strawberry icebox pie

a saturday strawberry picking spree.

A very early morning, a long drive, a fun-filled adventure and a strawberry filled bucket resulted in this delicious pie.

This pie was the delicious result of a Saturday morning at Whittamore's Farm!  We picked so many fresh Ontario strawberries and couldn't think of a better way to use them all up before they went bad.  So we created a slightly healthified version of Martha Stewart's strawberry icebox pie.  It was a fairly simple pie, definitely easier than the last Martha recipe I slaved away at and not to mention an extra tasty way to enjoy fresh strawberries!

This is the cutest, sweetest, most loving boy I know.  You might want to think about finding yourself one of these once you realize how many strawberries need to be hulled and thinly sliced.  BUT good luck finding one as good as mine.

graham cracker crust:

- 1½ cups graham crumbs

- 4 tbsp margarine or butter

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- pinch of salt

strawberry glaze:

- 2 cups sliced strawberries

- ¼ - ½ cup water

- ½ cup sugar

- 1½ tsp slenda

- ¼ tsp cornstach

- ¼ tsp salt

strawberry pie filling:

- 6 cups sliced strawberries

- whole strawberries to garnish

- ½ cup whipping cream to garnish

- 1 tbsp sugar

*the original recipe for this pie calls for quite a bit of sugar and sweetness, especially in addition to the natural sweetness of the fresh strawberries.  SO I used one less tbsp of sugar in the crust,  one less tbsp of sugar in the whipped cream, I used water in the glaze instead of cranberry juice AND I substituted splenda to make up a quarter of the sugar called for in the glaze (1½ tsp splenda = ¼ cup sugar).  I must say this pie was more than sweet enough with my adjustments (and I have a huge sweet tooth) and tasted delicious despite the splenda AND you could easily use even less sugar.

I made the graham crust first and the strawberry glaze after while the strawberries were being prepared.  

for the crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray or lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.  Melt and cool margarine.  Combine graham crumbs, sugar, salt and margarine.  Press mixture to cover bottom and sides of pie plate.  Bake 10-12 minute until slightly browned.  Let cool completely.

for the strawberry glaze:

Combine the 2 cups of strawberries, water, sugar, splenda, cornstarch and salt in a pot over medium-high heat.  Mash strawberries gently.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer.  Stir frequently until very thick. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

for the strawberry pie filling:

Stir the 6 cups of fresh strawberries into the glaze pot.  Coat fresh strawberries completely. Pour into the cooled crust.  Refrigerate for 4 hours.  

After your long wait, with an electric hand mixer beat ½ cup of whipping cream and tbsp of sugar (or more depending on your sweet-tooth) until peaks form.  With spatula spread whipped cream over pie.  Leave a border around the edge to show strawberries. Throw a couple whole strawberries on top.  Enjoy!

a healthful hint:

Less sugar overall means less calories and less insulin spike.  When you intake a lot of simple sugars your insulin secretion levels are increased to help transport sugar from your blood to your tissues.  This ends up causing a large decrease of sugar in your blood and a large excess of energy in your tissues.  The sugar decrease in the blood causes fatigue or a "sugar crash" and the excess energy in the tissues ends up being stored as fat.  BUT polyphenol antioxidants in strawberries do help to regulate blood sugar levels which will also reduce this insulin spike.  On another note, use your strawberries as soon as you can and don't cut them until you are ready to use them!  Storage for longer than 2 days allows for major antioxidant and nutrient loss.  Vitamin C can also be destroyed by oxygen so once the berry is cut these nutrient levels start decreasing.  You could easily leave the strawberries whole (especially if they're cute fresh Ontario strawberries) to give you the greastest nutritional benefits AND save time on preparation.  BUT the fact that the majority of the strawberries in this pie are fresh, you'll be getting a nice helping of vitamin C because it hasn't been disrupted by high temperatures!

mini frittatas

frittata's for father's day!

If you're an omelette, quiche, frittata or just a plain egg lover like my father... these are for you!

Usually my sister and I go for good old breakfast in bed for father's day but with this meal plan we really had a lot on our plates!  We started the day with a trip to the local fruit markets to pick up a bunch of fresh veg.  On our way home we stumbled across a mulberry tree and picked some delicious fresh mulberries to add to our fabulous spread of fruit!  This is a great recipe that makes a dozen mini frittatas for a fun family morning and not to mention its healthy too!  What better way to greet the day than with a punch of protein and boost of vitamins? 

