It's as easy as...one, two, tray
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Many baby boomers can recall blazing hot July days, sitting on a porch step, licking a homemade popsicle.
Long before refrigerators had ice makers, children cooled off with frozen treats that took hours to make. Mom would make a pitcher of Kool-Aid, pour it into an aluminum ice cube tray with a removable cube separator, and stick in it the freezer. When children returned from an afternoon of playing in the nearby creek or neighboring field, homemade popsicles were waiting.
Those vintage ice cube trays with the release handle are long gone, replaced with molded plastic ones, and then ice makers, and now ice in the refrigerator door. But if you still have a few ice cube trays, there are lots of fun things you can do with them.
They're great for freezing small amounts of homemade tomato sauce and broths, and any beverage you can concoct. Today's ice cube trays come in a variety of shapes such as stars, hearts, seashells, dolphins, penguins, apples and strawberries.
Online, you can buy trays that shape ice into mice, guitars or diamonds. Crate & Barrel has ice stick trays for making flavored ice cubes that chill drinks without diluting them. Use lemonade cubes for lemonade, coffee for iced coffee.
If you desire crystal-clear ice cubes, boil water, then cool it to room temperature before pouring it into ice cube trays. Bottled spring water will produce clear cubes, too.
Hosts and hostesses use decorated ice cubes to jazz up party drinks.
Place a small piece of fruit (strawberry, cherry, melon ball, pineapple chunk, raspberry, lemon or orange twist) or edible flower or flower petal in each section of an ice cube tray. Cover with cold water that has been boiled and cooled; freeze until firm. Use small lemon wedges or mint sprigs for iced tea, or a whole raspberry or blueberry for fruit punches.Ice cube trays also can be used to make snow cones and pudding pops. Here's how to make snow cones: Freeze any flavored juice in ice cube trays. Store frozen juice cubes in a plastic bag. Blend 5 cubes in the blender until they have a shaved ice consistency. The shaved ice will keep its consistency if kept frozen in a container.To make pudding pops, combine a 4-serving size package of pudding (not instant) with 3 cups milk in a bowl. Mix only enough to blend well. Quickly pour into ice cube trays, and freeze.It's summertime. Why not make some memories for those who have never seen a vintage aluminum ice cube tray?
1 pint fresh raspberries3 cups grapefruit juice2 tablespoons raspberry syrup or grenadine1 1/3 cups seltzer waterPlace 2 or 3 berries in each compartment of an ice cube tray. Fill halfway with water, and freeze, about 1 hour. Add 1 or 2 more berries to each compartment, fill to the top with water, and freeze.Place 3 or 4 ice cubes into each of 4 tall glasses. Drizzle ½ tablespoon syrup over each, add grapefruit juice until ¾ full, and top off with seltzer.Source: Allyou.com
1 can (11.5 ounces) frozen concentrate strawberry or any berry mix juice24 raspberries or 8 strawberries, sliced2 quarts water1 1/3 cups sugar1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice8 lemon slices8 mint sprigsPour juice concentrate and 1 can of water into a pitcher. Mix to combine, then pour the juice into two ice cube trays, adding raspberries or strawberries if you wish. Freeze.Combine the 2 quarts of water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.Strain the lemon juice through a fine sieve into the sugar syrup. Chill. Slit each lemon slice once, from center to rind, then press the slits onto eight glasses. Fill each glass with three berry ice cubes and the lemonade. Garnish with a mint sprig. Makes 8 glasses.Source: Familyfun.comFor Flower ice cubes: Pour distilled water into an ice cube tray, filling the sections half full, and freeze until firm. Add unsprayed flower petals (rose petals, violets) or fresh herbs, cover with distilled water, and freeze until completely hardened.
8 cups cold water2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice1 cup simple syrup (see note)1 quart freshly brewed iced teaPour water, lemon juice and simple syrup into large pitcher or pourable container, and stir until combined. Reserve 1 quart homemade lemonade.Pour remaining lemonade into empty ice cube tray, and freeze until solid.Transfer lemonade ice cubes to a large pitcher or easily transportable and pourable container. Pour iced tea and 1 quart reserved lemonade over lemonade ice cubes, and stir to blend.Note: Simple syrup is a cooled mixture of one part boiled water to two parts sugar.Source: Food Network, Bobby Flay
