Keep cool this summer by stocking your freezer with make ahead ice cubes

Here is a recipe roundup for make-ahead ice cubes to keep your summer chill. Save time and refrigerator space by making flavored ice cubes to add to recipes, drinks and more.

Kerekes Bake Deco has Silicon Ice Cream Molds that are on sale for 20% off, which would make these DIY flavored ice cubes a fun project.

Green blocks of goodness

Make "Meatless Monday" even easier with Amanda Cohen’s Secret-Weapon Stir-Fry Sauce. This sauce is made with cilantro, parsley, Thai basil, garlic and ginger - or what ever is in your veggie drawer!

Kitchn's freezer friendly tips for making stock

Get cooking lessons from Kitchn - who shows you how to make basic chicken stock and vegetable stock; which you can keep in your freezer to use later.

Infused ice cube ideas

Martha Stewart infuses ice cubes with fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers to enhance your water and help keep you hydrated throughout the summer.  Here are recipes for Cucumber-Basil Puree, Orange-Lime Mix and Lemonade-Raspberry Cubes.

The Right Cup is a company that is selling flavored cups, really! This goal is to help people drink more water and stay hydrated. The Right Cup™ was founded in May 2015 by a small group of people who came together with one common goal: to create and distribute an innovative product that could truly make a difference in people’s lives throughout the world.  Interesting, check them out.

From freezer to table

Fine Cooking shows you how to make pesto ice cubes and offers ideas on how to use them from tossing with hot pasta to using as a topping for grilled meats.

Here is another tip from Martha

Most recipes use only a small portion of tomato paste and the rest goes to waste. Martha shows you how to freeze and then slice up the paste into smaller portions, brilliant!

Instant cocktail cubes (just add booze)

Supercall keeps making drinks easy! Here are great recipes to for make ahead flavored ice cubes to add to White Russians, Sazerac or Negroni for (almost) instant deconstructed cocktails.

Have fun this summer and stay cool.  Send me your ideas on how to make flavored ice cubes to save time and money.

Here is a fun site to check out:
Make something that means something at Craftsy.com

Laurie's Quick and Easy Spicy Stir-Fry Udon Noodles

My dear friend Laurie shared her stir-fry recipe for thick, chewy, satisfying and slurp-worthy Spicy Stir-Fry Udon Noodles. This is a versatile recipe that can be made for busy weeknights. The sauce is so easy to make, and you can use a variety of vegetables or meat in this stir-fry.

Where to buy Udon Noodles?
Most Asian specialty stores and health food stores sell Udon noodles.  If you live in an area that does not have as many options, you can purchase dried Udon noodles from Amazon.

We are lucky to live in the Seattle area, where we have many Asian and health food grocery stores to choose from.  The largest Asian grocery store in the Pacific Northwest, Uwajimaya, is a landmark here.

Uwajimaya opened in the Seattle area in 1928.  This store is a place for all things Asian and their mission is to educate customers on all aspects of Asian culture.  If you are visiting Seattle, this is a must go to place. Simply put: Uwajimaya is amazing.

There are oodles of noodle choices available at Uwajimaya.

Most of the ingredients were already in my pantry.  I use low sodium soy sauce and pre-chopped up garlic.  You can find Sambal Oelek in most Asian specialty stores.  It is a popular Indonesian sauce that was incorporated into many Dutch recipes, after the Dutch colonized Indonesia.

Soaking frozen udon noodles is a nice trick to keep them from sticking together.

If you are in a hurry, you could buy pre-chopped up vegetables.  I just quickly chopped my own.

Peanut oil has a high smoke point, which means it is less likely to burn while the temperature is turned up high.  It also adds a slight nutty taste.

Just stir-fry all your ingredients in a wok or a pan that you have.

This is such a great meal to be able to make.  Thank you Laurie for sharing.  Udon did it! Here is her recipes and let me know if you like it.

Yield: 4 ServingsAuthor: Laurie L.

