Brian's Cranberry Smash

  For years and years, I've enjoyed making home made fresh Cranberry Sauce for my family and friends around the holidays. Most times I'll cook up several pounds of fresh cranberries and put them up in jars to gift for everyone's holiday meal. They just taste so much better than store bought cranberries in the can!

 So, one year, I decided to give some to my long time dear friends, Brian and Paula. Side note, I should mention that Brian's family and my family go WAY back, and Paula and I go way back as well, so they're like family to me, and I was happy to share.

 Now, if you know Brian, you know he's ever the party Host with the Most, so of course it came as no surprise that he didn't just serve the cranberries with their holiday dinner. Nope. Instead, he used my cranberry sauce to make a festive cocktail, which was apparently a big smash!! And now they make it every year around the holidays. How fun is that?? Leave it to Brian to come up with a new cocktail! Actually, when he first told me about it, I immediately whipped up an extra big batch of cranberries and canned them in jars so he'd have plenty for his holiday celebrations. He looked at me like I was crazy when I showed up at his house with a bunch of jars. True story! 

 Btw, I'm not exactly sure where he came up with the name.. maybe that's what happens if you have one too many... but I digress...

 Anyway, big thanks to Brian and Paula for including me in their new holiday tradition! I'm truly honored! And Brian, just let me know when you run out of cranberries. I'll have more ready for you!

2 ounces of whiskey

1 ounce of cranberry juice

a spoonful of jellied cranberry sauce 

 

Add everything over ice in a shaker, then pour it over a big square ice cube and drop in a cherry. 

That's all there is to it! So good!

 

 

 

Tips:

Even if you don't make home made fresh cranberry sauce, just use any cranberry sauce you like. It's a great way to use up the leftovers after Thanksgiving! 

If your cranberry sauce is a little too jellied, just stir in a teaspoon or two of hot water to sauce it up a bit!

 

Cranberry Christmas Cake

 

 This week's recipe comes from my dear friend, Gina, who found it on a website called Barefeetinthekitchen.com. She said it was so good, it was already half gone as she was sending me the recipe! (btw, she also took the picture for me too! Thanx Gina!)
 I love how simple it is. Only a few basic ingredients that you probably already have on your pantry. And then the fresh cranberries (which are always stocked in my freezer, just like the author does.) Oh, and no need for baking soda or baking powder, just whip the eggs for the leavening. Cool, huh?
 So festive too. It screams Christmas, doesn’t it? Better add this one to the Christmas repertoire!

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 oz fresh cranberries


Preheat oven to 350ºF.
With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. The sugar and egg mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined.
Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
Spread in a buttered 9×13 pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices.

Variations/Tips from the author:
Blueberries swap nicely for the cranberries. Adding nuts to the recipe works too.
The addition of orange zest, orange extract, or almond extract works nicely as well.
The cake can be made in a variety of different cake pans. It can also be made into cupcakes and mini loaves. Watch the baking time and adjust as needed. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether you can bake this in a bundt pan. I do not personally recommend that. Yes, many people have said that it works, and I’ve tested it in a bundt twice myself, however, it isn’t the same cake that way. (Once it fell apart on me and another time it worked fine.) If you do decide you must use a bundt pan, grease the pan HEAVILY with butter and then flour the pan generously.
The biggest downside to baking this cake in a bundt pan is that you will miss out on the best part, that lovely crust that forms on the top of the cake.

Joey's Cranberry Pulled Pork Sliders

   Since this is the time of year when many people are attending or hosting holiday parties, I figured it would be a good idea to come up with something fun and yummy that you can serve to your guests, or to bring with you to your next party. Lets make sliders! They're the perfect little picky-uppy holiday party food! (yes, picky-uppy is a technical term.) And since they're just little, you now have the option of sampling many more food items from the table, instead of filling up on a big honkin' sandwich. Know what I mean? More is more!
 We all know how easy it is to make a pulled pork in a crock pot, but the twist here is making it with cranberries instead of just your basic BBQ sauce. Doesn't that sound yummy? Tbh, I had been looking for a cranberry pork recipe for a while and they all seemed to be very BBQ, with just a hint of cranberry. Well, frankly, I wanted it to be the other way around! I wanted sweet and tart cranberries with just a little hint of BBQ, and that's what we have here! The other thing I wanted was to use FRESH cranberries. Every year, when cranberries are available, I stock up my freezer with bags and bags. They freeze REALLY well, and will last me an entire year! It's nothing to take a bag of cranberries out of the freezer and stir up a quick cranberry sauce, and that's exactly what I've done! The good news is you can also just use a can of cranberry sauce, just in case you forgot to stock your freezer with fresh ones! This would also be a really great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from your big holiday dinner! Are you having turkey for Christmas? Now you can serve leftover cranberry pork sliders for your New Year's Eve Party! Look at me, always thinking ahead! And even if you're not making this for a party, it's an easy weekday meal! Just mix up the sauce the night before, turn your crock pot on before you leave for work in the morning, and then let it cook all day. Dinner is ready when you get home! It really is SO easy! And I'll say this once more.. if you don't have a slow cooker, NOW is the time to get one! I have several, and I use all of them ALL the time. Who knows? Maybe you'll get one for Christmas?? It could happen! But only if you're on the Nice list!




