Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

I haven't done a lot of baking this summer, much to the chagrin of my family and friends I'm sure. I haven't been motivated, it's been too hot, I don't want to deal with the dishes, etc.; I have tons of excuses, but the bottom line is that I've been using my sweets allowance for Twix ice cream bars. You guys know those exist, right?

I did manage to pull myself out of my baking funk long enough to make this pie for a recent family gathering, and I'm so glad I did, because this is one amazing dessert. There's no gelatin here -- just a tart-sweet pile of strawberries atop a creamy, tangy cream cheese layer, all nestled within a buttery crust. Needless to say, slices of this pie, topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, were very well-received. It's summer on a plate -- and well worth turning on the oven for.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
adapted from Busy Cooks on About.com

Pastry for 1 9-inch pie
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 vanilla bean
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup whipped topping

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, fluting the edges. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Cool completely.

2. Thoroughly mash 1 1/2 cups of the strawberries. Mix sugar and corn starch in a heavy saucepan and stir in the strawberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Cook and stir for one minute and remove from heat. Scrape the pods from the vanilla bean and stir into the strawberry mixture. Cool completely.

3. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread the cream cheese mixture into the cooled pie crust.

4. Slice the remaining strawberries and place them evenly over the cream cheese layer. Pour the cooked and cooled strawberry mixture over the top. Chill for 3 to 4 hours before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Bite-Sized Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Cups

I've been trying to be more efficient on the weekends to make life easier for myself during the week. For example, I've been prepping food for lunches and dinners, laying out the boys' clothes for the week so I'm not pawing through their wardrobe every morning, and preparing their breakfasts ahead of time. They're big fans of pancakes in the mornings, so I usually make a big batch of silver-dollar pancakes on Sunday morning and freeze them for breakfasts throughout the week.

Recently, though, when our neighbor gifted us with five pounds of strawberries from his garden, I thought it would be the perfect time to try out something new. My fellas would eat strawberries and cream instant oatmeal every day if I let them, so I thought they'd enjoy these baked oatmeal cups. Not surprisingly, they did! I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal, baked or instant or otherwise (it's a texture thing for me), but I did try one of these and I liked it. These baked oatmeal cups are moist and flavorful and so easy to make. And they're so adaptable; I plan to try a version with bananas and chocolate chips next. 

With two little boys to get washed and dressed and fed every weekday morning, all before 7 AM, anything that makes the breakfast portion of the morning go more quickly gets a huge thumbs-up in my book.

Bite-Sized Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Cups
adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

2 cups oats (quick-cooking or old-fashioned)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup honey or agave 
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tray liberally with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, salt, and baking powder. Add honey and stir to combine (it will be sticky, obviously). Add the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. The mixture will be runny. Stir in the strawberries.

3. Portion the batter among the mini muffin cups, filling each cup nearly to the top. 

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes in the pan. Once they've cooled slightly, run a knife around the edges and gently remove from the pan. Serve warm or room temperature. Store in an air-tight container.

Strawberry Cake with Thick Strawberry Glaze

I made this cake last month for a Mother’s Day dinner/birthday party for Andrew with Joe’s family. When I was throwing out cake ideas, Andrew got pretty pumped about the idea of strawberry cake – and I thought it would be a lovely springy sort of cake, so that’s what I went with. When we got to the dinner, though, we discovered that Joe’s grandma had made Andrew a chocolate cake shaped and decorated like a teddy bear – so all excitement about my humble strawberry sheet cake went right out the window. That sweet lady is a constant reminder to me of what I need to strive for in my culinary life; she’s an amazing baker!

Thankfully, everyone still loved this cake, me included. The cake itself is moist and packed with strawberry flavor, but it’s the sweet, sticky strawberry glaze that takes it over the top. The glaze was supposed to be a frosting, but I used more strawberries than the original recipe indicated, so it turned out to be thinner than a frosting but thicker than a traditional glaze. What a happy accident that was! Since strawberry season is now in full swing, I’m eager to try this again with juicy, sweet fresh strawberries.

