"Making Do" in the Kitchen: 101 Uses for Your Ice Cube Trays

{Okay, so it's really more like, 8 Uses for Your Ice Cube Trays... but still... I bet you will find an idea or two here that you hadn't thought of ....}

When we moved into our house about 10 1/2 years ago, we were lucky to find that the refrigerator/freezer that came with it had an automatic ice maker, so these guys got thrown to the back of a cabinet.

Fast forward all those years later... I pulled those trays out of the cabinet, ran them through the dishwasher (yeah, all those years in the back of the cabinet had left them pretty dusty), and started of thinking of all the things I could use them for, besides making ice cubes with standard H2O.

The little "compartment" of an ice cube tray will hold about 1 tablespoon. For all of these ideas, place the food in the tray, freeze, pop them out, then store in plastic bags in your freezer.

Don't you hate it when you need just a tablespoon of tomato paste, and then the rest of the can goes to waste before you get a chance to use it? Simply put the leftovers into cube trays & freeze. Now you can use a tablespoon or 2 of tomato paste whenever you need it, without worrying about how to use up what's leftover. (I have bought the tomato paste in a tube before, and while it's convenient when you need just a small amount, it's quite a bit more expensive than buying the cans when they are on sale.)

That bunch of cilantro in the above photo was hanging out in the fridge, too, with nowhere to go. I had bought a bunch of cilantro to make salsa, but only used about half of it. A great way to use up fresh herbs is to make a "pesto" (traditionally made with basil, but it's the same idea.) Put the herbs in a blender or food processor with a little water and/or oil and make a paste. Spoon into the trays and freeze. Voila- a freezer stocked with "fresh" herbs (which taste a whole lot better than the jars of dried herbs, anyway.)

Making a recipe which calls for egg whites or egg yolks only, and don't want to throw the rest out? Place the leftover whites or yolks in the trays and freeze. Each compartment in the ice cube tray will fit one yolk perfectly, or the white of a medium egg. I found that they didn't just pop right out of the tray, so I ran the bottom of the tray under a little warm water and used a knife to loosen the edges.

If milk or cream is about to turn, place in ice cube trays and freeze- then pop one into your morning coffee or tea. (You may want to fill the trays only about 1/3 - 1/2 full if you don't use a full tablespoon of milk or cream in your coffee.)

Here is a trick I picked up from Trader Joe's- I purchased their frozen mashed potatoes and found that the potatoes in the bag were frozen little squares or nuggets. Place your leftover mashed potatoes in ice cube trays to freeze, and then you can take out exactly as many portions as you need. Great for single servings!

Make juice cubes instead of regular ice cubes for your summer iced teas and cocktails- it will flavor rather than dilute your beverage as it melts. Try the same idea with leftover coffee and make cubes for your iced coffee.

Freeze leftover broth, stock, or wine and place a cube or two in sauces and gravies or other favorite recipes as they cook.

I'm sure there are many other things to use your ice cube trays for- Please share your ideas and tips with us in the comments!

Irish " Potato" Candy

It's the final day of our Irish Food-a-Palooza..... 

(Earlier this week we had Colcannon & Eggs, and Shepherd's Pie & Roasted Parsnips.)

These Irish Potato Candies are really kind of addictive, and so easy! I wouldn't save them just for St. Patrick's Day- make them anytime. Kids love to make them, and there is no cooking involved. Just mix up a few ingredients and roll into balls.

They don't contain any potato, and I have discovered that they aren't even actually Irish.. But we always had them in school around St. Patrick's Day when I was growing up... maybe because I live near Philadelphia where they originated.

Irish Potato Candy

4 oz. cream cheese

2 tbsp. butter

1 lb. confectioner's sugar

1/2 c. shredded coconut

Cinnamon & sugar mix

Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add coconut and confectioner's sugar. Knead until well blended. Roll dough into balls. Roll balls in the cinnamon- sugar mix. Store covered in refrigerator up to 1 week (if they last that long...)

