sprinklefingers

sprinklefingers confession time: i’m not a drinker.
i managed to get a lifetime of drinking accomplished in the years before i was a junior in college - sure, i drank a few beers here & there after that, but then one day i simply stopped. and then i had a kid - and that solidified my position. who wants to take care of a baby AND a hangover? not this mother. so, now, i’m officially a non-drinker.

because of my status as non-drinker, when i’m cooking from a recipe calling for wine, it’s sometimes hard for me to justify buying a whole bottle when i’m usually using less than a cup in a recipe. that said, i should tell you that when a recipe calls for wine i do usually use wine - i find it always adds a depth of flavor that stock or water just can’t manage. [note: when a recipe calls for hard liquor, i generally NEVER use it. unless we’re talking about pecan pie and bourbon. because that’s a must. a must!] anyways, with all this extra wine around that i wouldn’t drink i had to do something - so, i turned to a good friend in my time of need - my freezer!

because i made all my aforementioned kid’s baby food, i still have a whole slew of freezer containers (ice cube trays, really) that came with lids. very handy for baby food. even more handy for freezing wine (which is hilarious and weird when you think about it.)

after i’ve used wine in a recipe, i simply pour the leftovers into the freezer trays, cover and freeze. the best part about this, in my opinion, is once you buy one bottle, you’ve got wine in your freezer for recipes to come - which means NOT having to buy a bottle of wine every time you cook from a recipe calling for wine. you’ve got it in your freezer! simple! handy! boozy!

note: don’t judge me on my choice of wines. i have no idea about any of this wine crap. i shop based on label, price and whether or not the store’s description is well-written. so there.