It’s Strawberry Time

Maybe The Beatles had it right when they sang “Strawberry fields forever.”

Because if it’s June, it’s strawberry time here at Orr’s Farm Market.

Here are some random strawberry facts:

  • Did you know there is an average of 200 seeds per strawberry?
  • Strawberries are a member of the rose family.
  • The average American eats 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries every year, according to the Department of Agriculture
  • Pregnant women should eat a lot of strawberries because studies show that birth defects, like spina bifida, can be significantly reduced
  • In France, it’s a tradition that newlywed couples consume a strawberry soup for their morning meal.

The strawberry is a pretty versatile fruit. It can be used, of course, in desserts, but it can also find its way into savory dishes. Just google strawberry recipes and you’ll have so many to choose from that you won’t know what to do. We did the same thing and we found this one from Southern Living Magazine that made our mouths water.

Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie

Serves 8

For crust:

  • 2 cups finely crushed pretzel sticks
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

For filling:

  • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 (14-ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon strawberry gelatin (1/2 (3 oz) package)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. For the crust, in a bowl, stir together first 3 ingredients. Dump into a lightly greased 10-inch pie plate. Press firmly press on bottom, up sides and onto the lip of the dish. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
  3. Remove from oven to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
  4. To make the filling, in a food processor, process strawberries until finely chopped. Stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
  5. In a mixing bowl, add condensed milk, cream cheese, and gelatin. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add strawberries, beat at low speed just until blended.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat ¾ cup whipping cream at high speed until soft peaks form; gently fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture.
  7. Spoon into prepared crust. Cover and freeze 8 to 12 hours or until firm
  8. After firm, in a mixing bowl, Beat the remaining 1 ¼ cups whipping cream at high speed until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spread over pie. Freeze 1 hour or until whipped cream is firm.

Is that recipe not reason enough to come down and buy a couple pints of strawberries?

We’re open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

10 replies
  1. Alisha Ross
    Alisha Ross says:

    “Your style is unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from.
    Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this
    web site.”

  2. Rubi Kaur
    Rubi Kaur says:

    I have stuffed chicken breast before, with feta cheese and arugula or something like this. And my Family was indeed impressed ? The Caprese combo sounds pretty amazing!

  3. Rubi Kaur
    Rubi Kaur says:

    I think the size of chicken breasts has changed dramatically since Julia Child’s day, which could account for some of her shorter cook time.

  4. Hannah Flack
    Hannah Flack says:

    I made this tonight almost exactly as the new directions say. I had baked chicken left over from Sunday dinner so I used cooked chicken instead of raw. I just added the chicken and the rice a little later. It was not too thick at all. In fact just perfect. I love soup. Will be a family favorite.

  5. Harold Burton
    Harold Burton says:

    I’ve been using ground turkey for years. I personally don’t like the taste of ground beef. Turkey will take the flavor of any seasoning you add and it is much lighter than beef. These meatballs look fantastic. Whenever I’m making spaghetti my guys always want meatballs. Pinning!

  6. Ashley Jones
    Ashley Jones says:

    I was happy to have the opportunity to review this cookbook as well and even tested the same recipe on my blog! I now want to start at the very beginning and cook my way from the front cover to the back. Every recipe is a gem.

  7. Kelly Hubbard
    Kelly Hubbard says:

    What an awesome idea. I buy ground beef and chicken in 5lb bulk bags and have always divided it up ready to cook and stored in the freezer, but pre-cooking would save so much more time. Have you found that the cooked/reheated meat does or doesn’t absorb your spices as well? That would be my only concern, although I think you could avoid the bland meat scenario by putting some garlic, salt, pepper and some other “general” seasonings (parsley, minced onion) in there when you cook in the crock pot. I would think these are common enough to most things you do with the finished meat that you wouldn’t endanger the final dinner product.

  8. Ashley Jones
    Ashley Jones says:

    I was just wondering what to make for dinner tomorrow night…problem solved….the clincher was the cut up carrots….I had just cleaned out my pantry and found a can of pinto beans and one of white beans..so was a no–brainer…but I like the idea of the carrots…also the olives…never have used it in chili before, so will be a new experience…

  9. Jayme Silvestri
    Jayme Silvestri says:

    Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. I enjoy the firecracker chicken and having just attempted this for the first time, I have to say it tastes 99% the same! Would have never been able to figure out how to make it myself!

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