It's smack dab in the middle of July and I can't believe it. How are we half way through 2017? Am I the only one who says this every year? That it goes by faster and faster!

My favorite drink to sip on with friends is a gin and tonic. I have shared with you a cucumber gin and tonic…now it's time to share another easy peasy drink, the strawberry gin and tonic!

But first, I must share about my trip to New York City and the Hamptons last month!

I was invited on a little retreat with friends and we stayed at the Lotte New York Palace. It was beyond amazing! My roommate for the weekend was Heidi, I had so much fun with her!

On a brick of white chocolate, a photo of inside the hotel entrance. Beautiful, right?

The view from our room was amazing! I have to go back…like now!

The food at the Villard was amazing. They are known for their breakfast. We had banana bacon beignets and thick cut bacon and this beautifully presented avocado toast. It's gorgeous, right?

Dinner the night before was at Fig & Olive in the Meatpacking District. The food was amazing. From mushroom croquettes to this beef carpaccio…my stomach was very happy!

Lunch the next day was at Mamo. Seriously, if you're in the area. Get there. This Italian place is tucked in SoHo and it's glorious! I had the tiniest raviolis I have ever had. Truffle pizza and these little stuffed red peppers. So so good!

We made our way to the Hamptons and stayed in a beautiful house! Gina, Lexi and Liz outdid themselves.

We enjoyed the pool and Halo Top Creamery ice cream!! Yes!

Breakfast the next day, was avocado toast that was next level! The spread included wonderful food from Delallo, Vital Farms and Green Giant!

And then, we had lunch at Union Cantina. This little amazing Mexican place in Southhampton. So so good, from tacos and margaritas to this churro French toast…pretty genius, right?

Watermelon margaritas by the pool…be sure to check out Heather's spicy watermelon sangria!

And this ahi tuna & watermelon salad using Delallo's vegetable marinade. Yum! Gina shared her version recently too!

Let's just say, we didn't go hungry! This spread from Sabra…yay!

And thisssssss…meat and cheese board, when I grow up, I want to build a board like this.

This spread was possible due to Delallo. And they are so nice to offer a 25% discount site wide to The Little Kitchen readers! If you place an order use the code LittleKitchen25 at checkout to get the discount!

Now let's get back to this drink. It's super easy to make. Squeeze some lime, hull and chop some strawberries.

Then, muddle the strawberries and add gin, tonic and ice and you're good to go!

The perfect summer drink!

Print

Strawberry Gin & Tonic Recipe

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 drinks

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 strawberries hulled and cut in half
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 3 ounces gin or 3 Tablespoons
• ice
• tonic water

Instructions

• Divide the strawberries between two glasses. Muddle the strawberries.
• Squeeze lime juice into the glasses.
• Add gin and stir. Add ice and tonic water. Serve with limes.

photo credit: Raul Velasco

Such a fun day at the Bedell Cellars Vineyard. It was a beautiful setting, great wine and great conversation!

This trip was so refreshing and it was great to spend time with old friends and new!

I want to give Gina, Lexi and Liz a huge shoutout for planning a wonderful trip for all of us!!

Disclosure: This trip was organized by blogger friends and I was so happy to be invited. They gathered the sponsors to make the trip possible. So thank you to all of the sponsors who made it possible. As always, I only share with you brands and products that I love!

The post Strawberry Gin & Tonic and The Hamptons! appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises.

When I go on vacation, I love love love getting frozen drinks. I forget sometimes how easy it is to make at home!

I told you recently about how I went on a Mexican Riviera with Princess Cruises and told you how to truly relax on a cruise.

See, I had one of these in Cabo San Lucas at one of the ports on the cruise.

Can you tell I love strawberries?

See drinking this drink after I made it…brought me back to the cruise.

It was so fun and relaxing! In a later post, I'm going to share with you my favorite excursion on that Mexican Riviera cruise!

For the strawberry colada drink recipe!

It's super easy to make and has the perfect balance of strawberry and coconut…you can even omit the rum and it's basically a strawberry coconut smoothie!

When you're on a cruise or on vacation…what do you have to have? I have to hear it! Since I shared with you mine!

