Strawberry 🍓 Bread

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Strawberry Bread

★★★★★

Breads, Fruit,

Cook Time: 50 minutesServings: Prep time 10 minutesSource: tastesoflizzyt.com

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BREAD:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder** (see notes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups diced strawberries

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

FOR THE GLAZE:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup finely diced strawberries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk** (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

In a small bowl, toss together the strawberries and the 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries. Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter.

Pour the bread batter into a greased 9″x5″ bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, diced strawberries and extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth.

Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. Slice and serve.

NOTES

*I often add an extra teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to the bread batter (along with the wet ingredients) for an extra boost of flavor. I do this especially if I’m not putting the glaze on top. The bread has the most flavor when you add the strawberry glaze!

*We have added up to 2 ½ cups of diced strawberries to the batter. The bread stays together the best when you use about 2 cups.

**We like the strawberry bread as written, but if you’d like a higher rise on the bread, reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon and add ½ teaspoon of baking soda. This will change the texture slightly, but some like it a little better.

**We didn’t need any milk or cream to make the glaze spreadable, but it may depend on the juiciness of your strawberries. The glaze will be very thick and look like it is not mixing up, but if you keep mixing, it should create a nice creamy pink glaze as shown below. If it doesn’t, add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time. The glaze will soften as it sits too since the sugar pulls out juices from the strawberries. Keep this in mind when adding milk and don’t add too much!

***Many people find that they can make half of a recipe of glaze and it is plenty. If you don’t like a lot of glaze, halve the ingredients.

****The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces (and all of the frosting used), with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 19.7mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Leftover Ham? Make sliders 🍔

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We bought a Honey Baked Ham for the holidays and I went searching for recipes for leftovers.

This one’s a KEEPER.

Ham & Cheese Sliders


Ham & Cheese Sliders

★★★★★

Entertaining for a crowd, Make Ahead, Meats, Sandwich

Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Servings: Yields: Source: delish.com

INGREDIENTS

SAVE TO MY RECIPES

1/4 c. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. honey

4 tbsp. melted butter

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

1/4 c. mayonnaise

12 slider buns

12 slices deli ham

12 slices Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine mustard and honey and whisk to combine.

Make poppy dressing: In a medium bowl, combine butter, poppy seeds, and 1 tablespoon of honey-mustard mixture. Whisk to combine.

Split slider buns in half horizontally and place bottom half on baking sheet. Spread mayo in an even layer on the bottom layer of slider buns, then top with an even layer of ham and cheese. Spread top buns with honey-mustard mixture, then place on top of cheese layer. Pour poppyseed dressing on tops of buns (using a pastry brush to spread if necessary) until all buns are coated.

Place in oven and bake until cheese is melty and buns are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Slice and serve.

NUTRITION

(per serving): 312 calories, 16 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, .14 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 18 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 683 mg sodium

Luscious Lemon Cream Fruit Dip

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This dip has always been the hit of the party. Light and truly luscious, guests cannot get enough!

Luscious Lemon Cream Fruit Dip

★★★★★

Appetizer

Difficulty: Easy Source: Keyingredient.com

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup REAL LEMON (brand name) concentrate

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup water water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whipping cream — whipped

–

DIRECTIONS

Beat lemon, 1/2 cup sugar and eggs. In saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch; stir in water. Cook and stir til thickened; remove from heat. Gradually beat in egg mixture.

Over low heat cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add vanilla. Cool. Fold in whipped cream.

Serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers.

It’ll take me 10 years but ah’m going to make this Lemon 🍋 Blueberry 🫐cake!

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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cake

Cakes, Desserts, TO TRY

Prep Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr 20 min

Total Time: 14 hours Servings: 12 Source: omgchocolatedesserts.com

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup fresh blueberries

16 oz. cream cheese- room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk- room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons corn starch

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup unsalted butter-room temperature

1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs + 1 egg white

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon zest

½ cup milk

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 ½ cups blueberries- fresh (if use frozen do not thaw)

3-4 teaspoons of flour- to toss the blueberries

12 oz. full-fat brick style cream cheese- softened

1 cup unsalted butter-softened

¼ teaspoon salt

3 ½ -4 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

lemon wedges

fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS

Blueberry Cheesecake::

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Wrap springform pan in double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent water from leaking in during the baking in a water bath.

