Frozen Strawberry Dream Pie

It's been forever since I've made a dessert, which is probably a good thing. But I just had to make something this past weekend. So I made a pie for the family. A really easy yet delicious pie. And I even took some shortcuts with this dessert, which is not always the way I go. I love to get in the kitchen and work with more complex recipes, but hey, I'm human too and sometimes I love an easy peasy dish.

Josh took the girls to the pool in the afternoon and it gave me plenty of time to relax, make this pie and even do a little reading. It was great! I don't get a chance to enjoy some quiet time often enough.

Later in the evening we dove into the pie. It was a refreshing dessert. The filling was frozen, yet almost creamy like ice cream. The fresh berries tossed with a little bit of my homemade jam made for a perfect topping. And I always love a graham cracker crust, it's probably one of my favorite parts.

Feel free to take advantage of all the other berries in season right now, add those into your topping. Maybe even experiment with peaches? They'll all taste wonderful in this pie!



Frozen Strawberry Dream Pie

Ingredients:
1 prepared graham cracker crust
1 lb. fresh strawberries, cut and divided
4 tbsp strawberry jam
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
In a bowl, combine whipped topping and condensed milk. Fold in 1 cup of cut strawberries and 1 tbsp jam. Spoon into crust and smooth out. Cover and freeze for 5 hours or longer.

When ready to serve, combine remaining cut strawberries and jam. Spoon over frozen pie. Cut into slices and serve immediately.  Best enjoyed same day as made.

Strawberry Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

My little brother was married over the weekend. For much of the week I think everyone was on edge regarding the weather for the outdoor ceremony. Despite everything that could have gone wrong, the whole day turned out perfectly. It was a lot of fun celebrating their new life together and we were honored to be apart of it all.

I was in charge of cake and cupcakes. They were both so easy going and pretty much let me take control over everything. My mom and I decided to surprise them with this fun fishing themed cake topper. They both love being on their boat and fishing! The only thing my brother requested was sprinkles in his cake, ha! So the cake was vanilla sprinkle with strawberry filling. Cupcakes were vanilla, lemon with strawberry buttercream and Snickers.

Here are just a couple pics from our day:

So moving onto these new bars. With all the strawberries we picked last week, I was looking for some new ways to incorporate them into a dessert. I had told my mom I would help out with desserts for the rehearsal on Thursday evening. I had some extra cream cheese in the fridge and my favorite sugar cookies came to mind.

But instead of cookies, bars seemed much easier. I pressed the dough into a 9x13 pan but if you want a thicker bar feel free to use a smaller pan. As for the frosting, I added some of our ripe strawberries. It was the perfect addition! If you're lucky enough to have any U-Pick farms near you, I hope you take advantage of strawberry season!

Strawberry Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2-1/4 cups flour

For frosting:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup diced strawberries
3 cups powdered sugar
Splash of milk, if needed for thinning


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch cookie sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg yolk and extract. Gradually add in dry ingredients and mix well.

Press into prepared pan, bake for 25-30 mins in oven, or until bars are set. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make frosting: Cream butter with powdered sugar. Add in fresh strawberries and mix well. Add a splash of milk to thin frosting if needed.

When bars are cool, spread frosting over bars. Cut into squares to serve. Store extras in fridge.

Strawberry Rhubarb Scones

Rhubarb has been making an appearance at the markets since they opened one month ago. It's about time I got my hands on some.

I've also come to really like making scones, they were always one thing that intimidated me. I'm not sure why because they are one of the easiest baked goods to make.

I love when I can enjoy time in the kitchen on Sundays after church and lunch with the family for some leisurely baking time. I'm not feeling rushed and can take my time making whatever my little heart desires. This time, it was scones. Strawberry rhubarb scones, because the two go so well together.

Served with a little strawberry jam, they make for a special breakfast. You can certainly make a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze to drizzle on top, but I really love the jam. They're also lovely plain, if you're rushed for time in the morning, just grab and go.

You'll be happy to know scones also freeze well. After they have cooled, place them into a large container or freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you're feeling like having a scone, simply let thaw and enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Scones

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup diced rhubarb

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in heavy cream and egg and mix together well.

Using a wooden spoon, mix in strawberries and rhubarb. Turn over onto a floured surface and knead dough until everything comes together.

With a floured rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle. You may make this a thick as you would like. Cut dough into triangle shapes with a sharp knife.

Transfer scones to baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, or until scones are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool for at least five minutes before removing.

Serve warm, with jam if desired. Makes 12 scones.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Did you all have a great mother's day? I enjoyed an all around wonderful weekend. We spent much of our Saturday doing yard work along with getting the garden and flowers planted. Then winded down the evening with a little bon fire. Sunday was low key, going from church to both of our parent's. With a little cooking in between, because honestly, even on a day of relaxation it's what brings me joy.

