Red, White and Blue Strawberries: Memorial Day Rewind

Are you picnicking this weekend? Do you need to bring a treat?  I don't know about the temperature where you are, but here in VA it's hot, and heating up the kitchen doesn't thrill me. These strawberries, however, do. I posted them last year, but a treat as quick, easy and summery as this one deserves repeating.

I saw these red, white and blue beauties on Baking Bites a while back and immediately thought of all of the occasions they'd be perfect for. Memorial Day? Fourth of July?  Any holiday that calls for a festive touch of red, white and blue would benefit from these luscious berries.

Make some to share while strawberries are still in season- I guarantee they'll be appreciated.  I hope you all have a lovely weekend- have fun and keep safe!


Red, White and Blue Strawberries
recipe from Baking Bites
You'll need:
Strawberries- As many as you plan to dip
1 pkg.white chocolate chips or white dipping chocolate (bark)- found with baking supplies
Blue sanding sugar or sprinkles (The kind you decorate cookies with)
Directions:

•  Wash your strawberries and let them dry thoroughly. Pat dry if necessary. Set aside.
• Line a baking sheet or tray with wax paper or nonstick foil.
•  Pour about half of the sanding sugar into a small bowl.
• In another small bowl, melt white chocolate according to directions on package. I usually melt it in small increments in the microwave on low power until about 80% of it is melted. I then stir it until it is completely melted. If it is too thick, add about 1/2 teaspoon shortening (like Crisco) and stir until melted and smooth.
• Holding a strawberry by the leaves on the stem end, dip into the white chocolate to cover about 2/3 of the berry. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. (If there's a "glob" of chocolate on the end of the berry, scrape it off onto the side of the bowl.)
• Dip the bottom third of the chocolate covered berry into the blue sanding sugar.
• Carefully place each berry onto the prepared tray or baking sheet to set.  (They will set quicker in the refrigerator.) Refrigerate until time to serve. These are best served the same day they are prepared!

Red, White and Blue Berries

I know, I know...strawberries are so delicious on their own why mess with them? Well, because they're delicious AND cute when you mess with them, of course. I saw these patriotic strawberries on Baking Bites, and thought they would be great for a quick treat to take to summertime picnics. I made these for a Memorial Day picnic but they would be equally appropriate for the 4th of July. These are quick, easy, and you don't even have to turn on your oven.

The strawberries I used were HUGE! Some were the size of small apples, but you can use any size berries you can find in your grocery (or garden if you're lucky)! Here's how to make them:

You'll need:
Strawberries- As many as you plan to dip
1 pkg.white chocolate chips or white dipping chocolate (bark)- found with baking supplies
Blue sanding sugar or sprinkles (The kind you decorate cookies with)
Directions:

•  Wash your strawberries and let them dry thoroughly. Pat dry if necessary. Set aside.
• Line a baking sheet or tray with wax paper or nonstick foil.
•  Pour about half of the sanding sugar into a small bowl.
• In another small bowl, melt white chocolate according to directions on package. I usually melt it in small increments in the microwave on low power until about 80% of it is melted. I then stir it until it is completely melted. If it is too thick, add about 1/2 teaspoon shortening (like Crisco) and stir until melted and smooth.
• Holding a strawberry by the leaves on the stem end, dip into the white chocolate to cover about 2/3 of the berry. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. (If there's a "glob" of chocolate on the end of the berry, scrape it off onto the side of the bowl.)
• Dip the bottom third of the chocolate covered berry into the blue sanding sugar.
• Carefully place each berry onto the prepared tray or baking sheet to set.  (They will set quicker in the refrigerator.) Refrigerate until time to serve. These are best served the same day they are prepared!

This post has been linked to Faith and Nutmeg Nanny's All Through the Year Cheer 4th of July event!

Scrambled Hen Fruit?

Do you believe in destiny? This strawberry was destined for me to find it, I'm sure. And to think I almost missed it. It was the very last one I picked before I left the patch today, and soon as I plucked it off of the vine I saw its potential.

This berry gives hen fruit a whole new meaning.  Do you think Ebay is ready for a miracle of this magnitude?

Sour Cream Pound Cake

I'm a pound cake snob. I grew up with my mom's Cold Oven Pound Cake which is so good it pretty much ruined me for others. But I saw this recipe in an older Cooking Light magazine and it looked so simple and elegant I had to break down and try it. It's not "light" by any stretch of the imagination (it's not called pound cake for nothing) but this is a recipe makeover that cuts down (by about half!) on the fat and cholesterol in a traditional pound cake without compromising the taste and texture. It is equally delicious plain as it is topped with fresh berries and whipped cream, which is how I'll be enjoying it. If you're looking for a pound cake to serve with a little less guilt, give this one a try!

