Bread: Strawberry Nut Bread and Strawberry Butter

From Shelly Carey

Ingredients for bread
2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen sliced strawberries
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups chopped pecans (optional)
Ingredients for strawberry butter
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup strawberry preserves
½ - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Directions for bread:
Defrost frozen strawberries. Beat eggs in a bowl until fluffy; add cooking oil, sugar and strawberries. Sift together in a mixing bowl: flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add strawberry mixture and mix until well blended. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour into two greased and floured 9 ½ X 5 X 3 (or 8 ½ X 4 ½ X 2 ½) loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out of loaf pans and cool on racks.

Yields 2 loaves. Note: Slice this bread when chilled. May be sliced and warmed to serve with strawberry butter.

Directions for strawberry butter:
Blend butter and confectioner’s sugar together. Add preserves and lemon juice to the butter, and blend.