CRANBERRY VODKA & CANDIED CRANBERRIES

I found this vintage photo of this somber-looking Thanksgiving dinner on eBay:

The back of the photo tells us that John and Bill were hungry, and Anne loves pheasant (the ceramic pheasant centerpiece?):

I feel their pain — holidays can be rough.  Come to think of it, I don’t think the pilgrims were that excited about Thanksgiving either:

So how’s your Thanksgiving 2020 looking?  Is it going to be a day of mourning like it seems it was for John, Bill, and Anne?  In a year that has been pockmarked with disease, death, dementia, discord, and depression — and that was just March — I’m trying my best not to let it get in the way of my family’s enjoyment of the holidays. Although it’s trying it’s hardest.

So I’m proceeding as usual, including creating my annual front porch fallscape:

I made the wreath with wooden cones — got the idea here.  I also made this wine cork wreath:

I got out my turkeys, laid in a supply of plants and floral materials to make centerpieces, and planned a Thanksgiving menu.  Since there will just be a few of us this year, I’m packing up half of it to share with a friend who has hit a bit of a rough patch lately.  I’m trying to decide whether the theme for my Thanksgiving dinner this year will be (a) You Get What You Get and You Don’t Pitch a Fit, or (b) May the Odds (of Not Catching Covid) Be Ever in Your Favor.  What do you think?  UPDATE:  We went with (a).

Honestly, though, it’s probably going to take a fair amount of alcohol to get through the holidays this year.  Inspired by the vintage photo and hoping to have a better time than John, Bill, and Anne, I made Cranberry Vodka.  I found the recipe here, and made it last year.  It was so good, that this year I wisely made a double batch.

To make Cranberry Vodka you’ll need two ingredients — cranberries and vodka.  Doh.  For each liter of vodka, you’ll need 2 cups of cranberries cut in half.  Make sure they’re not squishy, or your vodka will be nasty.

Pour the vodka into a large clean Mason jar, add the cranberries, and screw the top on tightly.

Set the jar in the refrigerator or a cool dark place for 1-2 weeks (2 weeks being preferable):

Strain the vodka through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl, and then transfer the vodka to the original bottle:

Gorgeous, huh?  As an added bonus, the pectin in the cranberries gives the infused vodka a lush, silky feel.

But what to do with all those vodka-soaked cranberries?  

Candy them, of course!  You’ll be rewarded with gorgeous, sweet, tangy, jewels:

I haven’t tried coating them with chocolate yet, but will update if/when I do.  Meanwhile, I’ll probably toss some into salads, fold some into oatmeal cookie dough, or maybe spoon some of the cranberries with their syrup over vanilla ice cream.

Thanksgiving 2020, I’m ready for ya with my double batch of Cranberry Vodka!  However you’re celebrating this year, I hope there is much that you’re thankful for.

5 from 1 reviews
CRANBERRY VODKA
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries, halved
  • 1 liter vodka
Instructions
  1. Put the cranberries in a large clean glass jar. Add the vodka to the berries (and save the vodka bottle). Cover the jar and screw the lid on tightly. Keep the jar in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place and let the cranberries infuse for 1-2 weeks. Give the jar a shake every day or so.
  2. When the vodka has reached the desired intensity, strain the vodka through a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl. Use a funnel to pour the vodka back into the original bottle.
  3. Reserve the strained vodka-soaked cranberries to make candied cranberries (recipe follows).

CANDIED VODKA CRANBERRIES
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 cups vodka-soaked cranberries
Instructions
  1. Place sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add cranberries, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until cranberries become translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then transfer to a jar and store in refrigerator.

 

 

HOMEMADE FOOD GIFTS

It’s a nice gesture to hand out homemade treats to friends, neighbors, and coworkers during the holidays.  There are lots of easy recipes that you can whip up in no time — two of my family’s favorites are Haystacks and Buffalo Chex Mix.

Haystacks were introduced to me by my friend Patricia.  I remember her bringing them over one Christmas many moons ago, and I also remember how we wanted to go knock on her door, empty plate in hand, and say “more please.”  The recipe consists of butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and potato sticks, which combine for an addictive salty sweet crunchy confection.  Her sister came up with the genius idea of decorating them with a few Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperials, which combine in the strangest way to create a really fun holiday treat.  Trust me on this one.

HAYSTACKS
Author: 
Recipe type: Candy
 
Ingredients
  • 11-ounce package (1-2/3 cups) butterscotch chips
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 9-ounce can shoestring potato sticks
  • Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperials, for optional garnish
Instructions
  1. Place butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in peanut butter until completely blended and smooth. Add potato sticks and stir until coated. Drop mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Garnish with Red Hots as desired. Refrigerate until firm. Makes approximately 2 dozen.

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Ready to go in the refrigerator to set up 

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Your friends will be asking for “more please”

Buffalo Chex Mix is one of our favorite savory snacks.  I used to make regular Chex Mix to send to my kids at school, and would frequently share it with my boss.  One day I found him shaking hot sauce all over his Chex Mix, which seemed like a great idea, except that it really needs to be baked so that it doesn’t get soggy.  And thus, Buffalo Chex Mix came to be our favorite savory snack.  Packaged up in mason jars, this makes a great gift.

5 from 1 reviews
BUFFALO CHEX MIX
Author: 
Recipe type: Snacks
 
Ingredients
  • 7 cups Rice Chex
  • 1 cup Wheat Chex
  • 2 cups mini pretzels, sesame sticks, bagel chips, or rye chips, or any combination
  • 2 cups Cheez It crackers (Cheez Its Duoz Sharp Cheddar and Parmesan are really good in this)
  • 1 stick butter
  • ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
  • 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. Place Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, pretzels, and Cheez Its in a large baking dish and mix together.
  3. Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until butter is melted. Whisk in hot sauce, ranch dressing mix, and celery seed. Pour over cereal mixture, and stir to combine. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before packaging.