quinn's place

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!

i'm in a popsicle phase, y'all.

welp, it's nearing the end of july and summer is still summering it up on blast. no complaints here, but i can sense that my fellow peoples of seattle are all secretly wishing for a few dreary, rainy days and wanting to wear a big ol' scarf and boots and hide indoors. i wore actual pants for the first time in a while the other day...it was weird, man. flash forward to the middle of january or february, and we are all crying into our oversized sweaters and wishing for just one ray of sunshine to show itself.

anyhoo, i'm just going to continue enjoying our summer weather for the next two + months and become the popsicle making queen of the land.

first thangs first, i freaking love sparkling water.

i wanted to make a light and refreshing popsicle with bubbles, thus were born these two versions of a san pellegrino-based popsicle.

san pell pop #1:

lime + coconut milk + agave + san pellegrino

i know exactly why i love lime + coconut so much. because i used to be (slash still am) obsessed with

practical magic

and loved

this scene

(sidenote: pete and i once camped on the bluff where they filmed practical magic on san juan island at san juan island state park!).

also, because after i had my jaw surgery when i was fifteen (+ six weeks recovery), my parents and i went to hawaii (where, sidenote #2, the very first solid food that i ate in six weeks was one sour cream & onion ruffle and learning to chew on my new bite was the weirdest thing ever) and i would get hawaiian shave ice with lime and coconut flavoring almost every day. it was theee most refreshing thing!

san pell pop #2:

lemon + ginger + cayenne + agave + white nectarine + san pellegrino

i got the idea for this one from those

hunni waters

that have ginger & cayenne. i looove ginger and a bit of spiciness. soo, add my love for bubbly water with my love for ginger and spicy thangs. behold, these popsicles.

spice up your life!

[when was the last time you watched that!? like 1997, if you were lucky enough to catch it on TRL after school?]

i'm gunna go ahead and say that the lime variety of this did not get the peter zerkel seal of approval. i really strive for that damn seal with everything i make. unless he outright says, "this is excellent!" i will assume that he thinks its mediocre.

hey man, they're made out of plain sparkling water...

throw me a frickin bone here

never fear, i know exactly what is missing from the lime + coconut popsicles. the golden honeydew from

my firecrackers

!!! its sweet, but still subtle in flavor. i was wondering why the center white layer of my firecrackers was so delicious, and now i know fasho that the golden honeydew is to thank for that.

so, thank you, golden honeydew!

personally, i think both popsicles are just what i had in mind as far as being ultra light and refreshing and cold on a summer's day. no white sugar added at all, just fruit and agave nectar to taste!

San Pellegrino Citrus Popsicles

~lime + canned coconut milk (light) + agave nectar (to taste) + san pellegrino

~lemon + ginger + dash of cayenne pepper + agave (to taste) + white nectarine slices + san pellegrino

Use the juice of 1 lime (or 1 lemon) and add to your desired amount of the other liquids. Continue tasting and adding teaspoons of agave until your desired sweetness is achieved. I probably used 1 tablespoon per flavor of popsicle (3 popsicles of each flavor).

For the lime version, I just whisked the ingredients together in a Pyrex and poured it into the popsicle molds. Add lime wheels (with rinds cut off) for texture.

For the lemon/ginger version, I pulsed everything in the food processor to get the ginger chopped up super fine. Pour that liquid into a Pyrex and pour into the popsicle molds. Add white nectarine slices for texture.

Freeze and enjoy! I thought they tasted best a couple days after they were made and had time for all the flavors to jive. Yah!