you guys, the first day of summer arrives on friday! though it seems people have been declaring it summer ever since early may when the uncharacteristically warm and sunny weather we’ve been experiencing started. 

those who have spent more than two years in portland, or who grew up here like me, know that summer doesn’t usually “start” around these parts until after the 4th of july. sure, there have been gray, rainy patches amidst all of our unseasonably sunny days- in fact as we come off of an 80 degree weekend plus a beautiful sunrise and blue skies this morning, the gray has landed again- but soooo much less than is usual for this time of year that i feel spoiled and incredibly lucky. i really can’t get enough sun. i love my titular handle of ‘willamette valley girl’, but i’ve always felt far more suited to the clime of the san fernando valley.

with all this awesome weather and the official start of summer looming so closely, i feel like an outdoor party is called for! after taking last year off from gardening, i’m back at it and my yard is so verdant and alive! and after many weekends of back-breaking work, it’s also finally worthy of guests, truly. it only took us five years, no big.

{just the tip of my garden iceberg!}

of course, we have a few finishing touches to make before the yard is picture-worthy- including a cover for our eyesore outdoor A/C unit which not so conveniently abuts our seating area and a corner that has become a catch-all for all of the random detritus from our yard labor. as far as the A/C unit (which came with the house and is actually kind of nice on our rare 100 degree days) is concerned, nat’s plan was to make a cover for it that doubles as extra table space and i think i’ve talked him into building something this weekend.

after that, all that remains is to find two large planters to add my recently purchased lemongrass plants to (they’re supposed to repel mosquitos!) and rig up some patio lights i received for my birthday last year.

last on my wishlist is to finagle some sort of fire pit but that’s obviously not required. even so, i can’t help but dreamily imagine relaxing outside after dusk with a cocktail by a fire in my own yard. heaven! but then if you ask me, that’s exactly what summer is.

to end, here are some lovely blooms i spied down the block from my house-

we had a few friends over for dinner on sunday and realizing that sunday also happened to be cinco de mayo, we decided to make that our food theme. for me, the winner of the evening (besides the delicious guacamole and amazing tomatillo salsa courtesy of my friend’s allison and anna) were my spicy quick pickles.

inspired by a recipe over on eva kolenko photography, i was nervous having never made pickles before. i kept pestering nat with questions like, ‘aren’t they supposed to sit for a week or two??’ even though i knew he had even less of an idea than i did. i finally googled the term “quick pickles” which was knocking around in the back of my head and found another recipe very similar to eva’s but with all the answers to my questions, so i decided to go for it. and the result was mexcellent! i see many a batch of spicy quick pickles in store this summer.

spicy quick pickles

ingredients:

1 bunch of radishes – sliced thin

2-3 carrots – sliced thin

0-3 jalapenos (depends on how spicy you want it, i used 2) – sliced thin

handful chopped cilantro

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup agave or honey

directions:

1. combine sliced veggies, cilantro, salt and coriander seeds in a bowl or very large jar.

2. combine all three vinegars in a pot and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. once boiling, add agave or honey and stir until fully dissolved / combined. remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (i let mine cool on the stove for a while, then transferred it to a bowl that i put in the freezer for a little bit. if you’re worried about food safety, you can try an ice bath to cool it right away.)

3. once pickling mixture is cool, add to veggies and combine well, making sure all are coated / submerged in solution.

4. refrigerate for at least 2 hours before enjoying.

 {in the brine}

 {YUM}

as i’ve mentioned before, march saw me climbing back onto the clean eating wagon so i could see how much of a difference it made in reducing or even eliminating my acne break-outs (though reduced, they’re not eliminated yet). save for a week of mis-steps, i have been doing pretty damn well with my eating habits, if i do say so myself. i have really embraced the no-sugar thing and have reduced the amount of processed food i eat by a LOT. even when i do eat processed, i think my choices have vastly improved to consist of things like ezekiel bread, ryvita crackers, locally made ‘raw’ hummus and nut butters.

when it comes to meals i have mostly relied on recipes from sources such as clean eating and eating well magazines to help me figure out how to cook whole foods. (it may seem like a basic thing but my parents weren’t big on cooking, let alone cooking from scratch, and i spent my twenties living off of pizza deliveries, ramen, canned soup and cheese & crackers.) while i find their recipes are way more delicious than the bad-fat laden martha recipes that had been my go-to for the last few years, they can be pretty involved and time consuming at times. lately i have been turning to pinterest and my own imagination for recipe inspiration and have been coming up with tons of hearty salads from both resources. after months of eating the same (albeit, delicious!) soup for lunch every day, even rut-lovers like me can only take so much.

