Plum Compote - PUBLISHED

My wonderful mom and sister are visiting and it's early spring. Not a lot of fresh stuff to eat on the farm. However, I still have a bunch of frozen plums in the chest freezer. My mom likes fruits and veg and my sister likes desserts. So I made this, which we ate with plain cake and it was plate-licking good.

2 lbs Italian prune plums, pitted
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (quantity depends on sweetness of plums, and personal taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsps vanilla extract.

1. Stew the plums in a pot with the sugar, cinnamon sticks and vanilla with the lid on, mixing occasionally. About 20 minutes.
2. When the plums have released their liquids remove the lid and keep at a medium simmer. 
3. Continue to cook until enough of the liquid has evaporated to thicken the juice into a sauce, about another 15-20 minutes to my taste, but maybe more or less for yours.