Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Fresh-picked strawberries!

My friend A. asked if we'd like to go to a nearby farm for strawberry picking Monday. So we loaded up Chickie, Zoodle, and her two kids, and took a drive. First we went to a renowned cafe for some delicious home-style cookin'. (Chicken fried steak, anyone?)

Chickie is two days older than E., and they have become good friends. In fact, apparently one of them proposed to the other one. (Who did the asking isn't clear, but they have both told us they plan to get married to each other. Chickie is happy with this arrangement, as the other boys she's wanted to marry haven't been too interested.)

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By the way, Chickie and E. first met each other when they were five months old. Here they are, at Starbucks together.

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I don't have any pictures of the strawberry picking since I accidentally left my camera in the car, but I was able to grab it afterward. Zoodle enjoyed a strawberry frozen pop made with strawberries picked right there (mmm!)...

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...while Chickie preferred a mass-produced lollipop.

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Between the strawberry picking (more like strawberry squishing for Zoodle) and the frozen treat, my little guy was red, sticky, and happy.

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Next the kids got to feed some goats.

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How could you say no to this face?

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After that, we met the miniature donkeys at the farm, including a 2-week-old baby donkey! (What's the correct term for a baby donkey? Foal? Donklet?)

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And we said hello to some beautiful horses.

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Chickie and Zoodle got friendly with a ladybug...

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...and then Chickie continued her friendliness, with a caterpillar.

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At home, we ate strawberries. Lots of strawberries--by themselves, and in salad. For dessert, I wanted to make some strawberry shortcake. I remembered bookmarking this recipe for Hot Milk Cake from the blog Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. It's a recipe with deliciously simple ingredients, and it looked like it would be great for strawberry shortcake.

Unfortunately, I didn't grease the pan very well.

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Oops.

But remember when Mama always said that even broken cookies still taste just as good? (Well, at least my mama said that.) She was right, and it applies to hot milk cake too. In fact, smother it with fresh-picked strawberries and whipped cream, and it even looks good.

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My husband, who isn't a huge fan of most cakes, ate two servings of strawberry shortcake and one additional serving of hot milk cake by itself. It was that good. (You should make it; you probably already have all the ingredients.)

Silly me, though, I forgot to read my Saturday blog post to Zoodle, so he didn't know I'd requested a boring, fever-free week. He ended up with hives and a low fever. I think the poor kiddo probably has a mild strawberry allergy. Or it could be the antibiotic he was on. We'll stay away from both potential culprits for now!

Zoodle was fine yesterday. Instead of strawberry shortcake last night, he had a modified version with frozen mixed berries.

Strawberry pickin' made for a long day, but a fun one!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I was three my mom took me to pick strawberries and I broke out into hives and a low fever. She kept me away from them for awhile, (I'm not sure how long) however, let me have them again when I was older. To this day my strawberry hives were a one time deal and I've never had any problem since. Now I have to wonder how long she kept me away from them!

Unknown said...

What great photos! It looks like you all had a really fun day adventure. Cake is still cake no matter what it looks like. Try out the Pam spray with flour; I have never had a cake stick when it is used on the pan.

Call Me Cate said...

What a great day you all had! (Minus the hives and fever)

I'm going to mark that recipe. Work arranged for a local strawberry farm to bring in some goodies for us today so I'll be taking a quart home. For tonight, I'm going to make Strawberry Mint Seduction. Mmmm...

Heidi said...

What a great mom you are taking all those pictures!

I'm more than a bit jealous of the fact you have a strawberry farm in the vicinity :)

Eternal Lizdom said...

How FUN!

And I totally love that you dressed Chickie in a strawberry dress for the occassion!

Juniper Saltus said...

That sounds like an awesome day and I bet Zoodle was tons of fun to clean up!

Love the picture of Chickie with the caterpillar! So cute!

Mmmmm.... Strawberry Shortcake. Sounds delicious!

Have a fantastic day!

Traci said...

What a fun musing this was to read and see. Great pics too!

forever folding laundry said...

What a fun day! Love the picture of your guy covered in strawberries. He's clearly enjoying them the way I'm sure they were meant to be enjoyed. :)

~Keri

Lynn said...

I am glad you liked the cake, and covering it in strawberries is a great way to save it. :) You are right as long as it tastes good that is all that matters. Great pictures of your kids. It looks like they had a fun day.