I hope you will give this recipe a try! It's easy and delicious (aka the perfect recipe...)
Happy Weekend :)

St. Patrick's Day Recipes : Shepherd's Pie & Roasted Parsnips

Day 2 of St. Patrick's Day recipes..... Did you try the Colcannon recipe from Monday? Wasn't it good? My husband said that I definitely need to make it again... and we have been eating lots of leftovers (without complaint)- it made a really big batch.

The meal that I am sharing today is really good comfort food! It smelled so good while it was in the oven... I have made Shepherd's Pie before but never with red wine, so when I came across a recipe which included red wine, I thought I would give it a try. It added a delicious richness to the dish, and the family was fighting over the leftovers for lunch the next day! I used half ground beef and half lean ground turkey to lighten it up a bit- and honestly it was so rich and delicious, you would never know it was made from ground turkey.

As for the parsnips, the first time I ever had them was on a trip to England a few years ago. My husband's cousin made them for dinner and I just couldn't get enough! If you haven't tried them, you should- they are a nice change of pace from the "normal" vegetables I usually serve like peas or carrots or broccoli. They look like white carrots, but have a unique, kind of sharp flavor which is especially wonderful when you roast them. The recipe is really simple and the maple syrup adds just a tiny bit of sweetness and helps them to caramelize. Hard to believe that veggies could be so good.... I wanted to eat the whole pan by myself. My daughter and I were debating which was better- the parsnips or the Shepherd's Pie- and we couldn't decide.

Roasted Parsnips

1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4" x 3" pieces
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper

Place parsnips in a glass or ceramic baking dish in a shallow layer (you don't want the parsnips to be crowded, because they won't caramelize properly. I find that a heavy ceramic casserole, about 9 x 13", works well.) Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Bake uncovered in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, and checking on them frequently to be sure they don't burn. Bake until tender.

Shepherd's Pie

1 T. olive oil
2 onions, finely diced (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 pound ground beef
1 1/4 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 Tablespoon butter
1- 16 oz package frozen peas and carrots mix
4 Tablespoons flour
1 cup red wine
3 Tablespoons ketchup
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
4 -5 cups mashed potatoes (fresh or leftover; about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Saute onion in olive oil in large skillet until translucent; remove to bowl.
In same skillet, brown meat; drain. Add onions back to pan with meat. Season with thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in butter and peas and carrots.

Sprinkle with flour and stir. Add wine, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat about 5-10 minutes until liquid has evaporated. Add water and cook another 10 minutes until thickened.

Place in greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

Mix together mashed potatoes and cheese. Spoon over top of meat mixture.

Bake 20 minutes, covered. Remove cover and bake another 5 minutes.
Makes about 8 servings.


Next post: Irish Potato Candy (it doesn't contain potatoes, it just looks like cute little potatoes.)

P.S. Congratulations to the winner of last week's giveaway- Amy from Amy's Crafty Shenanigans. Everyone had such good suggestions for using up fabric and batting scraps, I ended up just choosing a winner at random. Congratulations Amy, your copy of Quiltmaker magazine is on its way!

St. Patrick's Day Recipe: Colcannon & Eggs

My disclaimer: I am not Irish. I have never been to Ireland. I have never had colcannon. In fact, before this week, I had never even heard of it! But I discovered that colcannon is a traditional Irish dish.

In searching for St. Patrick’s Day recipes, I found several versions of colcannon. Some included parsnips, some included leeks, some included ham or bacon. The main qualification for the dish seemed to be that it is a base of mashed potatoes with shredded cabbage or kale mixed in. Sometimes the cabbage or kale was boiled, sometimes sautéed. I’m sure every Irish grandmother has her own version, just like every Italian grandmother has her own version of Sunday meatballs and “gravy.”