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Strawberry Colada Drink

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 3 drinks

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 ounces coconut rum
• 3 ounces coconut milk
• 4 ounces coconut water
• 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• about 4 cups ice

Instructions

• Add drink ingredients and the ice to a blender and pulse until blended.
• Pour into three drink glasses garnished with half strawberry.
• Serve immediately with straws.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises. I only share with you brands that I love and share with you my own opinions.

The post Strawberry Colada appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by Land O'Lakes.

Oh hand pies…delicious little pies. Little pies that you can eat with your hands as a dessert or snack. Little pies that you can take them when you travel or have them on the go. I have made a bunch in the past and have made plenty of pie crusts…but I think this recipe and using the technique of rolling the pie dough in between two pieces of parchment paper with a little bit of flour sprinkled in is the WAY to go!

I'm excited to be partnering with Land O'Lakes yet again to share with you, recipes using their butter! And these hand pies…wowza! Strawberry and chocolate hazelnut spread go together soooo well! I had this little blueberry hand pie with a glaze on top a few months ago that I couldn't stop thinking about.

An all butter crust is necessary…it makes the pie crust so flakey and tender. I remember chatting with the owner of a local pie bakery a while back and she said I ONLY use butter in my pie crusts!

Now, let's start. I'm sharing a ton of step by step photos which I hope you'll find helpful!

First, the butter, I only use Land O Lakes® Butter and I love their half sticks! So easy and convenient when you only need half of a stick of butter! This recipe uses three half sticks.

Cut the butter into slices and then cut them into small cubes. Put the butter into a bowl and put back in the refrigerator. The key is that the butter and dough should be cold. Remember that! I'm going to be repeating that.

I cut up the strawberries in half and then into slices and then freeze them. Don't skip this step…I find that when I'm baking with strawberries, they need to be frozen.

We're using ice cold water. I just add some ice cubes to a measuring cup and fill up with water. At a minimum, you're going to use 1/4 cup of water but maybe a tablespoon or more.

Add the flour, sugar and salt to a bowl and mix together.

I use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour, or you can use two forks.

Once your dough starts looking scraggly like this, you're good to go.

Start adding in water and you'll notice your flour mixture get even chunkier.

Take some of the flour mixture into your hands…

and if you're able to squish it into a ball and it holds together to form a dough, you have enough water. (If not, add more water and keep mixing.)

Split it in half and then use your hands to form two balls.

Flatten it out.

And then wrap with plastic wrap and then refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. (You can even refrigerate it overnight.)

Take two pieces of parchment paper and add a little bit of flour to both sheets.

I want the dough to stay as cold as possible so I roll out the pie crust on my marble pastry board.

Place the dough in between the two sheets and roll with a rolling pin.

I used a ruler and a pizza cutter the first time I made this recipe. I then found a set of rectangular cutters online and found it's much easier…but either way works!

Cut out as many pieces with your first piece of dough and carefully place them on a baking sheet covered with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.

Now put the baking sheet with the cut out pieces of pie crust in the refrigerator. This helps the dough from spreading a bunch…so make sure the dough stays cold.

Roll the other piece of dough and put the rest of the pieces on a piece of parchment paper and put them in the fridge. Can you see that I just stacked it on top of the other ones?

Now take your baking sheet with the bottoms of the hand pies out, leave the other sheet of pie crusts in the fridge.

Spread the chocolate hazelnut spread on the pie crusts, leaving a border.

Add the frozen strawberry slices and then brush the egg wash on the edges.

I put the pie crust tops on and then pinch down with your fingers to seal the pies. Then, use the ends of your fork tines to make indentations all the way down to further seal your pies.

I also poke the tops with my fork.

While the pies are baking, make your glaze. It takes only a minute to make.

Let the pies cool. If you don't them cool all the way, the glaze will be a little translucent. If that doesn't matter to you, allow them to cool at least 5 to 10 minutes before spreading the glaze.

You can add sprinkles or sanding sugar.

I realized while I was making these they kind of resemble a certain breakfast pastry you might have enjoyed as a kid but I beg to differ, this all butter flakey pie crust and the fresh strawberries and chocolate put them on a different level!

