Cranberries Part Two and some Halloween Treats

Cranberry-Dried Cherry Sauce

Cook's notes: This sweet and tart sauce is the perfect accompaniment for turkey, chicken or pork instead of the canned.

Ingredients:

• 1-12 oz. frozen container cran/raspberry juice thawed
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 TB. cornstarch
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• juice from 1/2 of an orange
• 1/2 tsp. orange zest
• 1 package dried tart cherries
• 1-12 oz. bag fresh cranberries(produce department)
• 1/4 cup dry red wine like Merlot or Cabernet

Directions:

• Mix cornstarch and water. Add cran/raspberry juice, sugar and cinnamon sticks.
• Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Add dried cherries, allspice, orange juice, zest and cook two minutes.
• Add in fresh cranberries and cook until berries pop about 7 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl and stir in wine.
• Cool and chill overnight.
• To serve remove cinnamon sticks.

Cranberry Streusel Coffee Cake

recipe adapted from Midwest Livng
Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp.cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

Streusel Topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 TB. packed brown sugar
• 2 TB butter

Directions:

Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, packed brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

• Rinse cranberries in cold water; drain. Coarsely chop cranberries. Combine cranberries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar; set aside. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the remaining sugar, the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center.
• In a small bowl, combine egg, milk and lemon peel. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy and thick). Fold in cranberry mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle Streusel Topping over batter in pan.
• Bake in 375 degrees about 25 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly; serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

If you go to GOOGLE type in- images of Halloween treats- a plethora of ideas will pop up to help you with party planning.

Muddy Ghosts

Cut ghosts from 6 inch tortillas. Spread with melted butter or a margarine spread and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until slightly puffed and crisp. You can use cookie cutters for the bats and the ghosts. Kitchen shears work well to cut the bats and a sharp knife to cut two ghosts at a time.

Mummy Brats

Ingredients

• 6 precooked brats or hot dogs
• 1 can crescent rolls or crescent dough sheet
• Mustard for eyes

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Unroll crescent dough. If using crescent rolls, press dough together to remove perforations.
• Cut dough lengthwise into sixths.
• Wipe excess moisture off brats or hot dogs. Place one end of dough strip on one end of brat and fold slightly to make a pocket that covers the end of the meat.
• Wrap dough around the brat, overlapping slightly. Let dough stretch as you work with it. Skip about half an inch of the brat at the “head” and tuck the end of the dough under the brat.
• Place each finished mummy on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15- 20 minutes until mummies are golden brown and the bottom is just beginning to become a darker brown.
• Add mustard dots for eyes. Serve hot.

Spiders on a log