Thanksgiving Success (and the perfect whipped potatoes)

It was a first. My father-in-law gave me a complement for dinner. I will admit, I was shocked! Thanksgiving went well...we had to much food (kind of) but very little left over except for the meat. With both turkey and Quaducant, it was just to much. I mean, we also had: french bread with herb butter, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, dressing, and sugar snaps. Followed by homemade cinnamon and Aztec "Hot" Chocolate ice creams. And cranberry pear crumble pie, and pumpkin roll...You get the idea. Every once in a while, I make mashed potatoes. Skin on, skin off, lumpy, smooth, garlic, ranch...I love them all. And my husband prefers flavored potatoes with skin (whether they are mashed or not) so I very rarely make the kind of potatoes I grew up with (that my dad loves). But for Thanksgiving, I made them (almost) like my mom used to make. They were perfect.

Whipped Potatoes
Ingredients:
4 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 quarts water, lightly salted
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sour cream

Directions:
Boil the potatoes in the water on med-high heat until soft, about 30 minutes. (Hint: to keep potatoes from discoloring while you peel and slice, put them in the cold water)
Drain the potatoes and return to pot.
In the microwave, melt the butter into the milk. Pour over the potatoes. Add the heavy cream and sour cream. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until no lumps remain. Be careful not to overbeat or potatoes will become gluey!
Serve immediately or transfer to a serving dish, covered with foil to keep warm up to 30 min.

Enjoy!

Tradition! (orange pear cranberry sauce)

What makes a holiday? The family traditions? The expectations? According to the World English Dictionary a tradition is the body of customs, thought, practices, etc, belonging to a particular country, people, family, or institution over a relatively long period.

This is especially comforting as Thanksgiving rolls around and we remember the traditions that make this holiday special. As my pastor pointed out this morning, not everyone likes Thanksgiving. The symbols of this holiday revolve around food: turkey a bird native to N. America; corn, also native to N. America; and cranberries (you guessed it!) native to N. America. But many people cannot afford to eat lavish meals at the holidays. Some cannot even afford to eat at all. So if you are fortunate enough to have the traditionally holiday spread, give thanks for our countries founding and survival. Give thanks for what is special to you. And remember the violence our country is founded on, and the people less fortunate than you who do not get the lavish Thanksgiving feast. Perhaps you could even donate to a local food bank or volunteer at a soup kitchen!

If you want to change up your feast this year and have cranberry sauce not from a can…here is a wonderful recipe using the best America has to offer.

This is especially comforting as Thanksgiving rolls around and we remember the traditions that make this holiday special. As my pastor pointed out this morning, not everyone likes Thanksgiving. The symbols of this holiday revolve around food: turkey, a bird native to N. America; corn, also native to N. America; potatoes, native to N. America; and cranberries (you guessed it!) native to N. America. But many people cannot afford to eat lavish meals at holidays. Some cannot even afford to eat at all. So if you are fortunate enough to have the traditional holiday spread, give thanks for our countries founding and survival. Give thanks for what is special to you. And remember the violence our country is founded on, and the people less fortunate than you who do not get the lavish Thanksgiving feast. Perhaps you could even donate to a local food bank or volunteer at a soup kitchen!

If you want to change up your feast this year and have cranberry sauce not from a can...here is a wonderful recipe using the best America has to offer.

Orange Pear Cranberry sauce (makes 2 1/2 pints)
Ingredients:
3 oranges
2 c. diced pears (about 4 whole)
3 c. fresh cranberries (1 16 oz bag)
1 1/2 c. red grape juice
1 tsp cardamon
2 tbsp honey
dash salt
2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:
From each orange, peel a 1x3 in. strip and put in a large pot. Juice the oranges, and add to the pot along with the grape juice, lemon juice, honey, salt, and cardamon. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add the pears and cranberries. Simmer over med-low heat for about 25 minutes. Remove the orange peel. Let cool to room temperature and serve or refrigerate up to 1 week, or process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!