Strawberries!!!

After discussing my “top 10” with my husband, he suggested I add eating crawfish boil in Galveston on our honeymoon. I agreed. It was a memorable experience. My husband sucked the juices and brains out of the  head; I did not.
He also listed several of my favorite restaurants, food carts, dives in Stillwater; I admit that I have been very spoiled in my international college town.
But on to the recipes!
Strawberries! are in season. For a few bucks pick up a few pints this week and eat them with honey sweetened whipped cream.
And if you don’t eat them all and you fear they are going soft, make this sauce combination for a peanut butter and jelly breakfast treat. I made these two sauces the previous weekend and served them on top of French toast.
Sauces can make a meal very special. Think of your Thanksgiving dinner without cranberry sauce or giblet gravy. Or a ice cream sundae with no hot fudge. Sauces can make the meal.

 

Strawberry Sauce
1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, and roughly chopped
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. water

Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the berries are softened. At this point you can puree the mixture and strain out seeds for a beautiful ruby sauce or mash with the back of a wooden spoon and leave chunky for a rustic sauce.

Peanut Butter Sauce
1/4 c. peanut butter, smooth or chunky
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix peanut butter alternately with sugar and milk. Whisk vigorously to loosen the peanut butter at first.

If you find you have some Strawberry Sauce leftover, make this butter cream to frost cupcakes, as I did, or to spread on warm biscuits.

 

Strawberry Butter Cream
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1/3 c. strawberry sauce, pureed and strained
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat with an electric mixer butter and strawberry sauce until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. If the frosting is too heavy or thick for your liking, thin with milk.