CRANBERRY RECIPES & MEMORIES
From Laurel H. of Texas:
Recipe: I don't have any favorite cranberry recipe, per se, but I add craisins to all sorts of things, like my cereal, my oatmeal muffins, scones, salads. My very favorite holiday memory so far is taking my husband home to meet my family, some for the first time, and experiencing a true Western New York small-town Christmas, complete with the annual dance recital at the local dance studio and Christmas Eve service next door at the church. I think one of my best holiday memories is about to happen - My dear husband is due home soon from another year-long tour in Iraq. What a special Christmas present, and blessed holiday season I plan to have! Praise God!
From Joy I of AZ:
CRANBERRY CRUNCH
1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1# can of cranbrry sauce (jellied or whole)
Mix oats,flour,and brown sugar together. Cut in butter until crumbly. Place half of this mixture in an 8x8" greased baking pan.Cover with cranberry sauce. Top with balance of mixture. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees in oven. Serve hot in squares topped with vanilla ice cream. Serves 6-8
From Carla G. of Maine:
I grew up in Massachusetts and we spent a lot of time on Cape Cod. Cranberries are everywhere on the Cape and it still is an awesome sight to view fields of red ripe with cranberries. Ocean Spray Cranberry was also right across the street from where we often went out to eat for family dinners when I was a kid. It was always fun stopping in the gift shop and seeing all the cranberry themed items. Wooden cranberry scoops are a common decoration filled with flowers, fruits, and they are even used for mail or napkin holders. When I think of cranberries I always think of my home state, Massachusetts!
From Kathy T. of Washington
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
2 1/4 Cups Flour 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 Tbl. pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup veg. oil
2 tsps. baking powder 1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup walnuts
2 eggs
2 cups white sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2- 9x5 loaf pans
Combine flour,pumpkin pie spice,baking powder,salt
Combine eggs,sugar,pumpkin,oil, beat until blended.
Stir the wet mixture into the dry until batter is just moistened. Fold in cranberries and walnuts.Spoon batter into pans. Bake 50-60 minutes.
From Mary B. of Ohio:
I remember mom making dinner for my grandma, grandpa , my 3 sisters and 1 brother and my dad and me and also my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins from Pa.
I used to love to see the big turkey come to the table whole.
My mom makes the best cranberry relish for a few of us and the rest eat the regular cranberry sauce.
Good food,lots of family and everyone talking and having a great time.
Those are my beautiful memories.
So many of these folks are gone now.But the memories still go on and on.
From Haila M. of Wisconsin:
CRANBERRY NUT DESSERT
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
Place cranberries in a greased 9-inch pie plate; sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg; gradually add sugar. Beat in the flour and butter; mix well. Pour over berries. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. You can top it with whipped cream or sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
From Michele C. of Indiana:
Holiday Cranberries
1 lb of cranberries
1 large can of crushed pineapple drained slightly
8 bananas in bite size pieces
1 lb red grapes chopped in bite size pieces
9 packages of equal or sugar to taste
Grind the berries. Add the rest of the ingredients and sweeten with equal or sugar. Yum!
From Jackie W. of California:
I remember growing up on a farm in southeastern Colorado and having strings of cranberries decorating the Christmas tree. And it wasn\'t Thanksgiving unless we had cranberries sauce ...to this day they are a favorite food of mine fixed anyway you can get them...whole, as a sauce, or dried or the juice. I\'m glad we had them as a child for me to learn to love them.
From PJR of Nebraska:
We served a Cranberry Marshmallow Cream salad for our wedding reception in Nebraska in March 30+ years ago. Each time I make it, what wonderful memories it evokes.
From Eunice J. of AR:
Cranberry Salad
Grind 1 package of fresh cranberry and 1 pound marshmellows.
Add 1 cup of sugar, let set overnight.
Add 8 oz. drained, crushed pineapple.
Whip one half pint whipping cream and fold into cranberry mixture.
Add 1 cup chopped walnuts.
