My Cranberry Sauce...and a start to the Turkey Day recipes...

I thought I'd try to divide the Thanksgiving recipes up in a few different posts over the next week or so. Giving you a somewhat normal (for me) post about the food I made myself...and adding on a few other recipes that somebody else in the family made. I'm going to start with my cranberry sauce...which is my absolute favorite! I've been making it every year for maybe the last 9 or 10 years...it's evolved a little, but I can't stray to another because it's my favorite. I have been known to throw another cranberry dish in the mix in addition to it, though!

Girli’s cranberry sauce
Yield: 1 qt. + 1 c. or ~24 svgs. (halves easily if you wish…keep a whole cinnamon stick and just use 1 star anise. But I love it with leftovers and my grandpa really likes it, so I make a lot!)

1 ½ c. red wine (pref. dry such as Cab Sauv)
1 ¼ c. raw sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole star anise
24 oz (1 ½ lb./usually 2 bags) whole, raw cranberries

Boil wine, sugar, cinnamon and star anise in saucepan over high heat for ~3 mins, or until sugar is dissolved.

Add cranberries and reduce heat to med-low. Simmer until the cranberries just begin to pop, ~5 mins. Remove cinnamon stick and star anise. Cover and refrigerate…good for at least 3-5 days.….tart, yet sweet.
And now the recipes for the things my youngest sister brought....

Mac n Cheese (3 Cheese...kinda)
by my sis Jeni
1 pound cavatappi pasta
1 quart of heavy cream
8 oz. monterey jack, grated
8 oz. Italian 5 cheese blend
8 oz. Sharp Aged Cheddar, grated
Salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling salted water; add the cavatappi and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Heat heavy cream in a saucepan, add the Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Italian 5 blend cheese, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked cavatappi in a 9x13 baking dish.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly.

Sour Cream Muffins
By Paula Deen

2 cups self-rising flour
2 sticks butter, melted
1/2 pint sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients and spoon into small, un-greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.


Rhoda's Candied Sweet Potatoes - Kicked Up!
by Emeril Lagasse
yield: 8 servings

8 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8ths
3 cups light brown sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 vanilla beans, split in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup bourbon
1 stick butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large heavy pot, combine the potatoes, sugar, water, orange juice, vanilla beans, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain the potatoes out of the sauce and place in a casserole dish. Return the sauce to the pan.

Add the bourbon to the sauce and continue to cook until syrup is thickened, about another 15 minutes. Pour the syrup over the potatoes and place in the oven. Bake until the potatoes are browned, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring gently to incorporate. Serve immediately.

I am going to go back to my Thanksgiving Feast in pictures post and plug links into the actual names of the dishes underneath the pictures once I have the recipes posted...so they'll all be accessible from one post eventually...