Banana Split Sauce

I know we've all done it at least once, and this week it happened to me. I saw the pretty box of strawberries in the grocery store, and just grabbed one. Well, I didn't really take the time to look at them, or I would have noticed that most of the berries were way under-ripe. I was distracted with other things, and mindlessly picked them up with out thinking.

When I got home I opened them and found to my dismay that all but a few of the strawberries were just blah. My son and I ate the few ripe ones we found, and I took some of the moderately ripe ones and mixed them with sugar to top some ice cream, creating a serviceable dessert. Now what to do with the rest of the 3 pound box? (Oh, did I mention it was the huge box?) My thought had originally been to make a batch of jam since we are out, but these berries just weren't up to the task.

I scanned the items in my cabinets and started to formulate a plan. Maybe if I cooked them with some sugar and added some other ingredients that play well with strawberries I could create a sauce. And I was so right. You are going to love this sauce but be warned; it is not low calorie in any way. It is so rich! It went really well on both ice cream for dessert and on waffles for breakfast (although I felt the need to take a nap after breakfast, so maybe this should be saved for a weekend) I'm sure you will enjoy this as much as we do, and it will become a regular on your table.

Banana Split Sauce

4 cups of cut up strawberries

2 cups sugar (or amount your berries need)

8 oz can pineapple tidbits

juice of 1 lemon

¼ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons water

¼ chopped nuts (I had walnuts)

1 cup chocolate chips

banana (at serving time)

Combine the berries, sugar, juice from the pineapple (reserve pineapple to add in a little while), lemon juice and salt. Allow this to simmer until the berries are soft and sugar is dissolved. Mash the berries (a potato masher works well for this) and taste. Add more sugar if needed.

Combine the cornstarch and water and stir into strawberry mixture, bring to a simmer and stir constantly until thickened. Add the reserved pineapple and the nuts/

Allow to cool for a bit then add the chocolate chips.

To serve spoon the warm sauce over sliced bananas on your favorite base. This goes incredibly well over both ice cream and waffles. I am sure that both pancakes and pound cake would be awesome as well.