The strawberry, red in all of its glory, is one of nature’s sweetest offerings. It can be eaten straight off the vine and can be barely sprinkled with sugar or salt. The peak season for strawberries is April to June, so now is the time to enjoy these recipes. My favorite way to use strawberries is filling all my jars with that sweet and red strawberry jam.
Strawberry Pie
1 quart hulled strawberries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 tablespoon
lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 baked pie crust
Put half of the berries in a cooled pie crust. Mash the other half of the berries with a potato masher. Mix crushed berries with cornstarch and water. Add lemon juice, salt and sugar. Cook until thick. After cooled, pour over berries. Top with Cool Whip.
Andy’s Note: This is always the first recipe I make with my berries. In other words, this will put you in a “strawberry mood.”
Strawberry Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
2 (10-ounce) packages
frozen strawberries, thawed
(I use the same amount of fresh sugared strawberries)
1 1/2 Crisco oil
3 eggs, beaten
Sift dry ingredients together in a large 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 a large greased and floured tube pan or two loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Andy’s Note: This is one of my favorite recipes! I dare say how many times I have used this. I always pour a vanilla glaze on top and decorate with whole strawberries. You know I have to decorate everything! I did a bridal shower and served trays of sliced assorted breads, and it was really quite different.
Strawberry Ice Box Dessert
1 (12-ounce) package
vanilla wafers
1 stick margarine
1 can Eagle Brand
sweetened condensed milk
2 lemons (juice only)
1 (8-ounce) Cool Whip
2 cups fresh sliced
strawberries (sugared)
Make crust with wafers by crushing them. Melt margarine and add to crumbs, mixing thoroughly. Press into a 9×13 glass dish, reserving one cup crumbs in separate pan. Bake both glass dish and pan for five minutes at 350 degrees. Stir lemon juice into condensed milk, mixing well. Add slightly drained strawberries and mix. Add Cool Whip. Pour into cooled crust and top with one cup of the re-served crumb mixture. Chill and serve.
Andy’s Note: This is wonderful! The combination of everything is delicious. How can you ever go wrong using Eagle Brand milk? This is a must try!
Strawberry Pizza Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
Topping
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
12 ounces Cool Whip
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint frozen strawberries
1 package strawberry jello
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup hot water
For crust, mix and put in the bottom of a well-buttered two quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until brown. Cool. For the topping, mix cream cheese, Cool Whip, powdered sugar and vanilla and layer over cooled crust. Put in refrigerator. Dissolve jello in hot water and add frozen berries to the hot mixture. When it begins to jell, pour over cream cheese mixture.
Andy’s Note: Yes, you have to use frozen unsweetened strawberries. I put mine in the freezer for a couple of hours before using. You can decorate the top with strawberries dipped in white chocolate with the green stems exposed. Oh gosh, I love to decorate foods!
This strawberry pizza was a big hit in the 1980s, and my mother made it for so many occasions. I can not describe the feelings that I have when I see one of her recipes written in her own handwriting.
Happy Strawberry Cooking! Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Alabama Gift Company in downtown Gadsden and The Messenger on Rainbow Drive.