Name: Strawberry Fluff
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Yield: About 8 cups
Ingredients: 24-ounce bag frozen strawberries, thawed; 4 ounces cream cheese, softened; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin; 2 cups heavy cream; 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Strawberry Fluff from Scratch

April 20, 2017

Who doesn’t love strawberry fluff? This version is made with fresh strawberries, fresh whipped cream, cream cheese, and marshmallows.

Marshmallowy “salads” are definitely a Southern springtime staple. There’s an orange one, there are some that contain coconut, and I remember eating one as a kid off of the buffet at Ryan’s the was made with strawberries and was creamy and thick. I haven’t eaten it in at least 25 years, but man I loved that stuff. When I started asking people on Facebook if they knew what it was, several people referred me to a recipe for “pink stuff”.

There are a lot of recipes for “pink stuff” on the internet, and no two are exactly alike. Some are made with strawberries, others with cherries. Some contain Jell-o, some do not. Certain varieties have cottage cheese mixed in, but there’s no hard and fast rule. Some contain sweetened condensed milk and most of them contain pineapple.

In the end, I decided to make up my own recipe and decided to call it “strawberry fluff” instead of pink stuff. I left out the pineapple because I wanted the strawberry flavor to shine through. I decided to forego strawberry flavored gelatin and thicken my strawberry fluff with unflavored gelatin. Naturally, real whipped cream was my creamy substance of choice, and my husband does not eat cottage cheese so I left that out too. This strawberry fluff contains six ingredients and comes together in about twenty minutes, which is mostly inactive prep. And it’s fresh and springy and delicious.

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on Served Up With Love!

Mary

Yield: About 8 cups

Strawberry Fluff

15 minPrep Time:

5 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

24-ounce bag frozen strawberries, thawed
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions

Pour the thawed strawberries into a bowl and use a potato masher to mash until mostly liquified but a few small chunks remain. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top then stir it in and let the strawberries stand for five minutes.
Place the strawberries into a medium saucepan with the sugar. Heat over medium heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Whisk the cream cheese into the warm strawberries until mostly melted. Some small chunks will remain.
Pour the strawberry mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour
Using a stand or hand mixer, whip the cream to medium peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry cream cheese mixture until completely combined. I find that this works best if I start folding in the bowl that I used for the strawberries and cream cheese then pour it into the bowl that I used to whip the cream so that I can get everything on the bottom.
Stir in the marshmallows. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

https://chattavore.com/strawberry-fluff/

Who doesn't love strawberry fluff? This version is made with fresh strawberries, fresh whipped cream, cream cheese, and marshmallows. | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Mix-in-the-Pan Cranberry Bars

November 22, 2016

These cranberry bars are not necessarily quick, but they’re mixed right in the pan, so they’re so easy, and they’re DELICIOUS!

Do you love cranberries or hate them? I find that, at least as far as fresh cranberries are concerned, most people fall into one camp or the other…not in-between. I make homemade cranberry sauce every Thanksgiving, and my mom and I are the only people that eat it. I make it anyway, though, because Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce and plenty of leftovers to put on turkey sandwiches. Come to think of it, that’s really the only reason I care about turkey at Thanksgiving – post Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches.

I blame canned cranberry sauce for the intense hatred that most people have for cranberries. Maybe I’m wrong, but I can’t help but wonder if most people’s experiences with that can-shaped maroon jelly cylinder might be responsible. More Jell-O like than cranberry-like, canned cranberry sauce doesn’t offer much in the way of texture (though I’ll admit that I’ll eat it if there’s no other cranberry sauce available). It can’t compare to fresh cranberry sauce, to be certain.

Around Thanksgiving I start throwing bags of cranberries into my cart every week at the grocery store, since it’s basically impossible to find cranberries any other time of year (I know frozen ones exist, but I’ve never seen them). I always have a few bags in my freezer, and this year I decided that those frozen cranberries needed to find their way into an easy dessert.

Enter mix-in-the-pan cranberry bars. Full of oats, pecans, and butter, these cranberry bars (adapted from One Bowl Baking by Yvonne Ruperti) boast a homemade cranberry-apple sauce and a delicious streusel that doesn’t require any extra work. I’m not promising that they’re quick, because cooking the cranberries – while simple – takes a little time. I will promise, however, that you’ll only dirty the baking pan and a saucepan, and that counts for something, right? Plus, they’re so easy, delicious, chewy, and just a little crumbly.

You won’t regret these mix-in-the-pan cranberry bars!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Shared on Cookie Plan Monday on Southern Bite.

Mary

Yield: 16 bars

Mix-in-the-Pan Cranberry Bars

This recipe is adapted from the book One Bowl Baking by Yvonne Ruperti.

