Recipeless Wednesday: Strawberry Simplicity

One does not need a recipe for fresh picked strawberries.  They are simply perfect just as they are.  These berries were so sweet, juicy and delicate they instantly melted in my mouth.  Words can not describe their utter perfection.  

We picked 25 pounds of these red beauties, which we believe were the Jewel and Winona varieties.  A few pounds found their way to homemade jam, but most of the berries were eaten straight out of the box.  I ate a good 4 to 6 pounds myself.  In one day.  And yes, it was worth the stomach ache.  

I don't think I could eat 4-6 pounds of berries every day, but I could definitely go for a strawberry spinach salad drizzled with balsamic at least once a day.  Strawberries and balsamic vinegar are meant to mingle.  It may sound odd to you, but they improve each other, drawing out new flavors you don't want to miss.  (Though this particular batch of berries needed no improvement.)  

If I haven't inhaled all the strawberries straight up, then I also enjoy stirring them into lemon yogurt.  In my world strawberries straight out of the field are pure delight.  I may even pick a few more pounds this week, just because I can.  Yes, these berries are a gift that undoubtedly belong on this week's thankful list. 

Food for Thought: "If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable." -Rainer Maria Rilke

Tuesday's Twist: Strawberry-Mango-Basil Frozen Yogurt

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Let's squeeze in a little more summer, shall we?  I made several varieties of this frozen treat over the summer.  Each time it was so deliciously refreshing that I ate every last spoonful before my camera could even think about blinking.  Even this time around I gave up on the pictures and just ate it.  I tried putting it back in the freezer, hoping it would firm up enough to snap some better pictures.  But each time I went to check the freezer, a spoonful found its way to my mouth.  And then, all of a sudden, it was gone.  So much for that idea.   One velvety smooth spoonful and you'll understand my dilemma.

Fermented Friday: Frosty Beer Kabobs and Watermelon Beer Pops

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation

Since 4th of July was in the middle of the week you can spread it out all week and use it as an excuse to make these.  Lately the blogosphere has been loaded with watermelon pops and spiked watermelon.  I decided to put my own spin on it and use beer.

Then some other fruit jumped in with the intention of a fruit salad.   And then I started to cut the watermelon into stars.... because a) I have star cookie cutters that never get used, b) it's 4th of July week and c) what else are you supposed to do when it's soooo hot out and you don't have air conditioning?... But wait, now that I have watermelon stars wouldn't it look cuter to make fruit skewers instead of a fruit salad?  So the fruit jumped onto skewers.  Then it took a bath in blueberry wheat beer.  Oh, and then I changed my mind yet again and decided frozen fruit kabobs would be even better.  So there was a party in my freezer.  You never know what might happen when I'm without an oven.  Watch out.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Blue Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries with Balsamic Drizzle

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

The 4th of July seemed like a perfect time to try out this red, white and blue recipe.  These little appetizers put a savory spin on the traditional stuffed strawberry.  I came across the concept in the latest issue of Healthy Cooking.  You already know I'm on board with the balsamic vinegar  trend. I'm pretty much addicted to strawberries and I have a thing for blue cheese (umm, hello....it's blue).

Sweet berries are filled with a tart mixture of Greek yogurt and blue cheese. The sharp, creamy filling provides savory contrast to juicy strawberries.  A tangy balsamic reduction is drizzled over the top to tie it all together.  

While I've always loved strawberries, blue cheese didn't have any appeal until a few years ago. If you try it in the right combination you just might change your mind too.  The same goes for balsamic vinegar.  That being said, this wasn't my favorite combination.  Strawberries and blue cheese are often paired in salads so this really isn't too far of a stretch flavor-wise.  I'm not sure why this one didn't grab me, maybe a texture thing.  But don't let my opinion stop you from trying it; make your own call.  Happy 4th of July!

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries with Balsamic Drizzle

adapted from Healthy Cooking

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 medium strawberries
3 Tbsp fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp (1 oz) crumbled blue cheese

Instructions:
* In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil.  Cook until reduced by half; let cool to room temperature.
* Wash strawberries and pat dry.  Remove stem and core from each berry.
* In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt and blue cheese. Fill berries evenly with cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until serving. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Food for Thought: "God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls and coal into diamonds using time and pressure. He's working on you too" -Rick Warren

Fermented Friday: Summer Ale Couscous Salad

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation

I'm not really sure how I came up with this one.  Sometimes even I can't follow my own train of thought.  It could be the result of 9+ hours of driving time this week to think.  Yay for summer road trips! Or it might have more to do with the fact that I haven't been home as much and needed to make something quick, take a few pictures and leave enough time to try something different in case this was a total flop.  Or maybe my brain is just going crazy in all this heat.  But hey, I had a lot of other weirder ideas that I held back on, well for now.   Let's just stop trying to figure it out and get to the food.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Spicy Salted Pineapple, Grilled Fruit and Garlic Scapes

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

These are more concepts than recipes, but still fall under the category of weird things I've tried as of late.  They're definitely not as weird as last week, but still might be something the average person hasn't bothered to make.  On a side note, I just found PicMonkey, a site that lets you create free photo collages like this one with your pictures.

Fermented Friday: Riesling Strawberry Slushies

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation

After two weeks of bread and double fermentation with beer and yeast, I suppose it's time for a recipe with wine.

Freshly picked strawberries don't last long, and not just because I inhale them.  Within hours they loose their shine and that deep red luster is replaced by a cloud of fruit flies.  To capture their beautiful flavor you should eat them immediately, use them in a recipe or freeze them as soon as possible.