I couldn't stop eating these the first time I made them so when I made them again to test the recipe, I knew I had to share them with friends OR I would eat them all again! You'll totally enjoy these if you make them!

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Strawberry Chocolate Hand Pies

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 hand pies

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 3 Half Sticks 3/4 cup Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces and refrigerated for at least 15 minutes
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 to 6 Tablespoons ice water

Pie Filling

• 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella®
• 2/3 cup chopped and sliced thin fresh strawberries and then frozen about 12 to 15 strawberries
• 1 large egg beaten

Glaze Topping

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• sprinkles or sanding sugar optional

Instructions

• Cut the butter into small cubes and refrigerate. You want the butter to be really cold. Cut up strawberries and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze the strawberries for at least 30 minutes.
• Prep a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• Mix flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Add butter and using a pastry blender or a fork, cut butter into the flour, until they pieces of butter in the flour, about the size of a pea.
• Add ice cold water (just the water, no ice), a tablespoon at a time (about 4 to 5 tablespoons), mixing with a rubber spatula. Mix until dough starts to form (take some dough into your hands to , after adding a few tablespoons, you’ll need to use your fingers. Add more water if the dough is too dry.
• Take the dough and form two balls and flatten each one into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Take one piece of dough out of the fridge at a time and place between two pieces of parchment paper (that you have lightly floured) and place on a smooth surface, preferably a marble slab or counter top. Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape, being sure that the dough is thin, about 1/16”.
• Cut out 4-inch by 3-inch rectangles (or use a rectangular cutter, I used one that’s 4.5-inches by 3-inches), use a ruler and a pizza or pastry cutter to ensure an even cut.
• Carefully place six of these pie crusts on the baking sheet you prepped earlier about 1 inch apart. (Place in the refrigerator as you cut them out so they can remain chilled before baking. This is key to keep the hand pies from spreading a ton when baking.)
• Do the same with the other piece of dough, for the tops of the pies. (You might need to preroll the leftover pie dough to make enough pieces of pie crust.) Place the other six pieces of pie crust on a piece of parchment paper and put them in the fridge as well.
• Mix egg with 1 tablespoon of cold water.
• Spread 1 to 2 teaspoons Nutella to each of the six pieces of pie crust on the baking sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then place 6 to 7 frozen strawberry slices (or whatever fits) and sprinkle sugar on top. Brush the edges of each piece of pie crust on all four sides with the egg wash.
• Add another piece of cut out pie crust on top and use the tines of a fork to seal it together (pushing down all the way through both pieces of pie crust). Using the ends of the fork tines, stab through the tops of the pie crust 3 to 4 times.
• Repeat until all of the pie crust is exhausted. Brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash.
• Bake the hand pies for 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place the silicon baking mat or parchment paper on a cooling rack.
• While the pies are baking, whisk the powdered sugar with the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Whisk together until you get a well mixed glaze.
• Once pies have cooled for at least 5 to 10 minutes, pour or drizzle the glaze on top. Serve immediately or place in a tightly sealed container for 3 to 4 days.

Disclosure: The Little Kitchen has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

The post Strawberry Chocolate Hand Pies appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

You guyssssss…I know so annoying but I'm so excited because this recipe took me a ridiculous number of tries to get right. And when I did, I kind of freaked out. So did my friend, Nina. I had to share them with her otherwise I would eat them all.

It's strawberry season here in Florida! Last year, I went on a farm tour and learned all about strawberries! The season ends in March so I had to get moving and get this recipe right.

I added a white chocolate glaze to these strawberry scones but they are totally optional. I just love white chocolate so much, I couldn't resist! Or you could even add a lemon glaze too!

Oh I wanted to mention that I recently updated my About page and created a Welcome page for those new to the site.

First, cut up the strawberries and freeze them for at least 30 minutes. This step is crucial. They need to be frozen solid before baking so they don't turn to mush when baking.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

When you cube up your butter, stick it back in the fridge. It needs to be cold for this next part.

Cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture.

Can you see the butter? It's a beautiful thing.

Once I added a little lemon juice to this recipe, it made it even better.

Mix the vanilla extract and lemon juice in with the heavy cream. That way you know all of these ingredients will be thoroughly mixed into the dough.

