With Thanksgiving only a couple weeks away, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word ‘cranberries’ is cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is a great compliment to the stuffing and turkey that takes up the rest of your plate, but it is also a food where you either love it or ya hate it. This year, lets get cranberries in the mix in many different forms for everyone to love, whether it is on their plate or in their drink. Cranberries are a great source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and are considered to be a superfood, so lets add them to whatever we can!
Appetizer: Easy Cranberry Brie Bites – Recipe From Thecountrycook.net
All-purpose flour to dust the dough and cutting board
1 (8 oz) tube crescent dough
1 (8 oz) wheel of brie cheese
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (not jellied)
Fresh rosemary sprigs
Preheat oven to 375°f degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Spread a little flour out onto your counter. Then roll out crescent roll dough and pinch seams together. Cut crescent roll dough into 24 equal-sized squares. Place squares into muffin tin slots.
Cut brie into small pieces and place inside the crescent dough squares. Top with a generous spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a little sprig of rosemary. Bake until the crescent dough is a light golden brown (about 15 minutes). Then serve warm!
Cocktail: Autumn Cape Cod – Recipe from Afamilyfeast.com
Makes 4 cocktails:
1 cup vodka
1 cup apple cider
1 cup apple liqueur
1.5 cups cranberry juice
Add cranberries for garnish
Entree: Dump and Bake Cranberry Chicken - Recipe from Theseasaonedmom.com
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces (about 1 cup) French, Russian, or Catalina salad dressing
1 (14 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix seasoning
Zest from 1/2 of an orange
Preheat the oven to 375°f, spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray and season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken in the prepared dish.
In a separate bowl, stir together salad dressing, cranberry sauce, dry onion soup mix seasoning and orange zest. Pour sauce over chicken. Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and return to the oven for 15 more minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Dessert: Cranberry Crumb Bars - Recipe from Bettycrocker.com
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling:
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 375°f and grease 13x9 inch pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix flour, 1 cup sugar, almonds, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or by pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in egg. Press 2.5 cups of crumb mixture in bottom of pan. Stir cinnamon into remaining crumb mixture and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir in al filling ingredients. Spoon evenly over crust. Spoon reserved crumb mixture evenly over the filling.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until the top is light golden brown. Cool completely and refrigerate until chilled. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
