Cranberry Facts

 what would the Thanksgiving table be without cranberry jelly? Its' rich ruby coloring and tart taste gives zing to an other wise bland table. This American classic is truly just that more American than apple pie<Its history is as old as the country and continent itself.

Regular contributor Christina Morales wrote about them in todays' New York Times Food section.It actually jellied cranberry which is the star and its' been around for 110 years.It was created in 1912 by Massachusetts farmer and lawyer Marcus L. Uran. Mr. Uraan wanted to support local cranberry famrers in his native Massachusetts. he also bought a bog as well. He had the idea to extend the usual two month cranberry season to all year round by pressing them into juice and prederving them into jellies. This became the famed Ocean Spray company in 1930, also created by John Makepeace of Massacusetts and Elizabeth Lee of New Jersey. They created one of the first farm cooperatives which is now owned by seven hundred farmers nationwide. The canned sauce was first served in 1941 and has been a classic ever since.  A phenomenon is that Gen Zers have disovered this as they take over holiday cooking from older relatives. Cranberry jelly is also becoming the star of Friendsgiving dinners too.

It is popular with a four percent rise in production despite the price being raised twenty per cent higher than last year fifteen billion cranberries were harvested during that time. About a thousand farms grow them according to Karen Cahill, marketing director of the Cranberry Marketing Committee. The fruits need a lot fo land. To just grow an acre of cranberries a farmer needs another five to seven acres of support land just for the water's reservoir system.Contrary to popular believe they do not grow in water  but rather in a moist well drained environment. These beds also called bogs are flooded with eighteen to thirty inches of water  when the berries are ready to be harvested in September and October. The cranberries rise to the top of the bog, thanks to each berry having four air pockets. Farmers uses rakes and tractors to detach them fron their vines. The harvested berries are then put into yellow containment booms, that also are used for corraling oil spills. They're cleaned a number of times before going off to the processing center to be frozen. Their skins and seeds are removed and they're mashed into a puree Corn syrup is added to this then they're filtered and pacled into cans. everything is then lableled and boxed ready to be shipped to groceries around the country.

Cranberries are one of the most American foods we can eat.It's pnly fitting that they're served at the most American of holidays. Enjoy a slice of it with your meal tomorrow.

Spooky Sips

 What's a party without drinks? It's scary to think which is why you should have some fun libations at your Halloween party. They can be cocktails or mocktails. Just make sure they have an element of creepy fun.

The question most party throwers ask is to go totally alcohol or add a few mocktails. The best bet is go half and half. Some will want something with a wallop, others may not. There also may be pregnant or under age. Play it safe. Have a variety of both so everyone is happy.Don't underestimate the mocktail. The Halloween themed ones are both fun and tasty.Nothing says party like a punch and a berry filled one is delicious and thirst quenching. It's just taking a mixed cranberry juice like Ocean spray's sparkling Cran -mango or Cranraspberry. Add a cup of Welch's Grape Juice to get give it that dark ,bloody look, Use lychees to create eyeballs.You can also add cranberry juice and water to latex gloves , freeze and then break the  "bloody" fingers up to put into the punch.If you're planning on individual drinks, have plenty of flavored and plain seltzer and a wide variety of fruit juices along with the usual cocktail add in like citrus wedges and maraschino cherries. One is apple juice with frozen grape acting as ice cubes. Add a shot of seltzer and grenadine to give it bubble and zing. Want something to go with that witch's outfit? Try a black mocktail, made with pitted black cherries, pomegranate juice  and agave mixed with a few drops of black food coloring. Without the coloring it's still a lovely blood clot red.

Of course you can also have alcoholic drinks. Think a spooky rum punch topped with dry ice for a truly scary effect. Keep in mind to use gloves and tongs when handling dry ice and only use four or five pieces for it . Moat supermarkets sell it so there's no trouble to find it. The actual punch is a  good shot of rum,  five to six cups of cranberry juice along with five to six cups of apple juice. Add a bottle of ginger ale for fizz. Toss in a few candy eyeballs and gummy worms to ratchet up the creepy factor. Another wild drink is Witches Brew. You can use the extra dry ice to top off the drinks for a just from the cauldron effect. Mix Midori melon liqueur with Cointreu or Triple Sec. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to balance out the sweetness and some ice. Stir the ingredients and strain it into a low ball glass. Serve the potent Vampire's Kiss for any of the   Edward Cullens attending . It's  simply a berry flavored martini. It's combining Chambord, a raspberry flavored liqueur with vodka and grenadine. Unsweetened cranberry juice is used. Don't buy the sweetened. It'll make the drink too sugary. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds brightness and tartness to it. Serve in a martini glass and decorate with plastic fangs

It's not Halloween without a fun drink or punch. Try a  scary and wild mockrail or cocktail to make the party lively. Have  a glass and just enjoy the night!!!

Short Cut Or Real Deal

As we embark on this holiday cooking trek , the question we have to ask ourselves is do we take the short cut route or make the real deal? Which is easier for us? Something from a box or tube or a recipe made from scratch.

