The Easy Way...

When it comes to cooking Thanksgiving dinner, these days I get off easy! Living in close proximity to both sets of our parents for the last several years means that far fewer turkeys find their way into my kitchen. When we lived in Chicago, we celebrated seven of our eight Thanksgivings there in our own home. Some years family would visit, other years we would invite dear friends who were also staying in town & not traveling to be with their own families. And some years it was just us. I would stuff & cook the turkey & make all of the fixin's...sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, apple-cranberry pies, stuffing, green beans, corn, carrots, cranberry sauce, salad, rolls and more...Oh, there was the year (I think it was our first Thanksgiving alone) when I didn't buy a whole turkey & instead got something that said it was a turkey breast with white AND dark meat...when we opened it up, it was this strange turkey product that was striped white & dark...it reminded us of Neapolitan ice cream, so we still laugh about our Neapolitan turkey!
But I digress...since moving back to NC in 2005, we alternate years spending Thanksgiving with my parents or Jeff's parents. Tomorrow we will be enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving meal at Jeff's parents' house with his brother, his sister & her family (Whoo-hoo for cousins! The kids always have FUN!) Jeff's mom is a fantastic cook and we always look forward to eating at her house! And like I mentioned before, I get off easy because all I'm supposed to bring is the Cranberry Sauce & my Spiced Pecans.
So while I was in the kitchen tonight making said Cranberry Sauce & feeling very thankful that I'm not cooking the whole she-bang this year, the thought occurred to me that I could at least share my recipes with you all. After all, I need something to do while I wait for the Spiced Pecans to bake...they have to be stirred every 15 minutes for an hour (right now, I'm half way there!) So here are my trusty recipes...I apologize in advance if the picture quality isn't the best...I am charging the battery of my big camera for tomorrow's festivities, so I took all of these pictures using my phone! Gotta love hand-held technology!

I'm not quite sure where I came across this recipe, but I have been making it for a long time. I'm pretty sure I took several variations & combined them into one recipe & then added my own twist...I do that a lot. But the cranberry & orange flavors remind me of my childhood & I just love the combination!
Festive Cranberry-Orange Relish
2 large oranges
4 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 to 2 cups white sugar (I add less sugar when I plan to add honey at the end.)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

-Wash oranges & do not peel. (I do cut a little off of both ends of the orange.)
-Cut each orange into 6-8 wedges & remove seeds & any tough membranes.
-Wash cranberries & sort through to remove any soft berries.
-Process clean cranberries & orange segments in food processor until completely blended & smooth. (I stop & scrape down the sides of the food processor several times.)

-Gradually add sugar and continue to process mixture until mixed well.

-Stir in nuts, if desired. (I decided to skip the pecans this year. I toasted & chopped some plain pecans to serve on the side for those who prefer it with nuts.)

-At this point, you can stop & chill the relish & enjoy! BUT, I generally like to do the following:
-Transfer the mixture from the food processor into a medium sized saucepan. (*You may want to be careful while doing this because I imagine that the blade from the food processor could fall out into the pot splattering cranberry sauce everywhere...but that's just a guess.)

-Add in a few squeezes of honey & a handful of dried cranberries for texture.

-Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. (*If you don't stir frequently the mixture may start to bubble & spurt somewhat similar to an awakening volcano...)
-Serve warm or remove from heat & chill. (I like to make it the day before so that the sauce can chill & in the refrigerator overnight.)
Yield: 1 quart
Store in refrigerator.

I added in that last step where you heat the mixture because I love the way it really allows the flavors to blend & brings out that deep crimson color. The honey adds another layer of sweetness & I like the texture the dried cranberries add to the dish. If you prefer a more tart relish, you may want to just refrigerate directly after the food processor steps.
*     *          *     *          *     *          *     *          *     *          *     *          *     *            
I first had these yummy delights two years ago at a bridal shower for one of my dear college friends. A mutual friend had made them for the shower & I was head-over-heels for these sweet treats! My friend rattled the recipe off the top of her head...egg whites, sugar, salt, cinnamon...and I promptly came home & Googled it!  I never did find the exact recipe she had given me, so once again, my variation is a combination of quite a few different recipes that I have altered to suit our tastes. It is the kind of recipe that you need to play with a few times to find exactly what your family loves...but now this recipe is a keeper in our house & it makes a for lovely gift too, you can't beat it all dressed up in a pretty tin or a jar tied with ribbon & a cute tag!
Spiced Pecans
2 egg whites
1-2 pounds pecan halves
1/2-1 Tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
salt
cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 250-275 degrees.

-In a large bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff & glossy.

-Fold pecans into egg whites & stir to coat evenly.

-Add vanilla to pecans & stir to mix well.
-Add sugars to pecans & stir well to coat.
-Add several generous dashes of salt & stir well.

-Sprinkle cinnamon over pecans to taste & stir well to coat. (I often sprinkle the cinnamon on top, stir & then sprinkle more & stir again...just depends on how much cinnamon flavor you'd like.)

-When pecans are well stirred & evenly coated, pour onto lined baking sheet. (I have been using those silicone baking sheet liners since Martha Stewart first started talking about using her Silpats & I love them! Especially for a recipe like this one, they are fabulous because the pecans do not stick!)

-Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
-Cool & enjoy!
Store in an air tight container.
(Sorry that I don't have a final picture of the pecans, but they just came out of the oven & are cooling!)
So whether you are cooking a veritable Thanksgiving feast tomorrow or whether you got off easy this year like me...warmest wishes to you & yours for a very Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be blessed, may your heart overflow with gratitude, may everyone get along, may your mashed potatoes be fluffy & your turkey be tasty, may you find a quiet moment to reflect on blessings big & small...

David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

   “Praise be to you, LORD, 

   the God of our father Israel, 

   from everlasting to everlasting. 

Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power 

   and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, 

   for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 

Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; 

   you are exalted as head over all. 

 Wealth and honor come from you; 

   you are the ruler of all things. 

In your hands are strength and power 

   to exalt and give strength to all. 

Now, our God, we give you thanks, 

   and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:10-13