82-Lancastar Farming, Saturday, May 30, 1998 Sweeten Your Menu With Strawberries Fresh, plump strawberries are ready for picking. Select hilly ripe red-colored berries with intact green caps because white or pale berries do not become sweeter after they are picked and should not be pur chased. Always remove bruised, rotted, or molded berries before storing. Strawberries should be refriger ated immediately after purchasing. Never rinse berries or remove the caps before storing. Removing the cap early can reduce flavor, texture, and nutrient quality. Strawberries can only be stored for a couple days in the refrigera tor. If held longer than this, a gray mold may develop. For optimal refrigeration, place berries no more than two berries deep in a shallow container or tray covered with waxed paper or plas tic wrap. Just prior to serving, remove caps and gently .wash berries with cool water. Proceed according to recipe. STRAWBERRY YOGURT DELIGHT 3 cups cold milk 1 cup strawberry yogurt 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1 tablespoon sugar Place milk, yogurt, strawber ries, and sugar in blender contain er; cover. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Serve immediately. Makes 3 cups. Mrs. Christ Esh Strawberries pair well with cottage cheese, yogurt, cream, milk, cream cheese, and other dairy products. STRAWBERRY LEMON SQUARES Cruse l'/a cups zwieback crumbs Vi cup butter, melted 'A cup finely chopped nuts 'A cup flaked coconut 2 tablespoons sugar Filling: 2 packages frozen sliced straw berries in syrup 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin 3 cartons (8-ounces each) lemon flavored yogurt 'A cup honey 'A teaspoon salt 1 cup whipping cream, whipped 'A teaspoon almond extract Lemon slices, if desired Fresh whole strawberries, if desired Fresh mint, if desired Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, combine all ingredients until well blended. Press onto bot tom and part way up sides of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. For filling, drain strawber ries, reserving 1 cup syrup; set strawberries aside. Soften gelatin in syrup in small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until.dissolved; cool. Place straw berries, yogurt, honey, and salt in blender container, cover. Blend until fruit is pureed. Blend in gela tin mixture. Place mixture in large mixing bowl. Chill until slightly thickened. Beat in whipped cream and almond extract Pour into cooled crust Chill several hours or overnight until firm. Cut into squares. Garnish each serving with a piece of lemon, whole strawber ry, and sprig of mint 12 servings. Fresh strawberries are ready for picking. First pickings were especially flavorful due to the dry weather the week before picking. IMPOSSIBLE BERRY PIE 2 cups fresh berries, washed and drained 13-ounce can evaporated milk 'A cup sugar 1 teaspoon butter extract 'A cup whole wheat flour A cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup egg substitute cup olive or canola oil A teapsoon almond extract 'A cup coconut (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Place berries of your choice in pie plate; set aside. Shake evaporated milk and pour into food processor or blender. Add sugar, butter extract, flours, vanilla, egg substitute, oil, and almond extract, process until smooth, scraping sides. Add coco nut, if using, and pulse 2 times. Pour mixture over fruit and bake 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack about 30 minutes and refrigerate about one hour before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Diabetic Goodie Book STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB JAM 5 cups rhubarb, cut into V* -inch pieces S cups sugar 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (do not drain) 2 (3-ounce) boxes strawberry gelatin Combine rhubarb, sugar, and pineapple in a large saucepan. Bring to full, rolling boil, stirring constantly; boil rapidly for 20 minutes. Remove from heat Stir in strawberry gelatin and mix well. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Seal. Cool. Freeze. Makes about six g-ounce jelly jars. Joann Frazier Hensley McGaheysville, VA STRAWBERRY BUTTER Beat together 'A cup pureed strawberries, 1 tablespoon honey, and ‘A cup butter. Spread on toast, muffing*, pancakes, rolls, broiled ■ohld|ffp,<9r>fiaiL STRAWBERRY DELIGHT CAKE '/a cup shortening 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 'A teaspoon salt 3-ounces strawberry Jell-0 I'/icups blended strawberries (processed in blender until smooth) 1 cup milk Cream the shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Add remain ing ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cool, then frost with van illa frosting. Jolene Martin Lititz Last Chance To Enter Dairy Recipe Drawing In celebration of June Dairy Month, it’s time to enter Lancaster Farming’s annual Dairy Recipe Drawing. To enter the drawing, select your favorite recipe, which must include a substantial amount of at least one dairy product. Dairy ingre dients include milk, cream, sour cream, whipped cream, butter, yogurt, buttermilk, dry milk, ice cream, and any hard and soft cheeses. Please check your recipe carefully. Margarine and non-dairy substitutes such as whipped topping do not qualify as dairy products. Dairy recipes ate needed for appetizers, soups, breads, entrees, veg etables, desserts, beverages, snacks, and salads. Clearly print or type your recipe. Be sure to give accurate measure ments, temperatures, times, and sizes of baking dishes to use. We reserve the right to disqualify entries if these guidelines are not followed. The difference between this contest and the weekly recipes is that you are asked to include a few paragraphs about yourself and your family. Although it is not required, a photograph of your family adds a wonderful touch to accompany the printed submission. Photos will be returned it you write your name and address on the back of the photo. Only one entry per family allowed. This contest is for adults, not children. Send your recipe, photo, and accompanying information with your complete address to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Fanning Cow Mania Drawing, P.O, Box 609,1 E. Main SL, Ephrata, PA 17522. If we do not have your complete address, we can not mail your prize. Send entries immediately. Envelopes must be postmarked by June 1 to be eligible for the drawing. Winners will be selected through a drawing and will be sent a prize. A list of the winners will be printed in the June 27th issue. •* ‘ ***»«* »««’» * A 4 4 44