Querétaro-style ChoriQuesos & a GIVEAWAY (a really, really awesome giveaway!)

This is one of the simplest...and tastiest...quick-meals ever!  ChoriQueso varies from region to region...but not by much!  Most places it's a cheesy dip-like pot for dipping tortillas in...but, Mexi is from Querétaro where they always put it between two tortillas and melt it up or so he says...and this is how they make it there. 

Querétaro-style ChoriQuesos

from the kitchen of girli Mexichef
Use as much of the ingredients as you like...smother it in cheese if you're a cheeseslut like I am...or if you don't like as much cheese...add more chorizo.  It's up to you!

Chorizo, homemade

Oaxaca (or mozzarella) cheese, shredded

Tortillas, homemade flour or homemade corn

extras:

cilantro

fresh salsa

avocado

crema

Cook the chorizo in a skillet until browned and cooked through.  If you're chorizo was fatty, drain off the fat and return chorizo to skillet.

Heat a comal or heavy skillet until hot.  Put one tortilla on the hot skillet...sprinkle it all over with chorizo.  Sprinkle the cheese all over the top of the chorizo.  Add any of the extras you wish (although if you're using crema, I'd wait and use that for drizzling).  Top with another tortilla.  As the cheese begins to melt, press down lightly with a spatula to dispurse the cheese...flip it once the bottom tortilla is golden and crisp.  Once the second side is golden and crisp...remove from skillet and enjoy! 

So, maybe  you noticed my gorgeous Talavera Plate that the ChoriQuesos were resting on.  This one...

 ...pretty gorgeous, huh?  Well, I was fortunate enough to receive a $75. gift certificate from NOVICA to use as I pleased...and this was how I pleased!

What's even better?  Well, NOVICA was generous enough to offer one of my readers a chance to win a $75. gift certificate for themselves! While I'm sure that some of you know of NOVICA...perhaps you've even ordered some amazing handcrafted items from them before...I bet somebody out there is asking...who/what is NOVICA!?  Well, NOVICA is a website, in association with National Geographic who's mission is:

" ...to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.


At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe.


We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it."     ~taken from the NOVICA website

I'm gonna warn you now....you WILL lose yourself in their website...but you'll be lost in a world of beauty!  They offer unique gifts...everything from fair trade corporate gifts to your my dream glasses and plates, to silver and turquoise jewelry, to apparel and handbags, to gifts for the animal lover.  I've already wish-listed a bazillion things, including some awesome photographs!  You'll even find green gifts for the eco-conscious!

Okay, sounds good awesome, right!? Well, if you would like the chance to win the $75. gift certificate from NOVICA, here's the skinny....

$75. NOVICA GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY!

*This giveaway is open to anybody who wants to enter, BUT I do recommend  you first check out the NOVICA Shipping Page to see if they ship to your location...and how much the duties/taxes/etc. would be before you enter if you are located outside of the U.S.

*The winner will receive an e-certificate (I will email you a code which you can enter upon check-out at the NOVICA site) worth $75.

*All entries are due by Monday, August 16th at 11:59 PM (Eastern time).  I will announce the winner by random draw shortly after.  The winner will need to contact me via email to receive their gift certificate.

Okay, now that you've double-checked all of that info, here's what you have to do to enter:

-REQUIRED:  Head on over to the NOVICA website...look around (don't get lost), come back and leave a comment telling me what you think you might like to get with your $75. gift certificate if you win.  Don't worry, it doesn't have to be food-related.  Please make sure you have a profile that leads back to your blog/website...or if you don't have one, leave your email address in the comment.

That will get you one entry into the giveaway.  For extra chances to win, you can also do each of the following things, each one is worth an entry....BUT you MUST leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each one  you've done for them all to count as separate entries!  All things that aren't listed on my sidebar for easy clicking will have a link in bold type...hover and click!

