The Strawberry Challenge

I went on my biannual trip to Costco to save money by buying in bulk, of course. This is great in theory, until I usually end up spending $300 on anything and everything I might ever need. Two years worth of gum, a new swim suit, and some good ole Ling Ling potstickers to name a few. Luckily, besides some popsicles that melted on the way home, my worst impulse buy this time around was a huge package of strawberries. Six dollars for a million strawberries! How can you beat that? It’s great and all if you have some people to share with, but I live by myself. How could I possibly manage to eat a Costco-sized container of strawberries before they went bad?

Sounds like a challenge if I ever heard of one.  So. If you find yourself in a sticky, too-many-strawberries for one person situation, do as follows:

1. Have a strawberry banana smoothie for breakfast everyday for a week.
2. Make yourself a strawberry spring salad for lunch for at least twice.
3. And then, make yourself a tasty strawberry dessert:

Balsamic Strawberries with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Recipe adapted from Epicurious 

Strawberries

• 3 pint baskets of strawberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

• ½ cup mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Start by hulling out the strawberries. Cut them in halves or quarters, depending on the size of the strawberry. Add in the sugar and mix. Set aside.

Combine the balsamic, lemon juice, and sugar in a small pan. Put over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Now boil for about 3 minutes to reduce the mixture to roughly ¼ cup.

For the whipped cream, beat the mascarpone and whipping cream in the mixer until soft peaks form. Mix in the sugar and vanilla.

When ready, mix the vinaigrette with the strawberries and let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. Spoon some whipped cream on top and you have yourself a perfect summer dessert!

Lastly, eat for 2 nights in a row and then invite friends over because you simply can’t eat another strawberry alone.

And that, my friends, is how you complete the Costco strawberry challenge.

I finished those strawberries just in time for my farm box to come. Wanna guess the first thing I saw when I opened the box?

You guessed it. Strawberries.