My brothers and I chipped in to prepare a nice meal for our family, that way Mom didn't have to do much work.  I made this particular salad. It's definitely different, but very good.  And it had been so long since we'd had it, I thought it was the perfect time to make a batch.

Another dish I hadn't made in such a long time is this strawberry pretzel dessert. It's a classic dessert in many households.  And with good reason, who doesn't love that salty/sweet combination?

I love the classic strawberry topping,  but feel free to experiment with other flavors. Orange jello and mandarin oranges are delicious, as well as raspberries and raspberry jello. You can also use frozen fruit, but with summer heading our way, I always love using fresh berries.

Treat your loved ones to this dessert, if it's not already, it will soon be a favorite!


Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar

For the filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
8 oz tub whipped topping

For the topping:
6 oz box strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
2 cups sliced, fresh strawberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside one 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a bowl or even in the 9x13 pan, combine crushed pretzels, butter and sugar. Press into bottom of pan to form a crust. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to let cool.

In another bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar for one minute, just until light and fluffy. Add in whipped topping.  When pretzel crust is cooled, spread filling over top. Chill in fridge.

To make topping: combine jello with boiling water and stir until jello is dissolved. Add in sliced strawberries. Let chill in fridge for an hour, until partially set.

Then spoon jello topping over top of cream cheese filling. Cover and let set in fridge for at least a couple more hours until jello is completely set.

Serves 12-15

Freezer Fridays: Berry Oatmeal Bars

Whelp, it's officially spring break! I am so thrilled to have a week off from work. I love having the extra time with my girls and as always,  am hoping to get some things accomplished around the house. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this week, let's hope it continues!

I made these bars on Sunday, I wanted a new breakfast bar to stash away in the freezer. I've made some before using our favorite homemade jams but this time wanted to incorporate frozen berries I had on hand. Making them even more nutritious.

By incorporating whole wheat flour, oats, berries and little sugar; I can feel good about letting the kids have one for breakfast. Or snack. They certainly have to be better than donuts or some cereals.

Of course, as always, one batch doesn't seem to last very long. Good thing I got them in the freezer quickly. As I am sure I'll be making more over my break!

Berry Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter,melted
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine both flours, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add in melted butter and mix until crumbly. Press 2/3 of mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, toss the berries with corn starch and sugar. Sprinkle fruit evenly over the crust. Distribute the remaining oat mixture over top of the berries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting. Depending on the size of your bars, makes 12.

Freezing instructions: After bars are cooled and cut, wrap individually in plastic wrap. Lay each bar on a pan and place into freezer for at least one hour to flash freeze. Then transfer to a container or large freezer bag to place in freezer until ready to eat. Simply remove from freezer and let thaw for a bit before eating.

Strawberry Lemonade

I took a much needed break from blogging over the weekend, after lots of extra cooking and baking in July it was relaxing to have a few days off. We're busy getting ready for school, only two weeks left of summer break. Eeek, where has the time gone?! I'm still not sure where I'm headed, I've enjoyed the summer with my girls no doubt but I won't lie. I'm stressing, I know the perfect job will land in my lap but it's so hard being patient and giving God all the control.

As for our weekend; it was pretty relaxing for the most part. Here are just a couple of our highlights:

Our church volunteers their time at our local food bank the first Saturday of every month. My girls are a little familiar with the food bank because I took them with me to volunteer last December. Our family had planned to help out in both June and July but each time they decided they either didn't have enough work for us or because it was the holiday weekend they were not going to work. I couldn't make up my mind regarding August. Some of us had other things going on so we couldn't go as a family. I decided I would rather sleep in and be lazy on Saturday. Well, Friday afternoon I get an email asking if I could help out, even though it was really late notice. Divine intervention? I think so. Our 6-year old and I had a great time volunteering our Saturday morning. It felt much better to help out where needed than to be lazy at home.

We then spent our Saturday evening at a local baseball game. Our good friend is a manager for one of the local bowling alleys, occasionally they will take their bowling pin mascot to these events to visit with the kids and hand out some bowling goodies. The girls loved getting their pics taken. Can you guess who's behind that costume? Yes, the hubby of course! He was a good sport.

Sunday afternoon we spent much of our time at the pool, it was a great day for it too! When we got home, I mixed up some of this strawberry lemonade for us to cool down with. It was very refreshing! Instead of using sugar, I substituted some local honey as the sweetener. It was perfect, the strawberries are already sweet enough and you still get that nice tartness from the lemons.

Of course it doesn't make a whole lot and lemons are so darn expensive this time of year. $0.77 each and when you need a lot it adds up quickly. But it was worth it, the little girls and I got to relax outside for a bit before dinner and they felt pretty special drinking out of those mason jars.

