Strawberry Fig Preserves

This was my weekend breakfast tray. 

Cheesy Chicken Breasts and an Angel of a Dessert

Today I'm sharing this fabulous chicken meal.  

Mini Strawberry Topiary Pudding Pots and a Special Teatime

I set up my teatime in my bedroom where I have my Valentine tree.  Having the tree on a timer makes it so cheery in the morning and evening.  You probably remember the vintage-look topper I made and the matching tea cozy.  My tree also has ornaments hanging that are from the same fabric.  Using some carnations, I placed them in some floral foam in my pretty compote.

My Grace's Teaware teacup goes with so many things throughout the seasons.

Here's my cheery tree atop my very old childhood sled.  Growing up in Pennsylvania and Ohio it was used for many years.

I tried to make a strawberry rose, but it didn't turn out quite like a wanted!  If you'd like to make Dirt Cake in a big pot, you can find the recipe for it here.

Yield: 7-8

Author: Kitty

Mini Strawberry Topiary Pudding Pots

These little pudding pots are fun to serve for an individual treat. They are similar to Dirt Cake, but a small version.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg of instant vanilla pudding (I used sugar free)
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• a couple of large scoops of frozen whipped topping, thawed (about 4 ounces)
• crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, like Oreos (I did mine in a mini food processor)
• strawberries, cleaned and dried
• chocolate for melting
• sprinkles
• mini food safe pots, or votive candle holders

Instructions

1. Mix the pudding and milk together with a whisk until it is thick. Add a couple of large scoops of Cool Whip, and fold in.
2. Fill the little pots almost to the top with the pudding mixture, leaving room at the top for the "dirt", which is the crushed cookies. Add the the crushed cookies.
3. Make a "V" in the top of the strawberry so that it resembles a heart. Dip that part in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with festive sprinkles. Place a lollipop stick or a small skewer in the bottom of the strawberry and then "plant" it in the pot.

Notes

You can make a strawberry rose and skip the chocolate. Videos are online for directions in making them.

You also can just put a strawberry on top of the crushed cookies, and that looks pretty, too.

My darling daughter gave me for Christmas, a trip to a tearoom that I'd never been to, but always wanted to go. We had to find a weekend that we could go.  The tearoom is called Beatitudes, and it was just the most delightful little tearoom.  We each got our own mini teapot, that held around three cups of tea.  My flavor was Snuggle Buddy, and Molly's was St. Valentine, and we both loved our tea and our lunch.  Molly had the Paradise salad and mini scone, and I had the Sampler with quiche, tomato soup, chicken salad and a mini scone with cinnamon butter.  We each got a trio of mini desserts, which we forgot to take a picture of.  After our lunch we went to their gift shop and browsed.  It was the most wonderful afternoon, and we are already wanting to go back.  

Thank you for your visit!  xo

I'm sharing with these parties:

Talking About It Tuesdays

Love Your Creativity Link Party

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries

I have a perfect treat for the 4th of July!  

Strawberry Cheesecake Lush

It was a beautiful day to enjoy some Strawberry Cheesecake Lush. 

Patriotic Trifle

 

How about a quick last minute trifle for Independence Day?

"Clotted Cream" Filled Strawberries

Even though it felt like winter here over the weekend, it was perfect for taking pictures outside.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Turkeys

Let's talk turkeys today!

Sponge Cake

Is anyone in the mood for Strawberry Shortcake?  Although I would never turn down a piece, in all actuality, I prefer a sponge cake or even an angel food cake for my strawberries.

Red White and Blue Strawberries

Today on Memorial Day, we honor those that have died while serving in the military.   I'm snacking on some cream cheese stuffed patriotic strawberries, and remembering those who died for our freedom, and thinking of my grandson, Connor, who is serving in the Marines.

Strawberry Tartlets

 I am having one of my all-time favorite desserts that I've been making for over 48 years, only this time I made the Strawberry Pie  into tartlets.  When you slice into a strawberry pie, it doesn't keep very well, and starts to get watery very quickly.  Making individual tartlets kept the filling fresher, and stayed for several days.  The daisies in my lady vase are from my garden.  I started with three plants years ago, and now I have a whole row of them on the side of my house.

 Isn't this strawberry snack set so pretty?  My sweet friend,  Linda, gave it to me for my birthday one year.  I love it for eating my breakfast from, for lunchtime, or snack time.  

 Linda also gave me the pedestal plate, which also has a larger one that goes underneath, to form a tiered pedestal.   It comes in handy for so many things.  If you'd like the recipe for the strawberry pie, check it out here.  I've made that recipe more times than you can imagine!  This time, the filling made enough for 9 little graham cracker tartlets.  I was able to take some to my neighbor for a birthday treat.  

 Look at my cutie pie littlest grand!  Isn't she sweet?

