As a food stylist, you work hard all day to make the absolute best version of the food you are shooting come to life. There are times you end up on your hands and knees, using tweezers to remove stray thyme springs, spraying cilantro leaves with water, lifting pots to boil water; it’s that kind of physical and emotional investment.
I love food styling- and it’s super rewarding- but sometimes this feeling is also accompanied by a vow that you don’t want to see, or taste, or smell the ——- (pot roast, pot pie, slow cooker chicken casserole, etc.) for a while. Because frankly, you’ve worked with it for so many hours, bent over it with tweezers, and the dish made your hair greasy because you had to fry the chicken with metal pins in order for it to look good. Your back hurts… and you’re just tired.
Butter you up because you’re toast.
Stick a fork in you, you’re done.
I could go on, but you get the picture.
I don’t normally crave what I have been working on after I make for a shoot. Except for…well, minutes later when I am starving. I love to eat, and Luv Cooks is special to me, and you are special to me because you read these posts (thank you, thank you, thank you….) And you know what else is really special? Besides Julie Andrews? Five-minute strawberry yogurt.
On my way back from making prop returns this afternoon, the late-summer heat was getting to my psyche. New bangs plastered to my forehead and dying of thirst (well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration), the air conditioner in my hybrid car was about as cold as dog breath and all I could think about was how I was sweating through my pants.
It was at that moment that I direly, passionately, wished I had some leftover strawberry yogurt in my freezer.
Too bad the hubs and I had already eaten it. Quickly after it was shot. Hopes=dashed.
But, I will say, this dire feeling gave way to an extra motivation to share this recipe with you. In the dire straits of early September in the South, when the vice grip of humid heat refuses to let go and make way for cooler breezes- everybody, I do mean evvrryybodddy, needs to eat something frozen. And refreshing. It does wonders for your mood; and ensuing hair styles.
So this Labor Day, bust out your food processor, whip up some fro-yo, and celebrate the end of summer, strawberries, and the sweet relief of an easy dessert. Cheers!
Easy Five Minute Frozen Yogurt (recipe altered to be dairy-free by Just a Taste. Her site and recipes are so pretty and inspiring!)
This recipe is super simple and requires very little prep aside from squeezing fresh lemon juice. A tip for easy lemon squeezing- just roll you lemon around on your countertop before you slice it in half. The liquid comes out easier that way!
What You Will Need
- 4 cups frozen strawberries
- 3 tablespoons honey (I like orange blossom honey for this)
- 1/2 cup dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
What You Will Do
1. Add the frozen strawberries, honey, yogurt, and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor.
2. Process until the mixture becomes creamy, which should take about 5 minutes.
3. Serve the frozen yogurt immediately or, if you can wait this long, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for about a month.