Do you have a certain food that reminds you of your childhood? I have two favorites that always remind me of my childhood. One of them is my great grandma’s homemade noodles. From the time I was born until the summer before sixth grade I went to my great grandparents’ house while my parents were at work, I loved my time with them and learned a lot about gardening, cooking and overall life. The best days would be when I walked in to their house when my mom dropped me off and there was a single egg sitting on the table at the bottom of the steps because that meant is was noodle day! That egg would sit out to get to room temperature then she made the most amazing noodles out of flour, water, and egg. I have no idea how she got them so perfect because I have tried a few times and they never taste the same, must be grandma’s touch!

My other favorite that always reminds me of summer in Iowa is strawberry shortcake, my mom and grandma used to make it for family get togethers in the summer when fresh strawberries were available and I am not talking like walk into the grocery store pick up from produce aisle fresh, I am talking fresh from the garden, they are definitely not the same. The ones from the garden have a specific taste, they are a lot softer and juicer than the ones you buy in the grocery store.

I have been making strawberry shortcake on my own since I was in college because it was one of the things I always missed after moving out. I started making it for my husband too after we first got married and it quickly became his favorite too. I always used the recipe on the back of the back of the Bisquick box but one time in a rush to do it I read the directions wrong and added in to much sugar but didn’t want to throw out the whole thing I just baked it that way and guess what it was so much better. Throughout the years I have evolved my recipe to be my own even though I still use Bisquick because that is key but I have definitely made their recipe so much better, no offense Betty Crocker.

The biggest key is the strawberries though, you definetly need to quarter them and then mash them with a potato masher, it is the key to get the juiciness out as well as still having actual strawberries. You need the juice so that the shortcake gets slightly soggy but not too soggy because that would be gross, but just trust me!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of strawberries, more if you have a more than 4 ppl
2 tbsps of sugar per 2 lbs of berries
4 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 1/3 cup Bisquick

Directions:

1.) Rinse strawberries, cut off the stems, quarter into a bowl, add sugar and then mashed with a potato masher until strawberries are slightly mashed and lots of juice. Store in the refrigerator until you serve.
2.) Preheat oven to 425 and grease a 9×9 pan
3.) In a large bowl mix in the melted butter, sugar, milk, and Bisquick
4.) Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and put in the oven to bake for 12-17 minutes. You want the top to be lightly brown and the inside cooked through when you check with a toothpick

Hope you enjoy a family favorite recipe, it is super quick and easy to make, something the whole family will love!