Super Strawberries

This post is long overdue, as even the muffins I froze have been eaten.

If I recall correctly, strawberries were on sale at the grocery store and I bought two containers.  They were on sale because they were on the far side of ripe, and I knew I needed to use them up.

I made "Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins," a recipe that has been languishing in my collection since my days in Japan when I inherited it from Allison when she left to come back to the States. 

Ingredients.

Ingredients get combined in a bowl.

Stirring in the strawb's.

Baking.

Modeling for the camera.

Not pictured: the quick cream cheese frosting I made for the top, which made these muffins more like cupcakes, but certainly didn't stop me from eating them for breakfast.

Sack Lunch

This week's lunches are all variations on the theme of salad; and thanks to Costco, they are a snap to make!

Inspired by a fruity salad my Mom made on Sunday, I have been using the 5 ingredients below for delicious, done in 5 minute lunches:

Step 1: Fill plastic container about 3/4 full with spinach (pre-washed!)

Step 2: Wash grapes, blueberries and strawberries. Slice gigantic strawberries into more manageable pieces.

Step 3: Dump berries and grapes on top of spinach.

Step 4: Break up pecans with your fingers and sprinkle on top. Cover with lid.

Step 5: Put dressing in small container (creamy seasame or raspberry vinegarette work equally well) on the side and place in lunch bag with other yummies.

And voila! The hardest part is actually waiting for my 30 minute lunch break to dig in.

T.G.I.F.

And unlike last week, I don't have to work on Saturday! Sunday is another story, but I don't want to get into that here. Oh, the joys of retail.

Because I worked through the weekend last week, this week has seemed kind of long. I had Tuesday off, but Wednesday was a long day and everyone seemed like they were in a rush yesterday, so I am really looking forward to my day off tomorrow.

To get the pre-weekend celebration started before my last shift this week, I made myself an extra fancy bowl of oatmeal this morning. I'm calling it berries-n-cream.

I topped my 1/2 cup of quick cook oats with 1 Tbsp plain yogurt, 4 sliced strawberries, a sprinkle of dried cranberries and some white chocolate chips.

After the photos, I gave it all a big stir with my spoon and dug in. The chocolate chips melt in the hot oatmeal and combine with the yogurt to give the whole bowl a nice creamy taste that is just a little bit sweet.

Berry Good

There are times when I bake for no special reason, but it's always more fun to do it with something in mind.

Last weekend's event was a sort of "girl's retreat" with my uber-smart, med-student friend Amber, her sister Ash, and friend from med school, Sarah, at the cabin in the teeny town of Strawberry, AZ where Amber has been staying while finishing up a rotation in rural family medicine. Not wanting to show up empty handed, I spent the morning in the kitchen the day before whipping up some muffins.

I picked out the recipe before I knew exactly where the cabin was located...but it turned out to be quite fitting--Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins!

Start with 1 1/2 cups of fresh sliced strawberries.

Add to muffin batter made up from all of the usual suspects (flour, sugar, eggs, margarine, cinnamon, etc.)

Stir, and ladle carefully into paper lined muffin tins. Bake.

After baking, when the muffins are cool enough to touch, remove from tins and place on a cooling rack to avoid soggy bottoms.

Perfect for snacking or breakfast. Little known fact: strawberries are just as good in muffins as blueberries or cranberries.

Strawberries in December?

The answer is "yes"!

Strawberries are a winter crop in Japan, grown in green houses of course. Their peak season isn't until February/March, and by then you are so sick of mikans you are willing to pay any price to get your hands on some. This early on in December, paying $6 for a pack of 8 strawberries is a bit much (thankfully the price goes down as they become more abundant.) But if you happen to be shopping at the end of the day, and you see some on sale for under $3 and you are already a bit tired of mikans because there is a huge box on your stair case, I can think of no good reason not to buy them.

And what better way to eat them than in a parfait with crumbled cookies and "Maple-Cookie" ice cream.

The strawberries also found their way into some breakfast smoothies as well, which were undoubtedly more nutritious, and only slightly less delicious.