15 minPrep Time:

50 minCook Time:

1 hr, 5 Total Time:

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Ingredients

13 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 small apples, diced
1 bag cranberries
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange plus enough water to make 1 cup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour (I subbed whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the white flour)
1 cup (3 ounces) rolled oats
1 cup (3.5 ounces) chopped pecans
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt 12 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Pour into an 8x8 inch square pan and set aside.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring from time to time, for about five minutes. Add the cranberries, orange juice and water, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring frequently, until all the cranberries have burst and the sauce begins to thicken.
While the sauce cooks, stir the remaining ingredients together in the pan with the butter until completely moistened. Remove one cup of the crumb mixture and press the remaining mixture firmly into the pan. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the cranberry sauce, reserving the rest for another use. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top of the cranberry sauce.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, then cut into 16 pieces and serve.

https://chattavore.com/mix-pan-cranberry-bars/

Recommended for this recipe:

These cranberry bars are not necessarily quick, but they're mixed right in the pan, so they're so easy, and they're DELICIOUS! | recipe from Chattavore.com

Watermelon Soda with Lime

July 25, 2016

Watermelon is the ultimate summertime refreshment, and this watermelon soda with lime is the ultimate summer drink when the mercury climbs!

When I think of summer, produce is one of the recurring themes in my head. There are so many things that are in season in the summer, things that sure, you can buy them in January, but is it really going to be worth it? Tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, squash, okra…watermelon.?I mean, really – is there a more iconic summer fruit than watermelon? When I think of going to a picnic or cookout, I think of huge slices of watermelon, or maybe big chunks in a bowl to be doled out with a spoon. If you’re really fancy, you might even have one of those watermelon rind “boats” filled with balls of melon. I’m not fancy. I don’t own a melon baller, and I just chunk my watermelon.

Seriously, when I think about watermelon I can visualize kids gathered around a picnic table with big wedges of bright red fruit with green-striped rind in their hands, sticky juice running down their arms as they bite into the soft flesh. Eating watermelon is a never-ending battle against, well, water, since that is what makes up 92% of a watermelon. Better not eat it without a restroom nearby; sorry, just stating facts. You should probably have some wet wipes around too, just in case.

Or, you could drink watermelon soda. I mean, if you were already going to cut your watermelon into chunks (I was, thank you. They’re much easier to store than wedges.), then you might as well throw those chunks in the blender with a little simple syrup, a squeeze of lime, and a bit of club soda or seltzer. Watermelon soda = no wet wipes required (you probably still want to have a restroom nearby). You could definitely add a little white rum, vodka, or silver tequila in there if you want…

…because it’s your watermelon soda to do as you please. Enjoy.

Mary

Yield: 4 servings

Watermelon Soda with Lime

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Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

For the sodas

3 cups watermelon chunks (about 1/2 of a small seedless watermelon)
1/4 to 1/2 cup simple syrup
3 limes
cold club soda or seltzer water

Instructions

Make the simple syrup: combine the sugar and the water over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Pour into a lidded container and refrigerate until chilled.
Puree the watermelon chunks in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Fill 4 12-ounce glasses with ice. Divide the watermelon juice among the glasses (you'll use about 1/2 cup for each). Top each with the juice of 1/2 of a lime and 1-2 tablespoons of simple syrup. Fill the glass the rest of the way with club soda or seltzer. Stir then garnish with limes and watermelon wedges.

https://chattavore.com/watermelon-soda-lime/

Watermelon is the ultimate summertime refreshment, and this watermelon soda with lime is the ultimate summer drink when the mercury climbs! | recipe from Chattavore.com

Peach Popsicles with Coconut Milk

July 8, 2016

Peach popsicles with coconut milk contain only three ingredients and can be thrown together in less than fifteen minutes. They’re healthy and refreshing!

Is there any summertime pleasure (aside from fighting the drips from a double scoop on a sugar cone) more perfect than eating a popsicle? My love of popsicles started early, when my Papaw would always have Fudgesicles at his house and my mom would buy me Creamsicles. To this day, I am not sure that there is any flavor more perfect than orange sherbet wrapped around a vanilla ice cream core, and I sure wish I could figure out how to do this myself. Later, I graduated to Jell-O pudding or gelatin pops, and in college I can remember sneaking extra Icee cones out of the sorority freezer when I had cleaning duty (I am pretty sure my dues covered a couple of extra popsicles).

As an adult, my tastes lean toward fresh fruit pops. When a stomach virus hits, I send Philip to the grocery store (or if both of us are sick, as was the case on the awful Christmas Eve of 2013, the less sick of us goes) to get Edy’s fruit pops. Strawberry are my favorite. The day that my popsicle mold (<–affiliate link) came in the mail was one of the best days of my blogging life thus far.

Since that day, I’ve given you strawberry popsicles, lime popsicles, and piña colada popsicles…but no peach popsicles. I had to fix that; the world needs peach popsicles. Since peach and coconut pair beautifully, I decided to give these peach popsicles a honey-coconut milk swirl. They came together so quickly, and the flavor was spot-on…exactly what I was looking for.

If you are looking for a cool, healthy, and easy treat this summer, give these peach popsicles with coconut milk a whirl!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!
For more great recipes, check out the Meal Plan Monday link-up on Southern Bite!

