All the kitchen stuff!

Back in October I created a Puppy Products post that I keep updated with all the helpful things we've bought for Bozley. While I'm having to sit here and regularly refresh the queue for work files, I thought I'd make productive use of my time and create a post with all my favorite things that we have in our kitchen...and I'll update it as we get more useful things as well. We've been accumulating everything over the last few years, and I'm in love with how it's all coming together.
Please note: these reviews and suggestions were not compensated by the makers/sellers of any of these products.

The first change we made to the kitchen was actually in 2014 when we used my tax refund to replace the refrigerator with a Samsung Side-by-Side. It was a great fridge for awhile...then it became a pain in the butt. First, the ice maker kept freezing and we'd have to repeatedly thaw it out. Then...the ice maker stopped filling with water completely. Samsung's suggested fix is to replace the whole dang door for the frozen water line. Uh...no. I've found directions for replacing the water line in the freezer door, but I haven't tried to do anything with it yet. For now, I've just been buying bags of ice. But suffice to say, I do NOT recommend Samsung appliances. Phones? Yes. Appliances? No. 

We really started working on the kitchen more in March 2019 when we got our tax refund. Our dishwasher had quit working and we also decided to replace the vent hood above the stove. This was prior to the ice maker dying...so we bought a Samsung dishwasher and a Samsung over-the-range microwave. I've already had to replace the water inlet valve on the dishwasher, but other than that, I really like it. The dishwasher is a lot bigger than our old one and does a far better job washing the dishes than the old one did even before our old dishwasher broke. And I love the 3 adjustable racks...I can fit a LOT of dishes in there. The microwave has been great so far, too. I like the large size and that it has a shelf for two levels, if we need it. 

My favorite part of the kitchen is definitely this area that I've been putting together in the last year: 

I love the OXO Good Grips Pop Containers to store all our dry goods. They come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. There are also quite a few different scoops and accessories. I pretty much have everything there except bread crumbs and baking mix, which I want to get containers for sometime. There are also some containers in the back which have pasta in them. Next to the canisters, I have this microwave shelf to take advantage of vertical space to store my Instant Pot Viva 6qt pressure cooker and PowerXL Air Fryer Grill Combo...both of which I really love cooking with. I also have an old Cooks Essentials Oval 8qt pressure cooker that I got from my grandma, but I don't store it on the counter since I'm only using it when I need a larger pot. Same with the crockpots...they're stored away in case we need extras for holidays or something. And it's hard to see behind all the dog treat containers, but on the other side of the microwave shelf is our condiment storage...to hold all the extra condiment packets that we get from take-out/fast food places. Oh, and the screen in front is the Echo Show that we got free with one of our Ring security cameras. We can use it to play music, videos, look up recipes or the weather, video chat, and even look at our security cameras. It's pretty handy. :) 

My next favorite spot in the kitchen is our pantry cabinet. It hooks to the hinges on the back of the garage door and we store most of our canned goods in it. On the back of it I've attached our spice racks with the large size command strips...and I absolutely love the way it turned out. I also used these spice jars for some of the spices that were in containers too large to fit in the spice rack.

There are a lot of other organizational items that I have throughout the kitchen. I have one of these to organize our random knives in a drawer. I have three racks like these that hang over the cabinet doors. Two of them under the sink hold things like Ziploc bags and aluminum foil. Then I have a larger one that holds a cookie sheet, this kitchen scale, a small loaf pan, etc. I also got a towel rack for the cabinet under the sink. We also have a two-tier shelf like this under the kitchen sink to take advantage of vertical space. 

We also got several stainless steel color organizational items when we got the stainless steel appliances. We have this to organize brushes and sponges in the sink. We use this spoon and lid rest on the stove. This is what we have on the wall to store some plastic bags. And I have this coffee canister for the bags of QT coffee that Johnny likes. 

I have always loved the black "scroll" look as well. Back in 2003, I acquired a paper towel holder, a trivet kind of like this in black, and a bowl kind of like this. I've also recently gotten one of these which I use to hold a package of napkins on the table (stores more than refilling the smaller napkin holders more often). I also have some serving pieces like this chip and dip set as well as a 3-section white, rectangle ceramic server with a black scroll stand that I can't seem to find a picture of online. We also got this 3-tired bowl and this wine rack (which is actually in the dining room).  

We also have a few more small appliances that we use. We have this toaster oven which we bought a couple years ago for the rotisserie feature. We have this griddle which we use a lot to cook breakfast and this four-slice toaster. We have a Copper Chef electric skillet, but ours is a 16" version which I guess is no longer available. 

