Baked Cranberry Sauce
Marnie posted a link on twitter to this recipe on the Food Network this morning and even though we're not celebrating Thanksgiving until Friday this year, I went ahead and immediately made some changes and tossed my berries in the oven. Just over an hour from start to finish, this sauce can be made quite a bit in advance (the recipe says it keeps a few weeks in the fridge) and takes almost no active time. The result is a rich sauce, tangy and sweet, with just a hint of spice. Perfect for any dinner, and you can easily adapt the flavors to suit your meal. You could try changing out the juice and almond extract for tequila and cayenne pepper, with lime zest in place of the orange for a spicy kick on your turkey.
Baked Cranberry Sauce (adapted from the Food Network)
1 12 ounce bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
between 1 and 1 1/8 cups sugar, depending on how sweet you like it.
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
Mushroom Soup
Now that we're at least partly settled in the new place, I am getting used to an electric stove/oven after almost five years of cooking with gas. I grew up with a gas stove, it's natural to me. Electric--especially the stovetop--is highly frustrating but I'm getting used to it again.
My husband loves soups. I'm not nearly as much a fan, I've been known to state my serious hatred of all thing soup-like. That's changing due to a nagging desire to eat different things. And so here is a delicious soup I made last week. It's a simple thing, less than a half hour from start to finish, and it is even better reheated a few days later.
Mushroom Soup
1 pound mushrooms, any variety, roughly chopped
2-3 slices thick cut bacon (about 1/4 pound), chopped
1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef stock
2 tblsp dry sherry
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
small amount of yogurt, sour cream or similar
In a 2 quart sauce pot fry bacon over medium heat until cooked, but not crispy. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and sautee until mushrooms have given up the majority of their liquid. Add in the beef stock, sherry, oregano and red pepper and heat until hot, but not boiling. Using a food processor or blender, puree the mixture leaving some texture (don't puree it until it's smooth.) Ladle into bowls and top with 1 tablespoon or so of your yogurt/sour cream. Serves 4.
The herbs are entirely interchangable. Rosemary and thyme would be good as well I think. If you have fresh herbs, feel free to substitute those. You want to aim for about 1.5-2 teaspoons of dried herbs or 1.5-2 tablespoons of fresh. I recommend pairing it with a salad and some crusty bread, you won't want to leave any of the soup behind in the bowl!