Tag: strawberry


Sep
2016

Shrimp and Strawberry Summer Rolls

categories: Recipes

Well Dined | Shrimp and Strawberry Summer Rolls

Shrimp and Strawberry?  Do you think I sound crazy right now?  Trust, young padawans, and learn the ways of combining sweet and savory.  Rice noodles, pickled veg (and mango!), basil, mint, scallions, shrimp, and strawberries are combined in a rice wrapper for the ultimate summer freshness.  Served with a delicious peanut sauce for dipping – get in my face!

Well Dined | Shrimp and Strawberry Summer Rolls

I had seen a blog photo ages ago that I loved on this site, but I was scared to try it because I had never made summer rolls before and it seemed finicky.  Then I was over at a friend’s house for dinner and that is what we made!  It was a bit tricky, but not as scary as I had imagined.  She was a pro, so I asked her to help me make my shrimp and strawberry rolls.  Then I looked at the recipe for the photo I loved, and wasn’t a big fan of the ingredients.  I wanted noodles instead of cabbage, and mango instead of bell pepper.  So I switched some things around.

Well Dined | Shrimp and Strawberry Summer Rolls

Then we got to work!  She was skeptical of my flavor combo, but ended up loving it.  You can see the progression here from back to front where I put the ingredients on in the wrong order so the pretty parts didn’t show, then exploded one, then finally got some decent rolls.  The good news is – it doesn’t matter if you don’t get the best looking rolls, they still taste amazing! (more…)


Jun
2014

Spring Fruit Jam – 3 Ways

categories: Recipes

Well Dined - Spring Fruit Jam 3 Ways

Now that we are nearing the end of Spring (that never really felt like Spring, dangit) – it’s time to preserve some of that delicate seasonal fruit.  I’m talking strawberries and rhubarb, people.  I tried out three different jam recipes in the same day, because I am a crazy person (and because I bought way too many local strawberries at the farmers market).

First up is my mother-in-law’s fresh strawberry syrup recipe (pictured in front and in the bowl on the right) – if only I had access to Oregon berries like her!  Jasper loves this recipe, so I make a TON and freeze it to use all year (if it lasts that long).  He loves to put it on sourdough pancakes and vanilla ice cream, I like it swirled into plain Greek yogurt.  This is a raw fruit jam recipe (with more berries and less sugar to make it more of a syrup than a jam), so the taste of the fresh berries really comes through.

Next is a Raspberry and Rhubarb Jam with Cardamom (pictured in the middle and in the jar on the left) that was supposed to use apple juice, but I had cranberry on hand so I subbed that and it added a lot of cranberry flavor.  It tastes very fall like to me because of the cranberry and spices.  This is the only jam that I canned, so I will probably save it for the fall.  If you want more of the rhubarb flavor to come through, use the apple juice instead.

And last is a Rhubarb, Raspberry, and Strawberry Jam thickened with Chia Seeds (pictured in the back and in the jar on the right).  This is touted as a healthy recipe because the fruit is raw and it uses raw honey as sweetener.  Because you use chia seeds to thicken it, instead of pectin, you can use much less sugar than you could for a traditional jam.  This one came out pretty tart for me, but Jasper really likes it.  The concept works really well, so I will probably be trying out different fruits.  This recipe actually said to just puree the raw rhubarb, but I was pretty skeptical about that, so I simmered it in a little bit of cranberry juice first (since I was already doing that for the other jam).

Well Dined | Spring Fruit Jam 3 Ways

Let’s get jammin!  I really crack myself up… (more…)


May
2014

Food ‘n Flix – Bridesmaids

categories: Recipes

Bridesmaids-Movie-Poster

This month for Food ‘n Flix our movie is Bridesmaids, hosted by Cheap Ethnic Eatz.  This movie is hysterical, with a lot of heart.  I’ve seen it multiple times and I still lose it during the scene where the main character drives back and forth in her car doing various illegal things to get her cop friend’s attention.

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Kristen Wiig plays a woman whose bakery fails because of the economy crash.  There is a very memorable scene of her making a gorgeous single cupcake and then chowing down on it.  So I knew that I definitely wanted to do a cupcake for this post.  There is also a lot of drinking in the movie, so I thought – what about a boozy cupcake?  Perfect.

