Strawberry Tart

I made this tart for Mother's Day using berries we got at the Farmers' Market. The recipe is from Simply in Season. Easy, fast, and very yummy!

For the crust:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
2 tbsp powdered suger
In a mixing bowl, mix together until crumbly, with no pieces bigger than a pea. press into a 9-inch pie pan or tart pan. Bake at425 for 10-12 minutes until golden. Cool.

For the filling:
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup mashed strawberries
1/2 orange juice
Blend in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Add 2 tbsp. lemon juice and cool completely.
Stir in 4-6 cups whole strawberries, then pour into crust. Chill 3 hours.

Then top chilled tart with whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Beat with electric mixer until semi-stiff peaks form.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This recipe is from my cousin Elaine and it's always been a big hit so I thought I'd give it a shot for a reunion we have going on today.

For Salad:
1 lb fresh spinach (2-10 oz bags)
1 pint strawberries slice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (I like sliced almonds)

For Dressing:
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp poppy seed
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp powdered onion

To prepare:
Combine all dressing ingredients EXCEPT poppy in a blend until thickened slightly. Add poppy. Just before serving, pour dressing over the mixture of spinach, strawberries, and pecans.

***My [her] personal preference is to pour the dressing over the salad at least an hour before and let it soak in. This really doesn't serve too well the next day after sitting in the dressing and this is a very big recipe. Don't make more than you can eat the same day.***

I FINALLY did it.

...And I'm doing it again!!

I used the recipe provided by Kristen, and made a batch of Strawberry Muffins!

Um, I did it last week (sorry), and I'm such a die-hard Lola-Granola that I used half whole wheat, half all-purpose flour. I just can't help it, I do it every time!

ANYWAY.

I also whipped up some cream with a dash of sugar and a splash of Gran Marnier, topped each muffin with a dollop of cream and a sliced up strawberry, and presto: Instant Strawberry Shortcake for dessert! (And oh, so delicious to have for breakfast...)

Thank you, Kristen!

Now, to experiment with cake-ness...AFTER I make another batch of those delicious muffins, for our weekend guests. (This is SUCH a great way to use up those last strawberries that are going soft...)

It Will be a Strawberry SOMETHING

Y'all,

It is WAY to hot to even think about turning on the oven right now. I have a flat of strawberries, and I think I'm just going to make the granita over at Coconut and Lime, until this heat breaks. Or I break, whichever!

:)

UPDATE: I made the granita. It was a HUGE hit as a dessert for our fish fry on Saturday afternoon! Then, on Sunday, we took our inner tubes and our ice chest and some friends, and went to float on a river nearby (we are so country...). (Which turned out to be a GREAT idea, since it was 105 degrees on Sunday, and the river was still kind of glacial. Aaaahhhh...) The leftover granita, despite the ice chest, was more of a slushy texture than a sorbet texture, but it was still a refreshing snack!

Strawberry Muffins - For Erin

Hey Erin,

So this is technically a muffin recipe, but I don't see why it cannot become a cake recipe with a little tweaking? I think you could just put a light powdered sugar dusting with sliced strawberries on it. enjoy!

Strawberry Muffins
yields 12 muffins

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar (I think this could safely be cut to a half cup)
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
2 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add strawberries. Beat eggs, butter, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir.

Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

place a sliced strawberry on top of each muffin after they have cooled.