Drunken Cranberry Sauce
My family prefers the jelled cranberry sauce that slurps as it's removed from the can. I prefer a homemade whole berry version with more texture and flavors. It reminds me of what my Mom used to make when I was a kid. So, I make this cranberry sauce every Thanksgiving mostly for me and I usually gift a jar of it to someone else. This version with added spirits is for adults only. It keeps for weeks and is best made at least a week prior to when you'd like to use it, so all the flavors have a chance to meld.
Servings 16 people
Cost $7
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz Bag Fresh Whole Cranberries Sorted and Rinsed
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Orange-zested and juiced
- Pinch Nutmeg
- 1/4-1/2 Cup Booze of preference Rum, Spiced Rum, Whiskey or Bourbon
Instructions
- Sort through the cranberries, removing all berries that are past their prime
- Zest and juice the orange and set aside
- Measure the remaining ingredients and set aside
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, add the sugars, spices, orange juice and orange zest
- Add the cranberries to the saucepan with the other ingredients-EXCEPT for the booze. That gets added later
- Stir and bring mixture to a boil
- Continue to stir constantly allowing the sugar to dissolve and the cranberries to burst-this takes about 10 minutes or so. Be careful as the berries pop, the mixture is very hot!
- Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to stir often until the mixture thickens and reduces-this takes about 10-15 minutes
- Measure the amount of booze that you would like to use. It's been a rough year, so I decided a 1/2 cup was in order (LOL!)
- Now stir in the booze and cook for just a minute or two
- Remove from the heat, continue stirring until cooled slightly
- Transfer to a mason jar with a lid or a sealed plastic container-I prefer the mason jar
- Chill for at least 2 hours
- Can also be made 1-2 weeks ahead of time for the flavors to meld
- Serve chilled or at room temperature in a pretty bowl
Notes
**Please remember...this is for adults of legal drinking age only!**
This is a boozy recipe-perhaps a bit strong for some folks. So you can always reduce the amount of added alcohol to suit your tastes. You can even cook the mixture longer to cook off the alcohol if you would like.Â
This recipe is very versatile. I have used just granulated sugar instead of a combination of white and brown sugar and it's perfectly delicious.The brown sugar adds a more caramelized flavor and a darker color to the finished product. I have used regular and spiced rums-both were perfect in this dish. I also added Cointreau with spiced rum one year and it was amazingly boozy and delicious. Brandy and red wine will also work. Though, I usually have bourbon on hand (it's my husband's favorite). So, it's the one I use most often. You can use whatever booze you like and have on hand.
This drunken cranberry sauce is absolutely delicious as a side dish with the Thanksgiving meal and with all leftover versions of the meal. But, it is also wonderful as an appetizer-served atop a block of cream cheese or goat cheese with crackers. Or as a filling in a cake, or spooned over vanilla or butter pecan ice cream, or whirled into a milkshake for a boozy version. It's also wonderful combined with barbeque sauce or chili sauce when making sweet and sour meatballs or cocktail franks. I've even combined it with butter and spread it on toast, biscuits and scones. It certainly does not go to waste!
Homemade Vegetable Stock
This is quite possibly my favorite culinary holiday each month! I save all the scraps, trimmings, peels and assorted pieces of discarded vegetables and store them in a zip top bag in the freezer. Except for lettuce (no value in that, plus it gets nasty and mushy when frozen) and potatoes-please don't use potatoes or their peels in this stock, they make it starchy, cloudy and muddy looking-gross! After making the stock, I pour it into ice cube trays, small containers and freezer bags. Then I store them in the freezer to be used as needed. Using homemade veggie stock is extremely rewarding, plus your house smells like veggie heaven when you make it. Using it adds such incredible flavor to a variety of soups, sauces, gravies, stews, meats and other vegetables. No need to use plain ol' boring water, use your homemade stock. Each batch has it's own flavor profile depending on what vegetables went into it. No matter what, it's always frugal and delicious! This can be made in a stock pot or an instant pot. Whichever is best for you. I'm personally enjoying the ease and time saving benefits of the instant pot lately.
Yield: 12 Cups
Calories: 10kcal
Cost: $1.00
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Measuring spoon
- Large bowl
- Ice cube trays
- Colander
- Cheeesecloth
- Ladle
- Containers For Storage or Freezing
Materials
- 12 Cups Assorted Frozen Vegetable Scraps-from a 1 gallon freezer bag
- 11 Cups Water-enough to cover the vegetable scraps
- 4 each Bay Leaves-I use the broken pieces of bay leaves
- 4 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 bunch Fresh thyme or a handful of dried thyme-stems & leaves
- 1 bunch Fresh parsley or a palm full of dried thyme-stems & leaves
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients and your instant pot
- Pour the bag of frozen vegetables into the instant pot
- Add enough water to cover the vegetables, but don't exceed the limit of the max fill line
- Add the bay leaves, garlic, thyme and parsley
- Place the lid on the instant pot and close the valve
- Set the time to cook at 90 minutes.
