My Own Little Thanksgiving Tradition

It was about ten years ago, while having Thanksgiving at my Aunt and Uncle's, that I was first inspired to attempt my hand at homemade cranberry sauce. I'd been raised eating the tidy round slices of canned cranberry sauce. And I was highly suspect of the canned version, if only because it was too similar in shape and color for me to be sure if I was getting a tart sweet treat... or a mouth full of beets. I'd never given making it myself a second thought. Fast forward to the morning of that fateful day when my cousin started cooking up a batch on the stove.

It was quick and simple. She didn't embellish it much, but embellish it she did. And it was delicious. It was more than delicious, it was heavenly. I kept that experience in the back of my mind, disappointed at subsequent gatherings when my cousin (and her, in my mind, famous cranberry sauce) was absent from the festivities due to the separation of an entire continent. Don't worry, cuz. I missed you, too.

My first Thanksgiving as a married young lady, I decided I needed to try my hand at making the sauce myself. My cousin's directives were simple and, for the most part, were reiterated on the back of the bag of cranberries I'd picked up from the market. The final result was great, but I could imagine more!

Since then, I have dabbled here and dabbled there, tweaking the recipe each year despite resounding exclamations of enjoyment from the masses. And this year I've had several friends fire messages my way, asking if I'd be willing to share my recipe. My homemade cranberry sauce has become my own little statement in the tradition that is Thanksgiving. I love filling the house with its fragrance, and it has become the herald of the start of the holidays in my home.  

So, I thought, in THANKS for all of you who are friends, family and followers, I am GIVING you my recipe. May you enjoy it and/or build upon it for years to come. Happy holidays to you all.  

CRANBERRY SAUCE - MY WAY
1 bag cranberries
1 navel orange, peeled and chopped
1 c sugar
1/4 c orange juice
3/4 c wine (I have used port, rose, zinfandel and riesling all with success)
dash each of ground cloves, cinnamon and allspice

Dump everything in a medium size sauce pan and place on medium-high heat. Stir it periodically to prevent sugar from scalding, cooking to a boil and/or until the berries pop.

Prepare the day before and chill for a good 8 hours. This will help the sauce thicken and let the flavors blend well.


This year, I decided to bolden things: I added the zest of one whole orange. I also augmented the liquids: 1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice, 1/4 c water and 1/4 c brandy, accented with 1 t lime juice.  MMMmmmmm. 

So, the rule of thumb is to keep the liquid quantity to 1 c, but play around with flavors. With wines, use 1/2-3/4 c and the rest can be water, juice, whatever. If you use a stronger alcohol, take it down to 1/4 c so the resulting flavor isn't too harsh.

Cheers.

Health Kick...

I have been silent for awhile. And to my fair loyalists who have been along for the ride, I am sorry. If you've missed me and ached for the next post... thank you. Sometimes it's nice to be missed for reasons other than a poopy diaper or a grumbling tummy.

So I am back, and I felt compeled to post tonight because of a 2 liter bottle in my home. It contains what some call soda. Others call it pop. Maybe you even take the time to say soda pop. Then there's cola and coke, specific flavors for soft drinks now used as a generic identifier for all things fizzy. If you're my grandma, you'd ask for soda water. And, no, she wasn't talking about Perrier.  With grandma, it was more likely Ginger Ale or some unique flavor of Faygo (back when it was in big clear bottles with minimalistic white labels, and they had names like "Frosh" or flavors like "Pineapple Orange").

The soda of my childhood; single bottles in a rainbow of colors.

Anyway, this particular soda is most lovely to look at. The clear bottle transforms the kitchen lights into crystaline ruby sparkles that catch the eye. It's red color reminds me of marachino cherries. The label touts the virtues of a fruit flavored beverage that has "100% Natural Flavors" and is "caffeine free".

Now before my health-nut friends go all crazy on me, I'll gently remind you that I am not in the habit of drinking soda.  It's the rare occasion that I'll partake of a diet soda, and I can't remember the last time I drank regular pop. And as I'm on a strict diet for a health issue, one that prohibits the intake of simple carbs, I assure you that it's not getting consumed in this household.

Having had a birthday party this past weekend, it was bound to happen that a family member would bring along a little something extra. And so here we are, a week after the celebrants are long gone, with 100 % Natural Flavors still hanging out in our fridge.

I wondered what set apart this particular carbonated beverage from others. I mean, really? Was it naturally brewed? Sweetened with apple juice instead of sugar? Had my family member made the virtuous choice and spared us all from one of those 'other' unsavory cola drinks that are so bad for us? Or was he snookered, like so many others, into believing that this purchase was somehow superior to those 'other' carbonated drinks that are so 'bad' for us?

Here's what the ingredient list says on the bottle in question: Carbonated Water, Sugar, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, Poassium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Potassium Citrate, Red 40, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), Blue 1. I should note that at the top of the nutrition label it says clearly "CONTAINS NO JUICE". The front of the bottle proclaims in all caps "Naturally Sweetened with REAL SUGAR".

The items that concern me are the Tartaric Acid (a naturally occurring alpha hydroxy agent that is used in skin cream. Yes, those creams that make your skin burn. I'd imagine the amount used in pop is way lower. Still, not keen on the idea of consuming an ingredient that makes my pop sour while simultaneously exfoliating my digestive tract...); the Potassium Benzoate, which has too many potential links to too many issues for me to feel good about consuming it; the Red 40; and the sugar content.  One serving of this pop has by weight what ends up being equivalent to about 9 teaspoons of sugar. When I still used sugar, I never placed more than 1 t in my 12 ounce cup of coffee. I can't imagine intentionally dropping 9 teaspoons into my drink.

And yes, I remember as a kid gleefully enjoying a Big Gulp of soda from the local 7 Eleven. Today, the idea of drinking that much soda makes me cringe (and feel slightly sick). And in the grander scheme of things I suppose a person could consume something way more awful that this soda that's in my fridge? 

I just know it's still sitting there, about to be dumped into the great soda graveyard in my sink. Hopefully the soda is as non-toxic to the groundwater as it supposedly is to our bodies.