Citrus Thank-Yous

I’ve been writing a lot of thank-yous lately for all of the baby presents I’ve been getting. I just ran out of thank you cards and rather than buying more, I decided to make some since I already had some blank white cards. I am definitely an amateur painter, so I never want to try painting anything too detailed or complicated. I tried making a few animal cards, but those didn’t turn out great. They looked like a kid had done them, but they weren’t as cute as anything a kid would make. I was browsing through my pins on Pinterest and saw some citrus coasters made out of felt. I have been wanting to make these for myself or as a gift. Then it struck me...paint citrus fruits on cards. Lemons and limes are just a circle and a bunch of sectors… geometry! I can do that! Here’s how they turned out. I think they’re pretty cute. And pretty easy – all you need is a paintbrush and acrylic paint from the craft store. I was in a lemon and lime mood, but you would also paint oranges and grapefruits too.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

What to do with half-frozen strawberries… You may wonder why my strawberries were partially frozen. Well, our refrigerator is at least 25 years old and occasionally decides to change its temperature without our approval. These strawberries were victim of its temperature fluxuation. They were either going to turn into a smoothie or some baked good. I’ve never tasted strawberry cake before, and thought this rustic butter cake with strawberries plopped on top looked delicious. I found the recipe on Martha Stewart’s website, and since it had gotten good reviews, I gave it a try.

It smelled like strawberry candy while it was cooking. I couldn't believe that real strawberries could actually smell like that. I didn't eat it until the next day, but it was still moist and very flavorful. It was almost like eating strawberry shortcake but with the strawberries baked in. The strawberry flavor became even sweeter and more concentrated in the baking process. This cake would be delicious with a dollop of whipped cream.

Fresh Strawberry Cake (from marthastewart.com)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.

Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible (I ran out of room and ended up eating a couple). Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.