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Strawberry Lemonade Beer Cookie Bars

20.03.2019 8 Comments

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Bars

Let’s talk unpopular opinions, shall we? We haven’t fought about anything in a while so let’s jump in. Starting with food-related topics that will most likely piss you off, but it’s your turn next, so just hang on.

Milk chocolate is not worth the calories, but dark chocolate deserves its own holiday.

Red velvet cake is an abomination because 1/4 cup of food dye is not a flavor.

Anything you make with mayonnaise is better if you make it with sour cream because mayo is the most disgusting man-made substance on the planet.

Bananas should not be eaten after childhood. It’s basically portable baby food and it makes me gag. Eat an apple like a grown-up who has teeth.

Boba tea. Didn’t we get over this in the early 2000’s? Is it a beverage? Is it food? Why is my drink chewy but it tastes like sadness?

Cookie bars are always better with frosting.

Buttercream frosting is gross. Ok, ALMOST all buttercream is gross and tastes like slightly sweetened butter and coats your mouth in the most unappealing way. When it’s made with JUST butter, vanilla, and sugar it is a big pile of loser paste.

And cream cheese frosting is superior to all other types of frosting because it’s foolproof, quick and delicious.

Ok, there it is. My real, true feelings about the food you probably love and I just told you how much I hate it. But we can still be friends, right? Just don’t make me eat a banana to prove it.

What about you? It’s your turn!! Tell me your unpopular food opinions.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Cookie Bars

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 9 bars

Ingredients

For the bars:

1 tablespoon lemon zest (grated with a microplane)
¾ cups (150g) white sugar
½ cup (100g) brown sugar
½ cup (114g) butter softened
1 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoon (28g) lemon juice
3 tablespoon beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
¼ teaspoon pure lemon extract optional
1 ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons salt

For the frosting:

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/3 cup (55g) chopped strawberries
1/2 cup (63g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons (30g) heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add the lemon zest, white and brown sugar, and butter to a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until well combined and creamy.
Add the egg, beating until well combined and resembles frosting, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, beer and lemon extract (if using). The mixture may look a little curdled, this is fine.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment so that it comes up and over the sides (this makes for easy removal).
Spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown (do not overbake, the bars will set as they cool). Allow to cool before removing from the pan.
Add the cream cheese and strawberries to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until the strawberries are well combined with the cream cheese and mixture is light and fluffy. Stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Add the cream, beating well to combine. Add the powdered sugar, stir until combined.
Frost the bars, cut into squares. Chill until ready to serve.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Pound Cake

05.05.2014 17 Comments

When you’re a kid, there are monsters in the closet. Monsters that terrify you, chill your blood and ice your bones. You don’t know they aren’t real, because to you they exist in a way that’s more real than death and taxes.

When we grow up the monsters don’t leave our lives, they just change shape. They come in scarier, bigger forms that exist outside our closets. Conversations that need to be had, admissions that need to see light, relationships that need to end. And what we often can’t see is that the monster is bigger when it’s in the dark, it can only control us if it stays hidden. Once we unleash the beast, and face his teeth it’s often that he’s much smaller than we would have thought. More often than not, his power isn’t what we’d imagined.

And now we have space for all those things the monster would have eaten up. I’ve faced some recently. I’ve found courage. Not without tears, not without consequence, but in a way that feels like I am finally able to figure out what I was really scared of all along.

And it wasn’t quite the monster I’d imagined.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Pound Cake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup butter
2 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup full fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cups cake flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup wheat beer
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

For Moist Cake Infuser:

¼ cup white sugar
2 tbs very hot water or beer
2 tbs lemon juice

For the Icing:

4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
¼ cup beer or lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until well combined. While the mixer is running add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl between additions.
Add the canola oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract, beat until well combined.
In a medium bowl sift together both kinds of flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a small bowl add the beer and lemon juice.
Alternating between the dry ingredients and the beer, slowly add both to the mixer, a little at a time until all ingredients are just combined.
Add the strawberries, stir until incorporated.
Grease and flour two large (1.5 qt) loaf pans.
Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake at 350 until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched, about 28-32 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for about ten minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the hot water and ¼ cup sugar until the sugar has dissolved. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice.
Poke a dozen small holes in each loaf with a long wooden skewer. Drizzle the warm lemon simple syrup over both loafs (you can also brush on with a pastry brush).
Allow to sit in the pans until cooled, about 2 hours. Remove from pans and refrigerated.
Stir together all icing ingredients. Pour over cakes, chill until ready to serve.