-Become a follower my blog on my sidebar (or let me know that you already are)

-Subscribe to my RSS feed on my sidebar (or let me know that you already do)

-Follow ME on twitter (or let me know that you already do)

-Follow NOVICA on twitter (or let me know that you already do)

-Tweet about this giveaway.  You can simply copy and paste this for ease:   RT @girlichef is having a #GIVEAWAY http://bit.ly/bC8HCp $75. gift certificate from @Novica Enter Now!

 -LIKE girlichef on Facebook on my sidebar towards bottom (or let me know you already do)

-follow girlichef on Networked Blogs on my sidebar towards bottom (or let me know you already do)

-LIKE Novica on Facebook (or let me know you already do)

-Share this giveaway on Facebook...tag @girlichef and @novica in your share.

-Put a link to my giveaway in a blog post or a link on your sidebar...be sure to leave a link to the post in comments...or just let me know it's on the sidebar.

Okay, so that is TEN extra entries after the required entry is done.  Good Luck to everybody!!!


This post is linked to:

Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist

...just another cool little tidbit about NOVICA...they have the "first-ever microfinance website where customers can purchase products and lend money directly to artisans."  This means that small artisans the ability to build up credit they may otherwise be able to get...it will help them and their business!  Best of all, they are no-interest loans!  If you're able, consider donating...every dollar helps.

Go ahead...make your own Chorizo!

Don't you just adore that chile-spiked flavor of fresh chorizo!?  I'm not referring to Spanish Chorizo (although, that's delicious, too)...today, I'm talking about the fresh (as opposed to the cured) Mexican variety.  I'd always meant to make my own before, but it was one of those things I didn't get around to actually doing until a couple of months ago.  I'll never go back!  Aside from the fresh flavor...which you can toy around with and adjust to your own tastes...signature chorizo anyone?...you can also play around with the amount of fat in the chorizo.  I mean, come on...that's one of the things about buying packaged chorizo that drives you crazy, right!?  You have to drain an insane amount of orange grease before using the cooked product.  Well, it always drove me crazy.  You could get lucky if you buy it from the meat counter at your local Mexican market...but not everybody is fortunate enough to have one of those.  I'm sorry.  So, for the absolute in control, pick your own cut of meat and grind it yourself.  You want some fat in it...I like using pork butt.  You don't even have to have a grinder to do it.  Simply freeze it for a bit to make it easier to work with.  Cut it into 2" chunks and pulse it in your food processor until it's to the point you want it.  But you know what?  If that seems like too much work, you really don't even have to do that.  You can buy ground pork from your local farmer or market and simply use that.  You won't have as much control over the fat content that way, but it definitely simplifies things.  I've done it this way quite a few times since I discovered the magical world of homemade chorizo.  The thing is, it tends to be on the leaner-side of the spectrum this way, actually.  If your pork winds up being "too" lean, you'll just need to adjust for it while cooking.  You can either add fat to the pan or once all of your fat has vanished during the cooking process, add in a bit of water to finish cooking...which is what I usually do.

Homemade Chorizo

adapted from Antojitos

yield: ~1 1/2 lb.

3 chiles de árbol

7 pasilla chiles

1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 c. white vinegar

1 Tbs. kosher salt

2 tsp. cumin, ground

2 tsp. Mexican oregano, dried

1 1/2 tsp. cloves, ground

1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 lb. ground pork

Layer the chiles, onion, and garlic in a non-reactive bowl or shallow dish.  Add the bay leaf.  Pour in the vinegar and cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap.  Set aside, at room temp, for 1 hour.

Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Transfer the chile-vinegar mixture to a blender and process to form a rough paste.  If it is too thick to move easily through the blender, add ~1 Tbs. of water at a time 'til it moves freely.

In a bowl, mix together the chile paste, salt, cumin, oregano, cloves, & pepper.  Add the pork and mix until the paste and spices are evenly distributed.

Put the raw chorizo in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 5 days.  If keeping longer than 5 days, transfer to freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

*If you want to test for seasoning before letting it age in the fridge, simply cook a little blob in a skillet and taste the cooked product.  Adjust seasoning as necessary.

Cook it up and use it as you would any store-bought chorizo...only you'll enjoy it a million times more! 

