Christmas Sugar....

Every year around this time I sprinkle red and green decorating sugar into the sugar bowl.   I love how just a spoonful can bring holiday cheer to my morning coffee.  Its a simple little tradition, but one I look forward to each Christmas season .

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies.....

I purchased another three pound bag of cranberries from the local bog and I'm working my way through them slowly but surely. To make these delicious cookies I took some of  the ingredients from one recipe and then a little more from another.  I'm thrilled they came out so well. They turned out chewy and delicious.  Here's the recipe.  Enjoy!
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp.vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp. orange zest
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Mix in the vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt, stir in oats, raisins, cranberries, orange zest,walnuts and white chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping teaspoons two inches apart on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.  Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Cranberry Salsa......

 
With cranberry season in full swing, New Englander's will use these tart gems in just about any recipe they can. This is not your ordinary salsa and you are absolutely right, the color is a little different, but the flavor is spot on.  This was a cinch to make and a great success at my mother's birthday party this weekend. Here is the recipe.

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch scallions
• 2 jalapenos pepper
• juice of two limes
• 2 tbsp. Grand Marnier
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used cranberry honey produced by the bees at my local bog)

Throw it all in the food processor, blend and let sit over night in the fridge so that the flavor will deepen.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Pomegranate.... Simple Pleasures...

 

Pomegranate seeds are a fall favorite for sure.  I'll eat the seeds from one half and save the seeds from the other half to sprinkle on salads.

Cranberry Nut Pie

 
What a delicious pie!  Perfect for the holidays and a wonderful use of my local cranberries from the bog in Carlisle.  I doctored up the ingredients slightly by adding a bottom crust and adding a tiny cap full of my orange oil ( King Arthur Store) to the batter.  Here's the recipe from Ocean Spray Recipes!
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch pie plate.  ( I used a bottom crust so I didn't grease the plate)
2. Layer cranberries on bottom of the crust or pie plate.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and walnuts.  Beat egg in a medium bowl until thick.  Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended.  Stir in flour and melted butter, blend well.  This is where I added the orange oil.  Orange zest would be perfect in the batter as well.   Pour over cranberries. 
3. Bake 45 minutes.  Cut into wedges.  YUM!

Cranberry Apple Marsala....

The cranberries are exceptional this year.  There is such a distinct flavor difference between the bagged super market cranberries and the locally grown berries. It's almost as if they had a little bit of a sparkle to them. Anyway, with three pounds to use I went straight to the cranberry experts,  Ocean Spray Cranberry.  This recipe sounded delicious and easy.  I did however make quite a few modifications to the Ocean Spray recipe.  I used floured pork instead of plain chicken, fresh cranberries rather than dried, apple cider because I forgot to buy apple jelly and then took it upon myself to add the mustard and raw sugar.  Everyone loved it.


INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless, center cut pork chops sliced in half as if your were making cutlets.  So tip to tail.. 
• 1 cup flour 
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup Marsala wine
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 2 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp. raw sugar
• 3 apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 slices (any variety will do)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Season the flour with salt and pepper.  Dredge the pork cutlets lightly in the flour. Melt the butter along with the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the pork and cook 3 or 4 minutes per side.  Remove to a warm platter in the oven to keep warm.  I put my oven on 190 degrees.
2. Stir in wine, cider, mustard, apples, raw sugar and fresh cranberries.  Bring to a boil all the while scraping any brown bits of the bottom of the pan.  Reduce heat and return pork to the pan for 2 or 3 minutes to finish cooking.  Here is my version.  Enjoy!

 I was so busy taking the photo I forgot to pour the delicious sauce over the top. That's the best part!!

Carlisle Cranberries....

  
These ruby beauties are local cranberries from the bog ten minutes up the road from my house.  They are bigger, fresher and tastier than the fresh variety you find at the supermarket and I LOVE THEM.  I have a few new recipes I want to try out so stayed tuned.  Until then have, here are some facts about these antioxidant rich yummies.

• The first cranberry crop was harvested in 1816 in my home state of Massachusetts.
• The cranberry was made the official state berry of Massachusetts in 1994. 
• Cranberry juice contains a chemical that block pathogens that cause tooth decay.
• Honeybees are often used to pollinate cranberry crops, and are in fact more valuable in the performance of this task than they are in the production of honey.
• Cranberries are rich in fiber, vitamin C, flavonoids, phenols and other substances that help protect against health problems like urinary tract infections, and chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.
• A six quart pail has been used as the standard picking measurement since 1870.
• There are roughly 200 cranberries used in a can of cranberry sauce.
• A twelve ounce bag yields 3 cups whole or 2 1/2 cups chopped cranberries.

I better get making my list for the market tomorrow .  There is one particular recipe I'm dying to try.