Make Your Cranberry Sauce Now--And Other Thanksgiving Suggestions

It pays to keep holiday meals simple but delicious. Prepare as much as you can ahead of time. Plan one to two WOW dishes, not the entire meal. Don't go overboard with "decorations." Remember, what you put up you have to take down. Leave all the complications for family relationships. Take a deep breath. You still have Christmas and New Year's to go . . . Keep the liquor cabinet well stocked.

Everyone has an opinion about cranberry sauce. A lot of people hate it. And for good reason. It's often overly tart if not just disappointingly sour.

My "sauce" is not cooked. And, trust me on this, people will eat it. And want more. But it has to be made in advance so the berries marinate in the sugar. The longer it marinates, the better it becomes. I will have a bowl in the fridge from now until fresh cranberries disappear in the markets.

Kitchen Bounty: Cranberry Relish Everyone Will Like

I think Thanksgiving is just as much about apples as it turkey and sweet potatoes. Try my casserole for sweet potatoes layered with apples. It's a bit more grown up than yams with marshmallows. 

Kitchen Bounty: Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

If you've never had apples with onions, you're in for a treat. And don't turn up your nose a the combination. It's actually Kitchen Bounty's top recipe. 

Kitchen Bounty: Apple-Onion Casserole

For some reason, sweet potatoes and pumpkin are the only "orange" allowed at Thanksgiving. Try carrots. 

Kitchen Bounty: Baked Carrots

Mashed potatoes don't have to be boring. A bit of dried onion and fresh garlic bring them to a new level. Use real butter and cream. And don't use an electric egg beater.

Kitchen Bounty: Mashed Potatoes

If your main dessert is the traditional pumpkin pie, a scoop of apple crisp alongside is a nice treat. And it's easier to make than an apple pie. 

Kitchen Bounty: Apple Crisp

Appetizers are a great start to any holiday meal. Try shelled fish, such as clams, oysters or shrimp for a stellar beginning to the holiday season. Serve with cold Champagne. Cheers!

Kitchen Bounty: Oysters a la Rockefeller

Kitchen Bounty: Broiled Clams with Garlic Herb Butter

Kitchen Bounty: Lazy Baked Shrimp

Kitchen Bounty: Baked Shrimp

If you have a hunter in the family who insists on venison, I've got the perfect recipe for you!

Kitchen Bounty: Roast of Venison

More Tales from the Grocery Store: Women's Purses

Women love to shop. But not for groceries. The sooner that endeavor is over, the better.

Even when they leave with a full cart of bagged goods, they are already worrying about unloading it and putting it away. I've been to homes where groceries are removed from the car but that's as far as they get--the kitchen floor. Perishables are grudgingly put away. The rest of the household graze out of the scattered purhcases like feed bags or rummage through the sacks like street people.

Were the purchases clothes and/or accessories, well... such a cart of loot would be unloaded immediately, tried on, flaunted and lovingly put away.

But I have observed this rather strange, unique phenomenon amongst the female species. To make grocery shopping more appealing and motivating, women often bring the largest purse they own. It's one occasion when a saddle bag becomes feasible--they plunk it into the cart as though it were a horse. Giddy up! Astride the child seat, it rides with them as though it were their trusty friend Tonto.  And they fiddle through its cluttered interior, elbows resting on the cart handle, as they meander the aisles happy not to have to lug it on their shoulder and to have something, anything, as a diversion to the task at hand.

When they check out, the purse stays put. They. Will. Not. Move. It. And who can blame them? It weighs more than a bag of canned groceries! I need to re-fill that cart with their groceries as I bag them. After they unload their purchases onto the conveyor belt, they still guard that purse. But I can't wait. I have to re-fill it as I bag.

I used to be polite and trot over to it. Now I just yank it forward. Most women become alarmed. "MY PURSE!!!" It amuses me to see their terrified faces as though I'm going to steal it and run out the door. No one can run burdened down with a weight like that. Not even the best of New York muggers.

The situation is complicated when they choose one of the compact, small carts. The purse takes up most of the space. Where to put the groceries as I bag them? Simple. Right on top of the purse. Most women get the idea and move it. Many couldn't care less. Oh, well . . . 

Women also love, love, love, to have the exact change. Down. To. The. Penny. The line behind them can be a a mile long. No matter. If it takes all day, they are determined to rummage through that purse for the exact change! They then lay it down. Coin. By. Coin. OMG! Don't even get me started if they write a check. It takes forever, like putting on makeup. 

But, WAIT!

Are they done yet? NO. They put everything back into their purse. Look around. Have I forgotten something? Oh, let's check the purse one last time. Where are my keys.... Do they move aside to do this so the next person in line can move forward? Never.

Men could care less. Men love a quick get away. I think they're wired for it. They only carry what will fit into their pockets. They pull out a wad of bills and that's that. They don't even care about a thank-you. And they're gone. They got what they wanted. I guess . . . it's kind of like sex.

P.S. And remember, please leave your dirty, filthy, germ-infested, dog-hair-covered, stored-in-the-car-trunk recyclable bags at home. They're nothing more than dirty laundry. [The other day a woman brought in a bag that was truly disgusting. When they're stained and dirty, I just put them inside a plastic bag and stick it in their cart. Well, this woman was in last week again--but she had all brand new recyclable bags.