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:
5-6 lemons
1 lb. strawberries
1/3 cup honey
1 cup hot tap water
4 cups cold water
Ice, for serving

Directions:
In a blender puree the strawberries with the juice of one half of lemon after they've been washed and hulled. Make sure to save a few for garnishes, if desired. Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds. You should end up with a little over one cup of puree.

In a large pitcher combine juice of all lemons with honey and hot water. Mix together well to incorporate honey. Add in strawberry puree and mix well. Then pour in cold water and stir again.

You may serve immediately with ice or chill in the fridge for a bit. Garnish with additional strawberries or lemon slices if desired.

Berry Fruit Crisp

Last Saturday after we finished up with our garage sale, the girls and I ventured back out to the strawberry farm. Although it was the middle of the afternoon and very warm, I was determined to pick another twenty pounds for jam making and to fill my freezer with. I spent Monday making jam, we got 15 jars stashed in the freezer and that should be plenty. I'm a little sad that I've only managed to get three quart sized bags of sliced berries in the freezer for winter. We've been eating them so much that they disappear quickly.

Since there wasn't much left and I really haven't made anything with them like I originally planned, I thought of this fruit crisp. Crisps are the perfect summer desserts! You can add practically any type of fruit or berry and top with that delicious brown sugar-oat crumble topping and it's absolutely delicious.

Look how browned and crunchy that gets. And served warm with a scoop of ice cream, I really don't think there's anything better.

You know, Fourth of July is exactly one week away. With berries being in abundance this time of year, I think it's only right you add this to your menu. I went with blueberry and strawberry only because that's what I had in the fridge. Of course, blackberry and raspberry would be great additions. It's a perfect crowd pleaser and so easy to whip up. I'll also note, this dessert is best served the day it's made or the day after. After that it starts to get mushy and I love that crunchy topping to stay that way.


Berry Fruit Crisp

Ingredients:
5 cups fruit {I used 2 c blueberries, 3 c halved strawberries}
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

crumble topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 stick butter, cubed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together three cups of the fruit with the flour, sugar, salt, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir to combine well. Spread berries into bottom of prepared pan. Top with the remaining two cups of berries.

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and salt. Stir together using a fork or whisk. Add in cubed butter and stir together using your hands or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle topping over berries. Bake for 45 minutes or until berries are bubbly and topping is browned. Remove from oven and let cool before serving. Best served just slightly warmed and with vanilla ice cream on top.

Strawberry Salsa

Sounds like most of us in the Midwest might have gotten some nasty weather last night. We had tornado warnings for our area but thankfully nothing ever touched down. Instead we got some much needed rain, maybe a little too much though in such a short amount of time. Our youngest was a little scared and they were all up later than normal because of the storms, so I'm letting them sleep in a bit this morning.

Last week we trekked out to our favorite local strawberry farm and did our annual picking. It was beautiful that morning we went; sun was shining and there was a breeze going so we were not hot by any means. With the girls having their dance performances all weekend long I only wanted to get one box, I'd hate for them to spoil before I had time to process them all. So we ended up with about 10 lbs. of berries for our first picking. We'll head out either tomorrow or Thursday and try to get another twenty pounds so I can fill our freezer with jam and sliced berries to use throughout the winter.

The contents of our first box seems to be diminishing quickly. The girls are going to the fridge and grabbing a handful of berries to snack on frequently. But I did manage to get this salsa made last night. The hubby gave me a funny look when I pulled out strawberries, a cucumber, cilantro and a jalapeno and set them out on the counter. I promised him it would be good.

It might seem like a strange concoction but I swear it's really good! I let the flavors meld together overnight before I tried taking a picture this morning. My berries are also so ripe and juicy, hence why everything looks red in the bowl. The berries of course offer a sweetness to the salsa, but I love how the jalapeno and cilantro counter that so it's not too sweet. I didn't add any of the jalapeno seeds to my batch just because I didn't want the kiddos to think it was too hot. It's very mild, but if you'd like some kick make sure to add a few of those in.

I love this time of year and making salsa, it's a favorite snack of ours or when it's simply too hot we can even make a meal out of it. I think this would also be great served on top of grilled chicken or fish. That might be something I need to try soon.


Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber, diced
2 cups diced strawberries
1 jalapeno, finely diced
handful of chopped cilantro
2 tbsp of honey OR 1/4 cup of brown sugar, for a little sweetness

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl and combine well. Season with a little bit of salt if desired. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

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Strawberry Crumble Pie

I know pie is a dessert welcomed year round, but I love baking pies in the summer time. Fresh fruit is in abundance and let's face it, berries can make for some of the greatest pies ever. Strawberry crumble in particular is one that I've been thinking about for quite some time now. I remember Beth from The World Needs More Pie sharing this recipe last summer on her Facebook page. It's one of her best selling pies at her Pitchfork Pie Stand in Eldon, Iowa.

