Strawberry Fields Forever

Baby Sister and a friend (and their mommies) went to pick strawberries this morning.

Think someone forgot to tell Baby Sister that after you pick the berries, 

you're supposed to put them in the basket--not eat them.

The berry farm is near our farm. The phone call I got when they were done was, 

"We're on our way to see you. Could you run some water in the bathtub for Baby Sister?"

She was sticky from head to toe.

They shared some of the berries with me. Best berries I've ever had.

After everyone headed home this afternoon, 

I made muffins like Jessica made last week. So easy and so delicious

Strawberry Lemonade Muffins

2-1/2 cups self-rising flour

1-1/4 cups sugar

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1-1/2 cups diced strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together sour cream, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs; add to dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold strawberries into batter. Spoon batter into lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, filling three-fourths full. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over batter. (Use all of this extra sugar.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for one minute; remove from pans to wire rack and cool 10 minutes.

Makes 12-18 mufflins (depending on size of your muffin pans--my old pans will make 18)

...recipe from Southern Living, April 2012

Lemon zest is easy if you have a Microplane grater, a fairly new kitchen tool. But for juicing the lemons, I like my old glass juicer dish I got from my mother. You still see them in antique/junk stores. I haven't found anything that works better.