strawberries -

by cyborg

Cocktail O’Clock: Strawberry-Jalapeño Marg!

Just when I thought margaritas could not get any better, BOOM this appeared and it’s here to stay. If you haven’t had a strawberry-jalapeño margarita yet you must do so immediately. Let me tell you, as far as cocktails go, this one—named La Bamba—is a top-shelf MUST.

So refreshing, so dangerously delectable, AY AY AY! It makes me want to dance. Perfect drink for spring and the key behind getting business drunk. In fact, I love it so much I want it twenty four SEVEN and you will too!! Here’s the solution to all your problems:

To start: If one has jalapeño-infused tequila, do yourself a favor and muddle a fresh strawberry in Agave nectar.

* If one does not have jalapeño-infused tequila—NBD! Muddle a jalapeño slice (or more if you wish) with the strawberry in Agave nectar.

*Ice ice baby.

*Add 2 oz. of tequila (infused or not). Feel free to add more, nobody is judging you.

* Squeeze a lime-and-a-half worth of lime juice.

* Top off with lemon-lime soda (Sprite works)

* Shake shake shake.

* Pour into a cold pint glass prepped with a lime, sugar and salt rim.

* If you want to get fancy, garnish with a lime wheel and a strawberry.

* Cheers mate!

Find more creative cocktail ideas in Endless Cocktails.

by ES Guest

Best Use of Biscuits: Strawberry Shortcupcakes

It was sweltering in southern Minnesota, 98 degrees Fahrenheit with fifty percent humidity. I was put in charge of bringing dessert to a Fourth of July barbeque held by my best friend, his weirdo roommates and a handful of townies that I could never decide if I even liked, yet constantly yearned for their acceptance. Red white and blue cake seemed too obvious. Jell-O cake too lowbrow. I toyed with the idea of making lemonade cake, but quickly decided that would be a sticky mess in the July heat.

What could be more quintessentially American or summer than strawberry shortcake? I started pulling ingredients out of my cupboard and refrigerator. I sprayed a no-stick baking spray on some cupcake pans and quickly set to work mixing the ingredients for the shortcake biscuits. After baking, I removed the biscuits from the cupcake pans and let them cool on a rack. While the biscuits were cooling, I sliced some strawberries and set out to whip up some cream.

When I went to add powdered sugar to my chilled heavy whipping cream, I noticed that the container was crawling with ants—but not just any ants, SUPER ants. These were the ants that give you nightmares. The ones you envision carrying off an entire human body to their underground home. Then I realized they weren’t exactly moving. Did they suffocate in powdered sugar? If there was such a lack of oxygen, how did they even get inside the container? Were they smaller before gorging themselves to death on powdery confection? Did they OD on this fine, white, powdery substance?

I pulled myself together, calmed by the fact that they didn’t seem to be moving, and considered my next move.

by nina boutsikaris

This Week at the Farmers Market: June Strawberry Salad

I spent Father’s Day weekend with dad at my parent’s country house near the Adirondacks, mowing, weeding, trimming overly eager tree branches, sweeping out the cobwebs, vacuuming the pool, and generally sprucing the place up in anticipation of summer. After our hard work we treated ourselves to a some fresh produce from the neighboring farms… not sure if you’ve heard but strawberry season is in full swing and THANK GOD, because strawberries are one of those fruits, like melons and blueberries (coming soon!!), that are basically bland and tough in the off-season. But holy mother, in June there’s nothing better.

Of course, juicy strawberries are superb on their own, topping off ice cream, boiled down for homemade jam, or baked into a pie. This weekend it was effing hot and I didn’t feel like turning on the oven, plus I wanted to try something a bit more savory to go with our dinner of grilled salmon. The farm stand down the road also sells local cheeses, meats and greens, so we picked up a bag of big, leafy spinach, and a small wheel of goat cheese, wonderfully named “Purple Haze,” and this salad was born.

June Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Fresh Spinach, and Lemon Vinaigrette

in Cheese / Now Simmering / Recipe / Veggie 2 comments

by hungry monster

Crispy French Toast Strawberry Shortcake

My car stereo has been on the fritz this week. So, unless I listen to my iPod with one earphone in (for safety, people), I’m kind of forced to think on the way to and from work. Let me just preface this by saying that I’m really weird. But whatever. I embrace it. Well, what I have been thinking about lately is tweeting. More accurately, I have been thinking about tweets I would tweet if I tweeted. I don’t have Twitter, nor do I have any desire to. But, still, this is what is on my mind:

Does {the rapper} Pitbull have any actually albums of his own? It seems like he is on everyone else’s songs. Does he have time to do songs alone? How does he sell records?

***

I raced home and put my swimsuit on the other day and I totally did not even get in the pool. I felt really loser-y sitting around in a non-functional swimsuit. It’s like putting on a prom dress and sitting on the couch. What the heck?

***

What would happen if you combined cornflake encrusted angel food cake French toast with roasted strawberries and made a play on strawberry shortcake? Um, my head might explode.

***

That last fake tweet was clearly onto something.

Crispy French Toast Strawberry Shortcake

in Desserts / Featured / Recipe 0 comments

by unsightly

10-Word Recipe: Roasted Strawberries

Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 350.

10 to 15 minutes.

Toss ’em in your oatmeal or on your pancakes. Just do it.

in Photos / Recipe 2 comments

by hungry monster

Surpise Soul Mates: Strawberry Snickerdoodles

Strawberry and cinnamon are not obvious soul mates. They are not like peanut butter and chocolate. They are the couple who when you find out they’re a couple, you go, “Really?” But then you see them together and see their chemistry, and you are like, “Ok, I see it now.”

I just thought I should let you know that you will have a revelation like this one when you eat these cookies. I’m usually a chocolate girl when it comes to cookies, cakes…well, desserts in general, I guess, but I make one exception and that is for snickerdoodles, especially these ones. Imagine a soft, pillowy mound of sugary goodness studded with juicy strawberries and lightly sprinkled with cinnamon sugar flavor.

Holy crap, they’re good.

Strawberry Snickerdoodles

in Desserts / Recipe 5 comments

by Miss K

Artsy Photo of the Day

They’re heeere…

in Photos 0 comments