EMPTY JARS FULL OF USES...

Back in the days when peanut butter came in glass jars, my mom declared these the best of all savable jars because they were large, sturdy and reliable. She used them for storing bacon grease, for orphan buttons, and in the summertime, my dad filled jars with homegrown cucumbers from his garden with vinegar and dill, and used them for storing nails and screws in the garage, too. I don't think a jar was ever thrown out in our house. Along with the Adkisson family coffee addiction, I've also inherited the love of old jars. I've always used them for making vinaigrette's and storing leftovers, from chopped garlic and olive oil to extra pizza sauce, but after seeing one composed salad after another at trendy to-go lunch spots, each one of them featuring layers of veggies, or grains, or legumes, artfully stuffed into clear plastic cups, I thought about an even more economical and environmentally friendly way to do the same thing: with re-purposed old jars. It seems so obvious, doesn't it? Instead of going out to buy that perfect ramekin or cute little dish to make that recipe of chocolate mousse or pudding or whatever, just use your old jam jars. I say jam jars, because they're often fat and squatty, and therefore easy to eat out of, but any ole wide-mouth jar will do {some salsa jars are actually great for this}. I now use them for all sorts of things, from making single {and portable} servings of cold salads, like lentil salad with smoked salmon, to stuffing them with plums, cauliflower or chicken {all recipes below} and warming them through, like the mini-casseroles they are. Pick you jars depending on what you plan to do with them. If you're using then for stuffing and traveling {jars are great for picnics or lunches}, any old jar will do, but if you're using them to cook in, make sure they're heat-resistant, as canning jars will be. Besides the obvious money-saving appeal of using jars, they're cute...especially the ones that I find at the flea markets. I like to think of it as recycling.