Cranberry-Ginger Relish and Thanksgiving Menu

I'm starting to feel the pressure...all the planning and cooking and baking, not to mention the cleaning.  This is the first time I'll be the sole person responsible for planning and executing Thanksgiving dinner for more than just two people.  I'm actually kind of excited because I think its going to be really good!  I've planned the timing of all the cooking out carefully since it will just be me doing most of it.  I'll have some help on Thanksgiving Day, but not much time, so I'm going to make it as stress free as possible by preparing what I can in advance.  Today I made this Cranberry-Ginger Relish recipe I saw on a Martha Stewart show last year around this time.  This is the first time I've made it, but I think it's going to be yummy!  The picture is from marthastewart.com since I didn't have time to take one myself.  I promise mine looks exactly the same!  

Cranberry-Ginger Relish from Martha Stewart

1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

• In a large saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, ginger, and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped, 10-15 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.
• Remove relish from heat.  Let cool to room temperature and serve (or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days).

Here is my menu plan for Thanksgiving, inspired by great recipes from all over the blogosphere.

FriChik (veggie meat substitute in a can)

Gravy (made from the FriChik juice)

Slow Cooked Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes (From Coconut & Lime)
Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze (From Cooking Light Magazine, see my post)

Spicy Roasted Brussel Sprouts (another Martha Stewart recipe)

Skillet Cornbread Dressing (from Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Entertaining)

Buttermilk Cluster Rolls (found at The Fresh Loaf)

Cranberry-Ginger Relish (see above)

Cranberry Spice Pinwheel Cookies (from Eating Well, see my post)

Impossible Pumpkin Pie (from FatFree Vegan Kitchen)

So that is what I'll be working on over the next few days.  Some of these things I've made before and already posted, others I'll be posting about later.  I wanted to make my own seitan roast, but I'll have to save that one for Christmas, because I'm just not going to have the time this week.  There is one more thing not listed here, but that's a surprise, so you'll have to wait to find out what it is!

Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheel Cookies

I found this recipe in an issue of Eating Well Magazine (November/December 2005).  These are great because they make a large batch ( about 90 cookies), and you can make them ahead of time, freeze the logs, and then only slice and bake as many as you want at a time.  You can also do the dough and the filling at different times (make the filling up to 2 days before you want to make the dough and assemble the logs).  They take about 1 1/2 hours of hands on time to make, and a total of 6 hours from start to finish, including freezing and cooling times.  They have a wonderfully spicy aroma and smell just like Thanksgiving and Christmas to me!  I am enjoying the smell of the first batch baking as I write this....mmmmmm.

Filling

1 1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or allspice

Dough

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or allspice

1/3 cup canola oil

3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons lowfat milk, plus more as needed

