Freezing Berries Tutorial & Spectacular Strawberry Bread

My absolute favorite food in all the world is a Berry...a Strawberry, a Blueberry, a Blackberry, or even a Raspberry. It is like a little taste of heaven in my mouth. I love berries in yogurt, in salads, in cereal, in breads, in shortcakes, in pancakes, in ice cream, and just plain by themselves. Berries are super delish and super healthy. I love Springtime because berries are also Super-Cheap at the grocery stores because they are "in season". So, I stock up when they go on sale for 99 cents a carton. I buy a ton of cartons and then freeze the berries so that I can indulge all year long.

On a side note-it is best to use frozen berries in muffin and pancake recipes. The berries burst while cooking and make the recipe even more moist and yummy. So, add the bluberries to your pancakes after you have already poured the batter onto a hot griddle. Yummy!

There is a trick to freezing berries, and I thought today I would I would share my Berry Freezing Knowledge with the world :-).

• First, do NOT rinse the berries. Rinsing the berries makes the berries mushy and makes them stick together when you freeze them.



• Take them out of the carton and remove the stems (I just cut them off). Some berries do not have stems so there is nothing to cut.



• Line large cookie sheets with wax paper.



• Lay the berries single file on the wax paper-lined cookie sheets.



• Stick the cookie sheets in your freezer, and set a timer for 2 hours to give them a quick freeze.



• Remove the trays of berries, and bag them in individual freezer storage bags.



• Label the bags with the type of berries and the date and freeze.



• Take out a bag of berries when you get a hankering for something sweet and enjoy fresh frozen deliciousness all year long. (You can even bag a mixture of berries in a bag so you have a ready-made smoothie base.)

Freezing Berries TOTALLY WORKS FOR ME! For more WFMW tips, visit http://www.wearethatfamily.com/

And, now for my all-time favorite sweet bread recipe that utilizes these frozen berries.....

Strawberry Bread
If you love berries as much as I do, then this is a slice of heaven.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup oil
2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries (thawed and mashed to make their own juice)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a hole in the center and add the beaten eggs and oil. Add the frozen strawberries. Pour into 2 greased 9x5x3 inch pans and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.