the meat. How much flavor depends on your rub recipe,
but that is another story.

The rack of spare ribs referred to in these instructions weighed 5 pounds, and was
smoked using indirect heat (225 F) for about 6 hours.

FRESHNESS

When I choose a rack of ribs for smoking, I make sure that the meat has not been
previously frozen. Sometimes choices are limited, but fresh meat will have a better
flavor, and it will be very tender when smoked correctly. If the ribs have been
frozen, as most have, no biggie. Make sure your thaw them out in the refrigerator.

TRIMMING THE RIBS

When you purchase a rack of spare ribs, there will be a membrane located on the
underside of the ribs. Most people have different opinions regarding removing the
membrane or leaving it on. I remove the membrane with a sharp knife, or I have my
butcher remove it for me. If you are new to removing the membrane, you may ask
your butcher to remove it for you the first time, and maybe he or she will even show
you how to remove it. You can also leave it on because if the ribs are cooked
correctly, the membrane will pretty much dissolve while cooking.

If you choose to remove it, begin by trimming it away from the bone on one end of
the ribs. You can either continue cutting it off, or if you get lucky, you can grab it
with a pair of pliers, and pull the whole membrane off at one time.

When trimming the fat off of the ribs, make sure you leave a little. There will
probably be an excess amount in some places. Just trim it down until it looks right
to you. The fat will render, turning into oil, and it will help to keep the ribs moist.

SEASONING

Prepare your rack of ribs the night before you are going to smoke it, allowing 15 or
so hours to let the rub soak in.

Coat the ribs with a thin layer of olive oil before applying the rub.

Season both sides of the ribs with your favorite dry rub. There are a few listed on
thesmokerking.com. If you decide to make your own rub, remember, the goal is not
to overpower the taste of the meat with seasonings, but to add to the flavor by
correctly blending different seasonings together that will enhance the flavor of the
meat.

Some people like to marinade their ribs, but I have had the best results with using a
dry rub.

COOKING

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking them so
they are closer to room temperature.

I smoke the ribs at a consistent temperature of 225 degrees F for about 1 hour per
pound, but usually no more than 6 hours.

Place the ribs bone side up in the smoker. I use a rib mop sauce that has no or very
little brown sugar, and no tomato products in it. These two ingredients will burn
before the meat is done, and produce bad results. It is best to apply a finishing
sauce or glaze towards the last 30-40 minutes of smoking.

A great mop sauce that I use is to mix 2/3 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/3 cup
of olive oil in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle and spray the ribs down about every
45 minutes. The Apple Cider Vinegar will help tenderize the meat, and make the
ribs a little sweeter.

When applying the finishing sauce, turn the ribs over so that the bone side is down,
then apply the sauce. Do this during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

The ribs are done when the meat retracts and exposes the edge of the rib bones by
about 1/2 inch or so, and basically each rib section will tear apart with ease. The
internal meat temperature will be about 180 F when done. An instant read
thermometer is a must have for checking the doneness of the meat.

After a while, you will develop a feel for doneness.

Using different types of wood will produce different smoke flavors in the meat. I
usually use mesquite, apple, and charcoal. Too much mesquite can add a strong,
smoky flavor to the ribs, so use it sparingly. Hickory and oak are also some of the
commonly used woods for smoking ribs.

SERVING

Let the smoked rack of ribs rest for about 10 minutes before cut into it.

Cut down the middle of each strip of meat between each rib bone. Add your favorite
sauce, and enjoy.

Aaron Ralston, also known as The Smoker King, is the owner of Outdoor
Cooking: Barbeque, Sauces, Mops, Rubs at http://www.thesmokerking.com. Check out thesmokerking.com today to learn
many great barbeque and cooking recipes and techniques.

Choosing Organic for Health

We come from a society where growing organic and just growing
produce and livestock for food was once one and the same. Small,
family farms still grow their own food using traditional methods
passed down through the generations. As commercial farming
became big-business, however, growers and farmers started to
investigate methods of increasing crops and building bigger
livestock in order to increase their profits. This led to
increased use of pesticides and drugs to enhance yield.

In this article, we will look at what is required in order to
call a product organic, how choosing organic eating and farming
impact the environment and our health, discuss the benefits of
eating organic foods, and what research says about the
nutritional benefits of organically-grown produce.

Calling it “Organic” In 1995, the US National Organic Standards
Board passed the definition of ‘organic’, which is a labeling
term denoting products produced under the authority of the
Organic Foods Production Act. It states, “Organic agriculture is
an ecological production management system that promotes and
enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological
activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on
management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance
ecological harmony.”

The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the
health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil
life, plants, animals, and people.

The philosophy of organic production of livestock is to provide
conditions that meet the health needs and natural behavior of
the animal. Organic livestock must be given access to the
outdoors, fresh air, water, sunshine, grass and pasture, and are
fed 100% organic feed. They must not be given or fed hormones,
antibiotics or other animal drugs in their feed. If an animal
gets sick and needs antibiotics, they cannot be considered
organic. Feeding of animal parts of any kind to ruminants that,
by nature, eat a vegetarian diet, is also prohibited. Thus, no
animal byproducts of any sort are incorporated in organic feed
at any time.

Because farmers must keep extensive records as part of their
farming and handling plans in order to be certified organic, one
is always able to trace the animal from birth to market of the
meat. When meat is labeled as organic, this means that 100% of
that product is organic.

Although organic crops must be produced without the use of
pesticides, it is estimated that between 10-25% of organic
fruits and vegetables contain some residues of synthetic
pesticides. This is because of the influence of rain, air and
polluted water sources. In order to qualify as ‘organic’, crops
must be grown on soil free of prohibited substances for three
years before harvest. Until then, they cannot be called organic.
When pests get out of balance and traditional organic methods
don’t work for pest control, farmers can request permission to
use other products that are considered low risk by the National
Organic Standards Board.

