Homemade strawberry syrup

I couldn't help it. I went to Lowe's last weekend and I got sucked over to one of the tables with someone giving away free samples. So, note to self, the rosemary olive oil bread is really tasty. There were also strawberries. And her selling point was that they were actually ripe and sweet, in January. And they were a two-fer purchase. So I bought a couple pints with no idea what I would do with them.

This morning I thought it was a pancake kind of morning. I opened the fridge and saw the strawberries. They were starting to turn on me, the traitors. I decided to make a quick syrup out of them. I combined 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar and cooked until the sugar was dissolved. I cooked it over low heat, mostly because I was unloading the dishwasher and drying rack at the same time and didn't want to have to babysit it. Then I rough chopped the strawberries. I added them to the simple syrup and turned up the heat. I boiled it on high for a few minutes, then turned the heat down to medium-high as the syrup darkened and some of the liquid had evaporated. You have to really pay attention at this point. You don't want it to stick and it progresses pretty quickly at this point. I also added a few drops of vanilla. I hate it when I see this in a recipe, but...I didn't really time it, so all I can say is that I cooked it until it was the consistency I wanted. All told, the strawberries cooked in the syrup for at least 15 minutes. Probably.

Honestly, what I made is probably more a strawberry compote than a syrup. Maybe if I cooked it for less time it would have been more syrup-y. What I do know is that it was just what I wanted.

Hot Toddies are Medicinal

The most awesome husband ever is making Hot Toddies tonight. Yep. That's right. My husband loves me.

A Toddy in a Toad

He's not been feeling well lately. There is a crud going around here and it's one of those things that lasts for a long time. I am in a kind of crud limbo. I sort of have it, but not really. Hopefully this is the worst I'll have of it. Jeffrey's also been grousing about the cold temperatures (we moved South for a reason, you know). So it's time to warm up, Maker's Mark style.

I remember my Dad once making a different kind of Toddy for me when I was a child. I had a terrible cough. He made me hot tea with honey and a little rum. Supposedly it was to soothe my throat, but mostly I think that he was making sure we all got some sleep that night.

And then a few years ago, I had bronchitis. I have never felt worse in my life. A C-section didn't make me feel as bad as bronchitis. I was so uncomfortable, and I couldn't even lie down to get some rest. And there was my Jeffrey to the rescue, with a Hot Toddy to soothe my aching chest. He made me one every night until I was better. I could so get used to that.

Jeffrey's version uses bourbon, lemon juice and honey. He juices half a lemon for two toddies and uses "a good squeeze" of honey. He heats the bourbon and lemon juice in the microwave and then adds the honey when it's hot. Or, he mixes it all together in a pot and heats it on the stove.

I don't know if it will cure the crud, but I do know that I will sleep well tonight.

What I got for Christmas - Part 1

I love food, cooking and books. So of course I love cookbooks. I especially love getting new ones. I think about all the possibilities and all the delicious food I'll be making.

This Christmas, I got two new cookbooks -- one from the awesome Jeffrey and one from his awesome parents.

Jeff got me Alton Brown's Good Eats -- The Early Years (more on the second cookbook gift in a future post). What a good choice! If you've never seen his television show on Food Network, I highly recommend catching an episode or 12. This is a chef who really understands how recipes work. He knows and is able to explain the science behind why ingredients go together or why cooking methods work the way they do.

This book (the first of three) is more than just a collection of recipes. It's also a collection of sometimes seemingly random trivia. He doesn't just give you his recommendations for how to build a great burger, for example. He talks about the kind of beef to use, gives tips about buns and explains why the only way to cook a burger is medium-rare (Amen to that).

This book has even more though. It has stories, and how I love a good story. The into is a Q&A with Alton asking and answering the questions. So from the first page, I was already doing what we call "dramatic readings" of the book as Jeffrey played his new video game. I haven't made it through very much yet, because I want to take my time with this one. I haven't even decided what I'll make first. I am leaning toward pimento cheese though. It may sound like an odd choice for a former Yankee/Southern girl transplant, but I have to make something for a baby shower luncheon, and I am thinking that might be just the thing.