Strawberry Daiquiri

 

1 cup (8 oz.) light rum

4 cups (32 oz.) frozen strawberries (if you only have fresh, remove the leaves, hull and chop the berries and add extra ice)

¼ cup (2 oz.) simple syrup (homemade or store-bought; see below for instructions)

½ cup (4 oz.) lime juice

Ice to taste

Directions:

 1: To make simple syrup, bring 1 cup water to a boil and stir in 1 cup sugar until dissolved. Let cool.

 2: Add the rum, strawberries, simple syrup and lime juice to a blender.

 3: Add the ice. Start with a ½ cup and add more later if you want it thicker.

I had a bunch of frozen strawberries in the freezer I wanted to use up. Plant City Strawberries are in the stores now- ❤

Step 4: Pulse the blender on low a few times to warm it up. Blend on high until smooth. Taste it to see if it’s to your liking and adjust rum or ice accordingly.

Creamy Watermelon Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped seedless watermelon, plus watermelon wedges for garnish

1 small banana ( I had a frozen banana- which I tossed in)

¾ cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

Add all the above to blender.

Blend until creamy.

It's been SO hot here. Watermelons have been on sale and thought I would give this a try.

LOVED it!💗

 

Valentines Day Overnight Oats + Strawberry Chia Jam

  

 Ingredients: 

Overnight Oats

1 cup oats

2 tbsp chia seeds

3/4 cup almond milk

1 tbsp honey/other sweetener

For the jam I used  THIS

Directions:

 Combine the oats, chia seeds, almond milk and sweetener in a bowl. Mix together until everything is combined (especially the chia seeds).

Place in fridge for 6-8 hours.

Before eating, scoop about 1/3 cup into a mason jar. Add a layer of strawberry jam and another layer oats. Add a final layer of jam and top with fresh strawberries, some chocolate bits or whatever toppings you desire.

Happy Valentines Day!💞🦋

Pride Of Kentucky Strawberry Julep

1 cup pureed strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups crushed ice
1 cup bourbon
4 mint sprigs
4 whole berries with caps

Directions

In a small bowl, combine pureed strawberries and sugar

mix the sugar until dissolved.

Divide strawberry mixture equally in four glasses

Pack each glass with crushed ice

Pour 1/4 cup bourbon in each glass

Garnish with mint and berry.

Strawberry Onion Relish

I never heard of a strawberry onion. Laura picked one up for me. It was the size of a small pumpkin. Used half to make the relish.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 large strawberry onions, diced into ½ inch cubes
1 pint of Florida strawberries, lightly pureed
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly stirring frequently. This will soften and caramelize the onions until they become delicate and sweet. Cook the onions until they are soft and the color of light brown sugar.

Next, add the strawberries, sugar,  salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and continue to cook over medium low heat until thick. Remove from heat and let site for 15 minutes.


Serve warm or room temperature over fresh French bread or paired as a chutney with meats such as chicken breast, turkey.

source

Zippy Strawberry Iced Tea

It's recipe exchange day in Live Oak. This month's theme is brunch.

Tea is always a wonderful addition and since strawberries are in season I made this.

Ingredients:

2 cups strawberries, washed hulled and halved
1/2 cup sugar
6 cups water
2 tea bags ( single serving size)*
1 12 ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate- thawed

Directions:

In a blender or food processor puree strawberries

In a small bowl combine the strawberries and sugar. Mix until dissolved. Cover  and chill until ready to use.

Heat water to a boil, remove from heat and steep tea bags for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool tea and let set to room temp.

Combine strawberry puree and lemonade in a large pitcher and mix well. Add cool tea and mix well.

* I used green tea

Sunny Strawberry Orange Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strawberry, washed, hulled and halved
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 orange juice

Directions:

In blender- combine strawberries, pineapple and orange juice...

Blend until smooth

Hint:  I froze the fruit first and added a few ice cubes-- YUM!

Sweet & Salty Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce
3 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

In a medium glass bowl combine sugar, vinegar,salt, and red pepper sauce. Add strawberries and toss to coat and allow berries to marinate for about 10 minutes

To serve- spoon berries into individual bowls and sprinkle with nuts of your choice.


this is SO good!