I decided to add cubed ham to mine. Most recipes called for leeks or scallions, which I did not have so I used a white onion. I found one version that used 2 sticks of butter for a 6 serving recipe (that is almost 3 tablespoons of butter per serving, if you’re doing the math!!) Since it is such a hearty dish, I thought that it would almost make a meal all by itself. I remember that sometimes my mom would serve leftover mashed potatoes with a couple of fried eggs for breakfast or dinner, so that is what I have done here. I like my eggs sunny side up or over easy so the yolk can mix with the potato... yum.

Here is the recipe for my version:

Colcannon & Eggs

3 pounds potatoes, peeled

9 T. (1 stick + 1 T.) butter

Small head of white cabbage, cored and finely chopped (about 6 cups)

1 large onion finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 lb ham, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cups hot milk

3 T. finely chopped parsley

eggs

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender (do not overcook.) 

While potatoes are cooking, melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet. Saute cabbage until softened and turns bright green. Remove from skillet to large bowl.

Add 2 T. butter to skillet and saute onion until translucent. Add to cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss lightly.

Add 1 T. butter to skillet and saute ham until golden. Add to cabbage and onion.

When potatoes are tender, drain. Return to pot. Add 4 T. butter and milk. Mash until creamy. Fold cabbage, onion, ham and parsley into potatoes. Keep warm.

Fry desired number of eggs. Place colcannon on plate and make a small indentation with a large spoon. Place eggs on top.

Makes 8 servings

Bacon & Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

When daughter had her birthday party last week, I knew the girls would wake up starving (all that giggling works up an appetite, you know.) For breakfast I wanted to make something that could be done ahead, and a breakfast casserole was the perfect solution. I actually made it 2 days ahead, popped it in the fridge, and just put it in the oven in the morning. I served it with fresh fruit and a box of purchases mini-danish.

The great thing about this is that you can take the basic recipe and substitute your favorite ingredients. (Remember what fun we had coming up with ideas for the Stromboli-Like Thing last week???) You could substitute peppers or artichokes or spinach for the mushroom, maybe use canned chilies and tomatoes and cheddar cheese for a Mexican theme, substitute cubed ham or cooked sausage for the bacon..... Just use anything you have on hand.

Here is the recipe for this version:

1 pound bacon
1 onion, chopped
10 package sliced mushrooms
1 large loaf Italian bread, cubed
12 eggs, lightly beaten
3 T. milk or cream
8 oz. package shredded Italian cheese blend (Provolone, Mozzarella & Asiago), or any other cheese

In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp and crumble. Place bacon in large bowl.
Drain fat from pan but do not wipe pan clean. Saute onion until translucent; transfer to bowl with bacon.
Saute mushrooms until tender; add to bowl with bacon and onions.

Spray a large shallow casserole dish (about 9 x 14) with cooking spray. Add bread cubes.
Mix together bacon, onions, mushrooms, eggs and milk. Pour evenly over bread cubes. Sprinkle with cheese. At this point casserole may be covered and refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole for 50 minutes, covered. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes until center is done and cheese is browned.

Makes 8-10 servings.

We got so many yummy ideas for our Stromboli-Like Thing last week- has anyone made a breakfast casserole similar to this? Any other suggestions?

Wonky Cakes & Wonky Quilt Blocks

Daughter celebrated her 18th birthday over the weekend (18! She's 18, folks! How did that happen??)

She had a party for some of her friends- it was very fun, and very loud. She made a birthday cake, but when she frosted it, it just started to collapse. I guess the icing was too heavy (cream cheese....) We watched it just crack and start to fall, powerless to stop its imminent demise: 

We tried putting skewers in it to hold it together but that seemed to make it worse! 

So we had just an hour till the party was to start... What were we to do?

We picked it up and plopped it into a large trifle bowl, sprinkled it with chocolate chips and sprinkles, and stuck a candle in it. Voila! Cake bowl!

To be honest, I think it was even better this way because the icing mixed in with the cake... We might do this again some time- on purpose!

Today I am working on a Wonky Log Cabin Block. This is what I have so far:

I have never made a wonky block before (well, not on purpose!), but I've been wanting to give it a try for a long time. I'm going to keep on working on it... I have special plans for the block when I'm done, so stop back later this week to see how it turns out.