From Suzanne of NY:
Recipe: I remember working in Nantucket as a Nurse, I was a very young LPN and now I'm almost Fifty. My relative, an older woman nearing 100 had summered on the island for many years. During her last days there I was her nurse. She was a rare creature, a real jewel and irreplaceable. The title "A Gift from the Sea" and the setting for the story made me grab it off the shelf. I started reading it the moment I carried it into my bedroom. I can't think of a cranberry recipe yet, but I have to buy the other Nantucket story -- the island has a special allure.
From Mary Kay D of MI:
I have fond memories of Thanksgiving at my grandparents "upnorth." All of my aunts, uncles, and cousins were there. Eventually, my daughter, then son joined us, until my grandparents got older and moved into Saginaw. Tahnksgiving has never been the same.
I miss all of the great food. Everyone would bring a dish to pass. A special recipe they were great at making! My grandma made the turkey and the best stuffing! What I miss the most though, is the togetherness and love that we shared.
From Kimmy L of MO
SUMMER BERRY TRIFLE
Ingredients (serves 10)
1 x 85g pkt quick-set strawberry & raspberry jelly crystals
14 bought jam rollettes, cut into 1cm-thick slices
80ml (1/3 cup) apple juice or sweet sherry
2 x 250g punnets strawberries, washed, hulled, halved
2 x 150g punnets blueberries
500ml (2 cups) vanilla custard
250ml (1 cup) thickened cream, whipped
Method
Prepare the jelly following packet directions. Pour into a large container and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until set. Coarsely chop.
Place half the rollettes in the base of a 3L (12-cup) capacity serving bowl. Drizzle half the apple juice or sherry over the rollettes. Top with half the jelly and one-third of the combined strawberries and blueberries. Spoon over half the custard. Repeat with the remaining rollettes, apple juice or sherry, jelly and half the remaining strawberries and blueberries. Top with the remaining custard.
Spoon the cream over the trifle and top with the remaining strawberries and blueberries. Place in the fridge until required.
From Cynthia H of AR
I really enjoyed "Home at Last"! I couldn't put it down! I am from MA. Born in Plymouth, but lived in New Bedford, and travelled back and forth all my life, past many a cranberry bog. I married a military man, so our times in MA were limited, but some of the happiest times were taking our children to a relative's land where some of the Ocean Spray cranberries ran off, and floated in the water. They were unwanted by the company. We'd scoop them off, then my best friend and I would pick through the berries. We'd cook & bake, for days. My favorite recipe is on the Ocean Spray bags--Cranberry Relish. I also make cran-apple pies, in the good old New England way. I have no special recipe, just normal carn-orange muffins, or cakes, etc. I always make my own cranberry sauce, as on the bags, and we eat craisins as a snack. My husband and I have been married 50 years, as of Sept. 4, and retired in Arkansas, near Little Rock Air Force Base, near our children. We went "home" in July and August, but didn't get out to Nantucket. Thankyou so much for bringing me back to my wonderful childhood memories of beaches and cranberry bogs!
I will look forward to your next book!
From Sara A. of CO:
Holiday Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
2, 10 oz each mixed baby greens or Italian-blend salad greens
2 avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced
2/3 cup pistachio nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Beat all ingredients with wire whisk until smooth.
From Cathy P. of KS:
My best memory of Fall is raking leaves and playing in them.
From Susanne D. of CA:
Everybody has their own cranberry sauce recipe, and this is mine. Chunky and sweet, it simmers all morning, filling the house with a zesty aroma.
Cranberry Sauce
1 lb fresh cranberries, washed
2 green apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 large oranges, peeled and chopped
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
juice of 1 lemon
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and cook over low heat for 4 hours. Stir occasionally. Good hot or cold.
