The Feast

Clockwise: homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, butternut squash, mashed taters, deep fried turkey breast.

Followed by pumpkin pie and real whipped cream, of course. No pic, sorry.

Not a bad meal for being prepared and served in a truck. The turkey and mashed taters were precooked (the taters cause it's hard to screw them up), but everything else was cooked up in the truck. All that was missing were my made from scratch, world famous mile-high dinner rolls - but maybe next year, when I have a convection oven.

This was my first year making my own cranberry sauce. I've always been a jellied sauce fan and the canned stuff was just fine for me. But Hoss talked me into giving it a shot, and it turned out fabulously. Super easy, super tasty, never going back to the can.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

3 pounds fresh cranberries
3 1/2 cups sugar or Splenda
2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced *
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt

Wash the berries and pick out the ones that are soft or wrinkled. Combine all ingredients in a pot, stir well, and bring to a boil. Simmer until the berries have popped and the sauce has begun to thicken, about 15 minutes. Don't overcook. Cool covered at room temp, then refridgerate. Makes 2 quarts plus.

 * Surprisingly, the japs don't add heat at all, just a wonderful jalapeno flavor. If you want spicy sauce, add cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes after cooling.

Not everyone got to be with loved ones yesterday, and many did without turkey and gravy. But we hope that everyone has plenty in their lives to be thankful for. We sure are.