Recipe of the Week: Ultimate* Cranberry Sauce



The holiday season. It's a time for folks to gather together in peace and harmony. Well, the same is true of fruit. No, really! A couple of weeks ago on this very page (screen) we shared the story of the delightful union of the cranberry and the pear. Today we revisit these fine fruits to find they've forged a fantastic new friendship. The pear, the cranberry, the apple and the orange are all coming together for Thanksgiving and the result is an irresistable combination you'll love to invite to your table every year! (Also, there are pecans. Boy do we love pecans, and their role in this dish is one of the best we've seen outside of a pie-setting.)

*not to take anything away from the Cran-Peary Sauce recipe, but this one is pretty amazing.

Ultimate Cranberry Sauce

You need:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, peeled and pureed
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves
2. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir in the cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
3. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring ocassionally, until the cranberries burst
4. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature

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Recipe of the Week: Savory Apple Stuffing

Anybody can pour a box of prepared dried bread cubes into a pot of boiling water and later call it stuffing. But you're not anybody! Your family deserves better, and so does your turkey!
Maybe you're wondering why this turkey is emitting what appear to be golden rays of light. Well, it's because somebody filled it with the amazing savory cornbread and apple stuffing from this week's recipe. Sure, it's not as easy to make as that instant stuff - but just think how impressed your family will be when they gather around your golden-glowing bird!  And when they taste it? Well, don't be surprised if they start glowing, too!

Savory Apple Stuffing

You need:

• 1 (9x9) pan cornbread, crumbled
• 4 cups herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups apple juice
• 2 cups chopped apples
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Butter one 3 quart casserole dish
3. In a large bowl, combine the cornbread, stuffing mix, parsley, salt and ginger
4. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and saute the celery and onion for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender
5. Add sauted celery and onion to the cornbread mixture and mix well
6. Stir in the apple, pecans, apple juice and beaten eggs
7. Toss lightly then spoon into the prepared casserole dish
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If you are baking the stuffing with meat, cook until the meat is completely done all the way through.

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Recipe of the Week: Cran-pear-y Sauce

When the pear first spied the fetching, ripe cranberries it was love at first sight. Sure, they might sound like an odd  pear-ing, but when these two fall flavors combine you'll agree they were meant to be. In fact, they're such a great couple, we recommend inviting them to your Thanksgiving dinner. In addition to being delightfully warm and possessing great taste theywon't overstay their welcome -  in fact, we're pretty sure they'll be gone before dessert.

Cran-pear-y Sauce

You need:

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large ripe pears, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar and cinnamon
2. Add pears and bring to a boil over medium heat
3. Stir in cranberries
4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally
5. Serve warm
6. Makes two servings

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Recipe of the Week: Mini Pumpkin Treats



Show-offs.

Among the inhabitants of every pumpkin patch, it is generally agreed that there is no higher purpose than to become a jack o’lantern. Scary, funny, fanciful - it doesn't matter - they're all waiting for the day when they are stoop-ified and filled with that magical inner glow on Halloween night while their roasted seeds are snacked upon and their innards added to soup or pie.

That is if you're a big, or even medium-sized pumpkin. But what of the little guys? You know the adorable palm-sized ones overflowing from wicker baskets at farmers markets and perched on the edge of your co-workers desk. Too tiny to be carved (sure sometimes they get a little face drawn on them with a marker or maybe poster paint but that’s not the same) and too tiny to be made into pie. The miniature pumpkin, like the mass of men, lives a life of quiet desperation* - their stature too small to dream big.

Well, we’re looking to change that today. We’ve found a recipe that elevates the fate of the wee sugar pumpkin – making it the centerpiece/edible fruit it was born to be. A recipe that allows these tiny gourds to make a great big delicious impression. And best of all, it couldn’t be simpler! When they're finished in the oven, they can still masquerade as festive display items until it's time to eat - making them both a trick and a treat! Neat!

Baked Mini Pumpkins

You need:

• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 2 pinches ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds
3. Place the butter and brown sugar inside the pumpkin and sprinkle with ground cinnamon
4. Put the pumpkin lid back on and place the pumpkin in a baking pan with a little water in the bottom
5. Bake for about 30 minutes or until tender

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*Apologies to Mr. Thoreau. Though we think he'd kinda like this recipe. He certainly liked pumpkins -"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion."