This year Christy and I are going to have a cranberry duel!  She made the one above.  We will throw cranberries at each other all afternoon until someone is declared the winner……(it’s gonna get messy because we are having 6 kids under age 7!).  It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year.

CHRISTY’S CRANBERRIES

1 pkg fresh cranberries, washed

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup orange juice (no sugar added)

Zest of one orange

Once orange is zested, I cut in half and squeezed fresh orange juice from 1/2 of the orange

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or 1/2 tsp. each clove and cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts or no nuts)

1-4 Tbs. triple orange liquer

To cook:

Combine cranberries, sugars, and OJ.  In a saucepan, bring to a boil till cranberries start to pop.  Remove from heat and stir in zest, juice, spices, nuts and liqueur.  Sauce will thicken when it cools.  Can store for a week in a Mason jar.

Appetizer Idea:  Pour over a block of cream cheese and serve with Rosemary Crackers.  Also great on a turkey sandwich with mayo!

Now, my recipe.  I have lost my Mom’s original, but from memory this is the closest I can come.  It’s more like a Jello salad (in fact it IS a jello salad)!

GERI’S CRANBERRY SALAD

2 pkg Rasberry gelatin

1 can jellied Cranberry sauce

2 cups boiling water

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 can mandarin oranges, sliced in 1/2 (drain or use juice as part of boiling water above)

Zest of an orange NOTE:  If you are really a cook and don’t mind the work, separate the orange sections, and “supreme” them.  (trim off thin skin and add to salad).   Which basically makes them just like the mandarins.

In a saucepan or microwave, melt the cranberry sauce.  Add jello to boiling water, stir and add cranberry sauce.  Add pineapple, celery, nuts and pour into a ring mold or square baking dish.  Chill till set.  (Mom used to Pray it would come  out of the mold neatly!). Memories….