From Sue B. of WI:
Visiting cranberry bogs around the LaCrosse, WI area with my late aunt and mother
From Edna T of SC:
Tornado Twist (2 servings)
INGREDIENTS
12 fluid ounces cranberry-raspberry juice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
DIRECTIONS
1.In a pitcher, mix cranberry-raspberry juice with lemon-lime soda. Pour over ice and serve
From Sue C of GA:
Cranberry Salad--good for holiday times
2 pkgs. gelatin (cherry or orange)
2 c boiling water
pineapple juice(plus water to make 1 cup)
1 lb. fresh cranberries
1 medium orange
1 cup sugar
1 70z. can crushed pineapple, drained
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water; add pineapple juice plus water. Stir and chill until of jelly like consistency.
Coarsely grind cranberries and orange. Drain and discard liquid. Add sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Add crushed pineapple and nuts and stir into semi-set gelatin. Spoon into lightly oiled 6 cup mold and refrigerate until firm. Serves 10-12.
From Laurie D of VA:
Here is a cranberry nut bread recipe. I buy bags and bags of cranberries and freeze them to last thru the winter. I make a few adjustments to the recipe. I use wheat germ, whole wheat flour and powdered milk for part of the flour. I use a bit less sugar. I never chop the cranberries; I figure they get chopped when the bread is cut. I just started using oil instead of shortening; it works fine and saves time. If I feel the batter is too thick and dry, I add a bit more orange juice and/or applesauce. One bag of cranberries makes two loaves so double the recipe. The bread freezes great. My family would eat this everyday if they could. :)
Cranberry Nut Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).
From Jane S of MO:
I do not have any cranberry recipes but have used cranberry juice in punch. Also I like to mix cranberry juice and lemon and lime soda.
But I remember when living in Arizon, I picked up whole cranberries in can instead of jellied we had eaten all the time. Since then, I have never wanted to go back to the jellied cranberry at holidays.
From Patricia W of FL:
I've never been near a cranberry farm. I've also never had a Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce. Yep, the canned, jellied stuff--no berry chunks here! I remember being maybe seven or eight and decidedly learning that there's a correct order for all things, including eating one's Thanksgiving dinner. For example, I learned it is never advisable to take a swig of milk after eating cranberry sauce. The same, sweet jellied stuff that makes the turkey go down oh so right, becomes a fuzzy, bitter mass in the mouth when followed by milk. So now, always drink milk before the cranberry sauce and save the ice water for afterwards.
From Kathy T of WA:
CRANBERRY CHICKEN
4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts
1 can whole cranberries
12 oz.Catalina dressing
1 pkg.Lipton onion soup mix
Preheat oven to 375. Combine cranberries,dressing, and soup mix in bowl. Pour mixture over chicken breasts. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until chicken is done. Bake in shallow baking dish.
From Sylvia G of NC:
Frozen Cranberry Salad
1 (14) oz can sweetended condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 (15 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1 (9 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Combine sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Stir in cranberry sauce, pineapple, and nuts. Fold in whipped topping, then pour mixture into a 9 x 13 dish. Freeze. Allow to remain at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Yield: 16-20 servings
May be used as a dessert.
From Jackie W of CA:
I remember growing up on a farm in southeastern Colorado and having strings of cranberries decorating the Christmas tree. And it wasn't Thanksgiving unless we had cranberries sauce ...to this day they are a favorite food of mine fixed anyway you can get them...whole, as a sauce, or dried or the juice. I'm glad we had them as a child for me to learn to love them.
Here is Joan D’s of Nova Scotia recipe for Cranberry Loaf:
2 cups flour 1/4 cup margarine/butter
1 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp salt 3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 cups cranberries (chopped)
1 1/2 cups lights raisins
OR
3 cups cranberries
(I leave some of the cranberries whole)
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.
Cut in butter/margarine until mixture is crumbly.
Add egg, orange peel and orange juice all at once, stir until just evenly
moistened.
Fold in cranberries and raisins.
Put into a greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch pan.
Bake at 350 F for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick
comes out clean.
Remove from pan and cool.
This recipe can be doubled and it freezes well.
