How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This time I'm not giving you a recipe, just instructions - so no measurements. Deal with it. Really, it's the easiest thing in the world to make.

Rinse & pick through your bag of berries, then dump the good ones into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and watch the berries pop open. Now add sugar - start with 1/2 cup. Squeeze one juicy orange into the cranberries. Taste for sweetness - but be careful not to burn your tongue! - and add sugar until you're happy.

Let the berries cook down for a while, keeping an eye on the consistency. Some people like it to be a saucy, pourable texture with the berries still having a bit of form, others like it nearly smooth with the berries completely cooked down to mush but still thin enough to pour out of a small ladle, and still others like a firm jelly-like texture more like the canned variety. So you just play with it - add more water if it's getting too thick; let it cook longer, uncovered, to make it smoother &/or firmer. Remember that it will thicken as it cools, too, so if you want to make it ahead of time, you can warm it to thin it or even add more water (or orange juice) before serving. Add chopped pecans if you like, near the end of cooking, for that wow factor.

We just had Thanksgiving here in Canada, but you have plenty of time in the States to think about your Thanksgiving menu. Keep an eye on this blog - I'm considering sharing my grandmother's green bean recipe. It's not what you're expecting - stay tuned!

Sandwiches - Best part of the Thanksgiving weekend?

A food blog talking about ordinary sandwiches? Well, there's nothing ordinary about our family's turkey sandwiches - simple, yes, ordinary, no way. In fact, it's not the Thanksgiving Dinner I look forward too, it's the leftovers!

My grandmother on my mother's side knew what she was talking about when it came to after-Thanksgiving sandwiches. Just make a plain turkey sandwich with your favorite bread and mayo or Miracle Whip, then add her two key ingredients:

Durkee's Famous Sauce

bread-and-butter pickles

If you live in the South, Durkee is a name you know. The rest of you can spread the word to your grocery store managers or mail-order it yourself. Durkee's has been around since wagon train days, so it's stood the test of time. It's a delightfully tangy dressing, with sort of a mayo-mustard thing going on, but much more. You'll love it! The vinegar-y sweetness of the bread & butter pickles is just the right touch to make these sandwiches lively. Great accompaniment for college football watching.

If you order a 6- or 12-pack of Durkee's, you can give a few as a wonderful gift on it's own with recipes or included in a gift basket - try it with cheeses.

My other favorite leftover turkey sandwich touts

cream cheese

homemade cranberry sauce

A hearty, nutty bread is particularly good for this sandwich. But not sliced too thick - don't you just hate thick sliced bread for sandwiches? You can't even taste the filling. So go with a sandwich bread or even with a thin-sliced bread like Pepperidge Farm's.

See this post for homemade cranberry sauce.

Fall Favorite - Pumpkin Pie Cake Dessert

I'm not a pumpkin person, but this is Heaven on Earth with whipped cream. Come to think of it, I'm not a whipped cream person, either, but there's just something about the combination here. This easy dessert has a consistency somewhere between pumpkin pie filling and bread pudding, depending on the moisture content of the canned pumpkin.

This is by no means an original recipe - it was shared with me by a friend who got it off the internet, so I'd have to say the source is unknown - but I have made a couple of healthier and delicious substitutions. You may not think it's elegant enough for Thanksgiving Dinner; real whipped cream atop pretty individual bowls would make it so. Otherwise, it's more like what some people fondly refer to as a dump cake. Bonus: you can make it ahead of time and warm it in the oven while dinner is being served.

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE DESSERT

1 29oz (796ml) can organic pumpkin

1 c organic sugar

1 t salt

1 T cinnamon

3 lg eggs

1 can organic coconut milk

1 organic yellow cake mix

1 c pecans, chopped

1 c butter, melted

Combine the pumpkin, sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs & coconut milk and pour into a 9x12 or 9x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle dry yellow cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top and dribble the melted butter on. Do not mix further. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Serve w/ real whipped cream for a special treat.