Leftover Halloween Candy

With all the candy oriented holidays in our culture it’s no surprise we end up with an overload of all sorts of different candies. As we move from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years to Valentine’s to Easter we can use the excess candy from one holiday to supply the next holiday looming on the horizon.

Storing Candy

Most candy can be kept at room temperature without spoiling, with the exception of chocolate. Because fat can turn rancid (ever detect a slight soapy smell on your chocolate?) any chocolate candy that you plan to use thirty days or more from the date of purchase is best stored in an airtight container in the freezer.

RePurpose Candy

Use candy corns to decorate Thanksgiving baked goods, or fill a cornucopia with them.

All types of candy bars can be buzzed into milk-shakes, chopped and stirred into home-made ice-cream, as an ice-cream topping, chopped and stirred into baked goods batter, chopped or sliced and used to decorate the top of a frosted cake …

Gum drops, gummie shapes, candy corns, peppermints, Lifesavers, lollypops – all kinds of candies can be used to decorate Christmas gingerbread houses.

Any red candies can be saved for Valentine’s Day.

Any chocolate candies that can melt down completely can be stirred into hot chocolate or coffee.

Uses For Overripe Fruit

I used to get frustrated when I threw away a piece of fruit because it got overripe. Now I just take the fruit when it’s heading to the edge and make something else with it.

Overripe bananas can be peeled, wrapped in foil and frozen. Eat them right from the foil as a banana popsicle or use them to whip up a batch of banana bread or a smoothie.

Frozen grapes can go straight from the freezer into your mouth. Wash, let dry on a paper towel, and then freeze. Everyone loves this summer treat.

Peaches, plums and berries go straight into Jell-O for a tasty dessert treat or snack.

Any fruit can be frozen for smoothies, ice cream, granitas or sorbet or you could get really ambitious and make jams and jellies.

Food Centerpieces

When you find yourself with an abundance from your garden or food that is on the brink of going bad, don’t despair and DON’T get out the crockpot. Instead, use this bounty to create beautiful centerpieces for your table, buffet and mantel.

Stuffed Cabbage

Cut a hole in the top of each cabbage large enough to fit a piece of floral foam. Place foam inside hole and add water until the foam is saturated. Cut flower stems and/or branches at a sharp angle and push into the foam.

Oranges For Flowers

Trim the rind at the bottom of each orange to create a flat spot so it won’t roll.

Cut a drinking straw into two equal pieces. Use a pencil or pen to poke a hold in the top of each orange long enough to insert about 4 inches of the straw. Insert a straw in each hole. Place the stem of one flower in each straw.

Fishbowl Vase

Fill a fishbowl halfway with one or more types of small fruit such as kumquats or key limes or wedges of citrus such as lemons or limes. Add enough water to almost cover the fruit. Gently push flower stems and/or branches into the fruit.

Scraping the Bottom of the Pan

This article by Patricia Volk, published in “O” magazine is the epitomy of the “Irish Attic” values.

Lumps Are Treasures
By Patricia Volk
On the corner of Tchoupitoulas at 401 Poydras Street in New Orleans, you will find Mother’s, home of the Ferdi, a sandwich served with “debris.” In Louisiana, debris is crusty scraps that drift to the bottom of the pan when you roast meat. In New York we call that “dirt.” Read More