currently my favorite go-to meal is a salad of my own concoction. i decided to share it because it is so yummy, filling and full of good stuff. and the best part is- and this is amazing to me cos i just kinda figured it out- you can always customize it to suit your own tastes. though nat might argue otherwise as it seems like i always forget at least one needed ingredient, i’ve always been a by-the-recipe-book sort of gal and this realization that i can throw various things together based on what i have on hand or feel like has totally blown my mind! so here’s my recipe, which i threw together on a whim one day with fabulous results.

{yes, i took this pic atop my foosball table. the light in my house is terrible so i have to take advantage of any decent light that presents itself. don’t judge.}

my spinach salad – makes 1 serving

ingredients:

approx. 2 cups baby spinach

1/3 – 1/2 ripe avocado, amount depends on size – peeled and diced

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt to taste

1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice

1/2 sweet potato – peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup cremini or baby bella mushrooms – sliced thick

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 slice uncured turkey or veggie bacon – cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 teaspoons hemp “hearts”, or raw hemp seeds

directions:

1. add cumin, turmeric, garlic powder and sea salt to olive oil and mix well. toss with sweet potato and mushrooms, making sure to coat well- add more oil if you need to- and spread in a single, even layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 450 for 20-30 minutes. you’ll know they’re done when the potato is soft and mushrooms have shrunk up a bit. while your veggies are roasting …

2. arrange spinach on a large plate to create your salad base.

3. combine avocado, lime juice and garlic salt and mash them together until you have a guacamole-like consistency. the next part can be tricky, the goal is to evenly spread the guacamole onto the spinach base. i add it in a few dollops and spread it out with a small spatula, but you could also use the back of a spoon, a butter knife or your fingers, just move gingerly. the more spread out it gets, the easier it gets to spread. this is your “dressing”.

4. once veggies are done and cooled at least slightly, top spinach and guacamole dressing with roasted veggies, bacon pieces and sprinkle on your hemp hearts. ENJOY.

let me know what you think or if you made it with any variations!

another salad recipe i’ve been enjoying lately is this crunchy cashew and quinoa salad with thai peanut dressing from monique at ambitous kitchen. i like to use a cup of this salad to top a few cups of fresh chopped spinach to add greens.

happy healthy eating!
VGS

if you were reading VGS last month you probably saw my attempt to write about my hopping back on the clean eating wagon to see if it helped clear up my skin. i had all sorts of plans to share recipes, experiments with natural skin care and more but life just loves to get in the way, doesn’t it?

after learning our dog, penelope, had cancer back in september, last month was when the end game hit. within one week, her condition declined at lightning speed and we lost her. i knew it was coming obviously, but given her young age and uber-tough disposition i had been holding out hope that the end wouldn’t come until later in the year, or even until next year.

the truth is, once we lost her i spent a week eating pizza, drinking bourbon and having dessert- none of these things a part of my clean eating plan! i decided that in my grief and mourning i was going to allow myself some comfort, no matter how i felt about eating these things otherwise. after that initial week i started my clean eating goal anew and even began exercising again, after a few months hiatus.

it’s been just over two weeks now that i’ve been back on track and i’ve got to say, i’m feeling pretty great. i am eating so many vegetables and have really committed to the no-sugar thing. a lot of people i talk to about this assume fruit is off-limits in a no-sugar plan but that’s not the case for me. the sugar in fruit is naturally occurring and packaged with so much beneficial fiber that it isn’t harmful to your body like processed sugars are. which is good since i have been using fruit to help me add more vegetables to my diet.

my favorite fruit/veggie combo currently is something i have dubbed ‘jewel juice’ due to it’s bright jewel-like color. it’s a pretty simple recipe and i have decided to share-

you’ll need:

1/4 – 1/3 of a head of red cabbage – chopped / shredded

1 apple (i use pink lady) – diced small

2 lemons (meyer lemons are amazing, if available) – juiced, add pulp if you like

a large grapefruit – juiced, add pulp if you like

a chunk of ginger – peeled and diced small

in a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and blend / process for a few minutes. viola!