4 or 5 lb pork roast (shoulder or butt)
1 large sweet onion, sliced

Sauce:
1 12oz bag fresh cranberries plus 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tbs butter
OR 1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup honey
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs lemon juice

Place pork and onions in a 5 quart slow cooker.
If using fresh cranberries, place them in a small sauce pot with sugar, water, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer until the berries start to pop, about 10-15 minutes. Mash slightly. Let it cool for a bit, then add to mixing bowl. If using canned cranberries, just add a can of whole berry sauce to the mixing bowl. Add remaining sauce ingredients. Stir until well blended. Pour half of the sauce over the pork and onions. Cook on low for 9 or 10 hours or on high for 5 hours, or until the meat is falling apart. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove all the meat and onions from the cooker. Using two forks, shred the meat, discarding any bones and large pieces of fat. Add the other half of the sauce to the shredded meat. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve on fresh bakery rolls with pickles and cole slaw on the side.

 To serve as sliders:
Using a big serrated knife, slice a package of King's Hawaiian sweet rolls in half horizontally, and remove the top layer in one piece. Spread a layer of the pulled pork over the bottom layer of bread. Next cover the pork with several slices of deli provolone cheese. Place the top layer of rolls on top. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 350ºF for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Then use a big knife to cut into individual sliders.




Tips:
When serving as sliders, you have a rectangle of rolls, but the provolone cheese is round, so what do you do to make them fit? Simply cut the slices of cheese in half! Now you have a flat edge on the slices of cheese to place up against the flat sides of your rectangle of rolls. Simple!
 Btw, the liquid that is left in the cooker is REALLY tasty. You could add it to a small pot, stir in a slurry of flour/water, and simmer until thickened  to turn it into some fantabulous gravy, perfect for mashed potatoes or for dipping your sliders!

Cranberry Grape Compote

 For me, it is just not Thanksgiving unless you have home made cranberry sauce. I mean, yes, I know many of you are a fan of the can, but for a day as special as Thanksgiving, it's time for something fresh and homemade. Many many years ago, I asked my Mom how she made her cranberry sauce, and now I'm happy that I get to make it for my family every year. But I still like finding other versions and variations! (frankly, I've never met a cranberry sauce I didn't like) And that brings us to THIS recipe from Martha Stewart.
 This is what I like to call "stupid easy." Like, I don't even think it could be any easier. You literally just throw everything into a sauce pot and let it simmer. That's it. Done. How awesome is that?? And as with everything Thanksgiving, we all know that doing as much as you can in advance is the best option. You could make this DAYS in advance, so it's really a no brainer.
 So lets talk about the most important thing.. how it TASTES! I would venture to say that if you are not usually a fan of cranberries, then maybe give this one a try. The grapes mellow out the tartness of the cranberries and it's a perfect blend! Kind of like if grape jam and cranberry sauce had a baby.
 If you've ever felt intimidated by the thought of making home made cranberry sauce, this is the recipe for you!! And if you love cranberries as much as I do, then you absolutely MUST give this one a try!


12oz bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen, no need to thaw)
3 cups seedless red grapes
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt


In a large sauce pan, over medium high heat, bring cranberries, grapes, sugar, and 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped and the grapes are falling apart, about 10-15 minutes. Remove heat. Add salt and stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature (compote will thicken as it cools.) Serve at room temperature.



Tips:
Because of the amount of natural pectin in the cranberries, the sauce will gel firm when you refrigerate it. I think it looks prettier as more of a loose sauce, so I gave it a quick stir just before serving.
Serve leftovers as a spread on bagels with cream cheese or heat it up and serve it warm over vanilla ice cream!

