Sunday, July 5, 2015

Strawberries and Sunshine


I have lost count of the number of quarts of strawberries we've eaten so far this summer.  If it's true that you are what you eat, then I am on the verge of actually becoming a strawberry.  We grow beautiful strawberries in our garden, but the squirrels steal them, so I buy mine from local farmers, which is just fine by me.  Before we ate the last quart, I managed to stop munching on them long enough to do a still life shoot.  I could seriously take photos of these little gems all day.  I believe they are among the most photogenic of all foods.  The backdrop of the top shot is the inside of a vintage picnic hamper.  It's the loveliest shade of forest green--just right as a shadowbox.  The white berry basket is one I bought on sale at Anthropologie last week. Maybe they still have some left . . .


We have just been enjoying the berries fresh with Greek yogurt or a little light cream--or straight out of the box, but I do love them in baked goods, too, so I thought I'd share a link to one of my favorite summertime treats: strawberry-rhubarb crisp.  This one's from Ina Garten, and I've made it a few times.  Pure heaven!


And here's a recipe that I'll definitely be trying; this one's from Gena Hamshaw at Food52.  It's a vegan strawberry vanilla coconut ice cream.  I feel like I need to make it before the season is completely over.  Maybe it's time to invest in an ice-cream maker!!!  If you have one that you love, please let me know the brand. :)

If you live in the US, hope you've been having a joyous and relaxing Fourth of July weekend filled with firecrackers and, what else, strawberry shortcake.

Back with more summer treats soon, chickadees!  xo Gigi