Cranberry Meatballs

This is a wonderful recipe that I made for my cookie exchange.  I admit that I cheated and used premade meatballs but I will definitely make it again using the actual meatball recipe.  The recipe was sent to me by a FB friend.  Thank you, Miss C!

Cranberry Meatballs

Meatballs:

½ cup cream (or beer)

1 1/2 cups fine breadcrumbs

1 lb. each lean ground beef and ground pork

1 medium onions finely chopped

2 eggs

1-1/2 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp allspice

Mix all ingredients together and form into balls.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 mins., then turn pan (not the meatballs) and cook for 10 more.  When cool, meatballs can be frozen.

Sauce:

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 large bottle chili sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

In a crock pot mix all ingredients together, turn on low heat and add meatballs.  Cook all day on low.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

I am still trying to catch up with posting recipes of side dishes I made for Thanksgiving.  This one is a "keeper."  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  It was a very easy recipe to put together.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce
Prep Time: 2 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Servings:  12

Ingredients:

1 bag (about 12 to 16 oz.) fresh cranberries
16 ounces, fluid pomegranate juice
3/4 cup sugar, more or less to taste

Preparation Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  Mixture will thicken as it cooks, and will thicken more as it cools.  Cool in a jar or bowl in the refrigerator.  Serve with Thanksgiving turkey.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Noel Cookies

These are the 2 logs before I cut them.

These are the cookies before baking.

Cranberry Noel Cookies after baking

I saw Martha Stewart making these Cranberry Noel Cookies on her show.  They looked really good.  It seemed like she got the recipe from someone else but I'm not sure.  I also read on a website that this recipe is in one of her cookbooks.  I am here to tell you that these are worth making and eating! Thanks Martha.

CRANBERRY NOEL COOKIES

Yield: 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon rum extract

½ teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup dried cranberries

½ cup chopped pecans

¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

1.       Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes

2.       Add milk, vanilla and salt

3.       Beat until just combined

4.       Gradually add flour, cranberries and pecans

5.       Mix on low speed until fully combined

6.       Divide dough in half

7.       Shape each half into an 8-inch log, about 2 inches in diameter

8.       Roll logs in coconut, pressing lightly to coat the outside of logs

9.       Wrap logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours

10.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

11.   Using a sharp knife, cut logs into ¼ inch thick slices

12.   Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, about 1-1/2 inches apart

13.   Bake until edges are golden, about 12 minutes

14.   Transfer to wire rack to cool

Store  for up to 2 weeks in an airtight 

Cranberry Coffee Cake

This recipe came from http://www.food.com/. It was posted by "Young Living in Texas"  It makes a bundt cake.  I didn't have enough left over cranberry sauce to try it but maybe I will after Christmas.  You never know! 

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup pecans, chopped

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Cream butter and sugar.

3. Add eggs.

4.  Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream to butter and sugar mixture.

5.  Stir in almond extract.

6.  Pour 1/2 batter into greased and floured bundt pan.

7.  Add 1/2 cranberry sauce, spread evenly over batter. 

8.  Pour remaining batter over cranberry sauce.

9.  Top with remaining cranberry sauce.

10.  Sprinkle with pecans.

11. Bake at 350 degrees F in a preheated oven for 55 minutes.

12.  Glaze:  Stir ingredients together well. Spread or drizzle glaze on cake while cake is still warm.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Cranberry Sauce Loaf

Here is another recipe I made to use up my left over cranberry sauce.  I used this recipe "as is" except that I didn't have any graham cracker crumbs so I used 2 cups of flour instead.  Other than that, the recipe is the same as it was on the hubpages.com site where I found it.  It looks good.  It is still in the oven at the moment.

Cranberry Sauce Loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cranberry sauce
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canola oil

Instructions:

Mix the first 5 ingredients together with a fork in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Gently fold in cranberry sauce.  Add egg, orange juice and oil.  Stir just until mixed.  Scrape into loaf pan and bake for at least 1 hour.  Let stand for 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Morning-After Cranberry Sauce Muffins

This is the first year I ever made fresh cranberry sauce.  The reason I made the sauce this year is that we were having 25 people over.  I did not want my guests to think that we eat canned sauce.  I did have to buy a few cans of the "jellied" kind of sauce because that is what my son and husband eat.  I tried to keep the cans hidden but I did not succeed.  I doubled the sauce recipe that I got out of my All*You magazine so I had lots of extra sauce. I will give you the recipe I used at the end of this post. The recipe for the muffins comes from http://www.seriouseats.com/. The post about the muffins credits the recipe to chef Michael Harr of Butterfield 9 restaurant in Washington, D.C.  I did not make these muffins the morning after Thanksgiving but since cranberry sauce does not spoil quickly it should be fine to use for a week or two after the holiday.  The muffins taste great.  I can't really imagine throwing out three cups of perfectly good cranberry sauce so this is a great way to use it up.  I almost forgot to mention that I don't actually eat cranberry sauce with my Thanksgiving turkey dinner. 

When I started mixing the batter for the muffins, I realized that there is no mention of cinnamon in the ingredient list but it is mentioned in the body of the recipe.  I also added a teaspoon of vanilla just for fun.  Oh, did I mention that I put the oatmeal into the food processor and "powdered" it first.  I found that the recipe makes about 18 cranberry sauce muffins.  The recipe on serious eats website did not say how many muffins the recipe would make.  I guess it depends on what size muffin tins you use.

Morning-After Cranberry Sauce Muffins
by Chef Michael Harr

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats (powdered)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 cups of left over cranberry sauce (fresh or canned whole berry)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line muffin tin with paper baking cups.

2.  Put oatmeal into food processor until it is powdered.

3.  In a large bowl, combine regular flour, whole-grain flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; mix well.  In a medium bowl combine milk, oil, cranberry sauce and egg; blend well.  Fold into dry ingredients all at once; stir until dry ingredients are moistened.

4.  Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full.

5.  Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.  Break off that seductive muffin top, then inhale the rest!

Cranberry Apple Cider Sauce
from All*You Magazine

Ingredients:

3 cups apple cider
12 oz. fresh cranberries
(about 2 cups)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Pinch of salt
1 medium Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Directions:

1.  In a large saucepan, bring cider to boil and cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 40 minutes.

2.  Combine reduced cider, cranberries, sugar, spices, salt and apple in medium saucepan.  Cook over low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Simmer sauce until thickened and cranberries have popped, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. (Sauce will thicken more when cool.)

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook