It’s hard to believe we’re nearly half-way through the month of March, with April right around the corner. Here in NE Ohio, while we’ve had several inches of snow fall (and melt) this past week, you can catch a glimpse of budding trees, the first blooms of crocuses, and daffodil stems peeking through remnants of autumn leaves—all hopeful signs of Spring!
Another sure sign of Spring for me is seeing more and more fresh produce at the market, after the long hard winter. 
I love walking into the produce section and seeing mountains of brightly colored berries inspiring me to transform them into something delectable!
“Spring ahead” with this next recipe for a Fresh Strawberry Sauce that is so simple to make, yet delightfully full of fresh vibrant flavor, your family will think you are a culinary genius.
This versatile sauce can be used as an ice cream topping, pancake, French toast and waffle topping, pie, tart and pastry filling, and can be soaked into shortcakes or buttery pound cake topped with fresh whipped cream! 
And if you’re like my husband, you just eat it straight from the jar! It’s a recipe you’ll use all spring and summer long, and never tire of.
Simple & Scrumptious Strawberry Sauce
2 Quarts Fresh Strawberries
1 ½ cups White Sugar
¼ cup Corn Starch
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Lemon Juice
¼ – ½ Tsp freshly grated Ginger (optional)
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Love – a little goes a long way!
Rinse and hull berries (remove stems with a paring knife) and cut into quarters. In a 4 qt stock pot, add berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice and optional ginger, and gently stir so all the berries are coated with the mixture (which is fairly dry at this point). 
On medium-low heat let mixture come to a light simmer, stirring as the berries start to release their juices. Continue to heat on medium and stir as the mixture comes to a light boil while sauce thickens for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow sauce to cool completely before using.
This recipe yields about 3 pints of sauce/filling that will stay good in the refrigerator for 7-10 days in sealed jars or containers but honestly, you’ll most likely use it up much sooner!
Notes:
1) The optional addition of freshly grated ginger adds a mildly spicy layer to the flavor profile—if you love fresh ginger, I encourage you to add it for a sophisticated kick!
2) The same ingredients and instructions can be used for Fresh Blueberry Sauce—just substitute fresh blueberries for the strawberries!
Enjoy!