I tend to be a Type A, driven perfectionist- I like things to be a certain way, and I like everything to go as planned. But Life isn't perfect, is it? Sometimes you have to embrace the wonkiness and just go with it.... And sometimes it's fun to be wonky on purpose, just for fun. What have been some of your best "mistakes"?? Was it a project in the sewing room? A recipe that "failed" but still came out great?

PS Barb at Bejeweled Quilts is giving away some of my fabric- please stop by and say Hi and enter to win, and see the cute projects she has been working on.

Un-Recipe : A Stromboli-Like Thing

I remember when I was a kid, my grandmother would always make Pepperoni Bread for special occasions and it would get gobbled up... She never showed me how to make it, but I think it was basically frozen dough, provolone cheese and sliced pepperoni all rolled up and baked, kind of like a stromboli. Last week I had some pizza dough in the freezer, but no provolone or pepperoni. Hmmm..... what to do, what to do.....

I scrounged around in the fridge and found some cheddar cheese and turkey... but it needed something for flavor because turkey is a little blah compared to pepperoni... How about some hot pepper relish? Yeah, that's the ticket.... And some cream cheese to hold it all together....

So this is what I did:

• Defrosted frozen pizza dough according to the package directions.
• Mixed the cream cheese with the pepper relish.
• Rolled the dough into a rectangular-ish/oval-ish shape.
• Spread cream cheese pepper mixture over dough. Placed turkey slices on top, then sprinkled the whole thing with shredded cheddar cheese.

• Rolled it up and tucked the ends over the seam.

• Placed on greased foil with seam down and cut a few slits in the top.

• Baked at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

• Cut into slices.
• Devoured.

If you have pizza dough in your freezer, you can roll it up and bake it with whatever you have on hand... I laid in bed last night and thought of some other combinations (yes, these things do keep me awake at night)....

• Dijon mustard spread over dough, Swiss cheese, ham
• Marinara sauce and mozzarella
• Cooked ground beef or turkey, canned chilies or powdered taco seasoning mixed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese
• Cream cheese mixed with chutney or cranberry relish, sliced turkey or chicken, maybe even some leftover stuffing?? (oooh that sounds good....)
• Of course.... pepperoni and provolone

Do you have any other ideas for fillings? Do you have an ingredient or two that you always keep in your freezer or pantry??

PS Don't forget about our Fabulously Stupendous Giveaway going on this week.... click here to enter.

Green Challenge: Triple Berry Spinach Smoothie

Guest blogger Samantha is back! Today she shares a recipe that is super healthy and will give your immune system a boost. 

Well, hi there!
It's certainly been a while since I've been here! We had a lovely Christmas & New Year's season, filled with family, & food, & laughs.  I was so ready to get back into the swing of working and creating...
And then the Cold hit.
I say Cold with a capital C because it was quite a force to be reckoned with.  It took out Hubby for almost a week, and took me out for 4 days.  After that, I decided that we needed to kick start our immune systems again.  And with that, I decided to take the green smoothie challenge.  Have you ever heard of the green smoothie challenge?  It involves drinking smoothies that have been made with spinach.  That's right-- spinach!  I was skeptical at first; who wants to drink some concoction that tastes like it came out of a lawnmower bag?  But sure enough, once I took my first sip, I was hooked.  With the variety of other ingredients, you don't even taste the spinach. All you taste is sweet, smooth, fruity deliciousness.

The best part?  With the Greek yogurt you get 14g of protein, and if you choose to add oats as well, you get about 3g of fiber too! I have been drinking these for my breakfast for 3 weeks now and they keep me full until lunch and then some.  So are you ready to dive in?

Here's what you'll need:
1 1/2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 small banana
2/3 c frozen berries
1/3 c plain Greek yogurt
2/3 c juice (I used Apple Cherry Berry this time, but usually I prefer plain Apple)
1/3 c old-fashioned rolled oats (optional)

Put spinach at the bottom of a blender, so that it blends smooth.  Add in all other ingredients and blend at high speed until smooth.  Enjoy!

