Strawberry Cheesecake Tarts and Strawberry Bread
I love cookbooks and I love strawberries. Yesterday, I discovered this recipe in one of my mother’s old cookbooks, and she had written the word “great” in her handwriting. I will let all of you wonderful cooks be the judge of this recipe. Norris Farm’s strawberries are supposed to be ready this week and my first adventure will be to make my strawberry jam for the year. The recipe in the Sure-Jel box is delicious and easy and I have been using it for years to make my fruit jams. By the way, I use the cooked jam process.
Strawberry Cheesecake Tarts (24)
1 package strawberry
cake mix
1/4 cup margarine, melted
2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon
vanilla flavoring
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
12 fresh strawberries, halved
Place 24 cupcake holders in pan. Combine cake mix and margarine in mixing bowl. Beat on low for one minute. Divide evenly into cupcake holders. Combine cream cheese, eggs, three-fourth cup sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mix at medium speed until smooth. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes until set. Combine sour cream and one-fourth cup sugar. Spread evenly over cheesecakes. Bake five more minutes. Cool. Top with a strawberry half.
Andy’s Note: This recipe reminds me of a dessert that my mother and my aunts would make and serve at a shower or tea. I can just see these arranged on a beautiful large tray, surrounded by white chocolate dipped strawberries with shiny green leaves. This also sounds like the way Andy Bedwell would serve them!
Strawberry Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups pecans, chopped
2 cups of mashed,
sweetened strawberries
1 1/2 cups Crisco oil
3 eggs, beaten
Sift all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add pecans and mix. Make a well in the center, mix the rest and pour into the well. Stir enough to dampen all ingredients and then pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Andy’s Note: This is one of my favorite breads to bake. Be sure and grease and flour the pans really well. If you don’t have fresh strawberries, you can use two 10-ounce packages of frozen ones. I usually make a vanilla glaze for the top and decorate with white chocolate strawberries and use the red strawberries with the green stems. This recipe makes a wonderful muffin!
I am checking my email everyday for all of your wonderful recipes. Hint! Hint!
Happy Cooking,
Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Alabama Gift Company in downtown Gadsden and The Messenger on Rainbow Drive.