Mix the heavy cream in with a fork.

There the dough is starting to form.

I mix the strawberries in, in two batches to make sure that there are strawberries in every bite!

Use your hands to mix it in.

So pretty, right?

I molded the dough into a circle.

Cut in half with a knife and then cut in half again. Then cut each quarter in half again to make eight wedges.

I put them on my baking sheet about 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart.

Then, brush the tops and all of the sides with heavy cream.

I love how they look slathered in cream!

Bake them for 27 to 28 minutes at 400 degrees F. Allow them to cool and then drizzle the white chocolate on top.

It's truly a beautiful thing! I'm going to be making these again soon! Take advantage of the Florida strawberry season and make these soon! I know you'll thank me!

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Strawberries and Cream Scones with White Chocolate Drizzle Recipe

Prep Time 18 minutes minutes

Cook Time 27 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced strawberries cleaned and hulled first and then frozen for at least 30 minutes
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 stick cold unsalted butter cut into cubes (1/4 cup)
• 1 cup cold heavy cream plus more to brush on the top before baking
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips add some oil
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• spreadable butter for serving I like Land O Lakes Butter with Canola Oil

Instructions

• Prep and freeze strawberries for at least 30 minutes in one layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add cold butter and cut butter into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter. Measure out heavy cream and mix in vanilla extract and lemon juice. (This way you’ll know all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dough.) Add the heavy cream mixture and mix with fork. Once dough starts forming, you'll probably need to start using your hands. Add frozen strawberries and mix with your hands.
• Lightly flour a clean surface, like a marble pastry board and smooth dough into a round shape, making it about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough in half and then cut each quarter in half into wedges, making 8 pieces.
• Place wedges about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet and brush with heavy cream. Bake scones for 27 to 28 minutes, until the edges are just about turning golden brown. Allow scones to cool on a cooling rack.
• While the scones are baking, melt the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power, for 30 seconds and then 15 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Add oil if needed to make sure melted chocolate is smooth. Put chocolate into a zippered plastic bag.
• Cut a small hole in one of the corners of the bag with the white chocolate, then drizzle with melted white chocolate. Serve with spreadable butter.
• These scones taste great even the next day, so you can make them ahead. Just store them in a zippered plastic bag or a sealed container at room temperature.

The post Strawberries and Cream Scones with White Chocolate Drizzle appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Recently, we were invited by Princess Cruises on an Alaskan Cruise and I'm so excited to share with you, our adventures!

We had a blast, it was our first cruise. We met some wonderful people, saw some great sights and had a trip of a lifetime!

Quite literally, all of our surroundings in Alaska looked like a postcard…pictures took themselves. I remember, quite fondly, at our first port, in Ketchikan telling our tour guide that I was taking pictures of postcards. In awe, I'm so happy we got to go on this cruise to Inside Passage Alaska…making memories we will cherish for a lifetime.

We both absolutely loved this cheesecake…I ordered it every night we could in the dining room. I was so excited when I found it in the cookbook that they gave us, called Courses: A Culinary Journey. And I'm so happy we get to make it at home now!

I'm going to share with you five things I loved about our Alaskan Cruise…

1) The Desserts

They were amazing. Love love loved our desserts! This one was the Princess Love Boat Dream (chocolate mousse on a brownie!) and it was heart-shaped!

The wonderful cheesecake!

I also had desserts for breakfast every day…we loved the croissants. Curtis' favorite were the chocolate croissants while mine were the almond ones!

And this dreamy dessert was a chocolate raspberry mousse with vanilla creme brulee and crunchy shortbread.

And gelato 24/7!

Gelato makes me smile and reminds me of Italy!

2) Riding a Helicopter and Landing on a Glacier

Look at Curtis' face. Our first time on a helicopter and I just had to take a selfie!

Seriously, we rode a helicopter onto the Mendenhall glacier. What an amazing experience.

It was really cold. That's all I remember. I also remember being in awe of the young women who work on the glacier 12 hours a day, welcoming tour group after tour group and enthusiastically sharing all about the glacier.

And then we got to dine on amazing Alaskan salmon at the Salmon Bake!

3) Seeing a Glacier at Tracy Arm & a Blue Iceberg!

