In a pickle with impatience, bathed in ravioli.

My best girlfriend asked how to keep a kitchen clean while making full meals with seemingly octopus arms that demolish a kitchen as simple as 1, 2, 3.
Some of us find ourselves messing up every dish/utensil/bakeware for each meal. Tips on how to shorten clean up time?

I'll take a stab at this.

1. Fill the sink with soapy water to take dirty as made (or make sure dishwasher is empty and ready. Cut up your ingredients and have them ready to go- this also makes clean up of dishes go quicker if they just need to be rinsed off.

2. Utilize your microwave, stove, oven, grill, toaster properly so that while everything is cooking, you can stop and get a lot of clean-up out of the way and relax once the food is cooked.

3. Put ingredients away while things are cooking. Ask for help stirring something that needs constant stirring, or help putting things away or help rinsing vegetable prep utensils/boards/plates/bowls away.
 

Today I made the pickles and peppers. A pint jar of  jalapeños and a 2-pint jar of cucumbers. Recipe I used- can try them in 24 hours:

(EDIT: increase vinegar by half cup and reduce sugar by half cup next time- the below are too much like sweet gerkins)

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp whole peppercorn
1 tsp salt
handful of fresh chives (3 tsp dry)
handful of fresh dill (3 tsp dry)
enough cucumbers/vegetables/fruits to fill jars

1. Clean your equipment and jars, cut vegetables into desired size and shape, place in clean jars.
2. Boil or simmer everything except your vegetables/fruits until the sugar, salt and alum are dissolved.
3. Fill to the brim of jars with liquid- not straining seasonings. Close lid tight.
4. Sit upside down on counter for an hour or so to cool enough to place in refrigerator.
5. Ready to eat in 24 hours. Don't keep past 3 months (see previous)
*Haven't mastered crispy pickles yet, these are not crispy
*I use a wooden chopstick to stir instead of something metal because metal seems to cloud up the brine.
*Use gloves to cut hot things-If you still get to burning- try washing with milk, failing that use dish soap-you want to cut through the pepper oils burning you up.






Ate the rest of the raviloli in a real red gravy/sauce-yum!

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