Strawberry Lemon Snack Cake

Sweet and sour and absolutely perfect for a snack or a little treat after dinner!

I have been trying for years to get behind lemon sweets and so far, to date, it has failed. I just don't like purely lemon desserts. Now throw a berry in there and I love it. I knew I would enjoy this dessert because strawberry is my favorite berry with lemon. I loved the consistency of the cake. It sort of reminds me of a cobbler in some ways. The lemon was just in the glaze although it would be great with a little lemon zest in the batter, in my opinion.

Berry Avocado Summer Salad

The best summer salad with fresh berries and avocado topped with sweet poppyseed dressing!

Berries in salad is something I discovered when I volunteered in the Family Readiness Group in my husband's unit back at Fort Drum years and years ago now. The battalion commander's wife made a salad with strawberries and blueberries in it and I was blown away. It seems so silly to not add fresh fruit to salad, but I had never thought about doing that. Poppyseed dressing was something my mother-in-law introduced me to and I love the combination of berries poppyseed dressing. This summer salad is awesome because you get walnuts, avocado, and feta with it too. My picture does not show those because I forgot the walnuts and feta until I was halfway through eating it -_- But you definitely don't want to forget those!

Quinoa Berry Parfaits

The perfect filling breakfast or snack with just 3 ingredients!

When I was in the hospital after giving birth to my third child a little over 5 years ago, I was given the option to have oatmeal for breakfast. I jumped on it because 1) it's supposed to be good for breastfeeding moms and 2) it's oatmeal. Heck yeah! When they brought it up, it was completely unseasoned and I only had one packet of sugar (which was going to the coffee). I had a yogurt as well and on a whim, I threw my yogurt into the oatmeal to flavor it and sweeten it. I became obsessed and still eat yogurt with my oatmeal to this day.

Why am I talking about oatmeal on a quinoa post? Because this recipe reminded me of that but a fancier version and a slightly lighter version too. I loved the fresh fruit with it too. This is so easy to make in advance or with little prep the day of. Bonus because it can be portable if you need to grab breakfast on the go!

White Vanilla Layer Cake

This stunning, classy layer cake has strawberry frosting made from fresh strawberries and a second frosting made with champagne.

At this point, I'm sure I've probably said this at least a dozen times, but one of my favorite things to do is make birthday cakes/desserts for my family members. I usually let the kids choose what kind of cake they want and like to surprise the adults (although I've begun to ask what the adults want and then pick something from there that fits). My mother-in-law always gets the fanciest of cakes and that seems pretty fitting with her nickname being Fancy. I chose this vanilla layer cake because it has champagne in the cake and the frosting, as well as fresh strawberries in the frosting. It looked so so pretty.

Toasted Oatmeal with Strawberry Chia Jam

This breakfast is fruity, nutty, and 100% wonderful.

I am so excited to share this recipe today because it's one that kinda blew my mind. I love oatmeal and I love mixing in fruit ingredients into oatmeal whether it's fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. This was my first time mixing in jam and it was homemade (really easy to do). The toasted oatmeal was amazing and coconut everything was a nice touch.

Ultimate Summer Salad

The best part of summer is all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can combine to make a delicious salad!

The first time I saw fruit in a salad, I was a little skeptical, but decided to try it. I am fully a fruit in savory salad supporter now. Honestly, just throw a bunch of veggies and fruits my way and I'm a happy camper. This particular salad has blueberries, strawberries, avocado, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, red onions, and radishes. I think it was the first time my family had had radishes, which is something I ate a lot as a kid because we had them in our garden. I served my salad up with an apple cider vinaigrette, but I'm sure you could use a wide variety of dressings and it would still be fantastic. I also served mine up with some grilled chicken to make it a main dish. Without protein, it would be a wonderful side salad.

Grilled Chicken with Strawberry Salad

This salad is perfect for summertime!

Hello, fellow internet people. So apparently the big thing now that everyone is noticing (and hating) is that food bloggers like to write stories in their posts. Fun fact: this is for Search Engine Optimization reasons. Also fun fact: I am awful at it. Sometimes I have trouble even describing the food with words other than variations of good (thanks, Thesaurus) or delicious. I say cut the food bloggers some slack with the stories and just scroll for the recipe. However, I think we can all agree that in-post ads AND pop-ups for subscribing to mailing lists/social media page follows are HORRIBLE. Anyways...here's today's recipe: SALAD! :)

Strawberries & Cream Layer Cake

This beautiful layer cake is perfect for summer with fresh strawberries and light whipped cream!

Last October, we had another wedding in the family and I was asked to do the cake. I was tasked to find a strawberries & cream recipe for the bride and a marble cake recipe for the groom. I was really lucky and found the perfect recipe on the first try and bonus: the groom loved it too. I didn't use the whipped topping on wedding day but man alive, it was so wonderful. It's the perfect cake for summertime and it's really really pretty.

Bonus: this cake freezes REALLY well. I made it about a month in advanced and just made sure to wrap, wrap, wrap, and seal the layers. They defrosted pretty quickly and tasted just as amazing as the fresh cake did!