Use it in anything from tostadas, to tacos, to tortas, to pambasos, to chori-queso, to chorizo con huevos...mmmm...is anybody else getting hungry!?

This post is linked to:


*It's Tuesday...click HERE to add your Two for Tuesdays links this week!  Mmmmmm... REAL food!

Making Yogurt cheese...and then making sandwiches...and then making mmmmmmm noises.

I'm a simple girl.  I like simple things.  Like sandwiches.  I like all the components separately...but I like 'em all put together, too.  There's really  nothing like sitting down with a fresh baked loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese, maybe some good meat or veg or fruit.  And a bottle of wine.  I'm pretty sure I was meant to live in a different part of the world.  Yes, of course I can...and do...eat like that right here.  But I feel like I should be sitting in my Tuscan Villa...or my Mexican Hacienda...or my French Farmhouse...or behind my Irish Pub...or my english Cottage...while doing so.  Some day. 

One easy...no...one beyond-super-easy cheese you can make all on your own to eat with said bread, wine, and other accompaniments is Yogurt cheese.  Plus, it just happens to be one of our current challenges over at Forging Fromage (along with gouda and cloth-banded cheddar).  It's seriously the simplest cheese I've ever made...and a great starting point for anybody who wants to get their toes wet in the world of home cheesemaking! It's made by draining the liquid (whey) from the yogurt by hanging it for at least 8 hours.  The result is basically like cream cheese...only with a snappy tang to it!

Yogurt Cheese
from jam it, pickle it, cure it by Karen Solomon

32 ounces plain yogurt

Line a large bowl with a clean, thin cotton or linen towel I used butter muslin, positioning the middle in the bottom of the bowl. Pour the yogurt into its center.  Gather the for corners of the cloth and tie to form a bag.  The whey should be leaking from the bottom.  Tie over a large bowl or over the sink...either from a kitchen cabinet or rig it up in the fridge like I did here...and let it hang, undisturbed, overnight or for at least 8 hours.  I think I actually ended up forgetting about mine...it was in the fridge in garage...so it hung for a good couple of days or so.  But the extra hang-time didn't hurt it one bit.  It was creamy, tangy, and mighty tasty.  Oh, and did I say way too simple!?  At this point you can use it as-is to do anything from shmearing on bagels to baking a cheesecake...or you can stir in fresh herbs and/or lemon juice, scallions, olives, sun-dried tomatoes or drizzle it with a little infused olive oil...the possibilities are endless. 

I used some of it for shmearing...an activity I love doing...and saying.  Shmear.  I combined it with some freshly baked sourdough bread whose scent wafted in one of those cartoon-like drifts straight up my nose...beckoning me from a local bakery early this morning.  The garden still has plenty of kale.  I was craving prosciutto.  And somehow a jar of pungeantly sweet sundried tomatoes ended up in my pantry suspicious.  This simple sammie to satisfy this simple girl was inspired by one I've been wanting to make from MB's Kitchen Express.

Kale & Prosciutto Sandwich with Yogurt Cheese

Grab a huge handful of washed Kale and slice it into 1/2" ribbons.  Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan, add kale and cook until just wilted & soft.  Season with the juice of half a lemon, some crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  Toast up some slices of sourdough bread and spread them with a thick layer of fresh Yogurt Cheese.  Then top with the kale, a couple of sliced sundried tomatoes in olive oil, and a few slices of thin prosciutto. 

Wash it down with a glass of cool white wine on a hot sunny day!

REAL, good, simple, everyday food.

*Add your Two for Tuesdays links HERE!


This post is linked to:

Culinary Smackdown...Battle: Sandwich!

Girli's Groovy Granola Bars

I've been called a hippie-chick many times in my life.  I suppose because I've always been pretty in-tune with nature...free-spirited...tree-hugging...music-loving...peace sign-flashing...tie-dye shirt-wearing...  amongst other things.  I probably found the love for most of those things being raised by two "once upon a time" hippies.

That's my mom and dad...mere months before I was born.  Look how young and cute and free-lovin' they were!  Man, if only you could see my parents threads better in the picture on the right....I'm tempted to "undo" the collage just to show you moms red, white and blue platform sandals and dads white-ish hightop chucks...what a gas!   

