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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Frosty Strawberry Squares

One thing I so thoroughly enjoy about food is the memories that it can spark.  I love taking a bite of something and having it transport me back to my childhood or to lazy days on the beach in Hawaii.  Take this recipe for example: After making this, I was transported back to many a summer days as a kid.  Playing Star Wars and ghost in the grave yard with my sister and cousins at my grandma's house.  The gum tree, mud pies, mulberry bushes, the swimming pool at the country club..... well, this list could go on and on.

This is a dessert that my grandma used to and my mom still makes.  It's a recipe that has been in my family for quite sometime now and I have been given the ok to share it with all of you!  It's so absolutely perfect for these hot summer days.  It's light, it's frosty, it refreshing and it's down right delicious!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!  (by the way, the pictures don't do this dessert justice...I promise you!!)

Frosty Strawberry Squares
Recipe courtesy my mom, via my grandma, via our cousin Karen
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter
2 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix together the flour, sugar, walnuts and melted butter.  Place in a shallow pan or baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once cooled, sprinkle 2/3 of the crumbs into a 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, strawberries, and lemon juice.  Beat on high speed for about 10 minutes. (I used a hand mixer, just like my mom and grandma, but you can use your stand mixer for this if you want)

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whip cream; fold into strawberry mixture.  Spoon combined mixture over crumbs.  Top with remaining crumbs.  Cover and freeze for 6 hours or more before serving.  (This makes a lot of bars - too much for just Chris and I - so I cut the recipe in half and put it in the a 8x8-inch pan and it made 9-12 bars depending how large you cut them.)  Enjoy! 

One Year Ago:  Roasted Garlic Rigatoni with Peppers and Basil

15 comments:

Ami said...

Like this recipe! Have to try it :))

Care's Kitchen said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe Jenn! Looks WONDERFUL and refreshing!

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

This is SUCH a Nebraska recipe!! It totally reminds me of pot lucks and church basement get togethers. I haven't had a dessert like this in years! Thanks for posting this one Jenn. I have a kiddo who'd LOVE it and a grown up kiddo who will love the blast from his past, too.

StephenC said...

When Andrea just wrote "pot lucks and church basment get togethers" I was transported back many years. I grew up in the church (you wouldn't know it now lol), and going to socials there was a major part of our entertainment, especially during the years we had a single mom and grandma living with us. Our church even had bowling alleys (although the pins had to be set manually).

Toni said...

These look so great! It's so true what you say about food bringing back memories. Eating is such a social things. I'm gonna try make these and share them with my family when I go home this weekend, make some new memories :)

We Are Not Martha said...

Wow, these look so incredibly delicious!! And such a pretty color, too! :)

Sues

Pam said...

I have a feeling my kids would LOVE this recipe, actually, so would I!

Desi said...

I love recipes that bring back childhood memories, they're the best. It's amazing that food can do that for us, isn't it?! :) I really want some of those squares right now. BTW, LOVE your new profile pic... you are so stinkin cute!

Big Dude said...

This brings back memories from my childhood as well and I haven't had it in years - wish you could email a piece.

debbie said...

I've never heard of anything like this recipe. I will keep it and will have to try it since I love experimenting with new found recipes that are different!

Mary said...

This looks wonderful. My grandmother made something similar, although I don't recall hers having a crust. (Your version sounds better now!) I love foods that bring to mind childhood memories.

Angie's Recipes said...

What a stylish cold dessert!

Jean | Delightful Repast said...

Jenn, this looks like the perfect capper to a Ladies Luncheon--light, refreshing and oh so pretty!

Bo said...

Jenn I think I could eat that whole 8x8 pan!

Yenta Mary said...

OMG, dessert! Breakfast! Midnight snack! I could easily see just eating through the pan in a day. These look so amazingly perfect for summer ... :)