Tag: cranberry

Due to Tele falling ill this week, I was in charge of the Thanksgiving meal. I had no choice but to step up and accomplish the task. So, I did. I made the whole meal.

I forgot to take pre-eating pictures of the Thanksgiving table, but I did get you the after pics.

The left side of the table in clockwise order: mashed potatoes, Praline Yams, Whole Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Relish, StoveTop Cornbread Stuffing, and HoneyBaked Ham.

The right side of the table starting from the back of the table and moving forward: Dutch Apple Pie with Never-Fail Pie Crust, Sweet Corn Muffins, Cranberry Salad, CornBread, Honey Maid Cinnamon Sticks and Bees for the fluff, Fluff with fresh strawberries, PineCone Spread with Original Triscuits.

Not pictured but included in the food lineup of the evening: Corn on the cob roasted under the broiler and Chatham Village Cranberry Herb Stuffing.

The only thing I didn't get to make was my grandma's Pumpkin Cookies. But the apple pie was so yummy it was okay that the cookies were missing.

My mother's family has Thanksgiving the Saturday before the actual holiday so as to free everyone up for other obligations. This year was no exception. We opted to go potluck style this time around. I was in charge of whole cranberry sauce, cranberry salad and rolls.

For the rolls I made:

• one batch of Buttery Rolls shaped as crescents
• one double batch of Cornbread baked in my Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker
• one batch of Susan's Farm House White Bread shaped into 36 rolls and baked on two cookie sheets

It seems like a lot of work, but it wasn't. Both cranberry dishes are make-ahead, so no pressure there. I made the Farm House White Rolls the day before. The dough for the Buttery Rolls was put in the fridge the afternoon before so they could be shaped, risen and baked the morning of. And I made the Cornbread the night before. So there you have it. Five different dishes all made in a day and a half with low stress!

I found this recipe last year and decided I would never again open a can of Whole Cranberry Sauce. It is so simple you won't believe you ever used the canned stuff either. The recipe is on the back of Paradise Meadow Cape Cod Cranberries and while many other great recipes can be found on their site, this one is not listed there. So I have listed it here for you.

Whole Cranberry Sauce

• 1 (12 oz) bag or 3 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold water

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan. Boil rapidly until berries pop open (approximately 5 minutes). Cool.
Yield: 3-4 cups.

This Cranberry Salad recipe is another passed on from my aunt. I have been making it for several years now and always get excellent reviews. It is a great dish for the summer time as well.

Start this dish the evening before you are serving it. In the morning stir in the remaining ingredients and the dish will be ready when you need it. A great make-ahead dish.

Be sure to buy cranberries in November and store them in your freezer (they keep for 1 year that way). Cranberries are not available the rest of the year.

Cranberry Salad

• 1 bag (12 oz) cranberries
• 2 cups sugar

Grind the cranberries using a food processor. Put into a bowl and combine with the sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• 1 bag (10.5 oz) marshmallows
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

In a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients to the cranberry mixture, stir. Refrigerate for at least one our before serving.

I loves my spicy foods. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of my four year old son, so there have to be compromises made.

Or do there? Southeast Asian cooking styles have been around for a long time, balancing capsaicin-induced heat with sweetness.

First, I chopped up a couple of center-cut pork chops into long strips, and seasoned them with black pepper and red pepper. While those sauteed in butter, I put approximately two cups of cranberry juice and one cup of white wine in a saucepan to reduce. Finally, I pulled out the frozen california mix (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot) and steamed it.

Once the pork got going, I poured some sirracha on it, browned it, and set it off to the side. Then, I cooked the steamed vegetables (with a little more pepper and sirracha) in the same skillet. Finally, I reintroduced the pork, and poured the cranberry reduction (now about 2/3 its original volume) back over the top.

It was like a Taiwanese Thanksgiving. I wholeheartedly endorse this type of cooking- just make sure not to go over the top with either sweet or spicy.