This recipe is endlessly customizable; I have made it with all banana instead of berries, flavored yogurts, different flavors of juices, and even with peach and mango!  Go ahead and try a green smoothie; with this flu season we've had it's more important than ever to keep your immune system up!

What to you do to keep healthy at this time of year? Any miracle cold cures? Share them with us!

Happy weekend!
Samantha

PS Don't miss our big SALE going on right now- 40% off ALL patterns! Yippee!

Newsletter Preview & My New Red Le Creuset Pot

I'm back... again, I hope you are still enjoying the "Throwback Posts" (aka Oldies but Goodies) that I have been putting up. It's just been so busy here, so much going on "behind the scenes" that I just haven't had a chance to do a lot of new posts.

Samantha & I have been doing an awful lot for the newsletter. There are some fun changes coming- the next issue (February) will be both in magazine format AND (hopefully) in the email format. I will be looking for feedback as to which one everyone prefers- so I hope you won't be shy with your opinions (oh, I know you won't be, based on your feedback at the end of last November!). Although it's been a lot of work, it's been really fun putting the magazine together. Samantha came over on Saturday and we worked on it for hours, in addition to the hours that we had spent working on it separately over the last couple of weeks. We are trying to get the hang of doing the layout differently than we had previously... hopefully next time it won't take quite as long. It's looking really good and I'm so excited to launch it and see what you all think :)

So, there has been cooking and crafting going on... projects to try, fabric to play with, illustrations to draw and recipes to taste....

And in the midst of all that, I'm still working on the pattern that I told you about a couple of weeks ago... Oh and working on the new website (which is still several months down the road, but lots of planning to do). So yes- busy busy busy- but in a good way, a fun way. Not feeling overwhelmed (yet), just having fun with all the activities going on. To be honest, I like it better when I'm working on a few things at the same time- If I have to just paint, or just sew, or just sit on the computer for days on end (which is what happens when I have a deadline looming), I get tired and cranky. But with a lot of different things going on, I never get bored :)

Monday we took my grandmother out to lunch for her 87th birthday. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture, I'm so annoyed with myself. But she had 3 grandchildren (including me) and 4 great grandchildren (including my daughter Megan) in attendance. The waiters sang Happy Birthday to her and she looked a little annoyed, ha ha! We laughed a lot and had a great time.

One new thing that I wanted to "show off" to you today is one of my Christmas presents that I got last month. I had been wanting one for a long time... and I finally got one... in RED- my favorite color...

My new Le Creuset pot. It's cast iron and has a lid that doubles as a skillet, and it weighs about a hundred pounds (Ok maybe a little less than that.) Everything tastes so much better cooked in this- I think because of the way the cast iron distributes the heat and gets super hot. You can use it on the stove top and the oven- so far I usually start whatever I'm making on the stove, then put it in the oven to finish cooking. 

Last night I made a chicken stew (which is really just chicken soup with a few tablespoons of flour thrown in to thicken the broth into gravy.) When it was almost done, I put some layers of Phyllo dough on top (I had a few sheets leftover from a recipe last week), brushing with melted butter in between the layers. Then I popped it back in the oven uncovered for the last 15 minutes of baking so the Phyllo got nice and flaky. Yum!

So far I have used my new "toy" to make the chicken stew, a sausage and bean casserole, and beef burgundy- all delicious. 

What is your favorite tool in the kitchen- the one that you use all the time and couldn't live without? What is your favorite comfort food?????

Orange Cranberry Shortbread Recipe

Christmas is so close, and there are still plenty of goodies in our house! These shortbread cookies were crispy, buttery, and delightful.... Guest blogger shares the recipe with us today...

Remember that time I fell really hard in love with cranberry and chocolate?  Well, the affair hasn't stopped, and now I've brought orange into the equation.  I mean, just take a look at these yummies.  These cookies include everything I dream about for the holiday season.  Except sugar plums. They remain dancing in my head.