Lora S. of KS sent the following 2 cranberry salad recipes:
CRANBERRY SALAD
GRIND: 1 1-LB. BAG CRANBERRIES
ADD: 2 CUPS SUGAR
LET STAND OVERNIGHT IN REFRIGERATOR.
DRAIN JUICE.
ADD: 1 LB. SEEDED OR SEEDLESS RED GRAPES
½ SMALL PKG. MINIATURE MARSHMALLOWS
½ C. NUTS
WHIP:½ PINT WHIPPING CREAM.
GENTLY FOLD INTO ABOVE MIXTURE.
YOU MAY ALSO USE CRUSHED PINEAPPLE, DRAINED, BUT MY FAMILY PREFERS IT WITHOUT THE PINEAPPLE.
CRANBERRY SALAD (2)
GRIND TOGETHER: 1 LB. CRANBERRIES
3 MEDIUM APPLES
ADD: 1 C. CRUSHED PINEAPPLE, DRAINED
DISSOLVE WITH 1 C. BOILING WATER: 1 ½ C. SUGAR
1 PKG. LEMON JELLO
MIX ALL TOGETHER. LET SET UP.
Vivian H. of NC sent along this casserole recipe:
Cranberry-Apple Casserole
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 (1 5/8 oz.) packages instant oatmeal with cinnamon and spice
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine,melted
pecan halves
additional fresh cranberries
Combine apples, 2 cups cranberries and 2 tablespoons flour, tossing to coat. Add 1 cup of sugar, mixing well. Place in a 2-quart casserole dish.
Combine oatmeal, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Add butter and stir well. Spoon over fruit mixture. Garnish with pecan halves and cranberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serves 6-8.
Can be served as a salad or dessert. This is a Thanksgiving meal favorite of my family.
From Cheri H. of Jefferson City MO:
Recipe: I love Cranberries, I use them in many recipes. If a recipe calls for raisins I use Cranberries instead. I also love dried Cranberries in salads. Whenever I make bread pudding, which is my Grandmother's recipe, I use Cranberries instead of raisins.
From Donalene P. of Cleveland Hts. OH:
Recipe: I had never seen a cranberry bog except in commercials until I attended a needlework seminar in Plymouth, Mass. A friend came up from Connecticut to see me and took me for a ride to see the bogs. What a sight to actually see them! It helped me envision your scenes.
From Debra C. of Chiloquin OR:
Cranberry Turkey Bacon Wrap
Spinach tortilla (or flavor of your choice)
Cranberry Relish (recipe below)
Thin sliced deli-roasted turkey
Thick cut bacon slices (cooked)
Lettuce
Spread the tortilla with cranberry relish, top with sliced turkey and bacon slices and lettuce, roll up and enjoy.
Cranberry Relish
1 (16 oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 tsp lemon zest or lemon oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
Combine cranberry sauce, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 15-25 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be served warm or chilled.)
From Debbie A. of Vinita OK:
Cranberry Pistachio Sugar Cookies
1 pkg sugar cookie dough or pkg sugar cookie mix (mix accoring to directions on pkg)
Add a couple of handfuls of pistachios and a bag of dried cranberries. (Can use fresh, but less and chop them)
Chill----Bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 min.
To add bling--and I love bling--dip one end in white chocolate.
Enjoy!!!! These are great holiday cookies-to eat or give! Also good with dried cherries.
From Eileen W. of Los Molinos CA:
Cranberry-Orange Muffins
Yield:16 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)
Ingredients
* 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
* 1 cup sugar, divided
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
* 3/4 cup orange juice (about 1 large orange)
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries (about 8 ounces)
* 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
* Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Set aside 1 tablespoon sugar. Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
Combine rind, juice, oil, and egg in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until the muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Run a knife or spatula around outer edge of each muffin cup. Carefully remove each muffin; place on a wire rack.
From Betty W. of Oklahoma Ciy OK:
Recipe: I am submitting this recipe for my mom - she loves your books. This recipe uses fresh cranberries.
