Bourbon Spiced Cranberry Sauce

"If it doesn't have the ridges from the can, it's not cranberry sauce", was my late husband's point of view.  My son takes after him. 

So for Thanksgiving we have the jelled cranberry sauce out of the can.  AND we have the real stuff.  

I've made several versions.  Here is an adult version I really like.


Soak a 12 oz bag of cranberries in a cup of Bourbon for an hour.  (Take them out of the bag first)

Add 1 cup orange juice and a cup of sugar.  Personally I don't care for tart so I add another half cup of sugar.  Start with a cup and taste it. 

Add 1/2 tsp Penzeys applie pie spice  (which is a combinatio of cinnimon, nutmeg, mace & cloves) and 1/2 tsp ginger.

Cook it on low for about 15 minutes.  Then I take an emulsifier and blend it up a bit so it's still chunky but you don't bite into a whole cranberry. 

Here's what you do with leftover turkey -- Turkey Gumbo!

This starts with simmering the carcass for a few hours. 

 Throw in some onion and left over veggies if you like.  When it’s done just put the whole pot in the fridge.  Or if there is no room and if you live where I live, by the basement door where it’s cold.  You can skip this step but I think it adds richness to the stock.

The next morning, take the carcass out of the pot and pick off the meat.  I’m a terrible carver so there’s always plenty left on the carcass but there’s always something.  You can also use leftover turkey you carved.  Save that for later.  Strain the liquid and save that.  Freeze it in quart bags.   Keep a pint out. It should be very gelatinous.

What makes a gumbo is the roux.  

It’s all about the roux.  This takes time. You need to stand by the pan and watch and stir your roux.  You don’t want it to burn.

A roux is equal parts fat and flour.  I had fried up a bunch of bacon for loaded mashed potatoes so I used a quarter cup bacon fat and a quarter cup flour.  You can use butter, olive oil, lard, any fat.   

Melt the fat, and add the flour and mix it well.  Then cook on low heat until it is a dark caramel color. It takes about 40-45 minutes.  Don’t rush it.  Stir it and don’t let it stick to the pan.

Then add 1 chopped onion and one chopped red bell pepper, a few cloves garlic, chopped and stir it up so that it is all covered in the roux.  

This is when I add the spices. 

 Salt, pepper. You can add cayenne pepper if you like heat.  I use Penzey’s Cajun mixture.  And sage, since sage is good with turkey.  Stir it up and cook low for about 5 minutes.  

Add about a half cup wine.  Red wine, white wine, whatever.  It will become a big sticky glob.  That’s what you want.  Cook that on low for about 10 minutes.  

Add your pint of turkey stock.  Depending on how thick and rich that stock is, you can add water (or wine) to thin it to your taste.  I like it thick.  I also add about a tablespoon of brown sugar.


Add the turkey.  You could add some carrots. Turn up the heat and bring that to a slow boil. Then dump it in the slow cooker (or turn heat down again) and cook it for about two hours. Eat it with rice.  It’s rich and tasty. 

You will want to make sure you have enough left over turkey to make this every year.

I'm Still Here. Making Fruitcake and Remembering to be Thankful

My Swanky Office

I make fruitcake when things are going well.  

It's time consuming and expensive so it's a good sign when I make fruitcake.

This is the thing.  

I write a blog for a living now.  So it's just not so pressing to do it on my own anymore.  In case you missed the news, I'm the new Director for Evangelical Mission for the Northeastern Iowa Synod, ELCA.

It's a strange but wonderful position. As I described in my Staples post, I work for the ELCA but am deployed in the SYnod Office.  And I am doing stuff no other DEM is doing.  

Most DEMs are all about new starts and mission congregations.  Well we don't have many of those so my job description was written to include helping congregations use Social Media for outreach.  

It's kind of scary because I keep getting introduced as the "Expert in Social Media" when I'm really not all that expert.  I've just tried some stuff that works, read some stuff and know where to find answers,.  Usually.

I'm doing stuff I love.  I work with a Bishop I admire and other incredibly hardworking, knowledgeable, talented and downright pleasant to be around staff.  I wake up in the morning thinking "Yea I get to go into work today"  I travel around to different churches to preach and people are happy to see me.  People listen to me.  It is for me, anyway, the Best Job in the World.

But this is the thing. 

 There are parts I don't like. Sometimes I have to do things I don't want to do.  And even though just a few short months ago I couldn't breath I was so grateful and excited to get this job, there are times now when all I do is think and grouse about those silly things I have to do that I don't like.  

What the hell is wrong with me?  I guess that is what sin is. 

Because this is the thing:  Gratitude does not come easy to us.

And when it does, it doesn't stick around.  You have to work at Gratitude.  You have to make an effort.  Get lazy and you will default to bitchin and moaning about those things you don't have you wish you did or the things you do have and wish you didn't.

Don't get lazy.  It's Thanksgiving time for crying out loud. 

