strawberry

Lite ‘n Luscious Smoothie

Leah Short — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:20:00 +0000

I’ve gone smoothie crazy in my kitchen. Which is a good thing I think. This Lite ‘n Luscious Smoothie comes courtesy of the same ladies that introduced me to the Starburst Smoothie. Only this time, it’s from their second smoothie book, Super Smoothies: 50 Recipes for Health and Energy. What I like about this book, compared to their first, is that it’s organized by what you want to achieve with your smoothie. Need more energy? Check. Curing a hangover? Check. Want low calorie, but delicious? Check. You know which one I gravitate to…low calorie of course! That’s my one pet peeve with smoothies is that they tend to be pretty high in calories. Not this one. At only 136 per serving, you can almost afford to drink two!

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Starburst Smoothie

Leah Short — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:45:00 +0000

If you follow me on social media, you’re familiar with my bookcase of cookbooks. It’s out of control. I’m hoping to make at least once recipe from each cookbook so it will help me find which ones I actually like and which ones need a trip to Goodwill. First up is this Starburst Smoothie. Why don’t I make more smoothies?! They’re like dessert, but full of good for you fruity goodness!

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Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Leah Short — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 13:36:17 +0000

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! Yesterday was a fun day of cooking for the 4th and then watching fireworks. The 4th and ringing in the New Year are my favorite holidays and I think it’s because of the fireworks. Since it was rainy, we watched the NYC show on television, but it was spectacular! I’d like to see them in person one day. For dessert, we had this Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake. It’s topped with a sugary white glaze and served with macerated strawberries. Red, white, and blue!

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No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

Leah Short — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:01:49 +0000

I pinned this “cake” a while back on Pinterest and I’m so glad I finally made it. This No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake is heavenly. It’s seriously no bake. The “cake” is really graham crackers that have gotten soft thanks to the whipped topping and strawberries. It takes minutes to put together, but the willpower comes in having to wait four hours for the graham crackers to soften. As soon as the timer went off, I ate one piece…and then I immediately ate another.

So, how’s it taste?

I’m madly in love with this dessert. It’s crazy simple, but it’s out of this world good, especially when you use really ripe strawberries. It’s almost like a strawberry s’more with the whipped topping acting like the marshmallow. It might sound odd to want a dessert made of soggy graham crackers, but it works. It really does turn into the texture of cake.

You could certainly make homemade whipped cream if you like, but I don’t mind whipped topping from a tub and it’s so easy (plus using fat-free makes me feel less guilty). I think the dessert could do without the chocolate drizzle on top. I do like the combination of chocolate and strawberry, but it’s almost too heavy for this dessert. It’s a really light and summery cake, so the chocolate isn’t necessary. Good grief, I never thought I’d type that!

The dessert only lasts about three days and on the third day, it doesn’t look very pretty with the strawberry juice starting to run through the whipped topping. It still tastes great, but if you’re making this for an event, I’d make it ahead with just enough time to let the graham crackers get soft.

Yield: 12 servings

No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

Ingredients:

3 lbs. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 (8 oz.) tubs fat-free whipped topping (or use regular or light)
1 (14.4 oz.) box graham crackers
1/4 cup milk chocolate chip morsels

Directions:

1. Spread a small amount of whipped topping on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Place 5 graham cracker sheets down the middle and break 2 more sheets into crackers to fit down the sides. Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped topping and then a layer of sliced strawberries. Repeat three times, until you have four layers of graham crackers (you may be a few crackers short on the top layer, but that's ok). You'll end with a layer of strawberries on top.

2. Place milk chocolate chip morsels in a plastic bag. Microwave in 10 second intervals until melted. Snip the end of the plastic bag and drizzle chocolate over top of cake.

3. Refrigerate covered for at least four hours, or until the crackers have softened completely. Cake will last well for two days. It will still be good on the third day, but the strawberries will start to get juicy and leak into the whipped topping. It will still taste good, but it won't be as pretty.

adapted from The Kitchn

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