Cooking On Sale

Whenever berries go on sale, I get really excited. But then I buy too many berries and I have no idea what to do with them. There’s no way I could possibly eat three tubs of strawberries plain and not get bored. I’d start to hate the berry that normally love so deeply.

Here’s a solution to the over-purchasing problem. Three ways to eat strawberries:

1. Slice them and toss them in balsamic vinegar. I know, I know. It sounds weird, but trust me on this. It adds a little extra acid to the berry and makes it just that much more complex. It also balances out the sweetness in case you’ve eaten too many strawberries and you’re starting to get sick of them. You can let the berries soak in the vinegar for a while (even overnight) or you can eat them immediately. Either way is good but they’re very different.

2. Put them on a cake. I know, it seems as if I have an obsession with cakes, but I can’t help it. I like pretty desserts. I did this with my friend Chris (remember him from the lobster post). We meant to color the frosting between layers red and then frost the cake white, but we forgot to color the filling icing and then thought we’d add color to the outside instead. Why blue? Who knows…

Also, do you see how it looks like the top layer of the cake is sliding off the bottom one? Well, it is. This is a problem that you’ll have if you don’t let your cake cool before frosting. The residual heat will melt the frosting and the layers will slip and slide all around. Also, the strawberries will have a tough time staying on. Learn from our mistake and wait until the cake is cool!!

3. Stuffed pancakes. Or stuffed french toast. Either one. (Neither is really stuffed, but it takes the same concept. Layer pancakes (or piece of french toast if you prefer) cream cheese, strawberry slices. you can stack this about 3-4 pancakes high before it’ll start to topple over. Spoon the rest of the strawberry slices over top. Eat with or without syrup, depending on your preferences. (I wish I had a photo for this, but I was hungry and had to run to class so I didn’t take one. Sorry, folks)

Currently Cooking To:

The Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever

I couldn’t resist. It’s just too fitting.

On a more indie-music note: There’s a line in this Chairlift song that says, “I grabbed some frozen strawberries…” So I’ll share it. It’s a wonderfully light song that makes great background, shower, and (of course) cooking music.

Chairlift – Bruises