strawberry shortcake

My mother-in-law is so thoughtful.  She knows how much I love strawberries and especially how much I love her strawberry shortcake.  We get to Florida every year right at the end of strawberry season, and she always has some for us.  And I can almost guarantee that dessert at our first meal at their house will be strawberry shortcake.   Yes, there was strawberry deliciousness this time too!!

I didn't used to like strawberry shortcake, because I'm not a huge fan of the sponge cake that is usually the "shortcake".  It's too sweet or I don't like the texture.  Not sure.  I would often just eat the strawberries and cream and leave the sponginess.

But then I met Brian and was introduced to this other type of strawberry shortcake that I did not know existed.  Oh my goodness it's sooooooo good!  For years I assumed it was something his mom made from scratch and I would not be able to replicate (like the green beans - I've given up on them).  But a few years ago I just asked how she made it and......get this.....she used the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box!  What?!  It's that simple and I've been limiting my strawberry shortcake intake to once a year?  (I didn't feel so naive when I heard Beth ask her the same question last week - at least I wasn't the only one who thought it was a special recipe handed down for generations).  So for the last few years, we've been enjoying strawberry shortcake any time we want!  Even in the winter.  Although it's definitely best when the strawberries are fresh from the patch!

So, since strawberry season is quickly approaching those of us in the big M-O, 

I wanted to share this deceivingly easy recipe in case some of you are sponge dislikers like me and have yet to discover the goodness on the back of the big yellow box :)

(See I made it again the day after we got home from Florida, I missed it so much)

Strawberry Shortcake

4 cups strawberries, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/3 cups Bisquick mix

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup whipping cream or 1 container Cool Whip

Mix the strawberries with 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside.  Heat oven to 425.

Stir the Bisquick mix, milk, 3 Tbsp sugar, and melted butter until soft dough forms.  Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until they start to turn a golden brown.  Split the warm shortcakes.  Once the sugar has dissolved with the strawberries, fill the shortcake with strawberries and top with more strawberries and whipped topping.  (I did not have whipped topping the other night, so my picture is lacking that - I like it just as well or better without it, but I think I'm probably in the minority on that).

You can see the original recipe at the Betty Crocker website.  It's almost exactly the same and is probably easier to print out!