apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Remember to take the peels off the bananas before you freeze them. It's a pain to get them off when frozen. I use the frozen bananas for Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothies.

Over-ripe bananas are also great mixed into pancakes, waffles - and most-recently I discovered - brownies!

I find cutting the bananas up into small pieces before freezing makes it much easier to use them in smoothies or thaw them for banana bread.

And since my freezer isn't big enough to spread them out on a cookie sheet so they can freeze individually instead of in a big clump, I put them in the compartments of an ice cube tray to freeze, then throw 'em in a baggie. It works great!

You can also use cheese rinds in soup:

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/02/broccoli_mimolette_soup.php

We've got bananas that have been in our freezer since we moved into this house. I was in fifth grade then. I wonder if they're still usable.

Jim - if you happen to be related to my mother-in-law, then yes, they're still usable!

Stale cookies can be used for pie crust, and stale bread or crackers can be used for bread crumbs, pot pie crust, or the bottom layer of a casserole- or to thicken soups/stews.

I have so many ziploc bags of odds & ends in the freezer, it's getting hard to keep track! The things I always salvage, though, are shrimp shells (for stock, when I've accumulated enough), partly-used cans of tomatoes, bananas (blended with vanilla soy milk, they make a great shake), and minced chipotles in adobo.

Stale cookies? Never heard of such thing.

Stale bread = bread pudding.

woo hoo!

Ha ha Kassie, I'm with you on that one!

I mash my bananas first and put 3 per medium ziploc bag, which I then smush flat for easy stacking in the freezer. (I do 3 because that's how many my banana muffin recipe calls for). Mashed bananas are easier to thaw or just break into bits to add to smoothies, than whole ones.

I also put old veggies and trimmed veggies bits (e.g. leek tops) in the freezer for stock, and same with chicken bones.

I whirl stale bread in the blender to make breadcrumbs.

Whenever I open a can of tomato paste (for the 1-2 Tbsp I need), I freeze the rest in ice cube trays to make useful portions.

I don't peel the bananas before I freeze them. When they thaw they seem almost liquid and I just squeeze them out of the skin. I haven't ever had any problems peeling them.

I have seen Jacques Pepin make a cheese mixture like that on one of his shows, and yes, I save the rinds of parmesan to put into soup.

Stale cookies? just throw a piece of bread in the bag.

Thank you thank you for the Alton Brown link! I made some yesterday, spread it on a baguette and topped it with slices o heirloom tomatoes from our CSA. Perfection!

Another great use for leftover cheeses is to throw them into a frittata. I'll use whatever I have laying around (favorites are goat cheese, asiago and cheddar), and it always turns out well.