Makes 12.
mini frittatas:
- 6 whole eggs 
- 8 egg whites
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp milk
- salt and pepper 
- paprika

 

- 1/2 red bell pepper

- 1/2 red onion

- 2 garlic cloves

- 4-5 asparagus

- 6 large spinach leaves

- 8 cherry tomatoes

- 1 bush of brocoli

    
   
                   
Preheat oven to 350º F.  Grease or spray cups of a muffin tin.  Whisk whole eggs, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Chop all veggies up very small.  Sauté veggies but NOT the tomatoes with 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Half fill each muffin cup with sautéd veggies.  Fill the rest of each cup with the egg mixture.  Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  Keep checking to make sure the tops don't burn.  When ready sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese and paprika.  Turn oven to broil.  Toss them back in for a quick minute to melt cheese.  When finished, let cool slightly and carefully remove from cups.  ENJOY!

*next time I think I'll try using paper muffin cups to line the tray because they were a little difficult to remove

 Serve with bacon, toast, fresh fruit and refreshing drinks.

a healthful hint:

Adding extra egg whites increases the amount of protein in this meal without increasing the fat from the egg yolks.  Although egg yolks are super healthy and jam-packed with essential vitamins and nutrients, they are also full of fat.  Of that fat, lots of it is omega-3 and omega-6 but there is also cholesterol.  SO if you're watching your fat in-take, top up your egg creations with more whites instead.  It is also really good to buy pasteurized liquid egg whites so you don't have to waste any yolks, or keep the yolks in an air-tight container in the fridge for another day!  All the veggies give you a healthy vitamin boost which is enhanced even more by pairing this meal with fresh fruit on the side!

lazy ladybugs

a cute canapé.

canapé: 

-a cracker or a small, thin piece of bread or toast spread with cheese, meat, or relish and served as an appetizer.

-a small, prepared and usually decorative food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite.

I personally am disgusted by the insect itself due to bad experiences during an infestation of them when I was younger.  They were everywhere, in every colour.  Buzzing and biting.  Yuck.  BUT I do have to say they are one thing I find cute out of nature and not alive. 

I made these to take to a barbeque with a bunch of friends. They were super easy and didn't require too much work, but I suggest leaving yourself enough time for artistic detail.  Everything always takes me longer than I anticipate...I ended up being a little late for the barbeque. BUT overall a great appetizer for a lazy guest to bring to any event!

lazy ladybugs:
-cherry or grape tomatoes

-pitted black olives

-cracker

-feta cheese

-baby spinach
-balsamic vinegar
-black pepper
-sesame seeds

*you could use whatever you want!  Any crackers, small slices of bagette or artisan crips which would also be delicious.  Any type of cheese or spread.  Cream cheese, cheddar, mozarella, humus, babganoush.  And of course the leaf is also up to you.  Baby spinach is all I had at the time but arugula, romaine, fresh basil... the possibilities are ENDLESS

So.  Grab a cracker.  Place a thin slice of feta on cracker.  Top feta with baby spinach leaf.  Slice tomato in half lengthwise.  Cut out small triangular sliver to create the wings.  Place atop baby spinach.  Slice olive in half lenghwise, then again widthwise.  Place in front of tomato to create the head.  Spritz with balsamic vinegar.  This adds delicious flavour while also giving the pepper something to stick to on the tomato.  Find large black pepper pieces or cut up pepeprcorns.  Place decoratively on tomato.  Place seasame seeds for eyes.  Enjoy! (with friends)!

I made it to the barbeque finally.  Friends.  Kabobs.  Souvlaki.  Ladybugs.  Homemade cookies.  Bananagrams.

a healthful hint:

I chose Ryvita Rye & Oat Bran crackers because they are a great low calorie, basically non-fat, low sodium cracker that is reasonably high in fibre! The fibre works to make you feel fuller and the fact that its very low in sodium is a good idea since feta cheese is extremely salty BUT you can reduce the sodium in the feta by soaking it in water for a few minutes and then rinsing. Also even full-fat feta is lower in fat than most cheeses and there are low and non-fat options as well while its also an excellent source of calcium!  The tomato on top of all this goodness adds a splash of vitamins A and C, making this an easy, healthy and cute snack!

lemon meringue tarts

I made these delicious delights for Mother's Day because my mom loooves lemon tarts.  They were absolutely delicious.  They were also absolutely difficult.  I ended up having to ruin the surprise because I needed help from the professional... mommy!

