Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This cranberry sauce has been made by my Mama for years. Ok truth be told I do not like cranberry sauce. Unless it is a chutney or jam. There now you know. But everyone besides me loves it. The grand ole' Turkey Fry is always at our house. I like it a bit on the tangy side as they do in Europe here in the good ole U S of A we sweeten everything. 

This is a very simple recipe as they all are for cranberry sauce. When it tis the season buy extra cranberries so you can make some Holiday gifts like Cranberry Chutney or Cranberry Blackberry Jam

 

Ingredients

4 cups of fresh cranberries or 1 bag of cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
Juice from one orange
Zest from the one orange
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg





Cooking cranberry sauce is probably the easiest thing to do during the holiday's. You simply drop all the ingredients into a sauce pot and let it simmer till the little red cranberries pop open and all the flavors get together and thickens.




Cranberry sauce has so many delightful uses during the holidays. From the usual Turkey garnish to cookies cakes and biscuits it is one of those great seasonal fruit's. There is an endless list of things you can add to your cranberry sauce to personalize it. People add wine, almonds, ginger, cinnamon, maple syrup. Have fun

Old Fashion Turkey Stuffing

Well this Thanksgiving my Mama now lives with us. How convenient because everyone loves her stuffing. She makes just your standard stuffing but her love makes it everyone's favorite. I watched with eager anticipation to see the secret ingredients and all the magical ingredients. It must be the love. When I was little all I did was grab a handful as I passed the bowl prior to her cooking it.

She would not let me near the creation as she was working. It was a delightful time and great memory.

  

Ingredients

One chopped onion white or red
3 to 4 celery sticks chopped
Homemade croutons or enough dried bread squares to fill a large brownie pan or a bag of store bought if you must
Enough chicken stock to coat everything about 2 cups
1/2 cup of butter melted that is one stick
1 finely chopped garlic clove

Salt and Pepper are the only seasoning you should need. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper you can personalize your stuffing with so many different herbs like rosemary, sage, basil, thyme it endless. Warm your chicken stock and butter together in a pot on the stove, until just warm and combined




Mama puts all the bread cubes into a large bowl adds the onion, celery and garlic. She then takes the butter and chicken broth that have been mixed together on the stove in a pot and slowly pours it over the mix.






She does this a small amount at a time she wants the bread coated but not just one section soaked to become mushy. You will be surprised how fast that bread soaks up the juices.

Now put it into a baking vessel we use a large brownie pan. Cook the stuffing at 350 for 45 minute to one hour. You can make it the day before and cook it for 30 minutes then put it into the oven for 30 minutes prior to your dinner.








You can uncover it 10 minutes before to crisp the top if desired.

I know I know where is the magic? The magic is like any recipe our Mommy or Grandma made. They put love and sometimes ingredients we will never know because it came so naturally to them they assume we know. Funny Mommy !!!!

Look at that a before and After picture. I am getting there people! Rome was not built in a day!