Seasonal Sundays (Week 50) Crazy for Cranberries

Happy December, All! What a collection of cranberr-y and Christmas-y ideas gathered just for you, all in one easy-to-scan place, a quick read, naturally, cuz you've got cookies to bake and gifts to wrap and ...

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

We seasonal cooks, we focus on certain colors, flavors, tastes, textures and ingredients throughout the year.

Name any Kitchen Parade recipe and I'd bet a bag of cranberries that I know the month in which it was published.

I follow hundreds of wonderful food blogs and every December am always fascinated with the progression from cranberry to peppermint to eggnog ... and when somebody pops up in July, say, with cranberries? I remember, oh yeah, they live in the southern hemisphere where it's winter.

But me, I am C-R-A-Z-Y for Cranberries so usually skip the whole peppermint and eggnog taste sensations and instead pitch up with tart cranberries well toward spring, as long as my freezer supply lasts, that is.

For me, it's not just the cranberry color, it's that sour-fruit tartness. If I could easily put my hands on sour cherries or fresh lingonberries, there'd be more fruity variety throughout the winter – but alas, no such luck, even if once I couldn't resist a ten-pound fifty-buck bucket of lightly sweetened lingonberries and would do it again in a heartbeat.

So during a season when the flavors of "butter" and "sugar" shaped into cookies rule the day, today I'd like to inspire you to grab a few extra bags of fresh cranberries. They'll keep in the fridge for a good couple of weeks, then can move to the freezer.

Random Christmas-y Ideas ...

Who Knew ...

... that Christmas is powered by ... AA batteries?! I bought a 48-pack early in the week, thinking, "Oh well. They keep." After putting up Christmas? Only a handful remain.

Oh and the pricey LED outdoor lights we invested in last year? Half had to be replaced.

Still ... sparkly lights and pretty ribbons, I do love 'em!'

Best Christmas Advice from a Kid

Years back when he was maybe eight or nine, my husband's Chicago grandson clued us in: the more ribbons the better! Maybe we "receive" with our eyes? Especially when gifts rest beneath the tree for a few weeks or days ...

So every year in tribute, I fixate on layers of color, especially for the Littles in the family. (But I'm thinking the young teens won't mind so much either ...) Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, just ribbon this way and that plus a bow or two.

That Said ...

Did you notice that ribbons bring joy on both sides? But these next few weeks are so jam-packed with December-ish expectations and responsibilities on top of January-December real life. So Emily Henderson's On Preventing (Or Preparing Or Coping) With “Overwhelm” During The Holidays (And A Letter To The Universe On Behalf Of Women) really hit home.

So did a post from Cup of Jo where women nix-nayed anyone's idea of women being responsible for all the family gift-buying. "I do my family. He does his." was the overwhelming sentiment. I'm happy to pitch ideas and even pick up odd things that strike me but hey, go for it. And the same goes for gift wrapping ...

Christmas-y Music for the Kitchen

On the Ten-Things-Even-My-Good-Friends-Don't-Know list, right there in the middle is that over the years, I've built a huge collection of Christmas music and every year, look forward to switching to Christmas music throughout December.

And hey, did you hear this story on NPR? How what we know as Carol of the Bells was written 100 years ago by a Ukrainian composer? I'll never hear it again without remembering the courage and tenacity of the Ukrainian people whose country is being ravaged by a ... well, you know.

Anyway, here are a few favorites from my collection, not your usual fare, I think. Hearing these for the first time each year, it's like reconnecting with old friend. Please note, all these selections are affiliate links, here's My Disclosure Promise.

And hey, any recommendations? My "buy now" finger is primed ...

• Christmas With The Puppini Sisters, this is such a fun, spirited side to Christmas.
• Everything You Want for Christmas from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, again, pure fun, pure energy.
• Spirit of Christmas by Ray Charles, this one's more traditional but oh jeez, Ray Charles ...

One Favorite Christmas-y Thing

Ever since I heard about "favorite thing" gift-giving idea, I've wanted to collect a list of small things that make life just a little bit better. So here you go!

(A reminder that these are affiliate links but are for ideas and products which we've bought with our own money and use in our own home.)

This set really helps with our outdoor gatherings with Littles but is so nice looking, too, it would work well for kids rooms or playrooms at home or at gramma's ...

• kids table & chairs – super-easy to assemble + quite sturdy + love the gender-neutral mint color + also a pretty ivory color + do wish the chairs stacked
• extra chairs – love that you can separately order a pair of matching chairs

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: C-R-A-Z-Y for Cranberries!
And NOT Just for Christmas!

• THE RECIPE Three Favorite Sandwich & Cracker Spreads Cranberry Orange Spread + Almond Cilantro Spread + Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Italian Appetizers Red Pepper Crostini + Olivada & Olivada Appetizers + Parmesan Crisps

• THE RECIPE Celebration Salad (Maple-Roasted Carrots with Arugula, Dill, Cranberry Vinaigrette, Pomegranate and Glazed Pecans) An exultant platter of texture, color, flavor and mood.
• ANOTHER TAKE Egyptian Kamut Salad with Roasted Carrot & Pomegranate

• THE RECIPE Fresh Cranberry Bars A chewy almost-blondie molasses and spice bar with bursts of juicy cranberry, topped with a scattering of sugar "snow".
• ANOTHER TAKE Snickerdoodle Bars Snickerdoodle flavors with the firm, chewy texture of blondies.