Maybe things are not going as well for you as they are for me. Let me tell you in the darkest of my times, I have found gratitude to be all the more important. 

 Thinking about what I did have that was good in my life has kept me out of some deep wells of despair I could have easily plunged into. 

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"  I Thess. 5:17-18

Yea, what he said. 

Oh and here's my Fruitcake Recipe

Lefse!

Lefse is a Norweigian Flatbread made with potatoes.   

My husband made good lefse and even made his own lefse stick for turning them.  My daughter and I made them a few years ago and she decided she wanted to make them again so that's what we did this afternoon.  It's time consuming and tricky.  

Most people make them on electric griddles but I used an old fashioned cast iron skillet.  Worked fine, but did result in brown spots which WE like but purists would frown upon.

This is the recipe we used:

5 lbs potatoes, peeled, cooked and riced.  

The ricing is the hardest part as far as I'm concerned.  I had some old ladies try to tell me I could use potato flakes but I don't eat that stuff, why would I cook with it?

I made two batches - this makes 1 batch:

4 cups riced potatoes

1/4 Cup melted butter

1/2 Cup whipping cream

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 Cup flour

Mix and then form patties.  This is tricky because you don't want to work it too much or it will taste rubbery, but you do need to work it enough to make sure there are not cracks on the edge, so that it will roll out nice and round.

Pastry is not my thing.  I cannot roll.  
I can barely roll out sugar cookies.  Sarah was a very good roller.  You want these to be pretty thin.  A lefse roller has grooves in it to prevent air pockets.  Look how nicely she rolled that out!

Then you slip the stick underneath in the middle and roll it over into the pan.  This takes some practice.  This is why you rice 5 pounds of potatoes.  Some lefse will go into the trash.

It will bubble like this when it is time to turn it.  Again you use the stick to turn it.

And you use the stick to take it out of the pan.  Stack them up about ten at a time, and then fold them into fours.  

Ours are pretty small because we make them on cast iron skillets.  If you make them on a lefse griddle you can make them much larger.  Of course then rolling and handling the stick is even more challenging.

We have lefse sticks and we know how to use them!

In Case You Forgot How to Set the Table

Pie (or more specifically Pie Crust)

I made a pie crust from scratch this morning.  Seems like a simple enough thing but this is a skill that has eluded me for years.   I had tried several times, several recipes and most of the time the dough ended up being thrown in the trash in a very tantrum like gesture.  People would give me recipes assuring me it was foolproof.  And give this really helpful advice "The trick to so not work the dough so much"  Yea but THAT was the problem, I could not get the dough to roll out enough for a pie.  It would come apart, it would stick, it would take so much handling it became worthless.

One of the things I brought home from my mom was a large good quality food processor.  And armed with that and Melissa D'Arabian's recipe, I finally successfully made a pie crust.  The trick is definitely the food processor and cold butter, adding a little ice water at a time and wallah! You have the dough exactly the consistency you want.  Yes I know Grandma never had a food processor.  Maybe you can make dough without one.  I'm happy to have one.  I'm happy to make food that's less processed and has more pure ingredients.  The pre-rolled stuff tasted fine but this is better.

I'm 54 years old and I've learned to make pie crust.  This summer I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time.  There's a lot more for me to learn and see in this world.  Just one more thing to be thankful for.

Oh and I made pumpkin pie.  The secret to my pie is that I use sweetened condensed milk.  I think it makes a creamier pie.

Friday Five -Thanksgiving

Usually when I hit a blogging block, I turn the the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five to get me to write something.  ANYthing.  

Last Thanksgiving I was VERY grateful although a little stressed out because I had just a few weeks to pack and move and get out of town.  But I did make turkey and all the extras.

1. Where will you be on Thanksgiving Day? With whom?

My son, my daughter, my seven cats and I.


2. Are there any family traditions or memories associated with Thanksgiving?

From the time I was married 24 years ago we went to my husband's sisters in La Cross Wisconsin for thanksgiving.  His aunt always made lefse and gave everyone a package to take home.  When we lived several hours away we would leave Wednesday night after church, with the kids in their pajamas so they would sleep during the drive.
 That night we would always go to the Riverside Park along the Mississippi where the Rotary Club put up the Midwest's largest light display.  We'd either drive through the park if it was too cold or walk if it wasn't too bad.

When the kids were older we would drive two hours up to Minneapolis, spend the night and do the Black Friday shopping at the Mall of America.   That's right, I did the evil shopping thing.  Had a great time too.  Found the crowds amusing and entertaining.  Would give the kids some money to go buy me a Christmas gift.  One year they got me a whole season of the West Wing.