I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart's Lime Meringue Tarts. All I really did differently was substitute lemon for lime for filling the shells to please my mother. I also doubled the recipe because I decided to spread my love and appreciation to many other mothers. I don't reccommend it. I think it would be easier and they would turn out better if you stick to the single recipe.

I made the lemon curd first to give time for it to cool while preparing the meringue.  Making the meringue allowed for more than enough chill time.  Chill time for the lemon curd that is, the work was definitely far from "chill".

lemon curd:

-4 large egg yolks

-2 whole eggs

-1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

-3/4 sugar

-4 tbsp unsalted butter

Separate 4 yolks from whites.  Save the whites, you'll need them for the meringue.  Whisk 4 large yolks and 2 whole eggs together in a bowl.  In a small saucepan combine egg mixture, lemon juice, and sugar.  Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.  Cool slightly.  Strain into a small bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces.  Add butter a piece by piece, stirring to let it melt.  Stir in zest.  Cover and refridgerate until completely cooled.  Now prepare for the hard part!

*the curd was very sweet, if you'd like more tartness don't be afraid to decrease the amount of sugar because 3/4 cup is more than enough, although I'm not sure what this would do to the consistency.

swiss meringue shells:

-4 large egg whites

-1 cup sugar

-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

-pinch of cream of tartar

Fill a medium sized saucepan a fourth full with water.  Bring to a simmer.  In a heat proof bowl of an electric mixer combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar.  Place over (not in) the simmering water.  Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes until warm and sugar is dissolved.  Beat mixture with an electric mixer.  Start on low speed.  Gradually increase to high speed.  Beat for about 10 minutes until high, stiff, glossy peaks form.  Add vanilla.  Mix until just combined.  Use immediately.

*when it says use immediately, do it.  I think we waited too long to use it/took too long using it that the consistency changed and it was harder to use.  When trying to pipe the meringue, it wouldn't hold its shape.

creating the shells:

Preheat oven to 200°F.  Trace 2-inch circles on parchment paper.  Line baking sheet with the parchment paper with the pencil face-down.  Pipe meringue by spiralling outward from the centre of the circle, making sure to cover the whole bottom of the circle.  Create walls on the circle and decorate with petals to the best of your ability (it's very difficult to make them look like Martha's).  Bake for 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 150°F.  Bake for about 40-60 minutes  until crisp, dry and still white.  Let cool completely.  Pipe or spoon lemon curd into shells and serve immediately. Enjoy!

*my shells turned out a little chewy and some of them cracked in the oven. I think this was because of the double recipe and waiting too long with the meringue.  BUT they were still delicious!  I also left the unused ones out for longer and they dried out perfectly. Again they were very sweet so omit as much sugar to suit your taste.

egg nests and deviled chicklets.

I'm a little behind, just figuring out this whole alternate universe and am finally entering the blog world.

An EGGcellent Easter Breakfast!

This was just a fun and simple breakfast I made to get in the Easter spirit this year!

egg nests:

-whole eggs separated
-salt
-toast

Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 450°F.  Grab a baking sheet and spray, grease or line with parchment paper. Carefully separate the egg yolk from the white.  Add salt and beat the white with a whisk or an electric hand mixer until fluffy, firm and foamy.  Create a dollop of egg white on the baking sheet, and create a small indent in the top so the chicklet sits comfortably.  Bake in oven for 3-6 minutes until the outside is browned.  Place the nest on toast.

deviled chicklets:

-whole eggs

-salt

-plain greek yogurt or sour cream or mayonaise

-carrot

-pepper corns or raisin

Hard boil your eggs.  Carefully cut the top of the egg off.  Carefully scoop out the yolk.  Combine the yolk with salt and creamy substance of choice in a bowl.  Transfer yolk mixture into a piping bag or regular old plastic bag with a corner snipped off.  Squeeze yolk to fill the egg whites.  Meticulously cut carrots and pepper corns for the beak and eyes.  Carefully put the top of the egg on the chicklet's head.  Rest in egg nests!  Enjoy!

*If using greek yogurt be sure to add a generous amount of salt and a bit of garlic powder to the yolk mixture to ease the tartness.

ALSO...

These nests can also make your regular, routine morning egg slightly more exciting.  To do this, simply slip your egg yolk onto the indentation after baking the egg white nest for 3 minutes.  Pop it back in the oven for about another 3 minutes to warm and cook the yolk slightly.  Slip it on toast.  Enjoy!

*Add parmesan or gruyere cheese when beating the white for a more filling and flavourful meal.