This Sauce Will Change Your Life

Maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but it has changed my life.  Readers...I introduce to you...Mandarano Balsamic Glaze.  (cue the angels singing)

What is it?  Other than a life-changing sauce, it is...

• Ketchup's older (according to the website, the recipe is 400 years old), much more sophisticated Italian cousin
• A balsamic vinegar reduction in a way-too-convenient bottle
• What has been on my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days

I love making a balsamic reduction...but it requires a great deal of time and patience.   Essentially, you just poor balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and literally let it 'reduce' over heat.   And I would say of the times I've made it, 1 out of 3 three times I look away for 10 seconds too long and ruin the reduction.  So, when I discovered you could buy this delicious and luxurious sauce in a bottle, I knew I had to try it.

To date, I've had it on:

• Fresh mozzarella (a classic) and goat cheese
• Granny Smith apples
• Strawberries
• As a garnish on caprese chicken (chicken breast marinated in balsamic vinegar and garlic, then sauteed  and topped with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato...or in my case, some roasted red peppers I needed to use up)  Nick proclaimed this dish Top Chef worthy (he's easily fooled by presentation).
• Scrambled eggs
• A spoon by itself

If you're interested, you can buy it here.  Anyone want to go in on a case?

I can't remember how exactly I came across it, but I know it started in one of those Pinterest wormholes where you start looking at one pin and then that takes you to some new website which takes you somewhere else and then, voila!  You're ordering balsamic glaze at 4AM.  Not that I did that or anything.

Oh, P.S.  I started the Lupron injections today.  I forgot how much fun it is to stick yourself with a needle every day.  Luckily, my trusty Nate the Needle coffee mug was there to keep me company.

P.P.S.  It's probably a sign of how laissez-faire I am about this cycle that only 5% of the words in this post were dedicated to IVF.  Very Zen.