Strawberry Beer Lemonade

Summer is almost here. Barbecues, lazy afternoons on the porch swing, long days at the beach, music and card games on the patio until dawn. I realize that a fridge full of craft beer doesn’t always please the masses, but I do want to impart those flavors that are so beautiful anyone can enjoy them, into nearly everything that comes out of my kitchen.

If Fanta has always seemed like a fruity cousin of Coca Cola to you, you’re exactly right: its origins date back to World War II Germany, when trade embargoes restricted the importation of Coca Cola syrup. Here you’ll find the best and worst Fanta flavors, plus tasty hacks.

The Long Island Iced Tea is one of those cocktails that everyone has at least considered ordering once in their life. In this article, we will let you in on why the Long Island Iced Tea is such a staple drink and what goes into making it.

Nothing says classic American summer like a BBQ. The smell of the grill, the juicy, flavorful meat, the gathering of friends and family – it’s got it all. But how can you choose the best barbecue sides to suit every occasion. Find it out in this article.

The French 75 is a staple in cocktail bars and a crowd favorite. But what exactly is it? We’ll cover everything you need to know about this popular drink in this post, from ingredients to perfect pairings, plus exciting facts you should know.

With Italian, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Levantine, and North African influences, it’s no wonder that Mediterranean cuisine is taking the international food scene by storm. But how do these Mediterranean food cultures work together? That’s what we’ll discover here.

If you’ve tuned into beverage trends in recent years, you’ll have noticed that coconut water has become quite the trendy drink. Read on for all health benefits of coconut water and tasty hacks.

Filipino food is gaining popularity worldwide because of its indigenous produce and unique flavors. It is termed "one of the original fusion cuisines” for its abundance of local dishes, including seafood and tropical fruits. Here you’ll find the best traditional filipino dishes.

All the fun, glitz, and glamor of the Vegas scene finds itself at home in every glass of the Vegas Bomb. It’s loud, energetic, and bursting with flavor – and if the alcohol isn’t enough, the caffeine hit from the added energy drink will kick your eyes open till the morning after. Here you will learn all about Vegas Bomb.

Looking to expand your collection of signature cocktails, find a new bar staple, or just try something new? Maybe you’ve grown tired of the same old, same old and want a classic refreshment that’ll never go out of style.

Blackberry Galette with Beer Tart Crust

07.09.2017 1 Comment

Blackberry Galette with Beer Tart Crust

It started as a last minute trip to chase down an assignment for a magazine I write for, and it ended up being more of a revelation.

How is it that Bellingham—one of the countries best beer cities—is less than two hours from my door and I had yet to explore it? How is it that it took an assignment from 1889 Magazine to get me up there?

It started at Chuckanut, a brewery so heavily awarded it’s shocking they haven’t been around longer. Although the owners have brewed since the 1980’s, and done so all over the world.

My recommendations: Kolsch, British Brown Ale

I ended up at WanderBrewing next, of my favorite of all the destinations of the weekend. Maybe because the owner, Chad, was more than gracious and welcoming. Carving out time in his hectic beer-making-business-running-brand-new-tiny-baby-at-home schedule to have a pint with me.

Maybe it was because I’ve been in love with the beer since the first time I had it. Either way, this place is a must when you find yourself anywhere close to Whatcom county.

My recommendations: Global Mutt Baltic Porter, Wanderale Belgian Blonde

From there, I needed food and found myself at the Bellingham location of one of my favorite breweries from my last visit to Wyoming, Melvin Brewing. I was delighted to see that not only was the food fantastic, but they are in the process of brewing beer specifically for the Pacific Northwest.