Sour Cream Pound Cake (printable recipe here)
recipe by Mary Simpson Creel, Cooking Light magazine
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups egg substitute*
1 1/2 cups light sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cooking spray
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). 
• Gradually add egg substitute, beating well. *Eight egg whites can be used in place of egg substitute, if desired. Add one at a time to sugar mixture. (Confession: I used one whole duck egg for color and made up the rest with egg whites.)
• Combine sour cream and baking soda. Stir well, and set aside. (Make sure your container holds at least 3 cups- the mixture expands. I found this out the hard way. :P)
• Lightly spoon sifted cake flour (sift before measuring) into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 4 1/2 cups flour and salt. Add flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.
• Pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Mine needed about 5 more minutes.) Cool in pan 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
• Yield: 24 servings (serving size 1 slice)

Variations:

• Lemon: Add 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Coconut: Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• Almond: Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 1 teaspoon almond extract

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories 250 (28% from fat); Fat 7.7g;  Protein 3.5g; Carbs 41.9g; Cholesterol 6mg; Sodium 170 mg; Calcium 25mg

Strawberry Jam With a Twist

It would have been a shame to waste a perfectly good sundae, wouldn't it? Seriously. Somebody had to eat it before it melted and before I knew it my spoon was scraping the bottom. What was so special about it? It was the strawberry jam made with fresh strawberries and a touch of balsamic vinegar.

I was looking for something to make with the strawberries I picked this past weekend, and found this recipe for jam on Savory Sweet Life. I don't usually attempt jam on a week night, but this recipe looked so quick and easy I couldn't resist. There was no pectin to worry about, and since it made a small batch, there was no need to sterilize or seal jars. It made just enough to put in my refrigerator to enjoy all week.

Treat yourself to some of this now that strawberries are in season. You'll be so spoiled you won't even want the stuff from the grocery store again. The good thing is, this recipe is so quick and easy you won't need the stuff from the grocery store again! If adding balsamic vinegar to your jam seems a bit too risky for you, this recipe works just as well with lemon juice instead. Whichever you choose, it will be sure to add a bright spot to your day.

Strawberry Jam with Balsamic Vinegar 
recipe slightly adapted from Savory Sweet Life
Ingredients
2 cups chopped strawberries (packed into measuring cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar or lemon juice
Directions
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together strawberries, sugar and balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice) until boiling. Boil, stirring occasionally until your mixture reaches 220 degrees, or until thick and syrupy. (Mine took about 20 minutes.) Pour into a glass jar and refrigerate. Delicious cold or warmed on biscuits, french toast, waffles or ice cream. (Or whatever else that can be made more delicious with some strawberry goodness.)

Berry Picking Time!

Strawberries are ripe in my neck of the woods! They've been plentiful in the grocery stores, but nothing beats fresh strawberries right off of the vine. They smell and taste ambrosial! I picked these from my brother's berry patch this weekend, and they are delicious. It was hard to stop picking even when my bucket was full, and I'm in a quandary over what to make with them. (That actually might not be so hard for me to decide if the berries keep disappearing from the refrigerator at the rate they've been going.)

As sweet and delectable as strawberries are right out of the patch, they're also good dressed up with a little cream cheese dip that's super easy to whip up in a jiffy. All you need is an 8 oz. block of cream cheese (softened) and a large jar of marshmallow cream. Whip them together and there it is! Serve it with fresh strawberries (or other fresh fruit) and you have a beautiful, simple spring dessert.

Strawberries. Only 50 calories in a cupful. High in fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Isn't it great when something that tastes so good is actually good for you?

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This is definitely salad weather. It almost seems as if we've skipped spring altogether, and gone straight to summer! While I know that there are more chilly spring-like days ahead, the hot weather we've been having is perfect for salads. Salads like this one.

I begged this recipe after the salad was served at a teacher appreciation luncheon many years ago. This salad made me feel very appreciated. With the cool strawberries, tart mandarin oranges and crunchy pecans it was a perfect addition to a light lunch. Try it yourself this strawberry season!

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette 

1 head red leaf lettuce (or your favorite mixed greens) washed and torn into pieces

1/2 lb. fresh sliced strawberries

1 can mandarin oranges (or blueberries or any other fruit you prefer)

1/2 cup toasted pecans

Toss together and serve with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Directions:

In a small saucepan, warm vinegar and dissolve sugar in it. 

Let cool to room temperature.

Add the rest of the ingredients and shake together until thoroughly mixed.

Serve with Strawberry Pecan Salad