Tidy Up

Have you ever done this many dishes in all your life? Well, I sure haven’t. While I do have a talent for looking in the refrigerator when there’s nothing to eat and coming up with something magical, I must admit that cleaning is not my superpower. It's hard to for me to do dishes without feeling resentful or wanting to speed through the process.

During these weeks of sheltering in place, I've been considering different ways of looking at this. That being said, I’m still not good at cleaning, and I’m still not crazy about it. I try to like it. I do all kind of little tricks, like putting on the timer for 15 minutes or 30…or playing music or listening to a podcast. I try to truly embrace it, like it's going to be fabulous. And then I go back to the game my mother taught me, that I passed down to not only my kids, but to many friends and you’re going to thank me for this simple but amazing game. In normal times, I pick up 25 items and put them away, and then I pick up another 25, and I encourage everyone around me to do the same. Soon it becomes a race to the finish with everyone scrambling to get the job done. But guess what? I pretty much still hate cleaning, yet I am trying to figure out how to be even just a little bit good at it.

You may know that my mother never loved to cook, but that she sure made everything else a lot of fun. When we were growing up, she turned everything into a game. If we were doing dishes together, we would pretend my friend Susan and I were on the Olympic Cleaning Team, and she would commentate the entire time about what a fabulous job we were doing. We would be motivated to clean that kitchen speedily like a team working together to win the gold medal. Other times, my mom would pretend that the president or a movie star was coming over for dinner, and that made me want to make the kitchen look wonderful to impress this imaginary person of stature.

I've known a lot of very wise women in my life, and one of them is Diana Hartman, my children’s other grandmother. Her philosophy is that every event has three parts: setting up, enjoying the activity, and cleaning up. You simply can't do one without the others, and she instilled that philosophy in her kids. 

At Christmastime, my family goes away together, and everyone knows my philosophy: I'm willing to do the lion’s share of the cooking, but zero percent of the cleanup. If you’re a cook, be sure to delegate and work together as a team. Eating is a family affair, and the cleaning is too. It can be as easy as one person stacking the dirty items to the left of the sink, and another doing the dishes. Another person can put away the leftovers, and somebody else can sweep the floor.

My advice to you is do not raise royalty. The idea that we show our love for our kids by not having them help cook or do their own dishes is truly a bad one. Loving people is teaching them life skills.

I've been fortunate to spend time in the kitchen with some magnificent people, and this week I've asked Lucy K and Joanna to share some cleaning tips. I appreciate how Joanna prefers basic, old school, inexpensive products. Plus, we have advice from a favorite Crumble named April, a gal who loves to clean as much as I love to cook. I especially love how my friends in this issue take pride in keeping their kitchens spotless.

Teri Turner, founder, nocrumbsleft™
Author:  No Crumbs Left, Recipes for Everyday Food Made Marvelous
Podcaster: nocrumbsleft Table Talks
Pottery Shop:  nocrumbsleft.store

In support of your virtual communities, I’d like to offer a visit to your book club, cooking club, or any group of committed Crumbles who are cooking from the nocrumbsleft cookbook to discuss which recipes you're making, which dishes are your favorites, and to offer up tips and tricks to help you succeed. I’m happy to answer any questions you have and offer my insights! Please click here to fill out the form for your Virtual Visit with Teri.

We wanted to do something during this uncertain time to give back and help our own community members who are in need of basic necessities. We started the Pay It Forward Grocery Fund to help those community members in dire situations. We've had so many of you give generously. Thus far I've been able to match everything given and we've been able to help 5 families in a significant way. We want to continue on and help more.

If you are in a dire situation and need help, please click here to fill out the form and to learn more. Someone from our team will reach out to you shortly. 

If you are in a position to help others, please let us know how you can help here.

We're all in this together! Every bit helps. 

