Maple Cranberry Sauce
1 bag cranberries, rinsed
1 cup cran-raspberry juice
1 cup real maple syrup
Grated peel from 1 orange
--Cook all ingredients in pot until all cranberries "pop" open like popcorn.
--Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup walnut pieces.
--Cool until serving
Cranberry Pineapple Fluff
2 10oz. bags cranberries, rinsed
1 20oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
--Chop cranberries in blender or food processor.
--Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2 cups whipping cream, whipped until firm
--Fold fruits into the whipped cream
1 10oz bag mini marshmallows
1 cup chopped nuts
--Add to the fluff and chill until serving.
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I'd also like to share some thoughts about what we have to be grateful for. Some folks are having a very difficult time, since jobs are scarce, and those there are pay very little. I work 3 part-time jobs myself, for barely over minimum wage, with no benefits. Husband works hard, long hours, to keep us afloat. I pay what bills I can. 1 son will graduate from college next month, and daughter has another year to go. Bills keep on coming, money is gone before it's even in the bank. Society pays lip service to valuing human rights, then slaps some of us in the face, letting us know in no uncertain terms, that while all of us are supposed to be equal, some of us are worth much less than others. Sigh.
So what is there to be thankful for? With age comes perspective...
Life is am imperfect creation, at best. Fate is fickle and justice is blind--a whore who sells herself to the richest bidder. All we can do is grab onto the happiness we can, to make our time here more bearable. Surround yourself with family and/or friends who are surrogate family, and hope everyone can "make nice" for a few hours. If not, that's what alcoholic beverages are for: to kill the pain of not having the "Norman Rockwell" family that we'd all like.
And remember you have the opportunity to make changes, at least in your personal life. My family was a bit dysfunctional, though husband's is much better at respecting each other's differences. Husband and I raised our 4 kids to be very close (and not just in age), and we regard them as our 4 best friends. Often we just turn off all electronics and talk...about anything and everything. Aim for that, and you'll have a haven to relax in, when the pressure-cooker of public life gets too intense to deal with anymore. Hug those you love tightly, tell them you love them, and know that "this, too, shall pass." Or as my late Father-in-Law used to say, "Insure everything and hope for the best."
Cheers!