Thanksgiving – Three Berries in One Wonderful Cranberry Sauce

Tags

blueberries, blueberry, Pioneer Woman, raspberries, raspberry, very berry cranberry sauce

One of the things you can do a couple days in advance of the holiday is make your cranberry sauce. I’ll admit that I have often used canned cranberry sauce, because I had yet to find a homemade recipe that made the work of making from scratch worthwhile. That definitely changed after I made this last year!

I recently watched the TV special Pioneer Woman’s Ultimate Thanksgiving again. One of the recipes she shared on that special was Very Berry Cranberry Sauce. I made this recipe last year and my husband and I agree; YUMMMMM! It will definitely be gracing our Thanksgiving table again this year!

It has the usual tangy flavor and bright color that you would expect from cranberry sauce, but this sauce sports more than just cranberries! It also has raspberries, blueberries and a surprise ingredient. Whiskey!!! I was worried that the whiskey would overpower the fruit flavors, but that was not the case at all! That flavor is really not distinctive, it blends in to simply make a great, fruity tasting sauce! The 3 different berries are what really make it!

So thanks to Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman! I would like to share her recipe.

Very Berry Cranberry Sauce

2 bags fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whiskey (I used Jack Daniels)
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
Put the first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan and stir. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. When boiling, lower heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining berries and cook for an additional 4 minutes. I noticed a lot of whole cranberries still, so I used my potato masher to gently mash it a little and break up the berries. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate until cold and thick.
The original recipe says it makes 24 servings. I can believe it’s that many small servings. It makes quite a bit.
Super simple and it tastes fantastic! 
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup – Slow Cooked Greatness!!!

Tags

chicken tortilla soup, Cooking, crockpot, Food, Pioneer Woman, recipe, slow cooker

  
I wish I could take credit for this fantastic recipe, but I have to give it to Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. I think this is the best soup I’ve made to date! I’m not used to Chicken Tortilla Soup with so much tomato in it, but this dish is just delicious. It has a bold, little bit spicy flavor and it does all that with a low fat content. It is a must try!

The great thing about slow cookers is you can put your food together earlier in the day when your energy is up. And then later in the day when you’re tired, BOOM, dinner is ready!!! 

The Pioneer Woman’s 

3 whole Chicken Breasts

2 teaspoons Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

 Salt And Pepper, to taste

1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Chopped

1 whole Seeded Yellow Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes, With Juice

1 can Rotel

3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If You Like The Soup More Liquidy)

4 ounces, weight Tomato Paste

1 whole Chipotle Pepper In Adobo (may Add 2 To 3 If You’d Like) (Don’t be tempted to dice them! Too spicy!)

1 can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed

1 Lime, Juiced

 Fixins: Sour Cream, Avocado, Cilantro Leaves, Grated Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, chipotle, and black beans. Stir, place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on high for 5 hours or high (or 8 hours on low.) Stir in the lime juice. Pull out the chipotle peppers and discard or be careful about who gets them. Spicy stuff!

Using 2 forks, break up the chicken into chunks (or you may shred it more fine.) Taste and add more salt if the soup needs it. 

Serve it piping hot in a bowl with avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, and cilantro leaves on top.

Thanksgiving Tip #17 – My Prepping and a Very Berry Cranberry Sauce

Tags

Cooking, cranberry sauce, Food, Pioneer Woman, recipe, ree drummond, Thanksgiving, very berry cranberry sauce

  
Tomorrow is the day before Thanksgiving and if you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner, it’s the day to hit your prep hard! My prep started today with wrapping up shopping, brining my turkey, making my cranberry sauce and baking the cornbread for my dressing (See previous post for Cornbread Chorizo Dressing recipe).

Tomorrow will be incredibly busy and many of my sides will be completely made, so on the day of the holiday they can just be slid into the oven.

One of the things you can do a couple days in advance is make your cranberry sauce. I’ll admit that I have often used canned cranberry sauce, because I had yet to find a homemade recipe that made the work of making from scratch worthwhile. I think that may have changed this year!

In a previous post, I mentioned the TV special Pioneer Woman’s Ultimate Thanksgiving. One of the recipes she shared on that special was Very Berry Cranberry Sauce. I made this recipe today and my husband and I agree; YUMMMMM!

It has the usual tangy flavor and bright color that you would expect from cranberry sauce, but this sauce sports more than just cranberries! It also has raspberries, blueberries and a surprise ingredient. Whiskey!!! I was worried that the whiskey would overpower the fruit flavors, but that was not the case at all! That flavor is really not distinctive, it blends in to simply make a great, fruity tasting sauce! The 3 different berries are what really make it!

So thanks to Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman! I would like to  share her recipe.

Very Berry Cranberry Sauce

2 bags fresh cranberries

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup whiskey (I used Jack Daniels)

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup raspberries

Put the first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan and stir. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. When boiling, lower heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining berries and cook for an additional 4 minutes. I noticed a lot of whole cranberries still, so I used my potato masher to gently mash it a little and break up the berries. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate until cold and thick.

The original recipe says it makes 24 servings. I can believe it’s that many small servings. It makes quite a bit.

Super simple and it tastes fantastic! I can’t wait to try it with the Pioneer Woman’s Maple Whiskey Turkey that I’m also making!

Thanksgiving Tip #14 – Food Network To The Rescue!

Tags

Cooking, Food, Food Network, inspiration, Pioneer Woman, recipes, Thanksgiving, Tips, TV, website

  
Looking for help or suggestions for your Thanksgiving dinner? The Food Network is showing numerous shows with a Thanksgiving theme that will inspire you with delicious recipes! The network has shows in a variety of formats from educational to competitive and almost all of them are showing Thanksgiving episodes.

Pretty much anytime I sit down to watch TV, I search through the network on my TV guide and set up the Thanksgiving shows to record.

One of the best shows I’ve watched so far is the Pioneer Woman’s Ultimate Thanksgiving. That girl does love her butter, but the recipes look fantastic and I know I’m going to be trying a few this year; Maple Whiskey Turkey and Very Berry Cranberry Sauce, just to name a few! Luckily, they are showing this show and some of Ree Drummond’s other Thanksgiving shows repeatedly, so you can search your TV guide on “Pioneer Woman” and still find showings.

Another great thing about this network is they have a very robust website. You can find many of the recipes shown in the episodes on the website. All of the recipes from the Pioneer Woman special are on there.

So check out the channel on TV or take a look at their website (foodnetwork.com) for some great Thanksgiving inspiration! I have AT&T U-verse and the Food Network is on channels 453 & 1453 (HD), but this might differ for you. They also have a great app available for your phone and tablets.

I hope you can find some additional Thanksgiving inspiration!