Mary

Yield: 10 popsicles

Peach Popsicles with Coconut Milk

5 hr, 15 Prep Time:

5 hr, 15 Total Time:

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Ingredients

4 peaches (about 1.5 pounds), peeled, pitted, and cut into large chunks
1 can (13.66 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey (depends on how sweet you like it)

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, puree the peaches until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk the entire contents of the can of coconut milk with the honey until smooth.
Spoon the peach puree and the coconut milk mixture into the wells of a 10-popsicle mold in an alternating manner until the wells are full. You may have a very small amount of coconut milk left over.
Place the top on the popsicle mold and add the popsicle sticks. Freeze for several hours; serve straight from the freezer.

Notes

Prep time includes time to freeze the popsicles.

https://chattavore.com/peach-popsicles-with-coconut-milk/

Pasta Salad with Basil Aioli, Chicken, Peach, & Blueberry

June 27, 2016

This pasta salad with basil aioli is summery and fresh, with chicken, peaches, and blueberries and a tasty homemade aioli (shortcut included).

I feel like there is a box that Southern cooking is supposed to fit into. That has been frustrating me lately…Southern food is my niche and I’ve really been trying to focus on Southern food and studying well-known Southern food writers lately. As I’ve planned my posts recently I’ve found myself irritated at what I feel that Southern food is “supposed” to be – fried, cheesy, etc. Of course, I myself have complained about these stereotypes, so it’s really ridiculous for me to pigeonhole myself like that.

The truth is that Southern food is whatever people from the South want it to be. Sure, we have our standard bearers. Fried chicken, White Lily biscuits, decidedly unsweetened cornbread, and banana pudding will always be symbols of Southern cooking. Every Southern cook worth his or her salt has a version of these foods. However, Southern food from where I sit is simply the food that I want to eat. To me, it’s from scratch (most of the time, anyway), simple, fresh food. Seasonal if possible, though we all know that when winter hits you’ve just gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

Summer around here brings peaches and blueberries. I have two blueberry bushes in my front yard, which yield handfuls of nearly black, round berries every night (though this year the birds seem to be feasting on them before I can get to them more than in the past). They go straight into my freezer to be used year-round. I have a peach tree too, but even though we’ve had it for five years (maybe more, I don’t really remember), it’s still producing duds, pits with fuzzy peach skin. For now, I’ll have to continue to buy my peaches at the produce stand down the street. I’m okay with that, though. It’s a small family business and I’m happy to give them my business (even though I always feel old because the son who works most of the time when I visit – and who is in his mid to late twenties – was in my class when I taught at a child care center during the summers in college).

I mentioned last week that I have become obsessed with dry-brining chicken, and I’ll put it into anything that I think it will work in. When I considered how I could combine perfectly brown, juicy chicken with peaches, blueberries, and mozzarella, I first thought of a hot pasta dish. Then, realizing that it’s nearly July and so hot here, plus the fruit would stand up in cold pasta better, a pasta salad with basil aioli kept popping into my head.

My basil aioli is so simple; I mix it with my immersion blender and it takes all of 30 seconds to mix. However, if you aren’t feeling brave enough, you can just blend mayonnaise with basil and get a similar flavor. I created a free-form salad with the aioli mixed into the pasta and the other components on top, but you can mix everything together if you’d prefer. That would probably be the best way to take this pasta salad with basil aioli to a picnic or cookout.

However you decide to serve it, this pasta salad with basil aioli, chicken, peaches, and blueberries is sure to be a crowdpleaser. And I’m claiming it as Southern food.

Mary

Yield: 4 servings

Pasta Salad with Basil Aioli, Chicken, Peach, & Blueberry

20 minPrep Time:

25 minCook Time:

45 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1 recipe dry-brined chicken thighs , cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces small pasta shapes, like shells, elbow macaroni, or rotini, cooked according to package directions and drained
2 medium peaches, peeled if desired, sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
4 ounces (1 cup) mozzarella pearls or diced mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup julienned basil
1/4 cup roasted, salted pepitas

For the Basil Aioli

1 large egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup torn basil
1 cup extra-virgin or regular olive oil
OR
1 cup high-quality mayonnaise
1/2 cup torn basil
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions

Make the basil aioli: place the egg in a cup or small bowl wide enough for immersion blender. Add the mustard, zest, lime juice, salt, and basil, then pour the olive oil over the top. Place an immersion blender into the container and turn it to the lowest speed. Slowly increase the speed while moving the blender around to fully blend the aioli. Alternately, you can blend the ingredients in a regular blender or a food processor, or use an immersion blender, blender, or food processor to blend mayonnaise, lime zest, and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Combine enough aioli with the pasta to coat according to your preferences. Combine with remaining ingredients or divide among bowls and top with the remaining ingredients. Serve cold or at room temperature. Refrigerate any remaining basil aioli.

https://chattavore.com/pasta-salad-with-basil-aioli/

This pasta salad with basil aioli is summery and fresh, with chicken, peaches, and blueberries and a tasty homemade aioli (shortcut included). | recipe from Chattavore.com

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