strawberries – Page 2 – The Pajama Chef

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 Sarah

So, not only do I have a working laptop again [yay! even though things weren’t so hard work-wise because I had a wonderful loaner laptop from some generous church friends], I also got my act together enough to share this amazing recipe I found for DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES! And on the most amazing day, too.

Why the shouting? Well, because chocolate and strawberry are things to shout about, duh. And because today, June 14th, is National Strawberry Shortcake Day [side note: I never know food holidays. So I’m psyched about this. Really psyched!]. But it’s also Flag Day, which leads me to the most important thing about today… it’s my grandparents’ 70th wedding anniversary. 70! Seven zero. Seventy. Years. Oh my goooooodness. That takes the cake today, right? Not buttery, chocolatey, shortcake that is just full of about a bazillion layers [even though it’s tasty]. Can you even believe it? This is one of my favorite pictures of them, dancing the ever-so-cheesy-yet-hopelessly-sentimental anniversary dance at our wedding. They won, even though at that point they had *only* been married for 66 years. Only. What an example, huh?

You don’t see commitment and longevity to marriage and relationships like this everyday, and my family is so blessed and thankful for their example. These Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes are definitely something to celebrate with–whether it’s a regular Tuesday night [like it was when I made these for our small group this week], National Strawberry Shortcake Day, or your grandparents’ 70th wedding anniversary, these are the perfect treat.

Chocolate and strawberry are a timeless match made in heaven [just like my grandparents] and I think you should definitely make these! And oh, if you do–don’t skimp on the good stuff: use quality dark chocolate, and make your own whipped cream. It’s ridiculously easy and so much better than anything out of a can. Trust me. I wish I lived close enough to my grandparents to make this for dessert for them tonight, but this blog post will have to suffice. I’ll email it to them later today [my grandpa is super tech savvy :)] so maybe you can do me a favor and leave ’em some anniversary love too? 🙂 Happy Anniversary, G&GY! Love you!

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes [from Lauren’s Latest]

click to print

Ingredients:

for the shortcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 ounce dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

for the whipped cream

1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
2-4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch

for the strawberries

1 pound strawberries, washed and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheets with cooking spray or line with silpats or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and cocoa powder, then cut in butter with two knifes or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and chocolate, then spoon out onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through, watching closely to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from baking sheets immediately to cooling rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare whipped cream and strawberries.

To make whipped cream, add whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch to stand mixer and whip on high until firm peaks form. [Cover mixer with a kitchen towel to prevent splatters.] Refrigerate until serving.

For strawberries, mix together berries and sugar. Sugar isn’t necessary but it will make a yummy syrup!

To serve, top cooled chocolate shortcakes with a generous amount of whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy!

Time: 30 minutes + time to cool.

Yield: 8 servings.

P.S. If you wanna trust me on another important strawberry and chocolate matter, be sure to order a Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Blizzard next time you’re at Dairy Queen. It’s one of those off the menu recipes, circa early 2000s, but most stores know how to make it. It is so good.

Linked up with Weekend Potluck.

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Strawberry Muffins

May 31, 2013 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

this post is originally from August 9, 2012

Ever since I can remember, strawberries have been my absolute favorite berry. Not that I don’t love blueberries or blackberries or raspberries, but strawberries have a special place in my heart [and in my mouth!]. Oddly enough, I’m not a fan of strawberry flavored things like fruit and grain bars, yogurt, etc. Because of this deep love of strawberries, usually when I buy them I eat about half the package standing in front of the sink, washing “just one more.” If I want to bake with them, I need to buy them in bulk or specifically plan out a recipe, getting myself to a place of accountability by telling Ben of my plans. It’s pretty hilarious, if you think about it!

Surprisingly enough, this recipe came as a result of an emergency–I had purchased several pounds of berries and for some reason, just didn’t eat them with my usual fury. So instead of letting them go to waste, I whipped up these juicy muffins one warm afternoon. They are extra pillowy and tangy thanks to the buttermilk. Each bite has the sweet scent and flavor of strawberries since the berries are crushed and not left whole. If your berries aren’t very sweet, you can add a little extra sugar but I thought they were just sweet enough as is. These muffins were a hit, but be sure to eat them quickly or freeze them after a few days–the mashed berry makes them soft in the center so they are best fresh. Enjoy!

Strawberry Muffins [from Whole Living]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups sliced strawberries
scant 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine strawberries and scant 1/2 cup sugar. Mash berries gently with pastry blender or potato masher, then set aside.

