Flowered Strawberries w/ Rosey Cream Cheese Filling

Look at these baby beauts!

My dad had a birthday recently and the tradition always is we all pack up our families and head to the beach. We stop along the way for a huge bucket of KFC, and tote along a couple sides. My dad loves certain fruit, so we pass around watermelon, Michigan Cherries, and strawberries!

It's a favorite highlight of the summer for me-and it's not even my birthday! Also because it's so hot in July, the fruit is a good substitute for a cake and doesn't melt.:)

I wanted to create something tasty AND pretty (that's just me) so these little flower buds were born. I just wanted to spruce up your average strawberry without too much maintenance. These held up well in the sweltering weather-well, maybe because they were gone so fast!

I'm sure they would also be fun for a shower or a ladies luncheon..Fun finger food!

you'll need:

a carton of fresh strawberries
1/2 brick of cream cheese
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 drops of red food coloring
slivered chocolate for garnish (you could use cocoa powder too)

With each strawberry, cut off green end so fruit can lay flat, pointy side up. Cut a cross through top, taking care not to reach the bottom completely. Fan out corners gently. Repeat with rest of strawberries.

In small mixing bowl, whip cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add red coloring and give another blend till filling is a pretty pink color. Put in a zip lock bag and cut off corner. Pipe into strawberries and garnish with chocolate shavings.
Enjoy.