Turning shredded cheese into "slices" for topping burgers, making grilled sandwiches

Shredded cheese is almost always more economical than loaf or sliced cheese, for me. And it's very convenient for adding to pizzas, or making cheese sauces, or topping casseroles.

But not so convenient for topping burgers or sliding between bread for grilled sandwiches. However, there's a simple trick to turning the shredded into "slices".

Remove the turntable from your microwave, and place a sheet of parchment paper on it. (Dollar Tree now sells parchment paper.)

Make neat piles of shredded cheese, about 3 inches in diameter, on the parchment, using about 1/3 cup of cheese per pile.

Place the turntable/parchment/cheese into the microwave. Microwave on full power in 10 second increments, until cheese is nearly all melted, watching closely (just under 30 seconds for my microwave and 4 piles of cheese).

Chill turntable/parchment/cheese in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then peel the "slices" off of the parchment.

The parchment paper can then be rolled up and stored in a large ziploc in the freezer, and reused many times for this.

These "slices" melt nicely on burgers and in sandwiches.

Holiday Potpourri

In a package from a "boutique" Christmas shop, for about $10 per bag. Or,

homemade, using whole cinnamon sticks (salvaged from jars of homemade watermelon pickles, then simmered in water for a bit, to remove syrupy film), whole cloves, 1 orange (sliced thin and dried in dehydrator then sprinkled with ground cinnamon), and cedar sprigs from our woodlot, also dehydrated to preserve the color. 

The key to aromatic potpourri is in the scented oil. You can use essential oil, or fragrance oil (from the candle and fragrance section of craft stores like Michael's). I've used a Woodland Pine-scented fragrance oil for this potpourri. I bought the tiny bottle several years ago and only use a few drops at a time -- a small bottle lasts a long time.

I sprinkle a couple of drops of fragrance oil on the potpourri every morning. I also add some ground cinnamon, right over the dish of potpourri, every few days. (Cinnamon oil would be even better, but this is a "what I have" project.)

Homemade potpourri is different from store-bought, in that the fragrance is not overwhelming from the beginning. But with daily additions, I can control the strength of aroma, to be just barely detectable to me -- a background scent, not a focal point in the room.

I love that it's decorative, too. The oranges don't add scent, but visual contrast. Packaged in cellophane bags, this would make a nice hostess gift during the holidays. I may have to make up another batch just to have at the ready for gifting! 

The materials for my batch of potpourri costs about 75 cents to $1 (the small orange, some whole cloves and some of the fragrance oil). Knowing how inexpensive and easy it is to make at home, it does make me cringe at the idea of buying a bag for $10 at the boutique Christmas shop.