More than a handful of years ago my roommate (now sister-in-law) introduced me to cranberry relish. One bite and I was hooked.
I have never gone back to the can shaped jelly that had graced our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table for all those years. Many friends of mine have been persuaded to try cranberry relish and all who have tried and loved it and make it every year. I am sharing my recipe with you to try. There are many variations that can be found online (allrecipes.com probably has the most). Try it with your next turkey dinner. You will love it!
Fresh Cranberry Relish
1 lb bag of fresh cranberries, washed and drained
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 oranges, peeled
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Finely chop cranberries, oranges and apples in a food processor and transfer to a bowl or container for refrigeration.
Add sugar and cinnamon and stir until mixed through.
Cover and chill overnight – or for at least 3 hours – before serving.
- 12 needle sticks in my arms, hands and wrists
- 11 awesome friends that came to visit me in the hospital, thanks!
- 10 different nurses who cared for me during my extended stay
- 9 meals I rotated through from the cafeteria’s menu…and the food was pretty good!
- 8 loooooooong days in the hospital
- 7 more days of ‘anti-contraction’ medication
- 6 extra, unplanned visits to both my doctors
- 5 medications to take everyday – one of them a shot in the stomach twice a day. Blah!
- 4 weeks total of mandatory bed rest (unless Baby decides to appear sooner)
- 3 DVD’s about childbirth, breastfeeding and infant care to watch before baby comes
- 2 little arms punching me in the belly button & 2 little legs kicking me in the bladder
- 1 cute little sock that I can’t wait to put on her foot
The past 6 weeks have been a challenge. I started having horrible headaches, then got sick with a sinus infection, went in to preterm labor that landed me in the hospital for a week and now I am on bed rest for three weeks. Phew! This is a good time for me to catch up on my blogging – and I have about five or six posts that I need to do : ) So here is the first of a string of many.
Greasy Tacos
Mmmm, mmmm, good! My mom would make tacos when we were young and I always loved them. She would lightly fry corn tortillas and we would stuff ‘em the way we liked them. That was how I knew tacos. I have never been a fan of hard taco shells for several reasons (that I won’t go into now), so now that I’m all grown up and married I make greasy tacos, too!
My Mother told me she also grew up on greasy tacos, too, thanks to her Father who happens to be from Mexico. I wonder if that is why I also grew up eating a lot of beans! Chime in on this discussion, Mom.
I use a small cast iron skillet, lightly oiled, to fry the corn tortillas for about 60 seconds on each side. Once I flip the tortilla once I add cheese and allow it to get all gooey and melted. I place the tortillas on paper towels to soak up excess oil then top with whatever I like. So good. You need to try it. I promise you that you will not be disappointed.
Five years ago I was taught how to (properly) make whole wheat bread. And when I say whole wheat bread I mean not using a drop of white flour. I had attempted whole wheat a few times many, many years ago and ended up with wheat bricks. My next attempt was the type of whole wheat bread recipe that used half white flour. And that just does not count.
So here it is, a mouthwatering picture of my whole wheat bread (that I can eat now that I’m over most of my preggie sickness – finally!) and the recipe for you to try:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup gluten flour
- 1 ¼ Tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 ½ cups hot water
- 2/3 cup honey (may use 1/3 also, but the more the better)
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 ¼ Tbsp lemon juice (enhances dough)
- 1 Tbsp salt
Tips: follow the directions exactly. Gluten flour needs to be refrigerated to keep freshness.
Directions:
- Grease 2 bread pans using non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine 3 cups of wheat flour, gluten, yeast and warm water. Mix for 1 minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice. Mix for 1 minute. Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time.
- Mix for 10 minutes. While dough is mixing, turn oven to warm (200 degrees).
- Turn oven off when dough is done mixing.
- Place dough on greased counter. Divide to make loaves and place in greased pans.
- Place pans in warm oven and let rise (double in size, about 30 – 40 minutes).
- Bake on 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes or until tops have browned.
*optional: brush butter on top of baked loaves as soon as you take out of the oven. Not only does it add flavor but it keeps the tops soft and not hard and crunchy. Spray butter works well too (that is what I use – no fat, but all the flavor).