you can strain it if you want a ‘juicier’ juice. the cabbage and apple only process down so small and the result can be pretty chunky depending on their moisture content and the amount of juice your citrus yields. occasionally i’ve ended up with something more akin to apple sauce. when that happens, i just add the juice of another grapefruit to thin it out. no matter how chunky, i prefer to drink as-is to maximize the fiber content but i am sure it’s still quite healthy when strained. and so delicious! my last batch was pretty sour as i couldn’t find meyer lemons and the standard ones i got were way pucker inducing. i just added some honey and it’s my best batch yet!

regarding honey, yes it’s sugar but i decided it’s ok in my no-sugar plan too. like the sugar in fruit, honey is naturally occurring and actually helps regulate blood sugar levels. (i am also hoping that by eating the local, raw honey i have been on a daily basis my seasonal allergies will be reduced. they usually hit me by now and so far i’ve only dealt with some minor post-nasal drip- so far, so good!) that’s it though, besides honey and fruit i’m not consuming any other sugars. since limiting myself to fruit and honey, the blood sugar crashes i used to experience on a daily basis have become a thing of the past- which is the exact result i was after.

another benefit is that i am eating less since i’m not panicking while mid-crash and grabbing whatever horrible food is most convenient so i can bring my blood sugar back up quick.  for me, nothing is worse than a blood sugar crash and it was something i thought i was going to have to live with forever. it amazes me that the answer is so simple and effective! sure, i miss doughnuts a ton (!) but when i think of how sick they make me feel after maybe five minutes of eating pleasure, it’s just not worth it. that’s not to say i won’t have one for my birthday next month but hey, sometimes you just have to indulge. i guess i’m finally learning that indulgence is not an every day thing- or even an every month thing. perhaps i’m just redefining my definition of indulgence cos truth be told, an apple with peanut butter is a pretty amazing snack too.

happy juicing!

Day 1 down! I even went out for dinner last night at one of my favorite places to get a burger but ordered one of the salads I’ve been meaning to try forever instead with a cup of vegan tomato bisque. Suffering from a life-long syndrome wherein my eyes are always bigger than my stomach, I was really worried this wouldn’t be enough food but luckily, the mixed green salad was about as large as my head and heaped high with julienned carrots and beets and just enough lemon miso dressing to make it really delicious. I’m sure that salad alone counted as at least three veg servings and since I already had two veg servings at breakfast and lunch, I feel like I’m off to a pretty great start! When it came to my usual whiskey drink I skipped it and stuck to water. Huzzah!

Today I want to talk about eating vegetables. First off, what is a serving size? Experts deem a vegetable serving as ½ a cup or 1 full cup in the case of leafy vegetables. So if you’re eating a more substantial vegetable, such as carrots, broccoli, celery, etc. it’s pretty quick and easy to eat ½ a cup. I admit, I am not good at snacking on veggies but replacing your daily non-veg snack with some vegetables and a tablespoon or two of hummus or your favorite nut butter- or some herbed yogurt for you dairy eaters- is an easy way to get in those servings.

My favorite trick is to make sure I start the day with my first serving. I do this by making fresh juices that I drink as part of my breakfast. To clarify, when I say juice, this is not something I make using a juicer. I don’t want to discourage anyone who does, but I believe a lot of the goodness in produce comes from its fiber. Juicers remove most or all fiber so I just blend everything together in my blender or food processor instead. Some could argue I’m making a smoothie, but I kinda hate that word and feel like smoothies usually incorporate dairy, which I never use.

My typical juice recipe starts with a base of chard or kale. You could also use spinach. To sweeten it up, I’ll add some banana and pineapple. I usually mince some fresh ginger to add as it’s a natural anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and is said to have restorative properties. Next I’ll add some protein by way of hemp seeds, which contain 10 grams of protein per three tablespoons and are rich in vitamins, minerals and omega fatty acids. To thin it all out into a more juice-like consistency, I like to add fresh-squeezed grapefruit and orange juices. After I’ve juiced my citrus, I pick out any seeds and add the left over pulp to the blender too. Blend it all together for a few minutes and you’ve got a delicious addition to your breakfast and can feel good knowing you’ve already gotten your first veg out of the way. It’s also a great way to eat those cruciferous greens that are so good for you but not everyone enjoys the flavor of. I would argue you can’t really taste the greens through all the fruit.

