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Heartwings Love Notes 750 - My Recipes for Thanksgiving Fixings

Heartwings says, "Sharing our blessings is a special way to say thanks to our loved ones."

Cooking a turkey is something most of us have done and does not take much effort beyond a little basting at the end. Stuffing and cranberry sauce however can vary from home made from scratch to packaged and canned. Being one who loves to cook, I delight in making my own, and over the years I have worked on my favorites to improve them. It is always fun to tweak even a successful effort to make it better still.

I started using honey in my cranberry sauce during a time when Stephen and I gave up processed sugar completely. Eventually I went back to moderate use of white and brown sugar. However, because it tastes so good I continue to sweeten my cranberry sauce with honey. It is simple to make: Put a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries in a pot. Add ½ cup water, bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until berries begin to burst. Remove from heat, add around ½ cup honey or more to taste and stir well. Refrigerate until needed. The tart berries take well to the sweetness of the honey.

I began using cornbread for my stuffing some time ago and much prefer it to traditional bread stuffing. I make mine from scratch, or you can use a mix. Mine is gluten free: The day before Thanksgiving, melt ¼ cup butter, or use ¼ cup light olive oil. Mix into ¾ cup any kind of milk—dairy, soy, rice, almond, or in my case oat milk. Add 1 egg, beat well. Mingle 1 cup medium grind corn meal, ¼ cup coarse grind cornmeal, ¾ cup gluten free flour, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 3 tsp baking powder. Mix wet and dry ingredients lightly, do not beat. Pour into a well greased 8 inch pan and bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until edges pull away from the pan. Ovens may vary.

For the stuffing, break up 4 cups worth of the cornbread—either a mix or the above recipe, into smallish chunks. Melt ½ cup butter over moderate heat. Add ½ cup chopped onion, ½ cup chopped celery, stir well; cook until transparent. Boil ½ cup water, add ½ tsp salt, 1 to 2 tsp each dried thyme, sage, and rosemary and 2 Tbs or more chopped parsley. Simmer briefly. Beat an egg. Add together 4 cups of cornbread, egg, water, and butter. Cook briefly. You can now stuff the turkey, or bake the stuffing covered, separately. Reheat briefly and serve with the dinner any remaining cornbread. You can add sautéed mushrooms, chopped cooked chestnuts, white raisins, chopped apples, or whatever you like to this basic recipe. Make it to your taste, and enjoy.

Wishing you joy whatever you serve as you prepare your Thanksgiving feast.

 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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