Well Dined | Moscato Cupcakes

I ended up making Moscato Cupcakes with sweet wine in both the cake and the frosting – so good.  Though I made a lot of changes to my inspiration recipe – subbing half melted butter and half coconut oil for vegetable oil, subbing vanilla sugar for regular sugar, and subbing whey (from all that cheesemaking) for buttermilk.  I also made a simple syrup from equal parts moscato and vanilla sugar to brush over the warm cakes to boost the flavor.  And I used half cream cheese and half butter in the frosting (I’m not a big fan of too sweet frosting). (more…)


May
2014

Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Strawberry, and Feta

categories: Recipes

Well Dined | Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Strawberry, and Feta

 

This salad is so pretty!  And yummy!  And easy!  And healthy!  And did I mention how pretty it is?  Light and fresh, and perfect for Spring or Summer.  This would be great to bring to a potluck or picnic.

Well Dined | Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Strawberry, and Feta

 

All you do is cook and cool quinoa (I really like the tri-color for this), which can be done in advance.  Then top with cut watermelon, strawberries, and feta.  Drizzle with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper.  Then finish with basil and sliced almonds.  That’s it!  I used some purple basil from my garden, isn’t it pretty?  It tastes just like regular Genovese basil.

Well Dined | Quinoa Salad with Watermelon, Strawberry, and Feta

 

You can serve it in a platter, or individual containers – up to you!  I think it would travel pretty well, especially if you pack the dressing separately.  It’s also really satisfying – you have crunch from the watermelon, almonds, and even the quinoa (which is also very filling), and a salty-sweet combo that is just awesome. (more…)


Jul
2013

Red, White, and Blue Trifle

categories: Recipes

Well Dined | Red, White, and Blue Trifle

This is a classic desert that works really well for Independence Day (Anything with berries does, really).  It’s quick to put together and very pretty, so keep it in mind for next year!

All you need is sponge cake, pound cake, or lady fingers; canned custard or pudding mix; whipped cream; and fruit.  Then layer them up however you want and let it sit together in the fridge for a few hours to meld.

Well Dined | Red, White, and Blue Trifle

I used lady fingers (brushed with Cointreau), vanilla pudding, whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.  The amounts depend on your serving dish and your preferential ratio of fruit to cream.  I used 2 packs of lady fingers, 2 boxes of pudding, 1 can of whipped cream, 1 medium container of strawberries, and 1 pint each of blue berries and raspberries.  My layers were lady fingers, pudding, strawberries, whipped cream, lady fingers, pudding, whipped cream, blueberries and raspberries.  I probably could have used more berries.


Jun
2013

Strawberry Sour Cream Pie

categories: Recipes

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I have been dying to make this pie ever since I discovered the recipe last summer, sadly too late for strawberry season.  I love the combination of sour cream and fruit – really, REALLY love it.  One of my favorite pies ever is this creme fraiche and peach pie that you know I will be making as soon as peaches are in season.

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The filling is so easy it’s almost silly, but before we get to that I want to talk about this crust.  This crust!  First of all, can we acknowledge that that is the prettiest crust I have ever made?  She’s improving, ladies and gentlemen!  Part of that is due to how easy this crust is to work with.  I had thought I discovered the secret to good crust two years ago with Martha Stewart’s half butter, half shortening pate brisee – BUT, then I discovered this recipe with butter and lard.  Lard, folks, is the bomb.  Why have I never used it before?!  After all, shortening is just pretending to be lard – so why not go with the real stuff?  The texture, the taste, the ease of rolling it out even when it’s cold – *sigh*.  Please tell me you will make this.  Seriously, go make it right now. (more…)


Jun
2012

Strawberry Rhubarb Lattice Pie

categories: Recipes

Rhubarb season is one of my favorite times of year and what better way to celebrate it than with the ultimate classic: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  Buttery, flaky crust is the perfect background for the tart early Summer fruit flavors, and strawberries cut the tartness of the rhubarb without overwhelming it.

A mixture of strawberries, rhubarb, cornstarch, orange juice, and orange zest is loaded into the bottom crust and dotted with butter. (more…)


Jun
2012

Strawberry Banana Cream Pie

categories: Recipes

This eye-catching pie is made with strawberries, bananas, and fresh pastry cream for a fresh summer treat.

Slices of banana are layered into a cinnamon laced graham cracker crust along with a custard made from eggs, milk, sugar, and butter. (more…)