I love what Melvin is doing with Wyoming ingredients and I can’t wait until I can sample what they do with Washington ingredients. Word on the street is that there will be brand new brews made in Washington, for Washington as early as November. Which means I’ll need another visit in a few months.

My recommendations: Asterisk DIPA, Drunken Master Burger, Shishito Peppers

If you’re like me, and you travel with your dog as often as possible, I can’t recommend Home2 Suites in Bellingham more. Not only was this a gorgeous, brand new hotel with a kitchenette in the room and the best complimentary breakfast I’ve had on the road, but I’m pretty sure they were thrilled to see Chowder Jones check in with me. I often feel like hotels put up with my dog, this place adored him.

Although at this point the beers were starting to kick in, I wasn’t nearly close to being done. There are 12 outstanding breweries in Whatcom County, and I was just getting started.

Aslan Brewing was a gorgeous space with fantastic beer.

My Recommendations: Disco Lemonade, Simcoe Slice

Although not a brewery, nearly everyone I spoke to about beer in Bellingham told me about Elizabeth Station. It’s a tap room, it’s a bottle shop, but it’s more. It’s a meeting place, a craft beer community room, a neutral ground for all things beer. It’s more than worth a stop in for a beer or two.

My recommendation: Sit at a communal table and chat with people, order a flight and let the bartender choose your beers for you

Bellingham is very dog friendly

Structure brewing was small in the way you want a tap room to be small. It was friendly and cozy.

My recommendations: No Sleep Stout, Group Think

Boundary Bay is Bellingham’s oldest brewery still in operation. The staff is friendly and the place is huge. Plenty of events in summer on the expansive outdoor patio, it’s both kid and dog-friendly and there is plenty of beer and food.

My recommendations: Galaxy Single Hop, Dry Irish Stout

Clearly I need another trip. Not just because I need more Wander beer, and I need to see what Melvin does, but I also need to spend more time at Kulshan, Gruff brewing and Stones Thrown. One trip isn’t enough.

For now, I’m leaving you with a recipe you need to make before blackberry season ends. It’s also my favorite tart crust ever. It’s a little soft and can be difficult to work with, but once it’s baked it’s the most tender crust I’ve ever made. Worth the hassle.

Blackberry Galette with Beer Tart Crust

Print Recipe

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

Crust:
1 ½ cups 180g All purpose flour
1 teaspoon 6g salt
2 tablespoons 28g sugar
½ cup 114g unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons 28g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small cubes
¼ cup 58g Belgian ale beer (or pale ale, pilsner, or wheat beer)
Filling:
4 ½ cups 590g fresh, ripe blackberries
2 tablespoons 28g sugar, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1 tablespoon 8g cornstarch
1 tablespoon 2g lemon zest
1 tablespoon 12g fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon 14g melted butter
375 F 35-40 minutes

Instructions

Add flour, salt, sugar and softened butter to a food processor, process until combined. Add the cold butter, pulse until just combined, you will still be able to see some larger pieces of butter, this will create flakey layers.
Pulse in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough. Dough will be very soft.
Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface, add the dough to the center.
Form into a flat disk. Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 3 hours and up to three days.
In a large bowl add the blackberries sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice. Toss to coat. Allow to sit while you prepare the dough.
Knead the dough lightly in hands until dough comes together and warms slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured pieces of parchment paper to form a large circle, about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the dough circle and the parchment paper to a baking sheet.
Pour off any liquid that has accumulated in the blackberry bowl.
Add blackberries to the center of the galette.
Fold the bare edges of the dough up over the filling, using the parchment paper if necessary.
Preheat oven to 400.
Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer, freeze for 15 minutes. Alternately you can chill in the fridge for 30-45 minutes (or overnight). This will help the galette stay together when baking and help the crust to be lighter and flakier.
Brush the crust with melted butter, sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool prior to serving.

Want to know more about my trip to Bellingham or read my beer column? Follow 1889 Magazine on Instagram or Facebook.

Beer Cocktail Recipe: Cucumber Basil IPA Cooler

04.03.2016 1 Comment

Beer Cocktail Recipe: Cucumber Basil IPA Cooler

Citrus IPA’s will rule the summer of 2016, and with good reason.

