My motto is, “If it tastes good, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look like the picture.” Chatting with the girls before Thanksgiving dinner we all got giggles talking about the things we’d tried and failed (Pinterest Fails) to create in our kitchens.
But once I shared the story of a friend’s attempt at a turkey shaped cupcake creation with a neck just a touch too broad and a
shade too brown with feet on a pair of stones that ended up looking like a really well endowed man’s crown jewels adorned with flaming red, orange & yellow feathers (like Mardi Gras Plumage)….well, let’s just say the wine bottles emptied a little faster and the conversation went downhill from there. 😉
None of us can point fingers. We have all had kitchen mishaps:
I know that I have failed spectacularly!
- Spent a fortune on the ingredients I’ve needed to make a recipe that got rave reviews
- Bought special pans and/or cooking devices
- Slaved all day to make it
- Tasted it when it’s done, gagged, called a neighbor over to confirm my opinion that it sucks
- Thrown it in the trash and
- Ordered Pizza for dinner;
I’m sure we all know others who’ve committed these kitchen crimes too:
Thrown things into the blender, turned it on and forgotten to put on lid or not put lid on tight enough; spent an hour cleaning the ceiling, cupboards and everywhere else
Opened a can of Chef-Boy-R-Dee (No judging, we were all starving college students once), poured it into a bowl, set the microwave for 2 minutes (uh oh), and walked away. #CleanUpAisle5
Thrown popcorn into the microwave, set the timer for too long and had to live with burned popcorn smell in the whole house or the office for days.
While these are all funny when they happen to someone else, they all share a common problem: They can leave you with a lingering odor reminding you that you aren’t quite yet Julia Child or Rachel Ray in the kitchen.
Luckily there are a few great tips for helping to rid your home (or the office if you have fouled the air & microwave of the lunchroom with your culinary disaster) of the smell left behind. Unless you are covering up something else you’ve left in your wake….then, rock on with your bad self. 😉
If you’ve microwaved something smelly (especially something with a heavy garlic or tomato smell) and an odor has been left behind, or if you’ve burned popcorn: Soak a sponge in vinegar then coat the top of the sponge in baking soda. Place the sponge on a plate in the microwave and set to run on high for 30 seconds. Wipe the interior of the microwave with the sponge and leave the door open to air dry the inside.
Another option is to take a one cup measuring cup, slice a lemon or orange and squeeze both halves into the measuring cup, place both halves into the measuring cup, and fill the cup up the rest of the way with water. Cook on high for 5 minutes. The steam will clean the microwave and the fresh citrus will deodorize. Wipe with a cloth when the cycle is over. Pour the remaining water and citrus into the garbage disposal with 1/4 cup baking soda, run the disposal with hot water and deodorize your drain.
If you’re trying to remove the odor from a room you can fill a stockpot about 2/3 up with water, 3-4 tsp of vanilla, 2 to 3 sliced lemons and 4 to 5 good sized sprigs of fresh rosemary from the garden. Simmer it for a few hours (or all day if you’re home to make sure that the pot doesn’t boil dry) an your house will smell fresh and inviting. If it isn’t too cold and you can bring some fresh air in for a few hours that would help too.
If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood
This Girl Loves to Eat! 