Pretend it's Summer - Have Some Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake with Fresh Whipped Cream

One of my fondest memories of childhood is going to the Roy Rogers drive-thru with my family and ordering strawberry shortcake. It wasn't an every day occurrence, rather it followed a special event - like an award at school or a day spent at the museums downtown. Buckled in the backseat, I would crane my neck to make sure the drive-thru order taker was putting my strawberry shortcake in the bag. We'd pull away from the window and my mom would dig through the bag to find each of our orders and pass them back. The sweet treat would come in a clear plastic container with the hot biscuit buried at the bottom, topped with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce. I couldn't get to the plastic wrapped spoon fast enough. Then I'd take that first magical bite, dipping my spoon down the side to catch equal portions of each component. First the sticky sweet strawberry sauce, then the cool, creamy, vanilla soft-serve, and finally the hot, flaky, salty biscuit. Ahhh. Heaven on a spoon.

Roy Rogers is long gone, and to be honest I'm not sure it would taste quite the same now, but my love for strawberry shortcake persists. If it's on the menu, I will order it. Many times I'm disappointed when the flaky biscuit is replaced with spongy cake. When summer comes, and with it strawberry season, it's one of the first things to come out of my kitchen. It is pure happiness on a plate.

It's the middle of winter, yes I know, but with Valentine's Day, the strawberries come back. They may not come from the farm down the road, but pint upon pint of delicious red berries are showing up in grocery stores all around us this time of year, so I say, why not cheat a little. Put some summer into your life and whip up some strawberry shortcake. Perfect for a special Valentine's dinner for anyone you love - or eat it yourself straight from the oven. I won't tell. One of my favorite recipes comes from Southern Living - of course they know how to do biscuits right. Enjoy!