3. What will be on your Thanksgiving menu?

Turkey with Cherry Stuffing, mashed potatoes  (cook the potatoes in chicken broth for some extra flavory) and gravy, green beans or broccoli, depending upon what looks freshest at the store, Squash and Apple casserole (I may post that recipe soon because that is some good stuff)  Cranberry Raspberry Jello, canned cranberry sauce for my son and this year I made some jalapeno and cranberry relish.  Pumpkin pie with REAL whipped cream, and I may try to make a pie crust again.  I never have much luck with that but I have my mom's Cuisinart  this time and I think that may make it easier.

4. Are you trying anything new this Thanksgiving?

No but I think we may make lefse while my daughter is home.  We did it a few years ago with some success.  I have a new potato ricer so that part of the job should not be so difficult.

5. What is the weather forecast for this day (next Thursday)?  High of 43, partly cloudy small chance of precipitation.  That is walking around watching the lights weather but we are staying home this year.

Have a Very Lutheran Thanksgiving.

Which means JELLO of course:

1 6 oz  Box Raspberry or Orange Jello

1 can jelled Cranberry Sauce

1 8 oz can crushed pineapple

Prepare jello as directed.  Let set an hour to an hour an a half.  Mix in cranberry sauce and pineapple well. 

There.  Now you can have a real Lutheran Thanksgiving.

PS - I DO make real cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries as well, but this has been a family tradition since the kids were tots.

Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God,
With hearts, and hands, and voices
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom His world rejoices
Who, from our mothers' arms, 

Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, 

And still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God Through all our life be near us,
With ever-joyful hearts And blessed peace to cheer us,
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills In this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God The Father now to be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns With Them in highest heaven:
The one eternal God, Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, And shall be evermore.

Martin Rinkart was a Pastor in a German town called Eilenbrug for 32 years. 

Much of his ministry took place during the terrible years of the Thirty-Year War. 

Pastor Rinkart saw a lot of suffering during this time and no one would blame him for wondering what he had to be thankful for. Eilenburg was a walled city and refuges from the war sought refuge there, leading to the same kinds of conditions we see in refugee camps around the world today. 

But there was no international Red Cross or other relief agencies to provide relief. The overcrowding led to famine, starvation, and disease. Eventually every other pastor in the city died and he was left alone to minister to the city. 

Sometimes he would have to conduct fifty funerals in one day. 

Then his own wife died.

And when the plagues were over, he was not thanked or appreciated; in fact he was harassed by the townspeople until he died of exhaustion at the age of 63.

And in the midst of all this sorrow he wrote:

Who, from our mothers' arms,
Hath blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today.

I'll be going to my sister-in-laws for Thanksgiving tomorrow. She is my late husband's sister. He was their baby brother. He died in a car accident on the way to visit his father who had been hospitalized with a stroke. Their mother died of cancer before I met my husband. His other sister lost her husband a few years ago to Diabetes. My husband's nephew at age 49 (the same age my husband died) suffered two strokes a few weeks ago and his on a long hard road to recovery. They still have a son in school.

There have been more than one occasion when I thought to myself "Thank God Loren is not alive to see this." I thought about how much it would upset him to see his nephew (whom he babysat for his sister who worked) like this. See there's always something to be thankful for.

How do you be grateful in such a time? 

You have to be grateful. In the difficult and dark times it is essential that you be grateful. You MUST focus on what you have and what is good in your life. 

If you let yourself get caught up in thinking about all the things you don't have you will find yourself in a bottomless hole that will suck you in deeper and deeper. Gratitude is the only way out of that hole.

Thanksgiving is for us.      

It's not for God. God isn't like us – you know how we get all sulky and pouty because we didn't get a thank you note from that niece or godchild who honestly just doesn't think enough about you to sit down and write a thank you note.

God doesn't need our gratitude. Gratitude is for our sake. To get us out of that sink hole of despair and negativity.

I always open my confirmation class by having the kids go around and do "highs and lows". I have one rule. EVERYONE must share a high. If they can't think of a low part of their day, that's fine. But they MUST come up with something good about their day. 

Because no matter how bad your day is, there is something good. 

It's a good exercise for them to see that there is good in their lives.

Ten years ago I faced the holidays for the first time without my best friend, the love of my life. 

I had two children who needed to see that it was not just okay, it was in fact, a wonderful thing to be joyful and celebrate the holidays. 

And I simply did not allow myself the indulgence of self-pity and resentment about what I didn't have during this season. I turned my sights on what was good in my life.

And there was so much good. There were so many people whose hearts reached out to my children. The football team/Luther League who climbed on my roof to put Christmas lights. Help to put up my tree. Presents for my kids. 

I saw how beautiful the snow was and how lucky to give my kids a Christmas card Christmas. How lucky we had heat. How lucky I was to have a job. 

It was an amazing Christmas because I focused on the good like I had never done before. 

And that gaping bottomless pit that threatens anyone who has known grief did not take over. And it was the gift of gratitude that kept me out of that pit.

Yea I know you can find a lot to bitch about this holiday season. Just stop it. Find the good and thank God for it. 

And then thank God for the gift of being thankful.