Organizing the Kitchen on The Today Show

January 18, 2018

Organizing the Kitchen on The Today Show

The long, dark, snowy days of winter are sometimes the best opportunities to reorganize, and clean indoors - fix things that are mixed up, arrange shelves that are confused, and perhaps locate things that have been missing.

Last week, during my appearance on The Today Show, I showed co-anchor, Hoda Kotb, several tips for organizing the kitchen - part of their new series, "Get Organized TODAY". I showed some great ways to use a radiator cover for organizing notes and supplies, how to repurpose file folders and mini curtain rods, and a solution for stacking cups and glasses in tight cabinet spaces. If you missed my segment on The Today Show, just click on this highlighted link. And be sure to check out our January-February issue of Living for lots of inspiring "fresh starts" - it's on newsstands right now!

But first, here are some photos from yesterday’s brief snow storm that covered my Bedford, New York farm in about two-inches of beautiful white - enjoy.

: Flurries fell for several hours, but only dropped a light covering of snow. Temperatures were also in the low 30s with little wind.

: In the Pin Oak Allee, the snow just covered the tree pits and lawns. We’ve had quite a bit of snow this season, but each fresh coating is always so pretty.

: I wonder if any small creatures have taken refuge in this nesting box.

: This is one of four Sargent crabapples – two on each side of the carriage road in front of my Tenant House and Blog Studio.

: The Sargent crabapple, or Malus sargentii, is a dense, spreading, horizontally-branched, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub. You can still see a few of the small, red pea-sized crabapples which mature in fall. These fruits are sweet-flavored like rose hips, but are not usually used in cooking.However, they are long-lasting and attractive to birds.

: In fact, here is an avian friend perched on one of its branches enjoying the snowfall.

: Here are some bird tracks in the snow.

: And a closeup of some squirrel footprints.

: Here is one apple still hanging onto the branch of this old tree in front of the Blog Studio.

: These bald cypress trees are some of my favorites on the farm. The bald cypress does quite well when planted in the right soil – acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, silty loam that is well-drained.

: This is the stand of quince trees that line one side of the blueberry patch near my cutting garden – such a pretty row of trees on this wintry day.

: In my pinetum, I love to see how the snow sits on the branches of various conifers. On this branch, all the needles are nearly covered in white.

: And here is another – this branch with pinecones – it does not collect as much snow.

: Here, the snow collected on the bark of this persimmon tree showing off its interesting pattern of grooves, cracks and fissures.

: Here I am on the set of the TODAY Show, last week, just before my segment. There’s always a lot to talk about during a television segment, so I always run through the details before it starts.

: Hoda Kotb and I started at one end of the table and quickly discussed several helpful organizing tips for the kitchen.

: We talked about a clever way to organize the “all-purpose bulletin board” – watch the segment to see how I suggested using a radiator cover to make a notice board more decorative.

: Here is a closer look at the board with a calendar, and all the notices and invitations that often pile up on the counter.

: I always use air tight jars and containers for my cooking supplies – find out how I keep them organized on the segment.

: And, I always seek out containers that will fit all the contents of the bags or boxes I buy. These large containers keep the kitchen neat and tidy.

: I also showed an important tip for labeling spices, so you don’t end up with outdated ingredients.

: Here, I repurposed small adjustable curtain rods and file holders to create dividing storage spaces for container lids and cutting boards.

: And, here is how I like to store my cups and saucers near my cappuccino maker – this way not only keeps them well organized, but it also saves vertical space, which can often be wasted in kitchen cabinets.