It brings back great memories because dad always did the "grinding". I can remember him doing this for every Thanksgiving and Christmas from my earliest memories until he passed away.
It is a wonderful addition to any turkey dinner.
Cranberry Salad
Bag of raw cranberries
Bag of large marshmallows
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup nuts
1. Grind cranberries and marshmallows.
2. Stir sugar and crushed pineapple into cranberry mixture.
3. Chill overnight.
4. Add small container of cool whip to cranberry mixture and serve.
From Marty F. of Romney WV:
First, my memory...& only a ferry ride from Nantucket, too…
My husband & I had been married 11 years when we moved to Cape Cod. Our arms were still empty of children despite many prayers, tears, & surgeries. A few years after we married, the Lord had shown my husband a dream of sweet baby faces smiling up at him from a buggy while strolling along a path. That gave us a hope for a family that we held onto.
I drove past the fog-covered cranberry bogs on the Cape every morning during my early morning commute. That became my daily prayer drive. The bogs were so still, so quiet, so serene that I began to sense a deeper peace as I cried out to the Lord for my heart's desire for Him to make me “to be a joyful mother of children" (Ps.113:9).
My husband & I began to regularly enjoy evening walks along the many beautiful bike paths & one day, walking along a newly discovered bike path, my husband realized it was strangely familiar to him. It was the path from his dream of those beautiful babies in a stroller! I believed that the Cape would surely be where He would bless us with our heart's desire of having a child. You see, my infertility (& my age by then) only allowed my mind to even hope for one baby for our family. Oh, me of little faith who knows the Lord is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think! Three years of prayer drives past those cranberries bogs later I was pregnant…with triplets!
Although the Lord has lead us away from the Cape to the mountains of WV, I will always miss the Cape & those cranberry bogs… for there is where He gave me renewed hope, new depths of peace & exceeding abundant blessings of being a joyful mother of children.
Now, for the recipe…
Before moving to the Cape I never cared much for cranberries, only tolerating the obligatory no-thank-you helping of my mother’s cranberry relish at Thanksgiving. Now, I can’t get enough of them! I often stopped at a nearby bakery for a scone to enjoy along my ‘prayer drive’ commute. Since coming home to stay with my triplets, I set out to perfect my own recipe. Here it is, as it is, thus far…
Marty’s Cranberry Bog Blessings Scones
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, optional
4 tablespoons fresh grated orange zest (about 2 oranges worth)
4 tablespoons butter, chilled & cut into ½” pieces
½ cup French vanilla yogurt (I only use Stoneyfield Farms!)
¼ cup orange juice
honey
raw sugar for sprinkling
· Preheat over to 450°.
· Measure flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, sugar, & cranberries into food processor work bowl using steel blade. Include nuts now, if using. Pulse until blended.
· Add & pulse in minced orange zest. Process butter into flour mixture only until it resembles coarse meal with a few butter lumps. *Keep in mind over-processing or over-handling dough will make it tough.
· Pour yogurt & then orange juice through fee tube & pulse until dough only begins to form ball.
· Dump onto floured counter & roll to about ½” thick rectangle. Cut dough rectangle into small triangles with knife.
· Place triangles at least 1” apart on greased baking sheet.
· Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Immediately out of oven squeeze a quarter-size drop of honey on each top & brush with pastry brush to distribute evenly.
· Sprinkle raw sugar atop honey.
· Enjoy!
From Jackie W. of La Mesa CA:
My memory isn't that special but I do remember always having cranberry relish or cranberry sauce at all Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners...well, we still have it at all those family dinners. Actually, I eat cranberries throughout the year...they are too good to just save for Holiday dinners.
From Julie S. of Cary NC:
My mother always made the REAL cranberry relish by taking raw cranberries, oranges, and loads of sugar, putting them in the food processors and grinding them. She would add celery and walnuts at times but whatever the extra ingredients, I always appreciated the extra effort.
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