Strawberries! (and Kahlua dip)

It's one of my favorite times of the season here in Michigan; strawberry time. When I was growing up, we would always go picking in our worst jeans. Kneeling down between the long rows of bushes, picking for hours and hours, and eating so many we thought we would burst. They were always sweet and full of flavor. I haven't been picking in quite some time. I always seem to miss them. They come and go so quickly, by the time I hear they are ready, they've already gone. Over the years I've gotten lazy, and have been buying the on sale boxes at the supermarket that have been shipped from California and Florida. I became accustomed to their too-green texture, dull flavor, and lackluster juiciness. Mash them up with sugar to bring out the flavor; let them sit in the refrigerator so the juices can mingle. I've taken them for granted and forgotten what a real strawberry tastes like. Until yesterday.

I was being entertained by some friends and grabbed a few strawberries from the spread of delicious goodies set out. I took one bite, and that was all it took for me to fall in love with fresh strawberries all over again. They were very dark red, very plump, and so juicy I feared they would drip after I bit into them. I had to get my hands on more of these. They came from a small roadside stand that is actually owned by the parents of one of my coworkers. I stopped there after work today to grab some of those gorgeous berries before they were gone. One thing I love about living in Michigan's southwestern coast is the variety of small farms we have in the area. There's roadside stands for every season. On the drive home I kept slipping my hand into the bag and stealing berries. I contemplated what to do with them. These berries were just too perfect to mash up like we normally do and eat on shortcake, pancakes, or right out of the bowl. They were simply perfect by themselves. I think the generous rainfall we have gotten must have aided in their amazingly juicy sweetness. A cool summer treat would be a bowl of these next to some chilled Kahlua Dip. Heaven.

Kahlua Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, soft
1 c. non-dairy whipped cream
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. kahlua

Directions:

In a medium size bowl mix cream cheese and whipped cream until smooth. Add brown sugar and Kahlua. Blend until brown sugar is melted. Add sour cream, beat until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate before serving. The longer it sets the better it gets. Serves 35 people.

And they aren't kidding. It does serve 35 people. I usually cut this recipe in half (at least) for small gatherings. I also use fat free cream cheese and cool whip to lighten it up. This dip is truly heaven on fruit. (It's also good on a spoon.)
These strawberries are so juicy, they would be good muddled in a drink. Perhaps some lemon vodka, lemonade, and a splash of sprite? What ways do you like to use strawberries?

Star Struck

So earlier this year, I may have had something to do with the designing of a K/BIS invite for Jenn-Air. It was targeted for the press and invited them to learn about Jenn-Air's revolutionary new products with keynote speaker, author, and food network star, Ted Allen.
During the course of the design, it had to go through Ted for approval and I was impressed when I learned that he personally was going to be looking at it. I was over the top excited when I knew he was going to be looking at something I designed. I was hoping I could get the invite signed when it went to production, but it fell through the cracks.
Chrissy to the rescue. Chrissy, a thoughtful coworker of mine, wrote to Ted and asked if he would be willing to sign it. His assistant responded and the two arrange mail drops. After a long wait... it arrived yesterday. To my complete, utter, surprise! I am SO ecstatic!!!

In March, I attended the International Home and Housewares show in Chicago, where I had the pleasure of meeting Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto! It was so surreal. (The year before I got to watch Alton Brown do a demo, but was unable to score an autograph. Paula Deen was there too!) It sure has been a food network filled year!

Getting his autograph and trying to stop my hands from shaking!