Cranberries and Turkey

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving filled with family, fun, and a bit of relaxation!  In the spirit of the festivities, here's a bit of my Thanksgiving celebrations!  There's only three of us, so we enjoy spending the weekend together, watching movies, telling stories and playing with our animals.  My Dad's favorite part of the feast is always the cranberry sauce, and with the holiday season just beginning here's a recipe to share, from my family to all of yours!

Mom's Cranberry Sauce

1 cup Apple Juice

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 package (12oz) Frozen Cranberries

2 Granny Smith Apples (cored and coarsely chopped)

1/2 cup Golden Raisins

2 tbs. Crystallized Ginger, chopped

1/2 tsp. Allspice

In saucepan over medium-high heat, bring apple juice and sugar to a boil.  Add cranberries; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until berries pop.  Stir in remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until apples are tender.  Chill and Enjoy!

Early Thanksgiving

         Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday!  It marks the start to a new season, and since I've lived on my own, its a time to enjoy with my family!  This is the week that marks the beginning of all the holiday festivities!  As Thanksgiving is this Thursday, most people travel back to their hometowns by Tuesday or Wednesday to spend time with their families and have a few days to eat good food and relax a little.  I can't wait to spend the week with my own family in Concord!  

          So to kick off the holidays a little early,  we had our own traditional Thanksgiving dinner before we all left Greensboro in different directions!  We each chipped in to put it together: Vlad cooked the rosemary and sage turkey, David brought the rolls, Derek helped with the mac & cheese, Lindley and Nic made the stuffing, Eric and Emma brought gravy and cookies!  As a party of 10, and having a Christmas movie as a background, not to mention all the extra mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pasta salad and pumpkin or apple pie for dessert, our family dinner was a perfect setting to say hello to the holidays, as this season is all about realizing what you're thankful for and cherishing the family and friends dearest to you.