The Environment According to the 15-year study, “Farming Systems
Trial”, organic soils have higher microbial content, making for
healthier soils and plants. This study concluded that
organically grown foods are raised in soils that have better
physical structure, provide better drainage, may support higher
microbial activity, and in years of drought, organic systems may
possibly outperform conventional systems. So, organic growing
may help feed more people in our future!

What is the cost of conventional farming, today? The
above-mentioned 15 -year study showed that conventional farming
uses 50% more energy than organic farming. In one report, it was
estimated that only 0.1% of applied pesticides actually reach
the targets, leaving most of the pesticide, 99.9%, to impact the
environment. Multiple investigations have shown that our water
supplies, both in rivers and area tap waters, are showing high
levels of pesticides and antibiotics used in farming practices.
Water samples taken from the Ohio River as well as area tap
water contained trace amounts of penicillin, tetracycline and
vancomycin.

Toxic chemicals are contaminating groundwater on every inhabited
continent, endangering the world’s most valuable supplies of
freshwater, according to a Worldwatch paper, Deep Trouble: The
Hidden Threat of Groundwater Pollution. Calling for a systemic
overhaul of manufacturing and industrial agriculture, the paper
notes that several water utilities in Germany now pay farmers to
switch to organic operations because this costs less than
removing farm chemicals from water supplies.

What About our Health? Eating organic food is not a fad. As
people become more informed and aware, they are taking steps to
ensure their health. US sales of organic food totaled 5.4
billion dollars in 1998, but was up to 7.8 billion dollars in
the year 2000. The 2004 Whole Foods Market Organic Foods Trend
Tracker survey found that 27% of Americans are eating more
organic foods than they did a year ago.

A study conducted by the California Department of Pesticide
Regulation reports that the number of people poisoned by
drifting pesticides increased by 20% during 2000.

A rise in interest and concern for the use of pesticides in food
resulted in the passage of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act,
directing the US EPA to reassess the usage and impact of
pesticides for food use.

Particular attention was paid to the impact on children and
infants, whose lower body weights and higher consumption of food
per body weight present higher exposure to any risks associated
with pesticide residues.

Publishing an update to its 1999 report on food safety, the
Consumers Union in May 2000 reiterated that pesticide residues
in foods children eat every day often exceed safe levels. The
update found high levels of pesticide residues on winter squash,
peaches, apples, grapes, pears, green beans, spinach,
strawberries, and cantaloupe. The Consumers Union urged
consumers to consider buying organically grown varieties,
particularly of these fruits and vegetables.

The most common class of pesticide in the US is organophosphates
(OP’s). These are known as neurotoxins.

An article published in 2002 examined the urine concentration of
OP residues in 2-5 year olds. Researchers found, on average,
that children eating conventionally grown food showed an 8.5
times higher amount of OP residue in their urine than those
eating organic food. Studies have also shown harmful effects on
fetal growth, as well.

Pesticides are not the only threat, however. 70% of all
antibiotics in the US are used to fatten up livestock, today.
Farm animals receive 24.6 million pounds of antibiotics per
year!

Public health authorities now link low-level antibiotic use in
livestock to greater numbers of people contracting infections
that resist treatment with the same drugs. The American Medical
Association adopted a resolution in June of 2001, opposing the
use of sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics in agriculture and
the World Health Organization, in its 2001 report, urged farmers
to stop using antibiotics for growth promotion. Studies are
finding the same antibiotic resistant bacteria in the intestines
of consumers that develop in commercial meats and poultry.

Is it More Nutritious? Until recently, there had been little
evidence that organically grown produce was higher in nutrients.
It’s long been held that healthier soils would produce a product
higher in nutritional quality, but there was never the science
to support this belief. Everyone agrees that organic foods taste
better.

In 2001, nutrition specialist Virginia Worthington published her
review of 41 published studies comparing the nutritional values
of organic and conventionally grown fruits, vegetables and
grains. What she found was that organically grown crops provided
17% more vitamin C, 21% more iron, 29% more magnesium, and 13.6%
more phosphorus than conventionally grown products. She noted
that five servings of organic vegetables provided the
recommended daily intake of vitamin C for men and women, while
their conventional counterparts did not. Today there are more
studies that show the same results that Ms. Worthington
concluded.

Considering the health benefits of eating organic foods, along
with the knowledge of how conventionally grown and raised food
is impacting the planet should be enough to consider paying
greater attention to eating organic, today. Since most people
buy their food in local supermarkets, it’s good news that more
and more markets are providing natural and organic foods in
their stores. Findings from a survey by Supermarket News showed
that 61% of consumers now buy their organic foods in
supermarkets. More communities and health agencies also are
working to set up more farmer’s markets for their communities,
also, which brings more organic, locally grown foods to the
consumer. The next time you go shopping, consider investigating
organic choices to see if it’s indeed worth the change!

This delicious southwestern beef recipe features juicy steak
with fresh salsa.

cup thick and chunky salsa cup canned black beans, rinsed
and drained 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped 2
tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice 1
teaspoons chili powder teaspoon dried oregano 4 boneless beef
steaks (about 1 pounds)

Directions

Mix salsa, beans, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and teaspoon of
the chili powder. Cover and refrigerate while preparing steaks.

Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon chili
powder and the oregano over both sides of beef; gently press
into beef. Place beef on rack in broiler pan.

Broil steaks with tops 4 to 5 inches from heat for 6 minutes;
turn. Broil 2 to 5 minutes longer for medium doneness. Serve
steaks with salsa mixture on top.