Simple Yogurt Parfaits

This is the perfect recipe for a parfait beginner - and also a wonderful recipe for kids to get involved in making a well-balanced breakfast or snack!

Sure it's not the most mindblowing recipe in the world, but it's a great thing to have a base recipe to work off of. I, for one, can get pretty overwhelmed trying to come up with stuff and that's why I appreciate this parfait recipe. It's simple and it's a stepping stone for more complicated parfaits. The possibilities are definitely endless. There are tons of different granolas that can be paired with fruits and different flavors of yogurt. I personally am a huge fan of strawberry and strawberry banana yogurt and I love to eat it with cashew butter and cacao nib granola because you almost get a pb&j flavor profile with a chocolate covered strawberry flavor profile. I hope you all enjoy this super easy parfait recipe. It's also a great beginner recipe if you have kids who are interested in helping in the kitchen! My kids love parfaits and love being able to pick their toppings, so this is a hit with them too.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Fresh strawberries and lemon are the perfect match in this lovely bundt cake

I love making bundt cakes and I wanted to attempt to make more in the past year or so. This one (although it didn't turn out super pretty) was very tasty. I loved the strawberry lemon combo and the Greek yogurt made it incredibly moist. I think this would be great subbing in blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, but I really enjoyed having strawberries in a dessert. It seems like most of the time I don't get to bake with fresh strawberries. So this cake was a welcome rarity!

Banana Split Trifles

The perfect summertime treat that can be portable in lovely individual servings!

I love desserts that can be portioned individually and I love them even more when they can be portable, like in this recipe for these delish trifles. They take a little bit of time to make, but they truly aren't too bad. The cake is made from a box mix and is light and fluffy. The pudding is homemade which was a first, if I'm remembering correctly, for me. It was super simple and quick. Then it's just a matter of building your trifles into mason jars and you've got a great dessert for a cookout in the summertime. The fresh fruit was simply perfect in this - absolutely reminiscent of a banana split sundae.

Berrylicious Smoothie Bowls

Start your day with this berrylicious recipe - loads of berries plus whatever toppings you want!

I've been wanting to jump on the smoothie bowl bandwagon for forever, but I'll be honest..I hate pulling out my blender so much. I don't have it out on the counter (although I would love to) and I also hate cleaning my blender. But I finally decided it was time to try one and it was super wonderful. Probably still not something I'll make all the time, but definitely a nice treat when you're craving berries in particular. I topped ours with blueberries, blackberries, banana, honey, coconut, almonds, and granola (cashew butter and cocoa nibs).

Strawberry Almond Chicken Salad #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is SALAD. I'm ridiculously excited about this month's theme. It was chosen due to May being National Salad Month (in the US) and what a more perfect time than when loads of fresh produce is in season! I decided to share this salad that is easy to throw together and has blueberries, strawberries, and mandarin oranges inside it.

The chicken can be seasoned how you wish and then it's a matter of throwing the ingredients together with poppy seed dressing and your meal is ready to go.

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make for this month's food fight until I was meal planning. I was looking through my breakfast board on Pinterest and saw this recipe and knew it was the one. I was excited when I discovered it was an easy breakfast because I have not been very good at making breakfast recipes lately.

These donuts are basically like Chinese donuts. They are ridiculously easy to make and they are quick. All you need is a tube of refrigerated biscuits, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, and strawberries. Plus oil to fry them in. The biscuit dough ends up light and fluffy. The strawberries and whipped cream were literally perfect with them. I could have eaten a whole batch by myself!

PB&J Crumble Yogurt Parfait #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's theme is PB&J -- peanut butter and jelly. Why? Because not only is March National Peanut Month, but it's also National Peanut Lover's Day today! And peanut butter and jelly is such an iconic and classic combination that I thought would fit perfectly. Today, you find recipes containing peanut or peanut butter and fruit (not necessarily jelly or jam). I chose this amazing breakfast parfait that I couldn't get enough of: PB&J Crumble Yogurt Parfait.

Technically speaking, it's actually peanut butter crumble yogurt parfait with fruit, but since I did add the fruit, I renamed it PB&J Crumble Yogurt Parfait. The peanut butter crumble is fantastic. I could and did eat it by the handful. Nick did too. I have eaten it with fresh fruit (the first picture) and frozen fruit that had been slightly heated up.

Everything about these parfaits makes me such a happy camper. But I cannot wait to see what other pb&j treats my blogging pals have to share!

Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins

These strawberry muffins are layered with smooth cream cheese and cinnamon streusel.

Tennessee has been giving some crazy whiplash with the weather lately. Last weekend, we got snow and it was bitterly cold. Today is supposed to be like 57 and tomorrow 63. What season is it? My sinuses are killing me. I actually don't mind for it to be cold as long as it just stays that way when it should and then warms up as it should. So I don't feel too guilty for posting a very summery breakfast recipe.

Last week, Cami made breakfast and she needed strawberries for it. I was pleasantly surprised to find very decent (albeit, a little on the small side) strawberries at the grocery store. So even though it is wintertime, be sure to check your local grocery store and see if they have some good quality (not too expensive because they are out of season) strawberries. This recipe is worth it. The cheesecake filling is delicious along with the streusel. Fabulous muffins all around!

