It's the Most Wonderful Time

This post has got nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Amiya. So if that's what you're reading for, read no further. This post is all about nature's most delicious, sassy fruit: the cranberry. I love the cranberry, so much so in fact that my internet name for many places is CranberryClo. If I must drink juice, it's cranberry juice. If I must (ha! because I've never been forced to eat a carb) eat quick breads for breakfast my bread of choice is cranberry bread. If I must eat dried fruit then bring on the cranberries. Just about the only thing cranberry I'm not a fan of is that nasty gelatinous cranberry sauce that slides out of the can for easy slicing. That wouldn't be fair to an ordinary banana, nor to an everyday apple. Why, oh why, have they demoted the cranberry to that fake, jiggly state?

Now is the time for cranberries. I can happily attest to this fact as they are readily found, even in Florida where cranberry bogs are as foreign to Floridians as lanais are to Wisconsinites. We must make hay while the sun shines as cranberries are not in season year round, unlike the cottony, flavorless strawberries in the stores or the seemingly year-round supply of apples and oranges that really spend their non-peak time in carefully controlled warehouses where the juicy life is leeched right out of them.

In light of this urgent need to consume this delicious morsel as joyously as possible, I submit to you the following recipes:

Oatmeal Pancakes - a great pancake base, we add orange zest, pecan pieces and dried cranberries and we use the real deal - old-fashioned oats.

Sparkling Holiday Jam - read the reviews to see how we changed it up. So, so good - so good, in fact, that I made two batches because I know it won't last! Fantastic as a mix-in to plain yogurt. Just enough cranberries, just enough sweet. (In the Bonne Maman jar - love that red, red color!)

Cranberry Jam - Matt passed this recipe to me and it's like homemade cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving - tart, tangy and delish! Let's not even talk about cranberry jam on top of pancakes. And I'm contemplating this as a filling for a butter cake - what a tasty, beautiful holiday dessert. (In the smaller jar.)

Cranberry Bread - perfect as is, but do not blend until well mixed. You should still see powder!

There will be more, dear Friends, there will be more. Somewhere out there is a recipe for turkey tacos with cranberries and sweet potato fries and a killer scone recipe. I'll get those up just as soon as I can. In the meantime, go out, get a bag and see what you can do. Cranberries are little bits of naughtiness and sweetness all in one bite. They're meant to be used and abused. And when you're done with all that, report back. This cranberry lover can never get enough!