Fresh Cranberry Relish

Company's coming for the Holidays. What can you make ahead to prepare? This homemade cranberry relish is a perfect accompaniment for turkey, pork, ham or for a delightful side dish. Also try it over French vanilla ice cream.

Cranberries are so versatile. Try Cranberry Conserve, page 189, in Tastes & Treasures cookbook for another delicious version.

Fresh Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

2 small to medium red-skinned apples

1 large or 2 small oranges

3 cups firm fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Triple Sec or Grand Marnier

Directions:

Wash fruit. Quarter apples and cut into chunks. Cut oranges, with rinds intact, into chunks. Remove seeds.

Insert Steel blade into food processor bowl and chop cranberries in two batches. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Process apples and oranges, a few at a time, until finely chopped but not pureed. Empty each batch into bowl with cranberries. Add sugar, salt and liqueur. Stir to blend.

Place in covered container and refrigerate. Keep relish pressed below juices. A lovely red color develops within a few days. Keeps up to one month refrigerated.

Cranberry Lemon Bars for the Holidays

If you are looking for that yummy treat for the Holidays and want to make something ahead of time, this is the answer. Enjoy this delightful bar from League member, Sally Schaefer. We got the recipe after she made it for the Historical League Membership Open House in October. Donna Esposito, Dianne Linthicum and Mariamne Moore help present the bounty for League members and guests.

CRANBERRY LEMON BARS

1st Layer:
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C butter
]1 1/2 C flour
Blend with pastry blender and press into greased & floured 9x13" pan. Bake 12 min. at 325 degrees.
2nd Layer:
2 eggs beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (I used Pecans)
3-4 tablespoons jellied cranberry sauce
Mix and pour over crust. Bake 20 min. at 325 degrees.

3rd Layer:
Juice of 1 Lemon and grating from peel
Mix juice and peel with
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 tablespoons butter softened until spreadable
Pour and spread over Hot bars.

Cool and cut into small squares or diamonds.
(Hint: Dip knife into hot water as you cut them to make cutting easier.)

Can be made ahead of time & refrigerate.

A different version of Pannukakku, Finnish Pancakes

Talk about presentation, this dish at the Northern Lights restaurant in Houghton, Michigan looked fabulous. But taste was lacking and it was a more bread like consistency according to Pannukakku connoisseur Brian Watts during the reunion at Michigan Technological University. He'd head back to Suomi Bakery and Restaurant for the more custard version.

Looking at Tastes & Treasures recipes, I would bet Cranberry Conserve on page 189 would be a great topping for Pannukakku.