It's Time to Make the Cranberry Sauce

When I was a junior in college, I traveled over to the Shenandoah Valley and spent Thanksgiving with my boyfriend's family in the Turkey Capital of the World. It was the turkey capital then, but I'm not sure it still holds the dubious honor. These days they say it's the "birthplace of the commercial turkey industry." But I digress.

I think about that trip and my former boyfriend's sweet mother every year about this time because Isabelle's cranberry sauce has become a tradition at my house. It was a big hit with my children when they were little. So tonight, as I wipe the sticky fruit juices from the counter and the Cuisinart, I salute Isabelle again, for something like the 30th year in a row. I'm happy to share this favorite recipe with you!

Isabelle Miller's Cranberry Sauce

2 cups sugar
1 lb. cranberries, ground
1 can crushed pineapple (with juice)
3 oranges, ground (part unpeeled and part peeled)
5 apples, ground (unpeeled)
3 - 3 oz. packages strawberry jello

I grind all of the fruit in the Cuisinart, although I think Isabelle used a blender, and then dump everything in a large bowl and mix well with a spatula. This recipe makes a gallon - enough to use half for Thanksgiving and the other half for Christmas!

Another recipe that made it home with me that year, way back in the 1970s,  was Isabelle's recipe for Japanese Fruit Pie. It hasn't been a regular with me, but my mom loves it and made it for the holidays for many years. I've always preferred fruit dishes, even over chocolate, so I suppose that's why I asked for the recipes in the first place.

Japanese Fruit Pie

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs.
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup pecans
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1 pie crust

Mix melted butter, sugar, and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Stir in coconut, pecans, vinegar, vanilla, and raisins and mix well. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Enjoy ... and have a happy Thanksgiving!