citrus & herb ice cubes.

pretty ice cubes. not really a recipe to follow, just an idea for when you're looking to beautify your flat water game. 

my bff katie got me this ice cube mold for xmas with extra big cubes. thanks kt! mwah! i was in the mood to make something before we left for mexico, but didn't feel like going to buy anything at the store. so these fruity ice cubes were born. haha. bloggin' on a budget.

just slice up any citrus fruits you may have into thin, triangular wedges or rounds. i plucked some spearmint and thyme from our front yard. for extra flair!

fill the ice cube tray 3/4 full of water, then plop whichever fruits & herbs together in each compartment.

i did a variety of combos.

lemon, lime, mint.

raspberry, lemon, mint.

lime & thyme.

raspberry, orange, lemon.

orange, lemon, mint, & thyme.

i would let these freeze for at least a full day. i left for mehico and took photos of these just yesterday, so they had plenty o time to harden completely.

i used flat water for the ice cubes, but you could easily substitute sparkling water. similar to my san pellegrino citrus popsicles from last summer :)

i drank a big ol goblet of pellegrino with tooty fruity ice cubes yesterday, and it was delightful.  after the cubes melt, you're left with citrusy, minty, red raspberry water! it was juicy, light, and fresh in flavor. 

i would also recommend making these only when you need them, instead of just always leaving them in the freezer to have on hand.  the fruit starts to taste a little like freezer, which is gross. try to keep it as fresh as possible.

i do declare this would be a fine addition to a valentine's day dinner. coming up next week, people!  its so stupid easy, but downright pretty.  another fun valentine's day/holiday table water idea is something like what i made last year. blood orange rounds with fresh rosemary sprigs.

at our holiday party a couple months ago, i made blood orange & lemon water with rosemary. mostly because it looks pretty on the table, but our party people were really impressed by it. it was the talk of the table, when it was truly the simplest thing there. my friend joe said something like, "wow i feel like i'm drinking from some freshass mountain spring." haha. its supa light and fresh and will add just an extra touch of excitement to a meal or party spread.

Citrus & Herb Ice Cubes

Ingredients:

Use whichever fruits and citruses you prefer.  I used the following ingredients for this post:

• 1 small lemon
• 1 small lime
• 1 small orange or blood orange
• handful of fresh raspberries
• handful of mint (I used fresh spearmint from our garden)
• small thyme sprigs
• small rosemary sprigs, if desired
• filtered water, or sparkling water

Instructions-

Wash the fruit thoroughly. Slice the citrus fruits into thin wheels or wedges, leaving the rind on or off, whichever you prefer. I left all the peels on. Wash all the fresh herbs and cut into small enough pieces to fit inside your ice cube tray. Fill an ice cube tray 2/3 to 3/4 full of flat water or sparkling water. Add in various citrus wedges, raspberries, and herbs. Add additional water to the top of the tray if the compartments are not quite filled to the top.

Note: I used an 8-ice cube tray with about 2x2 inch square cubes.  They are big cubes, so I could fit larger wedges of citrus in each compartment in comparison to a standard ice cube tray. Slice your fruits according to the ice cube tray size that you plan to use.

Freeze the ice cube tray for at least 24 hours.  Serve a couple of ice cubes in water, white wine, or any other beverage you see fit.  Enjoy!

qp

turkey & gouda grilled cheese with bacon jalapeño brussels.

ooooh hay ho i made this dinner a super long time ago. like 5 months ago on a late summer/early fall's eve.  but it is a cozy meal i could eat on repeat.

its not reeeaaallyyy a recipe per se, but i think of it as a little extra special grilled cheese sandwich.

i think we made this on a weeknight at the end of summer when football season had started. in my mind, football means fall which means grilled cheese and soup (and so many other delicious comforting things).  fast forward to now, i'm finally getting around to sharing this dinner and football season is basically over.  in other words, grilled cheese and soup are desirable at all times.

i have a guest cook here, today. pete! i think he could go into hand modeling. lookit them paws! 

brussels + bacon + jalapeño.  mmhmm.

the grilled turkey meat pic is gross, but i had to show the manner in which we crispified the meat.

cheesy, mustardy, grilled goodness dunked into some hot, peppery, creamy tomato soup goodness with a bite here and there of crispy, slightly spicy, earthy & flavorful bacon brussely goodness.

so much goooooodness.

Turkey & Gouda Grilled Cheese with Bacon Jalapeño Brussels

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. brussels sprouts
• 1 cup water
• 4-6 slices of peppered bacon, cooked
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 4 slices of bread
• 4 oz. gouda cheese
• 2 TB brown mustard
• 4-8 slices deli turkey
• 4 TB. butter
• olive oil
• tomato soup of your liking

Instructions-

Heat a large pan or skillet to medium heat.  Add the brussels sprouts and water.  Cover and let the brussels steam through for about 10 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to heat the brussels until the water is evaporated/absorbed into the brussels sprouts. Remove from heat. Cut the brussels in half.

Cook the bacon in a pan until tender, not too crisp. Place the cooked bacon between two paper towels to remove excess grease. Chop the bacon into bits.

Cut the jalapeño open and remove the seeds.  Chop. Add the halved brussels, chopped bacon, and chopped jalapeños back into the skillet on medium-low heat and fold it all together. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and let the brussels brown, turning every few minutes until browned to your liking.

Heat the desired amount of tomato soup in a sauce pan on medium-low heat.  Add black pepper.

In a small pan, heat just a teaspoon of olive oil.  Spread the turkey slices in the pan and let them brown on all sides, flipping every couple of minutes.

Heat a large pan to medium heat.  Butter one side of 4 pieces of bread, and spread 1 TB of brown mustard to the opposite side .  Place 2 slices of bread butter side down in the hot pan. Place a slice of gouda cheese and 2-4 slices of browned deli turkey on each piece of bread. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread, butter side facing up. Cover and let the cheese melt as the bread gets grilled & browned on the bottom. After about 3 minutes, turn each sandwich and let it brown on the opposite side for another 3 minutes.  If desired, broil an additional slice of gouda cheese on the top of the sandwiches after grilling.

Serve the sandwich cut in half with a cup of tomato soup and a serving of the bacon brussels. With a beer! On a Thursday! or whenever.

cozy times.

qp