There are a lot of handy tools that I have, too. I use this digital thermometer for when I'm cooking meat. It has a probe that you can leave in while it's cooking and you can set an alarm for whatever temperature you want to get to...so that's handy! I use this avocado tool, especially when making guacamole. My grandparents got me this Foodsaver handheld vacuum sealer and I really love it. There are precut bags that you just hold the sealer on the designated spot and it sucks all the air out..and it takes up very little counter space next to our Hamilton Beech can opener. I recently got this handy set which I use for hard-to-open things lids and things. I also use this OXO Grate & Slice set all the time for cheese. And I use this OXO Chopper a lot as well (especially for onions!). And then we have this pasta cooker that I use to quickly heat up pasta when I don't want to deal with it on the stove.  

I am someone who loves leftovers. I don't like wasting food, and I like being able to cook one night and then have leftovers the next day instead of cooking again. :P As such, food storage is a necessity...and it must be dishwasher-safe because I don't like washing dishes by hand and I don't like single-use containers. One of my favorites are these Rubbermaid Brilliance storage containers. I always use these for red sauces like spaghetti and chili...because they don't stain like other containers. And for big family gatherings we have with my mom, her mom, and my sister, each of us gets one of these Rubbermaid Take Along Sets to take leftovers home in. I use the largest size for dry dog and cat food storage and the rest we store in the cabinet for leftovers. I also like these Pyrex bowls with lids for storing leftovers and heating things up in the microwave. 

We also got a new rug for the kitchen that better matches the curtains and towels. The only other decorative thing on the walls (aside from the hanging picture that Johnny bought back in 2008), I hung one of my paintings above the garage door. It's the one that used to be in the living room and I think it fits the new spot perfectly. :) I really want to get back into painting more sometime. 

Update: These are a more recent (10/10/21) pictures of our kitchen after I painted the walls, took most of the stuff off the top of the cabinets, Johnny hung the new light fixtures, etc. We also took the toaster/convection oven out of the kitchen and it's in my office to use for sublimating mugs and tumblers. These are "normal life" pictures...the fridge is cluttered, there's a couple dishes in/by the sink, and there's still a stock pot on the stove because we were under a boil warning that day after a water main break. :P And then I also included a picture of our dining room taken in May after we got it all put finished. It also shows the wine rack along with the shelves where I store my Instant Pot accessories, my other pressure cooker, the crockpots, etc. Sometime in the near future we're going to be getting a smaller, round kitchen table from my grandma. That way it doesn't take up so much room in the dining room but it has leaves to be able to make the table bigger when needed. And we'll still be able to use the same tablecloth. :) 

 

RECIPE: Air Fryer Smoky Cornbread Ranch Chicken

I used my new Power XL Grill Air Fryer Combo to make a very yummy variation of my Cornbread Ranch Chicken. It was so tender and juicy with a wonderful flavor. My weird, picky 16 year old wanted a piece of chicken without the breading, so I made hers without and apparently it still tasted good, because she ate it all. ;) 

Air Fryer Smoky Cornbread Ranch Chicken 

Ingredients:

3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup real mayonnaise  

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

1 pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 envelope of dry ranch dressing mx

Directions:

1. Mix the mayonnaise and smoked paprika in a shallow dish. 

2. Whisk together the corn muffin mix and ranch dressing mix. 

3. Coat the chicken in the mayonnaise mix and then the dry mix. Place the chicken on the grill plate. 

4. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. 

5. Flip the chicken over and cook at 375 degrees for about 12 more minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees. 

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Hello Tuesday!

 So...yesterday our Road Assistance service with GEICO picked up our car and towed it to the GEICO auto shop for the estimate and repairs. That process all went smoothly...and then today we got the repair estimate and it should take 1-2 weeks for them to get it fixed. However, getting our rental did NOT go as smoothly as planned. It turns out that we couldn't get the rental from the one place here in town. GEICO set up a rental with another place just outside of where we live, but when I called about picking it up, they only had a compact car available. So I had to call back this morning to find out if they had any larger cars available yet. They had a midsize Toyota Camry available...so it was at least better than the compact car. Mom and I drove out to pick it up around noon...but then there was an issue with them not accepting our debit cards (even though I'd already spoken with them about it on the phone yesterday). We FINALLY got it all figured out...and I was pleasantly surprised to get a full-size 2020 Chevy Malibu instead of the Camry (I'd requested a full-size in the first place). It's really nice! We'll likely need it longer than the 5 days scheduled, so I'll have to give them a call back later in the week. But at least we have a vehicle for now. 

