three things to do with strawberries

Does anyone else have low-priced, plump and juicy, red, ripe, delicious strawberries coming out their ears? Here are some tasty ways we've found to use them.


Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
I don't know how it is where you live, but here bananas ripen (or "turn dirty," as Garrett terms it) extra quickly in the summertime. I'll buy a bunch and two days later they're all spotty, brown, and mushy. So recipes like this one, which call for overripe bananas and strawberries are perfect for this time of year. Also, they are really, really good.

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
10-12 fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or coat it with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla, then continue beating until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together; mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add the strawberries and chocolate chips, reserving a small handful of each, and gently mix them into the batter. Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin cup. Place the remaining strawberries and chocolate chips on top of each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins briefly in the tin, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe source


Strawberry Lemon Muffins
These are to die for! And they taste good warm, right out of the oven or cold the next day. I made them in the evening, served a few for an after-dinner dessert, then served the rest for breakfast the next morning.

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp milk
dash salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, then coat them with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Zest the lemon and add it to the dry ingredients, stirring to combine. Add the strawberries, tossing to coat. Juice the lemon and pour the juice into a separate bowl along with the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Whisk together to incorporate. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon batter evenly into the muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool briefly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle with the glaze while they are still warm.

Recipe source


Strawberry Sauce for Fresh Strawberry Limeade
This one is a little labor intensive, but definitely worth it for a cool, refreshing drink on a hot day.

Strawberry Sauce
1 pint strawberries, washed and roughly chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

Combine strawberries, sugar, and extract in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, and, using a wooden spoon, stir constantly/break up strawberries. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer mixture to a blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Strawberry Limeade (one serving)
Ice
Sprite
1 1/2 limes
3-4 tbsp strawberry sauce

Fill a tall glass with ice. Squeeze the juice of one lime (approximately 2-3 tbsp) into the glass. Fill the glass about halfway with Sprite, then add 3-4 tbsp of strawberry sauce. Top the glass off with Sprite and add more strawberry sauce if desired. Garnish with lime wedges and enjoy!

Recipe source