So, lately I've just been waxing nostalgic for some reason.  Maybe it's because I've been foraging in my own yard and getting my hands in the dirt, planting veggies a lot lately... maybe it's the Dead albums I've been vibin' on ...or the grass I smelled drifting on the air a few days ago...whatever the skinny...my inner peace-child is showing.

Girli’s Groovy Granola Bars

Yield: ~20 (2 x 3 ½”) bars

2 c. rolled oats

¾ c. whole wheat flour

¾ c. brown sugar, packed

½ c. wheat germ

¼ c. Whole Flaxseed Meal

2 c. groovy goodies: I use hazelnuts (½ c.), pepitas (½ c.), sesame seeds(¼ c.), shredded unsweetened (or sweetened if it’s all you can find) coconut (½ c.), poppy seeds (¼ c.)

1 tsp. sea salt

freshly grated nutmeg- a few scrapes

½ c. coconut oil

¼ c. honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. pure almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13” pan well, then cut a long piece of parchment or foil to fit long way down center and hang over the end (this will make for easy lifting once baked). Grease that as well.

With your hands, mix together first 8 ingredients (groovy goodies count as 1 ingredient). Once they are well combined, add remaining ingredients to bowl and prepare to get messy. Work your hands through the mixture until everything is evenly moistened. The dry ingredients will just be moist and tacky, but there shouldn’t be any patches of flour left.

Using your hands, press the mixture into your prepared pan.

For chewy granola bars, bake ~20-25 minutes. For crunch granola bars, bake ~30-35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then carefully lift the whole thing out and place on cutting board. Make your cuts now, while the bar is still warm. If you forget and they get hard before you’ve cut them into individual bars…don’t fret! Simply crumble it up and eat it in granola bits!

Delicious, nutricious, flavor-licious...can you dig it?  I do have to site a couple of known inspirations for this post...first off, Kim and her Hippie Rice Salad post in which she showed and old photo of her folks...and second, Stephanie and her granola bars, which were the starting point for mine!  Both of these hip chicks laid down some far-out posts...

You chicks are welcome to chill at my pad anytime.  Just don't tell the man...cuz that would totally harsh the vibe- if ya get my drift. 

The fuzz simply don't dig the hippie lettuce...they're just a bunch of jive turkeys!

I remember the days when munchies didn't cost me all my jing*....

You don't even have to be stoned to scarf some of these babies down...groovy Mama!

Peace, love and granola!

I am submitting this post to My Meatless Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday, Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop Carnival, Tuesday Twister, Wholesome Whole Foods and Vegetarian Foodie Fridays (click on the badges below for more info on each).


*fun slang words from the 70's found here.  I woulda worked 'em all in if I thought you woulda kept reading...

Wishing everybody a safe and happy 4th of July filled with family, friends and FOOD...whether you're in the U.S. or on the other side of the world...let FREEDOM ring!

Apricot Jam w/ cyanide Noyaux

I think apricot jam is underrated. Well, it always was by me, at least. Not sure why. Perhaps because I always used it as an understudy, as opposed to letting it be the star.  The jam I've tried has always been fairly, well...neutral. Dull. Uneventful. Not worth writing home about.  I used it to "seal" the crumb of a cake or melted it in preparation for glazing fruit on a tart or cake.  Maybe it's that I never really took the time to get to know the apricot itself.  I mean sure, I love snacking on dried apricots...but it's not often I grab an apricot to just eat out-of-hand.  I hardly ever see them fresh.  Maybe for a fleeting moment.  The ones at grocery stores are cultivated for shipping.  Picked hard and pale and tasteless.  No wonder apricots have been all but forgotten in their "natural" state.  In the last year or so I've seen some really pretty, tempting, little apricoty-orange ones popping up at the farmer's market.  I decided these little beauties needed their name in lights!  Did you know that apricots do NOT continue to ripen after they're plucked from the tree?  No wonder they lost their appeal stuck amidst the hard peaches and mealy apples in the supermarket.  BUT, if plucked ripe and sagging from the tree...expect a burst of golden juice when you take that first bite...some juice dribbling from your lips because you don't have time to close them before it bursts!  What a pleasant surprise.  A star is born! 