The Vegetable Beef Soup in my new 6qt Instant Pot turned out really good. :) I ended up just using two cans of tomatoes and one large potato instead of four cans and two potatoes...but everything else stayed the same. I probably could've gone ahead and added the full recipe, but since it was my first time using the smaller pressure cooker, I wasn't sure if the pot would be too full. We're having leftovers tonight...but I need to figure out dinner for the rest of the week. :P 

I've been refreshing the work queue all day since getting back from the car rental place. There weren't any files available each time I looked...so that's a bummer. It'll be nice once the courts are fully open and there is an abundance of work again. Right before the pandemic hit, I had 400 minutes in one week. Now, I'm lucky if I get 30-60 minutes. :( 

It didn't snow like they were predicting, so that's good! It is super cold though and it rained Sunday night into yesterday...so it's been muddy outside. :P Luckily since it didn't snow, Boz wasn't bugging me to go outside every few minutes. And until it got dark out, we took him out front more often since there's not as much mud out there. But before we did that...he got SUPER muddy in the backyard and ended up getting a quick bath. :P 

Well...that's about it! 

What a year already...

So...Friday night at almost 10pm, Johnny hit a deer. Luckily Johnny is fine...he was just understandably shaken. The car doesn't look too bad. From what I can tell, it's mostly just the bumper, passenger headlight, and then of course the windshield will need to be replaced. And luckily the airbags didn't deploy. So we're hoping that it'll be an easy fix. I already filed the claim with the insurance company. With GEICO, they have a place where they'll do the estimate, repairs, and everything...all handled by the insurance company so we don't have to pay and then be reimbursed or anything. We just have to pay our deductible. We also can't pick up our rental until tomorrow. Since the rental company here in town deals directly with the insurance company, we shouldn't have to deal with that payment either. So that's all pretty convenient...well, as convenient as a car accident can be, I suppose. :P 

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Johnny didn't work this weekend and we've just been hanging out at home. I was working on my files a lot throughout the week (lots of interruptions so it took longer)...so I was definitely ready to relax. We watched the new episode of Blacklist. I'm so glad new episodes of our shows are back. We have a couple episodes of NCIS to catch up on too. 

I'm still loving our new air fryer. I have pork chops marinating right now that I'll cook in the air fryer tonight. It's a marinade-in-a-bag that I got to try for free from Influenster. And then tomorrow I'm going to make Vegetable Beef Soup in my new 6qt Instant Pot (I've previously been using an 8qt oval pressure cooker by Cooks Essentials). I may need to adjust it slightly to fit in the smaller pressure cooker...but we'll see. 

It's supposed to start snowing tomorrow. UGH. That means a lot of letting Bozley in and out and cleaning off his paws. :P He LOVES being out in the snow. But I think after the snow melts and it's less muddy in the backyard, I'm going to make Bozley's next groomer appointment. I also need to get the cats into the vet sometime to get updated on their shots and start microchipping them. They're NOT fans of being in the car OR being at the vet though...so I've been procrastinating. :P 

Well...I suppose that's about it! I hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend! 

RECIPE: Air Fryer Grilled Pork Chops

I used my new PowerXL Air Fryer Grill Combo to make the best pork chops last night. They're the most tender and juicy pork chops I've ever made and they had a wonderful flavor. And once again, picky Ashlyn cleaned her plate! I served these with mashed potatoes, corn, pork gravy, sliced carrots, and some Stouffer's Mac & Cheese. 

Grilled Pork Chops 

Ingredients:

4 1 1/2"-2" thick pork chops (fresh, not frozen) 

2 tbs brown sugar 

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic salt 

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1/2 tsp black pepper 

Directions:

1. Place the grill plate in the pot and set to Air Fry at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes to preheat. 

2. Mix all the spices together with a whisk. Make sure to break up any chunks of brown sugar. 

3. Rub a plentiful amount of spices onto both sides of each pork chop to make sure they are fully coated. 

4. Place the pork chops on the grill plate and close the lid. Set to Air Fry at 400 degrees F for 7 minutes. 

5. After the timer goes off, flip the pork chops and close the lid again. Set to Air Fry at 400 degrees F for another 7 minutes. 

6. About 2 minutes after the time goes off, remove the pork chops from the grill plate and serve. 

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RECIPE: Air Fryer Chicken Milanese

I used my air fryer for the first time tonight. I'm loving it! I had some fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts so I decided to make some breaded chicken (much like my Ritz Baked Chicken recipe). It turned out SO good! The chicken was cooked perfectly...and I was totally just winging it! But it was tender and juicy...so yummy! 