I love following Beth's story of living in the American Gothic House and of her successful pie stand. I recently purchased her new cookbook and have loved reading through its entirety. She shares so many wonderful looking recipes for pie, but this one in particular stuck out at me.

We had some friends over Saturday evening to grill and enjoy a fire around the fire pit. This pie seemed like the perfect ending to our meal, in fact, it was. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was simply divine.

While strawberries aren't quite in season in Iowa, I've been having some good luck with ones in the grocery store. The sweet strawberries are the star of this dessert, not requiring much for additional sugar. Taking the extra time to make your own pie crust is essential, too. It's really very easy and the taste is so much better than anything store bought.

Rhubarb is in season right now, take advantage and add some into this pie. Or how about another type of berry? Blueberries would be a great addition! I'm looking forward to finding some mini pie tins and making up some mini pies for our friends and neighbors. Something about rolling out the pie dough, crimping the edges of the crust and filling those pie shells with fruit or whatever filling, is therapeutic. It's a stress-reliever and like Beth says, pie really does heal and makes the world a better place. And I'm all for that.


Strawberry Crumble Pie

Ingredients:
For the pie dough:
1/2 stick butter, cold, cubed
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
1-1/4 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup ice cold water

For the filling:
2 lbs. (7 cups) strawberries, quartered
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup tapioca
pinch of salt

For the crumble topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter, cold, cubed

Directions:
To make the pie dough; add flour and salt to a large bowl, stir together. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry blender, until mixture is pea sized lumps. Slowly add in ice water and either using hands or pastry blender, mix all ingredients together until dough forms into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough, it only needs to be moistened.

Lightly flour your work surface; roll out dough until thin. Carefully press dough into pie plate. Trim and crimp edges, then set in fridge while you work on filling.

To make the filling: Add all strawberries, sugar, tapioca and salt to a large bowl. Mix together well and let set for 20 minutes to let tapioca activate. Then pour into prepared pie plate.

To make crumble topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and chilled, cubed butter. Cut in the butter using the pastry blender, just until mixture is marble sized. You don't want it to become too fine or you'll have a big melted mess on top of your pie.

Distribute the crumble topping over the pie, piling on high and not pressing down.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then turn oven temp down to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven to let cool. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Homemade Strawberry Sauce

Whew, what a whirlwind of a weekend we had! It was busy nonetheless, but they sure were an amazing few days. I shared a pic on Facebook yesterday morning of the cake and cupcakes I made for my cousin's wedding on Saturday. It was quite the fairy tale wedding, everything was beautiful and absolutely perfect.

Yesterday I don't think we sat down until late evening and then everyone simply crashed for the night. We had a very productive day after church; tackled the dreaded swimsuit shopping with three girls, got a bunch of yard work done, planted the garden and cleaned up the house a bit. I feel like I'm dragging a bit today so I have a feeling it will be another early night in our house.

In baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes, I tend to make a lot of this strawberry sauce. It's one of the most amazing things ever. I love to fill vanilla cakes with it, I'll spread a very fine layer of buttercream, just to prevent the sauce from soaking into the cake. We want that to stay so you can really taste how wonderful it is. Then I'll slather on the chunky, strawberry filling on top of the buttercream and then top with another cake layer.

One of my favorite cakes to make is this particular one. It's filled with the strawberry filling, iced in vanilla buttercream and then topped with fresh, sweet strawberries. It's really good and always goes over well at parties.

But besides layered into cake or spooned on top of my strawberry pretzel cupcakes {I promise to share this recipe soon!}, the hubby and I have been brainstorming different ways to enjoy it. Of course it's good on top of ice cream, just like a strawberry sundae.  In the summer, angel food cake is always a favorite. Strawberry shortcake anyone? Or my favorite idea yet, the perfect topping to cheesecake. One I'll definitely have to try this summer, once I get my hands on more strawberries from the local farm.

However you decide to indulge yourself; by the spoonful, layered into your birthday cake or a simple ice cream sundae. Take advantage of strawberry season coming up. I preserve lots of berries just for this purpose, throw a few extra bags into your freezer too. You'll thank me later!

Homemade Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients:
3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water, divided

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar and 3/4 cup of water. Stir together well and cook over medium heat until almost boiling. Depending on the size of your berries, I like to mash the fruit a little bit as it's cooking. Mix together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup of water. Add to the pan, stirring constantly until boiling and thickened. Remove from heat. Let cool before using.

Use to layer in between cakes, for strawberry shortcake, topping for dessert waffles or on ice cream. Store extra sauce in the fridge.