If you happen to venture to a strawberry field like this...
and plop yourself down to find some nice ripe strawberries...
and if you manage to refrain from eating EVERY berry that you pick (ahem, W, next time they might make us weigh you in and out) and come home with some nice strawberries like this......then you might like a few recipes to enjoy. Here are 2 of our favorites!
Grandma Grace's Hot Milk Cake (we have been eating this with mashed strawberries over top - yum!)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk (If using skim milk, increase butter to 4 Tbsp)
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
Beat eggs, add sugar and beat until creamy and frothy. Heat milk until butter melts (pyrex measuring cup works great for this if using microwave). Sift (or whisk) flour and baking powder together. Add dry ingredients to egg batter along with the milk and butter. Beat well. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Good with chocolate frosting or as a shortcake with strawberries and ice cream.
Grandma Roskamp's Strawberry Pie (Bruin adjustments in parentheses*)
*S's idea of a strawberry pie is crust and strawberries, which I think of a pile of big hard berries covered in red dye #40 goo (I had a piece of pie like this at Perkins before and have never been the same). My idea of a strawberry pie is this recipe which S thinks is not a pie at all but rather too sweet strawberry jam over a cream cheese concoction of sorts. We joshingly argue every year about which one to make with our berries, so this year I tried to meld the ideas...with good results. At least S said it was pie this year. =)
1 pie shell, baked (use "pie weights" rather than poking holes in the crust - finished pie will be less soggy)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (4 oz cream cheese)
1/4 cup powdered sugar or whipped cream (2 Tbsp powdered sugar)
6 cups strawberries, sliced (halve strawberries or leave small ones whole)
1 cup sugar (3/4 cup sugar)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Beat cream cheese with sugar or small amount of whipped cream. Spread on bottom of baked and cool pie crust (make sure cream cheese mixture is very soft and spreadable and basically "paint" the crust with a thin layer of it). Put crust in refrigerator to chill.
Mash only enough berries to measure 1 cup. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water and mashed berries. Cook until mixture thickens and boil for 1 minute. Cool in refrigerator.
Fill pie with remaining sliced strawberries (fill with halved or whole strawberries - may need more than 6 cups - I wasn't measuring, but just kept going until the pie was full). Pour berry mixture over top and spread even. Chill overnight, or at least 4 hours.
The strawberry season has come to an end in this house. This is by far the most strawberries we have processed ever, thanks to help from my parents. Around 50 lbs of fresh strawberries from 2 trips to the Bauer Berry Farm. First 30 lbs were picked by Mom, Grace and I. The next trip I went by myself with the 3 kids. Before you think I am crazy, I had a quick escape route and 10 lbs of pre-picked strawberries ordered in case it went bad. Which it didn't, at least that day! The kids had a great time and I picked another 10 lbs! The results of the processing were as follows:
Grandma Grace's Hot Milk Cake (we have been eating this with mashed strawberries over top - yum!)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk (If using skim milk, increase butter to 4 Tbsp)
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
Beat eggs, add sugar and beat until creamy and frothy. Heat milk until butter melts (pyrex measuring cup works great for this if using microwave). Sift (or whisk) flour and baking powder together. Add dry ingredients to egg batter along with the milk and butter. Beat well. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Good with chocolate frosting or as a shortcake with strawberries and ice cream.
Grandma Roskamp's Strawberry Pie (Bruin adjustments in parentheses*)
*S's idea of a strawberry pie is crust and strawberries, which I think of a pile of big hard berries covered in red dye #40 goo (I had a piece of pie like this at Perkins before and have never been the same). My idea of a strawberry pie is this recipe which S thinks is not a pie at all but rather too sweet strawberry jam over a cream cheese concoction of sorts. We joshingly argue every year about which one to make with our berries, so this year I tried to meld the ideas...with good results. At least S said it was pie this year. =)
1 pie shell, baked (use "pie weights" rather than poking holes in the crust - finished pie will be less soggy)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (4 oz cream cheese)
1/4 cup powdered sugar or whipped cream (2 Tbsp powdered sugar)
6 cups strawberries, sliced (halve strawberries or leave small ones whole)
1 cup sugar (3/4 cup sugar)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Beat cream cheese with sugar or small amount of whipped cream. Spread on bottom of baked and cool pie crust (make sure cream cheese mixture is very soft and spreadable and basically "paint" the crust with a thin layer of it). Put crust in refrigerator to chill.
Mash only enough berries to measure 1 cup. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water and mashed berries. Cook until mixture thickens and boil for 1 minute. Cool in refrigerator.
Fill pie with remaining sliced strawberries (fill with halved or whole strawberries - may need more than 6 cups - I wasn't measuring, but just kept going until the pie was full). Pour berry mixture over top and spread even. Chill overnight, or at least 4 hours.
The strawberry season has come to an end in this house. This is by far the most strawberries we have processed ever, thanks to help from my parents. Around 50 lbs of fresh strawberries from 2 trips to the Bauer Berry Farm. First 30 lbs were picked by Mom, Grace and I. The next trip I went by myself with the 3 kids. Before you think I am crazy, I had a quick escape route and 10 lbs of pre-picked strawberries ordered in case it went bad. Which it didn't, at least that day! The kids had a great time and I picked another 10 lbs! The results of the processing were as follows:
- 30 pints of strawberry jam (little less than half went home with my folks)
- 2 quart bags of frozen whole berries
- 5 quarts of mashed berries
- big bowl of mashed berries for eating over ice cream and hot milk cake
- big bowl of whole berries to eat fresh
- 2 strawberry pies
I love strawberry season so much, I can't wait for next year already.