Strawberry Banana Coupe

The recipe called for ice cream. I wanted to make it healthier and subbed vanilla Greek yogurt.

I didn't make the meringues. This would of worked a little better if the meringues were smaller. 

Ingredients:

16-20  small meringues

2 pints strawberries

2 bananas

2 tablespoon port wine or orange juice ( used OJ)

2 tablespoon powered sugar

2 cups vanilla ice cream ( used vanilla Greek Yogurt)

2 tablespoon grated chocolate ( optional)

Whipped cream ( optional)

Directions:

1. Hull strawberries. Rinse and drain well. Chop coarsely in a food processor.

2. Peel and chop banana, add to strawberry mixture in food processor. Add OJ and powered sugar. Pulse a few times until combined.

3. Place a few meringues into dessert glass.

4. Layer strawberry over meringue then layer of ice cream or vanilla Greek Yogurt. Add more meringues and repeat strawberry/ yogurt layers.

5. Garnish with mint and whipped cream.

6. Serve immediately.

Balsamic Berry Gelatin Gummy Snacks- NO SUGAR

I love making recipes that are different. The Primalist shared this recipe and it got my attention right away.

 Planned to make this with just the blueberries but someone gave me a quart of strawberries. I used 2 cups fresh strawberries and 2 cups fresh blueberries. 

It has NO sugar and not sure if this would be kid friendly but I sure liked it!

Ingredients:

2 cups washed and hulled strawberries

2 cups washed, stems removed blueberries

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar*

4 tablespoons gelatin **


1 cup  water

Directions:

1- In a medium size saucepan combine berries and balsamic vinegar over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and have cooked through. Remove from the burner and set aside.

2-  Puree the berries with an immersion stick blender until completely smooth.  Cool slightly before transferring to a food processor if not using an immersion stick blender. 

3- Pour 1 cup water into a bowl with a large surface area. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, making sure it's incorporated into the water (if there are any dry spots, stir  gently, and if it has soaked up all the water but there’s still dry spots, add a little bit of water). Let sit for 5 minutes.

5- Transfer blueberry mixture to a 11″x 13″ Pyrex pan lined with parchment paper (or equivalent shallow dish). Allow the berry mixture to come to room temperature. Then place in the fridge to set.

6- This took about 2-3 hours to set.

7- Can be cut into fun shapes.

* I really love balsamic vinegar with my fruit but juice or water can be substituted for the balsamic.

** The only gelatin I have used is this ONE. There are different brands and choose the one which is suitable to your diet.

*** I have more blueberries and want to make another batch. I'll use just the blueberries and going to try grape juice or maybe apple.


Featured 6/27/16 on Two Uses Tuesday

Sweet & Spicy Kale Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa

Gabe would be the first person to tell you I can not resist a sale. I'm not into clothing or shoes but put me in a grocery store and something is on sale, I'm a moth to a flame.

Strawberries were in sale and I wanted to make something for Cinco de Mayo. I love salsa and wanted to do something different.

I used the dressing from Strawberry Wonton Cups, which gave it a slightly sweet taste.  I didn't have cilantro in the garden but still had Spicy Baked Kale Chips in a bag. Great combination!!

No need to source it, I made it up. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Ingredients:

2 cups washed and sliced strawberries

1/4 cup red onion- diced

1 jalapeno pepper- washed, seeds removed, diced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Crushed kale chips

Directions:

Add sliced strawberries, onion and jalapeno to a medium size bowl.

Mix balsamic vinegar and sugar and pour over the strawberries,onion and jalapeno.

Serve immediately and sprinkle with crushed kale chips or cover and refrigerate strawberry mixture until ready to serve. 

Featured 5/10/16 Hearth and Soul Hop Link Party

Featured 5/14/16 Best of the weekend

Featured on the June Link party Tales of a Kansas Farm Wife

Strawberry Chia Seed Jam- 3 ingredients

Strawberry season brings out the recipe detective in me. I love my cookbooks  but heard about this recipe from one of the ladies who attends yoga with me. No idea where she got the recipe but she makes it all the time and loves it.

