Herbs

Herbs are also very important in cooking. However, we can't always go out in our backyard and pick them fresh. Furthermore, we may not always have the exact herb called for in a recipe. Or you may have too much of an herb that you need to preserve before you lose it all. I'm definitely guilty of that. Making herb cubes in the freezer is a good solution. You need to decide what herbs are important to you or which ones grow in your climate, but here are my favorite ones.

Cilantro Cubes 

Take a bunch of basil leaves and put them in a blender with garlic and olive oil. Put into an ice cube tray reserved for herbs and when frozen, remove and store in a freezer bag. Here are some ways I use the basil cubes:

salsa (add tomatillo, onion, lime, hot sauce/pepper, cube)
cilantro aoili (cube and mayo)

soup (add it to your favorite chicken soup -some Vietnamese soup has cilantro in it)

Basil Cubes         

Take a bunch of basil leaves and put them in a blender with garlic and olive oil. Put into an ice cube tray reserved for herbs and when frozen, remove and store in a freezer bag. Here are some ways I use the basil cubes:

pesto (add parmesan cheese, cube and pine nuts)
basil aoili (cube and mayo)
pizza margherita (top a flatbread with chopped tomatoes, cube and mozzarella)

Herb Butters

Soften butter and add a blend of your finely chopped herbs to it and mix well. Put the mixture on a piece of wax paper and roll it up to the thickness of a paper towel roll. After it freezes, cut 1/2" slices of herb butter and store in a freezer bag.

I like to make sage butter like this and then defrost it and brown the butter and accompany it with squash ravioli.