Glazed Cranberry Bundt Cake

 If you're looking for an easy dessert that screams HOLIDAYS, this is it! I found this recipe on the back of a bag of fresh cranberries and immediately set it aside. I cut it out, and stuck it to my fridge with a magnet for a year until I was ready to try it. Well, I finally tried it! OMG, it's seriously delicious. The cake is dense but light, and it's so moist, I'd say this is one for the books. Add a few fresh cranberries and an orange glaze and you have the makings of a showstopper!
 TBH, the cake was supposed to bake in a 9x13 pan, and the recipe said nothing of a glaze. But I like how a Bundt looks, and I love a rich and creamy glaze drizzled over the top, so I went with it!
 At first I couldn't decide if this was more of a Thanksgiving thing or a Christmas thing, but basically decided that it's great for both! Yes, it's red and white and looks very Christmasy, but Thanksgiving is the official holiday season kickoff, right? So, it works there too!
 Regardless of when you decide to make it, or in what pan you decide to bake it, one thing is absolutely certain.. Everyone will love it! Definitely add this one to your holiday repertoire!


3 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 (12oz) bag fresh cranberries

Heat oven to 350ºF.
Beat the eggs and sugar until slightly thickened and the mixture has almost doubled in size, about 5-7 minutes. Add softened butter and vanilla extract and mix for 2 more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the rinsed cranberries and stir until mixed throughout. Spread into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool almost completely in the pan before turning out onto a plate.

For the glaze:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (plus more, if needed)
1/4 tsp orange extract

Using a wire whisk, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more heavy cream if needed to make just the right drizzling consistency. I like to use a big spoon to scoop big blobs of the glaze across the top and then just let it ooze down the sides.
Yup. blobs and ooze. definitely culinary terms.



Tips:
 -To keep your cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake, take a 1/4 cup of the flour for the recipe, and toss the cranberries with it until they're coated. Then stir them into the batter as directed. The flour coating will help them stay suspended in the cake!
-I think the next time I make this, maybe I'll add a little almond extract. Just sayin!
-If you'd like to bake it in a 9x13 pan, you only need to bake it for 40-50 minutes. And instead of the glaze, you could use any other favorite icing (cream cheese icing maybe?) or just simply dust with powdered sugar.
-Oh, another thing that's worth noting.. Yes, you read the ingredients correctly. This recipe has no leavening agent in it. No baking soda, no baking powder, no vinegar or lemon juice, no ingredient that will make the cake rise (which is why it comes out so dense and fabulous). It's that first step of whipping the eggs and sugar the gives rise to the cake. Make sure you don't skip it!!

Cranberry Orange Blondies

 When fresh cranberries are in season, I always go out of my way to use them, just because I know they will only be available for a short period of time. Basically, I grab a few bags every time I go to the grocery store, and then store them in my freezer until I want them. They freeze remarkably well for months! But this year, I keep finding more and more recipes to use them!!! So much for stocking up my freezer!! Guess it's time to run back to the store to get some more!
 Anyway, I found this recipe on Rodelle's website (which is a company that sells fine baking ingredients). I liked that this recipe uses FRESH cranberries instead of dried, which is often the case when you're baking something small and picky-uppy like blondies. I've made them several times, and they're always a big hit. So if you're having a party, you should definitely give them a try. So easy and delicious! I PROMISE you they will disappear in no time!!


1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole cranberries, fresh or frozen


Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, butter, orange zest, vanilla extract and salt. Add in flour and whisk to combine, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain (do not over mix.) Chop cranberries coarsely, then fold berries into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan, spread into an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until bars are golden and set. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Tips:
I tried doing an orange glaze over the top, but they turned out to be far too sweet, VERY gooey, and not in a good way. I found it best to just dust with powdered sugar. Makes them look festive too!

Spirited Orange Cranberry Sauce

Ok, first, let me start off by saying that this is one of the easiest recipes you will ever try. Here's the thing.. In my family, everyone contributes to our amazing, fabulous, can't-wait-for-it-all-year Thanksgiving dinner. The more experienced cooks will take care of cooking the turkeys (yes, PLURAL), and all of the other sides dishes. The less experienced cooks will do appetizers and dips, etc. The ones who don't cook at all will bring the ice, paper products, egg nog, and booze. Is that how it works in your family? Well, cooking novices, here's the perfect recipe for you! If you're usually someone who doesn't contribute to the dinner, you should give this recipe a try! It's amazingly simple to make, you can do it DAYS in advance, and everyone will be so amazed and impressed that you made this yourself. And seriously, the flavor is just SO much better than your basic cranberry sauce out of a can, I can't even put it into words.
 I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, and it was described as "An easy and slightly different cranberry sauce recipe. Great with turkey or with Brie and crackers." I tweaked it a little, just because I couldn't help myself, and it turned out so great, I couldn't stop eating it. You just throw everything into a pot and let it simmer! Easy, huh? But definitely don't just serve it at Thanksgiving! It goes great with weeknight baked chicken as well! If you like cranberries, I PROMISE you will love it! And everyone will love you for it, especially if you are not known for your cooking skills.
 Try it! And then take a bow.  :)

