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how to freeze fresh basil
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Never Throw Away Fresh Herbs Again

You know how it is, you have every intention to eat right, or try a new recipe so you buy fresh herbs, and then before you know it you’ve wasted your money. Nothing goes bad faster than fresh herbs. Ask me how I know.

This year I finally had some success growing basil in the garden, but I can’t eat it all at once so I’ve been freezing it for winter. I figured I can’t be the only one who has thrown away my fair share of herbs so here’s tip on how to preserve fresh basil… I’m certain this method will work with other herbs as well.

It’s quite simple, you want to start with washing and drying the herbs

Once dry, give them a rough chop.

Insert them into ice cube trays. I grabbed mine from Dollar Tree, they were 2 for $1. Once you have the slots full, cover the herbs with olive oil. You don’t have to fill to the top but make sure the herbs are fully covered.

how to freeze fresh basil
how to freeze fresh basil

Now freeze for at least 24-hours. It can be a little difficult getting them out of the trays but whatever you do, don’t run hot water on the tray, the oil will melt immediately. Once you have popped out the cubes, put them in a freezer bag and store for future use.

how to freeze fresh basil

Y’all know I love making videos! Here’s a video of how I freeze my basil.

Feature Food

Good Neighbors + Oven Grilled Mexican Street Corn Recipe

This post was sponsored by Fresh From Florida as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own.

When it comes to the neighborhood/neighbor lottery, I hit the jackpot. From our neighborhood book club to Bunco, to just hanging out I absolutely love most of my neighbors.

My regular crew is just a phone call/group text away, and we’ve been known to throw together impromptu potlucks with wings and pizza. Then there are actually times when I act as a proper hostess… bypassing my normal B.Y.O.B. and serving food and drinks.

With the porch open for the season, I’m good for calling the homies over for some quick summer finger foods, to include Mexican street corn and watermelon.

I really prefer my corn off the grill, but since it needed scraping which I didn’t feel like doing, I kept it simple and oven grilled it. Thankfully Fresh From Florida corn and watermelon are in season so I have time to enjoy a few of my favorite summer treats fresh off the grill. If you’ve never tried grilled watermelon, please add this delicacy to your bucket list.

Florida farmers have been working hard to make sure our favorite fruits and produce are available year-round. Be sure to check for the Fresh From Florida label on your favorite food, produce, and seafood in your local grocery store.

It’s always fun when I get to link up with my neighborhood family. Good neighbors feel like a built-in family. The summer is just starting and we have months of sitting out on the porch. I recently purchased new serving dishes, and I’ll be trying out some of these Fresh From Florida recipes, especially the Florida Sweet Corn and Ricotta fritters in the coming months. One thing is for sure, we are going to hang out, eat good, and have a great time this summer!

I know this isn’t the perfect picture, but it’s us in our element. Neighbors turned family!

Oven Grilled Mexican Street Corn

  • 4 Ears Corn
  • 1/2 tbsp Butter
  • Kosher Salt
  • Fresh Ground Pepper
  • Paprika
  1. Shuck each ear of corn, making sure to keep the husk on.

  2. Rinse corn well

  3. Rub butter on each ear of corn, and add kosher salt, and ground pepper to taste

  4. Pull husk back over corn, and bake on cookie sheet at 425 for 15-20 minutes

  5. Broil on high for another 3-5 minutes

  6. Remove from oven and rub with butter. Finish by sprinklng parmesan cheese, and paprika on corn.

If you need some inspiration for your summer cookouts or just want to eat well this season with friends and family be sure to check out the Fresh From Florida website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Food

Meatless Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers

This post was sponsored by Fresh from Florida as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Outside of my lingering blood pressure issues, I was recently told by my doctor that I have high cholesterol. I’m like how Ma’am? I don’t eat red meat and I try to eat as many veggies and fruit as possible… yet here we are.

So the realization is I’m getting older and I need to be paying more attention to my health. I’ve decided to go meatless a few nights a week, and Fresh from Florida peppers which happen to be in season were beckoning me at the store. So fresh, and so green ( see what I did there) that I couldn’t resist grabbing a few. Fresh from Florida makes it easy to eat in season fresh veggies all year long. You too can get in on the goodness by purchasing bell peppers, produce, and seafood with the Fresh from Florida label.

Since I’m going meatless, I’m in the market for new recipes and perused a few of the bell pepper ones on the Fresh from Florida site before deciding to go with meatless, cauliflower rice stuffed peppers. This was something I came up with when I realized I had a bag of cauliflower rice on hand.

I’ll be the first to say I was on the late bus for cauliflower rice, and I’m still not sure how I really feel about the taste but it was great in my stuffed peppers. I started with sauteeing the rice in a little olive oil, with onions, bell pepper from the tops and bottoms that I cut from the bell peppers. I added a little Italian seasoning to the mixture, along with some crushed tomatoes. I cooked until the mixture was fragrant.

While the “rice” was simmering, I boiled the bell peppers until they were soft. After I removed them, I simply stuffed them with the cauliflower rice mixture, covered with parmesan cheese and placed in the oven.

After 20 minutes in the oven, lunch was ready.

Meatless Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers

  • 1 Bag Cauliflower Rice
  • 1 Cup Crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup Chopped onion and bell pepper mixture
  • 4 Bell peppers
  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  1. Cut off the top of each bell pepper and clean out the seeds

  2. Thinly cut off the bottom of each pepper, only taking off enough so that the pepper is able to stand on its own

  3. Boil peppers for 5-10 minutes or until soft

  4. While peppers are boiling, saute cauliflower rice, onions, and bell pepper in olive oil. Add in crushed tomatoes and stir

  5. Once peppers are done, fill with the mixture, top with parmesan cheese and bake at 325 for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted

For more recipe ideas and videos be sure to visit the Fresh from Florida website.

Fresh From Florida
Food

Tomato + Cucumber + Mint Salad

This post was sponsored by Fresh From Florida as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own

The year before last, my garden spawned so many tomatoes that I didn’t quite know what to do with all of them. Like, so many of them. I gave them away to neighbors, my dad, and anybody else who came to my home got sent away with tomatoes.

Last year, I got nothing. It was quite ironic, but not having the headache of trying to stake a 6-foot tall tomato plant, and removing horn worms was welcomed. Not having to grow my own tomatoes doesn’t mean I didn’t have access to fresh ones thanks to Fresh from Florida.

I have quite a plethora of tomato recipes that I enjoy making, but simple always wins. Fresh tomatoes on a salad always work, and we have Florida farmers to thank for providing us with options for fresh tomatoes all year long, just search for the Fresh From Florida label at your local grocery store.

Fresh From Florida

It’s almost porch season, which means I’m looking for easy recipes and strong drinks. A quick go to is simply tossing cut up tomatoes, cucumbers and a few sprigs of mint with a little olive oil and Italian seasoning for a refreshing salad. The Fresh from Florida website and social channels have all of the recipes for your get-togethers. You can find a variety of them here. Don’t feel like sifting through all of the good recipes and want to get straight to the tomato recipes? Here you go.

Entertaining yourself or others with good food doesn’t have to be difficult. Tomatoes are the perfect warm-weather produce that makes throwing together a tasty spread effortless. Be sure to look for the Fresh from Florida label this spring and summer!