Old Fashion Cranberry Sauce

 

I know it is not Thanksgiving yet, but in my region of the world, it is cranberry harvesting time.

I know that a lot of people think that cranberries grow under water. But, that is not the case. The night before cranberries are picked, the bog is flooded with water.

Then mechanical “eggbeaters” loosen the cranberries and they float to the surface. Once the cranberries are floating on top of the water, they can be gathered together. Cranberries harvested this way are used to make cranberry juice and other cranberry products.

Fresh cranberries, the ones you buy in the produce aisle every fall, are harvested using the “dry” process. It’s the best way to harvest perfect cranberries.

Using this method, cranberry growers use a mechanical picker which kind of looks like a large lawnmower. This mechanical cranberry picker has metal teeth that comb the cranberries off the vine.

Old fashion cranberry sauce is easy, quick and yes, fun to make. It is a staple at Thanksgiving, but I love to use it as jam, as a glaze for pork or chicken and I also like to stir cranberry sauce in oatmeal.

Like Grand Mom Used to Make

Cranberries Starting to POP

Ingredients

12 oz fresh cranberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Directions

Wash and clean the cranberries.

Place cranberries and water in a medium pot. Over medium heat bring to a boil, until the cranberries start to pop (crack and split). Add the sugar and continue to boil over medium heat stirring frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Chill and serve cold.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

I bought extra cranberries, so I decided to can a batch so I would have some old fashion cranberry sauce when cranberries are not in season.

Canned Cranberry Sauce

There is nothing like fresh cranberry sauce!

Enjoy!

Maery

Cabbage Braised with Onions and Cumin

Yes, I know. You’re probably thinking Cumin? Isn’t that the spice used in curry dishes? Well, yes, it is, but- Cumin happens to be one of those underused and under rated spices.

Cumin is a fragrant spice with a distinctive bitter flavor and a strong, warm aroma. Cumin is native to the Mediterranean and Cumin can be used in any dish instead of black pepper.

I bet you didn’t know that Cumin “seeds” are actually the small dried fruit of a plant that is in the parsley family. Simple ingredients come together with minimal effort to make this side dish pop.

Cabbage Braised with Onions & Cumin

Ingredients

1 head cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper
½ teaspoon Cumin

Directions

Wash the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Slice the cabbage real thin. Set the sliced cabbage aside. Heat a medium skillet/sauté pan over medium high heat. When pan is hot add the oil and butter. As soon as the butter melts, add the sliced onion and cook until soft for about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage, cumin, salt, pepper and stir together. Cover pan and cook on low until the cabbage is soft, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Pumpkins for Halloween

If you’ve been on the internet lately I’m sure you have notice the incredible amount of Halloween information across the internet including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Well, with Halloween less than a week away, I have decided that I too will jump on the Halloween bandwagon.

Decorating pumpkins for Halloween is one of my favorite things to do. There are so many ways you can decorate pumpkins without craving them.

I found these on the Better Homes and Gardens website. I’ve included the link for all of their pumpkin decorating ideas and I’ve also included a few of my favorites.

I thought this one was really cool and would make a festive center piece for Halloween.

Floating Candles Craved Pumpkin

I think this gold leaf pumpkin is very elegant

Gold Leaf Painted Pumpkin

These are colorful and fun!

Pretty decorated pumpkins

Here’s the link for all of their pumpkin decorating ideas.

Outdoor Halloween Decorating with Pumpkins from Better Homes and Gardens.

If you do decide you want to go the traditional route and crave your pumpkin-save those pumpkin seeds and try this recipe for Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds.

Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

Pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 pinch cumin

1/4 pinch cayenne

1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove seeds from pumpkin. Wash seeds, remove the stringy membranes and spread seeds on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the seeds from the oven. Toss the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil, salt, add the cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and honey.  Return the pan to the oven and cook coated seeds until golden, about 15 minutes. Scrape pan and stir seeds as they cool to prevent sticking. Serve after the seeds have cooled.

Swiss chard Sautéed with Orange

I’m always looking for more ways to add more fresh greens into my diet. Fall is the perfect time to find local fresh greens. I’m fortunate that I live in an area where there are a lot of farms and produce stands.

I recently came across some fresh local Swiss chard. Swiss chard is a green leafy vegetable, which is highly nutritious and is considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables available.

Swiss chard cooks up similar to spinach and if you can’t find swiss chard, you could use spinach instead of Swiss chard

This recipe for Swiss chard is easy and quick and makes a wonderful side dish for pork, chicken and steak.

Swiss chard Sautéed with Orange

Ingredients

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 bunches Swiss chard (large stems removed), leaves cut into 1-inch strips

1 Orange-Juiced

Zest from 1 orange cut into wide strips

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add Swiss chard and orange zest. Cook stirring frequently about 4 minutes until the swiss chard wilts. Season with salt and black pepper.  Add the juice of the orange and toss to coat. Serve hot.