Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

    500 grams of small strawberries, hulled and washed
    350 grams of castor sugar
    Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
    1 sterilized jam jar






Directions:

1. Place the strawberries, lemon juice, zest and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat over low heat and simmer gently until the sugar dissolves.
2. In a separate saucepan, boil the jam jar for 10 minutes. Once sterilized, remove from heat and dry thoroughly.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and boil the mixture rapidly for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Do the wrinkle test. If jam is ready then remove the saucepan from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the edges of the jam sets slightly. Pour jam into the warm jam jar and then let it cool completely before sealing.
5. If the jam doesn't wrinkle the first time, keep boiling it for another 5 to 10 minutes and then test again.

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Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Tartlets

Ingredients:
    Graham Cracker Crust:
    9 graham crackers
    5 Tbsp butter, melted
    1 Tbsp sugar
    1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:
    2 (6 oz) Yoplait® Thick & Creamy® vanilla
    yogurt
    1 small basket fresh, ripe strawberries
    can of LAND O LAKES™ Whipped heavy cream
     (to top dessert)
    fresh mint sprigs for garnish




Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are finely crushed. Alternatively you can place the crackers in a bag and use roll over them with a rolling pin to crush them.
3. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine in the food processor, or mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated in butter.
4. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and sides of 4 tartlet springform pans. Use the flat bottom of a dry measuring cup or the bottom of a drinking glass. The recipe also makes one 9in crust
5. Bake at 350ºF for 8 - 10 minutes, until browned.
6. Let the crust cool completely before filling each with vanilla yogurt, topping with whipped cream and fruit slices.

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Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

    1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
    1 cup plain yogurt
    1/2 pound strawberries
    2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
    1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
    1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 cup all purpose flour
    1 Tbsp baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix the oats and plain yogurt together in a large bowl.
2. Rinse and core the strawberries. Roughly chop the strawberries (I cut them in quarters lengthwise and then make one or two crosswise cuts). You should have about 1 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries. Place in a small bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and balsamic vinegar. Gently stir to coat the strawberries with the sugar and vinegar.
3. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a 12-well muffin tin by coating with butter or lining with paper muffin cups.
4. Whisk together in a medium bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, finely ground black pepper, and cinnamon.
5. Add the eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the oatmeal and yogurt mixture. Stir until just incorporated.
6. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the flour mixture into the oatmeal. Stir until just incorporated and the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix! Or your muffins will end up rubbery. The batter should be rather lumpy, not smooth.
7. Gently fold in the strawberries, including any of the sugary vinegary liquid the strawberries have been sitting in.
8. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin wells or cups. Bake until the tops are browned and the muffin bounces back when you gently press on the top with your finger tips, about 20 minutes. A bamboo or metal skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool for a couple minutes in the muffin tin before removing to serve.

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