Next, stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then pour in buttermilk mixture and fold slowly to combine. Add berries [including any juice] to batter, then stir until just mixed.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full, then sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan a few minutes before removing to wire rack. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days, then freeze any leftovers.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 18-20 muffins.

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Maple Berry Overnight Oats

May 8, 2013May 6, 2013 Sarah

Now that it’s getting warmer out, I’m needing some interesting cold breakfasts. After a morning run in the heat, curling up with a hot bowl of oatmeal sounds like absolute torture! There are so many cold breakfasts that are actually good. Cereal is delicious but kinda boring, and in my opinion, things like yogurt and granola bars are only tolerable so many times before I get sick of them. They’re better for snacks or lunch, I think. Smoothies are one of my favorite breakfasts, but I just don’t want to get the blender out everyday, you know? Enter: overnight oats.

I first tried overnight oats a few years ago and felt kinda ‘meh’ about them. But recently, I decided to give them another chance. I went with the amazing flavor combination of maple berry, and let me tell you… this is pretty much the best creamy, sweet, cool breakfast ever!!

Overnight oats, like the name implies, are made the night before you want to enjoy them. Oats are mixed with milk and yogurt so they get all soft and delicious. With the addition of vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup, along with the sweet pop of fresh berries, they just taste SO good!! I can’t wait to experiment with other kinds of berries as the summer goes on.

Enjoying them on the porch is optional, but highly recommended. 🙂

Maple Berry Overnight Oats [from Tartlet Sweets]

click to print

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons plain or vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons maple syrup [or to taste]
1 1/2 cups sliced berries

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together oats, milk, yogurt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Sweeten with maple syrup to taste. Divide between two bowls or Mason jars. Top each bowl with about 3/4 cup berries. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or about 8-12 hours. Serve with additional milk as desired.

Time: 5 minutes plus overnight.

Yield: 2 servings.

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Strawberry Muffins

August 10, 2012May 22, 2014 Sarah

Yesterday I posted an awesome recipe for Strawberry Muffins ~~over at Today’s Housewife.~~

UPDATE [5/31/13]: Recipe is now here on The Pajama Chef!

Be sure to check it out–they are incredible! Hope you have a fun weekend… I hope to recover from this not-so-fun late summer cold [hence the reason this wasn’t posted yesterday…sigh.]. 🙂

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

June 18, 2012 Sarah

So, I realize that hot breakfasts seem like a thing of winter and cooler weather, not days of 90 degree heat and 80% humidity. Not to me! I spent two summers in college working as a camp counselor at Camp Tecumseh, so I woke up to a hot breakfast six days a week, enjoyed in the freezingly cold air conditioned dining hall. It was glorious. Well, some breakfasts anyways. French toast, bacon, hashbrowns, coffee cake, fruit salad. Rubbery eggs… not so much. You can bet that the onlyonlyONLY reason us counselors looked forward to sleep-out nights was getting to sleep in a little later while enjoying breakfast in bed, aka sugary cold cereal, powdered doughnuts, and apples.

By far, the breakfast that Camp Tecumseh is known for is their baked oatmeal. I’ve shared the basic recipe before, but this time I’ve jazzed it up… made it a little more flashy, a little more flared.

This version combines juicy, sweet strawberries with the tropical coconut to make a phenomenal baked oatmeal that will really wake up your morning [and wish you were at the beach… sigh.]. I used coconut milk and coconut flakes to double the nutty fun of my new favorite flavor. If I had had coconut extract, you can bet that some of that would have been included too!

I mixed up the fruit and oat mixture the night before, then baked it in the morning while I was getting ready for the day. After I finished doing my hair, breakfast was ready with time to spare. If your mornings are a little more rushed, this Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal can always be baked ahead of time and heated up in individual servings in the microwave. Since no additional toppings are needed, this is a great breakfast to take to the office instead of the usual yogurt and granola… and if you’re in the air conditioning, as most of us are this time of year, hot breakfasts don’t have to be avoided in the summertime.

What have you been eating for breakfast lately? I need some new ideas, cause I can’t eat this oatmeal everyday!

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal [adapted from Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries, divided [fresh or frozen, I used frozen]
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flakes, divided [sweetened or unsweetened, your choice]
1 1/4 cups coconut milk [I used lite]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Place 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, and egg. In a small bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, chia seeds, and 1/3 cup coconut flakes. Fold dry ingredients into the wet, then pour in coconut milk and stir until just combined. Mixture should be the consistency of thick cake batter. Pour over strawberries in pan, then top with remaining 1/2 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons coconut flakes.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Time: 40 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.