We were one of 170 who got to take part in the Tracy Arm Fjord cruising. Early early early in the morning, we piled on much smaller boats (than our cruise ship) and got to cruise up really close to the Sawyer Glacier.

I got to enjoy the cruise with these lovely ladies and their husbands!

And then we saw a blue iceberg. Our cruise boat captain commented on how she has lived Alaska all her life and this was the most beautiful iceberg she had seen in her life.

It looks like blue icy hot doesn't it? I know it looks almost unreal. It was beautiful seeing it in person.

We learned that the blue ice is the oldest, when it snows and gets cold, the ice compacts and when it's robbed of oxygen, it compacts even more and turns blue.

Seriously, glorious.

4) Ice Cream and Mini Golfing!

I know it was cold but it's never too cold for soft serve ice cream and sprinkles!

And mini gold…with Alaska in our sights…what a fun time and a beautiful sight!

5) Chef's Table Experience

Depending on the number of days, there might be only 1 or 2 chef's table experiences available. You have to book it as soon as you get on board otherwise it books up quickly.

The executive chef and the maitre'd treated us very well to many courses…

A beautiful roasted filet and in the background are mushroom-shapped potatoes. We loved this meal!

And the dessert was a hazelnut chocolate mousse with caramel on top with hazelnut macarons. Dreamyyyy!

And now I must turn your attention back to the cheesecake!

In the world of cheesecakes, it's a really easy recipe…it does take some time in between where you have to allow the cake to cool to room temperature (twice) so it's best to make this during the weekend.

I put the graham crackers in a zippered plastic bag and turn them into crumbs using a rolling pin.

I created a sling with the parchment paper in my 9-inch square baking dish.

All set!

Mix in the ground cinnamon and then the powdered sugar.

Add the melted butter and mix together.

Put into the bottom of the baking dish and use your fingers to pat down the crust.

I love that you don't have to bake this crust…it's much better this way!

Mix the filling.

And then pour over the crust.

And smooth the filling out with a spatula.

Mix the sour cream topping ingredients together.

Nice and smooth.

Smooth it out after pouring over the baked cheesecake filling.

Wash, hull and slice the strawberries.

Marinate the strawberries before blending in a blender.

Every time we make this cheesecake, we'll remember our Alaskan Cruise aboard the Princess Ruby!

And of course Alaska!

I know you'll love this cheesecake recipe! Excuse me while I go cut off another piece and have it for dinner!

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Classic Cheesecake with Strawberry Coulis Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Resting Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 1 9-inch square or round cheesecake

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 13 graham crackers
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 powdered sugar
• 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

• 4 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• pinch of salt

Sour Cream Topping

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Strawberry Coulis

• 2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
• 3 Tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeeze orange juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• fresh strawberries

Instructions

• Place graham cracker crumbs and ground cinnamon in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Add powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Add melted butter and mix well.  Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by cutting a round piece of parchment paper, grease the bottom of the pan and the sides with a nonstick baking spray. Place the parchment paper at the bottom of the pan. If using a 9-inch square pan, cut two long strips of parchment paper and place them in the bottom of the pan, creating a sling.
• Add the graham crack crumb crust to the bottom of the pan (over the parchment paper), use your fingers creating an even layer of crust across the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• Heat the oven to 370 degrees F. Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Add sugar, lemon juice and salt and mix until well combined. Pour the cream cheese filling over the crust in to the pan. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes at 370 degrees F. The cheesecake will be slightly soft in the middle and should be hot all the way through. (If the cake splits, it is over baked).
• Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least one hour.
• Add sour cream, sugar and lemon juice to a small glass mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly with a spoon. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the sour cream topping on top of the cheesecake and smooth with a spatula. Bake the cheesecake for another 6 to 8 minutes, just to set the sour cream topping. The cake should not brown at all.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, at least one hour and 15 to 30 minutes. Once it's room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.
• Mix sliced strawberries, orange liqueur, orange juice and lemon juice in a glass bowl. Allow to marinate for 5 minutes and then add to a blender.
• Serve cheesecake sliced with the strawberry coulis and fresh strawberries.

