Good (Food) Reads: Strawberry Obsession

Confession: I’ve been on a bit of a strawberry bender recently. Our local Costco, in another glorious sign that spring is here (!), has had a bumper crop of perfectly sweet-tart organic strawberries in stock and I can’t. stop. eating. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, anytime. I love them on salads, in yogurt, or just by the handful. After a winter of starches and citrus, I’m so ready for spring and summer fruits! With that in mind, here are this week’s Good (F0od) Reads:

Sarah from Broma Bakery featured these Strawberry Nutella French Toast. I can’t wait to try them (the strawberry obsession continues) and actually think they’d be a great dessert topped with some crème fraîche and a little grated nutmeg.

Lane introduced me to the world of canning last summer. I’m still a complete novice, but I’m starting to make some plans for summer and this Small Batch Strawberry Balsamic Jam seems like a great recipe to try. I love the idea of small batch canning – as someone who can’t go through 12 jars of jam in a year and is constantly wanting to try new things, I think I’ll be visiting the Food in Jars website quite frequently in the months to come. Anyone have any great canning recipes they want to share with this beginner?

I grew up eating my grandmother’s fabulous Norwegian Almond Cake at special events. There is almost nothing better when paired with a good cup of coffee. The Clever Carrot posted her take on Italian Almond Ricotta Cake a few weeks ago and it is fantastic. After seeing a bunch of articles touting the ease of making your own ricotta, I was on a hunt for good recipes featuring the lovely cheese and stumbled across the cake. Make it. You won’t be sorry. Well, your pants might be, but you certainly won’t be!

If you’re interested in making homemade ricotta (and I highly suggest you do – it’s a game changer and really easy to do), there are a million recipes available on the old google. When it comes to new techniques and the science behind home cooking, I usually turn to America’s Test Kitchen or the genius J. Kenji López-Alt from Food Lab. Check out his article on ricotta here.

Easter leftovers are slowly being used up, but I still have a few hard boiled eggs that could use some love and attention. I’m going to try these Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs featured on The Splendid Table. Yum.

After all the big meals this past weekend, I’ve been sticking to simple recipes that I know and love. One of my favorites is from the fantastic book, Keepers. The idea behind the book is that the recipes featured are all tried and true meals from two home cooks. They have never failed me. One of the best is the Coconut Chicken Curry.

Well friends, that’s it for this week. Let us know if you try and love something from the recipes featured or have any ideas for future Good (Food) Reads!