Kitchen Traditions: Stinky Stank

I am obssessed about the way my house smells. Perhaps it's because I have friends and family whose homes--well--stink. Like dog, like cigarette smoke, like onions. You name it. I have six cats, so I am always tuned in to the way my house smells. I've got some really great heated wax/oil from Scentsy that I use when I expect company for the evening, but most days I rely on this great new discovery I bought at Pet Supermarket. (It's about the same price on ebay. Believe me, I checked!)

Natural Air Sponge Odor Absorber
Stock Photo

A company called Seapro International appear to be the geniuses behind this awesome product. I don't know what it's made of. It feels like that spongy stuff you stand on in some public showers or at water theme parks. Up close it has a kind of baby powder smell that I was not so sure I wanted my house to smell like. Once the cup is opened and this awesome product goes to work, there's no baby powder smell. In fact there is no smell at all.

I have one sitting on top of each of my litter boxes and I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but the sponge I place on smellliest room and most used box is shriveling at a much higher rate than the other. I'm not sure how this works, so if you want that kind of information, it will have to wait, but for now I highly recommend this over any other odor absorbing/masking thing I've bought to date.

Kitchen Tradition #5: OMG, Left Overs

I have always used something in the bottom of my pots to make a sound when they come to a boil. For years it was a glass ring. It made the most appealing sound when water began to simmer. After that was broken--not funny yet--I bought stone lobster character that does the same thing, it's just not as elegant.

This is my little stone lobster.
Not as elegant as the glass one I had that got broken.

I've got some left over chicken from our Cinco de Mayo celebration a few weekends ago so I'm going to throw together some "Chicken Alfredo". Probably not really considered Chicken Alfredo because the chicken was marinated in Mojo Criollo, but here it is. My family likes it and it's a great way to get rid of left over noodles, cheeses and chicken.

Cooked chicken
Frozen veggies (I like broccoli, peas or mixed vegetables)
Bottle of Alfredo Sauce (Today, I'm using Classic Sun-Dried Tomato)
Sour Cream
Bag(s) of cheese (Stay away from anything that might be too stringy. It will wad up in the bowl)
Noodles (I always dump whatever I have in there--makes it interesting)

I think I'm going to invent something that holds
a bottle upside down over the dish or pan.

I slightly undercook the noodles because I'm going to need to be able to stir this all up. While the noodles are cooking, chop up the chicken, add the cheeses, creams, veggies and sauces, stir them up in an oven proof dish that has a lid. Add the noodles and gently turn everything in.

You can make this up in the morning while you're getting ready for work or when you get home. If you prepare it in advance, put a lid on it and put it in the 'fridge. It'll keep nice.

When you're ready for it, set the oven to about 350-375 and heat it until it's either hot all the way through or the veggies are cooked. You can stick a fork through the vegetables while it's in the dish to see if they are tender enough to your liking.

When you bring it out, let it cool a little. Depending on the proportions of what you added, it will be very juicy or almost like a casserole. It doesn't matter, you used up a bunch of leftover stuff that might have gone to waste anyway.

Ready for the oven. This is delicious!