The first is that, as many of you predicted, the benzoyl peroxide was the worst bleacher in my bathroom. But! It certainly wasn't the only one. My face wash and body wash both had some minor bleaching associated with them, which would explain the bleaching on my bath towel. The b.p. is certainly to blame for the discoloration on my hand towels though. Home science to the rescue once again!
The second is that, thank the gods, cranberry season is here! I told my husband that I had been day-dreaming about this day for weeks, which isn't an exaggeration. I love cranberries. I love them in breads and muffins and smeared on top of pork and chicken. I love craisins, though I usually think they're too expensive. But I know that autumn is here, and that Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, when the bags of fresh cranberries appear at the grocery store.
Today was that day, dear readers. Or, if it was earlier I hadn't noticed, so for me it was like the first day of cranberry season. I promptly bought two bags, and a few other things I needed for one of my alltime favorite recipes -fresh cranberry sauce.
I have to tell you, folks, my cranberry sauce is a killer. I've been making fresh cranberry sauce for years, though I'll admit to previously being obsessed with the canned stuff. I would eat whole-berry cranberry sauce like it was pudding (and it was probably a little healthier at least). One year, though, my mother came home with a bag of cranberries and said we were going to make our own for Thanksgiving. I was very skeptical, but went along with it. That first time we just used the basic recipe from the back of the bag:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 bag cranberries
Boil water and sugar together until dissolved, throw in the cranberries, boil for about 10 minutes until they've all popped.
Super simple. And pretty delicious, I have to say. But after making it that way for a few years, my darling mother found another recipe, and this is the one I've been working at for years now. The updated recipe looks like this:
1 cup merlot
2 tablespoons high pulp orange juice
1 cup maple syrup
1 bag cranberries
You can put in a little more or less maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like it. But the wine and the orange juice provide some sweetness as well, so I tend to do more like 3/4 cup maple syrup for one recipe.
Seriously, this cranberry sauce will have you eating the entire batch and licking the bowl when you're done. If you're responsible for any side dishes at thanksgiving this year, I recommend giving this a shot. It can be a little expensive, especially with the maple syrup, but I swear it's worth it.
There are other alternate cranberry sauce recipes I can think of. Using any number of juices would probably be delicious, and any sort of sweetener. You can do the whole thing with orange juice, and I bet it would be great. Let me know if you try any other combinations, I'll be happy to hear about them!
Happy cranberry season,
- Cait
That recipe sounds amazing!I think I will try that this year.
ReplyDeleteHere is the recipe I've been using for a few years:
12 oz cranberries
2 tsp orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
2/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup water
Place all ingredients in a saucepan, add water to cover cranberries if necessary. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down heat to simmer for about an hour or until it reaches a thick consistency. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve.
It's so good I often eat it with a spoon. :)