Ballast point, and their well-distributed Grapefruit Sculpin is often pointed to as the genesis of the grapefruit beer obsession when it fact it was more of a large scale manifestation of our growing love from the beautiful flavors citrus gives to beer.

While IPA’s get the brunt of the citrus infusion, no beer style has been immune. From blood orange stouts to orange witbier, beer will always play nicely with citrus fruit. In part because so many hops already carry nice citrus notes into your beer, so chances are it’s a flavor you’re used to tasting.

This summer more breweries than ever plan to give you a fruit infusion in one way or another. How are they going to do it? Let us count the ways:

Hip hops: The cool kids in the hop world right now are those ripe with citrus flavor. Some of the most common are Amarillo, Citra, Centennial, and Cascade all have a nice natural citrus flavor.

Beer Cocktail Recipe-Cucumber Basil IPA Cooler5

These are hops, fresh from the hop bine

Radlers: A radler is a bit of a beer cocktail that can be carried out in a variety of ways. A radler is basically beer and grapefruit. It can also include sparkling grapefruit soda, or lemon-lime soda plus grapefruit juice. It can be mixed at the bar or pre-mixed and bottled or canned ahead of time.

Shandy: The lemon version of a radler. Same as above, it’s a beer cocktail that includes beer, lemonade or lemon soda. It’s most often pre-mixed.

Brewed with fruit: This is a trend that will take over your bottle shops in the next few months and I couldn’t be happier about it. Brewers are including peels, fruit, juice, and any other incarnation of citrus that their creative minds can think of. From sours to little known German styles, all types of beer are being experimented with.

Extracts: This is fairly rare. Occasionally brewers will use a flavor extract (think vanilla extract when making frosting) to infuse a beer with flavor. Most often this is a last resort when working with an ingredient that is either incredibly inconsistent (like peppers) or when the flavors are hard to work with in the brewing process (like mint). Citrus isn’t either of those things so extracts are pretty rare when making citrus beers.

Randall: Imagine one of those plastic tubes that goes into a vacuum that drive up bank tellers use. Now imagine it’s filled with cut up grapefruit. Now imagine it’s between a keg and a tap handle at your bar and your beer is being pumped through it before getting into your glass. This is a Randall and it’s a fun way to experiment with flavors without having to brew a new batch. Look for them at hardcore tap-rooms and beer bars. Next time you’re at a beer bar or tap-room ask if anything "is on randall."

Beer Cocktail Recipe: Cucumber Basil IPA Cooler

Print Recipe

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces vodka
2 basil leaves chopped
6 slices of cucumbers
3 ounces sparkling lemonade*
3-6 ounces IPA with citrus notes
Garnish: cucumber slices and small basil leaves

Instructions

Add the vodka, basil, cucumbers and sparking lemonade to a shaker half filled with ice. Shake several times, pour into an IPA glass.
Pour beer into the glass, gently stir. Add cucumbers and basil. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you use lemon flavored sparkling water, or any other soda that is unsweetened, make sure to compensate for the lack of sweetness with about 1/2 ounce of simple syrup or agave.

Mini Chocolate Stout Cheesecake with Salted Beer Caramel Sauce

10.12.2013 37 Comments

I’m the kind of girl that brings beer to a baby shower.

Which works out well, when it’s a digital baby shower for the kind of girl who likes those sorts of things. Like my friend Bev who, in her multi tasking ways, is in the process of growing not one but two tiny humans in her guts. Which, in my book, means that she earned herself a few beers once her womb has been vacated.

The blogging community, much like the beer community, is about collaboration. It’s a rising tide lifts all ships, lets compare notes, share resource and support each other environment. We cheer each others successes, grieve with each other, Digital Bake Sale for each other, and throw these online parties to commemorate milestones. It’s a great community to be a part of. And I’ll never stop being grateful that I’ve found my way here.

In honor of Bev who is so crafty she makes two people at once, I’ve made some miniature beer infused cheesecakes. But don’t worry, the alcohol has cook off enough to make it safe for Pregnant Lady consumption*.

