Cranberry Salad

This is one of the dishes we have on the two turkey holidays. It came from my aunt, who brought one of these pretty pink (and delicious) salads to a family holiday dinner when I was a child. I use frozen Yukon wild cranberries, but go ahead an use your supermarket ones.

1. Grind 1/2 package cranberries. My aunt used a hand food grinder, but I just throw my frozen cranberries right in the food processer and whirl them until most of the pieces are small. And since my cranberries don’t come in packages, I use 2 cups. Put the ground cranberries in a small bowl and mix in 1 cup sugar. Let the mixture stand overnight.
2. Dissolve 1 package Knox gelatine in water according to directions given. Add water to make 1 cup.
3. Prepare 1 package Dream Whip  as directed. Mix 1/2  Dream Whip, berry mixture, gelatine mixture, and 1 small can crushed pineapple with juice, and pour it all into glass bowl or salad mold. Let set.

Other cranberry holiday recipes:

• Cranberry muffins
• Cranberry apple pie
• Cranberry cake with brown sugar sauce
  

See other holiday recipes at Semicolon. The actual date of this month’s Round Up is next Monday, the 19th, so you still have plenty of time to join in the fun by posting your favorite holiday recipe and adding your link to the list.

Cranberry Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup shortening
  
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries*

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
   
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt and orange peel in a large bowl.
3. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
4. Stir in orange juice, eggs, and vanilla just until moistened.
5. Fold in cranberries.
   
6. Fill 18 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
8. Turn out and serve.

*I don’t chop the berries, but then I use the smaller wild ones.

Summer's End Stew

This is something I like to make this time of year because it’s a good way to use up little bits of vegies from the garden. Feel free to substitute whatever fresh vegetables you have available. I’ve used turnips, cabbage and spinach from the garden and it’s all good. This makes 16 servings, supposedly.

• 1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 8-12 medium fresh tomatoes. (My garden tomatoes are too precious to throw in stew, so I substitute a can of tomatoes.)
• 2 cups tomato juice or beef broth or water
• 2 medium onions, chopped
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste.
  
• 4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered. (I use my own homegrown new potatoes, so I don’t peel.)
• 3-5 carrots, sliced
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cups fresh cut green beans
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2-3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a Dutch oven, brown the meat in oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato juice or broth, onion, garlic, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour.
3. Add potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans, peas and celery. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
   
4. Add zucchini and simmer for 15 minutes more.
5. Stir in parsley and sugar.

Check out all the other soups and stew recipes in this month’s recipe round up at Lux Venit.