2024. The year the second book publishes. The year Caleb turns six. Hazel turns two. The year full of promises I can see from here.
New Year's: appetizers, cider, pot-banging. Hazel slept through it. (She'll sleep through the apocalypse.)
Ryan and I toasted at midnight. No grand speeches.
'To 2024,' he said.
'To staying,' I said.
'To staying.'
The military wife's impossible wish. The wish that this year, we don't get orders. That this base, this school, this kitchen stays ours for another twelve months.
Mom called at midnight Eastern. Dad asleep since nine — repotting basil at eight-thirty on New Year's Eve.
Dad. Basil. 8:30 PM. The man who survived Kandahar, retired from the Navy, and now repots herbs at bedtime. There are worse endings.
Caleb starts the new year with his cookbook obsession intact. He's memorized three recipes and recites them like prayers. Peanut butter sandwich: 'Two bread, peanut butter, spread, cut triangle.' The theology of lunch.
Hazel starts the new year walking, talking, and expressing opinions about cup colors with the fervor of a political activist.
Made French toast for New Year's Day. The January food. Sweet start, new year.
2024. To staying. Let's see what happens.
French toast on New Year’s Day felt like the only right answer — warm, a little sweet, unhurried — exactly the kind of morning that matches a quiet midnight toast and a wish to stay put. I drizzled this homemade apple syrup over the top, and it was the kind of small, good thing that makes you believe the year ahead might actually hold. Caleb approved. Hazel had opinions about the bowl color. Ryan had seconds.
Apple Syrup
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple juice or apple cider
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Combine base ingredients. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the apple juice, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3–4 minutes.
- Thicken the syrup. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour the slurry into the simmering syrup while stirring constantly. Continue to cook for 2–3 minutes until the syrup thickens to a pourable, glossy consistency.
- Finish with butter. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the butter until fully melted and incorporated. This gives the syrup a rich, silky finish.
- Serve warm. Pour over French toast, pancakes, or waffles immediately. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week; reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 112 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 8mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 404 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