Okay, so now that I actually know an apricot has a flavor of its own, what do I do with it? Turn it into jam. HA!  But, jam that's rich and caramely and golden orange...with a hint of bitter almond.  Jam that begs to be spooned onto toast or layered into a tart.  Or just eaten straight.  Seriously.  It was so tasty, I ate it from the spoon.

Let's talk first about that bitter almond flavor I adore so much.  Did you know that it comes from the pit of an apricot?  I didn't.  Basically the flavor is stuck inside the kernel that lies inside the pit of an apricot.  The flavor that can also be deadly!  That's right...what else do you think of when you think bitter almond flavor? Cyanide! Yikes!  The kernel, actual name Noyaux, contains an enzyme that when mixed with water makes prussic acid.  Poison.  Why in the world, then, is that flavor so desireable?  Have you tasted amaretto? YUM.  That's why.  Fortunately, there's a way to safeguard against accidentally poisoning yourself and your loved ones.  Roasting the noyaux kills that enzyme.  It's a simple process, too.  First, cut the apricot in half...just follow the natural butt-crack and make your way around.  Oh come on...you know it looks like a cute, fuzzy little bootie.  Okay, remove the pit.  Rinse all the stuck on apricot from the pits and place them on a sheet/pan and roast them in a 350 degree F oven for ~15 minutes.  Now, crack open the pits to extract the kernel (noyaux).  But be prepared- the kernel is hard! It's like trying to crack a walnut or an almond from its shell.  Use a hammer or the butt end of the knife...or a nutcracker.  Now, stick 'em back in the oven and roast them for another 10 minutes or so.  Better to be safe than dead.  Chop them up and they're ready to use.

Bitter Almond Flavored Apricot Jam

from Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters

makes 4 c.

2 1/2 lbs. apricots, pitted and cut into 1/2" chunks

3 c. sugar

Noyaux (apricot kernels *see above)- 10 or fewer

Juice of 1 lemon

Stir the diced apricots and sugar together in a large heavy-bottomed nonreactive pot.  Let the mixture stand at least 30 minutes, to overnight...this will let the apricots release their juices and the sugar dissolve.  Chop up your noyaux and add to the fruit and sugar (they are strong, so don't use more than 10 for a batch this size).  Put a small plate in freezer to use later for checking the consistency of the jam.

Prepare four 8-oz. canning jars and self-sealing lids, per manufacturer's directions.

Bring the pot of fruit to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom.  The mixture will bubbleup dramatically, rising high up the sides of the pot.  Skim off any light-colored foam that rises and collects on the sides.  Soon the jam will boil down, forming smaller, thicker bubbles.  At this point, start testing for consistency by putting a small spoonful of jam on the plate.  This will cool off the jam sample quickly so you can tell what finished texture will be like.  When the jam has cooked to the thickness you want, stir in the lemon juice.  Turn off heat and carefully ladle the jam into the prepared canning jars, allowing at least 1/4" of headroom.  Seal, per manufacturer's instructions.  The jam will keep for about a year.  Alternately, make a smaller batch and keep it in the fridge or use it right away.

If you're nervous about using the noyaux, you can leave it out.  My first few bites I felt all tingly...kind of like my throat was closing up.  I felt sort of anxious and my mouth was watering.  Now, I roasted those kernels like there was no tomorrow...but I think it was sort of a placebo-effect sort of thing.  Or perhaps there was a bit of that toxin still in there...the feeling some one is said to get from eating Fugu (Pufferfish).  I may never know.  The important this is...I'm still here.  Writing this post and drooling once again over apricot jam that is packed full of bitter almond and rich caramel notes...with pleasant chunks of actual fruit!

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means!  Or do you?  It's time for another round of Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop Carnival! 

Add your REAL FOOD link at the bottom of this post and then leave a comment so I know you've joined in this week! And remember, your link will show up at all 4 host sites for Two for Tuesdays! Thanks for making and eating REAL food and sharing it with us.