It was easy to remember- 3 ingredients!

Ingredients:

2 cups strawberries- washed, tops removed. Berries should be a room temp. 

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

Place strawberries and honey/maple syrup in a saucepan and mash them until they are the consistency of coarse apple sauce. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the chia seeds. Place jam in refrigerator for at least one hour to thicken, then serve.

This jam doesn’t contain any preservatives so either use within a few days or freeze it.

Note: she has grandchildren that are picky about jam texture.   She grinds the chia seeds first then tosses the whole batch in the blender in the end to make it really smooth.  It's more of a strawberry ‘spread’ than jam . She also adds a scoop of Vital Proteins gelatin. Good way to sneak it into food. 

Featured 4/10/16 Happiness Is Homemade

Featured 4/15/15 Sugar and Spice Link party

STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE

It's strawberry season in Florida.  Strawberries from Plant City or Stark. Who can resist fresh berries? I sure can't!

This recipe from Baker by Nature. I saw this on pinterest and knew I was making it asap. I cut up the strawberries, mango and placed in a plastic bag and froze.


Ingredients:

For the mango layer:

Heaping 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
3/4 cup orange juice

For the strawberry layer:

Heaping 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup orange juice, more if needed
1 tablespoon honey or sugar, optional

Directions:

 1-Mango layer:

Place all of the ingredients in blender; pulse until smooth, add a bit more orange juice, if needed.

For the strawberry layer:
Place all of the ingredients in blender; pulse until smooth, adding orange juice to thin, if needed.

Assembly:
Fill each glass half way with the mango mixture then fill the rest of the glass with the strawberry mixture; add straws and enjoy!

Featured 4/4/16 Over the moon

Strawberry Chipotle Jam

The recipe is from a community cookbook called The Delft 'n Spoon. The Esther Circle of The First Reformed Church in West Sayville, New York . 


Ingredients:

7 Cups Strawberries,  (around 3 lbs.)
2 large Lemon, zested and juiced
6 1/2 Cups sugar
2-3 canned Chipotle Peppers (packed in Adobo sauce- if you like it spicy,double the chipotles)
1 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Crush the berries into small pieces, if it's more than 7 cups, not a problem!

In a blender, add the lemon juice, zest, and chipotles that you’ve picked out of the can. Blend until liquefied.

In an 8 quart stock pot, place the liquid from the blender,  berries, salt and all of the sugar. Heat on medium high heat and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, watching and stirring constantly. It may boil over, so watch the pot.

Check for gel consistency by placing a teaspoonful of jam on a frozen plate. If you can draw your finger in a straight line through it and it stays separated and not runny than go to the next step. If the jam isn't just right, continue to simmer and check it this way every 5 minutes.

Place the hot jam in sterilized jars and seal in a hot water bath. If you have never canned before, I added a link below. 

This site has lots of good information.

Featured July 21, 2015 on Yesterfood
Featured July 23, 2015 on Posed Perfection
Featured July 23, 2015 on Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Featured August 4,2015 on Tasty Tuesday -

Information on how to water bath for canning

Strawberry Applesauce

I found the recipe on Tip Garden. I made it when we were in Florida .

Two days before we returned to  Long Island, I had to pick up a few things in Walmart for the trip home. On the way out I saw the strawberries and they were on sale. My magic word!

Gabe thought I was crazy to make it since there was only two days left before we were on the road home but I assured him the applesauce would be gone.

As usual I was right and enjoyed it.



Ingredients:

4 apples- peeled and chopped
2 cups Strawberries- washed and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Combine all the  ingredients in large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 10-15 minutes till fruit is soft and cooked.

Remove from heat, and cool slightly.

Add ingredients to  food processor and pulse to desired consistency.

Store in refrigerator

Berry Tart With Lemon Curd Mascarpone

Another fabulous recipe from Cyndy!! 
Thanks Cyndy for another fantastic contribution.