The best part about these cookies is the fact that they are shortbread.  Shortbread, with all it's simplicity, is the perfect companion to any holiday gathering.  They don't steal the show like a cake, don't have a reputation of a pumpkin pie, but oh my are they magnificent with coffee or tea. When I did my study abroad in England, my favorite thing to do at night was to sit at the kitchen table with a cuppa tea and a package of shortbread cookies.

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup plus 2 tbs butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tsp orange extract
3/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Beat together butter and sugar, until light and fluffy.  Add in flour, cornstarch and orange extract; mix until combined. Add in craisins, and mix into dough.  The dough will be a little dry and powdery.
2. Make dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Roll dough out onto a powdered surface.  The thickness of the dough should be about 1/4 inch. Cut out rounds or other simple shapes and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden. Wait until fully cool to top with chocolate.
4. Melt chocolate chips at 30 second increments in a glass bowl in microwave, stirring in between.  When fully melted, drizzle chocolate over cookies.

Makes about 36 cookies.

 Enjoy!

Happy weekend!
Samantha

Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

I know that pumpkin soup doesn't really seem "seasonal" in December... but every year after Thanksgiving, I am left with an assortment of pumpkins and gourds that are still good, but no longer useful for decorating since it's now the beginning of the Christmas season....

(I love the light this time of year! When the sun is low on the horizon, it's the best for photography... No wonder the paintings by the Dutch masters are fabulous, the light must be incredible there all the time... but I digress....)

Usually I just leave them laying around on the back porch until they rot because I can't bring myself to throw them out, but I don't quite know what to do with them... This year I decided to actually put them to use and roast them and make some soup.

 Butternut squash- I halved it and scooped out the seeds with a spoon.

This white pumpkin revealed a lovely creamy colored interior....

 This funky, bumpy gourd was extremely hard- I stuck the knife in and I couldn't get it out! I ended up slamming the whole thing against the counter until the gourd split open and released the knife. I don't recommend it- probably very dangerous! But I think your only other option for opening this type of gourd is maybe a chain saw. (Please note- someone just told me that some gourds are poisonous, which I was unaware of. I believe that gourds native to North America are edible- Please do not consume gourds unless you are sure they are edible. I found 2 articles about gourds here and here.)

Finally got it open! Scooped the out the inside of this one too.

Lovely cross section of the "Cinderella" pumpkin- the color on this one was gorgeous and very dense.

Once the insides were scooped out, I placed the pumpkins on a foil lined baking sheet, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled generously with salt.

Next I roasted everything at 400 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the flesh was tender.

When cool enough to handle, I peeled the skin from the pumpkins. 

Look at that funky yellow gourd now! The skin was still so hard that I couldn't peel it, so I used a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh. A nice surprise was that the rind held its shape really nicely and make a lovely serving bowl (see first photo).

I placed all of the cooked pumpkin and gourd into a blender in batches. I added a generous amount of chicken broth to the pumpkin in the blender until I was able to puree it.

The color of the puree was incredible... And it made a lot of puree, something like 30 cups. I used some for my soup, and put the rest in containers in the freezer so I can make more soup in the future.

So now... the actual recipe! Making the puree from the pumpkins was quite time consuming, but making the soup itself was really quick and easy. (And now that I have so much puree in the freezer, there will be lots of soup to come...)

Ingredients:

10 cups pumpkin puree

1 T. nutmeg

1 T. curry powder

2 tsp chili powder

2-3 cups water

1 pint lite cream

Additional water, chicken broth, or milk for thinning

Place pumpkin puree, spices, and water in a large pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add cream and heat through (do not boil). Add additional liquid for desired consistency.

Serve & enjoy....

Click here for PDF of recipe.

Oh, and those little gourds that didn't make it into the soup? They got sprayed with metallic paint and arranged on the mantle:

What do you do with your pumpkins and gourds after you've finished using them for decorations? Do you just keep them around until they rot? Cook them? Or do you have any other creative ideas for them?