It’s a little cooler today here in Iowa, but I’ve still got spring fever. I stopped at the grocery store, and they had a special on fresh strawberries. Now, I can’t get local strawberries until June, and I usually don’t buy strawberries out of season simply because they just can’t match the taste of the local ones I get in early summer. However – these looked really good, and as I said spring fever was taking over, so I picked up a box.

I’d come across a recipe for a fresh strawberry yogurt cake on A Spicy Perspective. and I knew I’d found the perfect way to use these out-of-season strawberries. The recipe calls for either plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. While I usually make my own yogurt, I did pick up a carton of vanilla Greek yogurt. This way I can get a little vanilla flavor in the cake. I usually add a teaspoon of good vanilla to my baked goods, and since this recipe doesn’t call for any, the vanilla yogurt takes care of that for me.

This does make a thick batter, so don’t be off-put by that. I also used a full box of strawberries (16 ounces), and the recipe called for only 12 ounces. I doubt this really hurts it one way or the other, and I don’t like having tiny bits of fruit just sitting around, so I used them all. This recipe is really easy to pull together, and soon you can have that fresh taste of spring on your dinner table. This cake is going to be so awesome when I make it this summer with local, flavorful strawberries. 🙂

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

Zest of 1 lemon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces plain or vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt

12 ounces fresh strawberries, washed, trimmed and diced

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan (10- to 15-cup size).

Sift together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and incorporate completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing until just combined.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, and gently fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Place in the oven, and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

I made a bacon and mustard chicken dish the other night for dinner, and I had some leftover chicken breasts from that. I hate leftovers, because no one in my house really eats them, so I decided to “repurpose” the chicken and make some chicken salad. I already had a bacon and Dijon mustard base going for the chicken salad, as the chicken breast was cooked with both, so I built upon those flavors in this salad recipe. Now I used Miracle Whip salad dressing in this, but you can always use mayonnaise if that’s what you prefer. I’m a Miracle Whip girl – I like that extra “tang” in my salads. I do use mayonnaise occasionally, especially if I’m making dips or appetizers, but most often you’ll only see the Miracle Whip in my fridge.

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This recipe is a shoot-from-the-hip type. I used the leftovers I had on hand, and I added ingredients that complemented bacon and Dijon mustard. I’ve listed the ingredients as if I didn’t start with the Dijon sauce from the night before, and it doesn’t list any bacon in the recipe (because this was in the previous night’s recipe). If you want bacon in your chicken salad, simply cook a couple of slices, chop it up, and throw it in with the rest of the ingredients. Plus I threw in some grapes and Granny Smith apples – I think you have to have balance with sweet, sour and salty tastes. I even made a homemade loaf of potato bread to put this chicken salad on. Okay, well, my bread machine made it, and I used Bob’s Red Mill Potato Bread mix. I have to have shortcuts now and then 🙂

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

3 cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded as you prefer

1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or mayo if you prefer)

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup grapes, sliced in halves

1/2 a Granny Smith apple, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl until completely mixed. Chill for a few hours to let the flavors meld together. Serve with your favorite sandwich bread or roll.