 My inspiration today came from Heidi at Foodiecrush.com.  I spied the luscious berry tart she made...  she had me at Curd. I currently have a small assortment of fresh made curds in my fridge.  Lemon, Meyer lemon, peach and pineapple.  Why?  because I was in a mood and had the fruit and it sounded great at the time. Now  I have to use it up, and while using it on my toast in the morning is great, I have to use them up or give them away so they won't spoil.  I'm trying to use them and am finding some pretty good recipes & ideas.  I decided to go with a graham crust on this one. I have to try the pastry crust  but I had graham crumbs that needed to be used.  Also, I thought I had almond meal and I didn't.  I used only strawberries this time but i'm very sure you can use pretty much any berry since they pair nicely with the Lemon Curd Mascarpone.  


About the crust.  MAKE the pastry crust. I love the taste of a good graham crust but this needs a solid crust to sustain the weight of the cream and berries and a good pastry crust is always delicious, so i'll include the recipe Heidi used.   I used my standby recipe for the lemon curd and it's the same one I used in making the Frozen Lemon dessert cups.... hmmm, I should make that again.   The creamy Lemon Mascarpone heightens the flavor of the sweet juicy strawberries & it was delicious.  The perfect ending to a good meal.  


Check out Heidi's blog, the picture of her tart is gorgeous.  My thanks to Heidi at foodiecrush.com, this recipe is in my keeper file.  Lemon Curd recipe is at the bottom of the post.  

                                Berry Tart With Lemon Curd Mascarpone


Ingredients:

For the tart crust

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup almond flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, very cold and diced into ¼ inch pieces
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons cold water

For The Mascarpone Filling


¾ cup whipping cream
1 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar
1 cup lemon curd
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 pint raspberries
¼ cup strawberry preserves
Mint leaves for garnish


Instructions:

Pastry Crust:


Pre-heat your oven to 375°

Place the first 4 crust ingredients in a good sized bowl and whisk to combine.  Start adding the butter a few pieces at a time cutting them into the flour.  Add 1 tbsp of the cold water to the egg yolk whisk until mixed then add to the flour mixture.  Use your hands to finish combining the flour mix until you can hold a piece of dough in between your fingers and it holds together when pinched.  Add, more water if dough needs more a little at a time.


Butter the bottom and sides of  your tart pan (with removable bottom).  Put dough into tart pan and press into pan and up the sides. Using fork tines, prick the dough.  Cover and refrigerate the dough for about an hour.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 12 - 15 minutes until golden .  Let cool completely, then fill with cream filling

Filling:

In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks.  add the cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar.  Beat on med speed until combined.  Add the lemon Curd to the cream mixture and fold gently.  My mixture was a bit thick but I was able to spread it easily onto the cooled crust.

I didn't use the strawberry preserves on my tart. I wanted the sweetness of the fresh strawberries to shine through and they did.  If you want to use the preserves, heat them just until thin enough to coat the berries (pour over berries in bowl and mix until just coated) and place on top of tart carefully and garnish as desired. I used chocolate mint leaves and lemon zest curls.

Lemon Curd:
Source- Dessert Magazine

1 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest( used 4 tbsp)
2 cups granulated white sugar
4 Extra large eggs yolks, plus 3 large whole eggs
3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks), cut into small pieces


Using a large heavy bottomed sauce pan I whisked the egg yolks and whole eggs then added the lemon juice, sugar & zest and whisked until the mixture was combined.

Stir constantly over medium heat making sure to whisk around the edges of the pan until mixture is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.   This should take about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in the butter whisking well until the butter is melted. 

Strain curd through fine mesh strainer into bowl.  I did this while it was still warm. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Let the curd cool for about 10 - 15 minutes then place in the refrigerator and give it a stir once in a while to help it cool further.  Once cooled, place plastic wrap directly on top of the curd to keep a skin from forming.  Keep refrigerated.  I put mine in mason jars.  It should keep for about a week or two in a very cold refrigerator

Featured June 22, 2015 Good Tips Tuesday

Featured June 24,2015 Pin Worthy

Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Rolls

Doesn't this look awesome? Thank you Carol for sharing another fabulous recipe!!!!!!!!


                                      Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Rolls 

This recipe is the very first sweet roll recipe I created from scratch.