My youngest son, Kevin, took Harper and me to the Crayola Experience.  My oh my, and what an experience it was.  We spent almost 5 hours there!!  I am grateful and most appreciative for whenever I am invited to share joy in the lives of my family.  

 

I am sharing this with these lovely  parties:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea 

Cooking and Crafting with J & J
Keep In Touch 

Tea in the Garden

Share Your Cup

Full Plate

Dishing It! & Digging It!

Thank you for your visit!  xo

Strawberry Shortcake and Other Treats

 This sweet granddaughter spent two nights with me and we made lots of treats!  Cissy even set the table for a special Valentine Tea for the two of us.  Didn't she decorate the table so pretty?  The tea took place in my bedroom at the kids' card table.  For our tea, we made strawberry shortcakes from her cookbook that I gave her for Christmas, and I let her choose the recipe.

 We made heart-shaped pizza, which Cissy shaped with her own hands.  Can you tell which end is hers?  She only likes cheese pizza!

 Chocolate dipped pretzel rods were another fun treat to make.  We used a quart canning jar to heat the chocolate and then we tilted it on it's side to coat the pretzel rods.  A tall glass would work, too. We then coated the  chocolate with sprinkles before the chocolate set, and placed them on wax paper to harden.

 Just look at her bouquet of pretzel rods to take home!  We packaged them in pretzel rod wrappers that I had purchased several  years ago, in the candy section of either Michael's or JoAnn's.  Cissy's mom (my daughter) put the pretzel rods in a pretty pitcher as a Valentine decoration.

yield: 6Author: Nana Kitty and Cissyprint recipe

Strawberry Shortcake

This recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma American Girl Baking Cookbook. Cissy gave the recipe a 3-Star, as she wasn't all that fond of the shortcake part. I thought it was a 5-Star.  Cissy decorated her own shortcake so beautifully, don't you think?  She also chose this strawberry plate and cup set that my friend, Linda, gave me.

INGREDIENTS:

Shortcakes

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter cubes. Using a pastry blender, or two knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Pour in the cream and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together.
3. Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured surface and pat into a disk. Roll it out with a rolling pin, giving the disk a quarter turn now and then, into a round slab that's 1" thick. Pat the sides to make them neat. Use a 3" biscuit cutter (we used a pretty heart-shaped cookie cutter) to cut out the shortcakes. Gather the scraps, roll them out to make more shortcakes.
4. Set the shaped dough on the prepared cookie sheet, evenly spacing them apart. Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown on top, 18-20 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool.
5. Prepare the strawberries: Cut the stem and core from the strawberries, using as many as you think you will need. Cut the berries into wedges and put them into a bowl. Sprinkle the berries with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar (the amount varies depending on how sweet the berries are. Let the berries stand for 10 minutes.
6. Whipped Cream: 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla on low speed until the cream begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Raise the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the cream forms peaks when the beaters are lifted, about 3 minutes.
7. Split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the shortcake bottom, cut side up, and spoon on some of the strawberries and a big dollop of whipped cream (we actually used aerosol whipped cream because Cissy loves it!). Place the top of the shortcake on and add more strawberries and whipped cream.
8. We garnished our shortcakes with some powdered sugar that we tapped from a fine mesh sieve.

http://www.kittyskozykitchen.com/2017/02/strawberry-shortcake-and-other-treats.html

Created using The Recipes Generator

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea 

Teacup Tuesday 

Cooking and Crafting with J & J  

Share Your Cup

Full Plate

Foodie Friday

Tea in the Garden
Dishing It! & Digging It!

Monday Social

Strawberry Pie

 Please join me for one of my favorite pies in the whole wide world...Strawberry!  

 

 This is one of my favorite teacups, which is Alpine Strawberry, by Roy Kirkham.  Isn't it a pretty design with the bees,  leaves and blossoms, and strawberries?

I've shared this recipe before, but wanted to pass it along again.  The source of this recipe was from the Columbus Dispatch, when readers would submit their favorite recipes.  I cut the recipe out, probably in the early 1970's, as a new bride.  I have made this pie and shared this recipe so many times.  I hope you try it!

My Favorite Strawberry Pie:

1 pre-baked pie shell
1 quart strawberries, cleaned & hulled & set aside

3/4 cup sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1 cup water
2 T. light corn syrup
pinch of salt
3 T. strawberry gelatin

Combine sugar & cornstarch in a heavy saucepan & stir.  Add water, corn syrup & salt.  Cook until thickened & clear in color.  Remove from heat & add gelatin, stirring well to dissolve the gelatin.    The original recipe said to add red food coloring, but I never do.  Let  cool.

Pour over the berries. I usually cut the berries in half.  Mix gently & pour into the baked pie shell.  Chill.  Top with whipped cream.