{This week I used blood oranges in my juice.}

The great thing I’ve learned about making juices is that you really don’t need a recipe and can usually just use whatever you have on hand. On occasion I’ll switch up my fruit from banana & pineapple, using dried figs, kiwi or mango instead. I sometimes use raw cashews or protein powder in place of hemp seeds. If I forget to pick up oranges and grapefruits, I’ve used coconut water or almond milk to thin out my juices instead. It’s really one of those things you just need to play around with until you find a formula you enjoy. The sky’s really the limit!

When it comes to lunch, I like to knock out another veg serving or two so I don’t have to worry about getting in all my servings at dinner. Dinner is especially difficult being that my husband is way not into the foods I would eat if it were just me and I end up eating dinners consisting of mostly meat and carbs.

During the warmer months, I tend to eat large salads for lunch. My green of choice is kale. Some people have a hard time digesting raw kale, spinach or mixed greens would work just as well. I seem to have an iron stomach though and kale has never given me any issues. A good trick I learned recently is to massage your kale leaves, which helps break them down and make them more easily digestible. After removing the stem from the leaves and slicing them into more manageable pieces, I like to massage the leaves as it makes them more compact, meaning I can fit even more into my bowl. For me, a kale salad alone makes up 4 veg servings as I start with 4 packed cups worth of leaves which I then massage down by rubbing the leaves with 1/3 of an avocado and a pinch of salt.

The avocado and salt serves as a dressing, though you could probably add a small amount of your favorite dressing for even more flavor. By itself, I find avocado rubbed kale to be pretty darn good, but you can add all kinds of other things for even more flavor and texture. One of my favorite additions is what I have termed “herb salad” which is just green onions, cilantro and shredded carrots diced together. I’ll add a quarter cup of this mixture to my kale and finish it off with sliced cherry tomatoes, black beans or black eyed peas and maybe some raw sunflower seeds or slivered almonds. In just one meal, I’ve gotten in five or more veg servings!

I know 4 cups of kale is a lot, and you can definitely start smaller and still get in 1-2 veg servings with a lunch salad.

Another great way to get in veg servings at lunch if salads aren’t your thing, or you’re looking for more comforting food, is with soup. I tell you what, after three months of eating a kale salad for lunch every day, I was dying for something warm to eat! So once fall hit, I switched from salads to soup. I have two great recipes that I rotate and I love them both so much, I never get sick of either! Here’s the recipe for what I’ve been eating lately, which is easily made vegan and is chock full of veg!

Sausage Vegetable Farro Soup

via Clean Eating Magazine

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup red onion, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup carrots, sliced

3/4 cup parsnips, chopped

1 cup faro (soak in water for 15 minutes and drain)

2 cups fresh or frozen brussel sprouts, halved

1 28 oz. can no salt diced tomatoes

1/2 Italian flat-leaf parsely, roughly chopped

10 oz. pre-cooked sausage (I use a vegan sausage substitute but you can use whatever sort you like, just get the link kind)

In a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, saute celery and onion in oil for 3 minutes. In a large pot on medium-high heat, add sauteed vegetables, broth, carrots, parsnips and farro. Cook for 15 minutes. Then add Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, parsley and sausage. Bring to a boil over high heat and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving: Calories: 150, Total Fat: 3.5 g, Sat. Fat: I g, Carbs: 22 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 8 g, Sodium: 300 mg, Cholesterol: 15 mg

My husband usually turns his nose up at soup, complaining that it’s not filling or flavorful enough but he loves this one!

Do you have any tricks for getting your fill of vegetables?

happy valentimes! i said it last year and it still holds true, valentines day is my second favorite holiday of all times. i have never understood those bitter folk- you know the ones!- who so flippantly dismiss it as a gimmick to sell cards, flowers and chocolates- cos even if it is, what better small industries to support! in fact, i would recommend ink & peat, egg press, hello lucky, theo and alma. ahem.

i would argue that even as a single lass oh so many years ago, i still loved v-day because in such an abysmal time of year, it offers a happy bright spot of cheery flowers, happy hearts and sparkling glitter. what’s not to love??

and so it is that i am happy to bring you my annual valentines mix tape, v.13. please to enjoy-

v.13 from votregrandesoeur on 8tracks Radio.

here’s a little taste of what’s been keeping me busy lately …

sewing class! last saturday i took in some old jcrew capri’s, that despite their bright hues, wore like soccer mom apparel. so i shortened them to, well, shorts. and then i get home, crack open the jcrew catalog that came while i was in class and voila! i magically predicted and made this seasons shorts. total magic.

