I made a kick-ass cranberry sauce a few years ago for the holidays. It's here, if you are so inclined. I returned to the recipe this year forgetting all the the extra bits I had put in the last go around. Not wanting to brave the supermarket on the afternoon before the big day, I just settled for the three-ingredient basic recipe: cranberries, sugar and orange juice. Well, I tossed a bit of orange and lemon zest into the mix as well. Couldn't hurt, right?
In addition to making cranberry sauce, I baked a couple of pumpkin pies for the occasion. There will be a few gluten-free folks in attendance tomorrow, so these were baked with a GF crust. I used a 'sugar' made from monk fruit, a small, melon-like fruit grown in Southern China. One of the good things about this sugar substitute is that it does not raise blood sugar levels. It's been quite a popular sugar alternative around here for the past few years. In addition to the gluten-free folks, there will be one diabetic at the table tomorrow, so he will be able to have pumpkin pie for dessert, if he so chooses!
The pumpkin pie recipe I used yielded more than anticipated, so I poured the remainder in to a large ramekin and baked it along with the pies. After all had cooled, I ate the contents of the ramekin. It felt a bit decadent to be eating pumpkin pie filling sans crust.
 |
| Cooling on the back steps. |
We'll be driving to my cousin's up north for Thanksgiving. This will be the first event I've attended at his house since he and his partner opted for an open floor-plan remodel. Gone is the dining room. The new center piece of the ground floor is a massive kitchen island smack dab in the middle of the space. The living room has become a bit of a walk-through way. I think the dining table now lives somewhere in the kitchen space. My hope is that there will be an area tucked away somewhere on the ground floor where one could hide away should all the socializing become a bit too much.
Happy Turkey Day to those who are celebrating!
You have been busy. Productively busy.
ReplyDeleteI hope your celebrations are WONDERFUL and that there is a quiet area. I would certainly need it.
Thank you very much, E.C.! x
DeleteI used to have an American girlfriend who cooked pumpkin pie. Delicious. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving day here, but it must be good to have two reasons to party so close together.
ReplyDeleteIt can be good to have two reasons to party back-to-back, but it can also be a tad stressful.
DeleteIt's nice that you've been able to sample pumpkin pie. It's a good dessert.
My mother made a great cranberry sauce. We had a grinder that you could attach to the kitchen table. It had little medal 'thingies' disks to put in for the grind size. Grind the berries and ORANGE peel. The peel gives a good zest. Add walnuts and I guess some sort of jello to hold it together. She may have put chopped celery too. Can't remember it all. But it definitely was not the slimy sloppy stuff that defines most sauce today.
ReplyDeleteI remember eating it for breakfast the next day.
We have a big kitchen too. Even at that I stay out when my husband cooks. Kitchen is big but not big enough for two cooks. lol
Yum! I love zest. I wonder what the jello component was. Gelatin, maybe?
DeleteI don't know .... I just ate it and helped wash the dishes. lol
DeleteWhen I was in the States last week I was watching a few of the make over programmes on HGTV and they all do the same thing, making the whole downstairs open plan. With the kitchen, dining room and lounge all in one area. That would be my idea of hell. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's just an ordinary day here in the UK, no Thanksgiving celebrations, but enjoy yours.
Yes, I have seen those shows as well. This open floor-plan mess is the plan du jour, it would seem. Absolutely awful.
DeleteI shall enjoy the day, Joey. Thanks. x
Happy thanksgiving Bea.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Yael! x
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving! Your thoughtful gluten-and-diabetic-friendly pumpkin pies are awesome!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debra!
DeleteThe whole purpose of punkin pie is to have leftovers to make punkin custard, to be eaten with a spoon, in the kitchen, in anticipation of, no, celebrating the work of the day before Thanksgiving. I do hope you had a glad and wonderful one.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good evening, yes! And the custard I ate was well-earned, I'd say. :)
DeleteSounds like you got the pie stuff down. Why not save a bit to celebrate with?
ReplyDeleteIt's made for a good breakfast!
DeleteHope you had a wonderful turkey day. Your recipes sounded delicious and I might have to borrow that cranberry sauce recipe as my oldest loves it.
ReplyDeleteThe cranberry sauce went down a treat, I am happy to report. The day was very nice, indeed. May you have had a lovely day as well!
Delete