Strawberry Daze

  This past weekend, my hometown had a strawberry festival.  Succulent, ripe rubies are in abundance in May around here, although with the mild winter, the berries have weighed down the vines earlier than usual.  Recently I blended up this recipe from Southern Living's Big Book of BBQ - Strawberry Tea Slush.  Cool strawberries hit the tongue, and background notes of tea and lemonade round out this slightly tart slush.  I believe this is what summertime tastes like.  Here's the beauty of this recipe, though; it uses frozen strawberries that can be found in your freezer section year-round.  Keep in mind this has just a little over of an hour of chill time before blending.

Strawberry Tea Slush

Yields 6 cups

Ingredients

2 cups water
4 tea bags, regular size
1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup powdered sugar (can add more to taste if you prefer a sweeter drink)

  Start by steeping the tea.  In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Take the pot off the heat and add in the tea bags.  Cover and let the tea steep for 5 minutes.  Remove the tea bags and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

  Add the chilled tea, frozen strawberries, lemonade concentrate, ice and powdered sugar to a blender and process until the mixture is slushy and smooth.  Serve right away and enjoy!

Note: Resist the urge to squeeze those tea bags when removing them.  Squeezing releases very bitter liquid into the tea.

  Now that you are sippin' on strawberry goodness, want something to nibble on?  One of my dear friends brought in this amazing salsa made with not tomatoes, but strawberries to work.  Heavenly!  This is another treat from Southern Living, found in the March 2012 issue.  She didn't have the avocado, but it was still fantastic.  The magazine suggests serving this with grilled or pan-fried meats, seafood or poultry aplenty, but it was very tasty on plain ol' tortilla chips.  Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Strawberry Salsa

Yields about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup red pepper jelly
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1 small avocado

  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the jelly, fresh herbs, lime zest and juice, and red pepper.  Gently fold in the strawberries and dried cranberries.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Right before serving, dice the avocado and add to the chilled salsa mixture.

BLT Benedict with Avocado-Tomato Relish

  I'll admit it, I've been in a bit of a funk lately.  So, when sorting through some digital pics recently, I realized I had a few things I've not posted here yet.  Bacon, eggs, avocado, and tomatoes....who could resist?  I couldn't when I saw this recipe in Southern Living's March '11 issue.

BLT Benedict with Avocado-Tomato Relish

Ingredients
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, divided
6 large eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
6 thick slices of bakery bread
3 cups of your favorite lettuce mix
12 cooked bacon slices

  We're going to start off by making the relish - combine the grape tomatoes, diced avocado, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and 2 1/2 teaspoons of the red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the benedicts.

  Poach the eggs - Fill a large saucepan with 3 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat until the water steadily simmers lightly. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar; this will help the egg whites curl around the yolks as the eggs poach. Break the eggs, one at a time into a small bowl, and slide them into the simmering water. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are done to your liking. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon.  Or, if you have an electric food steamer with a rice bowl, you can cheat like I do, and poach your eggs in it.  *wink*

  Assembly - Spread a layer of mayonnaise on one side of the toasted bread. Add about 1/2 cup of lettuce, 2 slices of bacon, followed by one poached egg on top of each toast slice. Top with the relish and enjoy!