Chicken Milanese 

Ingredients:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic salt 
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (1 roll) 

1 tbs parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 

Directions:

1. Remove fat from chicken breasts and pat dry. 

2. Mix flour and pepper in shallow bowl. 

3. Mix mayonnaise, garlic salt, and paprika in a shallow bowl. 
4. Combine Ritz cracker crumbs, parsley, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl. 

5. Coat chicken completely in flour, then the mayonnaise, then the cracker crumbs. Set each piece on the grill plate. 

6. Set to Air Fry at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. 

7. Flip the chicken over, then set to air fry at 375 degrees F for 10-18 minutes (until it reaches 165 degrees F). 

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Hello 2021!

It's already January 14th and I'm just now writing my first real post of 2021. 

At the end of last week, I was finally able to grab another file for work. It was about 49 minutes long and luckily the audio quality was pretty good. I got it finished and uploaded Tuesday night before I went to bed. Then the queue was pretty dead yesterday, but today I was able to grab a 41 minute file and 46 minute file...both for the same case, which I always like. Hopefully now that the holidays are over, we'll start to see a more steady stream of files coming in...especially now that the Covid19 vaccine is rolling out. It'll be nice to return to some sense of normalcy. 

One thing I hope doesn't return to normal anytime soon is Johnny's ability to work from home! They've been approved to work from home through March 2021, but we're hoping it'll last even longer than that. 

I did some post-Christmas shopping this past weekend! 

My grandparents gave us cash for Christmas and I used part of that to purchase the PowerXL Grill Air Fryer 12-in-1 Combo. I am SO excited to try it out! It just arrived Tuesday and I haven't actually used it yet. It does have a pretty strong plastic smell (which I've seen is typical for air fryers). So I've run it a few times without food in it to try and burn off that smell using apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. I just put it in a dish, set it to 400 degrees for 5 minutes, let cool, repeat as needed...then a final time with just lemon juice to get rid of the vinegar smell (I hate that smell!). I'm really impressed with how quiet it is while running! I think I'm really going to get a LOT of use out of it! 

I also got a gift card from my other grandpa and decided to get an Instant Pot. I currently have the CooksEssentials 8qt oval pressure cooker that my grandma bought almost 15 years ago. It still works great and I've used it A LOT! However, I don't always have a need for a pressure cooker that big...especially now that we're just down to one teenager who is a picky eater anyway. The inner pot is also REALLY heavy. So, I decided to get a smaller pressure cooker to use regularly and then I'll still have the oval pot when I need a larger one. I found the Instant Pot Viva 6qt on sale for $50 so that's what I used my $50 gift card on. I'm glad I got it while I could, because it isn't available at that price anymore. 

I've gotten to the point where our oven/stove could go out...but I could still make almost anything without it. :P Especially since we also have a toaster oven (with a rotisserie that I haven't actually used in the 2 years we've had it). 

I also had a credit on Amazon, so I picked up another spice rack to add to the bottom of our white cabinet. I'm really pleased with how everything is coming together in the kitchen. :) 

Our new TV was also delivered today! :) The TV we've had in the living room has been having some major issues. It started out that every once in awhile when we'd turn it on, it would have "solarized" colors. I tried all the troubleshooting online and the only thing that worked was turning the TV off, holding the power button down for about 10 seconds, and then turning it back on. Then it got to the point that I would have to turn it off and on multiple times before it would go back to normal. Then shortly after that it started turning itself off right after we turned it on. I'd have to turn it on several times to get it to stay on...and quite often the colors would be off and I'd have to go through the process all over again. We got to the point where we had to leave the TV on all the time and rely on the Fire Stick to put the screen in sleep mode without actually turning off the TV. It lasted almost 10 years though...so we got a lot of use out of it. But since it was Christmastime, I asked Johnny if my/our Christmas present this year could be a new TV for the living room. We went from a 47" 1080p to a 65" 4k TV...and it cost less than the old TV did back in 2011! And fun fact...Bozley watches the new TV even more than the old one. ;) 

Well...gotta get back to work! 

2020 Year in Review!

Welcome to 2021! I thought I'd start this new year with a year-in-review survey about 2020 and a few "goals" for 2021. 

1. What age did you turn in 2020? Last year of my 30s! 

2. What was your relationship status in 2020? Been together for 8 years and married for 3. :) 

3. Did you move in 2020? Nope. Luckily I haven't moved since 2013. My newly-adult daughter moved out toward the end of the year, though. 

4. Did you purchase a new vehicle in 2020? No. Aubry made her first car purchase though! 

5. Did you add any new family members in 2020? Just our golden retriever puppy, Bozley Reddington. He turns 7 months old today! 

