It's All About The Cranberries

I've always been fond of cranberries.  I've even tried to grow them once.  I failed, but I might try again someday...when I don't live in the middle of a drier-than-a-popcorn-fart desert.

The berry is a pretty, bright red little gem.  It's delightfully tart and please, don't even get me started on its antioxidant benefits!  And, let's face it, it's harvested using water, and that is just too cool.  There's something so fascinating to me about the look of a cranberry bog at harvest time.  And did you know it's only one of three fruits native to North America?  Yes, it's true!  Check it out.

So, when I asked the girls the question parents all over the world ask their families every day ("So, what do you want for dinner tonight?") they gave me a one-word answer..."PANCAKES"!  I blame my brother because he fed his girls pancakes for dinner last night and then posted the picture on Facebook.  I never stood a chance of cooking anything else!

This time of year is always fun for me because I bake, cook and generally love running the oven instead of the heater.  Cranberries are one of those seasonal items I can only find this time of year.  So whenever possible, I buy a bag at the store and stuff it in my freezer, cataloging its purchase in the back of my mind.  

Twin A gives her seal of approval

Tonight was the night.  It's been a few weeks since I've worked cranberries into a meal, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to antioxidize the twins and see just how delicious these berries would be if I threw them in the batter.

They were a hit!  I don't have a recipe other than to tell you to follow the directions on a box of Bisquick (only one egg, though...keep those babies fluffy).  I added cinnamon, maple flavor and some vanilla.  For the cranberries, I put them in a pot of water on the stove and simmered them for a bit....just long enough to soften them but not so long that they split open.  I wanted to keep the tart flavor confined.  Then, I folded them into the mix and got to flippin' the flapjacks.

Oh, the disappointment.

The twins made short work of the tall stacks!  They were gone in a flash and I had to hide the extras just so I'd have something to freeze.  It was a sad moment when they realized dinner was done.  But it did my heart good to know that while they were saddened by the end of the sugarfest, they would be asking for cranberries in YET another meal.

I love to throw cranberries into everything.  Smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt...you name it, I'll cranberry it!  My version of sour cream banana bread has been morphed into cranberry-sour cream-banana bread.  And it is fanFREAKINGtastic!  Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

Look at that cranberry just BUSTING out of that loaf!

I also experimented throwing cranberries into a pumpkin cookie recipe I tried last year.  TOTALLY gonna do that one again this year.

My brother, who is an amazing cook/baker, puts them in his apple crisp.  HEAVEN!!!!

My mom does some crazy delicious stuff with them, too.  She throws them in the boiling water before she makes Stove Top stuffing.  Yeah, I know!  Those little berries turn that simple side dish into something I could EASILY make into a meal in itself.

I'm also a big fan of using a crockpot, so you can imagine my sheer joy at finding this Spiced Cranberry Cider recipe from Betty Crocker.  Oh, yeah!

What's next, you ask?  I don't know, but if I can get past wasting these joyous little berries of joy for something other than eating, I might work them into a candle or body scrub.

So, there's my take on cranberries...quite possibly my favorite berry.  Yes.  My favorite.