Be sure to check out my five tips for cruising!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises. I only share with you brands that I love and share with you my own opinions. There are affiliate links in this post.

The post Classic Cheesecake Recipe & 5 Things I loved about our Alaskan Cruise appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Florida Strawberry Growers Association and learn all about Florida strawberries. When I arrived, we were all talking about strawberry shortcakes and someone mentioned having one on a fried donut. I was like WHAT? I need to make that. And I did. It was amazing and I will be doing this again and again!

Photographed here, the shortcakes are on Pembroke Collection plates by Q Squared. I found out about Q Squared in Utah last year and love love their products. Totally durable and reasonably priced…it's great for every day and for entertaining. That's their flatware too!

These strawberries are so perfect. I had fun playing around with them with my camera. I ate a lot of strawberries…well, because I came home with 10 POUNDS!

This was our group. I help plan get togethers with local food bloggers from the Central Florida area. That's Sue on the left, she organized this event for us!

Strawberry flowers. Once they bloom, it takes 35 days for a strawberry to grow. I love this photo because you can see the green unripe strawberry growing out of the the flower and how the calyx starts!

Strawberry fields. We were lucky enough to be able to pick strawberries and taste them straight from the field. It was amazing.

The best way to store strawberries? Completely dry and in the refrigerator at 33 degrees F. Strawberries don't actually freeze until at least 28 degrees F.

We visited the FSGA's strawberry fields and BBI Produce. It was so neat to hear all about the research and the strawberry varieties grown in Florida. Strawberries are planted in October and harvest from November and usually until March.

And then we went to lunch at Ole Town Pizza in Plant City. Amazing amazing pizzas and these rolls, were divine. I had two. We also had the best ever strawberry salad. I'm going to recreate that salad soon!

We then made our way to Parkesdale Farm Market and enjoyed strawberry shortcakes and the most amazing strawberry milkshakes. Shortcakes are only available during strawberry season…I recommend you head down there if you're ever in the Plant City area!

Back to the recipe…

I hulled and sliced the strawberries and put them into a bowl with sugar and a few drops of water. Mix.

The amount of sugar you'll need depends on how sweet your strawberries are. These were really sweet so I didn't need much.

This is a total cheater recipe. I used canned biscuits. These make great easy fried donuts. We make them all the time. Don't judge. I'm serious, I don't want to hear it. If you want to make your doughnuts from scratch, here's a great recipe for homemade doughnuts!

Fry them in some oil.

Let them sit for one minute and then dip them in sugar.

I made homemade whipped cream with vanilla extract and sugar. You can use canned whipped cream if you want.

Photographed on Pembroke Collection plates with flatware by Q Squared.

For reals, this is amazing. I think I like this even better than actual shortcakes. Fried donuts. Enough said.

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Fried Donut Strawberry Shortcakes Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups strawberries washed, hulled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• canned refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 5 count
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Instructions

• First add oil to a large pot and turn heat to medium low.
• Prep strawberries. Place in a bowl and add sugar and 2 to 3 dashes of water. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
• Turn oil to medium and while waiting for the oil to get to 325 degrees F.
• Add 1 cup sugar to a bowl and set aside. Prep a small baking sheet and cover it with foil and paper towels and set aside. Open can of biscuits and separate biscuits. Using a small circle cookie cutter or the tip of a round pastry tip, punch a hole in the middle of each biscuit.
• Fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the finished donuts and place on covered baking sheet. Allow donuts to cool for only 1 minute.
• Carefully and one at a time, place donuts in the bowl with sugar and use a spoon to cover.
• Add heavy cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, whip until there are stiff peaks.
• Place each donut on a small plate, top with strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Other strawberry recipes:
Strawberry Mojito Slushies
Strawberry, Grapefruit and Ginger Smoothie
Sautéed Strawberry & Sugarsnap Salad with Almonds
Strawberry Bruschetta Grilled Cheese
Strawberries and Cream Bars
Basic Peach & Strawberry Jam

Disclosure: Thank you to FSGA for hosting our blogger group for the farm tour. This post is sponsored by Q Squared. I only share with you my honest opinions and brands that I love.

The post Fried Donut Strawberry Shortcakes appeared first on The Little Kitchen.