Thanksgiving Tips and Fresh cranberry sauce recipe!

Thanksgiving is just days away and I don't know about you - but I can always use a few tips to make the gathering and meal more enjoyable.



So here are a few:

Do as much prep ahead of time as possible...duh, I know...but here are some examples.

1) Do any deep cleaning several days ahead, people won't be looking at baseboards or behind furniture anyway..
2) Clean oven!  That burnt food on the bottom of your oven will affect the flavor of whatever you are baking
3) Bake turkey the day before the meal, carve and pour juices over, then seal tightly and reheat on Thanksgiving at 325 for 45 minutes or an hour, but test after 1/2 hour...you don't want it to dry out!
4) Peel and slice potatoes the day before and put in pan of water in fridge.
5) Make cranberry sauce the day before-fresh is best and very easy! Recipe below..
6) Pies can be baked the day before as well, or even the week before and frozen


and 7) Take the phone off the hook after lunch and rest for an hour before everyone comes over! I highly recommend this - it helps revive me and can enjoy the evening so much better if I am rested and NOT stressed!

Last, but not least...if everything is not perfect, don't worry - your guests will enjoy the meal and their evening together if they sense that you are, too.  Remember: There is no perfection this side of eternity - but there can be a lot of fun if you maintain a sense of humor!

That's all I can think of for now...here's your fresh cranberry sauce recipe:

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
pinch of cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, dissolve sugar in orange juice.  Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 min). Remove from heat, sprinkle on cinnamon & place in a bowl. It will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!

Quote of the day: Smile! It's contagious! 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Cranberry/Orange/Nut Bread!

Autumn is definitely in the air in Missouri!  Didn't get out of the 40's today...cloudy, misty.  Perfect weather for baking, in my opinion, and I just happened to have some fresh cranberries on hand.

I've been baking this bread since our oldest was in Kindergarden because his teacher baked it and brought it to school and he loved it!  So she gave me the recipe and it's been a Bowler tradition every Fall since.  And that was in 1980! Thank you, Mrs. Napper!  She was a wonderful teacher and so great with the kids.  Teachers are very, very special people and deserve to be thanked and appreciated.

  

It's a very easy recipe and quick to make

real butter, orange juice, fresh cranberries, toasted pecans, eggs

This is what the finished product looks like....oh, man, I just love that aroma of just baked bread-cranberry-goodness!  I couldn't resist cutting a slice while still warm - it's the way I always enjoy my fresh baked goods....right out of the oven!  (Baker privilege, you know...!)  It's so moist it doesn't even need butter!

By the way...I obviously doubled this recipe...I usually do that so I can share with family or friends or just freeze some for later.  It freezes very well. I wrap it in foil or put it in a freezer bag.

A few of the fresh ingredients! I chop my cranberries in half only - I like larger pieces in my breads & muffins - and by the way, you can make this recipe as muffins as well!

Here's the original recipe...looks its age, doesn't it?

Here's the recipe:

Cranberry/Orange Nut Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp melted butter (real!)
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup orange juice (not concentrate)
1 cup cranberries, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Sift (or just stir together) flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl.
In smaller bowl, combine butter, egg and orange juice.  Add all at once to dry ingredients and stir. (I do it by hand, you don't want to over-beat it. I just stir it until evenly moist.) Fold in cranberries and nuts. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (I always check at about 45-50 minutes since ovens can vary).  Cool 5-10 min then remove from pan & place on wire rack.
Enjoy!

Quote of the day:
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for 30 years she served the family nothing but leftovers.  The original meal has never been found." ~Calvin Trillin