Repeat: Strawberry Freezer Jam

In my early salvaging days I threw a batch of this together. It's quite possibly the most delicious jam I've ever had and it's SO simple to make. Just do it!

 Ingredients:

4 cups hulled Strawberries
4 cups Sugar
1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 7.5 oz. package of regular powdered fruit pectin
3/4 cups water

Directions:
Use a potato masher to crush the berries until there is about 2 cups of pulp. Add sugar and lemon peel, let stand for 10 minutes. Prepare fruit pectin in pan by boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add to berry mixture; stir for three minutes when mixture is no longer grainy. Ladle into half pint freezer containers, let stand for 24 hours before placing in the freezer for up to a year.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Extended Shelf Life for: Strawberries

Truth be told, I get pretty excited when a batch of dumpster strawberries make their way into 519 Kitchen. A second truth to share is that I really missed cream cheese while living in South Korea so I'm definitely incorporating it into as many meals, post-meals, etc. as I possibly can. That being said, when dumpster strawberries arrived and I realized cream cheese was just waiting to be used, I cracked open a cook book and went to work tweaking and adjusting until these flaky little morsels came hot out of the oven.

Ingredients/Directions:

Combine 1 cup Flour and 1/3 cup Brown Sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in 6 Tbsp. Cold Butter until you have a mixture of fine crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture for topping while pressing the remaining crumbs into an non-greased square baking dish. Bake crust at 350 for about 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, dice a handful (depending on your 'harvest') or two of strawberries and sprinkle with sugar, to taste (2-4 Tbsp.). In a small bowl, beat 1 package Cream Cheese for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add 1/4 cup Sugar and beat until fluffy. Add 1 Egg, 2 Tbsp. Milk, and 1/2 tsp. Vanilla and beat until well mixed. Fold in syrupy, sweetened, deliciously salvaged strawberries.

Spread cream cheese mixture onto crust, sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake 20-25 additional minutes until done. Cool in pan, store in the refrigerator (if they last that long).

Overnight Oats Variation: Strawberry and Banana

Classic and Delicious.

Strawberry 'Mojito' and Open Faced Sandwiches

I enjoy throwing things into a blender and pretending it's something as fancy as a Strawberry Mojito...but usually, it's not. It's just frozen strawberries, a  bit of fresh apple-mint (?--does that exist outside of Korea?) and of course...Soju.

I also enjoy using home bread to make simple, delicious sandwiches...Bread. Cheese. Onions soaked in Balsamic Vinegar. Tomato. Fried Egg on Top.

Can't go wrong.

Buried Strawberry Blondies topped with Strawberry Syrup

Having seen some delectable Oreo Brownies on Pinterest (which are currently refusing to be linked), my creative baking wheels got to turning. An abundance of frozen strawberries and the availability of Strawberry Cream Filled Cookies gave birth to these Blondies. The concept of burying cookies in brownies (or blondies) is an idea I'm keen on playing around with as often as possible, just for the plain fun of it!

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and grease a square or round cake pan. Cream together 1/2 Cup Butter and 1 Cup Brown Sugar. Whisk in 1 Egg and 1 tsp. Vanilla. Gradually add 1 Cup Flour, 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder, 1/8 tsp. Baking Soda and a Pinch of Salt. Spread approximately half of batter into the bottom of the pan, layer on strawberry cookies followed by the rest of the batter (this was actually quite tricky as the batter was quite thick, however a bit of magic with the spatula and you should be in business.) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, cool. Top with strawberry syrup, a simple mixture of diced/pureed strawberries and sugar to taste, simmered on the stove top. Enjoy with the best of friends as the weather is just beginning to warm up - you won't be disappointed!

Easy Yogurt Fruit Dip

I pinned this recipe to my Deliciously Insipiring pinboard so it'd be easier to find for a Friday night get-together. Obviously, being who I am and living where I live, it was necessary to make a substitution. Although sour cream is available at some places, particularly Costco, in Korea, it's pricey and easily substituted by Plain Yogurt in this case.

Ingredients/Directions:

Mix 2 cups Plain Yogurt with 1/4-1/2 cup Brown Sugar add 1 tsp. Vanilla whisk until mixed serve with seasonal and/or affordable fruit from your local mart or ajumma!

Browned Butter Brownies with Strawberry Sauce

I have a new love. Pinterest.
Seriously. Best. Idea. Ever.
Virtual-themed bulletin boards where I can pin things from the world-wide web that inspire me, enlighten me, bring me joy, etc. LOVE!
Wouldn't have found this delectable recipe without Pinterest...just sayin'.

Browned Butter Brownies: Ingredients/Directions

10Tbsp (or less, try 7-8) butter melted in a saucepan. Let butter get frothy and brown but avoid burning, should take 6-8 minutes. Add to saucepan: 1 1/4 cup Sugar, 3/4 cup Cocoa, 2 tsp. Water, Dash (or two) Cinnamon, Dash of Salt, and 2 tsp. Vanilla. Let mixture set and cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk in 2 eggs (or 1 if that's all you have, it'll still work - I promise, I know) one at a time - mixture will be thick, dark and shiny. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes before stirring in 1/3 cup Chocolate Chips or diced chocolate bar. Pour into greased square or round pan bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes.

Ours were incredibly gooey and OH-so-delicious with a cold glass of milk!

For Strawberry sauce I simply sliced a dozen or so frozen strawberries, dumped them in a sauce pan, added sugar and heated, adding additional sugar until I fel the sauce was of appropriate sweetness - start with 1/4 cup or less sugar and go from there!