Laurie's Quick and Easy Spicy Stir-Fry Udon Noodles

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 20 MINStotal time: 30 mins

This versatile recipe for thick, chewy, satisfying and slurp-worthy spicy udon noodles is a great weeknight choice that you can make with a variety of vegetables or proteins.

ingredients:

Stir-Fry

• 1 Tbsp olive, peanut or vegetable oil
• 4 chicken thighs, cubed (meat optional) or ¾ lb of ground pork
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced (match-sticked)
• 1 cup green onion
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 packages of fresh or frozen udon noodles. Note: If you are using frozen noodles, bring water to a boil and cook the noodle while you stir fry meat and veggies.
  

Sauce

• 1-2 tsp Sambal Oelek (or Asian Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha)
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
•  2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

Garnish

• Sesame seeds 
• Additional sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

instructions:

1. Prepare your vegetables and set aside. Mix up the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. If you like, you can fill a large bowl with hot tap water and add udon noodles to the bowl to soak, so they can be separated before adding to the wok. This isn't necessary though, as you can add fresh udon noodles directly from the package to the wok, if you prefer to skip this step.
2. In a large frying pan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Cook the meat and then set aside while you cook veggies.  Add carrots and cook, stirring for a minute or so. Add onions and cook, stirring, until onions are soft and carrots are tender. Add green onion and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so.
3. If soaking udon noodles, gently stir to loosen udon noodles and separate, then drain. Add drained noodles (or unsoaked fresh noodle to the wok and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so. Add sauce and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring to combine well. Scatter baby spinach over the top and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted.
4. Move stir fry to a bowl or plate and garnish with sesame seeds, additional sliced green onion and parsley or cilantro.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetta alla Carbonara's origins does not come without controversy.

Spaghetti Carbonara is a simple dish that is quick and easy to make. It is working person's go-to dish. This is a dish that busy people have in their arsenal. This dish makes people happy.

It does not surprise me that my friend Cindy sent me this recipe. Cindy is a busy woman that knows how to get things done!

In a previous blog post, I asked my friends to send me recipes that meet the following criteria:

1. Tastes good 
2. Easy to make 
3. Approved by person who LOVES to cook

This recipe certainly follows the above criteria. Thank you, Cindy, for sharing.

Umami! That is why I think this simple dish tastes so good. Spaghetti Carbonara has a lot of umami, think: Parmesan cheese and bacon.  A few dashes of Tabasco adds another layer of umami. If you have not yet discovered umami, you can learn about the science behind umami here.

Wait, the bacon!

Did I mention this has bacon in it? That may be why you can't go wrong with this dish.

For busy folks who are short on time, you can put your oven on double-duty to roast the bacon while your pasta water is heating up. Grab a sheet pan with a silicon liner and add the bacon. Place the pan on the middle rack in the oven at 400 degrees and roast for about 18 mins - depending on how crispy you like your bacon.

The silicon liner is a must, if you don't want messy clean up.

Speak now, or forever hold your peas!

Whoops, Cindy's recipe does not call for peas! She certainly does not call for frozen peas! There is a heated discussion on Serious Eats, should there be peas in carbonara?

If you want to add peas, just blanch them in the hot water; before throwing in the pasta.

Sometimes, I am not good at following directions. I am not sure why I threw peas in this dish. Real carbonara aficionados would just not do this. Maybe I felt like I had to sneak in a vegetable? Or I like the contrast of the bright green color against the creamy noodles and bacon? Do I regret this? Maybe just a little.  Readers, please leave comments to let me know what you think.

Peas out, people!

Thank you, Cindy, for sending me this recipe.

---

Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara plated with parsley on top.

Prep 10 ∙ Cook 15 ∙ Makes 4 ∙ Difficulty Easy

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 8 oz bacon, cooked and chopped into 1" slices
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup parmesan
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2 or more dashes of Tabasco

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions
2. Whisk together eggs, cheese, cream and Tabasco
3. Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging
4. Working quickly, add egg mix and stir as hot pasta cooks egg
5. Add bacon, salt and pepper to taste