Zesty Lemon Strawberries

I had some strawberries in the fridge that were just begging to be eaten.

So eat them I did!

Zesty Lemon Strawberries

1 pint strawberries

1/4 cup cream cheese(or marscapone)

2-3 tbsp Zesty Lemon Balsamic

Chop off the greens and take the center from the strawberries. This leaves a little cup that is perfect for a little dollop of your cream cheese.

Drizzle with Zesty Lemon Balsamic. 

Eat.

Balsamic Apple Rings with Cheese

I wanted to serve an apple-something other than applesauce with pork chops the other day. This turned out so well, I'm going to serve it without the pork chops from now on!

Balsamic Apple Rings with Cheese

1 large sweet apple, cored and sliced
1 tbsp Zesty Lemon Balsamic
White Cheddar, sliced thinly
mint leaves

Heat a small, non-stick sauce pan to medium heat. Place the apple rings inside and cook for a little bit, maybe 2 minutes.

The slices should be getting a little soft and it should start to smell very apple-y. Add the Lemon Balsamic and turn the apple to coat. Continue to cook another minute, but be careful to keep your your heat to a medium, medium low so it doesn't burn.

Center a small slice of cheese on one apple slice and stack another apples slice on top of that. I try to make each stack no more than 3-4 sliced high, I can usually get two stacks out of one apple. Let cook until the cheese has melted.

Serve warm with some mint leaves for garnish.

Honeydew Melon with Bacon and Balsamic

Tonight has been a late night at work and I really don't feel like cooking. Since I also don't want to get take-out, I either have to starve or, well, cook something.

I decided on this snack/meal. It's great for any time, but tonight, it is dinner.

Honeydew Melon and Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 honeydew melon, sliced, seeds removed
2-3 strips thick cut bacon
2 tbsp Traditional Balsamic

Broil the bacon  for about 2 minutes, flip them and broil for another minute or two. You can remove this step by using pre-cooked bacon. Crumble it over the melon and stream on the balsamic.

Dinner!

Store Snack

My mom got a call last month from a customer who told her that the Vanilla is fantastic on watermelon. So we made it here today. What a great snack!

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries

Roasting is one of the more unexpected things to do with fruit. Right up there with grilling. But both use heat to release and intensify fruit's natural sweetness. And they are both pretty easy and something really neat to do when you have guests over. It's not another pie...Although, you could maybe use these as a pie filling.

Roasted Strawberries
Mostly from Epicurious.com

2 pints strawberries, hulled
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp Espresso Balsamic

Your strawberries don't have to be at their freshest for this recipe, just not moldy. Hull and rinse them. I halved them, because some of them were rather large. Sprinkle with the sugar and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375degrees and transfer the strawberries and sugar mix to a large oven proof dish. Toss them with the Balasmic and pepper. Roast 8-10 minutes. They should be hot and bubbling but not too mushy.

Serve with ice cream, yogurt, cake. Imagine away!

White Pineapple Fruit Salad

This was really easy. Walk around your produce department and grab any fruit that looks good and is on sale.

Once you pay for it an get home, work your knives to peel and slice everything into pieces you can fit in your mouth. Drizzle with White Pineapple Balsamic.

Put it in a bunch of bowls. Or one big bowl, since this is what I have sometimes for dinner, with a little bread and butter chaser. Sprinkle with some sea salt and fresh pepper right before you serve. It may sound odd, but it really brings out the flavors.

Sweet Desserts

Tonight is a simple night. My husband and I are having a couple fruit cups. I just grab some pre-made fruit salads from the grocery store, add some frozen blueberries and drizzle with Chocolate Mandarin Balsamic.

So refreshing!

**12/2014 Sorry, Chocolate Mandarin is gone now. Use the regular Chocolate for the same taste!