Almost Summer Strawberry Parfait

It's March which in my mind means two things: 1) Final exams are soon and 2) Summer is just around the corner! This is not only my favorite season because I get to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and maybe have a little vacation, but it is a season of vibrant, fresh fruit that allows for endless possibilities in the kitchen. Any taste of summer in March, whether it be fresh fruit or making time for a 'mini vacation' (aka doing something fun= often procrastination= what I am doing at this very second writing this), when there are many pending exams and assignments, is fine by me!

One of the perks of living in my house is that there is always uncertainty about what one can find in the fridge. One day there can be leftover salmon and a random bunch of key limes, and the next day, a huge container of marinating shish-kabobs and fresh berries. This of course depends on who is in the house at the time and on who buys the groceries that week. Sometimes I get to do that :) I love going grocery shopping but the problem is that it takes me FOREVER. There are way too many ideas going through my head at once and I get distracted from my 'list' with all the possibilities of things that I could make. My train of thought is generally: I came here for 5 things. Oh, that looks interesting. That would make a great _____ but then I'll also need ______ which would go great with ________. ETC.

It's a problem.

Seriously.

Anyways, on one of these trips I picked up a lovely basket of fresh strawberries! These berries are one of my favorite types. Their tartness can be transformed into a sweet compote, jam, tartlet or be used to complement a fresh spinach salad or...can just eaten by themselves! Plus, their color adds an appealing red punch to any meal!

I decided to make a strawberry parfait! This desert is light and delicious especially because I am mixing in my own vanilla rather than using sweetened vanilla yogurt. I was inspired by the idea of strawberries atop NY cheesecake so I added graham cracker crumbs to top it off rather than traditional oats.

If you find that you want a little extra sweetness, try adding a 1/2 tsp of icing sugar to the strawberries before adding to the yogurt. The icing sugar dissolves nicely adding a layer of 'syrup' on each berry and adds a lovely level of sweetness and I find, doesn't over power the flavor of the strawberry. You can use other types of yogurt but make sure that they are not too too 'flavorful'- I wanted to highlight the tartness and natural flavor of the strawberries, that's why I used plain.

Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Parfait

1/2 cup plain lactose free Biobest yogurt

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 (or more!) fresh strawberries

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Wash strawberries in cold water, remove leaves and slice in half (or quarters depending on how large yours are- bite size pieces are what we want here). Set aside. Mix plain yogurt and greek yogurt in small bowl. Whisk in vanilla and mix thoroughly until well blended. Add strawberries on top and finish with graham cracker crumbs layered over top.  Enjoy!