I had been thinking about making a roll with these flavors for quite some time...to the point of trying ideas for them twice. Neither attempt gave me the end result I was looking for. I wanted something like a cinnamon roll, only with strawberries and cream cheese in the filling. A great idea, but I wasn't happy with the the bread in the center of the rolls-the layers of cream cheese and fruit created too much moisture so it was really wet. They tasted great-we ate them-but I knew there had to be a better way.

Finally it hit me-I was going about this all WRONG! I had a "light bulb moment" if you will.....put the cream cheese IN the dough instead of spread it ON the dough. The cream cheese can take the place of butter, PLUS will give a "cheesecake" taste...at least I HOPED it would. Since I always add butter extract and vanilla extract to my sweet roll dough's, both would be included here, as well as freshly grated lemon zest-something I add to my mini cheesecakes. 


Making ropes of bread dough then forming them into coils like I do when making a favorite recipe for Raspberry "Danish" would be PERFECT for these!  

Cyndy sent me a kaboodle of Lorann Double Strength flavored oils to add to melted chocolate to bump up the flavor when making making candy, flavored popcorn or baking...well, one of the the oils she included in the mix is CHEESECAKE! What better way to enhance the flavor of the cream cheese?  The oils are concentrated so a little goes a long way.  These oils can be found in craft stores, baking supply stores and online.

Instead of spreading the strawberry filling onto the bread dough and rolling it inside, why not TOP the bread with the strawberries?  After all-the image of the cheesecake I had in my mind had the strawberries spread on top.

The final hurdle was to get graham cracker crumbs incorporated into the recipe. That part was easy...instead of adding melted butter to graham cracker crumbs and a touch of sugar that I use for the mini cheesecake crust, I would brush the butter onto the rope of dough, then roll it in the graham cracker crumbs-hence a "crust" on the outside of the "cheesecake" roll.

All that was needed was a light glaze over top to make this creation complete. I added a little cheesecake oil to it to further enhance that cheesecake flavor.


FINALLY-the end result I dreamed of. It's everything I wanted and more. The soft, tender roll has a slight cream cheese/cheesecake flavor, the graham crackers add a little crunch to the outside of the rolls when they're fresh out of the oven and the fresh strawberry topping adds a delicious not-too-sweet finale. The crumbs do soften once the rolls are covered for storage, but that's OK-they still taste FABULOUS!

It's been awhile since I've played with some new ideas on this cheesecake roll theme....I'm sensing some experimenting in my kitchen "laboratory" coming up soon. I suddenly have a few more  flavor ideas rolling around in my head to take these on another tasty ride. :)


Carol


STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SWEET ROLLS

STRAWBERRY FILLING
1 (2 lb.) container fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2-3/4 c. granulated sugar (adjust the amount up or down according to the sweetness of the strawberries)
2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

4-5 drops red food coloring

BREAD DOUGH:
2 1/2-3 c. bread flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. instant or quick-rise yeast
1/4 c. warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/4 c. warm milk (120-130 degrees)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (light cream cheese can be used)
1 large egg
Grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. butter extract
1/4 tsp. Lorann cheesecake flavor double strength oil (optional)
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR GLAZE:
1/2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Lorann cheesecake flavor double strength oil (optional)
1-2 Tbsp. milk

For the filling, combine the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch in a 10" skillet. Bring the mixture  to a boil, stirring constantly, crushing the berries lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook and stir until the mixture has thickened.  It will be chunky-that's the end result you want.  Remove from the heat and let the filling cool completely.

For the bread dough, combine 1 1/2 c. flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the warm water, milk and cream cheese. Beat until the mixture is combined. Add 1/2 c. flour, egg, lemon zest, vanilla, butter extract and cheesecake oil. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until a soft dough forms. The dough will be sticky.  

Turn the dough onto a floured board. Knead in some of the remaining 1/2-1 c. flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. I used about 2 1/2 c. flour total in this dough-that includes the kneading. It all depends on how warm it is in your kitchen and how much humidity is in the air as to how much flour you'll need to add. The dough should be slightly sticky-too much flour will dry the bread out. 


