Mom's Cranberry Sauce

Simply put, I cannot deal with that canned crap that passes for cranberry sauce or it's ribbed cousin, cranberry jelly. Yuck and yuck.

Cranberry sauce is just too easy to make yourself. There are lots of variations out there, but we like ours with a hint of orange and cinnamon. This is what I use:

1 package fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 naval orange - reserve the zest and juice separately
1 t. ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, dissolve the sugar in water and orange juice. Add cranberries and let it bubble away, stirring occasionally. When it has thickened and most of the berries have burst, after about 8 minutes, remove from heat. Stir in orange zest and cinnamon, then allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate at least a few hours - I leave it overnight.

In the event you have Thanksgiving leftovers, this chunky sauce is good on Black Friday brunch French toast or waffles. Served with mimosas, of course.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- MomNextDoor

Happy New Year Cocktail

We're avoiding amateur night, as per usual, making our own little NYE celebration at home. Snuggled on the couch with Depeche Mode tunes and Thai red curry chicken, we must kick off the night with a celebratory cocktail.

We have no idea what the hell this is but it's amusing. It appears to be some sort of white trash cross between a martini and an adult pineapple float. Cheers to the new year - may you always be amused!

CoupleNextDoor WhiteTrashTini

Place a small scoop of pineapple sherbet into a martini glass
Add a few glugs of vodka
Squirt with a swirl of homemade grenadine
Float a few glugs of sparkling wine on top

Thankful for Cocktails

You guessed it - time for holiday cocktails! We're imagining we're somewhere in the Caribbean this week, with rum of course.

Mom's Mai Tai

     Stir with crushed ice:

     3 oz sweet & sour mix
     1.5 oz light rum
     3/4 oz triple sec
     3/4 oz amaretto
     Juice of 1/4 lime

     Float 1-1.5 oz dark rum on top after stirring

Holiday Cocktails

Every holiday calls for a special cocktail. A little treat once in a while is what life's all about after all. This Labor Day I'm breaking out one of my favorite recipes, the pineapple upside-down cake martini.

This simple nectar calls for one part vanilla vodka, two parts pineapple juice and a squirt of homemade grenadine. If you like the flavor of this martini you might also like to enjoy it over ice with a bit of club soda. Incidentally, I do not prefer Smirnoff and I can't get into the red sugar water that passes for grenadine at your local market.

So what about that grenadine? The homemade stuff is just too easy to cut corners. You just grab a 16 oz. bottle of pomegranate juice from the store, put it in a saucepan with a cup of sugar and then simmer until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour the syrup into your squirty bottle of choice and keep in the fridge for use in your favorite cocktails and teas.

Happy Labor Day!

-- MomNextDoor