Mini Chocolate Stout Cheesecake with Salted Beer Caramel Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Crust:

3 cups mini pretzel twists
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs flour
4 tbs melted butter

For the Cheesecake:

3 oz about ½ cup dark chocolate (60%)
1/3 cup Chocolate Stout
8 wt oz cream cheese softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbs flour
3 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder

For the Sauce:

1 cup sugar
2 tbs light corn syrup
½ cup stout
3 tbs butter cut into cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a food processor add the pretzels, flour and brown sugar. Process until just crumbs. While the food processor is running, slowly add the melted butter until well combined.
Add about 1 tablespoon of crust to each wells of a mini cheesecake pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray (if you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan, use muffin tins or mini muffin tins lined with cupcake papers). Press the crust firmly until compacted.
In the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water add the chocolate and the beer, stir until well combined and melted. Remove from heat, set aside.
In a stand mixer add the cream cheese, beat until light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined.
Add the egg, beating until well combined.
Add the flour, coco powder, salt and espresso powder, stir until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate mixture until well combined.
Add the cheesecake batter on top of the crust until wells are about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 until the cheesecakes are set and top has puffed slightly, about 20-25 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of your mini cheesecakes).
Allow to cool to room temperature, while the cheesecakes cool a dip will form in the top.
While the cheesecakes bake, make the sauce.
In a saucepan over high heat add the sugar, beer and corn syrup. Whisk until sugar has melted, then stop stirring.
Allow to boil until dark golden brown and has reached 230 on a candy thermometer, about 6-8 minutes. Turn off heat and immediately stir in the butter and the vanilla ( mixture will bubbly up furiously). Allow to cool for about ten minutes.
Once cool, remove cheesecakes from pan (if using the mini pans, it may be necessary to run a sharp knife around the edges).
Gently spoon the caramel into the well that formed in the top of the cheesecakes.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

*Disclaimer: consuming alcohol while pregnant is ill-advised. If you have concerns about the consumption of cooked alcohol while pregnant, consult your doctor. I’m not a physician, taking medical advice from me is also ill-advised. If you want more information about the rate at which alcohol cooks off, read this.

Check out the other Baby Shower recipes:

Appetizers
Bacon Cotija Guacamole from Gaby Dalkin
Gruyère Gougères from Shaina Olmanson
Lemon Risotto Tarts from Kelly Salemi
Goat Cheese Crostini with Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers from Liz Della Croce
Spinach and Feta Quinoa Bites from Aggie Goodman
Roasted Red Grape, Brie and Rosemary Flatbread from Laurie McNamara
The Fastest Appetizer Ever from Brooke McLay
Apple Pear Tart – Two Ways from Sarah Glyer

Drinks
Chocolate Chai Frappe from Brandy O’Neill
Cherry Chocolate Kiss Smoothie from Amy Flanigan
Cranberry Sorbet Bellini – Non-Alcoholic and Alcoholic from Megan Keno
Peppermint Mocha Affogato from Christina Lane
toasted marshmallow cream hot chocolate from Jessica Merchant
Pomegranate Lemonade Punch from Heather Christo

Salads
Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Orange and Pine Nuts from Rachel Gurk
Pear Cranberry Arugula Salad from Tracy Benjamin
Brussels Sprout Salad + maple roasted cranberry dressing from Katie Unger
Gluten-Free Pasta Salad from Lisa Thiele
Hearty Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad with Honey Ginger Dressing from Heather Disarro
Winter Citrus Salad from Catherine McCord

Entrees
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Pasta from Heidi Larsen
Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna from Joanne Ozug
cheesy chicken enchilada 'double' stacks from Lauren Grier
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup from Kevin Lynch
Thai Spiced Chicken with Coconut Cream Swiss Chard from Brandi Evans
Sausage and Red Pepper Quiche from Tasty Kitchen
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Goat Cheese from Julie Deily