Strawberry Cake with Thick Strawberry Glaze

adapted from Food Network

For the cake:

1 18.25-ounce box white cake mix

1 3-ounce box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin

1 15-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed

4 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

For the frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 10-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed

7 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch cake pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

3. To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixture until smooth and creamy. Beat in the strawberries. Gradually add confectioners' sugar to desired thickness, beating until smooth.

4. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Store leftovers (if there are any!) in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Every year, our neighbor shares his strawberry crop with us, and I have so many strawberry recipes saved for just this reason. That knock on the door, that smiling neighbor, and those juicy, ripe strawberries are something I look forward to every single year, and I waste no time in getting into the kitchen and making something delicious with my bounty. As soon as I saw this pie, I knew it would be the perfect use for some of the strawberries (because, let's be honest, most of them we just pop into our mouths like candy).

Reeni wrote an adorable post to go with this recipe, in which she shared that she has hang-ups about cooked, mushy strawberries, and thus was less than impressed with this dessert. I have no such hang-ups, so I knew I'd love this, and I did. The strawberries really weren't the star for me, though; what I loved most was the fluffy, lemony cheesecake that surrounded them. If you don't like the texture of cooked strawberries, just bake the cheesecake pie without them, and top each individual serving with sliced strawberries that have been macerated in some sugar. For me, you really can't go wrong either way.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 pint strawberries, ends trimmed

2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the strawberries cut side down evenly over the crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a food processor, process eggs and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cream cheese, pulse to break up and then process until smooth. Add sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour and vanilla. Process just until smooth, about 20 seconds. Pour the filling carefully over the strawberries.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top looks firm and is set when you gently shake the pan. Cool on wire rack, then cover and chill completely before serving. Slice with a warm knife, wiping clean after each cut.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Fruit salsa is one of those things I love so much that it came as a bit of a shock to me when I realized I'd never made it myself. When I saw this recipe on Carrie's Sweet Life, I knew I had to remedy that, and soon. Fresh, sweet fruit salsa, paired with homemade cinnamon tortilla chips? Yes please!

I can't even begin to describe how delicious this salsa is. It's sweet and tangy and so incredibly decadent. The cinnamon chips are irresistible (and addictive!) on their own, but pairing them with the fruit salsa takes them to a completely new level. This was a huge hit with everyone who tried it, and I will definitely, absolutely, certainly be making it over and over again.

I adapted Carrie's recipe to fit our tastes, and you can adapt it to fit your tastes too. Use whatever seasonal fruits you like -- peaches would taste amazing in this salsa. You're going to love it!

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

adapted from Carrie's Sweet Life

For the salsa:

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed, hulled and cut into chunks

1 kiwi, peeled and chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons sugar, divided

For the cinnamon tortilla chips:

5 flour tortillas, cut into triangles

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. For the salsa: In a large bowl, combine kiwi, apples, and all but 1/4 cup strawberries. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar and stir to combine. In a blender, combine remaining 1/4 cup strawberries, lemon juice, lime juice, and remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Pulse until liquefied and add puree to fruit. Refrigerate until serving.

2. For the tortilla chips: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay tortilla triangles on baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle each tortilla. Flip each tortilla and brush the other side with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven or until crunchy.

Strawberry Cashew Chicken Salad

Here’s a question for all of you food bloggers and home cooks out there: Do you ever daydream about writing a cookbook? It’s something I do pretty frequently. In my head, I break my cookbook down into categories and list out the recipes that would go in each section. I realize that there’s a lot more work involved in the process than that, but hey, it’s fun to dream. Maybe one of these days I’ll actually do it! :)

If I were writing a cookbook, this is definitely one of the recipes that would be in it. A few months ago, I had some cashews on hand that I’d bought for another recipe, and I was trying to think of some creative things to do with what I had left – rather than feeding them all to Andrew for a snack, which was the choice that he advocated. For some reason I thought of using cashews in chicken salad instead of walnuts, and adding in some strawberries instead of grapes. I thought the flavors would work really well together, and they absolutely did. The salty cashews and sweet strawberries and tangy, sweet dressing made this variation on chicken salad incredibly delicious. I served ours on wheat toast with bacon, and I loved the additional salty, smoky element that the bacon provided. I’m incredibly proud of this recipe!