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Walnut Bread Special for the holidays, a barely sweet yeast bread studded with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
• ANOTHER TAKE Hot Cross Buns Sweet buns traditional for Easter.

• THE RECIPE Fresh Cranberry Cake Best made a day ahead.
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Cranberry Bars A chewy almost-blondie molasses and spice bar with bursts of juicy cranberry, topped with a scattering of sugar "snow".

• THE RECIPE Christmas Banana Bread My favorite banana bread, all dressed up for Christmas.
• ANOTHER TAKE Shhh Banana Bread Delicious, low-fat banana bread.

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Pudding English-style pudding cake with butter sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce My sister's simple, rustic apple cake.

What's New?!

Wondering about a recipe from the last while? Check Recent Recipes from Kitchen Parade and Recent Vegetable Recipes from A Veggie Venture.

• THE RECIPE Lemon-Honey Chicken Skillet A one-pot meal with a medley of spices and vegetables.
• ANOTHER TAKE Rainbow Chicken Chicken (no browning required) and vegetables baked in the oven.

Compliments!

Dang spammers. I've had to turn comments off again, thanks to spambots leaving hundreds of spam comments a day, what a scourge.

But I miss hearing from y'all!

So if you've made a recipe from Kitchen Parade or A Veggie Venture, feel free to drop a quick email via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. I especially love to hear about your adaptations.

• FUN STORY! "Hi, so this salad was served at my baby shower when my mom was carrying me. It's the salad that we had every Thanksgiving. Sure love it with some shrimp and olives. Thanks for sharing." ~Anonymous
• THE RECIPE Tomato Soup Vegetable Salad An old-fashioned salad makeover.
• ANOTHER TAKE Bloody Mary Salad A jello salad with kick.

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Thanksgiving: We Can't Quit You!

We had a splendid Thanksgiving in Texas with my sister and her husband, we can't actually remember the last time we celebrated together but I have the idea (though she disagrees) that it was the year her now 30-year old son was an infant. Agreed. WAY TOO LONG.

And I learned so much, cooking with my sister! She's a great cook, super-organized, super-healthy and super-practical. I came home with three recipes I'll share soon!

She put us back on the road with turkey sandwiches (so good and so smart, the turkey and mayo mixed with a little Cranberry Salsa and wrapped between two lettuce leaves, preventing the bread from turning soggy) and then that night, we ordered carryout chicken-fried-chicken with, ahem, the requisite mashed potatoes and gravy, kinda Thanksgiving-ish, don't you agree? And once we were home and restocking the fridge, I even picked up a turkey breast on sale! More sandwiches for the win!

Anyway, here's some of what we made for Thanksgiving. What a meal!

• FOR THANKSGIVING My younger nephew is not much of a cook, to say the least. But I showed him my best tricks and from now on, he's the guy in charge of Uncle Alex's Famous Mashed Potatoes.
• THE TRICKS Three Secrets for Rich & Creamy Mashed Potatoes Easy to remember, easy to do.
• ANOTHER TAKE Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Party Potatoes) Make-ahead mashed potatoes for a crowd.

• FOR THANKSGIVING Adanna never peels the apple and used a teaspoon of ground ginger instead of a tablespoon of fresh-grated ginger. We used frozen cranberries and oh! so good all frosty and cold right at first. We followed our own advice and made a double batch. (Post not updated yet.)
• THE RECIPE Cranberry Salsa An explosion of flavors with a Christmas vibe.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cranberry Orange Relish with Fresh Ginger That old-time recipe with a whole orange, skin and all.

• FOR THANKSGIVING Wow. What a pie. We called it "granola" and served it for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, a tradition I truly do recommend! This is a pie that travels well, both deconstructed and fully baked. This year, I used golden syrup instead of corn syrup and will do so again and again.
• THE RECIPE Pumpkin Pecan Pie It's a two-fer! One pie, two Thanksgiving favorites.
• ANOTHER TAKE Honey Pumpkin Pie Sweetened with honey, not processed sugar.

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Homemade Whole Cranberry Sauce for the Slow Cooker Sweet aroma of cranberries, fresh ginger and orange zest!
• ANOTHER TAKE Cranberry Orange Relish with Fresh Ginger That old-time recipe with an whole orange, skin and all.

• THE RECIPE Sugared Cranberries Just two ingredients and a few minutes of time. So festive for the holidays!
• ANOTHER TAKE Cranberry Salsa An explosion of flavors with a Christmas vibe.

• THE RECIPE Finnish Glögi (Hot Red Mulled Wine) Scandinavian-style hot red wine "mulled" with spices, fruit and for good luck, an almond.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mulled Apple Cider Fruit and spices turn supermarket apple cider into something special and irresistible.

• THE RECIPE Horseradish Whipped Cream for Beef Just like the best steak restaurants make.
• ANOTHER TAKE Spicy Raisin Sauce for Ham My grandmother's recipe, always-always served with the Easter ham, the Christmas ham, the Sunday ham.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address is in the FAQs), dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, whatever.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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