VGS,
allison b-t

and again with the radio silence. blogging is hard work, you guys! i have lots of music i want to share but i don’t want this to become just a music blog, so instead i post nothing? like i said, blogging is hard work and figuring out how you want to present your blog is even harder. and i’ve been busy. my new job is going really well but also kicking my ass. when i get home in the evening, i can barely see straight, let alone use my brain. it’s being used up learning new federal compliance rules. totes fun- except not.

but i’ve also been doing things- just like i posted about here, for me 2012 is the year of doing. so i got a rowing machine recently and am working on getting in shape. and maybe i have it facing the tv so i can watch k-dramas while i row, but it’s multi-tasking! currently i’m watching ‘secret garden‘ which is pretty awesome. a chaebol falls in love with a stunt woman, she resists him and then they go to a spooky chicken shack in the jeju island woods, drink medicinal wine full of fake flowers and switch bodies! hilariousness ensues. naturally! i don’t know why more people don’t watch k-dramas. i try to spread the good word but now i know what door-to-door religion peddlers feel like. ok, not really. but seriously, you should check out k-dramas. next on my list is ‘my girlfriend is a gumiho‘ (i thought a “gumiho” might be a chick who sluts it up for haribo but it’s actually a mythical nine-tailed fox. DUH.)

and yesterday i started sewing class.

{what i did in class yesterday}

 
i’m sure i’ve written before about my childhood dream of being a fashion designer? if not, now you know when i was a kid i dreamed of being a fasion designer. when i was 13 i learned to sew pillows and scrunchies in home ec. then i asked my mom to teach me how to make clothing from patterns. i love my mom but she is not the best teacher. i definitely inherited my impatience from her and she took the project over within an hour of trying to show me what to do and made the dress herself. to her credit i’ll admit that i was probably whining a lot and proclaiming i couldn’t do it.

since then i have tried making super simple items like curtains and table runners and it’s been pretty disastrous. i was convinced that i was doomed to never learn how to sew. so i am super happy to report that my first sewing class yesterday was great. i learned stuff (including why my previous attempts turned out so disastrously!), practiced sewing techniques and didn’t break any needles or mis-thread my machine. i am super pumped and looking forward to next weeks class wherein we learn about adding zippers and making button holes. scary stuff! but i sewed a shoulder seam yesterday and got it on my first go … at least, i did if i am going for pleating on the shoulders. which i do love so yeah.

it never occurred to me that sewing required practice but we were told it totally does so i’m gonna start practicing sewing in circles, sewing shoulder seams and sewing in straight lines. next thing you know i’ll be writing about my new clothing line! seriously though, i am feeling totes optimistic about this.

i am hoping to write a little more this week but my sister gets in wednesday from north carolina, where she’s been for two years. i haven’t seen her since she left those two years ago, and she had a daughter now! i’ll be meeting my five month old niece, leilani, for the first time so this week may be even more hectic. we’ll see. i’ll get this blogging thing down someday.

VGS,
allison b-t

happy monday! the weekend is over but the sun is out and shining and it really feels like spring here in portland. i know it won’t last but i’m trying to live in the here and now and dang is it nice to feel the sun on my face.

back to the weekend, i spent most of mine cooking. i have been working on a certain recipe for the last few weeks, trying to perfect it. i came so close on saturday, only to leave it in the oven too long, resulting in a tough and chewy brick. wah! the one good thing that came out of it is that regardless of over-cooking said dish, i definitely perfected an aspect of it’s construction. yay! even if it was pretty much inedible. i will tackle it again next weekend, hopefully the third time is the charm! i can’t wait to share the finished, perfect results with you.

i also made mini corn dog muffins, via iowa girl eats–

they were so easy and delicious … and i say that as someone who HATES corn dogs! i took them to a friend’s super bowl shindig and they were a big hit. i just discovered iowa girl eats a few weeks ago but she must be very popular because someone else brought her buffalo chicken dip and our hostess said she had almost made mini corn dog muffins too. i am looking forward to trying more IGE recipes in the near future!

this weekend also saw the release of jason wu’s line for target. typically, i don’t pay much heed to target’s designer collabs but seeing yelle’s julie budet in attendance at his release party made me take note. isn’t she so pretty?!

