Freezing Strawberries

After strawberry picking last weekend, I knew we couldn't possibly use and eat all 15lbs of strawberries before they went bad. Freezer is definitely the best option since I don't have canning supplies or a dehydrator. 

Here is the best way I've found to prepare and freeze strawberries. 

Wash and hull them then lay them on a towel to dry.

Let them sit for a while to air dry, or gentle pat them/roll them with another towel. 

The hardest part is trying not to eat them all when they look this good! 

Toss the hulls in your compost or worm bin instead of the trash!

Once they're dry, put them on a cookie sheet, making sure they're not touching too much. The whole point of this is so you don't have a frozen strawberry chunk you can't use! Then place the whole cookie sheet into the freezer until the strawberries freeze. Don't leave them too long or they may start to get freezer burn.

Once they're frozen, simply transfer them to a freezer bag and put back into the freezer! Remember to label the bag with the date as well. 

What would you make with frozen strawberries? Jam? Pie? Smoothies?

Till next time,

Catherine

Bake: No Knead Whole Wheat Amish Cinnamon Bread

How's that for some mouth watering deliciousness??? 

That, my friends, is an amazing recipe I found on Redfly Creations for an alternative to the classic Amish cinnamon bread. You should definitely check out her blog because it's chock full of good stuff! Everything from this Amish Cinnamon Bread to pasta sauce to handy pre-made baking mixes and more! 

I altered her recipe by using whole wheat flour and less sugar but it was still really yummy!! Definitely a semi-healthy little "sweet treat" at night after dinner. Or...ya know...anytime. 

Ingredients (Makes two loaves):

Batter: 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups raw unbleached sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 Tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda 

Also, you'll need: 

• 2/3 cup raw sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

This will be for the middle layer/topping. 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Mix your wet ingredients with the sugar till you get  a nice creamy mixture. 

Creamy!

Now add your flour and baking soda. 

Mix well. It will be more of a batter than a dough.

Distribute about 1/2-3/4 of the batter between the two pans. It may sound odd but you want to add the other 1/2-1/4 of the batter on top in a minute. 

Stir together your cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

Sprinkle about 1/2 of the mixture between the two pans.

Now spread the rest of the batter on top! Make sense now?

Now pour the rest of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the batter in each pan.

Take a butter knife and stick it into the batter about an inch or so and swirl the batter around. This will help the top have more texture and the inside to be marbled. 

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, and enjoy!!

It was so hard to wait!

Baked to perfection! 

Slices of heaven.

Drool worthy indeed.

Eat it warm, cold, warm with butter, cold with butter, early morning, late night, any time, any way this is so good! 

We had a friend visiting for the weekend when I made this and it went so fast! Boy am I glad I tossed the other loaf in the freezer before it was gone too!

Next I want to try The Pioneer Woman's method! 

I've linked up over at Nourishing Treasures for Wellness Wednesday! Check it out HERE! 

What's your favorite way to make cinnamon bread? 

Till next time,

Catherine

Cook-Strawberry Yogurt Pops

I just KNEW I had to have this popsicle tray for a reason! Not to mention World Market had it on sale! It was only a few bucks and I just couldn't resist. Luckily Pinterest inspired me early on last summer to make my own version of THIS. 

My version was a bit simpler but just as tasty! 

Ingredients:

• Strawberries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries...whatever you prefer!)
• Vanilla yogurt
• I'd also recommend a sweetener like honey or agave, to taste

Directions:

Puree your fruit in a blender (after washing it, of course). 

Alternately spoon yogurt and the fruit puree into the popsicle mold. You can also swirl it around with a spoon if you want it more mixed. 

Freeze.

Enjoy!

Keep this in mind for the summer months when it's hot! It's going to be quite a lovely weekend and upcoming week with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s! Enjoy your weekend everyone! :)

Got any fun plans this weekend while the weather is nice? 

Till next time,

Catheirne