5 Tips to Get Your Kitchen Ready for Winter

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But the fire is so delightful! So is a clean, organized kitchen to ring in the holidays and winter season with! 

5 Tips To Make Your Kitchen Winter-Ready

Pantry & Fridge Inventory

It always seems like your fridge and pantry pile up with condiments, spices, and snacks so quickly! As we jump into the winter season, now is a great time to go through everything in your fridge and pantry. Look for anything that is expired and pitch it! If there is anything you got that you thought your family would enjoy but it hasn’t been touched, eat it now or throw it.

It’s also a great time to make an inventory list of what you have in your fridge and pantry to begin including those foods in your recipes this winter.

Declutter For Winter

Decluttering and organizing can make you feel so accomplished! We always recommend taking a day to “winter declutter.” That means going through every cabinet and drawer in your kitchen. Organize your tupperware and toss whatever doesn’t have a lid anymore, move things around, go through your utensil drawers, and do research on how to better organize your kitchen. You may find kitchen organizers online or in stores that can do wonders for your winter decluttering.

Deep Cleaning

Now that you’ve cleared out unused fridge and pantry items and decluttered your kitchen, it’s time for a deep clean. Rarely do people have time to deep clean things like the oven, stovetop, shelves, and other hard-to-reach places in their kitchens. To ring in the winter season, take a day to deep clean your kitchen. Here are some kitchen cleaning tips using only water, vinegar, dish soap, baking soda, and a damp cloth:

Important note: never use vinegar on stainless steel, as it can strip the shine.

Oven: ensure that your oven is shut off and cool. Remove the oven racks and scrub with vinegar. Mix 1/2 a cup of baking soda and 4 tablespoons of water until paste-like. Cover the inside of your oven in the paste-like mixture and let sit overnight. Wipe down your oven in a damp cloth before spraying with vinegar. The inside of your oven should begin to foam. Wipe down your oven in a clean damp cloth.

Stovetop: ensure that your stove top is shut off and cool. Mix together 1:2, 1 part vinegar and 2 parts baking soda. Add a couple drops of dish soap. Wipe down your stovetop with the mixture. Allow the mixture to sit for 20-30 minutes before wiping down with a damp cloth. Make sure to get all of the hard to reach corners.

Counters: wipe down your countertops with vinegar and a damp cloth. Scrub in the corners/crevices as well and let dry. You can wipe down everything on top of your counters as well using this technique, however, make sure that vinegar won’t ruin any of the accessories on your counters.

Microwave: ensure that your microwave is cool. Clear debris from your microwave with a paper towel. Mix together 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a microwave safe bowl. Put the bowl inside of your microwave and microwave on high until the water boils. Use oven mitts to remove the bowl and wipe down the inside of your microwave with a damp cloth.

Gather Your Winter Recipes

Pull out all of your family favorite winter recipes and new recipes you want to try! This time of year is so lovely with all of the different homemade baked goods, breads, warm soups, and cozy casserole dishes. Check out our favorite winter recipes below. Of course you can use substitutes if your family has an allergy or you’re missing an ingredient.

Easy Zucchini Bread

Ingredients Needed:

1 box of Loretta Cake Yellow Cake Mix

1 small box of vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size)

4 medium eggs

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3 cups of grated zucchini

1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla (optional)

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven at 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix for four minutes with a hand mixer. Grease and flour two 9 by 5 inch bread pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes for a loaf or 20 to 25 minutes for muffins.

Spicy Sweet Muffins

Ingredients Needed:

2 boxes of Loretta Yellow Cake Mix

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1/3 cup of table molasses

1/2 teaspoon of ginger, cinnamon and allspice

Instructions:

Beat all ingredients 2 minutes in a stand or with a hand mixer. Fill regular sized (paper lined) muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes or until moist crumbs stick to a toothpick.

Lemon Crisp Cookies

Ingredients Needed:

2 10 oz. packages of Loretta Lemon Cake Mix

1 cup of Rice Krispies (or similar crispy rice cereal)

1/3 cup of butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix by hand, cake mixes and rice cereal. Add egg and butter. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

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Restock With Quick Meals

You will thank us for this one. For all of the days when you just need a break, you’ll be stocked up on convenient, easy meals. All you have to do is pull them out of the pantry, follow the quick box directions, and enjoy! Our Loretta product line has you covered with pancake, biscuit, oatmeal, lasagna, cheeseburger dinner, cheesy tuna skillet, pasta salads, macaroni and cheese, and various pasta and rice sides. Plus, they are all affordable options for pantry items.