To make the cheesecake pulse blueberries and cream cheese in a food processor, then transfer the mixture in a mixing bowl.

Add sugar and flour and beat until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla.

Add eggs, one at the time mixing after each addition just to combine, do not over mix.

Finally mix in sour cream and heavy cream. Pour the batter into springform pan and smooth the top, then place in a roasting pan. Pour boiling water in roasting pan halfway up the side of the springform pan and make sure no water drip on the batter and bake 40-45 minutes or until the center has set.

Remove springform pan from water bath, then run a thin knife around the cake and cool to a room temperature, then place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to cool completely.

Lemon Blueberry Cake::

Preheat oven to 350 F, butter and lightly flour two 8-inches round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles.

Sift together 2 cups flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Stir together milk and lemon juice and set aside to curdle.

Beat butter and sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

With the mixer running on low, add eggs one at a time and mix after each addition.

Add vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix to combine.

First add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add half of the milk mixture, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, then remaining milk mixture milk, and finish with the flour mixture. Mix to combine after each addition, but do not over mix.

In a small bowl, gently toss blueberries with flour to coat, then gently fold blueberries into batter, being careful not to break the berries.

Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth the top and bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Cream Cheese Frosting::

Mix the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until no lumps remain. Do not over beat before the sugar was added or may end up with a runny frosting.

Add vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix until combined.

Gradually add powdered sugar until desired sweetness and thickness is reached. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until smooth.

Assembling the Cake:

Place one layer of cake onto serving plate and top with thin layer of lemon cream cheese frosting. Place blueberry cheesecake layer and top with thin layer of frosting. Finally, top with second cake layer and frost cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with lemon wedges and fresh blueberries if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.

Store in the fridge.

NOTES

You can make the cake layers and cheesecake layer a day ahead. Cool completely to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. The next day make the frosting and assemble the cake.

Buttermilk Peach Popsicles

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Buttermilker-Peach
Popsicles


Ingredients
3 ripe Dickey Farms peaches, peeled and
diced
3/4 cup whole buttermilk
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method

  1. Process buttermilk, honey, cream, salt, and 11/2
    cups of the peaches in a blender until
    completely smooth, about 1 minute.
  2. Finely chop remaining 1 cup of peaches; stir into
    buttermilk mixture. Divide peach mixture among
    plastic frozen pop molds, leaving some room at
    the top to allow for expansion. Cover with lids
    and insert wooden craft sticks.
  3. Freeze until pops are completely firm and sticks
    are set, approximately 6-8 hours. To remove the
    pops, run outside of molds under hot water for
    a few seconds and remove lids.
    Exjoy!

Strawberry Patch🍓 Decoys

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I had a beautiful green ceramic strawberry pot, with 🍓plants that survived from year to year.

my 🍓decoy

I kept it on our front porch and invited guests to help themselves. There wasn’t much fruit as our summers can be brutally hot, but we thoroughly enjoyed its presence.

Well, it broke early last spring ?? and I hastily planted them into an already established raised garden bed. They took off nicely but I had a LOT of competition for the berries. I couldn’t begrudge the tiny bunnies or the squirrels, but the birds have feeders.

More plants, I thought. More plants and there will be enough strawberries to go around. The runners from the original plants obliged me and I have a nice little patch this year.

But then I saw the birds going after the berries that haven’t even begun to ripen. What to do?🤔

And THAT’s when I thought to paint some small pebbles red like strawberries 🍓. Birds don’t like pecking hard things with their beaks. They’ll peck the rocks and not like it very much and leave my soon-to-be ripe berries alone. Right? right??

