Strawberry Shortcake

Summer strawberries are irresistible! And what better way to enjoy them than with a little shortcake and some vanilla ice cream.  This recipe is from Cooking Light (my favorite recipe source if you havent noticed!).

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups halved strawberries, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
Vanilla Ice Cream

Whole strawberries (optional)


Preparation
Combine 1 cup strawberry halves, 1/3 cup sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and lemon juice

in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Stir in 2 1/2 cups strawberry halves. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 425°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat dough into a 6 x 4-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 6 squares. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Split shortcakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife; place each bottom half on a dessert plate. Spoon 1/4 cup strawberry mixture over each bottom half. Top with shortcake tops; spoon 1/4 cup strawberry mixture over each top. Top each serving with ice cream; garnish with whole strawberries, if desired.

Cooking Light
JUNE 1998

Oven fried Zucchini Sticks

Looking for some new ideas to use up your garden's abundance of zucchini? There was a whole feature on msn.com yesterday and this recipe looked very intriguing. We tried it tonight, and it was delish! A nice side dish, and a welcome change from grilled zucchini (which we have been eating A LOT)!

cooking spray
1/2 cup(s) whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) cornmeal
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pound(s) zucchini, (about 3 medium), cut into 1/2-by-3-inch sticks
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a large sealable plastic bag. Dip zucchini in egg white, shake in the bag to coat, and arrange, not touching, on the baking sheet. Coat all exposed sides with cooking spray. Bake on the center rack for 7 minutes. Turn the zucchini and coat any floury spots with cooking spray. Continue to bake until golden and just tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot.