Cranberry Favorites

In Geometry class yesterday, I asked my students what their favorite Thanksgiving food was (because math teachers need to humanize themselves as much as possible!). Several said cranberry sauce, and it made me think about my own favorites. Cranberries are kind of taken for granted in the whole holiday food theme, except as sauce or added to various baked good. But I realized that I really love the tartness of cranberries, as stars in their own right! So I’m just linking to some previous posts with my favorite cranberry recipes, with a couple of new ones thrown in for good measure.

One of my most indelible Thanksgiving memories is reading Harry and Wendy Devlin’s book Cranberry Thanksgiving (and watching the cartoon on TV), then making the bread featured throughout the book from the recipe in the back. It was a labor of love back then, with my mom letting my brother and me grind the cranberries by hand…this was before the days of food processors! But it’s by far the best quick bread ever, and we still make loaf after loaf to give neighbors, teachers, and friends at Thanksgiving.

I kid you not…everyone I’ve ever served these simple Sugared Cranberries to has loved them. The hardest part is waiting for them to “marinate” overnight. They’re also gorgeous piled on a cheesecake, if you can keep your family from snacking on them long enough.

Cranberry Salsa is too delicious to adequately describe. We eat it with tortilla chips, in wraps, and last night over chicken (which is another post…I cooked a whole chicken in my slow cooker and it tasted just like a rotisserie chicken…so good!). The Cranberry Marmalade is also super simple, and the orange marmalade gives it just a little depth of flavor.

We can’t forget dessert, of course! These White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Pecan Pie Bars combine three of my favorite flavors, and are perfect for Thanksgiving and on into Christmas, with their white and cranberry colors. Maybe even Valentine’s Day, they’re so delicious! Orange Cranberry Cheesecake Bars are perfectly sweet and rich, and easier to serve than slices of an actual cheesecake. And easier to grab surreptitiously as you pass the dessert bar without having to share with a kid.

I just can’t help myself when I go to Costco in the fall…a two pound bag of fresh Oregon cranberries is only $3! I usually try to freeze at least one bag to use throughout the year, but in a pinch, I’ll use whole berry canned sauce. Cranberries are just so delicious!

I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, if I don’t talk to you before then!