Strawberry Season

The end of May and the beginning of June here in the Central Valley marks the beginning of strawberry season. On every country corner there seems to pop up wooden shacks (a six-year old's ultimate lemonade stand) to shade farmers peddling the tasty plump berries that were picked and still warm from the sunshine that day. For a few dollars you can purchase an entire flat of strawberries at their ripest only to bring them home and try to think of all the different recipes to use them in. While grandma was here we finished making one whole flat into freezer jam that, when opened this fall, will still have the fresh taste of the delectable berries the day we placed them in their containers. We shared a few with some great neighbors, who until recently, "had never tasted a vine ripened strawberry." 

We then turned our attention to the remaining berries and decided to try a recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. 

 

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parmesan-stuffed chicken and melted strawberries

Stuffed with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese, and baked in a tangy strawberry-jam mixture, chicken goes from ho-hum to an irresistible dinner fit for company.

See Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken and Melted Strawberries recipe

Parmesan stuffed chicken and melted strawberries...
Found in the May 2009 magazine that I snatched from the store shelf this year, the unusual use of strawberries intrigued me, so we made it. The chicken was amazing and the sweet and savory strawberry sauce was fantastic with the Parmesan and basil chicken.  Funny thing was the fact that my son, who loves sushi, sashimi, artichokes, asparagus, and countless other non-child liked food, was disgusted by the fact that we paired chicken with strawberries!