Macerated Strawberries

It happened again.

I was on the phone the other morning with my SIL talking about her going to NYC for the weekend to visit my other SIL Unfortunately, I decided to have this conversation while walking the dog and wearing my AirPods.

As we were discussing how cold it would be and what the chances for snow vs. rain were, along came another woman walking her dog.  Not wanting to be rude, I said good morning and then held up my phone and pointed to my ear.

“It looks like Saturday is going to be cold but no snow,” I told my SIL

“Where is that?” the woman asked me.

“Oh, I’m talking to my SIL about the weather in NYC,” I answered, once again holding up my phone and tucking my hair behind my ear.

She just smiled at me.

“Looks like all the bad weather will be over by Friday, so Sunday will be fine too,” I continued.

I really don’t know why I felt the need to be Willard Scott, since she is perfectly capable of googling the same information as me, but I guess I was channeling my father that day.  I can literally be sitting in my parent’s apartment having just come in from the outside where he hasn’t been in the last 2 days and he will tell me not only the temperature, but the humidity level, speed of the wind and chance of precipitation, hurricane, flood, tornado  or cicada infestation in graphic detail.  There is a reason they say you become your parents….sadly, it’s because it is true! Next, I’ll be telling people how to heat up a can of soup and reheat dinner in the microwave(yes, there is a right way and a wrong way to do these things, and all you have to do is melt butter all over the microwave once for him to never forget it…sheesh)

“This is in New York?” the woman clarified.

“Um, yes. My SIL is going there,” I tried to hustle my dog along, but she seemed determined to sniff every blade of grass she could reach without moving from her spot.

“Um, okay,” she seemed perplexed by me continuing to talk about my SIL and New York.

Once again, I tried to show her I was on the phone.

“So what time do you leave?” I asked.

“Sorry?” the woman looked at me like I might need a little couch time with Doctor Phil…or some meds….or probably both.

“I’m on the phone with my SIL,” I finally had to say the words.

“Uh huh,” she murmured as she inched away, giving me the side eye and a wide berth.

Seriously, how am I either the only one in the world who talks on the phone without anyone realizing what I am doing, or else how do I consistently find people who have never seen AirPods before?

Ingredients:

• 1 (16oz) package of strawberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2-3 Tablespoons honey
• basil (or mint)
• Pistachios

Directions:

1. Wash and hull the strawberries.  Set aside.
2. In a small pot, bring the vinegar, water and honey to a boil, stirring.  Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
3. While the vinegar mixture is cooling, slice the strawberries into 1/4 inch slices and put them in a bowl that has a lid (or just cover it with plastic wrap or foil).  Add the vinegar, stir to combine and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
4. Top with chopped basil and chopped pistachios (you can also put the pistachios into a blender or grinder and turn them into a bread crumb consistency and sprinkle them on top.

Enjoy!