Cover the dough and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. 

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar and spread the mixture out on a piece of waxed paper.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 15" rope.  Brush each rope with melted butter, then roll the rope in the graham cracker crumb mixture, coating it well.  

Form the rope into a coil, tucking the ends under.  Place the coils on baking sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle the coils with any remaining graham cracker crumb mixture.  Cover them lightly with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30-45 minutes.

When the rolls are almost doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly press the center of each roll with your fingers to make a hole for the filling. Fill each indentation generously with strawberry filling. I fill the center, then mound and slightly spread the filling on the top of each roll.  

Bake @ 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned. Immediately remove the rolls from the pans to a wire rack and cool completely.


For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, cheesecake oil (if using) and just enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency. Lightly drizzle the glaze over each roll.  Makes 12.

Featured June 15th 2015  Make It Monday

Featured June 19th 2015  Gator Mommy

Featured June 21 2015 Sunday's Best Link Up

Featured June 22, 2015 Good Tips Tuesday

Featured June 23th 2015 Tasty Tuesdays

Featured July 2nd 2015 Carole's Chatter

Skinny Copycat Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino

It's  "skinny" because I left out the ice cream and subbed Strawberry Greek Yogurt. 

Saw the recipe on Simplee Thrifty and adapted it. I did a search on the web to see if anyone had made it with Greek Yogurt and didn't see a recipe. The yogurt was my idea and if this recipe was made before the day I posted please  send me your link so I can source it.

It was delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Almond Milk ( recipe used regular milk)
1 5.3 ounces container Strawberry Greek Yogurt
1 cup ice
2-4 strawberries -depending on size.


Directions:

Add all of the above ingredients to the  blender and blend until ice is crushed.

Give it a good stir to make sure there aren't large chunks of ice. If there are, blend again.

Pour into glass and if you want, add some whipped cream.

I treated myself to cold tea in Starbucks and saved the glass. You never know when you might need it for a photo shoot! 

Featured June 16th 2015 Glenrose Square Tips & Tricks

Featured June 18th 2015 Home and Garden Thursday

Featured June 21th 2015 The Mad Mommy

Featured June 22th 2015 Plucky Second Thought

Featured August 6th  2015 Friday Flash Blog

Strawberry Wonton Cups

Wow, This is so good! I was going to bring a few to my neighbor but they never made it out of the house.

The recipe is slightly adapted from Imperial Sugar

Ingredients:

 2 cups strawberries, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon or more to taste Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
24 2-inch round won ton wrappers
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.

 Combine strawberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.

 Place a wonton wrapper into each of the muffin cups and press carefully to make sure there is a opening in the center.

Place in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Fill each wonton with strawberry mixture. 

Sprinkle with goat cheese and garnish with basil.

 Serve immediately.

Note: 2015 featured on The Pinworthy Project Link Party
          April 30th featured Foodie Friday & Everything Else
          May 23rd featured Pieced Pastimes

This  recipe was also featured 2014- please check the link on the toolbar

Strawberry Chocolate Pretzel Treat

Light bulb moment at Walgreen's. I saw chocolate covered pretzels and I knew I had two pounds of strawberries. An idea forming.

There's a recipe that's been around forever. Berries  in  jello and  layered with pretzels on the bottom. I didn't want to make it, sounds delicious but I wanted something different.

I knew I had yogurt at home and knew the combination I came up with would work.

Honestly, it can't be any easier.

Ingredients:

6 or 7  fresh strawberries depending on size- sliced
1 cup Strawberry Greek yogurt ( use any flavor you like)
Chocolate covered pretzels ( break up by hand in small pieces- I used about 12 mini chocolate pretzels) 

Directions:

Place half of the yogurt in the bottom on a 8 ounce tumbler glass.

Break  the chocolate covered pretzels on top of the yogurt.

 Spoon the rest of the yogurt on top of pretzels.

Add the sliced berries on top of the yogurt.

If you have whipped cream or cool whip top the berries .

This recipe is so inter changeable - you could use any type of berry or even cut up a pineapple. It's easy and good.