Whole Cranberry Sauce

Turkey time is nearly upon us. I have brined several birds and I feel I'm heartily prepared for whatever Thanksgiving can throw my way. Bring it on, holiday foods! Since being responsible for the main staples of the meal wasn't enough, I decided I was going to try my hand at making my own cranberry sauce this year.

I have not been known to enjoy the cranberry sauce, which makes some people go crazy for over the holidays. I just never saw the appeal of something that retained its shape once released from the can. But I have seen the light- and homemade cranberry sauce is why. This tangy but sweet combination will now never be missing from my Thanksgiving table.

This is ridiculously simple to make, and the only ingredient you probably don't have is the cranberries themselves. In fact, if you're feeling up to braving the crowds at the store, you still have plenty of time to make this recipe for Turkey Day. It's very quick to make.

Whole Cranberry Sauce
makes about 2 1/2 cups

What You'll Need:
1, 12oz package cranberries, rinsed
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
2 Tbs amaretto (optional)

Blackberry Smoothie

The nice warm weather is in full swing, and so I'm drinking a lot more smoothies. I don't like turning on the A/C in the apartment when it isn't really nasty hot out. So to help keep cool, I've been making smoothies like this for breakfast or lunch.

Blackberry Smoothie
Makes 1 generous servings, 4 Points+ each

What You'll Need:
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries*
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup fat free milk
2 1/2 Tbs sugar

*Buy frozen ones or put toss them in the freezer for a couple hours. Them being frozen means you don't need icecubes, which I prefer.

The Process:
    Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until a smooth, liquidy consistency is achieved. The blackberry seeds are a little bitter, so you may want to adjust the sugar a little bit to taste.

Serve in a nice tall glass and sip to prolong the cooling effects.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Now that the weather is turning nice, having hot oatmeal for breakfast has fallen to the wayside in favor of something cold and refreshing. I give you: delicious and easy smoothies. With all sorts of things coming into season, I'm sure I'll be trying many variations soon.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
Makes 2 generous servings, 4 Points+ each

What You'll Need:
2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries*
2 ripe bananas
1 cup fat free milk
4 Tbs sugar

*Buy them frozen or cut the tops off fresh ones and just toss them in the freezer for a few hours. They have to be frozen, because that replaces the need for icecubes. In my opinion, using ice just waters down the smoothie, so I avoid using it whenever possible.

The Process:
    Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until a smooth, liquidy consistency is achieved. For my blender, I've found that putting the strawberries on the bottom and using the ice crush setting first works best. You may have to experiment a little with your own blender to get that nice smoothie consistency every time.

Thanksgiving Toffee Apple Dip

Hubby, Piper, and I are visiting my parents in NJ for Thanksgiving. My parents are very excited to meet their first "grandpuppy". They are probably going to spoil her rotten.

She's not a big fan of her cone (what a surprise) but she's stuck with it for a little while. She had a cherry eye that was taken care of before we picked her up, and she's got to keep the cone on so she doesn't scratch at her eye.

I was in charge of the snacks this year. I made the usual veggie and cheese platters, which are a huge hit with my family. But I saw a recipe not long ago that I knew I had to make as well. It's a caramel toffee fruit dip I found on Noble Pig. I may have been a bit hasty before when I suggested I knew the only fruit dip you'll ever need because this is pretty amazing. This one is definitely more geared towards apples, whereas the other dip is better suited for an assortment of fruits.

Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip

What You'll Need:
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 a bag of Heath Bars, broken up into pieces

The Process:
Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Make sure the cream cheese is room temp, or it'll be harder to blend. Stir in Heath Bar bits and serve with some fruit of your choice. Granny Smith apples are what I'm taking to Thanksgiving because the slight tartness goes well with the sweetness of the dip.

Noble Pig's recipe has you use the Heath Toffee Bits which you find in the baking aisle, but somehow my grocery store didn't have any. So instead I picked up the small Heath Bars in the candy aisle. I smooshed the Heath Bars with my rubber mallet, which worked out well (and turned out to be a pretty good stress reliever, too).

I made this dip in less than ten minutes and it almost didn't make it to the party. I cut up one apple to try the dip- and the next thing I knew, the apple was gone and so was a bunch of the dip. Thankfully, I made a little extra. I bought the plastic container of cream cheese instead of the block in foil so I could put it right back into the container after it was made. It fit perfectly back into the container... but only because I had eaten an apple's worth.

I hope you all have a lovely and safe Thanksgiving! Happy travels, if you're traveling, as Hubby, Piper, and I will be. Don't kill yourselves falling into the trap of Black Friday sales tomorrow.

The Only Fruit Dip You Will Ever Need

I grew up with this fruit dip at all our summer parties. The local grocery store made it themselves and sold it. I have been known to just eat it with a spoon, it's that wonderful. It's a cream cheesey delight. You can have it with cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, blueberries, and strawberries (my personal favorite) or honestly any fruit that strikes your fancy. It's great for party trays, which is why I whipped this dip up this weekend. Some friends were having a get together and I knew this is what I needed to bring (along with a nice bottle of Chardonnay).

It is a quick, easy, and nearly foolproof. I say nearly, because I made the one and only critical error when I made it this weekend: I didn't soften the cream cheese. It is nearly impossible to get it completely smooth without doing that first, so don't skip it!

What you'll need:

1, 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk or half and half (I had some left over half and half on hand, so I used that)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Whatever fruit makes your heart sing