When it comes to cooking there are always tips that make life easier and ways to meal prep so you don’t feel so rushed. Cooking should be fun and there are times to experiment and create something that is yours.
Oh No I need Buttermilk!
This happens to me often as I don’t normally have buttermilk on hand. I find I buy it and forget about it and then it goes bad. When needing Buttermilk, add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Stir well. You can also mix 1/4 cup water with 3/4 cup sour cream.
Time Management
Read a recipe fully before beginning as I haven’t and then realized I did not allow enough time or you find that there are places in the recipe to save time. I feel most recipes can be made ahead or at least meal prep can take place. My family and I eat salads every night with our dinner. I make the salad a day or two ahead of time and make sure to keep it in an airtight container.
Mise en place
When I cook I like to have all the ingredients close by and I usually have a day where I take a few hours to measure/sift and pre bag all my dry ingredients. I use a sharpie and mark the bags with the name of the recipe and what’s in the bag. It is a huge timesaver. I also like to prep all my chopping so that when I make the meal, the time consuming part is done. I am an early riser so I go for a hike then come home and before taking my kids to school, I have a cup of green tea and do all my chopping. It makes making dinner easier and quicker.
Pantry Staples
My Pantry is filled with all my favorite baking and cooking necessities. For each of us that is different but I keep a list on my phone so that I always have that to go list. Having kids who also like to cook but forget to tell me if we have run out of something. I keep my baking spices away from the cooking even though when making curries or Mediterranean food, it requires me to add ground cinnamon, ginger or allspice.
It’s important to keep your products organized and dated so they don’t expire. Have a good storage system as that is key, especially airtight containers.
Pork ramen 