Strawberry Cashew Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Add chicken, cashews, strawberries, and green onions. Serve on bread or over lettuce. Refrigerate before and after serving.

Fruit Pizza Cookies

We went to my husband's aunt's house for a cook-out for Mother's Day last month, and among the spread of delicious food she served were these adorable little fruit pizzas -- made with slice-and-bake sugar cookies and topped with a lemony cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit. I ate way more of them than I should have, and for the past month I haven't been able to get them out of my mind. I was just looking for an excuse to make them myself, and the Fourth of July seemed like the perfect opportunity. I didn't have a recipe for the frosting, so I just winged it, and it turned out perfectly.

These individual fruit pizzas couldn't be easier to make. They use slice-and-bake sugar cookies, and the cream cheese frosting comes together in minutes. And oh, they're so good. The crispy cookie, the creamy frosting, and the sweet fresh fruit come together to make a treat with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. You can use whatever combination of fruits you'd like -- Joe's aunt used strawberries and kiwi, and I used strawberries and blueberries to make these patriotic for the Fourth of July. Mandarin oranges would also be delicious in combination with blueberries or raspberries. The possibilities are endless.

If you're looking for a quick, refreshing treat for the Fourth of July, I think you'll love these fruit pizza cookies!

Fruit Pizza Cookies

1 package refrigerated slice-and-bake sugar cookies

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Fresh fruit of choice

1. Bake and cool cookies according to package directions (I let mine go a little longer than suggested because I like them crispy).

2. While cookies are baking, mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice and set aside until ready to use.

3. To assemble the pizzas, spread about a tablespoon of frosting on each cookie and top with fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Summer Fruit Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I was felled by a horrible cold that I picked up from my beloved little petri dishes children, and I spent the entire day curled up on the couch in a Benadryl-induced haze. I’m feeling much better now, though, and today I have a really delicious fruit salad to share with you.

This is a great way to celebrate summer’s best fruits: cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries. Add a tangy, tart, sweet dressing to the mix, and it’s an explosion of flavors and textures. This was a huge hit with my family.

Because of the water content in the fruit, this isn’t something you can make way ahead of time, but you could probably make it a couple of hours before you eat and be okay. You could also layer the fruits (directions for that are in the original recipe, which I’ve linked to below) and get a little bit more time out of it that way. This also isn’t something that keeps well in the fridge, but with a fruit salad this delicious, there probably won’t be any leftovers anyway. I’m taking this to a Labor Day picnic this weekend, and you should too.

Summer Fruit Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing
source: adapted from Betty Crocker

For the dressing:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

For the fruit:

3 cups cut-up cantaloupe
1 quart strawberries, sliced
2 cups blueberries

1. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, limeade concentrate and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed about 3 minutes or until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Set aside.

2. Mix fruit together in a large bowl. Gently fold in dressing. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

I mentioned before that we have an awesome neighbor who keeps us supplied with fresh strawberries throughout the summer months. Last year I used the strawberries for strawberry pretzel squares, and with the first batch he brought us this year I made strawberry cheesecake ice cream. When he brought us another batch a few weeks ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to make with them: the Pioneer Woman’s strawberry shortcake cake, which I’ve seen popping up on a lot of blogs lately.

You guys, this cake is absolutely amazing. Amazing! I can’t say enough good things about it. Ree has really outdone herself with this recipe. The cake itself is delicious, but the sweet, juicy macerated strawberries and thick, luscious cream cheese icing really take it over the top. I took a few slices over to our neighbor and his family, and when I saw him outside the next day he couldn’t stop raving about how good it was. I told him that as long as he keeps me supplied with strawberries, he’ll get this cake every single year.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake
source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 whole large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the icing:

1/2 pound cream cheese at room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound strawberries

1. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.

2. Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

3. Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep. Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Remove cake from pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

5. While cake is baking, hull strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoon sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

6. To make the icing, combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

7. Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

8. Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides. Serve slightly cool.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Everyone knows that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life hands you strawberries -- big, ripe, juicy strawberries straight from your neighbor’s garden -- what do you do with them? Well, you eat a couple handfuls right away until your hands and face are good and stained, and then you use the rest to make ice cream.

