Decadent Strawberry Butter and Strawberry Syrup

It is Strawberry Festival time in my part of the world and the best time to stock up on strawberries since they are ridiculously inexpensive this time of year. 

Imagine a delicious strawberry flavored butter you can whip up in minutes that can be enjoyed on biscuits, muffins, pancakes, waffles, and bread.  

Buttery strawberry goodness on a hot biscuit is perfection . . . you can tell by the photo! This strawberry butter is also awesome on pancakes!  In fact, you don't even need to use syrup.

It was so fast and easy to make!  And yes . . . VERY DELICIOUS!!  My plan is to experiment with different fruits to come up with different flavored butters.

The strawberry syrup makes an awesome strawberry shortcake . . . just add some larger pieces of strawberries to the syrup.

To make strawberry syrup:
Clean and cut up fresh strawberries and cook in equal parts of water and sugar (AKA simple syrup), adding some corn starch until the strawberries were soft. (Start off with very small amounts of corn starch and add more as needed.)  
It always makes more than needed for the recipe, but you'll have a delicious topping for pancakes, strawberry shortcake or ice cream.
Cool the mixture before adding to the softened butter.

To make strawberry butter:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened 
• 1/4 cup strawberry syrup 
• 1-1/2 cups icing sugar {powdered sugar} 

Directions:

Mix all 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer or by hand, until the butter is smooth. If too soft, add more icing sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency. 

To store: place softened strawberry butter into bowl. Cover and store in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using.

I also make butter logs . . . place mixture on waxed paper and roll out into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and keep in freezer overnight.  
Now you can slice it to make a nice presentation of butter pats.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

This broccoli rice casserole that I have adapted from a Campbell Soup recipe is the perfect side dish or a main meatless meal.

Variations to this casserole . . . use cream of broccoli soup instead of cream of chicken for a richer broccoli flavor.  It is excellent with fresh mushrooms . . . add them with the onion in the beginning step.  Add shredded or cubed cooked chicken before stirring the mixture into the baking dish.  Vary the type of cheese.

You can make a lighter version by using low fat or no fat cream of chicken soup.  Substituting the milk with no fat half and half is one of my tricks for making these types of dishes lighter.

Fresh or frozen broccoli is up to you!  I always go for the fresh if it is available.

My pantry always has at least a couple of cans of Campbell's cream of chicken soup!  It is one of the greatest inventions ever :)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 package (16 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli (or fresh . . . one whole broccoli, florets only, I don't use the stems, but that is up to you)
1/3 cup milk
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked regular long-grain white rice
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat (watch the temperature to make sure the butter doesn't burn) and add the onion. Cook until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli in the skillet and cook until it's tender-crisp (when using fresh broccoli, I pre-steam the broccoli, keeping in mind it will continue to cook through the process . . . I don't like it crunchy).  Stir occasionally. 

Stir in the milk, soup, cheese and rice and cook until the cheese is melted. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Alabama Corn Sticks (Cast Iron Pan Recipe)

When my first husband and I were married, one of the first things I wanted his mom to teach me was how to make corn sticks.  This is her recipe that I never tweaked . . . it makes the perfect corn sticks.

I love my corn stick cast iron pan and still have it after all these years.  That pan has made tons of delicious and crispy corn sticks!! 

Corn sticks is one of the items that was always made for our corn shucking parties.  I've written about those parties before, but the short version is we went to the corn farms and bought tons of fresh corn on the cob and invited friends to help us prepare them for blanching for eventual freezing. Everyone went home with lots of blanched corn and we had a blast in the process.  If you have ever shucked a large amount of corn, you know how boring that task can be!  Actually, we shucked all types of peas too.

Those corn sticks are the perfect compliment to a bowl of beans!

1 1/2 cup of cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of onion powder


Sift together cornmeal, baking powder, soda, sugar, cayenne pepper, onion powder and salt; stir in buttermilk and egg, mixing well. 

Heat greased cast iron corn stick pans in a 400ºF. oven for 3 minutes or until very hot. 

Spoon batter into pans, filling two thirds full. 

Bake at 400ºF. for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

I'm sharing this recipe at the following linky parties:

Rosemary, Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken

My favorite roasted chicken recipe!

It is amazing how something so simple and easy to make is so incredibly delicious and versatile!  Roasted chicken can go from one meal of the roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli and biscuits, to the beginning of a wonderful casserole the next day.

We make our roasted chicken using this method, varying the herbs, but we love rosemary the best.  The one tip I have that is so important . . . we stuff the cavity of the chicken with whole onion, garlic, rosemary and lemons, as much that will fit in!  Don't forget the onion, it makes a huge difference in the flavor of the chicken.

Another method we use . . . stuff the cavity of the chicken with sour oranges if you have them, or oranges, lemons, garlic, whole onions and oregano.  Baste underneath the skin with cuban mojo before putting in the oven.  Once in the oven, continue to baste the chicken with the cuban mojo every 10 minutes.

Why spend the extra money to buy a rotisserie chicken when roasting a chicken is so easy?

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus one 4-inch sprig
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• zest from 1/2 lemon, grated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, giblets removed

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 450° F. Combine 1 tablespoon of the oil, chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
    
2. Use your fingers to carefully loosen the skin from the breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Spread the mixture evenly under the skin. Rub the remaining tablespoon of oil over the skin. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the lemon halves, rosemary sprig, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt inside the cavity.
3. Place a rack in a large ovenproof skillet or small roasting pan. Place the chicken in the pan. Tuck the wings beneath the chicken, as if it were placing its arms behind its head. Roast for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup water and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the thigh meat registers 180° F on a meat thermometer, about 40 minutes more.
4. Use a spatula to loosen the chicken. With a wad of paper towels in each hand, transfer the bird to a cutting board. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

By Pam Anderson , February, 2006
Real Simple