Sweet Potato Pie #1

Potatoes are unassuming in their appearance but gracious and generous in their bounty and versatility. Nothing could be truer than the sweet potato.

I never had sweet potato pie until I moved to North Carolina. It's not quite as sweet as pumpkin pie and I prefer it over that old stand-by. I looked over several recipes and put together one I thought I would like. It was good, but it needs some more experimentation. Still, the pictures came out grand.

My recipe had 1/2 cup melted butter. I thought it a bit excessive but went with it. It ended up making the crust too soggy, by one main complaint, and by the end of baking some had risen to the top of the pie which I absorbed with a paper towel. Next time, I will only use 1/4 cup and maybe I will pre-bake the shell a bit before adding the filling. I'll use three eggs next time, not two, to give it volume and I will increase the amount of the dry spices. I used one tablespoon of rum which gave a great taste.

At the last minute, I decided to put the mashed potatoes through a sieve for a smoother texture.

I've read that baking the potatoes gives a better texture and taste than boiling. I may try that, too.

Baking temperatures were all over the map. As was sugar. Some called for as much 1.5 cups of sugar. Some called for baking at a very high temperature then lowering it. I settled for 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 being brown sugar and I baked it at a consistent temperature of 350 for about 45 minutes and it came out perfect without any cracks, even after it cooled, perhaps because of all that butter.

• 1.5 cups mashed sweet potatoes, about 3 large
• 1/2 cup butter (next time I will use 1/4), melted
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (next time I will use 3)
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon} you may want to increase this amount or add another 1/2 teaspoon or so of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg} since nutmeg is strong, be careful about increasing this too much
• 1 tablespoon dark rum, spot on (or whisky or brandy)
• 1 9-inch pie crust

Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees.

Boil potatoes until soft when pierced with a knife tip or fork. Drain. When cool enough to handle, remove from skin. It will peel right off. Mash or put in a food processor and/or  work through a sieve.

Roll out pie crust and fit into a nine-inch pie plate. If it's a bit smaller, that's even better. Set aside or pre-bake for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Add mashed sweet potatoes to a large bowl and mix with the butter until fluffy. Whisk in the eggs. Add the evaporated milk and whisk. Add sugars, flour, spices and vanilla. Whisk well. Taste and re-adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the rum and mix.

For mixing, I used an old-fashioned hand-held rotary beater.

Pour custard mixture into pie shell and bake in center of oven for about 45 minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely. Top with whipped cream.

Notes: I've read where it is not a good idea to prepare the mashed sweet potatoes ahead of time and then refrigerate since it creates a "watery" pie. Just saying . . .

Pork Loin with Herbed Salt Rub

A wonderfully-seasoned pork roast cooked to perfection with just a blush of pink.

A roast is one of the easiest of meals to prepare, especially if you have a family. Pop it in the oven and it's done. And leftover slices make for great sandwiches, either warm or cold.

Unfortunately, finding a good roast is not always easy. Most super market selections are de-boned for convenience and scalped of fat for the health-conscious consumer. When I lived in a small rural town in Indiana, my neighborhood grocer had incredible roasts, especially pork roasts, bone in, and with a nice layer of fat which one wants when oven-cooking. They were always tender and wonderfully juicy and succulent--and I suspect they were local. I haven't had a good beef rump roast since I left Michigan several years ago. 

For this particular recipe, I used a pork loin roast (not to be confused with pork tenderloin, a different cut). Pork loins are usually uniform in shape, so they bake evenly. The one pictured still had a nice layer of fat, though I would have liked a bit more. I bought a 4 lb. roast and cut it into two 2 lb. sections, freezing one for later use.

The salt rub took some experimentation and trial-and-error. Don't be put off by the lemon and don't omit it or the fennel seeds.

• 1 pork loin roast, 2-3lbs.
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
• 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose pepper
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Using a damp paper towel, wipe the roast and set aside on a large plate.

In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, sage, crushed fennel seed, garlic, salt and pepper and lemon zest. Using the back of a spoon (or a mortar and pestle if you have one) work the salt into the herbs. Add the olive oil and continue mashing away. 

Begin spooning salt rub over pork roast, top and bottom, and work in with your fingers.

Pork loin is quite lean. That bit of fat on top will prevent it
from drying out as it roasts.

Place roast on a rack inside a roasting pan large enough to hold it. It's important to put it on a rack so it does not rest on bottom of pan. Roast at 350 F degrees until a quick-read thermometer registers 140 F degrees (about 20-30 minutes per pound). Remove from oven and allow to rest a good 15 minutes or so before carving. Cut thin slices and serve. (At this point, the salt and herbs have pretty much done their job forming a crust and flavoring the meat, so you need not worry about them falling off.)

If you desire gravy, just add a bit of water to the juices in the bottom of the pan and re-heat over low heat until bubbly. Add a small knob of butter to richen it up a bit. (If you have it on hand, a shot or two of the old stand-by Kitchen Bouquet never hurt.)

I served mine with a side of mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.

Notes: I used a micro-plane to zest my lemon which makes for fine, fluffy zest. There's nothing worse than overcooked pork. You want that bit of pink. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, crush the fennel seeds with a rolling pin or the back of spoon. A mini-spice mill makes easy work of it all, though.