Elaine’s Rolls & Cranberry Sauce (and why it should not come from a can)

So cranberries are a very old tradition.  John Jossleyn, while visiting New England in 1663 wrote:

The Indians and English use them [cranberries] much, boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicious sauce.

My mom always subscribed to the traditional Thanksgiving day requirements which usually includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie.    Years ago I made a list for a book I made for Elena and my nieces and the list included the following:

Thanksgiving at the Purdy’s

Written November 3, 1974

Age 12

By Julie P.

 In our church we have fast Sunday on the first Sunday of the month.  So on Thanksgiving we also fast, and the money goes to the Church Welfare Program for the poor.  We only eat dinner and a lot of it.  We have turkey, potatoes, gravy, corn, sweet potatoes, pickles and olive tray, dressing, peas, beans, mixed vegetables, green salad, fruit salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, jell-o, rolls, honey, ham and pecan, pumpkin and banana cream pies.  Everything is from the garden, and the honey from our beehives.

We always have a lot of fun, and it sure is good. Sometimes my Grandmother Ziegler is there and we always invite someone that would be alone for Thanksgiving.  After we eat we lie down and watch T.V., or if my mom wins we listen to a soft radio station.  If I win and get my way, we would listen to KJR, but I never get my way yet. Then the day after Thanksgiving we go to the Seattle Center or someplace fun and that is how we celebrate Thanksgiving at the Purdy’s!

Traditional Purdy Thanksgiving Menu

-Roasted Turkey with Brazil-Nut Stuffing

-Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

-Elaine’s Rolls with Cranberry Sauce

-Purdy Green Beans Béchamel

-Baked Sweet Potatoes with butter and brown sugar

-Molded Jell-o Salad

-Olives and Pickle Tray

-Pumpkin and Pecan Pie

I have already blogged on some of these items and more to come but this one is the cranberry and Elaine’s rolls blog.  Our cranberry sauce always came from a can and I grew up thinking that that was how one should eat it.  Years and years ago I had cranberry chutney at someone’s house and learned it takes about 5 minutes to make really fabulous homemade cranberry sauce. It is chunky and has so much more flavor than the gelatinous blob the “plops” out of the can onto a plate. Tracy makes the same recipe which is, very conveniently, written onto the bag of whole cranberries.

Our recipe basically comes down to taking a package of cranberries, a cup of water, a cup of sugar and then whatever citrus you want (orange/lemon zest, orange/lemon juice.  Simmer until the cranberries begin to pop (about 5 minutes) and let cool.  So delicious.  These were always served with her roll recipe which were delicious.  This year we had Tracy’s rolls which have already been posted.  Cranberries on either are delicious.  Just don’t buy the crap from the can…