I'm always glad to see spring arrive because with it comes the beautiful, plump, juicy, red, ripe strawberry. Yummm Yummm, but they are also very healthy for you. Strawberries are high in vitamin C and A. One cup supplies 8% of an adults RDA of iron. They only have 60 calories per cup and no fat! Great for those of us who are trying to keep our New Year Resolution to loose weight!

When buying berries, look closely for soft or moldy fruit. Berries are highly perishable, and should not be exposed to sunlight or kept at room temperature. If stored unwashed and loosely packed (damaged berries discarded) in the refrigerator, they should keep for 2 to 4 days.

Freezing strawberrries is a good way to preserve them for use in baked dishes. Strawberries may be frozen sliced with or without sugar. Adding sugar will help preserve the color; when using pre-sweetened berries, reduce the amount of sweetener called for in the recipe.

At my house they are just rinsed, stems plucked, and put into a big freezer zip lock bag whole. We then use them as needed for desserts, smoothies, jam, etc.!

1 Cup all-purpose flour

1/2 chopped hazelnuts

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 egg whites

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup whipping cream.

For crumb mixture, combine flour, nuts, margarine, and brown sugar. Spread evenly into a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; stir occasionally. Sprinkle 2/3 of the crumbs into a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. In a large mixing bowl combine egg whites, strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed about 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). In a small mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipping cream into strawberry mixture. Spoon evenly over crumbs in baking pan. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top. Cover; freeze at least 6 hours or until firm. Serves 12-16.

1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 cup strawberries halved or sliced

1 banana, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups milk

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

3 to 4 fresh mint leaves

4 ice cubes

Fresh strawberries for garnish

Place all the ingredients except the garnish in a blender and puree until smothe. Pour into 4 tall glasses and garnish with a strawberry cut 3/4 the way thru and perched on the lip of the glass. Serves 4.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1 1/4 cups water, Boil 3-5 minutes; cool

Add 3/4 cup water,

Add 1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice

Add 1 1/4 cups pureed fresh or fresh-frozen strawberries

Serve chilled with extra fruit or mint leaves.

Crust

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine

1 cup chopped nuts

2 tbl. sugar

Mix together and press in a pizza pan. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool 30-45 minutes

Filling

Cream together one 8-ounce package of cream cheese and two cups powdered sugar, then fold in eight ounces of homemade or bought whipped cream topping. Spread this over the cooled pie crust.

Glaze

1 pint mashed strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup water

Mix well and cook until thick. (You can put a drop of almond or vanilla extract in). Cool and spread on the cream cheese mixture. Arrange 1 pint of sliced strawberries on top.

1 pt Fresh strawberries cleaned & hulled]

2 c Watermelon [seeded & cubed]

1/3 c Sugar

1/3 c Vodka optional

1/4 c REALEMON lemon juice

2 c Ice cubes

(1) In a blender container, combine all of the ingredients except the ice, and blend well... (2)  While blending, gradually add the ice blending `til smooth... (3)  Serve immediately... garnished as desired... Yield: 4 Servings, 1 Quart

Batter

1 1/2 cup Unbleached Flour

1/2 cup Maple Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Egg

1/2 cup Butter

1/2 cup Water

1 1/4 cup Strawberries diced

1 teaspoon Lemon Zest

Topping

1/2 cup Pecans; Chopped

1/2 cup Maple Sugar

1/4 cup Unbleached Flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Lemon Zest

2 teaspoon Margarine

Creaming method. Fill sprayed muffin pan 2/3. Sprinkle topping on top of each muffin and bake at 375 degree F for aprox. 20 minutes.

3/4 lb Butter -- softened

1/2 lb Cream cheese -- softened

2 c Sugar

1 pinch Salt

6 Eggs -- room temperature

3 c Sifted flour

1 pt Fresh strawberries sliced

Cream the cheese, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt and the butter flavoring, and beat the mixture well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the flour. Gradually add the sliced strawberries, gently folding them in after each addition. Spoon the batter into a buttered and floured cake pan (I use loaf pans or those nice little mini-loaf sizes for gift-giving), and bake the cake in a preheated 325-degree oven for one-and-a-half hours, until the cake begins to shrink from the sides of the pan. Place the pans on cooling racks until cooled; turn cakes gently onto wire racks

1-1/2 pounds strawberries, washed and stemmed

5 cups sugar

1 box fruit pectin

1 cup water

In a large bowl, mash strawberries coarsely with a potato masher. (You should have about 3 cups.) With a wooden spoon, thoroughly stir sugar into mashed berries and set aside for 20 minutes. In a small saucepan, mix together fruit pectin and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking for 1 minute; then remove from heat. Immediately pour pectin into strawberries and stir well to combine. Let sit for 4 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds or so, until mixture has thickened. Pour into clean glass jars (or any freezer container), leaving at least 1-inch of space at the top. Cover and let set at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Freeze jam for up to 6 months, or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

1 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup water

2 pint basket fresh California strawberries, stemmed

Vanilla or coffee ice cream

In mixer bowl combine flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder and 2/3 cup of the granulated sugar. Add milk, butter and vanilla; beat until smooth and well blended. Spread in greased 8-inch square baking pan; set aside. In small saucepan combine the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the remaining 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, the brown sugar and water. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Gently spoon over cake batter. Bake in 350-degree oven about 35 minutes until springy to the touch. While cake is baking, slice strawberries into a bowl and toss with additional sugar to sweeten. To serve, spoon warm cake and its sauce into individual bowls with scoops of ice cream and sweetened strawberries. Note: Cake can be prepared ahead and served cooled or reheated in a low oven.

Yield: 6 Servings

1 cup boiling water

1- 3 oz package strawberry flavored gelatin

1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 cup cold water

1- 3 oz package cream cheese softened

1/3 cup finely chopped nuts

2 cups strawberry halves

1 tablespoon sugar

Pour boiling water on gelatin; stir until gelatin is desolved. Stir in cranberry juice cocktail and cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickned. Shape cream cheese into 18 balls; roll in nuts. Mix strawberrys and sugar. Pour 1/3 cup thickened gelatin into a 6 cup ring mold. Arrange cheese balls evenly in gelatin in mold. Spoon strawberries over cheeseballs. Carefully pour remaining gelatin over strawberries. Refrigerate until firm; unmold. 6 servings.

1 1/4 cups buttermilk baking mix (Bisquick)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange peal

1/4 cup margarine or butter softened

1 pint fresh strawberries, cut into halves

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup chilled whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degees. Mix baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, and the orange peel. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles course cornmeal. Press mixture in bottom of ungreased round pan, 9x1.5 inches. Bake until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes; cool about 30 minutes. Invert crust on serving plate. Arrange strawberries on crust. Mix orange juice, water, 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch in a sauce pan. Heat to boiling, stiring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; cool completely. Pour orange glaze on strawberries. Refrigerate 1 hour.

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