Renee Matt

Renee Matt

Renee is an Iowa farmwife with a background as a former kitchen designer. Supporting the family farm with hearty meals has been key to Renee's pantry readiness. She uses her professional IT background and expertise to bring the Pantry Passion website to life. Read more about this farmwife on her about page.

A Small Kitchen Gets a Mega Island

Mega island for small kitchen.

Do you crave a kitchen island, but your small kitchen isn’t big enough for one? If you’re looking for small kitchen designs with an island, read on to find out about an exciting alternative. While you’re at it, scoop up…

Dirty Kitchen Design for Cooking Show

Pass through in kitchen.

Of all places, who thought I would see a cool kitchen at Husker Corn Harvest Days in Nebraska? The US midwest event showcases the latest farm products in agriculture. For a farmwife tagging along, it was fun to see novel model homes…

Introducing Messy Kitchen Design

Blue kitchen cabinets.

I am obsessed with messy kitchen design! Messy kitchen floor plans solve so many kitchen design problems. If this is the first time you’ve heard of it, a messy kitchen (or dirty kitchen design) is similar in purpose as a scullery.…

Is Your Dishwasher Really Sanitizing?

Things not to put in dishwasher.

If you’re like me, you probably don’t read the owner’s manual of your dishwasher. Most of the time you choose a normal cycle, push start, and let the dishwasher do its job. There comes a time when some people question…

How to Take a Slow Cooker Safety Test

Old slow cooker crockpots.

For beginners, food safety and using slow cookers or crockpots bring up several questions. Aside from following food safety handling rules and food temperature safety, is the unit itself safe?  How many of us get a hand-me-down old crockpot, find…

How To Cool Down a Pantry

Woman with hat and scarf blowing on hands trying to keep warm.

I’m delighted that you are here, this means that you already know that it’s important to keep a pantry cool. Why? Because food needs a cold environment to preserve food freshness and life span. If you feel your pantry is…