Weather Report

Good morning - its 8:35 a.m. on Monday 2/27/06

The rain and wind is here in Watsonville, Santa Maria and Oxnard, CA. What does this mean? Wet berries. Consumers may see a distruption in harvesting from many California strawberry growers over the next few days depending on how long the rain decides to stay here along the coast of California.

What's happening with weather in your city this week??

Bite Size Dessert Treat

This is one of our favorite desserts. Easy, delicious and three great flavors all in one bite. If you are looking for a strawberry dessert to serve family or friends try this one - it is great!


Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
1 package (8 oz.) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese), softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
16 (about 1 lb.) whole stemmed California strawberries
8 graham cracker squares, finely crushed (about 2/3 cup)

In mixer bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel until smooth and creamy; set aside. Using paring knife or small melon baller, partially hollow out top of strawberries to a depth of 3/4 inch. Gently fill each with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Roll tops into graham cracker crumbs. Arrange on serving platter. Makes 16 servings. Prep time: 15 minutes. For Chocolate cheesecake variation, melt 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels as package directs; stir into one 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened). Add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Proceed as recipe directs, rolling filled strawberries into finely crushed graham crackers or chocolate wafer cookies. Tip: To prepare recipe ahead of time, fill strawberries with cream cheese mixture; cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours. Roll in graham cracker crumbs just before serving.