Perfectly ripe, luscious strawberries are one of summer’s greatest pleasures. While they’re great eaten out of hand, sliced onto cereal or salads, or featured with shortcake, there are so many other things you can do with strawberries. Here’s is a sampling of recipes from a spectacular strawberry dessert collection from Better Homes and Gardens that will leave them clamoring for more! Click here to view all 27 recipes.

Best Strawberry Shortcake

Get the recipe.

Strawberry S’mores Cobbler

Get the recipe.

Strawberry Coconut Cream Soda

Watch the Video.

Get the recipe.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

Get the recipe.

Strawberry Cheesecake Tartlets

Get the recipe.

Six-Layer Strawberry Cake

Get the recipe.

Fresh Strawberry Bars

Get the recipe.

The post Mouthwatering Strawberry Dessert Recipes appeared first on Clever Homemaking.

If you’re like me, you may try softening the butter in the microwave and end up with a half melted mess. In a pinch you may go ahead and just melt the butter, only to discover that the texture of the finished product has been affected, and usually not in a good way.

So what are your options? You can wait for the butter to soften on its own. Or you can use the tips in the follow video from America’s Test Kitchen to soften your butter … in under a minute! Genius.

The post Genius Tip: Soften Butter Quickly Without Melting It appeared first on Clever Homemaking.

There’s nothing worse than running out of a key ingredient half way through the recipe! Rather than run to the store, pull out this handy substitutions guide from eReplacementParts.com.

It will be easy to find it when you need it if you print the guide and attach it to the fridge or inside a cabinet door. You’ll be glad you did!

Click the infographic below for a version that can be enlarged for printing at full size.

The post Every Cooking and Baking Substitution You Will Ever Need appeared first on Clever Homemaking.

Hash Brown Egg Nests with Avocado

Get the recipe from The Cooking Jar.

Apple Sandwiches with Almond Butter and Granola

Get the recipe from Garnish with Lemon.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Get the recipe from Annie’s Eats.

Easy Breakfast Roll-Ups

Get the recipe from Home Cooking Memories.

Ham and Egg Breakfast Cups

Get the recipe from Dine and Dish.

Apple Spice Muffins

Get the recipe from This Gal Cooks.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Brunch Ring

Get the recipe from Tablespoon.

Get the full list of 12 easy breakfast ideas from Country Living.

The post 6 Quick and Easy Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings appeared first on Clever Homemaking.

A quick, creamy buttercream frosting is well worth the effort. It adds a lovely finish to cakes and cupcakes and a sweet layer in the center of layer cakes. The base is butter (hence the name) and holds up well. Its mild sweet flavor goes with just about any cake, unlike tangier cream cheese frostings that pair best with cakes that include fruit or vegetables (like carrot cake).

You can flavor a buttercream frosting by adding chocolate, strawberry, coffee or many other flavors and can add a bit of food coloring to change the color and funfetti or other sprinkles to decorate it. A good recipe for buttercream frosting is a must-have for any home baker!

Step 1: Gather your ingredients

For a two-layer 8- or 9-inch round cake,* you’ll need:

3/4 cup butter
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar (about 8 cups)
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Milk
Food coloring (optional)

*Halve the recipe to frost the top of a 13x9x2-inch cake.

Step 2: Prep your ingredients

Soften the butter by bringing it to room temperature. Soft butter will ensure that it easily blends with the other ingredients, giving you a smooth frosting. Meanwhile, sift the powdered sugar.

Note: Never used melted butter when a recipe calls for softened butter. The frosting will not mix properly and the texture will thin out and act as more of a glaze than a thick, luscious frosting.

Step 3: Cream together ingredients

In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in 1/3 cup milk and the vanilla. Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar.

Step 4: Beat frosting to spreadable consistency

You want a frosting that will spread effortlessly. If the frosting is too thick, beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach a thick but spreadable consistency.

Make sure the milk is fully incorporated before adding the next teaspoon: Just a teaspoon or two is sometimes all you need to go from too stiff to the perfect texture. If your frosting gets a bit too soft, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes or stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar to firm it up.

If desired, add a few drops of food coloring or flavorings (see the link below) to tint or flavor the frosting.

Click through to the complete recipe on BHG.com and learn how to add flavors to your buttercream frosting.

The post How to Make Buttercream Frosting appeared first on Clever Homemaking.