- Go do your thing while the instant pot does it's thing!
- When the cooking time is done, allow it to naturally release the steam-approximately 15 minutes
- Allow the stock to cool then place the pot with the entire contents into the fridge for the flavors to meld overnight
- Using a colander over a large bowl, strain the liquid from the solids
- Discard the cooked veggie scraps, compost or give to your pigs if you have them
- Using a cheesecloth or a couple layers of paper towels lining a colander, strain the liquid again to remove any remaining solids or residue. Hint: turn the cheesecloth with the seams outward and pour the liquid into the non-seam side. This makes it easier to clean the vegetable residue out of the cheesecloth afterwards.
- Straining the stock twice, removes all this undesirable residue
- Prepare ice cube trays, small containers and/or zip top freezer bags and label them with the date you made the stock.
- Ladle the beautiful clear, flavorful stock into the containers and ice cube trays.
- Helpful hint: by using a stemless wine glass, you can wrap the zip top bag around the top edge of the glass-this makes it much easier to ladle the liquid into the bag without spilling it.
- All ready to be used or frozen
- Place the veggie stock into the freezer until needed. Transfer frozen veggie stock cubes into a zip top freezer bag for ease and later uses. Be sure to add the date the stock was made to that bag as well. Helpful hint: placing the ice cube trays on a paper towel lined small baking sheet, makes it easier to transport the trays to the freezer-reducing spillage and clean-up.
- Enjoy!
Notes
This particular batch of stock contained all these vegetables...asparagus, tomatoes, green beans, peas, red peppers, green peppers, yellow peppers, banana peppers, yellow squash, green cabbage, purple cabbage, chive stems, zucchini, cauliflower, red onions, corn cobs and carrots! So, if definitely has lots of flavors.
I use the container and bags of this stock as bases for soups, stews, beans, roasted chicken, turkey, beef, pork, mac and cheese and vegan roasts. I add cubes of stock to sauces and gravies for a boost of flavor. I've used it to sauté spinach and poach eggs. I also use when cooking vegetables instead of water. Yes folks, I am kind of obsessed with making and using vegetable stock!
I can't take all the credit for making this veggie stock, I was inspired many years ago to make my first batch of vegetable stock by finding and using the link below.Â
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fohmyveggies.com%2Fhow-to-make-vegetable-broth-with-kitchen-scraps%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1QXg5iEOnrssv2W6-8RtcV0ItoNEOyjvIn-eewcf9Lt5sjiUJynTEre68&h=AT2ImSZA7seXUq4jjAHBsp2xbBFq1bFCPUphuyVFPN88DZDtbhe1kfjJ7JU7RN0wG0r4Lv4xc8mU9I85CV1mZsHMSNaiTf62seQAHYebharafW1P7-pCROGAu6zbpMkkxo01XoU41GkEeId0n-I&__tn__=-UK*F
Pumpkin Crumb Pie Recipe
This creation was born when I had a bargain can of pumpkin pie filling mix, a graham cracker pie crust (purchased on sale) and some leftover crumb topping. This pie is super easy and super delicious!
Servings 8
Cost $3.00
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 Premade graham cracker crust
- 1 Can of pumpkin pie filling mix
- 2/3 Cup Evaporated milk
- 2 Eggs
- Crumb topping-enough for one pie
Instructions
- Here's how to make a quick and easy pumpkin crumb pie.
- Just whisk together the ingredients for the filling according to the recipe on the can of pie filling mix. .
- I did add a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of cinnamon for extra flavor
- Pour the filling mixture into the graham cracker crust.
- Gently sprinkle the crumb topping all over the top of the pumpkin filling. In a single layer so as not to make it too heavy causing the crumbs to sink deeply into the filling.
- Put the pie in a preheated 425° oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center of the pie comes out clean.(Or bake according to your recipe or the instructions on the can of pie filling mix you are using)
- When the pie is done baking, carefully remove it from the oven.
- Allow it to cool.Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Notes: You don't have to use a filling mix or the recipe on a can. Feel free to use your own favorite pumpkin pie recipe and just add crumb topping. The same applies for the graham cracker crust. Use your own pastry crust or make your own graham cracker crust. I just made the pie this way, because of the bargain ingredients I had on hand. Plus it was super easy and super frugal.
