30/30 - #1 Strawberry Pie

I'M 30!! Hard to believe that I have officially entered another decade of my life. Instead of being sad and depressed about getting older, I am excited! Life is good, especially in the kitchen ;)

So here it is, the favorite everyone has been waiting for, the #1 recipe in my Top 30 favorites - Strawberry Pie! Not just any strawberry pie, but my Grandma's Strawberry Pie!

This pie doesn't just taste amazing, but it brings me back to my childhood every time I make or eat it. When I first started KettlerCuisine, this was one of the recipes I knew I had to post. I struggled with the recipe for a while since Grandma didn't leave very detailed instructions, but relied on my experience in the kitchen and my Aunt Liz to figure it out. I miss you Grandma!

During strawberry season, I make this pie almost every week. Poor Hubby doesn't get much variety on desserts during that time, but he doesn't mind it. At the peak of the season, I don't even add sugar to the strawberries, I just let their natural sweetness shine through. I couldn't think of a more fitting #1 favorite for the Top 30 than Grandma's Strawberry Pie.

I CRAVE it every year, I MAKE it every year, and I DEVOUR it every year! 

Find the recipe for Grandma's Strawberry Pie here.

Here are other favorite strawberry recipes:

• Strawberries with Lemon Honey Ricotta
• Strawberry Almond Tart
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
• Grown Up Fruit Salad
• Strawberry and Cream Scones (Smitten Kitchen)
• Honey Balsamic Strawberry Galette (Honey & Jam)
• Strawberry Meringues (Bakers Royale)
• Strawberry Jam (Deliciously Organic)

OK, now time for me to go celebrate! Hopefully you have enjoyed seeing me every day for the past month, but I am going to take a little break now and party!!

Strawberries with Lemon Honey Ricotta

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of North Carolina, then you know that Thursday was a complete rainy mess! Buckets and buckets of rain fell from the sky all day and all night. It was a disaster and a miracle that our house didn't float away. We survived and somehow, the sunshine found its way through the clouds this morning and the sky was a vibrant blue and everything was electric green. 

Waking up to blue skies always makes me appreciate my surroundings and excites me to get outside (before the heat gets here)! I knew exactly what I was going to do waking up this morning - strawberry picking.

I absolutely adore strawberry season! There is no better tasting fruit at the peak of its growing season than a tasty, sweet strawberry.

Every year on the blog, I usually include a few strawberry recipes during April/May to highlight the ripe fruit. Last year, as I was adventuring in Gluten Free land, I made a Strawberry Almond Tart. The year before that I shared my all-time-favorite recipe, Grandma's Strawberry Pie (which I am planning to make tomorrow with all of my fresh-picked strawberries). This year, I decided to go a bit more simple since time is valuable and the strawberries are so delicious. I had some fresh ricotta from the market, which I sweetened with local honey and some lemon zest. The balance of the sweet strawberries and the creamy ricotta comes together for a very nice fresh, light late Spring dessert.  

Strawberries with Lemon Honey Ricotta

Yields: 2 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes

Fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered1/2 cup Whole milk Ricotta cheese

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2-3 teaspoons honey

2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts, lightly toasted

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the Pine Nuts. Watch them closely, as they will burn quick. Once they become slightly fragrant, remove from heat and the pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the Ricotta, honey and lemon zest together until well combined. Place a small amount of this in another small bowl, layer with strawberries, then more Ricotta. Add the Pine Nuts and bit more lemon zest on top. 

If your strawberries are not extremely sweet, you can drizzle a bit more honey on top as well.

Strawberry Recipes to also try:

• Grandma's Strawberry Pie
• Strawberry Almond Tart
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
• Grown Up Fruit Salad