Sunday, June 26, 2011

Strawberry Crumb Bars

Yet again another strawberry recipe! I just can't resist their deliciousness this summer.
These little bars are absolutely wonderful. I had to pull myself away from the pan when they were ready to eat.




Strawberry Crumb Bars
Source: Smells Like home
1½ cups sugar, divided
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 sticks (½ lb) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
4 tsp cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 13×9 inch pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Mix in the salt and the lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Cut in the butter and egg with a pastry blender (or two knives if you don’t have one) until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly without much loose flour. Spread about half of the dough mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the strawberries with a rubber spatula until combined. Spread the berry mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the berries. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Strawberry Pie

I love strawberries! I have a few more recipes with strawberries to add on here! My friend recently made this pie and it was just delicious. I asked for the recipe and made this for Father's day. It is really easy and the pie was really popular at our Father's day get together.



The one change I made to this pie was to not use the top pie crust and instead do a crumble topping.


Strawberry Pie
Source: My friend Liz


Make a double-crusted pie crust (or buy it)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

8 cups fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tb. of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tb. heavy cream (i just use water)

Roll dough over pie dish, cut edges and allow to chill for 30 min.

Place strawberries in a large bowl; with your hands, crush about 1/2 cup of berries (i don't do this step b/c the juice runs over). Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice; stir to combine. Spoon mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding berries slightly to the center. Dot with butter; place other dough on top of berries. (don't forget to poke holes through if you're doing a full crusted pie.)


In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Lightly brush rim of chilled pie shell with egg wash and the top crust layer. Freeze or refrigerate pie for 30 min. (I skip this step too, haha, and it still turns out ok).

Place pie in oven and bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 min. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees, and continue backing, rotating sheet halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling and thickened, 40-50 min. Allow to cool

Saturday, June 11, 2011

BBQ Chicken Kabobs

Summer gives me more time to be in the kitchen and it makes me so excited to try my ever growning list of recipes.
We had these kabobs for dinner the other night and they were delicious. I was also able to conquer a new kitchen feat with this meal! I had never bought a fresh pineapple before so instead of using can or store prepared pineapple I cut the whole thing up myself and it is delicious!! I think it's all I can buy from now on, it was so simple and so much better than out of a can.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs Recipe:
Source: Hoosier Homemade
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds chicken, boneless skinless, cut into chunks
1 whole fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1 each red, yellow and green peppers {you can use orange too if you like}
1 cup BBQ sauce {we used Sweet Baby Rays}
6 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed
Directions:

1.Soak wooden skewers in water about 15-20 minutes.
2.Thread chicken, peppers and pineapple onto skewers.
3.Mix barbecue sauce and orange juice concentrate in a small bowl and set aside.
4.Heat the grill to medium-high.
5.Brush half of the sauce onto the skewers.
6.Grill 8-10 minutes or until chicken is done, turning occasionally.
7.Brush on remainder of sauce while skewers are cooking.
Servings:

This recipe makes about 18-20 skewers, with a little sauce left over. You can easily cut the recipe in half.

To grill pineapple, cut a 1/2 inch thick slice of fresh pineapple and place on grill. Turning once until the pineapple is slightly brown and there are grill marks on the pineapple

Strawberries and Cream Pie



It's been awhile huh? I am so excited to finally have time to create in my kitchen. I have a whole list of recipes to try this summer. I made this pie for mother's day. It was a hit! I love how pretty it is and while it may look like it took some time to make it really took no time at all!


Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberries and Cream Pie
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 quart fresh strawberries

1 8-oz. package cream cheese at room temperature (light is fine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 9″ graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
1-2 ounces chocolate

In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a separate large bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Add about 1 c. of the whipping cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth and well-combined. Add the remaining whipping cream mixture and mix until just combined. Spread in the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare the strawberries.

Wash the strawberries and cut off the stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and then gently press, cut side down, into the whipped cream mixture. Set aside.

If using a chocolate bar, break it into equal pieces and place in a small Ziploc bag. Microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 20 seconds to mash the bag. You want the chocolate to be melted but not hot at all. When the chocolate is melted, snip a corner off the bag and drizzle it over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Serves 8.