Tag: strawberries

Fresh Fruit Salad

We all use different techniques for relaxation. A good book is the choice of many while some enjoy a nice walk or exercise. I enjoy being in the kitchen with a new kitchen gadget, appliance, or tool.

I usually say that I have the least amount of storage space in this house than anywhere I have lived. In truth, it may be that I have more toys than I have ever had.

I try to purge and cleanout. I donate and throw away, but I am just a sucker for a new kitchen toy! I probably should have picked up on my obsession when as a newlywed, I asked for things such as Kitchenaid mixers and Cuisinart food processors for any occasion that would warrant me a gift. To this day, I can’t resist. The other day I ordered a new bread machine for those 3 loaves of bread I make annually!

What are your favorite kitchen gadgets, appliances, and tools? Is it the Instant Pot, the air fryer, or just your old handy dandy crockpot? I would love to hear from you. What is the favorite gadget or number one helper in everyone’s kitchen today?

This fabulous fresh fruit salad requires no tools other than a trusty knife. This salad is beautiful at a luncheon and very refreshing! The instant pudding and extracts give the fruit a sweet glaze that is irresistible. Try using different fruits but keep them fresh—no frozen or canned fruit in this salad.  Keep the same fruit ratio to pudding/extract amounts, and you should be fine.

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Fresh Fruit Salad

Course Salad
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
  • 1 pound fresh blueberries
  • 1 pound fresh pineapple cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups fresh mandarin oranges peeled and sections separated (I used Halos)
  • 1 cup red grapes halved
  • 3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Instructions

  • Combine all of the fruit in a large bowl. Sprinkle with pudding mix and extracts.
  • Stir and refrigerate for two hours.
  • Stir again before serving.

Strawberry Cream Slab Pie

 

Strawberry Cream Slab Pie

Cakes are tasty, but can they even compare to pies? Pies are perfect! They can be cold and creamy, or warm and comforting. Best of all, pies are easy.   However, if you are serving a crowd, you need several pies because they do not go very far. Not at our house anyway.  Someone always seems to get an extra large piece, or another wants a second helping.  That is why I love, love, love the idea of slab pies.   I adore the homey, rustic look of serving a slab pie, just as I like to use cast iron for baking and serving.

I made this delicious Strawberry Slab Pie recently, and my family loved it, especially Wesley’s girlfriend, Ashley.  I found the recipe on chefintraining.com, where she has some fantastic looking recipes! If the strawberries aren’t tempting enough, the chocolate drizzle makes you want to take a spoon and dig right in.

This pie is best made and eaten on the same day, as the crust will be soggy on the second day.  The next time I make this pie, I will slice the strawberries rather than cut them in half.  I felt they were quite a large bite.

Strawberry Cream Slab Pie
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 pkg. Pillsbury brand All Ready Pie crust (2 crusts)
  • 2 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 1 (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened 2⁄3 c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 20 to 30 fresh strawberries, cut in half
  • 2 T. shortening
  • 1 c. milk chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Lay pie crusts onto a flat, slightly floured surface, overlapping slightly. Roll dough to a 17 x 12-inch rectangle. Place in a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan. Crimp edges and prick crust with a fork. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool. Beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until fully. Gradually add in sugar, vanillaa and almond extracts. Fold cream cheese into the beaten heavy cream until evenly combined. Spoon into cooled crust. Arrange strawberries over the top of filling. Melt shortening and chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Drizzle over strawberries. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Serve the same day you prepare.

 

 

 

 

Patriotic Frozen Delight

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If you are like me, you want to do the Fourth of July cookout. However, there’s nothing less appealing that being stuck in the hot kitchen! Especially if this fourth is as hot as a few days these past couple of weeks.

I plan to make it easy on myself this year. I will prepare the sides salads at night when it’s cooler. Then we will throw some corn on the grill with the burgers and for dessert, I plan to make this refreshing berry treat. There’s no baking, and you can mix it up in a matter of minutes. It’s cool, refreshing and delicious! The strawberries and blueberries will look perfectly patriotic but for occasions in the future, try other fresh fruits instead.

 

Patriotic Frozen Delight
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • ⅓ c. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
  • 2 c. vanilla yogurt
  • 2 c. miniature marshmallows
  • ½ c. chopped pecans
  • 1 c. sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 c. fresh blueberries
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon peel, and yogurt. Stir in marshmallows and pecans.
  2. Spread half of the mixture in an ungreased 8 x 8-inch square dish. Sprinkle with half of the strawberries and blueberries. Cover with the remaining yogurt mixture; top with remaining berries.
  3. Cover and freeze. Remove from freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

 

Strawberry Yum Yum

Strawberry Yum

 

Are you looking for the perfect Easter dessert!  Here it is!  An old recipe, tried and true, and delicious every time.  It’s simple to make, you’ll be amazed at just how quickly it comes together.  This is a dessert that pleases both adults and children.

I can remember a time when I thought Cool Whip and Dream Whip were the same thing.  They could be, but in my opinion they taste differently.  Be sure to use the Dream Whip as the recipe suggest, it can be found on the baking aisle of the grocery store.  Also, you can find strawberry glaze in the produce section of the grocery store but I think this homemade version has a better taste and is very simple to make.

 

Strawberry Yum Yum
 
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Ingredients
  • ¾ c. unsalted butter
  • 2 c. graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
  • 2 envelopes Dream Whip
  • 1 qt. fresh strawberries, washed, and sliced
  • 3 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 3 tbsp. strawberry Jello
  • 1 c. warm water
Instructions
  1. Combine cornstarch, Jello, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring with a whisk, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool. When the glaze has cooled, add strawberries.
  2. Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs. Sprinkle half of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch dish, set aside.
  3. Cream sugar and cream cheese together.
  4. In a separate bowl beat Dream Whip as directed on package.
  5. Mix cream cheese mixture with the Dream Whip until smooth.
  6. Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on the top of crumbs. Spread carefully, careful not to disturb crumbs.
  7. Top with strawberry glaze.
  8. Add the remaining cream cheese mixture and spread carefully to cover strawberries.
  9. Sprinkle on the remaining graham cracker crumb mixture.
Notes
If preferred, you can purchase strawberry glaze in the produce section of the grocery store to mix with your berries before adding to the dish.