{photos courtesy of zimbio.com}

after previewing the collection beforehand, i decided to make an effort to pick up a few pieces, most notably the black pleated skirt. though i’ve all but weeded black out of my wardrobe, a cute, swingy black pleated skirt seemed like a worthy investment. recalling the craziness of missoni’s target launch last fall, i made plans to get up at the crack of dawn on sunday and get to my local target at least 20 minutes before their 8 AM opening time … then my alarm went off and i decided sleep was more important than cute clothes. ha!

i did however make it there in the evening and was happily surprised that there were a few items left, in my size even! and i have to say, everything is much cuter and nicer when seen in person. here is my haul, including that swingy black pleated skirt—

i have purchased target/designer collab items in the past and have passed on even more as the quality is usually pretty poor. really, i was pretty delighted by how well made the wu/target line is. yes, everything is 100% polyesther but the actual construction, detailing and fit are fantastic. i tend to gravitate towards bright jewel tones, neons and whimsical prints to make up my wardrobe so i decided it was ok to add these few delicate and feminine pieces which are feminine/modern,  parisienne and so comme un enfant! i definitely don’t have any pieces like these in my wardrobe and am so excited to have the new additions.

prior to arriving at target, i predicted the milo cat shopper would be THE key piece of the collection and sure enough, the sales associate i spoke to said the bags (and milo print scarves) sold out right away in the AM. a quick ebay search after i got home showed they’re selling for $80-$130 a pop. youch! despite my clothes horse tendencies, i couldn’t care less about bags and while the cat shopper would have been nice to have, i am not too bummed at missing out.

i hope you had a nice weekend too!

VGS,
allison b-t

another weekend come and gone- i hope you all had a nice one!

i spent my saturday trying out a new recipe (more on that in a future post) and decided to make fresh strawberry syrup instead of using the smuckers strawberry syrup said recipe called for. a quick google search found that there are many ways to make strawberry syrup, but none were exactly to my liking (read: dead simple). so i borrowed certain elements from two different recipes i had found and made some of my own adjustments. it just seemed to make sense. and the results were wonderful!

first, buy some fresh or frozen strawberries. i bought frozen since it’s not exactly strawberry season right now–

let your strawberries thaw and then run them through a food processor a few times until they’re broken up a bit. i tend to over-process everything but this time i used the pulse button just a few times and the result was perfect. (if you’re using fresh berries, cut them into quarters.) now, add sugar and mix it all together until the sugar has dissolved/mingled fully with your strawberries. then, add some liquor and mix it in well too. many recipes i saw called for grand mariner or orange liquor and while i had some of that too, i decided to be turn the fancy up a notch and used st. germaine elder flower liquor. once mixed well, i had a very lovely strawberry mash–

the mash then went into a pot on the stove and was brought up to boiling with lots of frequent stirring–

pretty soon the mash began to thicken–

just keep stirring to ensure it doesn’t burn. you may also want to turn the heat down a bit at some point- my syrup began to leap out of the pot a little bit at a time, splattering me, my stove top and counters. i suggest lowering the heat as far as you can while keeping the boil going.

after 10-15 minutes, it was done. i don’t have a scientific method for determining when it’s done, you can just kinda tell. it should be thick and not run quickly off your spoon. it will also thicken up more as it cools. trust your gut.

i tried to strain my syrup but it was far too thick to run through my sieve. in the end that ended up being fine as the resulting product i made with my syrup contained no odd chunks of fruit or annoying seeds. i mean, there were a few seeds of course but nothing to write home about. plus, i like the odd reminder that you made something from scratch with fresh ingredients. otherwise, you might as well just use the pre-made, processed version, right?

here’s my recipe:

16 ounces of fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup fancy liquor such as orange or elder flower

chop your berries into quarters or lightly process in the cuisinart until broken up into small pieces. stir in sugar and liquor, mix thoroughly until sugar is dissolved/absorbed completely. add to a pot over high heat, stir often and bring to a boil. once boiling, reduce heat but keep the boil going. stir frequently to keep mixture from burning and splattering too much. boil for 10-15 minutes until mixture thickens. once mixture is thick, remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes. use warm or store in the refrigerator for later use.

i can’t share yet what i used my syrup for (hoping next week), but you can use it to top waffles, pancakes, scones, ice cream, or pound cake. i would also think it could be used as a rather thick glaze for cookies, or even as a sandwich cookie filling. i can even see using it on sticky buns in lieu of icing. really, the possibilities are endless. enjoy!

VGS,
allison b-t