Desserts
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies from Averie Sunshine
Glazed Dulce de Leche Pound Cake from Meagan Micozzi
Mississippi Mud Pie Brownie Ice Cream from Megan DeKok
Buttermint Frosted Sugar Cookie Cups from Shelly Jaronsky
4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies from Ali Ebright
Sweet Potato Creme Brulee from Brian Samuels
Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Mint Cookies from Aimée Wimbush-Bourque
Mini Chocolate Stout Cheesecake with Salted Beer Caramel Sauce from Jackie Dodd
Red Velvet Hi Hat Cookies from Kristan Roland
Double Chocolate Panini from Kathy Strahs

Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles and I Heart California Strawberries

24.04.2013 62 Comments

This is a sponsored post, all opinions, thoughts and ideas are my own. I Heart California-Strawberries

While standing in the middle of a strawberry field, having a true Farm to Table lunch (table in a farm?) I tried to think of one person I’ve ever met that doesn’t like strawberries. I couldn’t. I love strawberries, so when I got the invite from California Strawberry Commission to run around the beautiful strawberry fields in Oxnard I couldn’t say no.

Look at those things, just hanging out, looking so perfect. I love the California strawberries I can pick up at the grocery store and farmers markets, but right off the vine, slightly warm from the sun, those babies are incredible. By the way, if anyone ever invites you and your family to run around a strawberry farm, stuffing your face with berries right off the vine: say YES (enthusiastically).

I joined a handful of other bloggers for a day in the beautiful California sun, eating amazing food (and I’m not kidding about stuffing my face with berries right off the vine), a tour of the facility, and head farmer, Bill Reiman, joined the party to answered all of the Strawberry Question we could ever ask.

Here are a few of the Strawberry Facts I learned over the day (And by the way, I am just nerdy enough to think these are super interesting):

None of the California Strawberries are GMO, all the CA strawberries that you can buy are GMO free (awesome).
Strawberries will not continue to ripen once they are picked (like tomatoes do) if you pick a green strawberry, it will never turn red.
They freeze some of the best berries. They pick the berries that are so juicy and full of natural sweetness to freeze because although they are delicious, they are too fragile to pack and ship.
Eating strawberries regularly has been proven to improve memory and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.

I love that I don’t have to feel guilt about buying frozen California strawberries (I’m a fresh produce girl, and I actually do feel guilty about buying frozen), this also reminded me that once my strawberries start to show their age, freezing them is a great idea. They freeze so well!

After the tour of the fields, a tour of the packing facility and a fun hay ride, the day ended with a gorgeous dinner cooked up by Tim Kilcoyne, Executive Chef and owner of The SideCar Restaurant in Ventura. The menu included:

Bruschetta with fava bean ricotta, house made strawberry mustard and arugula.
Braised Chicken Enchiladas with Swiss chard, roasted strawberry mole and queso fresco. Served with a black bean and quinoa salad
Chocolate Genoise with strawberry mousse, ganache and white chocolate dipped strawberry
Strawberry Basil Meyer Lemonade

I love the use of strawberries in a savory dish, that strawberry mole was incredible.

Apparently I was too distracted by the incredible food and the company of Farmer Bill, whom I sat next to, to photograph the dinner. My camera ended with shots of the menu.

I came home with a car load of strawberries that I couldn’t wait to use. I made popsicles that are perfect for those fresh berries that I love, but are also great for the frozen ones I now feel completly content buying.

Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles

Yield: 8 popsicles

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup sour cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
6 large fresh strawberries, chopped or ¾ cup frozen strawberries
6 standard sized graham crackers
1 tbs melted butter

Instructions

In a food processor add the cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar and milk, process until well combined. Add the strawberries, pulse to combine.
Pour mixture into popsicle molds, leaving about 1 inch of the top empty for the crust (if you don’t have popsicle molds, use small paper cups and popsicle sticks) tap the molds gently on the counter to remove air bubbles.
In a food processor add the graham crackers, process until only crumbs remain.
While food processor is running, add the melted butter in a slow stream until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Divide the crust evenly between the popsicles, press down gently to compact. Insert popsicle sticks, freeze for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.

This is a sponsored post, all opinions, thoughts and ideas are my own.