Strawberry Sorbet by Lizzie

Hey everyone!

It’s only Wednesday, and already this week is totally topsy-turvy! For one, I (and many other New Yorkers) experienced my first EARTHQUAKE yesterday! It was really minor, but people were still freaking out. I thought I was going crazy for a second! I can’t imagine living somewhere like California where this sort of thing happens frequently.

Anyway, if you’ll remember, this week I’m focusing on STRAWBERRIES, and today I want to provide you with a sweet, end-of-summer treat that will refresh you in these dog days of summer! So let’s get shakin’ and make some….

STRAWBERRY SORBET!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1 tbs freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1-1.5 tbs vodka
2 tbs fresh chopped mint

Preparation:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Then, remove from heat and cover, let stand about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse and chop up your strawberries and throw them in your large Magic Bullet cup. Pour in about 1/4 of the sugar water, and blend about 10 seconds, until smooth.

Add this mixture back to the remaining sugar water, and stir in the lemon juice, vodka, and mint.

FYI, the vodka is not so much to make this a boozey sweet treat (though we all know where I stand on those), but because it’s the key to making a soft sorbet. Alcohol doesn’t freeze, so adding it to the sorbet will keep it from getting to hard. You can use other alcohols as well, but vodka is your best bet, because it won’t affect the taste of your sorbet.

Anyway, if you have an ice cream maker, you can move this mixture to it and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions, but don’t fear! I don’t have an ice cream maker, and this is how I do it:

Pour your mixture into a container (the wider the better, as it will freeze faster) and cover and throw into the freezer. When the mixture is semi-solid in a few hours, mash it up with a fork and refreeze. When frozen, put this BACK in your Magic Bullet and process until smooth. Cover and freeze one last time until it’s ready to serve!

Obviously, sine there is a bit of a wait time on this, make it a couple days in advance! Garnish with a mint leave if you’re feeling SUPER fancy!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

~Lizzie

Strawberry Marinade by Lizzie

I keep seeing all these “Back to School” sales, the number of cookouts to go to is dwindling…and, another sign that summer is coming to a close, STRAWBERRIES ARE ALMOST OUT OF SEASON!

That’s why, this week, I’m going to highlight them, because there are a ton of great recipes that you can make using strawberries in your Magic Bullet.

ALSO, the good thing about strawberries going out of season is that you can find them on sale EVERYWHERE! Pints are currently 2-for-1 at my local grocery store, so you really can’t beat that!

There are countless combinations of smoothies and desserts you can use strawberries in, but I thought I’d switch things up and do something a little unusual with this sweet little fruit.

Following is a strawberry marinade that will be a total hit at your next cookout, turning every savory dish into something that’s a little sweet, too. You can use this on steaks, sausages, and even vegetarian BBQ foods.

The best part is that this marinade can DOUBLE as a salsa for chips! It will be a little sweet and sour, so I would recommend pairing it with some lime-flavored chips.

Here ya go, y’all!

STRAWBERRY MARINADE

Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries
1 cup pineapple
1/2 cup mango
1″ of ginger
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp sugar

Chop the strawberries, pineapple, and mango and put them in your large Magic Bullet cup. Peel the ginger and chop roughly before adding it. Throw in the remaining ingredients and give this all a quick whirl in your Bullet!

Voila!

For marinating, you REALLY don’t need much AT ALL, in fact, in my picture, I used a little too much. You can just BRUSH this on your meats while they’re cooking, or soak them in it for a few hours before cooking. Just remember not to reuse any marinade that raw meats have been sitting in, unless you boil it for 3-4 minutes before to kill off any bacteria.

Have a great week everyone! I’ll be back Wednesday with a SWEET TREAT!

~Lizzie (The Swinging Single City Gal)