2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• For the filling:  Combine all filling ingredients in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat.  Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook, stirring, until the fresh cranberries burst and soften, about 4-5 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and puree.  If the mixture seems dry, stir in up to 2 teaspoons of water.  Transfer mixture to a nonreactive container and refrigerate while preparing the dough.  Personal note:  When I first combined all these ingredients in the saucepan, I thought the mixture seemed very dry and I wondered how it would come to a boil, but have faith, as the honey warms and the fresh cranberries start to burst, the mixture will become very moist.  I did not have to add any water when I pureed it.
• For the dough:  Whisk all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a large bowl.  In another large bowl, combine oil, butter, sugar, honey, eggs, milk, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts.  Beat wet ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed, then on medium speed until well combined.  Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Stir in the remaining dry ingredients until evenly incorporated, adding up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the dough is too dry to hold together  (I did not have this problem, my dough was just right without the extra milk).  Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes to reduce its stickiness.  I would recommend even refrigerating it for an 1-1 1/2 hours.  It was not overly sticky after 30 minutes, but I think it would be easier to handle and roll out if chilled well.
• Turn dough out into a work surface and divide in half.  Shape each half into a 6-inch long log.  Working with one log at a time, center it on a 16-inch-long sheet of baking parchment or wax paper.  Cover with a second sheet and roll into a 12x15-inch rectangle of even thickness, inverting the dough to roll out any wrinkles and patching it if necessary to make the sides as even as possible.  Transfer the dough, in the paper, to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining log.  Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough is slightly firm, about 15 minutes.  Personal note:  I would freeze the sheets of dough for 20 to 30 minutes.  Take only one at a time out of the freezer, and work quickly.  As the dough warmed, I had problems with it coming apart a little when spreading the cranberry mixture and sticking to the wax paper when I tried to roll it up.  I also recommend oiling your hands a little bit and using the side of an oiled spatula to loosen the dough from the paper as you roll it, if sticking is a problem.
• To prepare pinwheel rolls:  Place one sheet of dough on the work surface.  Peel off the top sheet of paper.  Spread half the reserved filling evenly over the dough (it will be a very thin layer).  Working from a 15-inch long side, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll style, leaving the bottom sheet of paper behind.  Wrap the roll in a clean sheet of wax paper, twisting the ends to prevent unrolling.  Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the second piece of dough.  Put both rolls into the freezer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, at least 3-4 hours.  Note: to get a uniformly round cookie, enclose the rolls in the cardboard tubes from paper towels or foil before freezing.  Slit each tube lengthwise and insert the wrapped pinwheel log.  Secure the tube around the log using rubber bands or tape.
• To bake the cookies:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Working with one pinwheel roll at a time, trim the uneven ends.  Cut the roll crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices using a serrated knife.  Periodically turn the roll to maintain a relatively round cookie shape.  Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart.  Bake until puffed and barely golden brown, 12-16 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.  Personal note:  I recommend putting the roll you are slicing back into the freezer while waiting for cookies to bake.  Even though I did that, it started to get a little soft towards the end, making it more difficult to slice.  Don't worry if the cookies aren't perfectly round, they will look better after baking.  They were done after 14 minutes in my oven.

These little cookies are delicious, and so pretty!  They smell wonderful and I think they will be a great addition to my Thanksgiving dinner.  I sliced and baked only one of the rolls for now and I'm saving the other one for next week.  These cookies will be good stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or you can freeze them after baking for up to one month.  The tightly wrapped dough rolls can be frozen for up to 2 months (do not defrost before slicing and baking).  They are 54 calories and 1g fat per cookie.

If Sarah Palin Were a Cookie, What Kind Would She Be?

I've been a litte down since the 4th.  I'm disappointed, although not surprised at the way things turned out.  That said, there is one person in all of this that I have a lot of respect for - Sarah Palin.  I don't believe that she is presidential material, at least not now.  Who knows what could happen over the next four years, but what I think she is really good at is inspiring Republicans.  I admit I was very excited when I heard her speech at the convention.  I really like her a lot because she is down-to-earth, she sticks to what she believes in, and she has handled all of the criticism much better than I ever could.  I think its sad the way she has been attacked by liberals and the media, especially since the election.  They wouldn't be picking on her though, if they didn't see her as a threat.  That's why I think we should put her to work campaigning for a solid conservative candidate and we'd have the next Republican President in office in 2012.  Anyway, I think Sarah Palin has good things in store for her and four more years of experience can only help her.  

On a lighter note, I thought a batch of cookies is just what I need to cheer up.  If Sarah Palin were a cookie, what kind of cookie would she be?  I looked at several recipes, and none of them seemed quite right until I found this recipe for Oatmeal-Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies.  It is from Cooking Light Magazine.  These cookies are made with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, sweetened dried cranberries, and semisweet chocolate chips.  Seems fitting to me!

Makes 36 cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup regular oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream (I used fat free plain yogurt)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites (I used 1/4 cup egg substitute)

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flours, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Place sugar, butter, and sour cream in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth (I used my Cuisinart food processor and pulsed until smooth).  Add vanilla and egg whites, beat well.  Gradually add flour mixture, stirring until blended.  Fold in cranberries and chocolate chips.  
• Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (took only 13 in my oven) or until edges of cookies are browned.  Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

I thought these cookies turned out very well, and they're pretty healthy for cookies (ONLY 88 CALORIES EACH)!  I added the cinnamon, it was not included in the original recipe.  I think they would also be good with cardamom.  I made them in my Cuisinart food processor, which helped make them less chunky (I didn't chop the cranberries first).  I think I would make them again without chopping the cranberries.  They turned out chewy and moist with a hint of tart/sweet cranberries, cinnamon and chocolate.