The thought of making an entire holiday meal can cause a major panic attack in a few home chefs.There's a fear of either giving the family food poisoning or screwing up a beloved passed down through the generations dish. If that's the case,then think about already made or easy to prepare recipes. Many cooks are flummoxed by stuffings. What bread to use? Do you add sausage? Or chestnuts? If it's that confusing then stick to that old culinary chestnut, Stove Top Stuffing.It's an easy make,using only butter and water and cooked on what else  -  a stove top. They have a traditional sage dressing along with a cornbread one that's sure to please the crowds. A  homemade stuffing is relatively easy to create but labor intensive.Think of it as a savory bread pudding but without the eggs to bind it. Experiment with a few recipes before the big day. Decide which works the best for you and go with it. Another nail biter is gravy. This is a temperamental dish, where it could come out satiny and smooth or chock full of lumps. It's a simple recipe of just pan drippings, giblets, water and flour .Rosemary is added for more flavor and complexity along with salt and pepper. It;s just a matter of keeping the lumps at bay with constant stirring. The easier route would be buying a couple of jars of Heinz turkey gravy and just heating it upon the stove  top or even in  the microwave.,

Cranberries are another bone of cooking contention. A side made with fresh cranberries is always welcomed. Yet preparing them for cooking can be exhausting. You have to first wash and clean them, and then remove any stem, leaves and soft berries. The actual cooking only takes ten minutes on the stove top. Of course there is the classic Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. Open the can and just plop it on a fancy dish and you're done. One of the most agonizing holiday food choices is scratch  cookies verses slice and bakes.Of course nothing taste better than a homemade sugar cookie. Keep in mind that you can do a lot with a scratch cookie, Cinnamon and nutmeg can be added. Vary the recipe to make it gluten free and safe to eat for everyone. Of course the slice and bakes are soooo easy to make. You just need a sharp knife and a cookie sheet.These can be decorated too, with either homemade or bought frosting. One of the best things about slice and bakes is that they make excellent sandwich cookies, thanks to their uniform shapes. What you could do is bake the store bought  dough and make the fillings with different flavorings  from chocolate to peppermint.

It's up to you - as the chief home chef  how easy or complicated you want to go with your holiday cooking and baking. Go one way or the other. Or do a combination that works best for you. It's your choice  and your choice only.

Crazy For Cranberries

Cranberries may not be the star of the Thanksgiving meal but they certainly steal the show. Their brilliant ruby color commands attention and their tart taste is a palate cleanser. They're  good for not just holiday meals but for healthier eating and drinking. Another aspect is that they're extremely versatile. They can jazz up chutneys or be turned into fun mocktails.

Cranberries have a lot in common with Christmas trees and blueberries. Both  cranberries and firs are evergreens,.It shares a woody stem and bell shaped flower with the blueberry along with similar berries, the huckleberry and the bilberry. Cranberries are classified into two categories, the North American and Northern European. They were originally called craneberries by early English settlers to America,  due to their flowers resembling cranes and their long necks..They grow in sandy wet soil,namely Massachusetts and south western New Jersey where Ocean Spray cranberry juice is manufactured. Anything with cranberries is a good thing. They're high in manganese, an essential mineral used in metabolism, growth and cancer fighting. They also have moderate amounts of vitamin C and fiber. .Cranberry juice  can also aid in healing urinary tract infections. Since they have a bitter taste , they do have to be processed with a lot of sugar. The berries have been made into juice since the late 1680's and were even served at a Harvard commencement dinner as early as 1803.Cranberries were bought and fresh until the 1930's.Ocean Spray and Cranberries Cooperatives came together to form the main distributor of cranberry products in the United  States.

Cranberries are not just relegated to Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can have them all year long. Fresh ones can be made into cranberry jelly. This is just a simple mix of them, sugar and water. The skins and pulp are then strained and the juice is reboiled with sugar . Its' then poured into sterilized jelly jars and sealed airtight with paraffin wax. For something a little less labor intensive try cranberry relish. This is a mix of fresh cranberries, tart green apples and orange slicesThese are ground with two cups of white, refined sugar. The relish  could be a great condiment after Thanksgiving, adding some zest to not only turkey but also chicken sandwiches too. Use the berries in an exotic chutney. This is like the relish but has allspice  cinnamon, clove and ginger added for zing. Brown sugar is used instead of regular for an earthier flavor.  Dried cranberries such Craisins are used in desserts too. They liven up regular oatmeal cookies and bring color to chocolate chip ones.Cranberry juice is the main ingredient in the tasty classic The Cape Codder, where it's mixed with vodka. Yet there are some yummy mocktails out there that work at any party. Blend it with sparkling grape juice and a few drops of maple syrup for a cranberry fizz. Start off your holiday parties with a cranberry lemonade punch . This is mixing the juice with freshly made lemonade and then adding seltzer for froth and bubble.

As traditional as they are cranberries can also be a fin addition to any meal or party. They're zingy and zesty, perfect for drinks and sides. Try them in relishes and chutnies , or use them in a fun toast to the holidays.