Copycat Starbucks Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino

This copycat is dead on and just as lovely as the real deal. You can't go wrong with strawberries and cream!

Y'all know I am no stranger to copycat recipes. I am obsessed with them. I love finding recipes for my favorites and I love to come up with recipes for my favorites. This go-around I happened to find a recipe for my old favorite at Starbucks: Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino! I had my first Starbucks drink in Fort Gordon, Georgia when Nick was stationed there for AIT. The on-base hospital had a Starbucks in the lobby and every time Matthew (my oldest) had a doctor's appointment, I would get this drink with a chocolate chunk cookie. So it's definitely a nostalgic drink.

I have previously tried a different recipe for it, but it was nothing like the real thing and quite undrinkable, if you ask me. So I waited patiently until another recipe fell into my lap and this one is definitely a keeper. It tastes just like the real thing. It is wonderfully easy to make too. Honestly, the "hardest" part is hulling the strawberries and even that isn't too bad. This recipe does make one drink, so if you don't want to share, be sure to double, triple, quadruple, or more the recipe :)

Belgian Waffle Sundaes

Fluffy waffles topped with a mixed berry sauce, whipped cream, chocolate, and macadamia nuts!

I adore using my waffle iron, but unfortunately I don't use it as often as I'd like. It's kind of one of those things where I've been on a mission to utilize everything in my kitchen as regularly as possible. We just recently started going through the boxes in our basement from our move in the end of 2014 and we're finding all sorts of goodies down there. Like my mini springform pan, my bread pan, and a few other kitchen goodies.

Anyways, my waffle iron is easily one of my favorite kitchen tools. It doesn't take long to heat and batter never takes long to make for it. Cooking time is quick, too. It's literally so easy to make waffles...so so easy. I have had this recipe hoarded for many-a-years...like since Ashton of Something Swanky posted it in 2012. Her blog has been one of my favorites for a very long time. I don't think I can recall a time where a recipe of hers has failed me and I trusted that this one would be no different. The waffles are so fluffy and I loved the idea of a berry sauce on top instead of syrup. Fun fact: I hate the smell of maple syrup and I will only put enough on my waffles/pancakes/French toast to taste. I hate any excess. I also hate that it's sticky. I actually had a similar waffle at a hotel continental breakfast a few weekends ago and it reminded me of how much I really want to make these again. The chocolate chips and macadamia nuts add richness and crunch for an overall wonderful breakfast or brinner!

So, in short, find yourself a waffle iron. Mine was purchased for under $20 and is still going strong years later. It doesn't have to be expensive to cook waffles! :)

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting #10000cupcakes #CookForTheCure #ad

Have y'all heard of Cook for the Cure? What about 10,000 Cupcakes? I am incredibly excited because I have paired with hhgregg and KitchenAid to Cook for the Cure. We all know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and KitchenAid is supporting the cause by donating $1 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation when anyone bakes and shares cupcakes for 10,000 Cupcakes this month. How can you get involved? Read on! 

When you bake cupcakes this month, post a picture to Twitter or Instagram. Be sure to use the hashtags #10000cupcakes and #donate - and don't forget to tag @KitchenAidUSA - and KitchenAid will donate $1 to aid in breast cancer research.

Did you know in the U.S. alone - there are over 2.9 million breast cancer survivors? [source] That is a large number, but unfortunately many still die from breast cancer - and I definitely want to do my part to raise awareness and help the cause! I know at my children's school, there are two teachers and a member of our small PTA that were recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm sure all of us know someone who is currently fighting or in remission. So that is why I immediately went out to get ingredients to make cupcakes [with a little pink thrown in there] to Cook for the Cure!

Pink made me think strawberry or raspberry and chocolate always pairs very well with berries. I originally was trying to find some raspberry flavoring, but struck out. I couldn't be too bummed out though because these are like chocolate covered strawberries in cupcake form - and that is definitely a win in my book!

 

I had to, of course, break out my pink potholder and pink spatula that I purchased over the years to support the Susan G. Komen foundation. KitchenAid has pink mixers for Cook for the Cure that can be purchased through hhgregg, if you're in the market for one. I don't think I could talk Nick into having a second one just because it's pink, so maybe I'll decorate mine with some pink vinyl. Black and pink go so well together, right?!

These cupcakes use prepackaged cake mix with some additions - they turn out very fluffy and light. Almost like sponge cake. The strawberry syrup turned the buttercream a lovely soft pink color and I added a touch of hot pink sanding sugar. I cut my frosting recipe in half because the original buttercream recipe I adapted utilized 4 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 lb. powdered sugar and I really don't think I needed THAT much frosting!!

Strawberry Salsa

One great thing about living in the South is that produce is pretty outstanding throughout the year. Strawberries are a summer item, but we had great strawberries in the winter. Namely, around New Year's. So I took to making this recipe for New Year's Eve. I was skeptical about the green onions with the fruit, but enjoyed it thoroughly. I made cinnamon sugar tortilla chips to go with and it was gone before I knew it. Cami especially liked it - you can see her hand up there!