2 (12 ounce) bags fresh cranberries

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 large orange, zested and juiced

1 cup port wine
2 tbs Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

 Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes. Let it cool for a bit so it's not piping hot, then pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.


Tips:
Be sure to zest the orange before you juice it. It's just easier that way.
I was a little heavy handed with the port wine. I probably added about 2 tbs more than the 1 cup listed. (I'm not really seeing the downside to this, are you?)
This recipe can be doubled if you're cooking for a crowd. Just sayin!
If you're making this for Thanksgiving, you can do it 2 or 3 days ahead and then just keep it in the fridge. It will be perfectly fine for Thanksgiving, and you'll have one less thing on your to-do list!
Don't just serve this in the Fall. When fresh cranberries are in season, buy several bags and throw them in the freezer! They freeze amazingly well, and then you'll have them on hand to make cook throughout the year!

Nutty Pear and Craisin Dip

 

This is a quick and simple party dip that I threw together for my family's get together on Christmas Eve. It was a big hit! I love that it's sort of unexpected as far as party dips go. Usually, you'd expected an herbed cheese or something savory, but this one is a little bit sweet and has a very light and fresh flavor. And when you serve it on regular Triscuits or Wheat Thins, you get a little salty hit that makes everything balance. So good! I also love that you can really taste each one of the ingredients, but everything comes together perfectly. Cool, huh? Hope you like it!

2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
2 ripe pears, any kind, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup craisins
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Salt and pepper to taste

Simply place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until nicely blended but still chunky. Serve with Triscuits or Wheat thins.

Tips:
The key to this recipe's success is that none of the ingredients overpowers the others. Everything blends perfectly. But you're the cook! So if you'd like to add a few more craisins, or an extra handful of pecans, be my guest. Like my Mom always said, "do you like a lot? add a lot!"
If you want to use canned pears, don't put them in the food processor to mix them because they'll become too mushy. You really want them to be chunky just like the other ingredients. So just chop them up separately, then fold them into the mixture after you've pulsed everything else.
If the mixture if too thick, add a few drops of water to bring it to spreadable or dippable consistency. (Is dippable a word?? ) If you're using canned pears, you can add a little of the juice from the can.
For a little variation and a stronger flavor punch, try substituting half of the cream cheese with goat cheese or even bleu cheese.

Bourbon Cranberry Compote

  Ok here's one for the cooking novice. This recipe requires absolutely no cooking skills at all. If you can boil water, you can make this recipe! You just throw everything into a pot and let it simmer. Couldn't be any easier! Now I have to tell you, when I first saw the recipe (on a website called Realsimple.com) I was a little unsure of how it would taste. Bourbon? With cranberries? But then I figured, Why not? So I gave it a try. It's absolutely delish! And actually, it's not as bourbon-y as I was expecting. To be quite honest, I'm not even sure if you would know that there's any bourbon in it unless you knew that there's any bourbon in it. Know what I mean? It's really subtle. The bourbon adds just a very slight note under the tartness of the cranberries. It's really quite nice, but I don't want you to go into it thinking it tastes like you just did a shot. Savvy?
 Whenever I try a new recipe, I always ask myself "would you make this again?" to help me decide if I like it or not. And this time the answer is an absolute YES. It's absurdly simple to make, it's delicious, it's quick, and it's SO much better than anything you can get out of a can.
I highly recommend it! 

1 12-ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen (3 1⁄2 cups)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup bourbon

Place all ingredients in a saucepan over low/medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to burst and the sauce thickens, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before serving.


