Strawberry oranges

This weekend, I mostly vegged (and partly fruited. You'll see.) And it was about time! I got some (nightmare-free) sleep, played innumerable games of Scrabble, cleaned my bathroom, and had my parents over for Father’s Day.

The last one was a surprise, and so I didn’t have anything sweet to serve my dad (short of chocolate chips, which only belong in cookies. They are not candy and are certainly not edible on their own. That is just wrong.) I had to give him tea and baked chips and I was able to scrounge up a can of mixed nuts from which I had already eaten out the cashews. Sorry, Dad!

But I did drag myself up from the couch on Saturday afternoon to make a yummy strawberry-orange sauce to pour over yogurt or ice cream. For The Clever Cat's Sweet and Sassy Strawberry Sauce, see recipe:

• 2 lbs. frozen strawberries (cheap and easy. I guess you could use fresh, but why bother?)
• ¹/₄ c. Splenda
• Zest and juice of one Valencia orange (if you get some orange flesh in there while squeezing, that's also good)
• Pinch salt

Dump it all into a saucepan over medium-low heat. After about three minutes the berries will start to break down and become juicy. Cook another 10 or so minutes on medium heat, and check the sweetness. Add more Splenda if you like (the recipe I adapted had the Splenda at ½ cup). Let cool. Blend into a smooth sauce if you feel fancy (to drizzle directly on plates, nouvelle cuisine style) or leave with full berries. Serve over ice cream, yogurt, or cake, or as the amazing base for a smoothie! The orange is very pronounced and tangy. For a less strong taste, just add one or two tablespoons to brighten up the berries. It will look loose, but it thickens somewhat as it cools. Enjoy!