*If you missed the Two for Tuesdays announcement and wonder what it's all about, just click on the badge or HERE and it'll take you to the explanation page!!

I am also submitting this to Tuesday Twister at Gnowfglins and Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

So apparently it's not a that great of an idea to leave the cylinder of your ice cream maker in the freezer from the end of one summer to the beginning of the next.  Icky things make their way inside...and freeze there. Go figure. I suppose I coulda used the old noggin' and wrapped it in plastic or foil or something to keep the inside from gathering said icky things, but....  Instead I used the space inside to hold a bag of cranberries. Smart.  When I pulled it out this morning...all ready to pour in my cinnamon-scented custard (a whole 'nother story)...there were the icky things.  Frozen in time.  Being the quick-thinker that I am, I grabbed a paper towel and wetted it a bit, all set to wipe them away. Yeah.  Now I have paper towel stuck in the inner walls of the cylinder as well. Nice.  Grab a clean kitchen towel...sh*t.  Threads now frozen in place.  Guess I'll have to actually unfreeze it a bit and wait for it to re-freeze before I make the ice cream. So I turned on the hot water and swirled it around a bit...picking and rubbing until all icky things and paper towel and threads were gone...then I stuck it back in the freezer.  Sans cover.  It'll be okay for an hour or so, right?  Better be.  Lesson learned:  cover the opening of the ice cream machine cylinder BEFORE freezing for long periods of time.

Should we go ahead and get the custard debacle out of the way as well.  Might as well.  I woke up bright and early butt-crack of dawn this morning and could not fall back asleep no matter how hard I willed it.  I decided it was the perfect time to get the custard on the stove that I'd been putting off due to hot weather.  It was still cool...birds were chirping...STOP.  Chirping reminds me of tweeting...and that's just what I started to do. Tweet. Twitter...I got sucked in.  It happened to be Friday...so I started sending out #FF's...because usually I completely forget and feel like an a*#hole when I see all the wonderful friends who included me as I went about my day unawares.  Unawares.  I like saying that. Back on subject, I left the stove FOR LIKE, 2 SECONDS to tweet something and BAM, curdled.  Of course.  I tried my best to whisk wish those curds away before walking away and throwing up my shoulders.  But since I was already computing, I looked up cures (since straining didn't work...whoda thought those little curds would slide right through the wire mesh) and found out you could actually just blend them away.  I used my stick blender and wham...beautiful custard.  Cool, huh.  Beautiful cinnamon-scented eggy deliciousness. This day is gonna be okay.

WRONG!  Somewhere in the midst of the mayhem and the relaxation something in the formula went haywire.  This "ice cream" would NOT freeze.  Would. Not. Ugh...I let the ice cream maker run its course, but I still had liquid.  So, I  just poured it all into a container and stuck it in the freezer.  What came out was more of an ice milk than an ice cream.  A somewhat strange-flavored, odd-colored, berry-bottomed ice milk.

Oh well, so is life.  If at first you don't succeed...make an ice cream that doesn't require making custard. I'm about to redeem myself...

Strawberry season is drawing to a close here in Northern Indiana.  So, of course I snatched up a few pints at the farmer's market over the weekend.  Lots of them were really soft and ripe already, so I picked out the prettiest ones to use as decoration on one of the pastel de tres leches I was making (ran out of fresh fruit after the two I had earlier in the week)...and I used the rest in smoothies and ice cream!  They were as warm, sticky, and juicy as the humid summer heat, itself!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
slightly adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
yield: ~1 quart

12 ounces strawberries, washed and quartered
8 ounces cream cheese, at soft room temperature
3/4 cup honey
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon sea salt (I used a vintage merlot sea salt - very nice)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put all of the ingredients into blender and blend on low until just combined; put in fridge to chill.

Pour cool mixture into the base of your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions; result will be very soft, like soft-serve. Transfer to container to harden completely.

This will could potentially keep in the freezer for up to a week. Didn't last longer than a day in mine.