Strawberry fields forever

I can't help but to hum this song as I partake of this red, ripe summer fruit. Did you know that strawberries are the only fruit who wear their seeds on the outside, by the way? I love these little jewels. They are so versatile....cereal toppers, waffle toppers, fruit salad inhabitants, smoothie ingredients, and even muffin enhancers. They are also, of course, delicious eaten plain (even without sugar on them....that just masks their natural sweetness!).

I fell in love with strawberries as a young girl. As a family, we frequented Shoney's quite often after church services on Sunday nights. What did I always get? Even at age two, I could be found sitting there trying to make it through one of their signature strawberry sundaes. I fell absolutely in love with Strawberry Shortcake by age five....I had the complete room decor, the clothes, the stickers, the lunchbox. I always chose strawberry ice cream at the Baskin Robbins counter.

Though things have changed (I've gotten older and have begun to have a more passionate love affair with chocolate), I still love these red gems. And when summer hits, watch out. I will knock you senseless with my shopping cart trying to get to those locally grown showcases.

The strawberry that you see pictured above is from our garden. Ripe, beautiful, tart. Yes, it's true that it is only the size of a nickel, and it probably only weighs 1/2 an ounce. But the flavor is still perceived when you bite into it....it and its five siblings that were harvested this past week. (Next year, our raised bed strawberry plants promise to give us twice as many....we plan to make sure they endure the winter ahead.)

I thought I'd share with you one of our favorite recipes using fresh berries. Though Cooking Light intended it for strawberries, we've substituted bananas, blueberries, and even peaches with great success. (And off the record, this cream sauce is also delish spooned over a piece of cake....that is, if you have some sitting around the house.) This recipe is fantastic for dessert OR as a breakfast accompaniment.

Strawberries with Orange-Ricotta Cream
(serves 2) (from Cooking Light, May 2000 issue)

½ c. part-skim ricotta cheese
½ c. vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 T. sugar
½ t. orange zest
½ t. vanilla
1 c. quartered strawberries

Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a blender; process till smooth. Spoon cheese mixture into a small bowl; cover and chill 3 hours. Spoon ½ c. quartered strawberries into each of 2 small bowls, and top each with 2 T. cheese mixture. Serves 2.