From the moment I saw these Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars on the front cover of the latest issue of Bake From Scratch magazine, it was going to be something new to try. The recipe was simple to assemble and bake. The original recipe uses the Quick Strawberry Jam {recipe at the end of the blog post} as the filling, but I decided to substitute it with my homemade strawberry jam. The result turned out great. I think a good store bought jam will work just as well in the recipe if you don’t have time make it. To accompany the jam filling, a sprinkling of fresh strawberries gave it another depth of flavor. Because the recipe was quick and easy, I decided to make an extra batch and used my homemade blueberry jam. These bars are great as snacks, treats, or desserts.
.
Mixed greens and strawberries drizzled with tangy-sweet homemade balsamic vinaigrette make for an ideal fresh and light summer salad. This is a nice side dish to accompany almost any entree {chicken, beef, pork, and salmon}.
Lemonade is the official summer drink at our house!
Summer afternoon breaks ….. oftentimes I would find my kids and their friends gathering in the kitchen eating and making all kinds of drink concoctions or maybe more like a science experiment. When it was over and done with, the unanimous drink of choice was always lemonade. After their thirst was quenched, they went back outside to play. I was often left with wet & sticky counter tops and trails of sugar on the floor. Over the years, they’ve learned to clean up their mess and have become experts at making lemonade. It’s a wonderful sight to see all the kids mingling together, talking and having fun in the kitchen, making lemonade and making memories.
To simplify the process of making lemonade, I introduced the kids to,”simple syrup” as a way to sweeten drinks instead of just adding granulated sugar. Sometimes I would have sparkling/seltzer water available to add a little bit of fizz to their drinks. A large supply of lemons was always on hand. I have to set a limit on the amount of lemonade they can consume or else they will make it to the last lemon.
Sparkling Lemonade
{1 serving, 12 oz glass}
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup simple syrup {recipe, here }
1/2 cup seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine all the ingredients in a 12 oz glass, stir, and serve.
.
.
Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade is a twist on the classic lemonade with strawberry flavor infused into the simple syrup. .
Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
{1 serving, 12 oz glass}
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup strawberry-simple syrup, {recipe, here}
seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine all the ingredients in an 12 oz glass, stir, and serve. .
Jell-O layered with berries, whipped cream and a little bit of chocolate sprinkles is a simple sweet dessert. The theme is red, white and blue for the 4th of July. This is something I haven’t made in a long time as evident from the expressions and comments made by my kids and Bill. I have always enjoyed Jell-O especially when it has been mixed, layered, or combined with other things. This recipe is basic and straight forward, the only decision you have to make is how to layer the four ingredients then top it off with chocolate sprinkles.
I’ve been buying and using strawberries from the local market while waiting for the ones in my garden to ripen.
There are many delicious ways to enjoy strawberries. This season, I’ve been incorporating strawberries into drinks, salads, deserts {Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp}, and as a simple snack dipped in chocolate/caramel/whipped cream. I will be sharing a few of these ideas and recipes with you in the coming blog post and into July.
