• 2 pounds strawberries, hulled
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 whole lemon, juiced

1. Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Bring to a gently boil, stirring constantly, and allow the strawberries to cook for a good 5 minutes, or until the strawberries are very soft.
3. Turn off the heat and use a potato masher to completely smush them to smithereens.
4. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl.
5. Use a spoon to stir the fruit so the liquid is forced through. Continue until most all of the liquid is in the bowl.
6. Set the pulp aside in case you want to add some of it back to the finished sauce.
7. Skim as much foam off the sauce as you can.
8. Pour the skimmed sauce back into the same saucepan and boil again for 3 minutes over medium-high heat.
9. Skim any more foam that has formed on the surface, then allow the sauce to cool slightly before pouring it into a pitcher or jar.
10. Add a little of the pulp back into the sauce if you like the texture, or just leave it plain.
11. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream, or refrigerate it to thicken and serve it cold. (You can reheat the sauce after refrigerating if you like.)

recipe: thepioneerwoman.com // photo: chowstatic.com