Darling clementines

Clementines by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Now that school is back in session, (holidays and snow storms have made this only the second full week of school since early December), I'm back to spending my days in the car. Two daily carpool runs on two different school schedules makes my minivan a second home. And just like at home, the girls will ask for snacks to tide them over on the short trip from school to home. My latest solution is to keep a crate of clementines on the back seat. They are easy to peel, and if you do it right, the peel comes off in a single, easily disposable piece. They are tasty and not one bit messy.

Even with evening temps in the 20s, the clementines are just nicely chilled, not frozen. We've gone through two crates in the past week, which leaves me with a problem: what to do with leftover clementine crates? Wouldn't you know, there's a Facebook page devoted to the puzzling question; there are some creative ideas on this page, too, from a baby doll bed to an herb garden. There are more mundane uses as well, like paper storage (I've employed one crate to hold coupons awaiting sorting.)

I also found a lovely-sounding recipe at Megan's Cookin' blog for clementines dipped in chocolate and dusted with sea salt. Sounds like gilding the lily, but sometimes that's a good thing.

What about you? Are you crazy for clementines? Do you eat them straight or cook with them? Any genius ideas for repurposing clemmie crates?