6. Did you lose any family members in 2020? Unfortunately, yes. :( My Aunt Carole and my Great-Aunt Betty both died in May, then my Grandma (Carole's mom) died in September. 

7. Did you have any school or work changes in 2020? I didn't, since I was already working from home. But Johnny started working from home (same job...just doing it from home) and Ashlyn has been learning remotely since March. Aubry graduated from high school and she got a new job at the end of the year. 

8. Did you travel anywhere in 2020? At the end of July we drove through Oklahoma (almost to the TX border) to pick up Boz from the breeder. 

9. Did you make any big purchases in 2020? We bought desperately needed vinyl plank flooring for the living room/dining room and installed it ourselves. 

10. What was the best gift you received in 2020? I got my new Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra as an anniversary present. :) 

11. Did you learn any new skills in 2020? Well I learned how to install vinyl plank flooring and replace a water inlet valve on our dishwasher...out of necessity, not like a new hobby or anything. :P 

12. Did you redecorate in 2020? Well we got some new rugs and curtains for the living room after we replaced the flooring. I also worked more on reorganizing the kitchen (which I started in 2019) and I've been having a lot of fun with that. It's still a work in progress but I love what I've gotten done so far. 

13. Did you read any good books in 2020? I didn't make a whole lot of time for reading this year. I got a lot of books, I just focused on other things this year. But one book I finished in 2 days was "If I Can't Have You" about the disappearance of Susan Powell. It was a really good book!

14. Did you see any good movies in 2020? We watched a lot of good movies! But the one that sticks out the most is The Art of Racing in the Rain. It was really, really sad but so good. The narrator "is" a golden retriever...and we decided to get our own golden retriever shortly after watching it. 

15. What TV shows were your favorite in 2020? Blacklist...although I haven't been a fan of the Katarina storyline. So we'll see how it is when it comes back from hiatus. I watched the entire series of 24 on Hulu...which I'd never watched when it was actually on TV, but I love it now that it's over. :P We started watching Hanna, The Boys, and watched the last season of The 100 which had a good ending. We also watched a lot of documentaries and stand-up comedians. And then there's still Law & Order SVU, NCIS, and Grey's Anatomy. Johnny and I watch a lot of TV together in the evenings. ;) 

16. What things did you do in 2020 that you'd never done before? Bought a dog from a breeder. Watched my child graduate high school! Prepared ALL of Thanksgiving dinner myself (usually Johnny at least makes the turkey, but this year I made it in the pressure cooker). 

17. What do you wish you'd done more of in 2020? Probably more arts and crafts, reading, and writing. It seems like 2020 was more the year for practical things around the house rather than creative things. 

18. What were you proud of in 2020? Aubry graduated high school with honors, was stage manager and art production for Thespians, in the top 25% of her AFJROTC class, and received the Air Force Sergeant's Achievement Award for showing outstanding qualities in military leadership, discipline, character, and citizenship. And after having a rough freshman year, Ashlyn had a wonderful start to her sophomore year! She is doing really well with her grades. Some kids have struggled with remote learning, but Ashlyn has been thriving. I'm so proud of my girls! 

19. What was the one defining moment of 2020? Well that's obviously the Covid-19 pandemic. And it's not just the risk of getting sick and trying to keep our family members safe. It pretty much changed everything about 2020. Johnny started working from home, the girls were learning from home, it postponed and changed Aubry's graduation, and it really limited family gatherings. It even changed the way I shop for groceries (for the better, actually...I love curbside pickup!). 

20. How would you describe 2020 in three words? Crazy, Calm, and Loving. Crazy...because a lot of crazy things happened in our country this year! It felt like the outside world was consumed with chaos...but personally, I was calm. I long ago became a person who just doesn't worry about things, which brings a lot of peace to my life. And of course loving. :) 

And now for some 2021 questions... 

1. What did you NOT have in 2020 that you would like to have in 2021? Definitely a vacation! 

2. What skills do you want to learn or improve in 2021? I want to become better at creating with my Sculpey clay. :) 

3. What do you want to do more of in 2021? Reading, writing, and arts & crafts. I've really missed it! 

4. What do you want to buy in 2021? The first things we're getting is a new TV to replace the 10 year old TV in the living room that is finally pooping out. And I am going to use some of the money I got for Christmas to get a Power XL Grill Air Fryer Combo. Other than that...just stuff to continue to redecorate and reorganize the house. :) That's all I have planned, anyway. 

5. What is your number one goal for 2021? Be more active. It was actually my goal to focus on health and fitness in 2020, but I didn't really make that happen. :P