This isn’t the strawberry cheesecake ice cream you typically see in the store -- the vanilla ice cream base with chunks of cheesecake and strawberries in it. In this version the strawberries are pureed right in so they lend their sweetness to the entire batch of ice cream. The cream cheese and chunks of graham cracker really do make this taste just like cheesecake, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds the perfect tangy element. Best of all, this ice cream doesn’t have a custard base, so it comes together in no time. Any fresh berries would be delicious using this method -- I’m trying blueberries next!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
source: adapted from Epicurious

3/4 pound (1 quart) strawberries
8 ounces softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 roughly chopped graham crackers

To make the ice cream, puree the strawberries with the cream cheese, sugar, milk, lemon juice, and salt. Stir in the heavy cream, chill completely, then freeze in an ice-cream maker. Stir in graham crackers. I served my ice cream in martini glasses rimmed with graham crackers and sugar, which is completely unnecessary but really pretty. :)

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese

I initially wrote about this salad in my Valentine's Day post last year, but we've eaten it so often since then and we love it so much that I felt like it warranted a post of its own.

If you're having Valentine's Day dinner at home, as Joe and I often do, this is the perfect salad to add to your menu. It couldn't be simpler to make, but it's also a little bit fancy, and best of all it tastes amazing. The goat cheese and strawberries and spinach all compliment each other perfectly. I use a store-bought strawberry balsamic vinaigrette to make this even easier, but you could definitely make your own dressing. This would even be good with just a regular balsamic vinaigrette, but I like the added flavor of the strawberries in the dressing.

I've added grilled chicken to this to make it a full meal, but I think I actually prefer it without the meat. I'd love to try breading and frying goat cheese rounds and incorporating the goat cheese into the salad that way. But however I play with the ingredients, this salad is always amazing!

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese

1 10-ounce bag triple-washed baby spinach
1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 package goat cheese crumbles
Salt and pepper to taste
Strawberry balsamic vinaigrette

Combine spinach, strawberries and goat cheese in a large salad bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss with dressing.

Fruity Poppy Seed Salad

Yesterday saw the return of some really, really hot weather to central Ohio, so it was the perfect night to have salad for dinner. I've had my eye on Jessie's fruity poppy seed salad recipe for a while now, and I'm so glad I finally got around to making it. It was so simple, and it truly is one of the most delicious salads I've ever had. I love fruity salads during the spring and summer, so this one was right up my alley.

Like Jessie's husband, my husband maintains that a salad without meat is not really a meal, so I grilled up a chicken breast and sliced it over the top. This made for a light, refreshing, and very satisfying dinner on a miserably hot day.

Fruity Poppy Seed Salad
Source: adapted from Jessie

1 chicken breast, sliced across the center to form 2 thin cutlets
Montreal steak seasoning
Half a bag of chopped romaine lettuce, washed and patted dry

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 can mandarin oranges in juice, drained
1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup sliced green onion

Poppy seed salad dressing

1. Season chicken with steak seasoning and grill until cooked through. Let rest, then thinly slice.

2. Mix all salad ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. Top with sliced chicken. Toss dressing with salad or serve on the side.

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

This recipe has been around forever. My aunt used to make this sweet treat for all of our family get-togethers, and I haven't had it since she passed away four years ago. So when I saw it pop up on Carrie's blog, it immediately sparked a craving. A neighbor recently brought us over a bunch of his home-grown strawberries, and this treat was the perfect way to use them up. It was absolutely just as good as I remembered. You just can't beat that salty/sweet/creamy combination!

Strawberry Pretzel Squares
Source: Kraft Foods

2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping
2 cups boiling water
1 (6 ounce) package JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 quart (4 cups) strawberries, sliced

1. Heat oven to 350°.

2. Mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.

3. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk until blended. Stir in Cool Whip; spread over crust. Refrigerate.

4. Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression). Stir in strawberries; spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Valentine's Day Dinner for Two

Joe and I have never been huge celebrators of Valentine's Day, but this year more than any other year I wanted to do something special for the two of us. I didn't really feel like going out to eat, because everyone does that on Valentine's Day, and anyway it was probably the worst night to try to find a babysitter for our little man. So I decided to make dinner for us at home. And I'm so glad I did; it was probably one of the best Valentine's Days we've ever spent.

We started out the meal with goblets of champagne with strawberries, and while everything was cooking we snacked on crusty sourdough bread dipped in olive oil and herbs:

I served a simple salad of baby spinach, strawberries and goat cheese, sprinkled with salt and pepper and dressed with store-bought strawberry balsamic vinaigrette (and FYI, this salad may sound simple, but it was sooooo delicious. Joe proclaimed that it is his new favorite salad, and I plan to serve it at our son's first birthday party in May):

I also made roasted asparagus that I slathered with olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic powder and cooked in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. The other side dish was caramelized onion mashed potatoes. I prepared the onions just like I do for my French onion soup, then added them to mashed potatoes along with cream cheese, a touch of heavy cream, and a bit of butter. All that sweet onion flavor really came through in the potatoes, and the cream cheese made them so rich and creamy. They were so good!

For the main event, we had chicken breasts with champagne cream sauce (the recipe is below), which were very, very good. The flavor of the champagne really came through, and the shallots and mushrooms were such a nice addition to the sauce. Letting the chicken poach for a bit in the sauce made it so tender and juicy. Sorry the picture is so out of focus, but I was ready to start our romantic dinner for two!

Chicken Breasts in Champagne Cream Sauce
Source: adapted from Cooks.com

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot, chopped
Half a package of fresh sliced button mushrooms
2/3 cup champagne
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Add chicken breasts to the pan and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove chicken to a plate; cover and keep warm.

2. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the skillet and cook until shallots are translucent. Pour in champagne and cook over medium high heat until it is reduced by about half. Add the cream and salt and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in the butter. Add chicken back to the pan and cover so chicken can finish cooking in the sauce. Arrange chicken on plates and top with the sauce.

Sweet Strawberry Cookies with Chocolate Cream Filling

The first Valentine's Day that Joe and I spent as a couple was in 2001. I wasn't much of a baker at that time, but I still decided that I wanted to bake some cookies for Joe for Valentine's Day. I came across a recipe for some cookies called "pink pillows" that sounded simple to make and very tasty. It was the first time I'd ever tried to bake cookies without my mom's help.

Alas, because of my relative baking inexperience, I did not know about a little thing called "carry-over cooking." So when the 10 minutes were up and the cookies didn't look quite done, I just left them in the oven instead of taking them out to finish baking. I think I ended up baking one batch of cookies for 30 minutes. Ya'll, I was a novice.

I still remember Joe's face when he tried to bite into one of the cookies. (Yes, I still gave them to him. I knew the bottoms of the cookies were burnt to a crisp a little bit brown, but I thought they might still be all right.) But Joe could barely bite into them, they were so hard. When he finally got a bite off, I watched his face crinkle up as he mumbled, "They're delicious." I remember being so touched at his sweetness that I actually cried a little bit. Mostly, though, I think the tears were from sheer embarrassment.

Joe mentions those cookies every Valentine's Day and teases me about them mercilessly. I kept the recipe and I've been meaning to redeem myself for quite some time now. This year was the year.

To make the cookies more special, I decided to make little strawberry cookie sandwiches with chocolate cream filling in the middle. These cookies are such a sweet treat for Valentine's Day. These are very cakey cookies and don't spread when they're baking, so next time I think I'll flatten them before baking so they're not quite as thick. I do think they're awfully cute, though, as they are; they look like little scoops of strawberry ice cream. I doubled the cookie recipe, which gave me 25 cookie sandwiches.

I have officially redeemed myself. Joe loves these, and so do I. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Sweet Strawberry Cookies with Chocolate Cream Filling
Source: cookie recipe adapted from Meals.com; chocolate cream filling recipe from Baking Delights

For the cookies:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Nestle Nesquik Strawberry Flavor Powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
3 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375º.

2. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, Nesquik and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

4. While cookies are baking, prepare the filling. Cream butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat in melted chocolate and sugar, scraping down the sides as needed. Place filling in a plastic bag; snip one corner of the bag.

5. Pipe the filling onto the bottom side of 25 cookies. Top with the other 25 cookies, pressing cookies together firmly to adhere filling. Refrigerate.

Strawberry Lemonade

There are certain things that just scream summer to me: grilling, the smell of freshly-mown grass, lightning bugs, and lemonade. There is absolutely nothing I'd rather do on a summer evening than sit on my front porch watching the world go by and nursing a tall, ice-cold glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade. That's why, when I saw a recipe for strawberry lemonade on one of my favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats, my mouth immediately started watering. Strawberries and lemons are a match made in culinary heaven, and when you put them together in drinkable form, forget it: totally delicious.

I'm hosting a bachelorette party tomorrow evening, and I needed a special non-alcoholic beverage to serve in addition to the margaritas and champagne I have planned, since two of the attendees are pregnant. I thought this strawberry lemonade would be perfect. Luckily for me, the strawberries were absolutely beautiful at the grocery store: ruby red and plump and sweet and so, so juicy. I brewed a pitcher of the lemonade last night, and of course I had to have a glass for myself. The verdict: absolutely delicious, everything I was hoping for. It's sweeter than it is tart, and the strawberry flavor really shines through. I think this would be delicious with lime juice, too -- it would taste just like a strawberry margarita, minus the alcohol!

I hope the pregnant ladies enjoy this lemonade. I know when I was pregnant, I couldn't get enough of everything strawberry...so hopefully they're the same way.

(By the way, stay tuned for more recipes from the bachelorette party later in the week...including a very naughty take on Paula Deen's strawberry cake!)


Strawberry Lemonade
Source: Annie's Eats

For the lemonade:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup very hot water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 cups cold water
1 recipe strawberry puree
sugar, lemon slices, fresh strawberries for garnish

For the strawberry puree:
1 dry pint fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon frsh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold water

1. For the strawberry puree, blend the berries, sugar, lemon juice and water in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and discard the seeds. Stir in additional sugar, if needed.

2. In a pitcher, combine the sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup. Stir in the lemon juice and cold water.

3. Add the strawberry puree and stir to combine.

4. Pour over ice into tall glasses rimmed with sugar. Garnish with fresh strawberries or lemon slices, if desired. Lemonade will keep at least three days in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Margarita Cake

¡Olé! My office celebrated cinco de mayo on Friday with a Mexican-themed potluck, complete with tacos and fajitas and all the fixins. I knew I wanted to make something, but I kind of had a lot going on last week and I didn't want to commit to anything too labor-intensive (such as the margarita cheesecake I originally signed up to make...I didn't really feel like messing with a "water bath" or any such thing; I'll have to save that one for another time).

Betty Crocker to the rescue! On the very day I needed to do my shopping for the potluck, I got my weekly e-mail from Betty Crocker, which included a recipe for strawberry margarita cake. I couldn't think of a thing that sounded more delicious and festive, and it looked really low-maintenance. And, it was alcohol-free...which meant that little old pregnant me would be able to enjoy it, too.

I'm so glad I decided to go with this recipe! It was so simple to make; I'd forgotten how convenient boxed cake mixes can be sometimes. Everyone at work raved about how delicious this cake was, and it was gone before I could even get picture of it! It offered the perfect balance of sweetness from the strawberry margarita mix and tartness from the lime zest, and it was really moist, just like the cake mix box promised! A definite winner, and one I'll probably be going back to every cinco de mayo!


Strawberry Margarita Cake
Source, recipe and photo: Betty Crocker

3/4 cup bottled strawberry-flavored non-alcoholic margarita drink mix
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
Vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1 tablespoon grated lime peel
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Strawberries, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350° (325° for dark or nonstick pan). Grease (or lightly spray with cooking spray) bottom only of 13 x 9-inch pan. Add enough water to drink mix to measure 1 1/4 cups.

2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, drink mix, oil and egg whites on low speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake and cool as directed on box.

3. Gently stir peel into whipped topping; spread over top of cake. Garnish with strawberries, if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.