Herbs have been abundant this summer and I’ve enjoyed using them in my kitchen. I’m producing more herbs than I can possibly use, so I’m looking at other ways to use them store for later use.
Sure I could make pesto and freeze it in baby food jars, and that’s a great option. I could also give fresh herbs away to friends.
But here’s what I decided to do this year.
Just about every soup, saute or sauce begins with the combination of butter, olive oil and garlic. With some herbs adding fresh flavor to the mix, I would have a head start in the kitchen by making Herb Ice Cubes.
By mixing fresh chopped fresh herbs with melted butter, olive oil and garlic and freezing in ice cube trays, cooking over the Fall and Winter will still taste like Spring.
During a recent cooking demonstration in front of a live audience, I began my instructions for a saute and paused, “this is normally when I tell you to heat some olive oil, butter and garlic in a saute pan”. Noelle, my producer, looked a little puzzled as I went on, “but let me show you my ice cubes full of these staples with some added basil, parsley and chives.” The audience loved it.
It’s simple to do. For a printable recipe for storing fresh herbs, visit Herb Ice Cubes Recipe. Or, you can follow my photo tutorial below.
Fresh Parsley
Fresh Basil
Fresh Chives. You don’t need all three- any combination or just one herb will do.
Chop
melt butter
add garlic
add olive oil
pour into ice cube tray
place in freezer
use cubes for sautes, soups or sauces; 1 cube – 1 tablespoon
Below is my whimsical story of how I happened upon this gem of a recipe.
The Story Behind The Chardonnay Cake Recipe
At the very end of a long and windy rode in Paso Robles, California is a positively charming and unpopular winery. I won’t mention the name, because although the scenery there is magnificent, the wine is not.
At the end of a long day of wine tasting during a group trip, we stopped off at this bewitching little spot owned by a famous couple from the 1950’s (at my urging only, because my wine-snobby friends would gladly have skipped it).
The story of how this quaint little winery came to be still gives me goosebumps. I’m not sure if it’s true, but here’s how the story goes.
The husband and wife wine-making team are actually a famous 1950’s actor and Miss America from 1950-something. During a helicopter flight from shooting in Hollywood to Northern California, the helicopter crashed with the husband inside on the site of the now-winery. He survived (obviously). And when he emerged from the wreckage he said something like, “this is the most beautiful place; I think I’ll build a home and winery here”. He was then joined by his beauty queen wife where they still are. He hand-paints labels for their wine and she keeps the place- well- charming.
During this particular visit, she (Mrs. Beauty Queen Winemaker) was out front pouring wine and giving away small samples of a Chardonnay cake she made. Wow, this is a real treat, I thought. No other winery we visited would ever think to meet you with hand-baked goods from the owner. I loved it.
The cake was so moist. I was sure used had some age-old culinary method. As we chatted, I went on and on about how great her cake was when she offered to give me the recipe.
“Would it be too complicated?”, I wondered. “Perhaps with some type of wine-reduction technique?” As I waited for her to retrieve a copy of this gourmet secret compound, I burst at the thought of wowing my friends with an authentic Chardonnay cake recipe directly from a Paso Robles wine maker.
But, instead of leaving the table to retrieve it, she leaned over and said, “I use a basic yellow cake mix and substitute the water with two cups of Chardonnay.”
Maybe the cake tasted better than I thought after all this wine tasting- okay- drinking. So, I thanked her and vowed to make it when I returned home to see for myself.
It was as good as I remembered it- moist and light tasting with just the perfect hint of Chardonnay. Now I impress my friends during summer entertaining with this culinary marvel.
If you didn’t catch the secret recipe and are waiting for my ingredient and instruction list to follow: yellow cake mix….no water….Chardonnay instead.
hey, there’s a rainbow in my glass!
serve Chardonnay Cake in bite-size finger-food pieces
The cake comes out super moist and is sliced into bite-sized pieces to serve as finger food. If you insist on having some type of icing for this cake, I used a glaze for mine. I heated a cup of orange juice and some Grand Marnier in a small saucepan, then added a cup of sugar combined with a couple tablespoons of corn starch over medium heat until it turned to glaze.
Party Treat!
If you’re having a party, try this fun giveaway- Chalkboard Wine Bottles.
Used as table decor, I set out some chalk for guests to sign their name or write something cute. Then I give away the bottles to a guest at the end of the night. They can also be used for wine tasting parties to mark each type of wine, “Merlot”, “Cabernet”, etc.
They’re simple to make: simply spray-paint some empty wine bottles of different shapes and sizes with chalkboard paint. Dry.
Wine Bottles with Chalkboard Paint
For more fun ways to use chalkboard paint, visit my Pinterest Board!
Busy weekends with family visitors. Lunchtime at the cabin on 4th of July. Company potlucks. Hands down, Slow Cooker Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches is the easiest, most affordable and most delicious meal to feed a large group of people in the least amount of time.
Slow Cooker Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches Recipe
Ingredients:
boneless skinless chicken breasts- 3-4 lbs
barbeque sauce- 1 large 28 oz. bottle
Rolls or hamburger buns
Garnish:
pickles, sliced
cole slaw
Directions:
place chicken in Slow Cooker and cover with entire bottle of barbeque sauce
cook on High for 5-6 hours
during last hour of cooking, use spoon to stir and shred chicken
serve on rolls with pickles and cole slaw to garnish
Family meals are important. Iʼll show you easy ways to spend less time and money at the grocery store, less time in the kitchen and more time with your family.
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