Tips:
If your cranberries are frozen, there's no need to thaw. Just go right from the freezer to the pot!
The recipe is listed as I found it, but I think I'll add a little more sugar and a little more bourbon the next time I make it. Maybe I'll up the sugar to 1 Cup, and up the bourbon to 1/3 Cup.
This will definitely thicken as it cools. There is so much natural pectin in the cranberries that you don't need to add anything else. If you'd like it to be a little more soupy, just cook it for about 15 minutes instead of 20-25.
Don't just make this recipe on Thanksgiving. Make it any time you serve roasted chicken or pork!
 Buy several bags of cranberries while they're available and then keep them in the freezer for months!
If you're not a drinker and you don't want to buy a big bottle of bourbon, just buy one of the little small bottles, (you know, like they serve on an airplane?). Each one is exactly 1/4 cup!
It makes a very small batch, which is perfect for a small party. If you're cooking for a big gang, just double it or triple it!

Mom's Cranberries

Every year, for Thanksgiving, my Mom always made homemade cranberry sauce. For me, it was always one of the many reasons to look forward to Thanksgiving. Well, now, I'm happy that I get to be the one to continue that tradition. Actually, I think I might be the only person who stopped and asked my Mother how to make them. I asked her where she got the recipe (since it's slightly different from the recipe that's usually on a bag of fresh cranberries) and she told me that this was how her mother used to make them. Yes, it's easier to just open up a can of jellied cranberry sauce, but SERIOUSLY, there's really no comparison. Some people like to add oranges or other fruits, but I like them just by themselves. Simple and uncomplicated. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them! Give 'em a try!

1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz)
1 1/2 cups water (12 oz)
1 1/2 cups sugar (12 oz)

Place cranberries and water in a sauce pot and bring to a slow boil over medium high heat. As they cook, the berries will bubble and squeak and eventually they'll pop. When all the berries have popped, then it's time to remove the skins. The best way to do this is to use a food mill. Place the food mill over a large bowl and pour the cranberries and water into the bowl of the food mill. Turn the handle until all the pulp is pushed through to the bowl below, leaving the skins behind.
Now you're left with a thick cranberry puree. Pour the puree back into the sauce pot and add the sugar. Stir the sugar and puree over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. You don't want it to come to a boil. It should just be a low heat, and as my Mom used to always say it should just sort of go "bloop....... bloop...... bloop..." Know what I mean? Let it cook for about 35-40 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
Pour the cranberry puree into a pretty glass serving bowl (see tips for more info on that!) Let it stand for a while until it cools to room temperature, then place the bowl in the fridge to chill. The puree will gel as it chills.

Tips:

If you're planning to serve your cranberries in a glass serving bowl, it's a good idea to warm the bowl under running hot water. You don't want to pour BOILING hot cranberries into a cold glass bowl, otherwise your pretty crystal bowl might crack from thermal shock. Don't ask me how I know.

 The cooking time doesn't have to be exact. It's very forgiving. I've let it go for 45 to 50 minutes and it still turned out fine. The longer you cook it, the thicker your cranberry sauce will be.

When you cook the cranberries with the sugar, the bubbles that form will sort of clump together and form a kind of cranberry foam on the top. When they're finished cooking, I always use a wire whisk to quickly stir out any foamy clumps. This will insure that the cranberries will have a nice smooth surface and a much prettier presentation when you serve them.

This recipe can also be waterbath or steam canned. Pint jars process for 10 minutes.

Original recipe UPDATE: 

The amounts in this recipe have been adjusted from the original post., which were originally 1 pound of each item, instead of 12oz. Since cranberries are now mainly available in 12 oz bags instead of one pound bags, I needed to change the amounts of sugar and water to insure the correct sugar to cranberry ratio. Otherwise, you might have a bit of a cranberry sitch, not unlike The Great Cranberry Debacle of 2009.

 Also one final note.. if you happen to be making quite a large batch, please be careful not to measure some things in cups and other things in pounds. You might confuse your amounts which would create another cranberry sitch.. not unlike The Great Cranberry Debacle of 2023...

Cranberry Chicken

Here's another simple throw-together chicken dish. The combination of ingredients seems slightly odd at first, but they're so delicious when you put them together.

boneless chicken breasts
1 16 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
1 8oz bottle Catalina French dressing
1 packet onion soup mix


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim chicken of any fat. Slice chicken in half horizontally so that you have twice as many pieces that are half as thick. Arrange chicken pieces in a 9x13x2 baking pan. In a separate bowl, combine cranberry sauce, French dressing and onion soup mix. Whisk together until it's mixed well. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until done. Serve over rice.


Tip:
There are several variations of this recipe. You can omit the onion soup mix altogether and just use the dressing and the cranberry sauce. You can use regular French dressing or country French dressing. You can also use Red Russian dressing, either with the onion soup mix or without. Any combination will work and it's all delicious!