citrus & herb ice cubes.

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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!

 

 

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