• Clean a little bit every day.  
• Spend an extra 3 minutes addressing anything that is particularly dirty. For example, if there’s sauce dripped on a cabinet, clean that cabinet right away (or as soon as you are done with the task at hand) and then clean the surrounding cabinets!  
• Have a kitchen cleanup routine.  
• After dishes have been done, wipe down and dry all counter space, give your sink a swish with Comet or Bon Ami, and quickly run the vacuum over the floor before you put the kitchen to "bed." 
• During meal prep, place all dirty dishes and utensils in the sink, and when finished with prep, wash and dry them.  
• Place a large bowl on the counter and put all food scraps and garbage into it as you go.  
• Go through your kitchen clean-up routine after every meal or prep session.  
• Use Q-Tips or the end of a Rubbermaid peeler to get into the very small spaces and crevices of your kitchen.
• Make and stick to a deep cleaning schedule!  
• Set a timer for yourself, and don't stop cleaning until it goes off! You will be amazed at the difference 5 or 10 minutes of cleaning a day will make in your kitchen!

• Make a baking soda/water "paste" that you “paint” on the glass and surfaces. Let sit for 15 minutes then scrub with a damp sponge and rinse with water.   
• You could also mix 1:1 warm white vinegar and Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle and shake to combine. Spray onto glass/shower/tub surfaces and let sit for one hour, then run a damp sponge over the surfaces and rinse. 
• Squeegee the shower doors and tub after each use. 

• Don’t! Leave that for a professional and have all of your home’s vents cleaned once a year.   

There is no end to all the cleaning advice April has to offer. We were so excited about her passion for cleaning that we encouraged her to start an Instagram account featuring her tips. We’re all following, and I hope you will too!

The kitchen is the heart of every home, so it requires the most love. Rather than a variety of products, my essentials are Bar Keepers Friend, Dawn dishwashing liquid, a microfiber cloth, and warm water. If you clean the kitchen every day after cooking, you won’t need others.  
 
Basic Kitchen Cleaning Tips
Keeping the kitchen organized makes it easier to clean. To keep kitchen countertops clean, store everything possible in the cabinets—everything in its place. Countertops free of clutter are easier to keep clean. Usually just 20 minutes a day, and the kitchen is done. Read more...

Cleaning the Refrigerator
The best time to clean the refrigerator is when it’s almost empty, so there’s a limited amount of food to remove. Use dish soap, white eraser sponges, and a solution made of 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water in a spray bottle. Read more...

Cleaning a Burnt Pan
If you accidentally burn a pan, first soak it in the sink for a couple of hours or even overnight. Then, gently scrape with a wooden spatula to loosen the food. Read more...

Cleaning Your Stovetop
Remove the griddle and place it in the sink with water and one dishwasher pod. Read more...

For more cleaning tips from our Ask Joanna Series, click here.

Joanna

1. Clean as you go. Put items away after using them. Soak whatever can’t be washed right away.
2. Enjoy your meal! Don’t think about the mess in the kitchen.
3. Refrigerate leftovers. Delegate this job to a person who is not cleaning the kitchen. 
4. Clear everything off the countertops.
5. Don’t let food dry on plates, pans, or utensils; do the dishes immediately.
6. Clean countertops with soapy water and finish by spraying with a vinegar and water solution. Wipe dry.
7. Sweep floor, and mop if necessary.

We're super excited to announce the addition of Mother of Pearl, a new edition in the Drippy collection. It's absolutely gorgeous and is available across the entire pottery line. Click here to view the Drippy Collection.

The other night for dinner my neighbor brought over this lovely bolognese, and it was so delicious. I asked him where the recipe was from and he said, "Your blog…It's a good one!" The truth is you're probably going to make a mess with this one also. Click here for the recipe and make it this week.

I recently did an Instagram Live on @Whole30 that was so much fun! It was hosted by Dr. Carrie Kholi-Murchison, Director of People & Culture, Whole30. She was also joined by a few other Whole30 coaches and recipe creators, to discuss comfort & coping during #Whole30AtHome. If you don't have a copy, it's the perfect time to order one—it's on sale right now!

In honor of Ashley's book launch this week, I want to share this favorite Table Talks episode from Season 1, with influencer and Whole30 coach, Ashley McCrary @healthylittlepeach about our mutual love of food, family and being entrepreneurs who are ahead of the curve. We also discuss her transition from teacher to blogger, her struggle with weight, and how she has learned to embrace progress, not perfection in her life. We talk about being inspired and inspiring others, as well as how many rounds of Whole30 we’ve each done. You’ll appreciate her refreshing spin and budget-friendly approach to Whole30.

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