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

No Place Like Home

Tuesday Cuppa Tea 

Bernideen's Tea Time, Collage and Garden Blog Party

Tea Cup Tuesday 

Cooking and Crafting with J & J  

Share Your Cup

Full Plate

I was featured!

Thoughts of Home on Thursday 

Foodie Friday

Weekend Potluck
Tea in the Garden
Dishing It! & Digging It!

 

Thank you for your visit!  xo  

Strawberries and Cream Puff Pastry Shells

I am having tea outside because it's such a pretty day to enjoy the outdoors. I've made some Strawberry and Cream Puff Pastry Shells.  Would you like to join me for one and a cup of Mrs. Patmore's Pudding Tea?  I've cut some knock-out roses from my bushes in the background, to fill my lady vase.  Yes, I'm  using the gingham cloth that I made again.  These are so easy to make...just zig-zag about 1/2-3/4" from the edges of your square,  and then pull the threads to fray the edges.  The strawberry teapot that my sister gave me is perfect for today's tea.

 Isn't this snack set so pretty?  My sweet friend, Linda, gave me this for my birthday, and underneath it says Fraisier des jardins, Mann 1975.  It's perfect for  breakfast, lunch or snack.  Thank you, Linda!

This dessert is so easy to whip up!  I found a box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells in my freezer and wanted a pretty dessert to compliment my strawberry snack set.  Here's how to make them:

1 box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells

1 small box of vanilla instant pudding and pie filling (I used sugar-free)

1 cup milk

about 1/2 of an 8-ounce tub of frozen whipped topping, thawed

cleaned strawberries, hulled and cut up

Extra whole strawberries for garnish

Bake the puff pastry shells according to directions on the box.  Separate the top and remove the filament inside the shells.  Let cool.

Mix the instant vanilla pudding with the milk for about two minutes.  Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping.

Add the chopped strawberries, however many you would like, and fill the the shells.  Top with a whole strawberry.  I like to add the top of the puff pastry shells, also. 

I am sharing this with:

Tea Time Tuesday

Tuesday Cuppa Tea 

Friends Sharing Tea

Tea Cup Tuesday 
Roses of Inspiration 

Share Your Cup

Full Plate

Foodie Friday

Weekend Potluck

Thank you for your visit!  xo

Strawberry Dessert and Tea

 For today's tea time, it's  Frozen Strawberry-White Chocolate Mousse Squares.

This time I made the dessert into a pie. I have to say, this is a perfect dessert for Summer!

 Isn't this linen napkin bee-u-tiful??  I won  a set of  six of these beauties awhile back from Beeutiful By Design. 

The design is just perfect for my outdoor tea, don't you think?

I found a teacup on ebay,  to coordinate with the pretty napkin.    I just couldn't resist the strawberries, and the bees!  It's a Roy Kirkham Alpine Strawberry design. 

You can find the dessert recipe here.  It's definitely a cool and refreshing treat! Oh dear, it's starting to melt....I'm off to enjoy every bite!

I am sharing this with:

Make It Pretty Monday
Tea Time Tuesday
Tuesday Cuppa Tea 
Friends Sharing Tea
Tea Cup Tuesday 

Share Your Cup
Full Plate
Foodie Friday
Weekend Potluck

Thank you for your visit!  xo

Strawberry Pie for Father's Day

 

My outdoor tea today is to honor two important men in my life.  They both died far too young, my Dad at age 60, and my hubby at age 64, and both from cancer.  I've included some gifts that my Dad gave me...a music box, and a sweet Goebel figurine of praying children.  My Dad, named Joe, was 100% Irish and he would've enjoyed drinking his cuppa Joe from my Shamrock colored mug.  My dearly beloved enjoyed hunting and being in the outdoors.  His hunting vest is my topper, and I've included a reversible hat that I made for him, one of his many caps and my pewter teapot that we served our tea from every weekend.  Much as my dear darling was a rough and tumble kind of guy, he was a tea drinker, and he would fix a thermos of tea to take along with him. 

My dear Dad gave me away......

My dearly beloved Rich swept me away! 

My hubby enjoyed drinking a big mug of tea, especially in this insulated one.

I started making this strawberry pie pie before I was married.  It was a favorite of my Dad's, my hubby and our whole family.  You can find the recipe here.

Thank you for letting me express my love for these two men in my life.  Without them, I would not be so richly blessed with my family. I know they are watching over us but it still does not take away the pain of losing them.  

I am sharing this with:

Make It Pretty Monday
Tea Time Tuesday
Tuesday Cuppa Tea 
Inspire Me 
Friends Sharing Tea
Tea Cup Tuesday 

Share Your Cup
Full Plate
Foodie Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays

  

Thank you for your visit!  xo