My strawberry 🍓 patch WITH decoys 😂

Worth a try and if nothing else I had a good deal of fun doing it.

Wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted

Photographer Finds Pack of Polar Bears Huddling in Old Soviet Dwellings on Lost Arctic Island in Russia

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BY Michael Wing March 2, 2022

Like pale ghosts, a pack of white polar bears haunt a dilapidated, abandoned Soviet weather station on a small island in Russia’s Arctic far east.

This sleuth of spooky bears might have gone unnoticed on Kolyuchin Island had David Kokh, a 41-year-old Moscow-based photographer, not set sail on his long-awaited voyage to Wrangel Island last September. He shared how the remarkable encounter, and subsequent photoshoot of a lifetime, transpired.

“We sailed along the coast and covered more than 1,200 miles of untouched landscapes, villages lost in time, spots with various fauna, and seas full of life,” Kokh told The Epoch Times. “One day, bad weather was expected, so our captain approached a small island, Kolyuchin, to take shelter from the storm.”

That Arctic island, located off Russia’s northeastern coast, northwest of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, is known for its polar weather station that operated during Soviet times, the photographer said. It was finally closed in 1992, but an abandoned village still stands on the island today.

Kokh described feeling a “childlike sense of excitement” upon discovering the family of polar bears huddled amidst the dismal, depressing dwellings. “The stormy wind, rain, and neglected buildings on the rocky shores all made everything appear super surreal,” he said. “Suddenly, we noticed movement in the windows of the houses. Someone took out some binoculars and we saw the heads of polar bears!”

The bears appeared like wraiths amidst eerie fog on the long-deserted island. “It was the perfect setting,” he added.

Kokh was able to capture the wildlife on camera without disturbing them or exposing himself to danger by using his Mavic 2 Pro drone camera. The drone was equipped with low-noise propellers so as to not startle the enormous bears. He employed clever tricks and maneuvers with his drone to minimize the disturbance. “I was nowhere near them so was not in any danger,” he said.

There were polar bears standing guard like sentinels; peering through windows, alone or in pairs; loitering on porches; and lounging on the lawns outside—making for a wildlife shoot of a lifetime. “The bears walked around the houses, there was about twenty animals in sight at the same time, mostly males,” Kokh said. “The females kept to the side with their cubs, closer to the shores of the island.”

Besides the thrill of the encounter and satisfaction of capturing a rare and unique moment, Kokh was able to share the polar bear photoshoot with the world on his Instagram, where it went viral. “The moment when I encountered the polar bears at the abandoned meteorological station in the Northern Chukotka was very special for me, pretty sure I will never forget it,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful I can share this moment with people from all around the world.”

Kokh believes that a photographer’s job is to “tell a story”—His story, he adds, is one of the relationship between ourselves, wildlife, and nature.

Courtesy of David Kokh

Buffet Chicken Cacciatore

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Lots of steps to this so you’ll need an afternoon, but OH so WORTH IT.

The chicken will be falling off the bone tender.


Buffet Chicken Cacciatore

About half way done …

Goes back into the oven until sauce comes to a boil. Remove from oven. Remove the chicken, stir and place back into pan. Cover with foil and bake another hour.

★★★★★

Italian, Poultry

Servings: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Olive Oil

2 large onions — chopped

1 clove garlic

1 frying chicken, cut up

salt and pepper

2 28 oz. cans Italian plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon basil

½ tablespoon thyme

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sugar

1 bay leaf

1 green pepper — cut into strips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

Cover bottom of roasting pan with olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Brown lightly. Salt & pepper chicken parts and lightly brown.

Break up tomatoes, add sugar, red pepper flakes. salt, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, & bay leaf. Mix well. Add green pepper . Pour over chicken and let come to a boil.

Remove chicken pieces, stir sauce and pour over chicken. Cover with foil and bake one hour.

Remove foil, increase oven to 450 & bake until chicken is delicately brown. Baste with sauce, and serve with small pasta.