a useful kitchen tool!

I was at the mall yesterday for my hair appointment (Deidra at the Penney's Salon is a sweetheart who does a wonderful job!). Since I was already there, I decided to pop over to Williams-Sonoma to grab a new spaghetti tool. (My old one came apart as I washed it a couple of days ago.) As I always tend to do, I picked up the item that brought me in and then wandered around to see what new pretty shinies they had gotten since my last visit. That store is probably the best one at separating me from my money, LOL!

Anyway, I found something that I am very excited about: The Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/beaba-multiportion-babyfood-freezer-tray/

No, I don't have a baby, and I don't make baby food. So, you might ask, why am I this excited about it?

Well, here's the thing. One of the biggest problems with the allergy free eating is a lack of available prepared foods. I can't simply run to the grocery store and grab items to do the semi-homemade cooking. I still have many days where my time to cook is limited, but cutting out the allergy-inducing foods has cut out many of my shortcut ingredients. (boxed broths contain yeast, parsley and pepper; V-8 contains parsley and who knows what in the 'flavorings', etc, etc).

So I've started making some of those items myself. Of course, they're all fairly easy to make, just a little time-consuming. So making them in larger batches makes the most sense. That way I can use some of it for that night's dinner, and freeze the rest. The problem is how to package and store them in convenient quantities.

I've used ice cube trays in the past, but they don't hold much and will spill if tilted. Muffin tins can also be used, but sometimes whatever it is sticks and doesn't want to come out of the cup. When I made the veggie and beef broths, I froze them in quart sized freezer bags. This works really well for thick or chunky stuff, but on straight liquid can be a problem. Of course one of the bags sprung a leak- just my luck. Pretty much any of the package/storage methods have their own set of problems.

These are silicone cups (BPA free) with a 2 oz. or 1/4 cup capacity. They also have a lid! They are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. (If I ever get a dishwasher, I'm sure I'll be happy about that!) The down-side is that they're $20 for a 7 compartment tray- much more expensive than any of the other options mentioned above. I still bought it, though.

I will freeze my shortcut items in it, then transfer the frozen cubes to another container, so I can freeze some more.

I also bought an apple slicer/corer, since I've been snacking on apples and peanut butter a lot, and a julienne slicer so i can make matchstick carrots, zucchini and potatoes.